Post by Jen on Apr 26, 2009 21:36:54 GMT -5
“Harley, can you make some more decaf?” Shannon asked Harley who was leaning against the counter staring out the window. “Harley!” she said a little louder when Harley ignored her.
“What? Oh sorry, did you say something?” Harley asked, pulled back to reality.
“I asked if you could you make more decaf?” Shannon repeated.
“Oh yeah, sure,” Harley replied and went to work, but kept glancing out the window.
“What is up with you?” Shannon asked when she came back after delivering a tray of food.
“Nothing, just didn’t get much sleep last night,” she answered.
“Noisy neighbors?” Shannon asked.
“No, I just…” she trailed off as she saw Gus across the street looking over at the restaurant. “Just restless I guess. No big deal. I’ll go refill coffee,” she added and grabbed a pot before she made her way into the dining room keeping one eye on Gus the whole time.
He was still across the street and seemed like he couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to come over or not. When she refilled the last cup and he was still standing there, she yelled to Shannon that she would be back and rushed out the door. Gus didn’t seem to see her, so she crossed the street in a crowd of people and walked up beside him.
“Think if you stand here and stare over there long enough, that turkey sandwich will come to you?” she asked and he looked over at her, surprised to see her.
He lowered his eyes and played with the cigarette in his hand, “I didn’t think…wasn’t sure if…I don’t know,” he finally sighed.
“Gus…” she began.
“I just…I want to apologize for last night. I shouldn’t have bothered you and I definitely shouldn’t have…well…”
“It’s okay. I know what you were going through and you don’t have to apologize for, you know, kissing me. You weren’t exactly kissing yourself,” she teased.
“I know, but with what happened to my partner and your husband, it wasn’t right, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said again.
“Okay, let’s just forget it then,” Harley said with a wave of her hand. “We’ll forget it ever happened. You came over, told me about your partner, we talked, you went home. That’s it.”
“Oh,” Gus said, not able to mask his disappointment in her quick brushing off of their kiss.
Harley smiled at his obvious disappointment and touched his arm. “Come on, have lunch with me.”
“You sure?” he asked and she nodded before she started back across the street with him following her.
“The usual?” she asked when they got into the restaurant and sent him to get a booth while she went in the kitchen and placed their orders. She grabbed drinks for them and joined Gus at the table. “So how is your partner?” she asked.
“Uh, he’s okay. They think he can go home tomorrow, so that’s good,” he answered, playing with the wrapper of his straw.
“Good. Was anyone else hurt? I can’t remember if you said last night…”
“No, no one else was hurt,” he said.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked cautiously.
“No,” he shook his head quickly. “Not really.”
“Okay…” she replied, searching for safe subjects. “So…how ‘bout those umm…Orioles? What baseball team do Washington-ites root for anyway?”
She breathed a sigh of relief when Gus smiled over at her, “Well, this Washington-ite roots for the Cubs.”
“Chicago…me too,” she said.
“Really?”
“Yep, grew up not too far from Chicago.”
“Small world. I lived in Chicago until I went to college,” Gus said.
“That would explain the Cubs obsession.”
“I didn’t say it was an obsession,” Gus defended.
“You live halfway across the country, ten years later and you still root for the cubs? That’s more than just hometown loyalty,” Harley said as a waitress brought their lunches.
“Look who’s talking,” he teased.
“So I know what I’m talking about!”
“You’re eating?” Gus asked and Harley looked down at her plate then back up at him, confused.
“Yes, should I not? Is this your way of telling me I need to lose weight?” she teased.
“No, no you don’t need…no,” he recovered. “You’ve just never eaten with me before.”
“Oh. Well, I’m hungry today, okay?”
“Okay,” he nodded and dug into his sandwich.
They sat in awkward silence for about ten minutes before Harley put down her sandwich and took a drink then took a deep breath.
“So…” she began. “Are you ever going to ask me out?” she asked and Gus choked on his food.
“What?” he sputtered.
“Well, we’ve been having lunch together at least once a week for a few months, we kissed last night, maybe we should date,” she added.
“You think we should date?”
“You don’t?” she asked.
“Well, no, I…uh…I do. I would like that, actually, I just wasn’t sure you would,” he explained.
“Would what?”
“Want to go out. On a date. With me, with anyone, I mean…I don’t know if you do that…” he trailed off.
“Do what? Eat somewhere other than my restaurant? Yeah, occasionally I do,” she teased.
“I didn’t know if you were dating or not since…you know…”
“Oh. Well, I’ve gone on four first dates and one second date since Mallet died. I guess that means I’m dating. Well, at least have dated. So, yes, I am. And I would like to go on a date with you,” she answered.
“Okay,” he nodded and went back to his sandwich.
“Okay,” she smiled and went back to hers.
The silence returned and both of them let out a sigh of relief when it was broken by Gus’s pager going off.
He looked at it quickly and swallowed the last bite of his sandwich before finishing his drink. “I have to go. How about I pick you up Saturday…seven o’clock?”
“For what?” she asked and he glared at her until she cracked a smile. “Kidding. That sounds good. Dress code?”
