[REG] One is the loneliest number :: Oliver x Andrea

[Marsh the Sex Panda]

"Table for one, please" The golden eyed boy smiled at the hostess who seemed to be confused, looking for his friends. It wasn't common for a sixteen year old to come into TGI Thaidays on their own. When she figured out that, yes he was indeed there alone she gave him a small smile. "Right this way."

Oliver followed after the hostess, sliding into one side of the small booth she led him too. "Thanks." He smiled shyly at her and then picked up his menu. If he wasn't sitting alone he wouldn't have stuck out at all, wearing worn in jeans and a black and blue argyle sweater over a white shirt.

Gold eyes caroused the menu looking for something delicious. He hadn't actually been to TGI Thaidays before, but he had just finished a long study session and was starving. This place just happened to be the first place he saw on his bike ride home. It was a bit awkward eating alone he had to admit, usually someone would be talking to him.  

[oneironym]

"How's everything for you this evening?" Andrea inquired cheerfully of the family of four seated at the booth adjacent to the table where the other boy had just come to sit alone. The mother of the family yanked gently on the shirt of her older child to try to get him to sit down, while the father offered the younger child, strapped into a high-chair, another small spoonful of rice. Judging by the appearance of the table, the meal had been a battle for the bunch of them, but Andrea did his best to keep the part of the experience for which he was responsible as pleasant as possible.

"Can I get that out of your way for you? Would you like a box to take the rest of that home, sir? And would you like anything for desert?"

Gingerly, he lifted an empty plate smudged with sauce from the tabletop, and stacked two cups with only ice left over on top of it, and assured the family that he would be back with a desert menu and two boxes in just a moment.

Then he turned and saw another young man seated by himself in the area, and flashed him a quick smile. Once the couple with their writhing children were finished, he would be about done for the night, and he was more than ready to get some food for himself. Things had been especially hectic that evening... a fact that he acknowledged to the newcomer with a slight wary smile just as the young child at the neighboring table burst out wailing and shoving at the incoming spoon of rice.

"Busy night, sorry," he told the orange-haired boy, raising his voice to be heard over the protesting toddler, then asked, "Can I get you anything to drink?"  

[Marsh the Sex Panda]

Ollie glanced over at the table across from him, watching the family for a moment. He didn’t quite understand the appeal of children, they were way too much trouble. But then he was sixteen years old, what the heck did he know? Turning back to his menu he started looking over it again, still unsure of what he wanted to eat. Maybe he’d just point at something randomly and take his chances. He doubted anything on the menu would have squash, and that was the only food he really didn’t like. Glancing up to look at the family again (how did they handle two kids at once?) he caught the waiters smile and smiled back. That was the polite thing to do right? Oliver was a bit awkward when it came to customary social interactions.

He was about to go back to the menu for a third time when one of the kids from the family across the aisle started screaming. He couldn’t help but wince slightly, he didn’t do well with crying kids, or crying anything really. It’s why he loved fish, they were silent and easy to take care of.

The waiter’s words distracted and he looked up at him. ”It’s alright,” He wasn’t in a rush really, Azure Valley had a curfew of course, but it wasn’t anytime soon. At the mention of a drink he nodded. ”Yeah, I’d like a Shirley Temple, please.” Sure it was a drink with a girly name, but 7-Up and grenadine was pretty delicious in his opinion.  

[oneironym]

"Sounds good," Andrea replied with a genuine grin and a nod as he went to tell the bartender to make one up. Maybe he could get one for himself to sip once his shift was officially over.

The family ended up quickly but politely refusing dessert, and paying promptly before eagerly removing their misbehaving premises as soon as their leftovers were boxed and receipt signed. Andrea delivered Oliver's drink before signing off himself, and another waitress, a few years older than Andrea, took over the table.

Out of his work uniform, Andrea slumped down at a table beside Oliver's, and fiddled with the menu but did not bother opening it. "Stir fry is half price today," he told Oliver with a small smile. "Even the shrimp, although I personally like the beef best because of the sauce." Hopefully the other patron would not be creeped out at the idea of casual conversation with a stranger; Andrea was rather craving social interaction with someone his own age beyond offering more water or napkins.  

[Marsh the Sex Panda]

Oliver was relieved when he didn’t get any weird looks because of his drink choice. It had happened before, and it made him feel a little awkward. The grin he got from the waiter made him comfortable and he settled down to wait for his drink, still thinking of what food to get.

When his drink was dropped off he took it with a small smile and a quiet ‘Thank you’. Picking the cherry off the top he took it in his mouth, sucking the fruit off its stem. He set the stem on his napkin, eating the cherry. Pulling the drink closer he took a sip giving up on the menu for now. Maybe he’d just ask his waiter for a recommendation, he seemed like a nice enough guy to not get bothered by it.

Only, it seemed his waiter wasn’t his waiter anymore. He looked over at him, a bit surprised that he was being talked to. ”Oh, is it?” He had seen stir fry on the menu, its description had made it sound like it’d taste good. ”Maybe I’ll get the beef then.” He smiled at the other boy, grateful that his food conundrum was solved. ”Thanks.”  

[oneironym]

"You're welcome," he replied. Then Andrea laughed a little and added, "I've been working here a while, had the beef stir-fry a lot, and I'm not sick of it, so they're definitely doing something right with it."

Then he was quiet, letting himself space out for a few minutes, and rested his hands on the table to just relax. Nice to just listen to his ears ring, even though it was still hardly silent in the restaurant. Anything was quieter after the day's screaming children. The family environment was nice, active, friendly, and all that, but it was still loud and today, it had taken quite a bit out of Andrea.

He snapped back to reality as he heard the bartender calling his name, and he perked up as he went to fetch his own Shirley Temple from the bar. Plunking down in his seat again once he had fetched his drink, Andrea nodded to Oliver again and took a long sip.

"Thanks for reminding me these things exist," he told him. "This is like, exactly what I needed today." No reason at all to be embarrassed in Andrea's presence; sure all that sugar was bad for him, but as long as he did not do it every day.