He never thought things would turn out this way. Sure, Adelaide always said he was troublesome.

But he did have his boundaries, and this definitely went far beyond them. He heard the click of her gun, and he flinched, raising his hands up in defense. H-Hey, there s no point in doing this. ! ve never done anything against you, have !" #e ve never even talked to each other. $an t we, uh... settle this in a better way"% He was babbling, but how could he not" &here was a cra'ed e(-girlfriend pointing a gun at him, and she wasn t even his e(. Her finger tightened over the trigger, making him gulp. &he possibility of her actually pulling the trigger was pretty high, but if there was something he could do... )ou really think you haven t done anything" )ou fucking stole him from me, you son of a bitch* He was this close to proposing, and then you +ust had to butt into our lives and take him away. And you say you havent done anything against me?! )ou don t even deserve him* )ou barely even know him* ,od, you ve never even tried to catch his attention* You. Do. Not. Deserve him!% $onsidering how his day had begun, this scenario had never been in the list of things that could have happened to him. &here was no cra'ed e(-girlfriend in his life, and certainly no cra'ed e(girlfriend with a gun in her hands. -either was there a gun firing at him.

His alarm hadn t woken him up. .r rather, his alarm woke him, but only enough to have him turn it off without a thought. He had only woken up when his cellphone started blasting an unknown and definitely inappropriate ring tone. #hen he answered the call and put the phone against his ear, Adelaide s voice started screaming at him to wake the fuck up and go to work, you la'y ass*% He cringed at her voice, but held back from arguing with her. !nstead, he looked at his bedside clock and cursed at the time. /uck, couldn t you have called me earlier" At least then ! d have the time to take a proper bath,% he groaned as he 0uickly stood and made his way to his dresser. He could almost hear her rolling her eyes at him. ! doubt you d have even woken up to it, asshat,% she replied. )ou know almost nothing can wake you up in the wee hours of the morning.% He grunted, pulling clothes out of his dresser without care for how it sent everything into disarray. )ou could have at least tried,% he finally said as he closed the drawer. )ou never know1 ! might have actually woken up for once.% #ell if you really believe that, $ecil, then ! won t argue with you.% Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and he barely held back the chuckle that went past his lips. ! do, in fact, believe it, so don t. Anyway ! ll be bathing now. ! ll call you when ! m close.% He opened the door to his bathroom and set his clothes on the sink. )eah, yeah, whatever. Hurry up. )ou ll probably be late, and &rista doesn t look like she s in a good mood,% she grumbled. He laughed as he started pulling his pa+ama pants down. She s rarely ever in a good mood, so it doesn t really matter. Alright, ! ll call you back later. See ya.% 2m. See ya,% was all he heard before he heard the dial tone. He set the phone down on top of his clothes and set the shower temperature. &he water hadn t had much time to heat up, and he grumbled as he let himself in. She definitely should have called me earlier.%

He would have to kill her later for that stupid ring tone she had set on his phone.

He barely made it to the restaurant in time for his shift. He opened the door to the staff room with his mouth open, ready to apologise, but instead he was met with a newspaper to his head. He let go of the door with a curse, hands reaching up to nurse his head. He looked up to see &rista s angry face, one hand on her hip and the one holding the newspaper pointed at him. )ou re late, you piece of shit*% ! still have five minutes, you hag* )ou ll be the one making me late if you don t let me put my uniform on*% He could see Adelaide at the corner of his eye, shaking her head with a small laugh and turning back to her things. &rista thrust the newspaper almost to his nose, causing him to cross his eyes for a few seconds. ! wouldn t have to reprimand you if you actually woke up on time, you brat,% she hissed. He rolled his eyes and lightly pushed the newspaper away from his nose. )eah, yeah, now let me through so ! can start my shift.% She hit him with the newspaper once more, this time lighter than the first. ,et to work, brat,% she growled with now real venom in her voice, moving out of his way. He gave her a cheeky grin and a salute, walking into the room. )ou got it, old hag*% he chirped. She merely rolled her eyes before walking out, closing the door behind her. He turned to his locker with another laugh and dialed the combination to his lock. !f it were anyone else but you, they would have been fired by now,% he heard Adelaide comment from behind him as he opened his locker door. )eah, well, if it were anyone else ! doubt they d be able to handle her,% he said with a chuckle. He took out his apron and the uniform shirt before looking back at her. 2ind looking away" ! need to change my shirt.% She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. ! don t understand why you don t +ust keep at least the shirts at home. !t would save you a bit more time, you know.% &here was a rustle as he took his current shirt off. But ! do keep some at home*% he protested as he put the uniform on. !t s +ust that they re all in the laundry right now and this is my e(tra. ! ll be getting them back by tonight.% )ou better,% she said with a click of her tongue. 3ven with &rista s soft spot for you, ! doubt she d let you work without a uniform.% )eah, yeah. But it s not like ! can t borrow from someone else. ! m sure the other guys keep e(tra uniforms of their own,% he drawled, buttoning the shirt from the bottom. )ou can look now, by the way.% He took the straps of the apron and put it over his head, tying the straps by his hips securely behind him. He turned to Adelaide to see her e(amining her nails. He gave her a suspicious look, getting the feeling that she was about to say something he wouldn t particularly like. #hat is it"% he dared to ask. She gave him a sideways look before looking back to her nails. So ! received a call last night,% she started nonchalantly. A call from a... certain person.%

