“Leon! Two burgers at table three! Give them a couple cups of coke on the house too!” Leon’s boss, Megan, yelled out as she slipped into the kitchen at the back of the diner with an empty tray in her hands.
“Alright.” Leon replied as he deftly served the freshly made burgers onto plates and placed them on a tray, before breaking some ice into two cups and filling them up with coke. The door was held open for him by Megan, and he quickly made his way through the diner.
“Two burgers and two cups of coke. The cokes are on the house.” Leon smiled brightly at the two men who were seated at table three as he announced their orders.
“Thanks, kid. Tell Megan we owe her one, haha!” One man gave Leon a thumbs up before he turned to pick up his burger. His friend studied Leon a bit more before doing the same thing.
Leon made his way around the diner to clear up the empty trays and clean up the tables that got dirty while the customers ate.
“Do you know those guys, Megan?” Leon asked when he returned to the kitchen. Megan was standing by the sink while washing the dirty plates.
“Maybe her boyfriend? Or maybe her ex and his friend?” His co-worker, James, one for gossip, spoke up from his spot at the grill.
“Pah! They’re my friends from college!” Megan exclaimed and directed a glare at James. “Watch what you say, kid!” She pointed a fork at James, who raised his arms with a grin.
“Friends from college? What do they do?” Leon asked as he made his way to the sink with the trays in his hands.
“Rowan is into modeling, while Andrew is more into fashion. They usually work together, hosting collaborative shows and all, with Rowan’s models showing off Andrew’s latest wears.” Megan explained.
“That’s pretty cool. Why don’t you go model for Rowan, then?” James whistled. “You’ve got some pretty good looks yourself.” He said sincerely, and Leon couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Megan was truly a feast for the eyes of anyone who knew what beauty was. Plus, she had a decent personality. And she could cook well too. She was truly wife material.
“Eh? Me, model? Impossible!” Megan scoffed and both Leon and James burst into a fit of laughter. The only thing that would stop Megan from agreeing to be a model was that she was a shy person. She was only in her element when she had grown comfortable in an environment.
The three of them continued to work until evening.
While making his rounds around the diner, Leon noticed that Megan’s friends, Andrew and Rowan, had yet to leave. They had ordered a few more servings and cups of coke to go with the food, but aside from that, they remained in the diner. He made his way to their table to ask if they would like a refill of their coke, although he doubted it.
“Hey, is there anything I can get you guys while you wait?” He asked when he stopped at the table, rousing the two men from what they were doing.
“Ah, no, we’re okay, thanks.” Andrew smiled and replied.
“Alright.” Leon nodded and was about to leave when Rowan stopped him.
“Say, Leon. You are a fine man in this day and age. Have you ever thought about modeling?” The man leaned forward and asked with a smile.
“What? Me, a model?” Leon stuttered.
“Of course! You don’t see it yourself, but I do. That glossy dark skin that almost seems to radiate perfection, and your sharp jawline can almost slice a block of ice into two clean halves.” Rowan continued to shower Leon with compliments while making fake camera shutter sounds and shaping his fingers like a camera.
“Don’t try to woo my employee into quitting his job, Rowan!” Megan passed by the table while glaring daggers at the man, who laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
Leon laughed it off but was still surprised when Rowan passed him a business card. “Call me later, but discuss it with Megan first. You can start out as a part-time model if she doesn’t mind.” The man shrugged before waving Leon away to return to his job. Rowan and Andrew left soon after that.
.
.
A few hours later, the diner had emptied out and Leon, James, and Megan were preparing to go home to rest for the night.
“So, Rowan wants you to work part time as a model for his brand? Sweet!” James exclaimed as he pulled on his sneakers.
“I was expecting it, though, so it’s not really a shocker.” Megan shrugged.
“You were expecting it? What do you mean by that?” Leon leaned forward and asked her. He adjusted the strap of his backpack as he waited by the backdoor of the diner where they would leave through.
“Well, I always knew you had good looks, and then when Andrew and Rowan told me they were coming over, the thought of them picking an interest in you crossed my mind.” Megan replied as she switched off the kitchen lights and Leon held open the door until all three of them had stepped out and Megan locked it up with her key.
“I honestly don’t mind you working part time for both the diner and his modeling brand. It’s a good way to make some extra cash.” She continued.
The three of them continued to discuss the matter as they walked down the side of the empty street that led away from the diner. Leon pulled out the business card that Rowan had handed him earlier and eyed it before dialing the number that was on it.
“Alright, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He told them as he stopped at the corner that they usually parted ways. He would continue walking forward, across the road, while they would take the corner and eventually split up later on.
“Okay, see you tomorrow, Leon.” Megan waved while James flashed him a grin. He hit the dial and held the phone to his ear as he stepped onto the dark asphalt.
“Hello? Rowan Hemmings on the line.” The familiar voice of the man he had met earlier today came from the other end of the phone and Leon couldn’t suppress a smile. He couldn’t believe he was going to model for a popular rising brand.
“Um, hey Rowan. This is Leon from Megan’s diner.” Leon started.
“Ah! Leon, I was just wondering if you would call me at-“
“LEON!”
Honk!
Two loud sounds cut through the peaceful conversation Leon was having on the phone, and he turned quickly when he heard the sound of a horn. A midsize truck was racing toward him and there was no time for him to even take it in.
The yell he had heard earlier came from Megan. She was still frozen in place, seemingly paused by time as a single second stretched on into an eternity. Leon only had one thought as that second came to an end.
‘How did I not hear a truck coming…?’
Bam!
A resounding thud was heard and Leon’s body was thrown into the air, miraculously escaping the fate of being trampled by the vicious tires of the truck, and mashed into a meaty paste by its humongous weight.
That did not make the situation any better, though. Leon’s sense of pain had ceased to function in that moment, and his body had gone into shock. Almost every single bone in his body had been broken or crushed by that epic collision with the truck, and he was in a dire situation.
“Leon!” Megan screamed and rushed over with James, but the young man in question couldn’t hear it. He had already lost consciousness.
James was already punching the emergency services’ number on his phone to get an ambulance to rush over. Luckily, there was a hospital not too far from the diner, so they would be there soon.
.
.
Leon’s eyes blearily blinked open and a white light shone into his right eye. He groaned deeply and felt a warm liquid bubble in his mouth.
“Hold on, Leon!” Megan’s voice reached his ears, but it seemed so far away.
He closed his eyes and returned to the warm, comfortable darkness that gladly welcomed him with open arms.
.
.
When Leon opened his eyes again, the white light did not shine into his eyes. Instead, a dark brick ceiling that was partially covered in moss was what greeted his sight.