"I need a double burger meal with no pickle on the fly!" I called to the cook in the kitchen. When he didn't acknowledge me, I repeated my statement.

"Yeah, yeah. It's comin', princess," he replied with a thick New York accent.

Sometimes, I really hated my job. Well, New Years was over and today was January 2nd. Even though I was still feeling depressed because of what happened with Adam, I was back to work and trying to start the New Year fresh.

I would like to say so far so good, except I got the unfortunate privilege of working with the biggest asshole in the restaurant. I found myself wondering if I should also get a new job if I was truly starting fresh. Unfortunately, I didn't really have that luxury since I was responsible for my apartment now. It was definitely easier when there we're two incomes involved. Not only that, waitressing wasn't always a steady money.

"Excuse me, miss? Miss!"

I looked over to table three and cursed under my breath when I saw my regular temperamental customer. Karen. I walked over to her table and I noticed she hasn't touched the grilled chicken salad I brought out to her. Great. Just great.

"Yes, is there a problem?"

She curled her lip and she poked at her chicken with her fork. "This is supposed to be blackened chicken. Does it look blackened to you, dear?"

For a moment I simply stared at her. I remembered when she ordered the salad very clearly. She never even mentioned the word blackened. It didn't matter anyway, because in this business, the customer was always right. And I hated it.

"I apologize for the trouble. I can have the cook make you a new salad and I can discount your bill for you."

Normally I wouldn't have just offered to discount the bill unless it was absolutely necessary. But since money was super tight right now, I needed to make sure I was making good tips. And anyone who had an issue with their order, never tended to leave a good tip.

"I would appreciate that," the customer replied with a snarky tone.

I picked up her plate from the table and started walking to the kitchen window. As soon as I set it down, Javier, the asshole cook, gave me a look.

"What's wrong now?" he barked.

"This is supposed to he blackened chicken. I need a remake please."

After he sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes, Javier took the plate and did as I requested. I glanced at my watch and groaned. Three more hours to go until I would be headed home. I was counting the minutes.

"Remake up!" Javier called out as sat the double burger no pickle on the counter.

"Thank you," I breathed as I came and picked it up. I carried it over to the family of four and set it down in front of the father. "Here you go, sir. Again, I'm so sorry about the mistake. I hope you enjoy your meal and be sure to let me know if you need anything else."

"No problem," the man said with a smile. "Thank you."

See, it was customers like that that made me not completely hate my job. I walked to the makeshift break room area where employees kept their snacks and drinks. The only thing I brought with me today was a bag of pretzels and I probably would have passed out already without them.

I ate more of the salty snack before taking a sip of my Coke. My inner voice told me to stop drinking soda, but there was something about it that made it difficult to say no to.

I threw my now empty pretzel bag away before I washer my hands and returned to the floor. I started walking towards the family of four to check on them when a voice I never thought I would hear again stopped me dead in my tracks.

"I told you kissing me at midnight would bring you luck."

My mouth went dry and my heart started hammering against my chest as I turned towards that voice. It was him. My eyes rolled over his body, taking in his appearance.

He was standing by the bar with his arms crossed over his black T-shirt. Some of his blond hair was brushed to the side and fell over his right eye. He was wearing a pair of dark denim jeans that definitely suited him. To sum it up, he looked irresistible.

"I think the correct term is 'hey'," he said with a chuckle.

That seemed to snap me out of the trance I was in and I cleared my throat. "Sorry. Hey," I said awkwardly. "I can't believe you're here. How did-- how did you find me?"

His brows rose at my question. "That makes me sound like a stalker. Actually, I happened to be walking by and saw you talking to a customer. When I came inside, you disappeared into the kitchen. Like I said, it was luck."

"Ally," my manager called, "we need you over here!"

"I'm sorry," I said with disappointment. "I have to get back to work."

I started walking towards one of my tables and he followed after me. "Wait," he said and my feet stopped immediately. "Can I take you out for a drink after your shift? I'd really like to talk to you."

That whole time-stopping-feeling came back when I turned to look at him. What was it about him that held me so captivated? He was good looking, yes. But I knew that wasn't it.

