The Luna

Four

I hold the warm mug in my hands trying to ignore the stares of Justice and the rest of the evening staff from the kitchen. I'm trying to decide if they're shocked to see me with a guy or shocked at how good looking Caspian is. Maybe a little bit of both?

In the year that I've been here, I've never talked about relationships or shown any interest in any. It's not that I didn't have offers or even experience. Before my mom died, I had had a boyfriend I was serious about and we had crossed off all the firsts, but that fizzled out after she died.

I don't think Tony knew how to handle a grieving girlfriend, let alone one that is being bounced around from place to place. It never really bothered me when he and I ended, but I had become fairly numb at that point.

"Family?" Caspian asks, snapping me from my thoughts and breaking the silence that had settled over us momentarily.

My eyes move to him as he leans against the peeling plastic of the booth, looking far more comfortable than anyone has a right to in a place like this. I can't help but watch in amazement at the muscles in his arms and chest as he raises his coffee to his lips. Judging by the smile that plays on his lips, my observations didn't go unnoticed.

"What?" I ask stupidly, breaking my gaze to look down at my coffee that if I'm honest needs more cream, but I don't want to ask Justice or one of the other waitresses' to bring over. The last thing I need is for them to think they've been invited to ask Caspian questions about whatever this is.

"Are they family?" Caspian chuckles, his eyes drifting to the looky-loos who try to duck behind a wall like they weren't watching us, "Sisters? Cousins?"

"Oh, um no. Not really anyway," I shrug with one shoulder, "Justice took me in last year and gave me a job when no one else would."

"Where's your family?" he sounds generally curious as his fingers tap idly on the tabletop.

Meeting Caspian has been weird too say the least. He literally appeared out of nowhere and instead of running scared or just walking away, I went against my better judgment and followed him.

It's like red flags come up but my brain says well...let's see what happens. But this - telling him about my past - about my mom - I'm not sure that I can do that. It seems too soon, too personal and I can't bring myself to do it. I'm not ready to do that.

"I'm alone," I say simply, hoping that he won't ask me to elaborate.

"Interesting," Caspian tilts his head and I can tell there is something going on in his head but I don't know what.

"I guess?" I didn't mean it to sound like a question, but normally that's not the response I get. Usually, it's a combination of I'm sorry to hear that, or I'm sorry to have brought it up.

But I get none of that from Caspian. He just sits there with a thoughtful look on his face like he is trying to put together a puzzle or solve a complicated problem.

"Mia, can I ask you something?" Caspian says suddenly, his green eyes staring straight at me, pulling me like a fly in a spider web.

I can't get my voice to work, so I settle for a nod. Caspian straightens and leans forward like he is going to whisper something to me, something that no one else can hear.

"What's keeping you here? In Crest Falls, I mean?" His eyes search around the diner like he is trying to find the answer for himself but cannot fathom a good enough reason.

It's hard to blame him too. Looking at the diner from a first-time customer perspective, it isn't great. The paint is chipping both inside and out. The floors have cracks in the linoleum and in the bathroom, someone named Gretchen has been looking for a good time since probably before I was born.