He narrowed his eyes at her before looking away, idly playing with the ends of the straps behind him. #hatever it was you guys talked about, ! really don t care,% he bit out, barely able to keep the venom out of his voice. She sighed and straightened her body, flicking her auburn ponytail back. 4ust... &alk to him, please" !f you won t give him a chance to get back with you, at least give him a chance to talk things out. ,ive him some closure. ! know you don t owe him anything, but...% She trailed before giving a shrug and another sigh. 5et s +ust get to work.% #ith that she turned and made her way out of the staff room. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a shuddering breath to calm himself down. He took a few moments to clear his mind, before he finally steeled himself for going outside. !f he didn t get to work soon, &rista would kill him.

!t was looking like the restaurant would be full the whole day. Breakfast hours were filled with college students cramming for e(ams, along with the working people coming in for their meals. &he college students were e(pected to be there for the whole day, some braving even the midnight crowd. &hey would come and go in one hour intervals throughout the day, trudging in with heavy bags and their arms hapha'ardly carrying notes or laptops.they would stay in an isolated corner of the restaurant, ears plugged with headsets, eyes visibly tired but still pushing on. &hey usually ordered +ust coffee and other sugary or caffeinated drinks, and the occasional sandwiches or fries. &hey didn t usually make much noise, but any noise they did make was usually filled with academic +argon. 6espite the fullness of the restaurant, waiting on customers was not that much of a hassle considering that most of them were students, and thus did not need much. !t was something of a preparation for the ne(t rush of customers, the calm before the storm, so to speak. $ecil liked the breakfast crowd precisely because of its relative calm, and because it was usually made up of regular customers. &hat made his +ob so much easier, as he could usually predict what they wanted and the kind of mood they would be in, and he could also sometimes get a decent conversation in. &he lunch rush was relatively similar, e(cept there were more customers coming from nearby businesses and corporations than there were in the morning. &hey were usually business men coming in for lunch alone or with friends, sometimes a lunch meeting with coworkers and partner companies, but sometimes there would be professors from the nearby college and even the occasional author-editor meetings. !t was usually one of the busiest times in the restaurants, what with the business men being all bossy and impatient with their orders, and those who were on the waiting list and were a little more pressed for time. &his was the crowd $ecil was not particularly fond of, as they were usually more irritable than the breakfast or dinner crowds. He considered a blessing whenever he was tasked to wait on the tables with the college students, where there was less chances of getting irritable customers and less chance for his own 0uick temper to make an appearance, as was usually the case when it came to the business crowd. &oday, however, did not seem to be his lucky day, or maybe &rista was still in a bad mood and was taking it out on him, as he was assigned to wait primarily on the business crowd. Some of them were regulars, which wasn t so bad, but that day seemed to have more new customers than usual. As such, he could not rely on his sweet-talking abilities as much as he would like, for it would be a hit and miss with the new customers. Such was the case with one particular pair of customers. &he man with the light brown hair was a

