Table 24 ~ Levi Jones

2

I stood picking at other food samples the chefs had cooked us for my second week on the job. Apparently Austin had only heard good things about me from the others which I was very thankful for. He believed me to be an honest hard worker which is what he was looking for by the sound of it.

"Be quiet Nate you're not helpful" Brenda laughed, draining the pasta away from her boyfriend that insisted he try helping. For some reason it was a particularly quiet night and so Nate and I could afford spending time on chatting to the chefs at the back.

"But you love me" he tried taking the large saucepan off her which was a mistake, Brenda is very passionate about her food. Nate could get away with a lot of things with her but messing with her whilst she was cooking was not one of them.

"Hands off and no I don't. Let me finish this and then I might reconsider" they were cute I'd give them that. Drew made a whipping noise and we shared a humoured look as Nate finally left Brenda alone in the kitchen, coming around the counter to stand with me.

Between the three of them, the chefs plated up four meals and placed them in front of us, Drew dinging the bell for good measure "was that really necessary?" I laughed seeing as we were here already. I began picking up the plates.

"No but this shift is so slow and I'm trying to make it more interesting. Table 8" he said so that's where Nate and I headed, him walking slightly ahead as I was still shadowing him on my second week. He was right though, certain jobs were relatively easy to get used to.

We placed the food down and I sighed as we walked away as it was so quiet. I checked the time: 7:23pm, this time last week we had twice as many tables.

I grabbed a drinks tray and started piling on glasses from a table that had just left so I could take them back to the bar. Once I'd cleared the placemats, I grabbed the disinfectant and began wiping down the table ready to lay in a minute.

I was halfway through placing forks when a woman called me over from the right. I walked over and she asked if she could have a jug of water for the table which I requested for at the bar before finishing off the set up I started earlier.

When I finished, I stood in the middle, waiting for someone to call on me but I saw someone walking towards the door and 'in true Corini spirit' as Austin had described, I made it my job to open it for them to walk through. It wasn't until they neared closer that I realised it was Levi, I looked up at the clock now, 7:30 exactly.

He ran a hand through his hair as he passed through, he wore black skinny jeans and a t-shirt from what I assumed was a band I wasn't familiar with, complete with leather jacket.

He thanked me and sent another cheeky smile before walking through to the second half of the restaurant and taking the same seat I'd seen him sit in last week, placing his jacket on the back of one of the other chairs.

I wondered why he came here every week at the same time. About why he needed a table to four when it was just him anyway.

Although it was technically my job to serve on those on the other half of the restaurant, for some reason I couldn't resist being the one to take him his menu and potentially his order later on.

He smiled when he took the menu but placed it neatly on the plate as soon as I walked away, either way I was still left blushing. What? He was cute.

When I reached the middle I heard laughing from behind me "what do you want Nate?" I chuckled, taking my attention away from Levi.

"Nothing, nothing" he said with a smirk on his face before proceeding to walk away in the direction of the kitchen. I followed but on route quickly took the jug of water and glasses, that I'd forgotten about, to the table from earlier and joined him with the others who were all now laughing.

"Oh come on, what is it?" I frowned, suddenly paranoid about what I'd done.

"That's the first time Levi hasn't refused a menu in months seeing as he orders the same thing every week anyway, we all know his order so he doesn't need one!"

"I wasn't to know that, should I go and get it back off him?" I turned to leave.

"Amber, stop!" That came from Drew, I walked back into the kitchen "that's not the point, the point is that he didn't refuse it"

"Yeah maybe he just wanted an excuse to see you again when you take his order" Brenda chimed in "you're pretty" she said though I was quite the opposite.

"Maybe he couldn't face turning you down" Nate giggled along with his girlfriend.

"Or maybe he actually wanted to look at the menu this time" I retaliated, I never really had a problem with teasing, apart from when it surrounded something like the topic of relationships because I'd never properly been in one myself and didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Especially with Brenda and Nate being so close.

I didn't mean to get defensive, maybe I was just tired. Maybe, deep down I was hoping it was true. It'd definitely add a bit of excitement to my life.

However, I put on a smile anyway and headed back out onto the restaurant floor, deciding that Austin could take Levi's order today because I wasn't here to mess around. From now I would stick to the other half of the restaurant, away from Levi.

Long story short, according to George, Levi ordered the same thing anyway.

He didn't need that menu.

***

If you hadn't guessed I'm a waitress and this is basically what I want to happen to me... ~Megs