Past 4.11 - !!top!!

“I have to go back,” he said.

The waitress set down a cup of coffee. It was already cold. The cream swirled in a shape he recognized—the same shape his mother’s tea leaves had made the morning of the call. A door. Ajar. past 4.11

“What time is it?” Leo asked.

She looked up, startled. Then she smiled through tears. “You came back.” “I have to go back,” he said

She nodded toward the back of the diner, where a door stood that Leo had never noticed before. It wasn’t the restroom, wasn’t the kitchen, wasn’t the exit. It was old wood, brass handle, a sliver of light underneath. “I have to go back

“I need to leave,” Leo whispered.