In only a few hours of meeting him, Orson had already become someone I knew I would never forget. He saved my life, and the next moment he was able to take all my sorrows away. Even now, I sometimes wonder how he showed up in my life out of the blue, at the precise moment I needed him the most. He sang a few other classic french songs like "La vie en rose" by Edith Piaf or "For me formidable" by Charles Aznavour.
"Tired?" Lorenzo asked me, as I sat on a stool at the bar behind which he was drying glass cups and plates with a dish cloth.
"I'm fine actually," I replied stretching a bit then resting my arms on the bar, "the girls couldn't take it anymore though, they're gone."
"The guys are gone too," Lorenzo shook his head in disappointment, "weaklings."
"Lorenzo."
"What? They didn't even do as much as Mandy and the girls."
I chuckled, Kieth and Brandon actually ran off earlier than the girls seeing as the place got more and more full, they realized the amount of work they'd have to do and decided it was best to escape. At least Mandy and the girls gave their best before giving up and leaving the rest to the other servers. It was around 2:30 pm, people had finished eating so the restaurant was becoming empty. Orson was at the door trapped by a few girls.
"He got popular quickly," Lorenzo stated gesturing at Orson.
"Hmm," I turned back to look at the new star. "He did very well, it's normal."
"It's not going to be easy to keep him for yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean sweetie," Lorenzo wriggled his brows.
"Oh come on, I just met him!"
"I didn't say you were going to marry him."
"Whatever," I giggled. "It's not like anything can happen anyway. I have never had a boyfriend in the 18 years I've spent on this earth because of a few overprotective people in my life."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lorenzo looked away then started whistling.
I already knew for a fact that Orson had scored a lot of points with him, merely because of the amount of money Lorenzo earned that day. I got up from the stool and walked to the wall Lorenzo uses to display what he calls the family album next to the bar.
"Oh! There are some new entries," I raised my brows surprised.
"I still don't get how you're always able to spot the new pictures among so many," Lorenzo marveled.
I removed the small pin from the top of a picture in which Lady and Kenneth were seen cuddling each other.
"Ah," I sighed after looking at it for a bit, "relationship goals."
Lorenzo came closer to see what I was looking at.
"Uh-huh," he said once he got a glance of the picture. Then he went back to what he was doing. "Those two are solid for life, I can tell."
"That's not a scoop, everyone already knows."
As I put the picture back, another interesting one caught my eye.
"Oh! Oh!" I excitedly took it off the wall. "I didn't see this. Wasn't it a few days ago?"
It was, like most of Lorenzo's pictures, taken at the right moment. We could see a guy sitting next to Shasha with his arm rested on the couch behind her head. I actually remembered the guy, he was a stubborn one, but handsome enough for Shasha to let him at least try to keep her attention. What I had not noticed however, was the look on Quincey's face as he stared at them, sitting on another couch next to them, beside Kenneth and someone else. If glares could kill, the guy would have been dead and buried.
"Wait, this dress," I said finally noticing what Shasha was wearing. "She bought it a week ago, this was the day after."
"I remember she bragged about it," Lorenzo nodded from where he was as he guessed the picture I was talking about.
"Yes exactly. She did look amazing, may it rest in peace."
"Che? (What)"
"It got ruined after she came home. I remember she was... hmm... touchy. Yeah, she was kind of on the edge for some reason. It got stuck in the door, she got annoyed, so she carelessly pulled it, and that was the end. She didn't get the chance to go and buy it again."
"That's a pity."
"Yeah, she really really liked it. Oh my goodness," I sighed as I kept on analyzing the picture. "It's so glaring."
"What is?" Lorenzo asked.
I looked at him and held the picture up.
"What do you see on Quincey's face Lorenzo?"
He leaned forward and squinted.
"Jealousy," he replied without flinching.
"Yes!" I exclaimed. "That's it! That's exactly what it is. Jealousy."
"Wow, if you're so pumped up for this, I wonder what you'll say when you see what happened next."
"Huh?"
"Well," Lorenzo put down the plate he was drying and gestured for me to come closer. "I have part two and part three," he whispered to me like a drug dealer trying to sell his merchandise.
"Oooh," I rubbed my hands interested. "Where are they?"
"Just a sec," he turned on his heels and went inside.
A few moments later he came out with two pictures in his hand, and a mysterious smile on his face. He came back to the bar, and stood behind it, then gestured for me to sit on the stool. I had no idea as to what happened next because I remember being called out by Cindy for something, so I wasn't there to see the rest. I set the first picture with Quincey's grumpy face on the bar.
"Part two," Lorenzo said sliding a picture facing down to me, placing it next to the first picture.
"Here we go," I slowly turned it over.
It took me a moment to understand what was going on, and to connect it to the first picture. But as soon as I did, I laughed.
"Hahaha! This so Quincey," I shook my head.
He had somehow managed to get a hold of Shasha's phone, and he held it up as she desperately tried to reach for it. He was apparently having fun as he looked at her. She fell into his trap, because in the background, the handsome guy was left alone, and all of Shasha's attention was on Quincey. She was drawn away from the random guy, into Quincey's lair.
