Page 48 of Alpha & Omega

“Yeah. We talked things out and are trying again. Honestly, it’d be a waste not to. It’s hard to find someone to match my freak,” I winked, making them all roll their eyes and groan.

Stix chuckled. “Freak? You’re as vanilla as they come.”

I huffed. “Please, I’m interesting. I’m at least pistachio flavored.”

“Riiight, as interesting as a growing mushroom. You’re all work, work, work. That’s all you do.”

“Well… I’m getting out now. At least Harley finds me interesting.”

Stix smirked and raised his hands, backing off. “Yes, as long as he likes you.”

“Speaking of liking Harley, be nice to him. We sorted our shit out, and he’s a good guy. I just… overreacted.” I hadn’t, but they didn’t need to know that. “Now, I’m done talking about this. Get back to work so we can all get home.”

They scattered to wrap up their jobs, and we closed down for the night.

As I headed upstairs to my apartment, my steps were lighter, feeling better than I had all week.

The following evening, I stood in front of my mirror, trying to find something that didn’t look like I rolled out of bed. Most of my jeans had holes in them, some intentional, some not. I mostly owned T-shirts, hoodies, and thermals. I had a few short-sleeved button-ups but only one long-sleeved one. It wasn’t like I went anywhere nice, so I never bothered.

While Harley said his restaurant was casual, I read the menu displayed in the window, and the food was fucking pricey. Hell, just buying one drink and a dinner would be over a hundred bucks, including taxes and tip. No wonder I never got a lot of stragglers from his place to mine. They wouldn’t hang out in a bar like mine with a bunch of ragtag queer skateboarders. If that were true, though, why was I losing customers since the restaurant first opened?

I hadn’t been to Harley’s Haven Bar & Grill yet, but it was time I did.

I’d tried to make reservations, but they didn’t take any. There was generally a line on the weekends, and since it was Friday, I’d just hit his place earlier than I would normally eat. Besides, it wouldn’t be really busy at Alpha’s until around nine at night, so I had time to have some dinner and get back to my bar.

The long-sleeved shirt would have to do. I sniffed it to make sure it didn’t need washing since I hadn’t worn it in a while. It smelled fine, so I slid it on over a white T-shirt and buttoned it up. The pale blue brought out my eyes more, at least.

Next, I put on a pair of black skater chinos—the best I could do. As for shoes, I wore black Chucks. It wasn’t the fanciest outfit, but at least I didn’t look like trash.

After a few spritzes of my cologne, I fingered back my hair from my face using some hair paste.

Making sure I had my wallet and keys, I left my place, walked downstairs, and headed outside.

Harley’s was bright, with outside lighting and large windows that showcased the attractive restaurant. The place wasn’t quite packed yet, but it was getting there.

I walked up to the hostess, who smiled brightly.

“How many?” she asked.

“Just me. Is there a way to sit at the counter facing the kitchen?”

She checked her restaurant layout sheet and nodded. “You’re in luck. I have one stool available.”

After grabbing a menu, she led me toward the back of the restaurant, past the large cocktail bar. I smiled when I saw Harley with his head down and a concentrated look on his face as he plated food.

The kitchen was bustling but orderly and organized, quickly getting dishes out to the diners.

Like we were two magnets, Harley suddenly looked up. His dark eyes turned wide before his smile stretched across his face wide enough that it looked like it hurt.

He said something to a woman working at his side and stepped out of the kitchen to approach me. After wiping his hands on a towel tucked into his apron, he stopped in front of me.

“You’re here. What a great surprise.”

I kicked my foot a bit, suddenly embarrassed, but I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I figured I would check out all the hype.”

“Thank you. This means so… Thank you. Can I hug you?”

“Yeah.”

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