Diner Talk

One: Honeybee Tea

Sang

Piper was standing in a field of daisies, her jet black hair loose and shining in the warm summer sun. She called my name and I started to run towards her, but the closer I got the harder it was to breathe. It felt like my lungs were on fire, and when I finally grabbed her hand it was like all the air was sucked out of me. I couldn't catch my breath but I couldn't let her go, stuck in a limbo of my own creation.

I woke up with an ache that was more than physical. It had been weeks since I'd had a dream about Piper, and months since I had missed her so much that I felt nauseous. I wiggled away from Luke's vanilla embrace and grabbed my phone from his nightstand. I hadn't spent much time in the Taylor house, and we had arrived pretty much at bedtime, so I still hadn't had the patented Taylor Tour that Luke had promised me.

We had gone to bed around ten at North's request. He was on a mission that was meant to start at the stroke of midnight, and he didn't want me up all night worrying. I pressed a finger to my bottom lip. What if he wasn't finished yet? It was barely one o'clock. I didn't want to jeopardize his safety for something that might not even count as a nightmare, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the dream brought on, the longing and the fear rolled up into one.

I clutched my phone to my chest and kissed Luke on the cheek. He hummed a little but slept on peacefully. Good. He had been working at the diner all day and was practically dead on his feet. I suspected that was also part of the reason North was so insistent we go to sleep early.

I slipped through the door and padded down the stairs, resolving to wait for North in the living room so I didn't wake up either Luke or Uncle. I decided to get a glass of water first and calm down.

I was surprised to see North already in the kitchen, his back to me as he steeped a tea bag in a shiny white mug with "#1 Mechanic" printed on it. I wasn't sure if it was from Luke or Silas. Both of them were close to North, and both of them were the type to give him something like that, half serious and half gag gift. I padded over to his side and leaned into him gently, and he swung his arm around to give me a hug. I swallowed around a lump in my throat and scooted closer.

"Did you have a nightmare, baby?" I nodded and he got another cup down, this one pale yellow with little cartoon bees all over it. It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen and my eyes lit up at the thought of getting to use it. He chuckled at my reaction, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "I have a rosehip tea I think you'll like. Sweetened with honey. It'll help your throat and it's natural."

North, ever looking after my health. "Thank you, I'd love to try it." My voice was shaky and quiet, even in the relative silence of the house, and he bumped my hip gently with his. He was worried about me, and I was trying not to let him see me break down. "Who gave you that mug?"

"Nathan. He'd been looking for a copy of one of those horror movies he likes, and I found it at that movie store by Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, Monster Movies or something. Apparently, it was a big deal, because he paid for a friend of ours who owns an auto shop to give the Jeep an upgrade next time I came in. Gave me this the other day and tried to pretend he knew nothing about the Jeep, but he's a shit liar." I smiled to myself.

"Then you know it meant a lot to him. You did a kind thing." North snorted. Not many people described North Taylor as kind, but that was because he usually showed you he cared by yelling at you to eat right, to be careful, to get some sleep. His love language was Loud, I guess.

My head shot up when I heard North laugh. His dimples were on full display. North always seemed softer when he smiled, his whole face lighting up. "Fuck, I can't be mad because that was hilarious." Apparently I had said that last part out loud. He grinned at me, his expressive dark eyes all lit up.