SILVER LINED DOUBT. [JESS MARIANO]

FOURTEEN.

(this is a long one bois. super dialogue heavy but it's all good. it's kind of soft. absolutely not edited. hope you like it. love y'all. -mags)

✧✧✧

FOR THE COFFEE pot incident to happen, a couple of things needed to first take place.

First, Marley needed to yell at Kirk in the middle of the diner. The man had come in with his tail between his legs, avoiding eye contact with her as he held out his hand. In his hand was a letter addressed to Marley in handwriting she knew all too well. Kirk apologized, then knocked over a table running out of the diner as she yelled behind him.

Second, Marley had to read the letter in its entirety, then had to hide it and the response she had started writing from her boss. Luke's sister (Marley had realized that this was Jess' mother at a speed of which she was way too embarrassed to even think about) had come into town on a whim and she didn't need him even more stressed than he already was. He didn't need to add seeing his nephew's handwriting on a letter for Marley to his stressor list.

Third, to hide the letter, Marley had to slide it beneath the counter. She did this as quickly as possible as she saw Luke exit the kitchen, earning a suspicious glance from him, but nothing more. To act even more normal, Marley grabbed the coffee pot and went to refill the mugs of an older couple sitting in the corner of the restaurant. She didn't notice that in her swift haste, she's blown the letter she'd been writing off the shelf under the counter and onto the floor.

To culminate the event, she had to finish her conversation with the couple, turn around to see a cop car flashing their lights outside the diner, return to the counter, and make eye contact with Jess Mariano after he'd been thrown out of that cop car. As soon as he saw her and his hardened expression softened immediately, it was like she had become paralyzed. She dropped the coffee pot, soaking the letter that had fallen.

Luke's shut his eyes as he looked from the scene to his employee standing completely frozen. Oh no. After a moment, he snapped her out of it. "Marley," he began. Marley turned to him slowly, looking as if she'd seen a ghost. "Get some paper towels and the mop. Be careful of the glass."

She nodded absentmindedly, eyes immediately finding Jess' once more. As Luke walked to the door to go outside, Jess sighed at her, which sent Marley a silent message that she recognized instantly. It is what it is. It wasn't his plan to be here. It is what it is.

Marley only moved from her spot when Luke had gone outside and had completely taken over. She glanced down at the coffee, grimacing as she saw she'd completely ruined her shoes. Good. This was good. This all was good. It was great, actually.

Marley wasn't sure why her hands were shaking when she went to reach for the mop in the back.

When she returned, her eyes immediately went to the window. She winced as she watched Jess and Luke argue outside, hands flying in the air in exasperation, scowls on both their faces. The diner was completely silent. Everyone left in the place had their eyes on the two, unsure of what they were watching unfold. Marley wasn't exactly sure what she was watching herself. Why was he here? If it wasn't his plan to drop in, what was?