7

Liliana

I glanced at my phone once more. Julian was supposed to have picked me up thirty minutes ago, right after I finished my shift and closed up the diner for the night. Trying his number again, I was met with voicemail after several rings.

A gust of wind whipped rain into my face.

"Damn it!" I moved closer to the building, seeking shelter under the small awning, but it offered little protection against the erratic wind.

If the weather worsened any further, I'd have no choice but to reopen the diner and wait inside.

Calling Julian again, I was greeted by his voicemail once more. "If this is your way of punishing me, Julian, it's childish. You shouldn't have offered to pick me up if you weren't going to show."

With an exasperated huff, I ended the call. We'd argued recently about his excessive partying. I thought we'd patched things up, but maybe I was mistaken.

The wind intensified, and the rain pounded down harder. Dialing Julian once more, I prepared myself. If it went to voicemail again, I'd have to call an Uber.

"Liliana?" The deep, gruff voice made my breath catch.

"Alistair? Where's Julian? Is something wrong?" I worried that something bad had happened if Alistair was answering Julian's phone.

"He's right here, Liliana. He's fine. Just passed out," Alistair replied, sounding annoyed. "It's late... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. I got off work half an hour ago, and he was supposed to pick me up. I'm—"

"You're at the diner? You're not outside alone, are you?"

"Yeah, I've been waiting out here, thinking he'd show up any minute." I swallowed nervously, feeling Alistair's rough tone affecting me.

"I'm on my way," he said.

"What?"

"It's at 4th and Vine, uptown, right? I'm coming to get you. But go inside and wait. I don't want you out there this late alone." There was a slamming sound, maybe his car door, then I heard the engine start. "It'll take a while in this weather."

"You don't have to do that, I can just grab a cab..."

"I'm on my way," he insisted. "Go inside."

"Okay," I said, but I thought he'd already hung up. With the storm getting worse, I followed his advice and unlocked the door to go inside. I could watch for him pulling up through the diner's glass front, feeling much drier and warmer indoors.

The tension from Julian not showing up dissolved. It felt like Alistair was reliable and would do what he promised, unlike his brother.

I felt guilty about how relieved I was to see Alistair again, just the two of us.

But I pushed that guilt away. It was Julian's fault this was happening, so I tried not to feel too bad.

Things had been great at first. But then, little warning signs started appearing. He'd stay out all night with his coworkers or cancel our plans at the last minute.

I knew his behavior wasn't normal or healthy. But I kept making excuses for him. I didn't want to admit that I'd chosen another wrong man.

The wrong brother.

Whenever I tried to talk to him about us, he'd change the subject.

But I still hoped things would improve. No relationship is perfect, right?

I held onto the hope that the Julian I first met would come back.

Headlights appeared, and a mix of relief and excitement flooded me. Stepping outside, I was about to lock the door behind me when a sudden gust of wind pushed me into the building.

Suddenly, Alistair’s large frame surrounded mine from behind, shielding me from the wind.

"Go back inside!" Alistair urged, pulling the door open and guiding me indoors.

"Wow—" A trash can crashed against the diner's window and disappeared in the storm. The rain and wind made it impossible to see beyond the sidewalk. "I've never seen wind this strong," I remarked.

"Neither have I. Let's stay away from the windows until it calms down." He gently led me towards the back of the diner.

A large, broken branch slammed against the door, prompting us to hurry into the back room.

The storage area was sparse, lacking tables or chairs, with only a small bench along one wall barely large enough for two people. I turned on the light, and we sat down.

I shivered as the cold bench touched my skin.

"Here." Alistair took off his burgundy hoodie and offered it to me.

“Oh no, that’s ok…” I started saying as I waved him off, but he gave me a look that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He wrapped it around my shoulders and tugged the front closed. His warmth and masculine scent surrounded me.

“Thanks,” I said with a small smile.