The smell of coffee and bacon grease smacks me in the face as I walk through the door. I scan the diner, taking in the ambiance and homey decor. It looks as though everyone in the community donated any extra tables or chairs they had laying around to fill the space. There is a mishmosh of black & white pictures on the wall with some metal signage dispersed throughout. A large corner booth sits to the left, consisting of what looks like old bench seats from a car long retired. It was exactly as I imagined it would look. It did not disappoint.

There are few patrons, one older couple sipping on coffee and working on a crossword, a single man in a flannel shirt and well worn overalls, and a group of four men huddled in the booth together lost in conversation. Again, exactly what I expected. I walk up to the bar as a pleasant looking woman greets me with a smile.

"Hey hon, what can I do for you today?" She looks to be in her 50's, pleasantly plump with her dark hair twirled into an updo and a well-used apron tied around her waist. Her name tag reads 'Judy'. I return her smile, "Good morning! This is my first time in, what do you suggest?" "Well you really can't go wrong with the hotcakes, course our french toast..." Her voice fades to the background as a shiver runs down my spine and I feel someone's eyes on me.

I'm sure there's no science to explain it, but ive always been able to tell when I'm being watched. Call it womanly instincts, call it Spidey senses, call it whatever you like. But i know what I know, and I know in this instant someone is staring right at me. It's as though a spider is making it's way up my spine while simultaneously my stomach drops.

My head whips to the corner table and my eyes meet those of a man looking back. He instantly gives me the heeby-jeebies. He could be considered an attractive man if not for the lifeless eyes staring right at me. His black hair hangs long to his chin, tickling the days old stubble left there. His eyes are chocolate brown and remained aimed at me. I wave, while rolling my eyes simultaneously.

I've heard you should always let a stalker or potential attacker know that you see them and are not afraid; it's best to stare them down rather than pretend not to notice. Wait. Did... did his eyes just turn color?

I swear this man's eyes changed to black briefly before returning to normal. I must be reallllllly hungry.

Judy ends her recommendations and looks at me expectantly. I vaguely remember hearing something about eggs and bacon. "It all sounds so good, would you mind surprising me? Something with eggs, cheese, bacon and preferably something easy to eat on the road. Please and thank you!" She nods in understanding and meanders back to the kitchen.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Meanwhile, I text Derek 'Yoyo.' I can tell the weirdo in the corner is still being a creep, so I need a little support.

Derek and I have a system, one that has never failed us. There's a code: Yoyo Yoyo. Yoyo! Why yoyo, you ask. Well, years ago we were out at a bar and this man had asked me to dance, which I politely declined. He then spent the entirety of the night following me around, attempting to get my attention by shouting 'yo yo, pretty lady.' It was outrageously annoying, so naturally Derek and I spent the next year or so using ' yo yo pretty lady' to get the others attention and it just stuck.

Now plain ol' Yoyo means 'hey I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm getting a weird feeling, just want a little company, will you come find me please.'

Yoyo with a period [Yoyo.] means more of 'for whatever reason, I want this person I'm with to believe I'm in a relationship, so come find me and make them see I am, in fact, not alone.'

Finally, we have Yoyo with an exclamation mark [Yoyo!] which is reserved for 'I'm feeling hella uncomfortable, could possibly be in danger/at risk, I need you to find me now and come with guns-a-blazing, ready to rumble.' These all go both ways. Don't get me wrong, I'm a very chill person, but I WILL fight a bitch for my boy Derek.

I casually lean against the counter, counting down the seconds until Derek saunters through that front door, 8..7..6..5.. "Hey babe, you good? Did ya make sure to grab me something sweet for later?" I give him a genuine smile as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses me on top of my head. "I'm sure I could find ya a little something," followed by a wink.

I discreetly glance to the corner, but the man has gone. I don't remember seeing him leave the diner, but him and the three men he was with are nowhere to be seen. Hmm.

Judy returns with our food, neatly packaged in a brown paper bag. Derek reaches for the food. I give him a nod to let him know I'm good and I'll follow him out momentarily. Grabbing my wallet, I pay the bill, including a nice tip for Judy. She seems to be a one woman show around here.

I turn to leave, only to bump into a man's chest. Of course, it had to the weirdo from the corner. He towers over me, and I'm not a petite woman. He must be at least 6'4, I'm around 5'8 and my face is right in line with his arm pits, unfortunately for me.

I scrunch my nose at him, "excuse me," I attempt to walk by him. He moves to block my way and my arms immediately come to my hips as I look up at him. "I said, EXCUSE ME." He doesn't budge. I hear a rumbling in his chest and I swear on anything, this man bares his teeth at me. It reminds me of something my friend's dog did to another dog at the park when he got too close to his ball. I stand immobile, my eyebrows raised.

Just as I'm about to let this man have it, I hear Judy from behind me, "that's enough of that, there will be none of that in my Diner, or outside of it for that matter. You mind your manners or I'll call the Sherriff. Let this little darlin' out that door, her food is getting cold." He looks at me for another 20 seconds or so, staring hard at my face. I see his eyes flick from my eyes, to my mouth, to my neck. Eventually he huffs at me and storms out of the diner. That wasn't creepy at all...

I turn to thank Judy once again and am taken aback by what I see. She is standing behind her counter, her eyes intense, staring after the man. She's holding a giant, and I mean giant, handgun in her hand, one of those with the dark wood handle and thick metal body.

Clearing my throat, I thank her once again for the food. She smiles warmly, lowers her weapon, and is back to the sweet waitress that I initially met. "No problem hun, I hope you enjoy!"

Back in the truck, Derek is already mowing through his breakfast pita. With a mouthful of food he looks to me, "This is AMAZING. We should come here more often." I put the truck in drive and start hauling down the road, I'm done with this diner for the day.