Dead End Diner: Book one

by Bea Biddle

  She emerged from the pile, coughing and spluttering as the shower head sprayed a harsh stream of reality directly in her face. She caught it, strangling it as if it was alive. With a few angry shakes and a disappointed growl, she turned it off. "Dammit!" she yelled when she surveyed the damage she was sitting in. Instantly making a mental note never to get that carried away when she was fantasizing. Especially when she was fantasizing about dumb Demons. Dumb, stupid Demons. The very thought was laughable. "Get the fucking fuck out of my head, fucking Demon." She mumbled and punched the wet tiles.

  It wasn't the first time he had popped into her mind during a very intimate moment, but never to the extent of her losing herself. Or her footing. What was wrong with her? So he was attractive, in a sort of unkempt, caveman-ish kind of way, big deal! There were tons of attractive people in the world, and none of them captured her attention the way he had. She didn't even like him, and she was getting lost in all these delicious fantasies about him. She was losing her mind, surely she was going completely insane. She jerked upright in her sitting position when another startling thought hit her. Was this considered cheating? Surely not. She had absolutely no intention of sleeping with the Demon. After all, she had Colin. And he was handsome too, he was- he was- well, he was certainly always well-groomed, and she liked that about him. Not like other rugged, testosterone filled Demons.

  "Karen?"

  And there he was now. Colin. Damn. She was still in the shower. "Don't come in," she yelled, a little out of breath, but otherwise impressed with herself for sounding somewhat normal. "I'm- I'm taking a shit." She buried her face in her hands. That was probably the most unsexy thing she could possibly have yelled out. Way to set the mood, Karen. She could hear him rummage around the small kitchen, maybe he didn't hear her. She jumped up, untangled herself from the shower curtain, and quickly dried off with the towel. Struggling with the flimsy red underwear, her damp skin made it difficult. She cursed herself for spending too long in the shower, she was supposed to wait for him on the bed! She wouldn't have time to light the candles or to put on music. Her shoes were still on the floor in the bedroom.

  "I'm hungry," Colin yelled as he opened and closed cupboards. He didn't even notice Karen opening the bathroom door, lounging on the side of the wall in her sexiest pose. Coughing a few times, she finally got his attention. "Well, well, well, look at you," he said with a chuckle. Walking over to her, he placed his hands on her hips. "What have you been up to today?"

  "Who, little old me?" Karen bit her lip suggestively, finding it funny that at that moment she was channeling Sylvester of all people. "Just waiting for my man to come home."

  "This is new," Colin noted. He pulled the strap on the red bra and nodded approvingly.

  "Bought especially," Karen purred, "Now follow me to the bedroom, and we'll take care of a more pressing hunger than that of food." She pulled him with her.

  He nodded and laughed. "Alright."

  Alright? That was not the reaction Karen had been waiting for, but she didn't mind as long as he rocked the rest of the night. Pushing him onto the bed, she straddled him. "Let's get this off." One button gone, then another, soon his shirt was thrown on the floor. She tried getting excited about the sight, but he was pale and a little skinny, no bulging muscles ready to be licked, no impressive, wide pecs. She even mourned the lack of scars which was a ridiculous thought. Why the fuck would she want her man to have battle scars? She ran her hand over his shaved, smooth chest. "Do you ever consider growing a little chest hair? Just a little fuzz?" she asked, not at all meaning to ask out loud.

  "Don't be stupid, it's gross," he said in a laugh. Reaching up, he squeezed her boob. She waited for her body to respond eagerly. But nothing. Maybe she had spent herself in the shower? No, she refused to believe that. Especially not while thinking of dumb Cef. She began wondering if the Demon was there that night, on her day off. If he was, would he notice that she wasn't? "What are you thinking about?" Colin asked. Shit, had she zoned out while on top of him?

  "About what I'm going to do to you," she drawled. Good save. Get out of my head, Demon.

  "And what is that?"

  "You'll see." She pushed his head down on the bed with a deep kiss. Her tongue played games with his, running it over his teeth, tasting every part of him, and soon they were battling for space. Her hands felt their way into his unzipped pants. And found a disappointingly soft penis.

