Waiting

"You're going to have to wait 24 minutes for a table."

"Oh... ok." He didn't exactly have anywhere to go, but it just felt awkward having to sit in the waiting area when he's just getting a table for one.

Yes, poor Jack had no date, no friend to hang out with. But, he knew he needed to get out of the house, so deciding to get some lunch or once, he went to Cajun Kitchen. For some reason he didn't think about the fact that other people also like to go out for lunch, even on a regular basis, and it's also a Saturday. As stated before, Jack never went out much, so he didn't even think about these things.

Plus, there was nowhere to sit. He stood awkwardly in the corner on his phone, one headphone in his ear. He was again reminded by why he never liked to leave the comfort of his home unless absolutely necessary. He even worked from home most of the time, being a hacker for the government. In a way, he hated waiting, yet it was a part of his daily life. Waiting for his program to load, waiting for emails to be sent back, waiting to get paid.

And now he was waiting to be seated at one of the most busiest places to go out to eat.

Yet, he hated waiting. That's why he typed so fast, why he made sure to be efficient and never was late with his work. He didn't like the idea of being late, of having things not in a fit schedule. He hated waiting in the area where everyone was chatting it up with their friends, partners, and family, because he didn't have that. He had a brown hat on and a beard to his face. Jack stood as lanky, unnaturally skinny since he rarely at while he was home, and he was at home a lot. His brownish-green eyes were like a mudslide, taking in everything as it continued its unending path. Yet, he had to wait. He was waiting for food. He could have just been eating some noodles in his home, or maybe not eating at all, but instead he decided to go out of his comfort zone, something that was too different to his regular life and he was already feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of the other people waiting.

It had only been 10 minutes.

10 minutes and he was sweating. The sun beat down on the back of his neck until a seat finally opened up and he sat. But then an older woman came along. Jack may not have the finest social skills, but he had manners, and respectfully gave up his seat for the withering old woman, and let the sun set fire to his neck once again. His skin wasn't used to being like this, so open to the outside air and the sun.

Jack wished it hadn't been so sunny that day, he hates sunny days. He wasn't doing anything on his phone either, he was swiping from screen to screen because it made it seem like he was busy. No music was playing either, because Jack had to be in the mood for music, and he wasn't in the mood.

Each minute was an eternity, and Jack kept thinking about how he should just go home and not deal with this torture which he had put upon himself, he should have never left the constraints which he's confined himself to because within that small box, he felt comfortable. The sweat made him sticky and he was constantly licking his lips, waiting for his name to be called.

A sudden tap on his shoulder made him jump, which looked unnatural what with his tall stature. A laugh that rang like church bells sounded behind him. The earbud had fallen out and landed on the floor, unknowing to Jack. He turned to look at the assailant who caused his mind much turmoil only within a few moment and there was a deathly crunch under his thick boots.

Jack never glimpsed at whoever laughed, only down at his foot, where he saw his earbud had fallen and was now under his boot, crushed into a thousand little pieces that won't be put together ever again.

"Oh, man, I'm so sorry. You just seemed all by yourself and I just wanted to... I'm sorry. I'll pay you back for them."

He was much shorter than Jack, and had a more defining body, muscled arms being broadcasted out of his tank top. Short black hair and slanted eyes and tanned skin that proved his heritage was somewhere in Eastern Asia. Jack was quiet for a moment, mesmerized by the beauty of the man before him. "Oh, dude, I'm really sorry, were those your favorite or something?"

Finally, Jack choked out an answer, "No. No, uhm, they weren't my favorite."

"Do you want me to pay you back for them?" The mysterious asian man asked him and pointed down where Jack's foot still remained on the earbud. Jack finally lifted his foot, pulling in the chord and shaking his head.

"No, no it's fine. I have more."

"Oh, ok, well sorry again."

Jack shoved his phone in his pocket and then scratched the back of his neck, a habit he had gotten whenever having to deal with awkward social interactions. It made him wince, though, since the back of his pale neck must have been heavily sunburned. "It's fine." It was silent, and then finally Jack decided to again reach out of his comfort zone. He didn't know what took over him, maybe it was just being outside, or seeing such a beautiful man, or the hot air clouding his mind, but he spoke up. "Uhhh, why did you, uhm, tap my shoulder?"

The man smiled. "Oh, yeah, I saw you had been standing here alone for a while, and I thought I'd just say hi. I'm here by myself, too."

"You are?" It seemed impossible to think someone with such a charismatic aura around him would be waiting, just like Jack.

"Yeah, I was actually just behind you when you wrote your name on the list."

"Oh." How did he not notice this before? How could he deprive of himself the joys of simply looking at this man of whom he still had no idea what his name was. "I'm Jack," he stumbled out like an actor who had forgotten his lines.

"Riley." Riley stuck out his hand, and although he hesitated Jack reached out as well and touched Riley's hand tentatively.

The experience Jack went through next was something he could simply not describe through words. A sensation ripped through him, nothing like touching the cold metallic letters of the keys on his laptop, which normally gave him great comfort, but a rush of warmth and life that filled him simply through touching another human being, something he hadn't done in a very long time.

Then, they talked. Jack had never had such a wonderful conversation before in his life. He revealed that he did some programming and hacking as a job, which seemed to fascinate Riley in a way that he wanted to learn more, unlike many others who were disinterested by it whenever Jack brought it up. It was another world that Jack stepped into, and the quiet space of his home was no longer nagging him in the back of his mind as he learned that Riley was a student, graduating soon, and looking for some jobs in the area, he wanted to stay local.

When the hostess had finally called his name to tell him there was a spot open for him, he looked at Riley for a moment. "Would you like to... maybe... uhm..."

"Would you like to have lunch with me?" Riley finished for him, touching Jacks skinny arm with grace. "I'd think that would be cool."

With a lack of grace Jack took a few long strides to the door where the hostess stood. "I'd like to change it to a party of 2."

"Oh, ok, well then you may have to wait another 10 minutes." Jack looked back at Riley and did something that surprised them both, Jack smiled.

"That's perfectly fine with me."

When he walked back to Riley, Riley had this mesmerized look on his face, as though he just saw a goddess in a field of spring flowers. "You should smile more often." Jack gave a questioning look at Riley, but said nothing in response to it.

"The hostess said we would have to wait a couple of more minutes."

"Okay." Riley looked up at Jack, seeing his small figure and his defined face in one good sweep as he kept doing throughout their conversation. "Would you like to listen to some music?" Riley asked.

Jack smiled once again and said, "I'd love to."