He had a hand around her waist, as he teasingly smiled down to her with his other hand holding her phone up. She had a hand on his shoulder, as the other reached for her phone. I could almost hear her whine "Quinceeey". The smile on his face confirmed that that is what she was saying. She seemed to be pushing him, so he was unsteady on one leg.
"You like it huh?" Lorenzo took me out of my thoughts.
"Like? I love it!"
"Then get ready for part three."
"Let me see, let me see!"
Lorenzo did the same thing with the last picture, sliding it face down next to the second picture I had put on the bar. I breathed out before turning it over.
"Awwww!" I squealed.
Quincey and Shasha had fallen, which actually made sense when I looked back at the second picture.
"Thank you gravity," I whispered as I continued to stare at them in each others arms.
Quincey had fallen on a chair, and Shasha had fallen on him, more precisely on his lap. He had his back rested on the chair, his arm was still firmly around her waist as he looked into her eyes, and she into his. His other hand in which her phone was, laid on her lap. She had one arm along his shoulder, and the other on his chest, her cheeks were a pretty pink shade. I imagined it was because of how close they were, their foreheads and noses almost touching as they held each other's gaze. I really felt like I was watching a movie, and my two favorite characters were on the verge of getting together. I wanted to chant "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
"Aww," I repeated, not able to get enough of the picture. "This is so... so..."
"I know right?" Lorenzo said.
"I do remember that when I came back Shasha had gone, and Quincey gave me her phone saying that she forgot it. Ugh!" I groaned looking up at the cieling. "What is it? What could it be?"
"What?"
"The thing that is separating them from each other," I looked back at Lorenzo. "It's so clear that there's something there."
"Agreed."
"Huh?"
"It's been there for a while now," he said like he was stating the obvious.
"What?!"
"Uh..."
"If you knew, or even suspected, why didn't you tell me?"
"Why would I do that? I don't encourage any relationship between them."
"Why?"
"Well, I'm for peace not war. I don't want world war III to be in my time."
"Lorenzo."
"You have to admit, they are two very troublesome no..., complicated nah..., stubborn... Well you get the idea. They both have very strong personalities, together they'd be explosive."
"You're wrong on this one," I looked back at the picture in which Quincey held Shasha on his lap. "I think they'd be each others brakes."
"It won't be like that."
"It will," I said firmly.
"Magari (Let's hope)"
"What would they be like as a couple?" I thought out loud.
"He'd call her honey-pie."
"Oh no, yuck!"
Lorenzo and I laughed knowing for sure that it would never happen. Quincey is not really the sweet talker type.
"I think he'll be clingy," I said.
"Quincey? Mai (never). He's too much of a tough guy for that. Plus, you might like the whole mushy mushy stuff, but she's not like that."
"Yeah I know. But I still think Shasha will like it coming from him."
"Come back to earth sweetie."
"You'll see."
I smiled looking at the picture again, it was beautiful. Quincey held Shasha like he didn't want her to escape, and she looked at him like he was the only one in her world. I don't remember seeing her blush so much in front of a guy before. Plus, that soft, warm expression on Quincey's face was also a rare sight.
"Jealousy," I said pointing at the first picture, "satisfaction," I pointed at the second. "Lastly," I held up the third picture, "attraction. Everything is perfectly set for these two, so I really wonder what the obstacle between them could be."
"Or who it could be," Lorenzo muttered.
"Huh?"
"Non è nulla, it's nothing sweetie."
I wondered for a second what he meant by that but I didn't dwell on it. I don't know anyone who would be an obstacle between them. Could it be the timing that is off? Because two days after, it was the ticket incident. At least I was sure it wasn't someone.
"How long did it last?" I asked.
"What?"
"This," I pointed to the picture.
"Ah, the stare? I would say a little more than six seconds. Then she got up and left."
"Six seconds? That's it?"
"Eh, six seconds is a really long time to stare at each other so close without talking."
"What's going on?" I heard Orson's croaky voice. He joined us and sat on the stool next to me.
"Ah, finished with your fans?" Lorenzo teased him as I turned to him. "How many phone numbers did you get?"
Orson let out a little embarrassed laugh, explaining that it was not his intention to get any phone numbers. I looked at Quincey and Shasha's picture, looked at him, then I stood up from my seat, and got close to him.
"Wha... What is it?" He leaned back a bit.
I didn't answer, concentrated on what I was doing. Once I was close enough to see my reflection in his eyes, I started my count down.
1... 2...
He held my gaze.
3.... 4...
My heart beat quickened.
5... 6...
A slight shade of pink appeared on Orson's cheeks, and I knew mine were the same or worse than his.
"Sorry!" I briskly sat back down releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I didn't think I'd be shaken up by it as I wasn't even as close as Shasha was to Quincey in the picture. "You were right," I said quietly without looking up. "Six seconds is... a really long time."