familiar customer to the restaurant, not 0uite a new one, but not one who came often enough to be considered a regular, coming in only about twice or thrice every week. His companion, on the other, seemed to be completely new. $ecil was pretty sure he had not seen him come to the restaurant before, and he seemed to be looking around the place curiously and a bit critically. &hat was his first hint of trouble, as the man would most likely have high e(pectations with regards to their service. He had to take a deep breath before approaching their table in order to steel his nerves. #elcome,sirs*% he chirped. &hey looked up at him at almost the same time, their stares so similar it eas a little creepy. &he brunette recogni'ed him and gave him a nodded of acknowledgment, to which $ecil replied with a smile. &he new customer, however, seemed to be glaring at him, eyes roving over his form as if evaluating him. His smile became slightly strained then as he fought the urge to look down at his uniform1 he was fairly sure his shirt wasn t stained, and that his clothes as a whole weren t too mussed despite it being halfway through the day. He wasn t sweaty either despite the busyness, as the restaurant was pleasantly airconditioned, so there shouldn t be any sweat marks anywhere. Still the other man continued his unnerving stare, and he forced himself not to call him out on it. &rista was in a prissy mood as it was, and there would be no point in aggravating her any further. Are you ready to order"% he asked, gesturing slightly to their menus, pen and order pad already in his arms. ! ll be getting my usual,% the brunette replied, a small smile on his face. !t was a nice smile, $ecil decided. Small and genuine with the slightest hint of teeth. )es, it was a nice smile, especially compared to the glare the other man was still giving him. He decided then that the former would be the Smiling 2an, and his companion the ,laring 2an. $ecil nodded and took note of the order before looking at ,laring 2an. And yours, sir"% &he man s glare increased in intensity, if that were even possible. $ecil could only look at him e(pectantly, though inwardly he was bewildered. He had not even done anything potentially offensive, and yet he was being looked at as if he were the world s lowest scum. At the corner of his eye, he saw Smiling 2an looking concerned, subtly trying to get ,laring 2an s attention. ,laring 2an then opened his mouth, clearly about to say something, and $ecil turned all his focus to him. )our service is shit.% $ecil could only gape at him in shock, while Smiling 2an gave out what seemed to be a cross between a whimper and a groan. #ha- !-% He swallowed the panic that had crept up his throat, trying to get his thoughts in order. He had to work in order to make words come out as calm and polite as they possibly could in his surprised state. 7lease tell me what makes you say that, sir, so we can remedy it as soon as possible.% ,laring 2an sneered, and $ecil thought at the back of his mind that he should probably call him Asshole instead to make it closer to his personality. !t was too bad, really, because damn he was attractive. !t took a while before we were seated, for one, and then it took even longer for us to receive our menus. &he only thing that didnt take a while is for you to come here and take our orders, and ! haven t even had enough time to look through your menu,% he rattled off, clearly pissed. #hat s more, the table is slightly greasy, your uniform is offensively messy, and your airconditioning is on too high. ! m surprised your food even stays warm enough for your customers to eat.% Smiling 2an had his head in his hands by now, groaning at the fact that Asshole had started making a scene. $ecil s smile had already started twitching. &he house is full today, sir, so ! m

