Chapter 10 — The Williamsburg Diner
The three of them chatted for a while, and before they knew it, it was already late.
Caroline lifted her bandaged hand and waved it lightly in the air.
"So… how much do we owe you?"
Ethan shook his head. "No charge."
"Perfect," Max cut in instantly. "Next time we'll bring cupcakes."
"Max, no." Caroline frowned. "I can't just take advantage of him. We have to pay."
Max curled her lip. "Please. Drop what's left of your noble dignity. How much do you think it's worth these days?"
"At least more than your oven," Caroline snapped back smoothly.
Watching them bicker, Ethan laughed.
"Alright then—how about this? Treat me to dinner. Consider that the consultation fee."
"Of course!" Caroline agreed immediately.
Max turned her head with a wicked grin. "Ah, I get it. He's not asking for food—he's asking you out."
"Shut up, Max!" Caroline shot her a glare, then turned back to Ethan with a sincere expression.
"We're at the Williamsburg Diner. You can come anytime. Dinner's on me!"
Ethan nodded. "Sounds good. I know where it is—just never actually went."
After exchanging phone numbers, Caroline and Max stepped out of the clinic.
The air still carried a faint hint of disinfectant… mixed with something subtle and warm.
---
At the Street Corner
The moment they reached the corner, Caroline practically pounced on Max, eyes sparkling with excitement.
But Max had already predicted it.
"This is all your fault, Caroline!"
Caroline blinked. "My fault? What did I do?"
Max spoke as if it were a matter of basic physics. "Thanks to you. You got burned, and I got burned straight back into the past."
"Max, I have to say—your ex-boyfriend is basically Ryan Gosling of the medical world!"
Max rolled her eyes. "Please. Ryan Gosling wouldn't stitch up a turkey while chanting over it. By the way—what the hell was he even doing?"
"That doesn't matter!" Caroline refused to let her escape. "What matters is—how did you two start? I need details. ALL the details."
Max sighed. "Caroline… can we talk about something lighter? Like, why going to a doctor in New York somehow includes running into your ex?"
"Don't change the subject!" Caroline insisted. "How long did you date? Was he the type who wore a white coat and smiled like sunshine?"
Max answered lazily, "We just slept together a few times."
She paused.
"…Okay, more than a few. Like… a dozen. Maybe. I don't really remember. We were broke, bored, and this was the cheapest entertainment available."
Caroline clutched her chest. "That sounds so—dirty! How did you meet?"
"I worked in the hospital cafeteria." Max chewed her gum. "He'd always order a coffee and sit there until closing. Said he was studying, but honestly? I thought he was into another waitress."
"And then he saw you—and fell in love!" Caroline's eyes lit up. "Max, that's adorable! It sounds like the opening of a Netflix coming-of-age film."
"Romantic? That's because you never saw him two days before finals." Max scoffed. "His hair looked like overcooked spaghetti, he carried some beat-up backpack. I thought he was a homeless grad student."
"And then you still liked him?"
"I thought he was poor." Max looked down as she walked. "Turns out he wasn't poor."
She smirked faintly.
"He was just in debt."
"You know the difference? Poor people accept their fate. People in debt still believe they have a future."
Caroline slowed slightly. "So… were you happy together?"
Max lifted her head with a wicked grin. "Do you mean emotionally… or physically?"
"Stick to the important stuff!" Caroline said seriously. "Your first time—"
"Stop." Max raised a hand immediately. "That section is protected under medical confidentiality and personal trauma."
Caroline gasped. "That's not how confidentiality works!"
"It is if I say it confidently enough."
---
After Caroline and Max left, the clinic fell silent again.
Ethan leaned against the doorway, watching their figures disappear around the corner, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Something about their departing silhouettes stirred a strange, familiar feeling inside him.
And without meaning to, he found himself thinking back to the time he'd spent with Max—
It wasn't long… but it wasn't short either.
His memory of her was simple:
That striking black hair.
And the kind of kisses that used to pull him awake from sleep.
She'd once leaned over him on the bed, grinning as she said:
"Your kisses work faster than an anesthesiologist's needle."
Only today did Ethan suddenly realize—
That sharp-tongued, black-haired, dangerously curvy woman had been Max from 2 Broke Girls…
And somehow he hadn't recognized her at all.
Evening
By dusk, Ethan left the clinic and flagged down a cab.
He originally planned to go straight home, but hunger hit halfway through the ride. After a brief hesitation, he gave the driver a destination:
The Williamsburg Diner.
Brooklyn's streets were still as chaotic as ever. Yellow streetlights, peeling graffiti, addicts wandering aimlessly, and girls in leopard-print skirts prowling the sidewalks—
It was the city at its most brutally honest.
