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on the frosted windows of the partitions, my eyes diverted
from my feet to his blurry silhouette. Could he see me too? Maybe a
faint shadow in the distance? For once my body could still be viewed
as perfect.
    “Megan,”
he began softly, “I have a lot of errands to run so I’ll
be gone most of the day. I left my cell number if you need anything.
It’s right next to the box of kolaches. The ones on the right
have jalapeños, so stick with the ones on the left.”
    I swallowed to soothe
my dry throat. And because he’d been nothing but kind since the
moment we’d met, I forced an, “Alright,” loud
enough to reach him through the barrier. He stepped away then, and
soon left the apartment, his car starting and driving away.
    Damn my fucking
burns! I never used to be so self-conscious before. But the way
I’d been looked at since it happened, only convinced me that
the world truly did believe beauty was only skin deep. I didn’t
like not trusting people, not thinking better of the strangers I met,
not thinking Nick would automatically be better than the previous
jerks who gaffed at me, because I truly thought he was.
    I spent a good part of
the day cleaning the apartment and doing laundry, trying to busy
myself and doping myself with obnoxious fumes so I wouldn’t
fall into another bout of self-pity. I even ate the kolaches. They
were good, but I was pretty sure Nick could improve on them ten-fold.
    At a quarter to four,
I journeyed the short walk to work, continually scanning my
surroundings in each direction. The path was just a quick zig-zag of
streets right off Main Street. I knew every nook and cranny along
this walk, as well as all the locals’ faces, so I was basically
on auto-pilot but still attuned to it all. I was never going to let
anyone get the jump on me again.
    Honestly, it was a
little weird that Nick wasn’t at the diner, even though my four
co-workers and I were all we had since I began working there. Paul,
who had to work the night shift with me, was already transitioning
into the kitchen, picking up the new orders as Juan finished his. The
patrons were going to be disappointed if they came in tonight looking
to be served the same masterpieces that were served all last week.
    Darla got squeezed out
of the rotation, and soon enough, it was just me and Tish working
side by side. And the first moment we were alone, Tish lifted her
eyes suggestively at me.
    “What?” I
dared, the smirk on her face telling me I was going to regret asking
that.
    “So how’d
you do it?”
    “Do what?”
I pulled four glasses from the shelving and began filling table
seven’s drink order.
    “Don’t you
play dumb with me,” she replied with drama queen attitude.
“It’s all over town how Nick’s off the market
because a certain cute waitress snagged him up.” Hands to her
hips, she added, “And since that cutey ain’t me, I can
only assume it’s you.”
    “Please. I
haven’t even cast a line, so how could I possibly snag him?”
And whether he liked me or not, I was in the air over whether I even
wanted that, because I still firmly believed in my rule of no
unnecessary relationships. Friendship with a coworker was one thing,
but having something more with Nick was just pushing my luck, which
had seriously kicked my ass on more than one occasion. But my heart
also fluttered when I dared to believe Nick could still want me after
seeing my ugly, damaged body.
    “Girl, don’t
even. I’ve seen the way you two sneak peeks when you think the
other’s not looking.”
    I snapped to
attention, my eyes opening wide. Guilty. Damn it, so guilty…but
the guy was nice to look at!
    “Yep. That’s
right,” she confirmed. She crossed her arms and shifted her
weight to her left hip.
    “It’s not
like that. We’re just roommates.”
    She gasped
dramatically, her hand thrown over her heart. “Shut the fuck
up!” she yelled in a hushed tone. The two guys eating at the
opposite end of the counter turned their