This is a story dedicated to one of my best friends. She's been feeling a little more than lonely recently and the only way I saw fit to help was by writing a story with our favorite cutiepies to show her that you won't always be alone.

I love you, Megan. 3

A small sigh escapes the silver haired man as he sits at the breakfast bar in his favorite diner, for the fifth time this week. The waitresses knew him by name, and even though he always turned it down, offered him their signature piece of apple pie when he walked in. Nevertheless, a few minutes into sitting with his coffee, a small piece was set down, the waitress saying it was on the house. It was even Ala Mode. A nice gesture, he thought, but it did nothing to help his dignity.

After taking a look around the diner, he stares down at his coffee, stirring it every now and then, the small coffee stirrer going around and around and around…

He'd never felt so lonely. Everyone in the small diner seemed to have someone to kiss, hug, hold hands with. They were sharing food, laughing at each other's jokes, doing everything a couple should do. And here Riku was, sitting all alone on the barstool of Amy's Diner, without anyone to so much as talk to.

Sure, he'd had "significant others" in the past, but all of them found Riku to be… not what they wanted. Riku was starting to wonder what was wrong with him. Was it his hair? Kairi said the color suited him but maybe that was the problem. Or maybe it was his personality? He could be rather obnoxious sometimes, he mused, but he thought that gave him some character, or something. It wasn't like he wanted to take over the world, so why couldn't he keep a date for more than a week?

The waitress that had been serving him seemed to take pity on him and decided to sit next to him on her break. She frowned when she looked at the pie he hadn't touched.

"What's the matter?" She asked, and Riku merely sighed again, before glancing around the diner. In a rare moment of insecurity, he decided to open up to the stranger. It was like a bartender, he supposed, wasn't it?

"Do you ever feel like you're going to die alone?"

The waitress's eyes widened slightly and Riku winced internally, worrying maybe that had been a bit much right off the bat. But she simply smiled and smoothed out her apron.

"Seems to me like you could use that pie, sweetheart," She said simply, before letting a small chuckle escape. Riku looked at the pie, and then, with a shrug, took a bite. Pleased, the waitress answered his question.

"Well… I suppose, maybe, at one point I did," She replies, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She takes a sip of her iced tea and then shrugs. "I think everybody does at one moment or another."

"Well," Riku shrugs, after taking a sip of his coffee. "seems like I'm going to have a lot of moments like that." At this the waitress pouted.

"Now, now, don't think like that!" She scolded, pushing her bottom lip out at him. "C'mon, you gotta be more optimistic! No one likes a sourpuss."

"Maybe that's my problem," He leveled, chuckling. "Maybe that's why people don't go on more than two dates with me." He side glanced at her and noticed the ring on her hand sparkle, and another sigh escaped his lips.

"Besides, what would you know about feeling like this? You're married," He commented, and the waitress blushed, then beamed happily, rotating her ring about her finger for a moment. Then she snapped to attention, offended.

"So? I wasn't always married. I didn't come out of the womb married," She countered, crossing her arms. "I had plenty of "die alone" moments, myself, young man." Riku chuckled at her language and took another sip of coffee.

"Like when?"

"Well…" She took a moment to think and Riku took another bite of his pie. "When I was 22, I had recently been dumped by a boyfriend of mine. I thought we were in love. And then all of a sudden he broke up with me. Said I was too clingy, too girly, too…" She swallowed and then shrugged.

"Anyway. I was pretty broken up about it. I hadn't been alone for a long time, really. We dated for three years. And a few months after the breakup, I was taking this new class at the local college and I met the man of my dreams. He asked me for a pencil but I just… knew. Love at first sight, I suppose." She smiled dreamily, humming for a moment. She let her last statement hang in silence for a moment as Riku finished off his coffee, and then stood up, taking her iced tea with her behind the counter.

"The point of my story," She said, chuckling. "is that love finds you when you least expect it. So, while I don't think a young man like you should be so caught up and worried about finding love, you just have to let it happen."

She takes a moment to smile at him and let this information sink in before she heads back into the kitchen. Riku looks down at his empty coffee cup, finishing the last bites of his pie as he sighs.

Maybe she was right. He was only 20 years old, after all. He still had plenty of years to worry about starting a family of his own. Maybe while he was waiting he could travel. He could learn a new language. He could do something he'd never done before. Maybe on his travels he'd meet someone who loved him for all of his quirks.

"Excuse me?"

Riku looks up as he hears a small voice in front of him, and he swears his heart stops.

Coffee pitcher in hand, bright smile on his face, Riku sees a young man in front of him, behind the counter. His hair spikes up in all different directions, and his blue eyes crinkle as he realizes he caught Riku's attention. Suddenly, Riku can't breathe. His breath is taken by the beauty of this man he didn't even know and he suddenly yearns to know as much as he can about the stranger. In an odd moment of confidence, he lets his eyes drift down his torso; he keeps himself from drooling as he takes in the strong arms, showcased by a short sleeved shirt, and the slim body accompanied by the incredibly adorable face. He notices the apron tied to his waist and silently thanks God or Mother Theresa or anybody for giving him this job and bringing this stranger to Riku. He blushes as he realizes he was totally checking the other man out, and snaps his eyes back up to his face. He stares up at the other man, gripping his coffee pitcher as his small smile increase as he gets more nervous, a small blush appearing on his kissable cheeks.

The stranger gestures to Riku's cup - Riku glances down and realizes he's gripping the cup tight enough to break it - and clears his throat after letting out a nervous laugh.

"Can I fill you up?"