⌞ o. | ❝would you like some pie?❞ ⌝
SWEET STUFFY AIR FILLED the diner, music blurted out of the jukebox and the walls were painted in a bright turquoise. Steam rose from the pot of freshly brewed coffee, the slurping of a man at the bar, trying to get the last bit out of his strawberry milkshake, was swallowed by the loud, rhythmic sounds of the music and from outside thick raindrops drummed against the windows. The grey sky formed an unnatural contrast between the inner life of the diner and the weather outside, as if it were in a completely different world, fully ignoring the precipitous weather.
Only the waitress behind the bar looked straight out of the window, leaning over the counter, the cloudy sky reflecting in her azure blue eyes. She had tied her light brown hair back into a high ponytail, the turquoise hairpiece matching her uniform, holding the little strands out of her face that had already come loose from her hairstyle.
Yet the young woman didn't seem affected by the weather, an absent look on her face, as if she was chasing completely different thoughts. She barely noticed the melodic ringing of the bell, which addressed itself every time someone entered Rosie's Diner, when her colleague spoke to her, pulling her back to reality: "You know, I really don't mind Roxette, but if anyone else turns on How Do You Do, I'll smash the jukebox with my own hands." She let out a theatrical sigh. "Why do people never know when it's enough?"
"Gail, the order for table 17!" Tony called out from the kitchen before Cassidy had a chance to answer her colleague.
She couldn't help but grin when Gail let out another sigh - this time a lot louder, not even bothering to hide her annoyance - and had already turned away from her when she turned around again and pleaded, "Please, turn on another song!"
With the grin still tugging on her lips, she complied with her friend's request, walked around the bar and supported herself with her hands on the glass of the juke box. She would lie if she said she hadn't heard every song at least ten times before. Thoughtfully, the young woman pursed her lips, tapping against the disc with the nail of her index finger until she finally decided on a song.
She turned on her own axis as the famous trumpet opened one of her favourite songs, her brown curls flying through the air and landing back on her shoulders as she came to a halt, only to approach her original place behind the bar with dancing movements a second later. "Summertimeee," Cassidy began singing the same song, Gail also started singing infront of a young customer's table after she had served the girl the scrambled eggs with bacon, her hips moving to the beat of the music. Their voices were accompanied by the melodic voice of Billie Holiday as they danced behind the bar. The dark eyes of the cook watched the two women in amusement, his arms resting on the separation from the kitchen, his foot tapping the floor to the beat of the music.
When the song ended, it automatically switched to a modern song and the two waitresses stopped dancing. Instead, Gail grabbed the wet cloth in the sink and wiped over the counter, while Cassidy walked over to the place where the man with themilkshake was sitting to take his now empty glass. "I hope you liked your shake! Would you like anything else?" she asked friendly and brought the glass to the sink without breaking the eye contact.
"No, thank you, that's all," the man replied with a smile and reached into his jacket to pull out a black leather wallet, from which he took a few bills. "Keep the change." With these words he slipped down from the bar stool and pulled on his grey coat, the hood of his sweater he pulled over his head to protect himself from the rain outside.
"He was cute," Gail blurted, not a second after the man left the diner.
Shaking her head, the other waitress collected the money before replying, "You think almost every guy cute who enters the diner and is below forty."
„New York has a lot of hot men to offer," Gail shrugged while she was washing the dishes.
The ringing of the bell drew the two waitresses' attention to a new customer who stepped into the diner completely soaked, thick drops falling from his black leather jacket and eventually landing on the tiled floor. Wet strains of dark hair covered the upper part of his face, but Gail didn't need to see the stranger's face to know he was undoubtedly attractive. His skin had a natural tan – Gail presumed him probably having European roots –, he looked as if he had just returned from a holiday in the Maldives and Cassidy couldn't help but feel a bit envious, having naturally pale skin.
Gails suspicions were confirmed only a few seconds later when the young man stroked back the chocolate brown strains, revealing his pretty face by doing that. He had a strong jawline, his lips pressed together and Cassidy spotted the slight shadow of a dimple in his chin as he looked down before shaking his head like a dog in order to get the raindrops out of his hair.
"Oh, my God," Gail breathed, her hands still lying flaccid in the washbasin water, unable to move. She could hardly detach her dark eyes from the good-looking stranger who was now walking over to one of the tables to her left. "Tell me one more time New York has no hot men and I'll beat you with my tea towel."
"Okay... " Cassidy mumbled. Her azure blue eyes followed the young man and watched him reach for the menu and open it. His thick eyebrows pulled together in a concentrated manner as he studied the first page. "I take it back ... wow."
"Move your ass and talk to him!"
"Wait, what? No! No, I w--"
"Yes, you will," her friend interrupted her harshly, nudging her with her elbow. "Besides, he's sitting in your area anyway," she added with a grin. "Means: You have to talk to him."
The corners of Cassidy's mouth dropped down abruptly, her face turning to a grimace. "You know I can't do that! I can't even have a normal conversation with men without it getting all weird and awkward. I mean, what am I even supposed to say?"
"Honey, your best friend is a dude. And how about: Could I take your order already," Gail suggested with a shrug. "Or: How about a towel? You're not the only one who just got wet--"
"Gail!" With her eyes wide open, Cassidy looked at her colleague. "I'm serious, what am I supposed to say?"
"Gee, just act normal, be relaxed."
"Okay ... Be relaxed."
With this as her new mantra Cassidy grabbed the small block from the bar, walked around the counter and headed straight for the table where the handsome stranger was sitting. "Be relaxed, be relaxed, be relaxed," she whispered to herself, but fell silent abruptly as the stranger raised his gaze.
