Fragile Hearts

*One month later*

"See?" Tess observes as she shuffles groggily into the kitchen. Kasey is already wide awake at five-thirty in the morning, ready for her double shift at the diner that starts at six. She pours the Cheerios into a bowl.

"See what?"

"You're in a better mood already." Tess smiles. "You're happier, you laugh more, do I need to continue?"

Kasey smiles, digging into her breakfast.

"Aha! You smile a lot more too. Do me a favor and don't go back to hooking up with schmucks again, please."

"Trust me, I'm not."

The past month has been absolutely great for Kasey. She hasn't had to deal with any testosterone filled rants about crazy exes, mean exes, bitch slappings from exes who aren't over the guys. Most of all, she hasn't had to deal with the worst moments where the guy starts bawling right in front of her. It's awesome. She can't understand why she felt so hard pressed to quit now.

"What time are you working 'till?"

"I'm pulling the double," Kasey admits unhappily. "Carol called out sick. Again."

Tess rolls her eyes. "That bitch needs to be fired. I guess I should start complaining now about your real job so you go looking for another one? We need our girl time, Kase."

"I know. I'm off tomorrow so we can do something then."

"Sweet!"

Kasey leaves not long after their brief conversation, walking the ten minutes towards the diner, which is the only building on the street that has lights on at this time of day. Another waitress gives her a tired smile when she pushes the door open, wrapping the apron around her midsection.

"Morning."

"Thank God you're here, Kase," Tara sighs.

Kasey smirks. Her being at the diner only means Tara gets to go home in a half hour after working the late shift. Kasey generously takes only the couple of regulars that straggle in for their coffee and eggs, and two fellow waitresses come along as well, letting Tara go.

The rest of the morning is a breeze for Kasey. She was one of those rare morning people you either admired or loathed.

She puts her notepad in her apron pocket, grabbing some coffee from the pot. "I'm taking my break," she calls out to one of the other waitresses, who nods, carrying a tray full of food for the late morning crowd.

Once out back, she pulls out her pack of cigarettes, lighting one. Going through the motions of inhaling and exhaling the smoke calm her. Her break is just getting to be enjoyable when her phone rings.

She grumbles, rummaging through the over-sized hoodie's pockets to find it.

"Hello?"

Brian takes a deep breath. "Um, hi."

He can't believe he's doing this. He really can't.

Kasey laughs, a bit creeped out. "Are you okay guy?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. Kasey Ferris?" Brian gulps, trying to compose himself. "Um, my friend said that you... specialize in a certain type of escorting?"

He is such a loser.

Kasey sighs. "Yeah, I used to. They must still be running the ad online. Shit. I'm sorry, but I don't any more. Maybe you can try someone else."

"I actually-"

"Look, I'm sorry. I just can't, okay?" Kasey apologizes for one last time before hanging up on the guy, making a mental note to email the bastards who said they were going to stop running the ad.

Brian sighs, running his hands through his hair. That call didn't go half as bad as he had expected. It went a whole lot worse. Leave it to Jimmy to completely overlook the finer details of a plan. Like if the person was still willing to be hired.

"How'd it go?" The tall, blue-eyed drummer asks later that day at the studio, sitting on Brian's lap.

"Not well. Out of service," Brian mumbles.

"What, the number or the girl?" Jimmy chuckles at the last bit.

"The girl."

"Oh. What, busy, tied up- literally, or-"

"Not working that gig anymore."

"Huh. Not what I found," Jimmy muses to himself before concentrating on Brian again. "Look man, Michelle only wants you to be happy. You know that. And the only way to show her that is to actually be happy, or act it at the very least."

"That's great, Jim," Brian snarls back sarcastically. "You're so insightful. Do you even think I want to be happy right now?"

"No." Matt and Johnny come back into the control room, forcing Jimmy to lean into Brian's ear. "But at least you can make everyone think you're rebounding. You always have that dinner the girls are having this week," He whispers.

Jimmy finally gets off Brian's leg. And it pounds like a bitch.

"I'm gonna grab a bite to eat," Brian finally says to no one in particular. Even though he's not really in the mood for anything. He just wants to stew by himself for a couple of hours.

Kasey grits her teeth together, pushing back horrible thoughts of wanting to smack the evil toddler right in the back of his head. He won't stop screaming, and his mom isn't fishing for her wallet fast enough.

