Page 79 of A Series of Rooms
“Of course you aren’t fired,” she scoffed. “We’re short-staffed as it is. Trust me, you’re clocking in immediately after this conversation.”
Liam huffed a laugh.
“In all seriousness, if you need to take some time off, you need to tell me,” she said. “We can work something out.”
“God, no,” he said immediately. “If anything, I’d like to pick up more hours. Please.”
“What, so I can watch you run yourself into the ground foranother few months?”
“I’ll have the availability this time,” he assured her. Then, after taking a breath, he said, “I’ve decided to take the spring semester off.”
It was strange to say out loud. Watching the registration date come and go without lifting a finger had been a nerve-wracking choice, but an intentional one. It was the first deviation from the monotonous path he had coasted since high school, and the first real step toward committing himself to the future he wanted.
Kim raised an eyebrow. “You’re not dropping out, are you?”
“No,” he said. “I want to get serious about art school. If I want to get to New York in the fall, I’ll need to save up as much as I can.”
A rare, earnest smile spread across Kim’s mouth. “Now that’s a plan I can get behind.”
Returning to work was a jolt of whiplash. He likened it to the feeling of being immersed in a long book and being forced to reckon with the reality of life when he closed the cover. Except this time, it was his life with Jonah that had been the real thing, and now he was forced back into this two-dimensional world. The monotony of being inside the diner—of tending to unkind patrons and listening to petty gossip in the kitchen—was like trudging through wet concrete.
There was an hour left in his shift when the chime on the door signaled a new customer. Liam turned to greet them, but the words never made it out.
Ben met his eyes from across the room. Without acknowledging him, Liam turned on his heel and beelined for the kitchen.
“Liam, wait,” Ben said before he could make it.
Against his better judgment, Liam stopped.
He hadn’t seen Ben since the night of the derailed Christmas dinner. Liam was not particularly eager to revisit that memory. Especially now, in the middle of his workplace, where he was trying very hard to keep some semblance of his life together.
“Will this be for here or to go?” Liam forced a well-practiced customer service smile.
Ben leveled him with an annoyed look. “Liam, please. I want to talk to you.”
“I’m afraid you’ll need to order something or leave,” he said, as coldly as he could manage. “Otherwise, this is called loitering.”
For a second, it almost looked like he had won the battle, but Ben crushed his dreams, as he stepped forward and pulled out one of the stools along the bar. “Fine,” he said, taking his seat. “One black coffee, please.”
Liam’s smile wiped clean from his face. The customer service voice dropped. “Ben, this is my job. You can’t just come here and corner me into talking to you.”
“You wouldn’t answer your phone,” Ben said. “I was worried.”
“I’ve been busy.” Liam dipped behind the counter, getting to work on the sham of an order. He turned back to Ben with the steaming mug, but didn’t set it down. “Over there.” He motioned with his head to an empty booth. “I’m not having this conversation where everyone can hear.”
Ben conceded, looking relieved. Liam followed, calling over his shoulder to Kim at the register. “Taking a fifteen.”
Alone in their booth, Ben was suddenly quiet.
Liam stared at him expectantly. “In case you missed that,” he nudged, “I only have fifteen minutes.”
Ben took a sip of the coffee, wincing as the heat met his lips. “I know,” he said after another long moment. “I’m just... trying to figure out where to start.”
Liam’s defensiveness began to lose some of its bite. He nodded, once, giving him a second to gather his thoughts. Finally, Ben nudged the coffee slightly away from him, meeting Liam’s eyes.
“What happened?” he asked, a little exasperated. “At dinner, I mean. I’ve never seen you like that. Not anywhere close to it, really. I’m not saying Nathan didn’t have it coming,” he added quickly, apparently unwilling to lose Liam’s momentary good graces. “I’m sure I could think of a dozen reasons off the top of my head he had a good punch coming his way, but...”
But, indeed.
