Author's Note: Just had to write this.
Enjoy
Hanging up his coat and sitting at the desk in his office, John checked that the staff he needed for the night were still able to come in before going onto his social media sites to ensure his theme for the evening was well known.
It was Valentine's Day, and his friends had convinced him to make the restaurant an anti-Valentine's Day haven for the single people like them.
All his friends were idiots.
John had made his restaurant unique by never having the same menu, or type of food more than two days in a row. He had a list of amazing chefs he hired for one night only about twice maybe three times a month to run the kitchen with his team.
It had been a gamble, and several people thought he was crazy when he came up with the idea, but John meticulously worked out how to do it and utilised every social media site to advertise.
To begin with he put each day's guest chef/theme up at least a week in advance but, once he gained a following, he began only doing it on that day. He was running one of the most successful restaurants, occasionally bar or coffee shop and once a month juice bar, in the city.
x
For tonight, he'd got the theme out a little earlier since events like this were the only nights' he took bookings. The main restaurant was full, booked out within a few hours, which surprised him being an anti-Valentine's Day theme, but people seemed to be on board. He was using the partitioned section at the back for his friends to have a separate party.
After checking with his floor manager that everything was sorted for the main room since he would be running it that night, John headed to check up on his guest chef for the day and the kitchen staff.
Mick Rory made the best flame grilled burgers anywhere, and as they were the least Valentines Day food he could think of, they seemed to be a good food choice. Mick had a reputation for being a bit of a dragon to work for, but he knew the staff now and his people could adapt to whoever they were working with. It's what made them so valuable and John paid well for that skill.
Once he was sure everything was going fine in the kitchen, John headed to set up the bar and work on that evening's themed cocktails.
His speciality.
x
Opening the restaurant that night, John wasn't surprised that Gideon was the first of his friends to arrive. She was the most punctual person he had ever met in his life.
"Oh, this is perfect," she smiled as she looked around at the way the tables were set up so that everyone would be sitting together, "A night with friends, since none of us have the significant other this holiday expects."
John chuckled softly before asking, "Speaking of…"
"Ray is picking up Nora because her car isn't working just now," Gideon said, she was the member of the group who knew everything, she was the information hub they all went through and she had an amazing memory for details big or small, "Oliver and Felicity will be coming from work. Laurel," she continued thoughtfully, "Will be coming with Sara and Iris."
"What about the others?"
"Tommy and Ronnie are coming from the gym," she chuckled, "Tommy is determined to win his bet with Laurel for the sports day at the Queen Consolidated picnic. Ronnie is helping him train."
"Looking forward to seeing him pull that off," John laughed.
"Barry and Cisco are picking up Caitlin," Gideon continued, "And Leonard is picking up Lisa after her class."
John quickly went through the list before asking, "What about Rip? I thought he was coming tonight. This was partly his idea."
"His babysitter cancelled," Gideon shrugged sadly, "He is hoping his mother will be able to take Jonas for a few hours so he can join us tonight, but she was at her yoga class when we spoke."
"That's a pity," John said, keeping a completely straight face.
Gideon nodded, "It is but Jonas has to come first," affection filled her voice, "It's what good parents do."
John smothered the urge to roll his eyes before saying, "Well, grab a seat and I'll get you a drink. The others should be here soon."
x
Within the next half hour everyone except Rip had arrived. John served drinks while the group all perused the menu. It amused him that every time they got together the same seating arrangement happened automatically.
Ray sat with Nora because they usually arrived together and were in the middle of a conversation, Ronnie would instantly find Caitlin and ask her about something 'he'd thought of' since they'd last talked. Sara and Laurel would sit with Tommy as they were childhood friends. Laurel and Tommy inevitably would decide to meet for lunch at a restaurant that they both wanted to try. By this time Leonard would have taken the seat beside Sara, and they would start discussing their bikes.
Lisa and Cisco would instantly start bickering about a show they were both watching, agreeing to meet up to watch the next episode. Barry and Iris, the childhood best friends, would sit rolling their eyes at how oblivious Cisco and Lisa were. Not realising that the other two were thinking the same about them.
Then, slightly later than everyone as always, Oliver and Felicity would arrive still discussing a 'work thing' which would then segue way into another conversation and they would spend most of the night together.
Finally, there was Rip who due to his status as a single parent was almost always running late. When he finally arrived, Rip would instantly look for Gideon the moment he stepped in the door and take the seat beside her that Gideon ensured was kept for him. She would ask about Jonas and laugh or sympathise as per the story before they would spend all night talking, usually agreeing for Gideon to join Rip and Jonas for a day out or dinner within the next few days.
For a group of single people, there were a hell of a lot of couples in it.
x
Laughter filled the room as the group talked once their meals were finished. It stopped suddenly when the doors opened, and a giggling couple arrived. A young doe-eyed girl and her date who looked utterly smitten, both appeared to be college kids.
"Sorry folks," John said, "We're not accepting walk ins tonight."
They looked at one another confused before the boyfriend demanded, "What?"
"Read the website," several voices called from around the room.
"We're having an anti-Valentine's Day night," John apologised, "It's bookings only."
"Can't you find us a table?" the girl asked, "We met here."
"Afraid not but if you come back tomorrow I will make sure I have a table set aside for you so you can skip the queue," John promised before clarifying, "It's Chinese food night."
A little disgruntled the couple gave their details before leaving, knowing they could skip the queue on the busiest and most popular evenings John had.
"So," Sara spoke up once the couple were gone, "What cocktails did you come up with for tonight, John?"
All eyes turned to him and he grinned, "A few special ones, love. Including one which might blow your head off," John turned to Rip, "And a mocktail for those who will be woken by a child at the crack of dawn."
Cheers came from around the room and he passed them the cocktail menus, making the non-alcoholic one for the single father before taking orders.
x
John sighed in relief when the last of his friends left the restaurant.
"Honestly," he sighed in exasperation, "How can none of them see it."
Spotting his floor manager appear from the kitchen, John asked, "Are we all squared away in the kitchen."
The other man nodded, "It's clean and ready for Max tomorrow."
"And how did things go on your side?"
With another nod he replied, "Without a hitch."
"Excellent," John smiled at him, "What would I do without you?"
The other man smiled back before asking, "How did everything go here?"
John nodded, "It was a good night, but when it's that crowd, I spend most of my night rolling my eyes. I just wish one pair would work out how they feel about each other then maybe the rest would follow."
Shrugging his floor manager noted, "Sometimes people can be oblivious to what's in front of them."
With a sigh, John nodded, "You're right."
"I'll see you tomorrow," the other man told him, "Goodnight."
John smiled, "Goodnight, Gary."