Page 14 of Nightmare For Hire
Anyway…
Portal Place Diner is bright and cheery, with big windows. Do I wait outside for Cyrus or go inside? I send a tendril of shadow through a crack under the door to make sure he hasn’t already arrived. I didn’t mean to show up early, but it just happens. Time is still so weird for me.
I’m looking through the front door when a shadow comes over me.
I snap around and look up. And up. The person is tall. There’s a barbell in one brow, a cute little nose stud. Ears lined with piercings.Brightblue eyes with black eyeliner. The prettiest lashes. Thick brown hair cascades over broad shoulders.Bareshoulders. The black cold shoulder shirt is long-sleeved, but lets his glorious pale shoulders free.
“Cyrus?”
He bobs his head. There’s a soft blush to his cheeks. “Nox?”
Oh, that voice! It’s deep and pleasant and smooths down my spine.
He’s in black slacks that have extra black straps and a few silver chains. When I see the black platform boots that are a total match to mine other than the color, I squat to get a closer look.
“Look! We match! Almost, kinda.” I kick out one leg to press my booted foot against his.
“We do,” he laughs and I pop back up. My star-shaped purse bounces as I do. “Your eyes aren’t sad today.” I give him my biggest smile.
And the smile he gives me back makes my nonexistent heart stop. He’s stunning. If you like humans, that is.
“I didn’t know my eyes looked sad to begin with.”
I dig my phone from my pocket to show him his profile picture. “Very sad. But not today.” I shove my phone back into my pocket and turn back to the door. “Have you been here before?”
“Not yet. It’s been on my to-do list, but I haven’t had much down time since I moved to Rivenfield.”
The door makes a happy chime when I open the door, and we enter. 90s pop music plays softly in the background. Leon, the troll that runs both Portal Place Diner and the attached grocery, loves 90s music. The scent of bacon and syrup fills the air and I breathe it in.
“Oh, Nox, how we doing?” Medusa—human, not a gorgon, by the way—says as she walks up to the host station. She’s in a pair of skinny jeans and a bright pink Portal Place Diner t-shirt. Her red hair is pulled into a tight, high ponytail.
“Doing great! I’m on a date. This is Cyrus and he’s new to Rivenfield.”
“Well, aren’t you a doll baby?” Medusa says to Cyrus as she gives him a once over. “You have my stamp of approval.”
“Hi.” Cyrus gives a tiny wave. “I’m still getting used to everything around here, but so far, I love it.”
“What do you do, sweetie?” Medusa grabs a pair of menus and leads us to my favorite booth in the far corner. It’s private compared to the rest of the place. I don’t mind that she’s asking my date questions, but I wanted to get to know him on my own.
He flashes a smile and I swear my nonexistent heart flutters. Or it’s the shadows doing something weird in my stomach. Humans are interesting creatures, but I’ve never thought one was fun to look at. Okay, maybe Dani with all his colors. But Cyrus has all these cute freckles over his nose and cheeks thatpop against his pale skin. And the piercings accentuate his beauty. His short nails are painted black.
“I work at the hospital. I’m a nurse in the NICU.”
I tip my head, trying to think of what NICU means, and come up blank.
“Oh,” Medusa squeals. “You’re a baby nurse! How sweet. I never would have guessed.”
“Most people don’t. I transferred to the Rivenfield Hospital just under a month ago and I love it. I’ve only ever worked in human hospitals, so I’m eager to learn all about the different species that come through and how to care for their babies.”
“There needs to be more open-minded people like you around.” Medusa gives him a nod. “Well, let me know if you need anything. Trish is your server today.” As she turns, she tips her head towards a blonde with a pixie cut running around.
I wave towards the booth. “Your choice.”
Cyrus chooses the side where he can see the door.
He leans in. “Is she…” His eyes grow wide, and he sucks in a breath. “It’s rude to ask if someone isn’t human, isn’t it?”
“I honestly don’t know.” I shrug. “I’ve only been living among humans and monsters for a small amount of time and they all get weird about strange things.”
