You layed in bed as the sun shone through your curtains, it was well past the time you would usually wake up but who could blame you, weekends were your happy place. Although as of late you'd been getting your source of serotonin from somewhere else. You rolled over and picked up your phone, checking the time. Noon. nice.
You tried not to be disappointed at the lack of notifications on your screen, it's not like you got messages from anything but take-out places and...
You sighed, Nat hadn't responded for an entire week now.
You knew she told you about how her job would cause her to go remote but it didn't make it any easier, and after last weekend... god you needed to get a life. You really couldn't let your whole life revolve around one woman you met on the internet. So what if she makes you laugh harder than you ever have in your life, and listens better than the copper statues in the park downtown?
You wondered if she even considered you a friend in the same way you did her.
The fact that she hadn't blocked you yet meant she was at least entertained by your personality but did she feel the same connection you did? The same loneliness when you didn't text her back for a while (not that it was ever that long). Did you help her unwind after a long day at work as well?
You sighed, pulling the covers over your face and groaning. Maybe you were becoming too dependent on someone who only saw you as entertainment. The one time you decide to try something new ends up with you having a quarter-life crisis, it's just your luck.
You layed in bed staring at the ceiling until a sudden wave of irritation washed over you, you were not going to waste the rest of the day wallowing in self-pity like this.
You threw the covers off of your body, a newborn determination in your bones.
Today you were going to try something new and it was going to be great. You'd make sure of it.
~~
Your initial intention had been to try a new activity; pottery or rug making or something hands on but when your stomach grumbled you figured a new restaurant was still as adventurous as you were looking for.
You weren't in a particular mood for anything so you entered "restaurants near me" into your phone and scrolled until you found a cute retro-looking diner that was only a thirty-minute walk from you.
You could use the fresh air and the exercise so you clicked on the directions and placed your headphones into your ears as you began walking down the street.
The diner was as cute as the pictures had shown, if not cuter. The retro 70's style of the seats and decor was always a style you'd been a fan of. It was the kind of place where a lot of influencers would probably come to take pictures. You wondered why you'd never come across this place only to spot the "Just opened!" sign on the cherry red counter.
As soon as you sit down you're approached by a man who seems too cute to be a server, he's dressed in a leather jacket and jeans with a simple white T-shirt underneath. He looks like he's straight out of Grease and it almost makes you laugh at how much he fits in.
Much to your surprise, the handsome stranger pulls a notebook and pen out of his pocket and smiles at you.
"What can I get for a pretty lady such as yourself?"
The compliment makes you blush and you quickly realize that he fit in so well because he did work here. You figured there would be some sort of uniform or apron the servers would have to wear but apparently, they were all free to come dressed like they just walked out of a teenage vampire TV series.
He tilted his head when you didn't respond and you watched the way a strand of his hair fell in front of his face and suddenly you felt like a teenage girl all over again.
You quickly cleared your throat and looked back down at the menu "Oh uhm- I will get..."
You looked over the menu and picked out the first thing that sounded appealing, tacking on a milkshake at the end of your order.
Your server wrote everything down with practiced ease and flashed you a charming style before going to put your order in.
Once your food was delivered and you were chowing down you began absentmindedly scrolling on your phone through your Instagram fyp, it was all your typical preferred content and you liked and saved a few posts before your milkshake was brought out by a woman who was dressed in various shades of red white and pink, an apron sat tied around her waist.
So they did have a uniform?
Or was this one of those places that only made women dress up? You smiled at the waitress as she handed you your drink and you thanked her and began scrolling through your coworker's posts.
One of the women you worked with had just gotten engaged. You clicked on her profile and scrolled through the posts of her with all her friends. The sight only reminded you of your lack thereof and your current... predicament with your only friend.
Your mood quickly turned sour once again and you found yourself sadly sipping your milkshake as you stared out of the window, watching couples pass by and squinting your eyes at them in jealousy.
You're sure you probably looked weird and you weren't all that surprised when an older man approached your booth. You were sure you were about to get kicked out for glaring at potential customers when his lips turned down into a frown and his hands landed on his hips, he was wearing a white apron and a nametag that said "Dale", and from the looks of it, he was some kind of cook.
"Never in my 30 years running this place have I seen someone look so sad eating my food" Before you had a chance to respond he was sliding into the seat across from you and telling you about how the restaurant came to be.
He told you a lot of stories about his wife and all the ways he tried to win her over before she finally agreed to date him.
You laughed more in the 30 minutes he was talking to you than you had in over a week and you smiled at the warm sensation that filled your stomach. You forgot how good it could feel to interact with other people in person.
After you finished laughing at Dale's most recent tale you sighed with a smile on your face and made eye contact, hoping to convey your sincerity
"I'm sorry I looked so upset earlier- I swear it wasn't because the food was bad"
Dale just smiled knowingly and nodded his head at your phone
"Partner troubles?"
You blushed, not able to make eye contact with Dale as thoughts of you and Nat swarmed your head. Briefly, you wondered if she'd like this place, and you quickly shook the idea from your head.
"Not exactly, I'm just a little salty I guess. Everyone my age is getting married and I can't even keep a boyfriend." You covered your face in embarrassment, unable to face the complete stranger whom you just spilled your guts to. When you finally gained the courage to remove your hands Dale was looking at you with a mischievous smile.
"What" You tilted your head, a confused smile overtaking your face
"Let me introduce you to my son. He's around your age, very outgoing, very charming" He winked at you when he said the last trait and you couldn't help the small chuckle that left you. You were always anxious when it came to new people but you promised yourself you were going to try new things today so you lightly nodded your head and Dale immediately stood up to go fetch his son.
A minute later your original server begins heading your way and you prepare to hand him your card but you're surprised when he sits down in the spot where Dale sat. Before you can say anything Dale is back with another milkshake telling you it's on the house and leaving with another quick wink.
It finally registers in your head a second later that the man across from you is Dale's son, hence why he probably didn't have to wear a uniform. It was nice of him to help out his father.
You stuck your hand out across the table and felt your lips curl into a friendly smile.
"So you're the infamous son I've heard so little about?"
A smirk appeared on your table buddy's face and his warm hand reached across the surface and clasped yours in a firm grip.
"So I am"
The two of you talked for what felt like 4 hours but was only one, During that period you finished your milkshake and learned that Dale's son's name was Dolion after his Greek great-grandfather but that he preferred to go by "Leon", you also learned that Leon and his father had just moved here on account of his mother passing away.
The two of you hit it off more than you thought and you found you shared a lot of similar interests, although he was a lot more outgoing than you were.
Leon was by far one of the most charming men you'd ever met, his father was right, and when you found yourself getting up to leave he grabbed you by the arm and asked you for your number, how could you say no?
The walk home was a happy one and you found yourself stopping to sit at a park with a smile on your face as you thought about your day.
Maybe it would be a good month after all.
Maybe this was the start of something really lovely
A/n: No Nat content this chapter sorry.