“Casual,” he answered. “I’ll see you then,” he added and smiled at her for a long second before he touched her hand and left.
“What? Oh sorry, did you say something?” Harley asked, pulled back to reality.
“I asked if you could you make more decaf?” Shannon repeated.
“Oh yeah, sure,” Harley replied and went to work, but kept glancing out the window.
“What is up with you?” Shannon asked when she came back after delivering a tray of food.
“Nothing, just didn’t get much sleep last night,” she answered.
“Noisy neighbors?” Shannon asked.
“No, I just…” she trailed off as she saw Gus across the street looking over at the restaurant. “Just restless I guess. No big deal. I’ll go refill coffee,” she added and grabbed a pot before she made her way into the dining room keeping one eye on Gus the whole time.
He was still across the street and seemed like he couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to come over or not. When she refilled the last cup and he was still standing there, she yelled to Shannon that she would be back and rushed out the door. Gus didn’t seem to see her, so she crossed the street in a crowd of people and walked up beside him.
“Think if you stand here and stare over there long enough, that turkey sandwich will come to you?” she asked and he looked over at her, surprised to see her.
He lowered his eyes and played with the cigarette in his hand, “I didn’t think…wasn’t sure if…I don’t know,” he finally sighed.
“Gus…” she began.
“I just…I want to apologize for last night. I shouldn’t have bothered you and I definitely shouldn’t have…well…”
“It’s okay. I know what you were going through and you don’t have to apologize for, you know, kissing me. You weren’t exactly kissing yourself,” she teased.
“I know, but with what happened to my partner and your husband, it wasn’t right, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said again.
“Okay, let’s just forget it then,” Harley said with a wave of her hand. “We’ll forget it ever happened. You came over, told me about your partner, we talked, you went home. That’s it.”
“Oh,” Gus said, not able to mask his disappointment in her quick brushing off of their kiss.
Harley smiled at his obvious disappointment and touched his arm. “Come on, have lunch with me.”
“You sure?” he asked and she nodded before she started back across the street with him following her.
“The usual?” she asked when they got into the restaurant and sent him to get a booth while she went in the kitchen and placed their orders. She grabbed drinks for them and joined Gus at the table. “So how is your partner?” she asked.
“Uh, he’s okay. They think he can go home tomorrow, so that’s good,” he answered, playing with the wrapper of his straw.
“Good. Was anyone else hurt? I can’t remember if you said last night…”
“No, no one else was hurt,” he said.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked cautiously.
“No,” he shook his head quickly. “Not really.”
“Okay…” she replied, searching for safe subjects. “So…how ‘bout those umm…Orioles? What baseball team do Washington-ites root for anyway?”
She breathed a sigh of relief when Gus smiled over at her, “Well, this Washington-ite roots for the Cubs.”
“Chicago…me too,” she said.
“Really?”
“Yep, grew up not too far from Chicago.”
“Small world. I lived in Chicago until I went to college,” Gus said.
“That would explain the Cubs obsession.”
“I didn’t say it was an obsession,” Gus defended.
“You live halfway across the country, ten years later and you still root for the cubs? That’s more than just hometown loyalty,” Harley said as a waitress brought their lunches.
“Look who’s talking,” he teased.
“So I know what I’m talking about!”
“You’re eating?” Gus asked and Harley looked down at her plate then back up at him, confused.
“Yes, should I not? Is this your way of telling me I need to lose weight?” she teased.
“No, no you don’t need…no,” he recovered. “You’ve just never eaten with me before.”
“Oh. Well, I’m hungry today, okay?”
“Okay,” he nodded and dug into his sandwich.
They sat in awkward silence for about ten minutes before Harley put down her sandwich and took a drink then took a deep breath.
“So…” she began. “Are you ever going to ask me out?” she asked and Gus choked on his food.
“What?” he sputtered.
“Well, we’ve been having lunch together at least once a week for a few months, we kissed last night, maybe we should date,” she added.
“You think we should date?”
“You don’t?” she asked.
“Well, no, I…uh…I do. I would like that, actually, I just wasn’t sure you would,” he explained.
“Would what?”
“Want to go out. On a date. With me, with anyone, I mean…I don’t know if you do that…” he trailed off.
“Do what? Eat somewhere other than my restaurant? Yeah, occasionally I do,” she teased.
“I didn’t know if you were dating or not since…you know…”
“Oh. Well, I’ve gone on four first dates and one second date since Mallet died. I guess that means I’m dating. Well, at least have dated. So, yes, I am. And I would like to go on a date with you,” she answered.
“Okay,” he nodded and went back to his sandwich.
“Okay,” she smiled and went back to hers.
The silence returned and both of them let out a sigh of relief when it was broken by Gus’s pager going off.
He looked at it quickly and swallowed the last bite of his sandwich before finishing his drink. “I have to go. How about I pick you up Saturday…seven o’clock?”
“For what?” she asked and he glared at her until she cracked a smile. “Kidding. That sounds good. Dress code?”
“Casual,” he answered. “I’ll see you then,” he added and smiled at her for a long second before he touched her hand and left.
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