All characters engaged in sexual activities are over the age of eighteen.
*
Jill wiped the counter and looked at the clock.
Ten fifteen.
She smiled, Jack should be coming in any minute.
She looked up excited at the sound of doorbell.
Her excitement dampened at the sight of the large and rowdy bar hopping group squeezing themselves through the glass door into the diner.
Sadly, thoughts of Jack left her head as she put a smile on her face to wait on the raucous bunch.
********
Jack looked through the glass at the brightly lit diner. The smiling red head was waiting on a large group filling the counter area.
Jack could see the slight dimple on Jill's left cheek. She always got that when she put on her happy face, when in all reality she was frustrated.
It was a big group, and they were pretty loud.
Jack shook his head. As much as he would love to see Jill, he really didn't want to add to her frustration.
He turned and walked back the way he came toward his apartment.
********
An hour later, Jill took the last dirty plate off the counter and watched as the bar hoppers collected themselves to continue their night of drunken merriment.
Thankfully, they really weren't that bad. She had had much worse.
As the last of the party stumbled through the door Jill looked up at the clock.
Eleven fifteen.
No Jack.
Her smile left her face.
She took the remaining detritus off the counter and used her hip to swing the door to the kitchen open.
Chet looked up from scrubbing the large copper skillet.
"No Jack tonight, huh?"
Jill turned to look at the chef after she had loaded the various cutlery and dishes into the plastic rack and pushed it onto the belt which led it on its path towards cleanliness.
"And what makes you say that?"
"Am I right?"
She gave a soft, sad smile and nodded.
"See. I've seen that pretty face of yours five nights a week for the last two years. You don't have to say anything for me to see volumes."
Jill chuckled.
"Remind me never to play poker with you."
Chet laughed, "I've lost enough in my life that my darling wife reminds me daily not to play poker with anybody."
Jill laughed.
Chet smiled, "See, that's the pretty, happy face I know. Jill, why don't you just ask the boy out?"
Jill blushed.
"I tried once, remember. He broke a plate, bowl and glass, and I never got an answer before he fled the diner."
"At least he didn't say 'no.' Besides we have enough china for some collateral damage if it means you do something besides sleep and work in this joint."
Jill just shook her head and returned to the dining area to give the counter a good cleaning.
********
Jack sat in his apartment and pet his purring orange fuzz ball that was attempting to rub her head through the side of his thigh.
He always loved his quality time with Tiggerrette but tonight he just couldn't get his head from that certain smiling red haired waitress.
Without thinking, he clenched his fist on his petting free hand. Why? Why? Why did he have to be such a blithering idiot when it came to dealing with people?
If anyone, anyone, male or female, would so much as say 'boo' to him his mind went blank and the panic attack started.
He turned red just thinking about the other day when the girl at the checkout in the local market had asked him if he was going to that big party down at the beach next week. He had knocked over an entire display of gum.
He wondered if Jill was going to the party.
"What do you think Tiggerrette? Should I ask Jill to that party?"
Tiggerrette looked up at the sound of her name to roll over on her belly and kept the steady stream of purrs filling the room. As far as she was concerned he could do whatever he wanted.
As long as he didn't stop petting her.
********
Jill looked around her living room. She didn't think anyone had ever seen the inside of her apartment. She had a bookcase of books with a very comfy chair next to it with a strong lamp behind the chair. That was her favorite spot in the entire place. It really did look like a place for one, and it had always served her well but now suddenly it just made her feel lonely.
Jill walked over and scanned over the titles on the bookcase until she settled on a romance she knew she could lose herself in for the rest of the day before she was off to work again.
********
Jack looked around the bookcases looking for his next escape from reality.
From around the corner Quentin, the store owner, watched as one of his favorite customers browsed through the stacks. He had a book he definitely wanted to recommend, but he had to approach with caution as Jack had the worst case of people phobia he had ever seen. Startle him and bookcases could go flying.
Quentin made a motion with his hand holding a trade sized paperback book.
Jack caught the motion and turned his head to watch the store owner place the book on the edge of the counter nearest him.
Curious, Jack walked over and looked from the book to the smiling owner.
"Hi Jack; take a look at this book. I think you will really like it."
Jack picked up the book entitled Station Eleven and read over the back. It intrigued him a lot.
He gave a shy smile at Quentin, "This looks really good."
Quentin nodded, "I've heard many great things about it. I really think you'll like it."
"Th..th..thanks," Jack stuttered, already he was maxing out his limited people handling skills.
Quentin gave Jack a big smile, "You're very welcome. Enjoy."
He then busied himself around the paperwork on his nearby desk as Jack noticeably relaxed.
Jack grabbed the book and walked back over to the science fiction section and browsed some more.
Soon enough he was back at the counter with Station Eleven and three other books.
Quentin noticed Jack glance at the sign held in the acrylic easel stand.
"Are you going to that big party next week? Should be quite the hoot."
Jack just smiled and shook his head and paid the store owner for his new books.
As he walked out and headed down the sidewalk towards his apartment, he wondered again if Jill was going to the party that everyone was talking about.
*******
Quentin smiled as one of his other favorite customers came into the store shortly before he was closing. Jill often stopped in before she headed off to work at the diner, so she often was one of his final customers of the day.
"Hi Jill, how are you tonight?"
"Hi Quentin, in desperate need of new books to keep me company," Jill responded.
Quentin smiled and reached over to grab a copy of the dark blue book. "I think you would escape for hours with this one."
Jill looked over the book.
"Station Eleven? I've heard of this. It's supposed to be very good."
Quentin nodded, "That's what I've heard."
