A dark haired girl sighed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She’d ordered her coffee twenty minutes ago, but the lone waitress was nowhere near bringing it to her. She’d been sitting at a booth across the cafe since the entire time, back to her, talking to someone.

The brunette drummed her nails impatiently on the plastic tabletop. She was ignoring the phone buzzing beside her like it was her job.

Finally, the waitress stood, allowing a glimpse at the small blonde girl she’d been talking to. Her hair was almost as big as she was, though it was hard to her size with how she was curled into herself, knees tucked under her chin, arms around her legs.

The waitress busied herself behind the counter making drinks, and the brunette turned her attention on the small girl across the room. She wasn't just small in size - though she was petite - but she was also small in presence. It would be so easy not to notice her if the diner were any more crowded.

The brunette stared at the other girl for a few minutes, green eyes narrowed and contemplative. When her phone started buzzing for the fifth time in the past ten minutes, she scooped it into her purse and stood abruptly, making a beeline for the other girl’s table.

The smaller girl looked up at her, giving the brunette a good look at her mascara stained cheeks beneath wide, baby blue eyes. The brunette bit back another sigh as she slid into the booth across from her, and stared.

The other girl stared back, face half hidden by her unruly hair. Neither of them spoke as the waitress brought their drinks, which remained untouched as their stare-down continued. Finally, the smaller girl caved, and broke the silence.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice as soft as a spring breeze. The brunette laughed, a dull, humorless sound. Instead of answering, she tossed a makeup remover wipe at the girl, gesturing to her cheeks.

"So what's your story?" the brunette asked. The blonde eyed her for a moment before snatching up the wipe and scrubbing at her face. When she continued to ignore her, the brunette tapped her long, pointed fingernails on the tabletop to catch her attention again.

"What do you want?" the girl asked, her suspicion showing in a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

"You obviously need some help," the brunette said, not unkindly. "And that waitress can't stay with you all night. So here I am. Your story?"

"And what's in it for you?" she asked, still curled into a ball in her seat. The brunette smiled at her in a way that was likely meant to be reassuring, but came off as intimidating.

"I need a distraction," she said, both of them ignoring the sound of her phone vibrating in her purse. The eleventh time since she'd entered the diner, and the seventh in the past fifteen minutes.

"So you don't actually care," the blonde said. Her eyes burned into the brunette, catching her off-guard. "You're just bored."

"Well, yeah," she responded, shrugging. "Look, it's three in the morning, you're in a run-down diner, and you don't know anyone here. You're lucky I'm the one across from you, not some creep. At least I'll listen to what you have to say."

She didn't seem convinced, but the brunette didn't seem to care, pulling out a compact and checking her makeup before passing the mirror to the other girl. She took it with shaking hands, only glancing at her reflection for a moment before sliding it back across the table.

"Fine, I'll talk," she said. "But at least tell me your name." The brunette sighed again, sliding her mirror back in her purse.

"Call me Mira," she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You?" The blonde ducked her head for a moment, as if bracing herself, before looking back up and responding.

"My name's Darling," she said sheepishly, a hint of a honeyed southern accent seeping into her voice. Mira raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment, instead reaching under the table to slip off her black, four inch pumps and set them on the vinyl seat beside her.

"Well, Darling, care to tell me your story?" Mira drawled, smiling genuinely for the first time. Darling giggled, brushing some of the hair back from her face.

"It's kind of silly," she said, a pink flush to her cheeks. It could have been a blush, it could have been the alcohol she reeked of, the neon light in the window, or all three. Regardless, it only enhanced her beauty.

"So what?" Mira said lazily. "Who gives a shit about how silly it is? Obviously you're upset about it. You need to tell someone, and since there don't seem to be any other options, you may as well start talking."

"Why are you so sure there's no one else for me to talk to?" Darling said defensively. "I have friends," she added, too quick.

"I'm sure you do," Mira responded, tone gentle. "But obviously you can't talk to them about whatever it is that happened, or else you wouldn't be here, you'd be with them. May as well tell me already."

"Fine," Darling snapped, uncurling herself like a snake, or a flower. "I was out with my friends tonight," she began, finger tracing the edge of her cup, slow as honey dripping down the side of a jar. Her accent was only getting stronger the more she spoke, thick enough to drown in.

"We were celebrating," she explained, gaze far away. "I turned 21, so we decided to go out to this club my best friend loves, but I could never get into before. I don't really like stuff like that. She knows that, but she thought that I needed to try something new since it's such a special day. So I let her drag me along.

"I did enjoy it at first, but I had way too much to drink. And I did something I shouldn't have" she said, yanking a hand through her hair, wincing when it snagged on tangles. Mira wordlessly offered her a brush, which she accepted with a smile.

"What did you do?" Mira asked, leaning forward, eyes trained on the girl across from her. Darling shook her head, rubbing at phantom tears on her cheek. "You've gotten this far, you may as well finish the story. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

Darling eyed her, shaking her head again. This time, though, she followed up with a deep, bracing breath, and shut her eyes.

"I-I tried to kiss my best friend," she whispered, refusing to look at Mira. "I was stupid. I knew she didn't like me, but I've been in love with her since we were sixteen and I first realized I even... liked girls."

"She didn't react well?"

"Terribly," Darling muttered, eyes trained on a stain on the table. "She didn't even know I was gay before tonight. Now she knows how I feel, and she's pissed. I took off after that, caught a cab and asked them to take me somewhere quiet. Ended up here. She's been texting me ever since, but I haven't been able to read the messages."

