The following week I bounded into work with a wide smile spread across my features. The fact Levi thought I was cute had got me through the whole week until I was back again when I was determined to ask Austin about Levi, especially now I basically had permission to.
I felt a lot more confident working on the second half of the restaurant now that Levi and I had spoken and it was weird how one comment he'd said had made me endlessly happy. I guess before I never really had anyone make me feel the way I did around him.
I liked that feeling a lot.
Three tables finished eating and left in quick succession leaving me to disinfect them before laying the fresh cutlery and plates ready for the next customers. I was keeping an eye on Austin to see whereabouts he was to ask him about Levi but it was busy that night so we were working at pace with little time for a break.
I'd even got kicked out of the kitchen by Brenda who was under a lot of pressure with the others because of the amount of orders they kept having through. It also meant that I had little time to really see Levi, let alone talk to him but I made sure that it was me that took his main course.
"Enjoy" I said as I placed his plate down, clearing his empty glass after I did so "Can I get you another drink?"
"If it means you'll come over again, I'd like a tap water please" he sent that cheeky smile I'd become all too accustomed to that made my heart hammer and cheeks flush. He knew full well what he was doing to me. Maybe he was doing it to make me happy. I liked that thought.
"Of course, Levi" it was my turn to smirk this time.
"Thanks, Amber" we emphasised each other's names again playfully like we had the week before and it took a lot of control of me to not let out an idiotic, immature, giggly, little laugh I'm sure would ruin any chance of him wanting to talk to me in future.
After I'd taken Levi his water, he finished not long after and left. I waved him goodbye, already missing him when he rounded the corner, like his presence in the restaurant was somehow keeping me sane throughout the stressful shift.
The rush died down not too long after that and the half Austin and I were working on had calmed so now was as good a time as any to ask him about Levi, I decided.
"Busy shift tonight, huh?" He asked as I came over to stand with him "you coping okay?" He smiled, despite being my boss he was a lot more like an equal the way he treated his workers. Obviously if we weren't doing our job properly he got annoyed but he had a lot of respect for those that worked hard and he'd labelled me as one of those people.
"Yeah I'm doing pretty good thanks" I smiled hurriedly before changing the topic in fear that a customer would need us to separate soon "um I was wondering if you could answer a question I have-" I started nervously, fiddling with the rolled sleeves of my shirt.
"Is it about Levi?" He interrupted with a little smirk, knowing full well that it was.
"Well, yeah" I smiled a little awkwardly. Was it creepy, asking information about a person I hardly knew but at the same time couldn't imagine being happy without?
"Well for the record, I think that you two are very cute" he half chuckled, half sighed. Austin's genuinely nice exterior never failed to amaze me "what is it you want to know?"
I wasn't sure how to answer so I paused for a moment before speaking "everything" I sighed, tucking the loose strands of hair behind my ears nervously "why does he come here every week? Especially to sit on a table meant for four people when there's only one of him and I've never seen him have any guests" I continued before adding "I mean he said I could ask you-"
"I know" the corners of Austin's mouth curved up slightly "and I'll tell you what you'd like to know right after you come and clear these plates with me" so I nodded and we collected them efficiently like we had done so many times before.
As I put them in the kitchen, Austin went to talk briefly to Rosie who had a query about something or other to do with when she could work next week so before leaving the kitchen I expressed my excitement to the others about what I was about to find out.
"Austin has agreed to tell me about Levi, guys!"
Drew's ears pricked up at the idea "did you speak to him tonight?"
"Only briefly but yes" I smiled
"No calling you cute or anything again then?" Brenda winked before turning her attention back to the contents she was flipping around in a frying pan before dishing it up onto a plate. She'd practically fangirled when I told her that which I thought was hilarious because none of the chefs had ever seen him anyway.
"No, not quite but it's nice talking to him either way"
In the corner of my eye I saw Nate pretend to gag resulting in a death glare from his girlfriend so I laughed and left the kitchen after rolling my eyes at Drew because of the flirty couple and headed out to find Austin.
He finished talking to Rosie and led me round to the middle of the restaurant that separated the two halves where we could keep an eye on almost all the customers at once.
"Okay so I'll start from the beginning" Austin smiled almost sadly and I nodded. This was it. Why did I feel nervous? Was it because I was scared to find out the answer or was it not nerves at all but the feeling of adrenaline at finally finding out the story after a few months? "Just be prepared, it's not an easy one to tell"
My mystery was about to be solved.
"I first met Levi while my dad was the manager at the restaurant because his father was good friends with mine. He must've only been around fifteen at the time and I wasn't too much older so we became quite good friends and we saw each other quite a lot."
"After coming once to the restaurant to eat alone, Levi's father decided that he really liked this place and so thought it'd be a good idea to bring his family along. This was more of a monthly thing until they started coming in more and more frequently before it become more like once a week, on a Saturday night, at 7:30pm on the same table every time, table 24"
"The mother, father, Levi and his twin brother, Logan. The nicest little family that just happened to be good friends with my own which I was very thankful for. Maybe the whole set up was just too perfect because one day they didn't come in"
"It put everyone off, like after the only consistent thing about the restaurant was gone, everything else felt wrong. Obviously my father tried contacting the family but to no avail"
Austin paused and looked over at me. My heart was racing now, there was a heavy feeling in my chest like the weight of a burden, I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if Levi didn't come in one week, but I swallowed the lump growing in my throat and nodded for Austin to continue.
"So a couple of weeks passed before my father decided to visit them directly and I was still quite young so I was kept slightly out of the loop at the time. It turned out that Levi's mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and it was terminal"
"She had gotten very ill very quickly and I still remember it to this day but they came in for one last meal together. On a Saturday at 7:30pm on table 24. She passed away in her sleep the following Friday"
"They obviously didn't visit for the next few weeks, that soon turned into months. From what I know, the father turned to alcohol and Logan got very closed off so we lost a lot of contact with the family. It wasn't until one day that Levi poked his head shyly around the restaurant door with some money he had saved up and a timid voice that asked if he could sit at table 24"
"The meal was on the house like it is to this day. At 7:30pm on that Saturday he ate the same meal, at the table, alone in the same seat he had done for months before everything happened and although he looked shaken and tearful to begin with, he looked almost happy by the end. Like he was reliving some of the memories they would've had and he replicates to this day the time that they valued together. It's quite beautiful really"
"He's been here every week since"
By the time Austin finished I was crying, my cheeks were wet and I was sure my eyes had black messes underneath them. I didn't even care that I was stood in the middle of the restaurant but Austin wrapped his arm around me. "I know that's a lot to take in I'm sorry. Go to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up, you can leave whenever you like tonight" Austin smiled sadly and I nodded slightly, barely hearing him.
Levi came here every week in memory of his mother. It was really quite moving and I wiped lightly at my cheeks, wet from crying silently before heading over to the bathroom.
"Oh and Amber?" Austin stopped me and I turned around slowly, aware that some of the customers were giving me odd looks "If it's any consolation, he's been looking a lot happier ever since you started working here"
I smiled a little and turned away once again.
It was consolation. If I could make Levi happy in the slightest then I felt my job would be complete...
***
Okay so this was slightly longer and I cried at 1am or whatever the stupid time was I decided to write this at...
But we do know more about Levi now, and is it just me or does it make you love him more?
Oh and if you like bands check out nateftmorrin 's 'The Book of Bands'. It's a mix of imagines for loads of band members, you can always drop her a request!! ~Megs