✓ | 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀, j. hale [2]

VIII. Dishwashers and Dirt Bikes

At her next shift a couple days later, Evelyn couldn't help but be on edge as she worked. She felt like half of her attention was always on the unfamiliar vampire working alongside her. As she served tables and took orders, she watched Will from the corner of her eye as he innocently gathered the used dishes from her tables. He seemed to be pointedly aware of her, too: he always happened to be near her in the dining room, or passing her in the doorway to the kitchen as she entered or exited. Still, neither of them spoke. She knew that he had to be aware of her sharp gaze on him, but she couldn't help it; her curiosity and instincts were telling her to keep an eye on him. Despite his golden eyes, she was not willing to trust him, yet.

Once the Saturday lunch rush had died down, Evelyn was carrying some dirty napkins and hand towels to the back to be washed when she caught Will's eye as he stood near the sink to put dishes away. Her breath caught slightly in her throat; Will's golden irises did nothing but remind her of Jasper's, and the painful reminder never failed to make her heart clench everytime she looked at him.

He stared at her for a moment, the corner of his mouth turned slightly upwards, before suddenly turning and walking towards the backdoor. He picked up a trashbag sitting by the door and without turning around, swept gracefully outside into the gloomy afternoon.

Evelyn stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen for a moment debating with herself. He had not spoken, but for some reason she knew that he had wanted her to come with him. Would it be stupid to follow him out there? Would it be stupid not to? Ultimately, her stubborn curiosity won out, and she quickly threw the linens in her hands in the laundry room before hurrying out the back door behind him.

The cold, crisp air bit at the exposed skin of her arms and seeped through the thin shirt she was wearing, and she sucked in a quick breath at the sudden sensation. Will, who had just thrown the large trash bags into the dumpster, turned and crossed his arms lazily over his chest as he gazed back at the human girl in front of him. Will had to admit that he was slightly surprised to see her there, even though he had wanted to speak to her privately. He didn't think that she would be brave enough to follow him out here, and yet here she was. Human curiosity never failed to amuse him.

"Can I help you?" The vampire asked, arching his perfect eyebrow at the shivering girl before him. Evelyn blinked, once again surprised by the silkiness of his deep voice. The way he spoke was strange, though; his voice had an unusual lilt when he talked, as if he had spent years perfecting an American accent that he did not have originally. She wondered briefly where he was from, but decided that was less important than finding out why he suddenly showed up in Forks.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, tilting her head as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself to fight off the cold.

He smiled again, his dazzling white teeth flashing. "I'm working, same as you. I thought that was obvious."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."

"Do I?" He studied her closely for a moment before speaking again. "Why did you follow me out here, Evelyn?"

"Because I know what you are. Your eyes give you away. And I've seen you before. You ran into me outside the movie theater in Port Angeles. And now you just so happen to show up here, where I live and work. You can't tell me you wouldn't be curious if you were me."

Will grinned when she said that. She's observant. "Perhaps. Or maybe it's just a pure coincidence. And yet here you stand. You're not afraid of me?"

Evelyn shook her head, frowning as if it were obvious. "No. Like I said, your eyes say you don't drink human blood. Unfortunately, you aren't the first vampire I've happened to meet."