Chapter 16: After Midnight, Comes the Dawn
**Kait**
He takes me to a bar and grill after we leave the burned remains of his father’s office. As I'm told, the bar is Uptown, his neck of the woods.
It’s quiet inside, far removed from the clamor out in the streets, where the parties are still in full swing, despite dawn nearly arriving.
I realize then that I haven’t slept all night, yet I’m not tired. I keep thinking of Jake sitting beside me in the small booth, his lean body pressing against me, holding up the menu for me to see.
He looks up at the server, who frowns down at us tiredly. “You want fries with that?” they say, their voice monotone.
“No, make it a smoothie,” Jake says, turning to me. “What would you like? I recommend the apple pie. It’s the best this side of the river.”
I raise an eyebrow at that. “Have you even BEEN on the other side of the river?”
Smiling sheepishly, he rubs the back of his neck. “Not exactly. But I swear I’m not lying. The pie really is that good.”
“Is that true?” I ask the server.