A Ghost of You

Savannah GilesBelladonna Fenris A GhostOf You © SavannahGiles2022 For those who need an escape.If you are my mother, put it down and step away. Neither of us needs that trauma. Chapter 1 Sienna "I hate your car. The AC is literally always busted." "Be nice to Petunia. She's the one taking you to your new fancy apartment," I shake my head and roll down the two front windows. My AC is busted- it has been since last summer. I can't afford to fix it right now. Things are pretty tight monetarily until I get back and start the job I got at the local grocery store. "Yeah, yeah, sorry Petunia," Olivia rolls her eyes. She props up her elbow on the window and lays her head over it. Her grey tank top and denim shorts apparently aren't cool enough for her. She pulls her long mouse-brown hair back into a high ponytail. "So tell me about your new job Miss Olivia Saunders, literary agent for Bookhouse Publishing," I poke her in the rib before grabbing the steering wheel again. It even sounds fancy. "I mean, I'm a literary agent. For Bookhouse Publishing. I get to meet fancy authors and find promising new ones." "So you're reading a lot?" "Basically." "That sounds like your dream job," I laugh and stare straight ahead. I look at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Light blue eyes with yellow speckles. Short brown, curly hair. Freckled sun-kissed skin. A bit of a plain Jane. That's me alright. I move my leg a bit, and it sticks to the seat. Great. The white lacy shorts I'm wearing aren't doing me any favors. They're my favorite pair though. They make it look like I have some semblance of an ass. And they pair beautifully with my black tank top that reads "Pretty in ink" in bold white lettering. Both of which show off the tattoos I've gotten thus far. I have a wildflower theme on my left leg going all the way up to my thigh, and a bee theme on my right arm from wrist to shoulder. The sun has almost set and we have another two hours to go before we get to her new place. New York City really is bigger than I expected it to be. "Can we stop somewhere to eat? I'm starving. My treat," Liv says from the passenger seat staring at me. "Yeah, okay. I'm a little hungry too. The road trip snacks didn't last as long as I thought they would." "To be fair, we do still have those lemon moon pies your mom sent." "Yuck." Just the thought of that makes my stomach roll. "Don't knock it til you try it, Sienna." She raises an eyebrow and gives me a half-smile. "I'm not a fan of regular moon pies. There's not enough lemon in the world to make that mess good. Oh! Is that a diner?" I point to a little hole-in-the-wall building tucked between two massive glass buildings. The neon sign on the front says open in shining red letters. "Let's stop there. It doesn't look too busy." "Well, I mean, it is like eight at night." "Okay, smartass, let's eat here." I pull into a front parking space and turn to Liv. "Ready for your first meal as a city slicker?" I laugh. She rolls her eyes and gets out of Petunia. I get out after her and lock the doors. Not that it'll do much good, considering the windows are down, but we can see the car from the windows. So it'll be okay, right? Liv holds the front door open for me. It's a cute little diner. There's a hostess stand a few feet from the door with a sign that says seat yourself. It looks like a baby Cracker Barrel. Wood paneling, country-themed decor, and heavily decorated walls. To the left is a bar area with the bathrooms. To the right are a bunch of booth tables and a jukebox. There's a decent amount of space between the jukebox and the tables. A dance floor? "Let's grab a booth. As much as I love you, I need my elbow space and room to stretch out," Liv laughs gesturing to the booths. Nodding, I walk over to the booth closest to the jukebox. The music variety is about what I'd expect of an older jukebox. I will dance to one of these before we leave. It's not like anyone here knows me other than Liv anyway. The waitress pops up from behind the counter and saunters over to us with menus and rolled silverware in hand. "Good evening ladies, what can I get you started with tonight?" She smiles at us sweetly. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail and her makeup is flawless. I'm a little jealous, honestly. "Do you have sweet tea?" "Sweet tea? No, sorry," she raises an eyebrow. "But we have iced tea." "I'll just take a sprite, thanks," I smile at her. She nods and looks over at Liv. "I'll have a sprite as well." "Okay," she hands us each a menu. "I'll be back with those drinks." The menu was breakfast items, burgers, and sandwiches. Nothing on here really looks great though. Belgian waffles with strawberry syrup it is. "This menu is a little, well, not what I was expecting." "And what were you expecting, Sie?" Liv looks up from her menu. I shrug and the waitress returns with our drinks. She puts the sprites on the table, and we order. I sit back in the booth and look around. There are a couple of other people eating and talking, and some even working on laptops. Some in three-piece suits, others in tie-dye shirts and basketball shorts. Okay, just the one guy is in tie-dye. His hair is amber-colored, shaggy, and side-swept. His eyes are chocolate brown. He smiles at me and waves. Oh shit, I was staring. A blush rises to my cheeks and I