Whatever it was had me answering, "I don't get off until midnight."

He flashed me a cocky grin. "My favorite time," he said teasingly. "I'll meet you here at midnight then. What's your name, by the way?"

I know he probably heard it when my manager called me over, but I answered him anyway. "I'm Ally."

"Ally," he repeated and it sent chills down my spine. "I'm Ryder." He started walking towards the exit of my job and turned back to me. "See you at midnight, Ally."

Once he disappeared, I felt like I could finally breathe. What was I doing? Again, this was not like me. Not only did I kiss a stranger on a subway train, but now I'm going to get drinks with the same exact stranger. My life was really weird right now.

"Ally! Now!" My manager yelled again.

I snapped into action and quickly went to check on my tables. I needed to concentrate on finishing my shift. Then, I could figure out more about my midnight kisser.

After I finished cleaning my section, I counted out my tip money to see how I did for the night. Surprisingly, I was able to make rent. I had a few unhappy customers today, but that was par for the course.

I was definitely distracted for the remaining few hours of my shift after the surprise visit from Ryder. Ugh, even his name was sexy. I still couldn't believe I agreed to meet him after work. There was a small part of me that was hoping he wouldn't show up. Mainly because I was nervous as hell.

Not to mention, the way that I looked right now. I was in my work clothes with my server apron around my waist, my hair was a mess, and I probably smelled like hamburgers.

As soon as I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I noticed him. He was waiting by the entrance and was dressed in the same clothes as before.

"Hey, stranger," he said teasingly.

I laughed a little at that. "Hey, yourself."

He closed the distance between us as he came towards me. "If you're still up for it, there's a pretty decent bar not to far from here. It's called Down the Rabbit Hole."

A small gasp escaped me. "I know that bar. I go there with my best friend all the time."

"Really?" he asked as we started walking side by side. "My cousin, Harper, told me about it. I'm here visiting."

I frowned at that. "So you don't live here in New York?"

He shook his head and slid his hands into his pockets. "No. Well, I'm from Upstate. I've been considering moving to the city though."

I felt a little sting of disappointment that he didn't live in the city. Even though he did live in New York, Upstate was far if you didn't have a car. I shook my head to stop myself from going down that road. I was thinking as if he and I were going to start dating. What was wrong with me?

"Oh," I said curiously, "were you considering moving for work?"

"Uh, no. My mom passed away six months ago and I've been thinking about a change of scenery. My cousin was kind enough to let me come and stay with her and her fiance for a few days to see if I liked it here."

Way to ruin the mood, Ally. "I'm so sorry, Ryder."

"It's okay, you didn't know." He was quiet for a moment before he asked, "How was the rest of your shift? I hope I didn't get you into trouble by stopping by."

Truth was, I did get into a little trouble for him stopping by, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I was actually glad that he did. I would be lying to myself if I didn't say that I've been thinking about that night on the train ever since it happened.

"No, I didn't get into trouble. My shift went okay. Just the normal few rude customers. Nothing new. How was your night?"

He let on a long and tired breath. "It was a little rough, actually. But," he glanced at me, "its a lot better now."

Even though it was dark and I knew he probably couldn't see, I looked away when I felt my cheeks heat at the compliment.

"Likewise," I replied with a smile. I thought back to the first time we met and wanted to make sure he understood who I was as a person.

"You know," I quipped, "I don't normally kiss strange men on the subway."

He kept his gaze straight ahead, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch a little. Like he was holding back a smile. "Oh, really? I would disagree. After all, you were really good at it."

Another blush from me. "I could say the same about you."

We arrived at the bar and he turned towards me. "Ally, if I'm being honest, that was out of character for me, too. But there's something about you that seems to...I don't know-- make me take risks."

I didn't know what to say to that. When I remained silent, he opened the door to the bar and held it open for me. "Well, Ally, are you ready to take a risk with me?"

My mouth didn't seem to work in that moment. But my feet sure did. The next thing I knew, I was walking inside the bar with Ryder trailing behind me.