"Take your time, I'll be right back," Kasey forces a smile on her face before storming off to the kitchen. She closes her eyes, rubbing her temples to try to dull the incessant aching, but the extra pressure only makes it worse.

"Please tell me that kid is leaving soon," another waitress bursts through the kitchen, carrying an empty tray. "My section is getting seriously annoyed."

"If he doesn't leave in the next five minutes, I'm shutting him up myself," Kasey growls bitterly.

Thankfully, Kasey doesn't have to wait the full five minutes. When she ventures back out onto the floor, the mom and evil baby are gone, money, plus tip on the table. Kasey breathes a silent thank you before making the food quality rounds.

She doesn't even notice the hostess bring in a new customer to her section after the busboy cleans up the toddler's mess.

"Kasey," Cheryl hisses as she speeds by with a pot full of hot coffee.

"What?"

"Tall, dark and handsome, four o'clock. Your booth. He's been waiting for five minutes."

Kasey looks back, startled. She never missed a new patron before. "Sorry," she shakes her head. "Long day. I'll get right to him in a sec."

"Oh, and can you get his number for me?"

Kasey chuckles, dropping off the coffee pot back in the kitchen for a refill before reaching 'tall, dark and handsome' who is wearing a black beanie on top of his head. Cheryl wasn't kidding.

"Sorry for the delay, sir. What can I get for you today?" She asks politely.

Brian's eyes widen as he stares up at his waitress, recognizing her voice from earlier on today. "Um, I was just going to have the burger and fries."

Kasey's pen stops dead on the pad as she looks back up, staring at her patron.

"Anything to drink?" She swallows, trying to remain steady.

"Coke's fine, thanks."

Kasey taps the pen on the pad, turning away slowly before scurrying off. Because that little moment out there wasn't awkward at all.

That was the same guy who had called her while she was on her break. What makes it even worse is that she totally blew the guy off before. Now she feels like a bitch. An awkward bitch.

Brian gulps when the waitress finally presents his order in front of him, only offering a quick, almost nonexistent 'enjoy your meal' before disappearing again. He takes a fry, biting into it, running through a million different scenarios that can play out right about now.

He can maybe ask her again, but how pathetic is that? Sadly, that just might be what he is right about now. Pathetic.

"Do you want me to wrap that up for you?" The waitress asks when she finally comes around again, motioning to his half eaten burger and untouched fries.

"Yeah, please."

He leaves a fifty on the table, waiting for her to come back.

"Do you want change for this?"

"No, it's fine. Keep it. I actually need to talk to you. Kasey, right?"

Kasey knows the guy can see her gulp. And it's not just because her larynx is larger than a normal girl's.

"I'm um, working right now," she smiles awkwardly, trying to maneuver away from the guy. But he grabs her wrist gently, shocking her.

"Please, it won't take long. Just outside."

Kasey's eyes dart around the diner. "Fine."

The guy leads her outside, where he resumes to take out a cigarette and begin smoking. He has a black hoodie on, board shorts and flip flops. An odd combination for Kasey's tastes.

"I'm Brian," he finally says when the cigarette is lit.

"Kasey, but you already knew that," she grips the tray in her hands hard.

"Look, I know what you said earlier on. And I respect that, I do. But I just need you for one night. That's it."

His brown eyes are begging her, and she shuffles nervously, looking anywhere but at him.

One night, her mind echos.

"I can pay you double for it."

Her teeth chew mercilessly at her bottom lip. Tess is going to feed her to Tex alive when she finds out about this.

"One night? Are you sure?" Kasey asks carefully.

"Promise," Brian breathes out a sigh of relief, knowing he's not out of the woods just yet.

"Just name a time and place and we're set."

"Actually, do you mind if I pick you up? Saturday at around six?"

Kasey huffs. If anyone sees her out here, her job could very well be put on the line. "Fine, that's fine. But just this once, got it?"

"I got it. Just- wear something nice. Not too fancy though."

Again she was walking into another man's, admittedly hot man's, life, completely blind and willing to put up with whatever shit was dished her way.

She quickly spits out her address before hightailing it back into the diner, immediately regretting what she just did. When she just promised her best friend she wouldn't.