It became an everyday thing. JC would come in, Britney would take him to the back table (sometimes Justin was there, sometimes he wasn't), and Lance would come out and ask him for his order. JC would ask Lance what was good that day, and Lance would always say some new dish. Then Lance would ask JC what he wanted to drink, and JC would always tell him regular coffee.
"Hey Josh, what can I get for you?" Lance asked, sitting down in the booth and laying his head down on the table, groaning.
Josh laughed. "Tired?"
Lance nodded. "Joey's got some virus or something, and Britney's off with Justin, so I'm the only waiter here."
"Well," Josh said with a smile, looking around, "it's not like this place is booming with business."
"I know," Lance said, sitting straight up, "but I have to do all the work in the kitchen too. So, what do you want?"
"What's good?"
"Today? I'd try the spaghetti, with butter and garlic sauce."
Josh nodded. "Okay, sounds good. Don't forget my regular coffee."
Lance smiled. "How could I?" He got up and got out of the booth. "That order'll be right out."
Lance walked into the kitchen and Mr. Fatone was there, standing by the coffee machine, a box of tools next to him.
"Is it broken?" Lance asked. Mr. Fatone just grunted his reply. Lance put the already cooked spaghetti noodles on a plate and got a pot out to make the butter and garlic sauce.
"Will it be fixed anytime soon?"
"I don't know, I don't even know how it broke in the first place," Mr. Fatone said, sighing. "Maybe I should just close up early tonight. Sound okay?"
"Well, I have a customer out there, and-"
"How about I leave now, and you close up the place when your customer leaves."
Lance nodded, and Mr. Fatone smiled. "Thank you," he said, handing Lance the keys. Grabbing his jacket, Mr. Fatone walked to the back exit, muttering something about calling someone to fix the coffee machine in the morning.
Lance finished up with the sauce and poured it onto the spaghetti, poured a glass of water, and went to Josh's table.
"I hope water's okay, the coffee machine is broken."
"What's the problem with it?" Josh asked, and Lance shrugged. "Well, can I take a look at it?" Lance laughed and said, "You must -really- like your coffee."
"No! It's not that, I worked in a mechanic shop when I was in High School, I think I can fix your machine."
"Okay, follow me," Lance said, and Josh got up, following Lance into the kitchen. "So, you're a mechanic?" Josh shook his head as he kneeled down in front of the machine. "I used to be. Now I'm a music teacher over at Sean F. James Middle School."
Lance watched Josh looked around for a tool in the large box Mr. Fatone had gotten out, and was suddenly fascinated by the older man's hands. At least Lance -thought- he was older. "Can you flip the on switch?" Josh asked, and Lance came back to reality. "Oh! Yeah, sorry."
Once Lance flipped the switch, the machine made a loud groaning noise, then it made a high pitched squeaking sound, then it died. Josh stood up and tapped the side of it, listening to see if anything was loose inside as he tapped.
When he started to laugh, Lance was confused. "What?" he asked. Josh looked at him with a large grin. "Who was trying to fix this?"
"Mr. Fatone. He owns the place."
Josh was still grinning. "Does Mr. Fatone usually handle to coffee machine?" Lance nodded, and Josh couldn't help but laugh again. "The only thing that's wrong with this machine is that it needs to be restocked with coffee beans."
Lance looked at Josh in disbelief for a moment before he started laughing, a small little chuckle and warmed Josh's heart. "Thank you, I'll be right out with your coffee."
Josh left the kitchen grinning to himself. He sat back down and started to eat his spaghetti, and soon Lance came out with his coffee.
"I've got to finish up in the kitchen, but I'll be right back, okay?" Josh nodded and watched Lance walk away, wondering what it was about him that Josh found so... irresistable.
Lance came back out a moment later, and he took a seat in to booth again.
"Is it good?" he asked. Josh nodded, his mouth full of food. Once he swallowed, he asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"Just five bucks for the spaghetti, the coffee's on the house since you fixed the machine," Lance said with a small smile. Josh fished around in his pocket for money, and pulled out a five.
"This is all I have," he said, reaching out across the table to hand Lance the five. "I can't tip you."
"That's okay," Lance told him, reaching out to take the money. Their hands touched, and they both looked up at each other. Josh spread his hand out so that it was now fully covering Lance's. Lance looked down at their hands before looking back up at Josh.
Before either of them knew it, they were kissing.
*