  Colin coughed apologetically and pushed her off him, she landed next to him on the bed, and he gave an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm sorry, I'm just so tired and Anna, my boss I mean, has been working me really hard lately."

  She could barely believe what she was hearing. "So, you can't?" She glanced down at the soft bulge in his boxers. "Maybe this guy just needs the right encouragement?" She moved down to sit on her knees between his legs, on the floor, suggestively running her hands up and down his thighs and licking her lips. "Maybe then he'll come out and play." She purred, pulling down his boxers and exposed his still soft manhood.

  He leaned back on his elbows with a lazy grin. "I do like it when you're down there.”

  Karen couldn't help but notice, and be a little offended at, the yawn he was trying so hard to repress. She ignored it, instead focusing on leaving little butterfly kisses up his inner thigh until she reached her destination. She gave it a little kiss before giving it a slow lick around the tip as she fluttered her lashes, he usually found that irresistible. But nothing. Not even a tremble. She sat back with a sigh. "Nothing?"

  "I'm sorry, babe. I'm just so tired tonight, and hungry, I just really need sleep."

  "We haven't had sex in over a week."

  "Some people don't," Colin countered, "I mean, it's not that unusual for couples to have sex less than what we have. Especially for couples who have been together for as long as we have."

  "I just wanted tonight to be special," Karen huffed with disappointment. The uncomfortable underwear was chafing, and she readjusted the thong. Not that there appeared to be any reason to wear it.

  "Don't be sad, babe." Colin got up, slapped her ass as he walked past her into the kitchen and started searching for food again. "Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll wake you up with a special quickie tomorrow, how about that? Since you're home for once," he called to her.

  "Yeah, just great," she breathed in annoyance, "Just fucking great." She peeled off the uncomfortable underwear and left it in a heap on the floor. She didn't even want to throw it in the laundry basket, she hated that underwear, wanted to burn it. She was feeling rejected and so humiliated. She pulled on fresh panties, her blue, floral granny panties that Colin hated, just to spite him. He was sitting at the small table eating a bowl of cereal when she walked out after him. How dare he sit there, so content and happy, after what just happened? Huffing at him, she folded her arms over her chest and stared him down.

  He yawned, oblivious to her current mood. "Oh babe, I'm going to have to go to bed," he announced and stuffed his face with one more spoonful.

  "Yeah, you do that," she answered, knowing that was all she would get out of him that night. Her shoulders slumped. Grabbing her phone, she quickly found the message from earlier and replied to it. She might as well, Colin would be fast asleep in fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, she was wide awake. Her routine had changed, and she was going to be up all night anyway.

  I'm coming out. Where are you?

  ✽✽✽

  The streets were dark. Clouds above shrouded the bright moon and the stars were all hidden. Neon signs and skyscrapers lit up the sky instead. The orange glow from the streetlights was just gloomy enough to suit Cef's mood. He marched tirelessly through the drunken crowd. Clearly, Saturday night had not been a good time for a walk to clear his head.

  A young girl bumped into him, her bright blonde hair invaded his mouth and nostrils, she giggled and slurred out an apology. He pushed her away, grunted at her, and marched on. Humans. Why were they so- so- so annoyingly human? Where was the self-respect? Why were the
y all just happily fumbling through life?

  Cef wanted a coffee. He desperately needed a coffee. But he didn't want to go back to the diner again. She would be there. That human Alyssa had hired. She was always there. He was normally able to coexist with humans, he had no problem staying out of their way if they stayed out of his. But this human, this particular human, he didn't know how to act around. She didn't belong at the diner, she didn't belong in all her human-ness with the rest of them. Yet she was there, every day, working. She was laughing and smiling, serving them as if it was all normal. And annoyingly, apart from her odd clumsy moments, she did fit in. She was part of the team, they had all welcomed her. Sylvester, Zac, Alyssa, even Pete. She was part of the damn diner.

  Sylvester had told him to just talk to her, to start a conversation, then he would see that the human wasn't that bad. In fact, Sylvester had insisted they talk, insisted he at least tried getting along with her. He had had one disastrous attempt. Only one. And he couldn't even remember what he had tried to say. But he couldn't talk to her, he just couldn't figure out how. How frustrating. How very, very frustrating. He had no problems with not talking. He liked not talking. He was good at not talking. But with her, the silence between them seemed to be thick and he wasn't sure with what.

