Dae waited in a corner of the quaint diner while Evan chatted with his boss. The older woman glanced in Dae's direction, and a small, telling smile settled on her face. She whispered something to Evan, who hesitated before nodding briefly. She patted his shoulder and walked away, leaving Evan alone for a moment. The redhead looked back to Dae with a blush on his cheeks before nodding in acknowledgment and walking towards the counter.
Dae settled into the booth closest to him, gently pushing aside all of the table dressings, and pulled out his homework to start--just so he didn't find himself watching Evan while he worked for the next few hours.
But it only takes a few moments of staring blankly at the textbook, the words blurring together, for his thoughts to wander back to the redhead. Dae realized that he was sitting in Evan's job, as pretty much a complete stranger, yet willingly agreed to stick around for his whole shift...
While Dae's mind raced, wondering how he got to this point of blind trust so quickly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sharp sound of a dish being placed in front of him. He glances up to see Evan dropping off a massive plate of loaded nachos. "Thought you might be hungry?"
Dae couldn't help but shake his head, feeling the flush rise to his cheeks, as embarrassment flooded him. "I--I don't. I can't." Dae stuttered out, to which Evan infuriatingly cocked an eyebrow at him as if to challenge his words.
"Oh? Why not?" Evan asked putting down a soda, before grabbing a straw from the apron around his waist. "I can get you something else if you prefer. I just thought this was the safest bet since you know, only psychos don't like nachos."
Dae looked away from the nauseatingly cute waiter, and said in a whisper, "I don't have any money...on me. My wallet is at home."
A moment of silence passed between them before the tension is broken by a sound that made Dae's heart melt all over again. Evan's melodic laugh--surprisingly free and light--brought Dae's eyes back to the redhead. It was a sound that Dae hadn't heard in quite some time, but one he'd hoped to hear again. Evan shook his head with a warm smile, "It's on the house, dummy. So shut up and enjoy."
Dae laughed despite himself, "Wow. What world-class customer service!"
Dae could feel the faint trace of his embarrassment begin to fade--money talk was something he tried to avoid at all costs. Dae just hated the way some people would look at him after they figured out what tax bracket his dad fell into...
But he couldn't focus on pity that didn't exist when in the present Evan winked at his comment and retorts, "You know, I hear that's what we're famed for! Now eat. And I'll check in later."
As the redhead walks away again to check on his other tables, Dae catches the older woman Evan had spoken to earlier watching their interaction with a light in her eyes. She smiled at him once more and disappeared back into the kitchen; her look staying with Dae.
After playing with his food for a few moments, contemplating whether he should be offended by the handout, he settled on it being a sweet gesture from a cute guy who knew nothing about his financial situation. So he dug in and focused on eating instead of watching Evan work.
But, no matter how hard he tried to fight it, his thoughts circled back to what Evan was making him feel. As he chewed, Dae wondered exactly where he and Evan stood. The signals weren't exactly mixed, but Dae knew he'd never known anyone like Evan before. While also fighting with himself that he wasn't good for Evan.
And, honestly, being so unsure scared the shit out of him.