She couldn't afford to eat much on her island in the Caribbean - still couldn't afford to eat too much where she was now - but the smells were always there, tempting her rumbling stomach with the things she couldn't have.
The smells that sent her back to earlier days that she didn't always want to remember.
But there had been some good memories too. While not enough to outweigh the bad, there had been some light to her hell.
She broke out her her almost trance like state to find Thomas watching her warily, both out of worry and fear. Alex tried to smile assuredly at him but it was probably looked more like a grimace.
Softly he spoke to her. "If you don't want to stay, we can leave. I just thought you might like it." Crap, crap, crap. This was not going according to his plan. This place wasn't supposed to make her sad.
He expected her to shake her head no and demand to go home. However, she took a breath, squared her shoulders blinked a few times more than necessary. She nodded once then stepped forward without looking back at him. Alex needed to be able to do this by herself.
The young woman walked to the booth she had picked out along the outer edges of the establishment. Jefferson followed her and slid into his seat. There was a pause where she just looked about the building. It was had a bar in it, which seemed to be nearly full, but, for the most part, it seemed to have a general family-friendly atmosphere.
There was lots of natural light and room itself was different shades of natural browns and tans. Though in her hometown everything was very tropical, it was a nice theme. She approved of the place. It wasn't trashy, but a single bite of food didn't cost eighty dollars.
Alex's eyes finally made their way back to Thomas who was staring at her with an anxious glint in his eyes. He was nervous. He was actually nervous about what she thought of the place. This was different from what he was used to, she knew. Thomas Jefferson cared what she thought.
She smiled softly at him, hoping to do her best to reassure him even though it brought up so many different - and some unwanted - memories from her past. "Thank you, Thomas. This is nice."
Though it was probably an unconscious move on his part, Jefferson let out a breath he had been holding. "James helped me pick it out. Apparently my general tastes are a little too much for you. So. This is me toning it down." He tagged on a self-deprecating grin at the end.
Alex was planning on confronting him later in night, but she pushed the urge to say anything back down. For the time being, at least. He was clearly trying to make up for his behavior so she would let him have a little mercy.
"Why does that not surprise me?"
"I have no idea. I am clearly one of the simplest people ever."
"Simple-minded, yeah."
"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"
"Yep. Spot on and it was great." She crookedly smiled at him, her eyes alight. Her inner Mercutio was screaming with joy. Word play was the best.
All he did was shake his head, thankful it was going smoothly. Thomas was aware that she would more than likely bring it up sometime, but he planned on relishing in what he could get.
At that time, their waitress walked over. Alex just asked for some coffee while her companion got some lemonade. There was a pause in the conversation, but Thomas filled it up rather quickly. "So, given the fact I'm not the Caribbean native here, what would you recommend I get?"
Alex glanced at the menus that were on the table, but was already sure what she wanted. "Do you like seafood?" Because, honestly, that's more than that would be offered. Or monkey, but she seriously doubt that those would be eaten in the U.S.
