"Awwww! You two are so fucking romantic! It's sickening!" Maureen pouted playfully, leaning her head on Joanne's shoulder. "Isn't it sickening, Pookie?"
"It sure is." The lawyer grinned across the table at Angel and Collins…who were sharing a chocolate milkshake. They were sipping on their two separate straws, staring lovingly into each other's eyes…that is until Collins got a brain freeze. The professor squeezed his eyes shut and straightened up, moaning in pain.
"You okay, honey?" Angel giggled.
"My head!" Collins whined. "This is the funkiest feeling ever!"
"Well, I told you not to drink so fast…" Angel playfully scolded him, gently placing a hand on his forehead.
"Hey, Ang…I just thought of something…" Maureen leaned over the table, grinning enthusiastically at them.
"What, honey?"
"When Mark shows up, he can video tape you guys doing that thing that they did in 'Lady and the Tramp'! You know…with the spaghetti??"
"Sounds great, Mo!" Angel nodded. "That would make hilarious footage, wouldn't it?"
"That reminds me…where is our food? They must be backed up or something…" Joanne let her gaze wander the place…it was relatively packed.
"Well, I'm going to go get the napkins because when the food does get here, it's gonna be messy." Angel gave Collins a quick kiss on the cheek before slipping out of the booth. He strolled up to the bar, ripping a few napkins out of the dispenser.
"I'm sorry…"
"You should be. I didn't come here to eat shit!"
The tones were hushed, yet agitated. And they were getting louder in volume.
Arching a perfect eyebrow in confusion, Angel turned his head. Just beside him, an irate customer was arguing with a waiter who stood on the other side of the counter. The customer was red in the face and he appeared to have an over inflated sense of self importance.
How could he not? He must be out of his mind in order to treat somebody like that…
Angel was seething. 'Blowing off some steam' was no excuse. This person needed to learn to think before he spoke. He needed to put himself in the other guy's shoes.
The waiter, on the other hand, stood there taking his abuse. His jaw was clenched in frustration. He was not allowed to fight back. The customer was 'always right', after all.
"My burger was nearly pink in the middle!" The man ranted on. "Do you have any idea how unhealthy that could be?! Don't you know how to do your goddamned job?? I do not eat my meat raw!"
"I'm sorry, sir…" The waiter repeated nervously. "There must've been a mistake…"
"You're damn right there was a mistake-"
"Excuse me…" Angel cut in, interrupting the man. "Is there a problem here?"
The waiter looked at him curiously. The man, however, looked rather pissed.
"It's none of your business!" He roared. This man was a ticking time bomb. Thankfully, Angel didn't budge.
"None of my business? Sir, you need to get over yourself. You're being ridiculous."
The man's eyes and mouth made three large O's in his face. He began to sputter out an insult…but Angel didn't give him a chance.
"You need to calm down. I'm sure he's trying his hardest to keep up. If you haven't noticed, this place is quiet busy today with at least 30 people…half of which are staring at you right now. There is no need to be so rude."
Angel's tone was calm. It was an enormous contrast to the stranger's stammering as he groped for words. His face was becoming redder and redder. Finally, he turned and stalked out of the restaurant….tossing one last glare back at Angel as he did so. The diners watched him as he went
"And there goes a fool…" Angel remarked.
"…Who should've eaten at home!" The waiter grumbled.
"I doubt he even knows how to cook. Do you get people like that often?" Angel laughed, settling his gaze back on the waiter. He was a very tall, lanky young man …almost gawky. He had bushy, curly black hair and wide eyes.
"Not really. The regulars here are actually pretty cool. Oh well...it's all part of the job." The young man smiled back at Angel, rolling his eyes. He extended a hand out to him. "Thanks, by the way."
"You're welcome!" Angel chirped, shaking his hand. "So, what's your name? I'm Angel."
"Angel? It figures." The waiter laughed. "Friends call me Jon. Sometimes, they insist on calling me 'Johnny' which I hate."
Angel laughed again. He felt as if he had known this guy all his life.
"When do you get off of work, Jon?"
He seemed a little surprised by the question.
"Woah! Um…you're not asking me out, are you? Because I'm straight…"
Angel nearly bust a gut laughing so hard.
"Oh, goodness! No, honey! It's just…my friends, boyfriend and I are going to the Life Café tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to meet us there." Angel jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward his table. "That's them. Although, we're still waiting for four more…"
Jon looked over in the direction Angel was indicating curiously. His gaze settled back on Angel.
"I'd love to. You know, I go to the Life Café all the time. I usually go there to write my musicals…"
"You write musicals??" Angel squealed. "Oh, that's wonderful! Roger writes songs…he's one of the people we're waiting for."
Jon nodded, smiling. "Ah, yes. The world can never have too many artists."
"No." Angel was thoughtful. "It definitely can't."
"Well, I guess I should get back to work before someone else comes up here to scream at me." Jon grinned. "So, I'll see you guys at eight?"
"Sounds perfect! You'll love my friends!" Angel giggled, turning in order to go back to his table. "'Bye!"
"'Bye!" Jon waved. "And thanks again!"
"No problem, honey."
As Angel made his way back over to his table, he couldn't help but grin. He could not wait to show his friends the newest addition into the boho family.
THE END
A/N: I'll give a cookie to anyone who can figure out who 'Jon' is… ;)
