Bouquet

🌹One:Loner🌹

A cool breeze flushes out the restaurant after the door is slowly pushed open; whipping the waitress in the face as she stumbles behind the counter in her black-heeled scarlet stilettos. Her sticky garnet-stained lips drag her pretty face into an irritated scowl before being wiped clean off when soft fingers are briefly held against her arm; gone with the wind.

The dark haired man quickly turns his head back to smile at his wife before roughly pulling the open the swinging door into the kitchen.

Reciting the order for table number six, joshua rolls his eyes as he's talked over for the second time, simply placing the piece of paper on one of the hooks and trudging back onto the restaurant floor in Dallon's place.

"Josh, go serve the loner at table three for us, will you? He got here an hour ago and still hasn't ordered." Breezy asks after a moment of the man simply leaning against the bar. "Now, would be nice." She adds with a subtle roll of her eyes.

He sighs, his hazel eyes tiredly raking over his boss' pale face. His stare lingers on her soft blue eyes before he's pushing himself up into a standing position.

"Alright, alright."

After striding over to the table, josh flips his little notepad to a clean page and poises his pen over the paper.

"Good evening, sir. Are you ready to order?"

The man looks up, revealing luring syrupy eyes and a tanned face; berry-red lips with the texture of velvet and messy eyebrows. His fluffy chestnut hair stands on end in places, thick and unruly from the constant wringing of his fingers through the locks.

"Do I look like I'm ready?" He bites back harshly, taking the server by surprise. Such a kind face. His irked expression softens and he buries his head in his sweaty palms. "I'm sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have snapped." He's saying now, voice much more gentle and slotting into place between the pieces of his sweet face.

"It's okay, I've been subjected to worse." Josh replies, sending him a pained smile. Slowly, he lowers his pen and paper, sliding them back into his pocket. "Rough day?"

"Not the word I'd use but - in a nutshell - yeah." The man sighs into his hands, before looking up to catch the purple hue staring curiously at the pale rose beside his elbow.

Suddenly insecure, the brunet's shoulders slump as he reaches his arm out in an attempt to divert the stranger's attention away from the flower on the table.

"I'll have a bottle of water, please." He says softly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Distracted, josh briefly shakes his head, pulling himself out of his mind to glance into the man's honey eyes. Heat washes over his cheeks; scarlet dusting the flesh like powder.

"Um, yeah, 'course. I'll be right back." He rushes out, before practically running behind the bar and almost banging into his boss. The latter sends him a perplexed look as he only stares at the brunet alone at table 3, eyes flicking between the man himself and the dejected flower.

After a couple of minutes, he feels the eyes on him, and startles josh by looking around and meeting his eyes.

"Fuck." Josh mutters, ducking around and reaching into the cooler beside the dishwasher. He pulls out a bottle of water, carefully kicks the door shut, grabs a glass and wipes the rim with a tea towel.

"Do you know him?" Breezy asks, leaning against the bar and eyeing her employee, perplexed.

"No." He answers slowly, walking away to place the bottle down on the customer's table and smiling sadly at him.

An hour passes, and still the hopeless brunet makes no effort to order nor leave. He simply stares at the rose, twiddling it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Okay, I'm done for the day." Josh finally hangs up his apron; feeling disinterested eyes boring into the side of his skull as he strides through the restaurant and waves at Breezy from the door.

A few seconds after his exit, he finds himself sitting down at the booth in the corner and rubbing his cheeks with his palms to warm them up.

Startled, the man looks up from his phone. For a minute, he simply stares - submerged in stun; then finally a small smile spreads across his lips.

"And who do I thank for the sudden presence of such a pretty boy at my table?"

A slow blush spreads over josh's cheeks like butter. Pretty boy.

After a moment, he hesitantly replies, "my employers" with the warmest of giggles rumbling through his body like a sweet thunder.

The bittersweet harmony stemming the bashful laugh causes the brunet to chuckle. He sips from his water before placing the beverage back down on the table and hesitantly tucking his phone into his breast pocket. Gradually he leans over the tabletop, leaning on his forearms.

"That was your cue to tell me your name, sugar."

Goddamn it, Josh.

☆

Sorry for the awkward ending haha

-Issy