"I'm sorry," Mira said, brushing her hand across the back of Darling's palm. "Coming out isn't easy. Neither is getting rejected. Both at the same time is a nightmare." Darling's head shot up, blue eyes wide.

"You... Are you...?" Darling couldn't seem to get the words out, leaving Mira to fill in the blanks. She smiled and nodded, leaning back in her seat.

"I'm bi," Mira said. "Actually, my night hasn't been going much better than yours."

"Well, Mira, care to tell me your story?" Darling said, echoing Mira's earlier words with a smile. Mira laughed. The words sounded so much better in her honeyed accent.

"It's kind of silly," Mira said, smiling, until her phone buzzed yet again. Darling's eyes dipped down to her purse before looking back up at her, curiosity written on her face.

"I'm avoiding someone too," Mira said. "My boyfriend. Or ex-boyfriend I guess," she added with a shrug.

"What happened?"

"We've been dating for about a month now," Mira began. "He was sweet at first, if a little overbearing. But I've dated worse, so I didn't think much of it. We had fun together, I guess.

"I never outright told him I was bi, but I didn't think I needed to," she said, gaze falling to her lap. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I figured it would just kind of come out, and it wouldn't be a big deal. God, I was such an idiot."

"You told him?" Darling asked, reaching out to squeeze Mira's hand. Mira smiled sadly back at her.

"Apparently he decided to go through my phone when I wasn't around, and saw something, I'm not sure what. He woke me up yelling, saying how he couldn't trust me," she said. "At first it just seemed like he was pissed I didn't tell him, but then he started bringing my friends into it. He kepy asking how many of them I was sleeping with, how many times I'd cheated on him.

"I tried to get him to calm down, but he wouldn't listen, and he threw me out," she continued, still not meeting Darling's gaze. "The last thing he told me was that he never wanted to see me again. I came here, because it's the best place to get coffee this late. He's been calling ever since I sat down. Nothing good to say, though. I think he's drunk," she added with a shrug.

"I'm sorry," Darling said, squeezing her hand again. "He sounds pretty shitty." Mira laughed, squeezing her hand back.

"Yeah, he was," she said. "But he made me laugh. It was nice while it lasted I guess, but it's not the end of the world. Still, stereotypes hurt, you know?" Darling nodded.

"Well, there are other fish in the sea," Darling said with a giggle. "God, I always hated hearing that growing up. It sounds so ridiculous when you've just lost someone you care about. Like yeah, there's other people, but I wanted this one."

"Whenever my mom would say that to me, I'd just leave the room," Mira said, smiling again. "Gotta be one of the least helpful things someone can tell you."

"So you've listened to his messages?" Darling asked. "The ex-boyfriend's," she clarified when Mira's brow wrinkled.

"Yeah," Mira said with a sigh. "Some of them, at least. He's getting less coherent with each call. But at least I know where we stand. You haven't read any of your friend's messages?" Darling winced.

"I'm afraid to," she admitted. "What if she tells me not to talk to her anymore? Or says she hates me?"

"I doubt she will," Mira reassured her. "She's your best friend. But if you're worried, leave it till the morning."

"She's probably worried about me, though," she said. "We live together, and she'll know I haven't come home. I really don't want to go home," she added, almost too low to hear. "But I should at least let her know I'm safe."

"No one said you had to go home," Mira said. "And I can text her for you. So you don't have to."

"But where else am I going to go?" Darling asked, eyes already half-closed with exhaustion.

"My apartment is near here," Mira offered. "I've got a pull out couch and plenty of blankets. And I know a couple good cures for a hangover," she added with a wink. Darling groaned and slumped onto the table.

"I don't even want to think about that right now," she said, face pressed against the table. "Wait," she said, sitting back up. "Are you sure? About the couch thing? Because we hardly know each other, and-"

"I'm sure," Mira said. "You could use some sleep, and obviously home isn't an option. You coming?" she asked, sliding out of the booth. Darling looked up at her for a second, hesitating, before she stood too, smiling slightly.

"Thank you," she said softly as Mira left the cash for their untouched drinks on the table. Then again, as she led her outside, catching her when she stumbled. And again when Mira opened the passenger door of her car for her.

"Don't mention it," Mira said, smiling. "Let me see your phone real quick? I'm gonna tell your friend not to worry." Darling handed the phone over, allowing Mira to help her climb into the car. She slumped into the seat, eyes closing instantly. Mira smiled and shut the door before turning her attention on Darling's phone.

It was easy to figure out who to call, based on the sheer number of missed texts. Twenty one, according to the banner on the lock screen. When Mira hit call, the phone only rang once before there was an answer.

"Darling? Thank god," the voice on the other end said. "Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Sorry, not Darling," Mira said. "Don't worry though. She's safe. She asked me to call you and let you know she's alright. She told me about what happened tonight, and she's a little scared to talk to you right now. I told her to wait till morning, when she's more sober and less tired."

"Tell her not to be scared, please," the voice begged. "I'm not mad. I was just surprised. And... tell her I'm sorry."

"I will," Mira promised, glancing at the pile of blonde hair in her passenger seat. "I'll bring her by in the morning. She doesn't want to come home tonight, so she's going to crash at my place."

"And who are you?" the voice asked, suspicion running rampant in her voice. Mira studied the girl on the other side of the window, the way her eyelashes fluttered as she dozed, and the slight curve to her mouth. Mira smiled.

"Just a friend of Darling's," she said before hanging up. Then Mira climbed into the driver's seat and headed towards home, watching the numbers on her dash tick by, crawling further from 3 a.m. and closer to a better day.