afraid we cannot do much about the speed of service. ! ll inform the manager about the airconditioning system and have your table wiped down again,% he managed to bite out. See to it that you do that,% Asshole said with a disdainful sniff, turning his head away in dismissal. $ecil was about to walk away, teeth gritted in annoyance, before Smiling 2an called him back frantically. ---o, wait*% He turned back at that, fighting to keep his face calm. 7lease ignore him1 he s +ust a really picky man.% Here Smiling 2an sent a small glare to Asshole, which the latter ignored with a low huff. )ou really don t have to do what he says. 8eally. ! d rather not cause you any trouble, 2r...% -uri,% he supplied a little too rudely, and he barely contained his wince because of it. &hankfully, Smiling 2an ignored it, though Asshole s glare seemed to intensify again. 2r. -uri. ! d rather not to cause you any trouble, and ! m afraid my companion here will have nothing but hassling demands.% Smiling 2an turned to Asshole, looking as if he were almost about to beg. 4ust... 4ust give him your order, 3van. All your complaints aside, this really is wonderful restaurant with e(cellent food and service, and ! d love to be able to come back here without any embarrassment.% Asshole 93van" -o, still Asshole: huffed again, turning piercing gray eyes back to $ecil. /ine. ! ll have grilled salmon with a side salad. -o dressing, those things are disgusting. ! ll have some 3nglish Breakfast if you have any, or whatever tea you may have if you don t. 2ake sure you get all that right, you brat, or ! really will complain to your manager.% $ecil tried not to roll his eyes as he took the orders down. So that s one !talian B5& with e(tra cheese and onions, one grilled salmon with side salad, one large iced tea, and one 3nglish Breakfast. #ill that be all, sirs"% Smiling 2an sent him an apologetic smile and a nod. &hat would be all, thank you. ! m sorry for the trouble.% $ecil shook his head and gave a small bow. !t s no trouble at all, sir. ! ll be back with your order.% He turned then and walked away, ignoring the prickling feeling that surely came from Asshole and Smiling 2an s following stares. He found that he could hardly breathe, body taut with tension, until he finally arrived in the kitchen, away from prying eyes. .nce there he allowed himself to shake with rage, teeth clenched as he remembered Asshole s comments. !f he weren t worried about getting in trouble, he would deliberately get his order wrong +ust to get back at him, but he knew doing so would only bite him in the ass. He passed the order to the waiting cook while grumbling under his breath, and took the chance for a small break +ust to calm his nerves. !t wouldn t do for him to come back out still angry, or he might end up causing an accident or something and getting into more trouble. He could +ust imagine the knowing smirk that would be on Asshole s face if $ecil were to, say, accidentally spill a drink on a customer, and he found himself wishing he could +ust punch that face and no, no, no, this was the complete opposite of calming himself down. He clenched and unclenched his hands, mentally counting, while at the same time trying to clear his mind of other thoughts. And then the kitchen bell rung, and he had to take orders back to their respective tables. &hankfully it wasn t Asshole and company s orders yet, so he still had some time to further calm himself. He approached the table with a smile, causing the group of women to smile back. &hey were regular customers, and he had found out a few weeks back that they were literature professors from the nearby college. Here are your orders* .ne chicken and goat cheese 0uesadilla, one roast beef panini, and one

salmon mo''arella salad,% he announced with a beam. He placed their orders on the table, each of them muttering small thank yous. .ne of them tugged on his sleeve as soon as he was done placing the last plate. ! saw that one man over there giving you a hard time +ust now. Are you alright"% she asked, clearly worried. !t surprised him, as even though they were regulars, he wasn t always their waiter. ! m fine, ma am. &hank you for your concern,% he replied with a small smile. !t s +ust we re a full house today, and we weren t able to give him the usual 0uality of service we have here. His companion has apologi'ed, though, so it s fine.% #ell as long as you re fine, then,% she laughed as she let go. But if he gives you more trouble don t hesitate to tell us* #e ll gladly come to your defense*% Her companions e(pressed their agreement, looking as if they really meant it. &hank you very much,% he said with a chuckle. ! ll be sure to remember that. ! hope you en+oy your meal*% He left their table with an amused smile, giggling thanks following him from their table. #hen he got back to the kitchen, however, Asshole and Smiling 2an s orders were ready, and his shoulders slumped. He took the trays with a weary sigh and trudged to their table, dreading whatever biting words Asshole had for him this time. Here are your orders*% he said, his smile forced. .ne !talian B5&, one grilled salmon with side salad, one large iced tea, and one 3nglish Breakfast.% He placed their respective orders in front of them, taking e(tra care not to spill anything. Smiling 2an e(pressed his thanks, but $ecil had to suppress a sigh when he noticed that Asshole was still glaring. !s there a problem, sir"% he forced himself to ask. #ell ! must admit that our food got to us fast enough, and seems to still be warm,% he drawled, picking up his utensils and wiping them on the provided table napkins. But for a full house, ! m surprised you have enough time to converse with a bunch of giggling females instead of waiting on other tables.% $ecil bristled, instantly on the defense. /or your information, sir, they are regular customers of this restaurant, and as thus are 0uite familiar with the staff. &hey were simply concerned about me, sir, though ! m not 0uite sure what this has to do with your meal,% he somehow managed to grit out, his tone clipped and tense. !t would probably get him into trouble, but Asshole had insulted his regulars, who were only worried for him, and he would not let that pass. Asshole let out a small hum, and Smiling 2an merely slapped his forehead with what seemed to be mutters of oh god, oh god, oh god%. $ecil continued standing there tensely, mentally daring Asshole to say more. &he latter simply stared once more, looking him up and down. So the waiter has a spine, after all,% he finally said. #ell, like ! said, our orders got here fast enough, so ! suppose you re e(cused.% He looked back to his food and waved a hand in dismissal, his eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement. &hank you, sir,% $ecil forced out, his knuckles white from gripping the trays too tightly. 7lease en+oy your meal.% He briskly walked away from their table, pretending to not hear Smiling 2an berating Asshole for being so rude. He approached Adelaide, who had thankfully +ust arrived at the kitchen. He grabbed an arm and said, not giving her a chance to butt in, ! m taking a 0uick break. 4ust about five minute, ten at the most. $over for me please, ! +ust really need to get some tension out. &here s an asshole in one

