Prologue:
The first time the young man stepped into the small town diner Alfred paid little attention to him. Oh course, why would he? It was the middle of the lunch hour and the eatery was full to the brim. In between serving the yelling toddlers and impatient guests Alfred stopped to fill up a cup of tea for a surprisingly calm green-eyed gentlemen but that was the extent of their interactions on the first day. Luckily, this man seemed to enjoy the tea and came the next day at a more peaceful time and that's where the story really begins.

Chapter 1:
"Good morning sir, what would you like today?" slowly shifted to a joking "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you would like one Earl Grey with milk and sugar on the side," to a more relaxed "Hey, your usual will be out soon," as the weeks seemed to flow by.

It took a while but Alfred eventually unknowingly memorized the newfound regular's routine. The young Englishman (or so Alfred assumed the man was English from his strikingly thick accent) would normally arrive at 9:25 every morning with either a novel or a stack of newspapers. Majority of the times the former would be present. The dirty blonde would go ahead and read what he had brought for a little over 2 hours as he orders drink after drink. On about the eighth cup the Brit would pack up his stuff and go back home on his way.

Yet every once in a while there would be a minor discrepancy in this routine. The Brit might arrive a few minutes late or his regular green shirt or pullover would be replaced with a bold red or yellow. Alfred found himself trying to predict what the next slight discrepancy might be in his free time at the start of the day. He found it entertaining to try and guess extremely unlikely and random ideas.

"Maybe he will wear a thick pair of Harry Potter style glasses today. Huh, wouldn't that be something! Or perhaps he will have a cheesy romance novel ready to read instead of the usual mystery. Or maybe he will have plucked his thick eyebrows to the point of being ladylike!" Alfred considered while busting some of the tables. He couldn't help but start laughing about the idea of the Englishman having thin and feminine eyebrows.

By the time the Brit arrived only about ten customers had entered and left the diner which gave Alfred a little insight that today would be a long and slow day.

"But perhaps there is some way I might be able to pass the time and have a little fun." he considered as he watched the regular customer sit down and he felt a genuine smile creep up on his face.

"But maybe I shouldn't bother him... I wouldn't want him to stop coming here. It would really suck if I scare him off trying over the fact that I couldn't go thirty minutes without someone to talk too." He considered. But eventually threw the worrisome thought out and just decided to do what he does best, winging it. He grabbed a cup of joe for himself and the tea and sat in the seat directly in front of the Englishman trying to make his actions seem normal.

"We are gonna have a slow day today, I can just feel it. Is it alright if I sit here so I can have some company?" Alfred asked the man.

Slightly shocked by the sudden change in habit the Brit stared at the waiter for a few seconds and looked around in the diner. For the first time he realized just how empty the place really was; including the two of them the diner had about four people in it. It was outright shocking how much of a change it was compared to other days when you could barely fit your foot in the eatery without being trampled on. He looked back at the American who was eagerly waiting for a reply with an expression that reminded him a lot of a puppy begging for a treat.

"Of course, I don't mind at all," he reached out to shake hands with the man and then continued to speak, "I take that your name is Alfred from your nametag. I'm Arthur Kirkland; it is a pleasure to finally introduce myself."

"Arthur Kirkland huh? Dang, that just rolls off the tongue don't it? I'm stuck with Alfred Jones which isn't as pleasant to the ear." He replied with a quick wink and a smile so large that it was a miracle his face didn't crack right open. "So," he continued, " I know we just introduced ourselves and this might be a little rude to ask so quickly but it has been on my mind for a while. What brings a guy like you here of all places? You seem educated enough to realize that we don't have a lot to offer people here. I mean, we are good folks but we aren't like the big cities that everyone flocks to. I just can't seem to figure out why you would move from the other side of the world to a small town like this in the middle of nowhere."

"Well... This isn't so much of a permanent home for me as it is an extended holiday. Well, if you still work on holidays that is. I just needed a long break from my regular life after..." Arthur paused to think of the proper words to use in this situation without giving too much away. "After an incident that occurred. I decided to take two years off and I'm not really sure how but I just seemed to arrive here of all places."

Alfred took the hint and decided to not pick at Arthur's old wounds. They continued to talk about many topics over the course of the next few hours.

Arthur told him about his career as a freelance author and about what England was like and Alfred found himself extremely attracted to the idea of sightseeing the country. He started to feel the need to see the different places Arthur described to him. Hyde Park seemed to call out his name; the London Eye seemed like a national amusement ride; even the history of the Canterbury Cathedral seemed like a murder mystery straight out of the pages of a story.

In return Alfred informed Arthur all about the town and what it had to offer.

"Now we don't have a lot of people here ever since they built that big city about twenty miles south of here but the people who stayed are the sweetest you will ever meet. A lot of the shops around here don't have signs so you can't always tell what they will be just by looking on the outside." He explained as he pulled out a paper and started to draw Arthur a map of most of the shops and what they have to offer. For the most part Arthur half-listened to what his guide told him but kept a mental note of a handful of buildings that seemed interesting.

"Now, I'm good friends with most people in this town so if you do something stupid you can just mention my name and they likely forgive you. If they don't you can just call me over and I'll swoop in and save you like a hero!" The American said while posing in a way that he found heroic. Arthur gave a slight chuckle at Alfred's whimsical ways and stated that he would keep the offer in mind.

Alfred left the table a few times to refill their drinks and serve the extremely small handful of customers he had and tried to rush back to talk some more with Arthur. Despite finding the guy slightly annoying at times, Arthur couldn't help but appreciate the company of his new friend. For some reason he was having a difficult time making friends ever since he moved and the idea that he now had someone to speak to and look out for made him feel warm. He watched the waiter take the order of an elderly couple that just arrived in the diner. To Arthur's surprise the old woman stood up and pulled Alfred in tight yet quick embrace and gave him an even quicker peck on the cheek. Alfred smiled and ran into the kitchen and brought out their meals as well as a cupcake.

"Why did she kiss you? Are they related to you?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Well, they're my neighbors. It's their 47th anniversary today. I wished them a happy anniversary and told them that I made them a cake. Of course, it's only a cupcake but they didn't seem upset. They both have a bunch of food allergies so it was hard to find a flavor that they would both enjoy but in the end I went with coconut which they both seem to love. She just got really excited about my small gift to them so she gave me a quick thank-you kiss." He said with a smile on his face while he watched the couple eat and enjoy their food.

After watching them for a while the peace was interrupted as a whole horde of students entered the diner. Their ages ranged from five to seventeen which indicated that the school day just ended. Arthur looked at his watch and felt slightly panicked.

"Crap! It's already 5:00 in the afternoon! I really have to leave! Damn it, I told them I would have the rough draft done by 9:00! I only have four more hours to work on it!" He yelled while he rushed to pack up all his stuff and pay the bill.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow right Mr. Arthur Kirkland?" Alfred asked while Arthur turned to hide his slight blush from the mention of his full name. Somehow it sounded so much nicer when the American said it.

"Yes. I will come back tomorrow." He replied quickly as he darted out of the door.