  So, he had given up. Tried to ignore her instead. But then he just ended up staring at her, without even meaning to. And then their eyes would meet across the busy diner, and he didn't know what to do. He growled to himself. No, he could not go back to the diner that night. His inner turmoil was humiliating. She was only a small human girl, nothing more. But her presence at the diner disturbed him greatly.

  The blonde from before had been heavily sprayed with sweet smelling perfume, her face painted to the point of obscuring her actual features. Most female humans did this, he had no idea why. To Cef it seemed pointless and ridiculous. But, that human girl, Karen. When he had seen her, her face had been naked. It suited her, he grudgingly admitted. He wanted to call her pretty, his Demon pride wouldn't let him. Imagine him, a Demon, thinking about a mere human like that? He would have been amused by the thought if his mood had been better.

  "Hey, dude," a man called, tearing Cef out of his thoughts. "Watch out!" Cef managed to jump back onto the sidewalk before the car zoomed past. He had almost gotten hit by a car. Him? Ceftion? A simple car? What was going on? Was his mind so muddled he couldn't even see where he was going anymore? That damn human, it was her fault. He shook his head, mumbled a weak thank you to the man that had warned him and turned down a different street. Damn that human. And he had given her his name, why did he do that?

  Times Square opened in front of him, filled with people and noise. Despite the irritatingly crowded night, Cef found it the perfect place to get lost.

  ✽✽✽

  Karen ran down the flight of stairs, almost tripping on the way. She just needed to get out. She had gotten dressed in a rush and left Colin snoring on the bed. Sometimes she just got so annoyed with him she didn't know how to handle it. The evening had been such a disappointment. Well, she did enjoy her shower. Stop it, she growled to herself, Stop thinking about him. Pushing open the door, she stepped out to the cold empty street and the chill in the air felt amazing on her skin. A cigarette appeared in her hand and she took a deep drag before exhaling above her. She felt herself relax as she watched the smoke curl its way upwards, and then vanish.

  "Got a light, sweetheart?" someone asked her. Three women made their way towards her. The closest one holding out her own cigarette, pleading with her eyes. Her leopard print fur rustled in the wind, underneath a tight, black dress clung to her body. It was obviously a couple of sizes too small, but with a body like that, you couldn't blame her. Shiny red boots, all the way up to her thighs, mesmerized Karen. She would never be able to wear anything even remotely similar. She had no doubt about what kind of profession these women were in.

  "Yeah, yeah, hang on," Karen mumbled, pulling out her lighter again and lit the woman's cigarette.

  "Thank you," she said, taking a long drag. She blew the smoke out the side of her expertly painted mouth while studying Karen up and down.

  Karen felt underdressed, her own torn, black jeans and beat up converse had nothing on their elegant yet revealing outfits. She pulled her jacket tighter around her, self-consciously hiding her old worn hoodie. Should she have worn a dress? Or some other outfit that looked like the kind her mother always tried pushing on her? Compared to these women she looked twelve. Can they tell I'm wearing granny panties? She thought. No, that would be silly. Wouldn't it?

  "You live around here?" the woman asked her, still studying Karen's face.

  Karen shuffled her feet, feeling very uncomfortable. ”I- I-”

  "It's a bit of a walk to the diner," she said, not waiting for Karen to cough out an answer. Karen's jaw snapped shut in confusion. The women just laughed at her melodiously, and as they did Karen noticed the fangs. Vamps. Of course. Possibly the only kind that suited the profession so well. "You're famous in our special circles, little Karen."

  This wasn't the first time Karen was forced to understand that they were everywhere, anywhere you could think of. A secret community hidden in plain sight. Just the other day Karen's mailman showed up at the diner, ordering a large raw steak. Were, of course. But then again, she had always been suspicious of his unibrow.