of my tables and ! can t work properly right now or ! may end up doing something stupid. &hanks*% He ran away to the staff room soon after that, the small grumble of gee'% from Adelaide managing to pull a small smile out of him despite his mood. !t was with a big sigh that he opened the door to the staff room, plopping onto the black couch with a groan. He couldn t have possibly interacted with Asshole for more than ten minutes, and yet he was exhausted as if he had worked the whole day. !t really was too bad, though. His looks and personality were in opposite sides of the spectrum. #hereas he was prickly and bossy and annoying, he was also dangerously attractive and definitely $ecil s type. &all, dark, and handsome, with cool grey eyes and a slight tan. And his voice, as cliche as it sounded, was silky, entrancing- bordering on inappropriate, really, for if $ecil were to dwell on it he knew he would +ust get a boner 9which he really should not, at least in the workplace:. He groaned again and flopped his arm on top of his eyes. &his was not good, not good at all. -ot only did he stumble upon an asshole of a customer1 he stumbled upon an attractive asshole of a customer, which was not fair. &his was so not a good day.

! can t believe you did that*% 3vander grunted, chewing on the piece of salmon in his mouth. 6id what"% he 0uestioned innocently as soon as he swallowed. 3ric groaned and shook his head, short brown hair flailing about. )ou know precisely what. ,od, and to think he s my favorite waiter here. ! actually like this place, okay" And ! d like to be able to come back after this without fear of them +udging my presence,% he said morosely as he cut up his sandwich. 3vander 0uirked an eyebrow, taking a sip of his tea. Hm...% He set the cup aside and leaned his chin onto his palm. Something tells me... that your interest in this restaurant doesn t e(actly lie in the restaurant itself. &he food s pretty good, but it isn t great, and you ve got to admit that their service isn t the best. .r maybe they re understaffed"% He shrugged, and did not acknowledge how 3ric s face had started reddening. -o, ! think your interest is in something more... alive than that.% And here he grinned sadistically, leaning a little towards his companion. 7erhaps it s in some one rather than something.% 3ric whimpered and hid his face in his hands. .h god, please stop* ! d really love to not think about it,% he whined, voice muffled by his fingers. 3vander rela(ed and sat back, taking another bite of his food. )ou don t have to be so embarrassed, gee'. )ou know ! don t really care. &hough ! must say, you picked someone rather... interesting, for lack of a better word. -ot the kind of people you usually go for,% he said with a chuckle. 3ric grumbled and stabbed at a sandwich piece with his fork, stuffing it crudely in his mouth. ! don t understand it either, okay" !t s +ust... !t +ust is, and ! d really rather not 0uestion it. .r look into it any further. ! m aware it won t work out anyway,% he sighed. .h"% 3vander cocked his head to the side, ignoring the strands of black hair that fell into his eyes. #hat makes you say that"%

3ric gave him a deadpan look. 6o you really need me to list the reasons"% he asked incredulously. He might not even be gay, for one. And we don t even know each other s names. #e re not even in the same working class, and we only see each other a few times a week. Besides, he seems suspiciously close to that red-haired waitress, and no way in hell can ! compete with a girl.% He chewed sullenly on his food, following with a sip of his iced tea. 3vander hummed, reaching for his tea once more. &heir blend was pretty good1 perhaps he d come back again +ust for that. &hose aren t things you can t help, wouldn t you agree" &alk to him some more, ask for his name. 7erhaps ask if he d like to have some coffee with you after work, or something.% He shrugged. 4ust try1 you never know what may happen.% 3ric stilled and looked at 3vander suspiciously from under his bangs. )ou re being supportive. You. Being supportive. #hy"% And here 3vander shrugged again, looking off to the side with a small smirk, which grew when his eyes landed on a certain blond waiter. ! told you,% he said, taking a sip of his tea. )our choice this time is... interesting.