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We got into his car. With the music pumping, we drove. We had no real destination in mind, just bored and wanting to do something. We drove listening to different music from Childish Gambino to AJJ. He and the girl in the front seat were talking and laughing. I couldn’t hear them all to well over the bass of the music. I could tell she was having a good time, if only making small quips at his music taste or making me put on a new song only to change it herself.
We drove for a little while longer with neon signs going by till we slowed in front of a small diner. The sign out front had some broken lights and I had lost my glasses so I couldn’t really make out the words to well. There weren’t many people inside, maybe a few truck drivers getting their dinner and some sad looking men scattered around, probably drunk. We were seated by a waitress with red hair and a blue outfit. He and the girl sat in the booth across from me. The waitress brought waters by and I caught her name tag. Mars, an unusual but fitting name. The waitress left with her tray under her arm. The girl across from me teased me about watching the waitress walk away and I just brushed her off. The two ordered a burger each and shared a plate of fries, and me sticking to my only rule in life, ordered a plate of blueberry pancakes. When I spoke, Mars smile seemed a little more genuine for it being almost midnight, a time where most people would consider dinner time, if they were up. She walked off to put the order in. The couple laughed and made small conversation like I wasn’t there. I wasn’t upset or bothered by this, in fact I was relived. The girl was my best friend and I hadn’t seen her this happy in a long time. Looking out the window at all the passing cars and a car in the lot that was on but no one inside. Soon the waitress came by with our food and set them down in front of us. We ate, more people coming in and out as the time passed.
When we finished our food we didn’t leave, we sat and talked about dumb things that didn’t mean much or hold any value but I soaked up every bit of if as if this were to be my last conversation for a long time. Soon it was time to head back onto the road. My friend went to the bathroom and me and her boyfriend sat outside with a cigarette in my hand waiting. We chatted for a minute till we heard a bell ding on the door. We looked over expecting our friend but saw the waitress from earlier, Mars. She looked over at me immediately and I could feel my face warm up. The guy said he was going to go inside and wait for her inside and gave me a pat on my shoulder as if saying, 'go get ‘em.' I could see her smiling at me in the corner of my eye as I watched him walk off. Soon she made her way over to me and slid down on the bench I was sitting. When she sat down there was a gust of the warm summer breeze moving her red hair into her face, she looked so effortlessly beautiful. She told me that she was on her break. She started to talking about the half asleep patrons at the counter in the front with a slight tilt in her voice that made me smile. When she spoke it was a very different tone from inside, more calm and warm? I’m not sure how to describe it but what I do know is that I would have talked to her all night if I could. From time to time in our conversation she bumped into me which zapped my skin each time. Our conversation about my current road-trip to nowhere was cut short when my two companions walked out of the dinner looking at me with smiles. I looked over greeting them and introducing them properly to Mars. With smiles and names exchanged the girl told us we had to get going. She held her man’s hand as she walked past giving me a small wink, and I could feel Mars smiling behind me. I apologized before getting up and starting to head back to the car. Before I could get very far Mars grabbed my hand and slipped a small piece of paper into my other hand, with what I assumed was her phone number, “Shoot me a text some time,” She whispered into my ear and gliding her hand down my arm. My face was burning this time. I could feel her lips curl as she spoke, soon drifting away and slipping back into the dinner with a grin.