  "Karen!" It took her a moment to realize someone was shouting her name. "Kare-Bear!" In fact, she didn't realize it until her sister had run up to her. "I'm here, I'm finally here." Breathless after the run, she threw her arms around Karen and hugged her tight. The smell of alcohol hit her, and Karen realized Danielle had already been drinking. The women just smiled at Karen and walked away, without saying a word, their stilettos clicking on the pavement. "Who was that?" Danielle asked, "Do you know them?" She wiggled her nose, watching them walk away.

  "Just friends... I guess."

  "Is that your new job, then?"

  "Shut up, Dani." Karen laughed and shoved her sister away. "I was just giving them a light."

  "Whatever." Dani squeaked in excitement. "You and I are going to paint the town toni- What the hell are you wearing?" She clicked her tongue in disapproval at her sister's clothes.

  "Well I'm not exactly going out to get laid, am I?"

  "Speaking off, how did you get Colin to let you go out alone tonight?"

  "He doesn't know, he's asleep." Karen sighed. "Let's just go to Road Rage. I need to get drunk."

  ✽✽✽

  Road Rage was an old bar not many knew off. She had found it by accident one time and realized it was the only bar she could get served at before she could legally drink, and for that reason, she fell in love with the place, she felt loyal to it. It was small and dark, tucked away on the basement level on a street with no other shops or bars, and only really known to regulars. Which Karen and her sister were.

  Karen folded her jacket on her lap. Sweat and beer were thick in the air. She laughed at something her sister said, but to be honest, she couldn't hear a thing over the loud music, some kind of metal she hadn't heard before. She pulled off her hoodie, glad she decided to wear a plain tank top underneath. The night was cold and chilly, but the bar was a sauna, heated to the point of tropical warmth.

  The few beers Karen had downed had gotten to her head straight away in the heat, but Dani was in a state of drunkenness Karen rarely saw. Coming straight from a bachelorette party, she was already slurring her words and couldn't focus on anything. She decided it was probably better just to get her home. Great. Just fucking great. She needed to get drunk tonight, she needed to be the one slurring her words and not able to walk straight. But she somehow ended up being the babysitter. Why wouldn't anything just go to plan?

  "There you are, drunk skunk." A man laughed and picked up Dani as if she was a child.

  "Steven," Karen breathed in relief and smiled warmly at Dani's husband before she helped him get her outside. She carried Dani's shoes and coat to the w
aiting taxi while Steven placed her in the back seat. Karen kissed her sister goodbye, hugged Steven and watched them drive away.

  As hard as she tried not to, she was a little jealous of their relationship. They were so loving, so perfectly fucking loving to each other. Even in public. Colin was terrified of public displays of affection, wouldn't even hold her hand walking down the street. But that was just the way he was, she had known that from the start. She had to be Ok with that, she couldn't expect him to just change after all these years.

  She groaned as the street wobbled a little under her feet. She started getting cold, it had taken her a while to notice. Where was her jacket? She lit a cigarette from her pocket and rubbed her arms to stay warm. She should go inside again. And she was going to, just as soon as she finished her smoke.

  That's when he noticed her. As soon as Cef had walked down the narrow empty street to avoid people again, he saw her. And it was definitely her, for some reason he would recognize her anywhere. She was standing there in the cold, shivering, smoking a cigarette wearing only a thin sleeveless top. Humans were so stupid. A tattoo filled her upper right arm, a large colorful dragonfly. He had never understood why humans chose to mark their bodies permanently in this way. It somehow lured him in anyway. Suddenly he wanted to see this particular tattoo up close.

  He should probably avoid her. He was going to, he was going to walk away. But then she turned to face him. "You," she stated with surprise.

  Cef hesitated, his thick brows knotted together, then he gestured to the cigarette with a nod of his head. "I told you, you really need to quit."

  Silence followed again. "You tracked me down to tell me that?"

  "No, I didn't track you down." He buried his hands deeper into his pockets, snorting at her. "You're cold."

  "Yes, yes I am." Karen nodded. Why did every conversation have to be this awkward? Why wasn't she talking to him? She swallowed hard. "Out patrolling? Mr. security man?" Their short, clipped conversations at the diner were usually over by now. She would have a table to go to, or he would go out patrolling, or Sylvester wanted a word with him, or something. But there was nothing to interrupt this one. And she didn't know if she was thankful for that or not.