Page 76 of Ruin

“No. Sorry, I don't.”

“An uncle, an older uncle?” Now I smile at her questions.

“No, sorry.”

“Why are the good ones always taken?” Angie shakes her head, and Declan lets out a small chuckle to himself.

“They were taken too soon.” Declan whispers to himself, but I hear him, and so does Angie.

“I'm sorry.”

“Before I was born.” He looks at me looking over at Angie.

“Your usual?” she asks, and I nod, then she turns to Declan.

“What’s her usual?” he asks, and Angie tells himwhat I have. “I’ll have the same with a side order of waffles, please.” Angie stands there and looks at him for a moment before saying.

“You mean the main order of the waffles?”

“Yeah, I thought I'd say a side order, so it seemed like I didn't eat a lot,” he tells her which makes her laugh.

“The size you are, honey, you need to eat,” Angie tells him and walks away.

Declan looks around the restaurant, still looks the same as it did when I was a kid. “I would say you've been coming here since you were a kid.”

Yes. Mom used to bring me here every weekend. If I was good at school, she would treat me to pancakes for breakfast, and then every year for her birthday.

“Well, you haven’t been good at school, you're not even there today. Don’t think you deserve the pancakes,” Declan tells me, and I sit back in my seat.

I think after last night I do.

My comment makes Declan roar out in laughter, making some of the other diners look over at us.

“After last night I think you deserve so much more than pancakes, the marks on my back are proof of it,” he tells me, and I can feel my cheeks burning, he didn’t even whisper it, he doesn’t care what everyone thinks about what we did. “So where are we going after this?”

To say happy birthday to my mom-

“And your mom is where?” Declan asks, he’s been asking since last night where we are going, but I haven’t said anything.

At the graveyard, close to here.

Declan bites on his lower lip, thinking of the words to say. “I'm sorry.” Pressing my lips together I give him a small smile.

I don't know what to say to him. My life would have been completely different to what it is today, if she was still here. Yes, maybe I would never have met Declan, but this thing he thinks we have, has been happening for less than a day, and could change in a month.

“Your coffee.” Angie places them down for us.

“Thanks,” Declan says for the both of us. “Eight o'clock in the morning and you're having a milkshake.”

So?

“So, tell me about your mom.”

I don't want to.

“Either talk about your mom or dad.” The way Declan’s voice hits me makes me sign, because it’s not a tone I want to annoy anymore.

My mom was my best friend. She taught me to sew. I told my mom, as I watched her, that I wanted to design my own clothes. She told me the only person who can ruin my dreams is me, so don’t stop until you hit them.

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