His dark eyes scanned the young waitress from top to bottom and as Cassidy's heart painfully hammered against her chest, a smirk lay on the young man's lips. He was about to open his mouth to say something when she blurted out: "Would you like some pie?" A broad, superimposed smile forced itself on her full lips as she tilted her head so quickly that her earrings swung back and forth.
The stranger didn't seem to notice the tense posture of his counterpart, but held his smirk, while he replied: „Actually, I wanted to order pancakes, but pie is always a good choice."
Happy not to have embarrassed herself unintentionally, the false grin gave way to a real one. "Okay. What kind of pie? Anything you wanna drink with it?"
"A Fanta to drink, please," he answered, "and for the pie – a piece of each."
"But we have five different kinds ... "
"I'm really hungry."
Cassidy had to press her full lips together to hide her grin as she nodded and went back behind the bar. Gail was about to serve another customer in her area, so she set out alone to fulfill the customer's order. Five different pieces of pie, she thought, sounds like something I would do on a Saturday night.
So while the young waitress was following his order, she didn't even notice that the pretty stranger was heading for the counter until he spoke up: "Excuse me, but do you have a phone here? I need to make a phone call urgently."
At first he caught her a little off guard, but then she pointed to the telephone behind the bar and started putting the third piece of pie on a plate. She heard the man behind her dial a number, but after about twenty seconds of silence he sighed and hung up again.
She asked, "Everything okay?" and turned around to shoot him a curious look. He seemed a little stressed, if not nervous.
"No ... Yeah, I think so."
"That doesn't sound very convincing."
"That was--I was just trying to call this guy, where I'm going to have an apartment tour later. I've never done anything like this before, that's why I'm ... a bit nervous, you know?"
"Maybe some pie will be able to help you," she offered him with a smile and pushed the plate with the strawberry pie and a small cake fork towards him. "I'm sure it'll be alright. Where do you live right now, by the way?"
"Queens," it came steamed from the young man who had shoved a large piece of pie into his mouth. "I live there with my family."
Amused, Cassidy watched him devour the piece within a few seconds and pushed the rest of the plates over to him before she filled a large glass with Fanta and placed it under his nose. "So, where's the apartment you wanna check out?"
"Near Central Park, I think. Three-room apartment, rent's affordable. It sounded really good so far."
"Oh cool, that's near my apartment," she smiled.
The young man raised his eyebrows, a big grin raising on his lips. "So... How you doin'?"
"You have to tell me everything," Gail grinned at her broadly shortly after the attractive stranger had left so he wouldn't miss his apartment tour, but not before she had given him her phone number and arranged to call and set a date as soon as it was certain whether he would get the apartment or not. "I specially wiped the tables to give you and this walking God some time together. Please tell me you have a date with him. Your last date was, like, ages ago."
"Okay, okay, before you threaten me with your tea towel again - I gave him my number and he said we'd set a date as soon as he knew if he got the place or not--"
"What? What place?"
"He's here for an apartment tour somewhere near Central Park--"
"Oh, my God!" Gail squealed and punched her in the shoulder. "Do you know what that means, my dear Cassie? That means you'll have this hot guy living around you!"
"If he gets the apartment."
"I'll pray for him to get it," her friend said and folded her hands grinning. "What's the name of our mysterious, hot stranger anyways?"
Cassidy's face fell. "Fuck! I forgot to ask for his name!"
"It's not so bad," Gail replied. She was wiggling her eyebrows when she said, „You can still ask him when he takes you out on a date."
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Another four hours passed before Cassidy Steele finished her shift at Rosie's and headed for the subway to make her way home. When it was dark she usually got picked up her best friend, but since it was still relatively early in the evening and still bright outside, she had wanted to spare him the trouble and instead took the subway home, as it was only a few blocks from the diner to her apartment anyways.
As the seasons changed - from spring to summer - it got warmer and warmer in the evenings, yet the rain had cooled the air and made Cassidy shiver a bit in her leather jacket and short uniform dress.
The sun already disappeared between the big skyscrapers of New York when Cassidy passed by Central Perk, the small café below her apartment, and turned to the entrance to her building complex. With the mail she had taken from her mailbox and her key jingling between her fingers, she stepped into the warm hallway of the house and looked through the letters as she climbed up the stairs. One of them was for her. She could only hope that it wouldn't be another bill.
Her keys were jingling again when she picked out her apartment key as she reached her hallway and stopped outside the door of her apartment. There was more noise coming from the inside than usual, confusing her because it was usually the opposite apartment where everyone met and not her own, but Cassidy simply assumed it had to be her roommate's best friend, because as far as she could tell, the second voice behind the door belonged to a male.
With a simple turn of the key in the lock, the door to her apartment opened and with a kick of her boot it fell back into the lock behind her, inevitably attracting the attention of the two present. Chandler Bing, her best friend and roommate, stood behind their counter, looking directly at her while the other person had turned his back towards her. However, there was something about him that both assured her that this person couldn't be Ross, simply because of his size, and also gave her a familiar feeling.
Wait a minute. This leather jacket ...
As if he had read her thoughts, the young man turned to Cassidy and her azure blue eyes widened as she recognized the warm brown eyes from before.
"Oh, hey Cass! That's--"
"--the hot stranger from Rosie's!" she exclaimed, pointing her index finger at the young man.
The both shocked and surprised expression on his features quickly gave way to a broad smirk, which confused the young woman even more. "You think I'm hot?"
author's note
☟
basically, the first act is only there to introduce cass to you so you'll get to know her as well as her relationships to the other characters, a bit of her backstory and why she is the way she is. so no hard feelings yet, don't worry lol.
pretty much hating the dialogue in this one, but i swear it'll get – at least a bit – better. i simply suck at prologues.
do you ship rachel & ross together? (thought this question thingy would be a nice thing to put to get a discussion and your opinions in the comments) imo they're way too toxic so yeah ... nope, not shipping it.