A voluptuous woman walked up to him, wearing the kind of practiced smile she'd repeated a thousand times.
Her fingers traced lightly along Ethan's suit as she purred, sticky-sweet:
"Baby… tonight I can be free."
Ethan took a step back, expression gentle but firmly polite.
"Thank you, but I just had a circumcision surgery today. Doctor's orders—no social activity for a month."
He paused, then added thoughtfully:
"…But my hands are technically available."
The woman froze, rolled her eyes, and stormed off.
Ethan smiled to himself.
"Brooklyn romance," he murmured. "Always so direct."
---
The door of the Williamsburg Diner swung open, the bell chiming cheerfully.
Behind the counter, an older Black cashier wearing headphones looked up—and the moment he saw Ethan, he shouted theatrically:
"HEY! Look who it is! Damn, you're too handsome! If I were ten years younger and two bottles of whiskey lighter, I might actually turn myself gay!"
Ethan laughed, accepting the compliment. He raised his fist.
"Hey, man. I'm Ethan."
"Earl," the cashier grinned. "A cashier who once dropped a rap album."
He bumped fists with Ethan happily.
"Brotherly advice: sit in that booth over there. The new blonde bombshell still can't tell fries from chips."
Ethan chuckled. "I met the blonde bombshell today."
"Then you already know." Earl winked.
Max came out from the kitchen with a menu in hand, gum in her mouth.
She hadn't looked up at first—
But that familiar voice made her pause.
Ethan smiled warmly.
"Hey."
Max lifted her head, forcing calm.
"Oh look—Caroline's soulmate is here."
She tilted her head, deadpan as a dagger.
"What'll you have? Today's special is 'Awkward Ex Salad,' served with 'Roommate Can't Stop Meddling Sauce.'"
Ethan held back a laugh. "Sounds delicious."
"Oh it is," Max said sweetly. "Tastes like cold coffee. Leaves you with a lasting aftertaste."
She slapped the menu onto the table and leaned in slightly.
"Same as always? Black coffee, no sugar?"
Her eyes narrowed, teasing.
"Or are you ordering sweet this time? I heard dessert helps people forget the past."
Ethan took the menu. "You still remember what I drink."
Max snorted.
"I remember the preferences of every man who wasted my bedsheets."
Ethan sighed dramatically. "Then I hope I can recover my reputation with a generous tip."
"Now we're talking." Max nodded. "Order whatever you want—Caroline's paying. But tips are non-negotiable."
Ethan smiled. "Beef burger. Fries. And a Coke—no sugar."
Max narrowed her eyes. "You ordered that like a regular. You've been secretly coming here, haven't you?"
"I just don't feel like wasting brainpower on deciding dinner." Ethan's smile turned playful.
"Besides…"
He glanced at her.
"The sweetest thing is already right in front of me."
"Woooow." Max raised an eyebrow. "Look at you—learned how to flirt."
She turned around, walked back into the kitchen, and handed the ticket to Oleg—who was already staring at her like a starving wolf.
Then she shouted in the direction of the dining area with zero enthusiasm:
"Caroline! Your benefactor is here!"
Caroline peeked out, and immediately gasped:
"Oh my God… he's even hotter without the white coat!"
She rushed out warmly.
"Want anything else? Order more! It's on me!"
"Then I'll try your recommended dessert," Ethan said with a smile. "I hear it's your signature."
"Absolutely!" Caroline beamed. "Max's cupcakes are the best in all of Brooklyn."
---
In the kitchen, Max stood still for a moment, spaced out.
Caroline adjusted her apron and teased her with a grin.
"Don't just stand there—go serve your ex properly."
Max shot her a glare. "What, you want me to greet him naked?!"
"Of course not," Caroline said innocently. "But a little visual impact never hurts."
As she spoke, she tugged Max's uniform down about two centimeters—making the cleavage line more obvious.
"Go!" Caroline encouraged. "I'm counting on his tip so we can afford Chestnut's long-stem carrots."
Max's eyes widened. "MY carrots are mine first—Chestnut gets what's left!"
"Ew—" Caroline recoiled.
Oleg poked his head over. "That's Max's ex-boyfriend? I thought he was an imaginary man she invented in her head."
He squinted.
"What does he do?"
Caroline answered proudly, "He's a doctor."
"A doctor?" Oleg nodded seriously. "Good profession. Should he check me too? I've been feeling weak lately."
Max rolled her eyes. "Your only illness is over-activity."
In the end, Ethan didn't dare touch the perfectly normal-looking burger.
Who knew whether Oleg had washed his hands—or what kind of suspicious fluid might still be on them.
Before long, the diner closed.
Max and Caroline split the tips in high spirits—especially Ethan's generous share—
and then took Ethan with them back to their rundown apartment.