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O~o~O
“Peach, you gotta chillax. It’s our girl’s night out! Tonight’s all about having fun, not about worrying about politics!”
Daisy threw her arm over Peach’s shoulders, laughing, and Peach tried to laugh with her. “I know, I know,” she sighed, and looked between her friends. Daisy, Pauline, Rosalina, all of them were smiling into the evening light. “You’re right. I have to relax.”
Going out to eat at Olive Garden was Pauline’s idea, her reasoning being “I know a guy,” so they could all get a discount. The restaurant was somewhere between fancy and ordinary. Not so fancy that she might expect to find other royals dining there; she hated those places. And yet, it was not so ordinary that they couldn’t dress up for the occasion.
They had spent all afternoon out, window shopping at the nearest outlets and then getting all dolled up for dinner. They nearly succeeded in getting her mind off all that had been happening within the walls of her castle. Peach had to admit, it felt nice to dress up because she wanted to, not because she had to represent her Kingdom.
Her friends were so kind to her. They set aside all of their Friday night plans just to help her. Peach’s heart surged with warmth for them; she was so grateful to know such wonderful people.
Despite being a Friday night, Olive Garden wasn’t very busy. “Perhaps we beat the rush,” Rosalina commented with mild interest, and held the door for everyone.
As soon as the man behind the counter spotted Pauline, his eyes lit up. “Ah, Pauline!” he came around to give her a quick hug. “How are you doing? Are there just four of you today?”
Pauline laughed. “Luigi! I’m doing just fine, thank you. Yep, just four. How are you? How’s your brother?”
Peach noticed a little button on his shirt with a little green L. She stood off to the side with Rosalina and Daisy while Luigi gathered menus for them. “I’m great! And as for my brother, you can ask him yourself,” he winked. “He’s working today. I’ll see if he can take your order. Ladies, if you would please follow me.”
He led them around the corner to a table by a window that had a lovely view of the parking lot. Peach was enamoured by the simultaneous touches of fine taste and bland urban cityscape. “There you are,” he passed a menu to each of them, and answered their ‘thank you’s’ with a smile and a nod. “Please enjoy. Make sure to stop by before you leave, okay?” he backed away with a wave before turning to return to the counter at the front.
“Wow,” Peach opened the menu, fascinated with the marks of use on the plastic, and the slightly sticky residue on the surface. She could just make out faint jazzy piano music from the speakers. The booth in front of them was lined with fake grape vines, and their table still had fading streaks of cleaner from being wiped down.
Pauline shook her head with a small laugh when she realized Peach hadn’t commented about the food. “Oh, Peach.” she didn’t seem at all interested in the state of the menu, rather, the contents of it. “You’re so funny. First, it was all the kiosks at the mall. Now, the menu.”
Blushing, Peach lowered her head and started to actually read the menu. “I never really got to experience ordinary things,” she murmured, and the girls all smiled at her. “This is all very new to me.”
She wanted to experience everything ordinary. Being a Princess, she hadn’t had much time down on earth quite like normal people. Nobles, members of royal families tended to have an inflated sense of self-importance and the expectation for every experience to be perfect. So any chance she got, she tried to observe and memorize every little imperfect detail of the world.
She wanted to be out, experiencing the world as it was. Not as royalty thought it should be.
“Hey,” Daisy elbowed Pauline, and then gestured over her shoulder in the direction that Luigi went. “So who’s the stud?” she wiggled her eyebrows.
Pauline waved off the question. “Oh, stop it. He’s an old friend. Well, sort of. It’s a long story.”
Daisy adjusted the way she was sitting so her chin was resting in both her palms. “I have time,” she gave a cheeky grin.
Peach and Rosalina laughed when Pauline let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, alright. It was ages ago. You remember when I told you about the guy who saved me from Donkey Kong?”
“That was him ?” Daisy’s jaw dropped.
Pauline paused. “Well, no. Luigi is his brother. Both of them, the brothers, they’re really sweet guys. Really good friends of mine. We actually all lived together briefly, around when we started uni. Just to save money. I really miss being around them, but we’re all so busy now with school and work. Especially them; they’re working two jobs each just to get by. Trying to pay loans and such.”
Tilting her head, Peach remembered thinking Luigi had looked a little tired. “Oh,” she let out, and looked down at the table.
“Ah, Pauline!” a voice spoke up behind her. Peach turned, blinking several times, only to see a man approach with a notepad in his gloved hands. “It’s so good to see you!”
He came and greeted Pauline the same way Luigi had, with a small hug. Peach was startled by his gentle, soft face and his big, kind eyes. He backed away, notepad in hand, and Peach caught a whiff of his cologne from the movement. She noticed a little button on his black collared shirt, with a little red M. He looked at all of them with a charming smile.
“Hello, ladies. My name is Mario, and I will be your server for tonight. Can I get you started with anything to drink?” he asked. His eyes fell to Peach first, as she was nearest to him.
Peach realized that she was gripping the menu way too hard. “Oh! I, er.” she tried to look for the drinks, but in her frantic search, all the words seemed to blend together. Hadn’t she already decided on a drink? She couldn’t remember what it was. “Goodness. I’m so sorry, I just, um.”
He gave her with a reassuring smile. “That’s okay. Take your time.”
She didn’t want to keep him waiting. With every second that passed, she could feel her face growing hotter and hotter. She was aware of her friends all watching her, and of his eyes on her as well. His eyes had such a potent magnitude on her that she couldn’t focus on a single word. She forgot how to order. But she had to say something!
“Could I--could I please just have some water?” she eventually let out, her voice meek.
Mario nodded, and wrote something in his pad. “Of course you can. And you?” he went on to Rosalina, and then to Daisy and Pauline, who all were sensible and remembered what drinks they wanted like normal people. Peach barely processed any of the conversation around her while she stared at the table, much too aware of his presence and the heat in her face.
“Okay! I will be right back with your drinks.” Peach was pulled back to the moment when Mario clicked his pen shut and slid it in the pocket of his dress shirt before he turned and headed toward the kitchen.
The girls were all silent for a moment.
Daisy put both her hands on the table and blinked several times at Peach. “Girl, what was that?” she asked.
“I have never seen you stammer like that before.” Rosalina hummed thoughtfully, and the amusement was clear in her face. They all looked at her with mild disbelief.
They were teasing her. Peach touched her forehead and sighed. “I don’t know, I don’t know what happened.” She shook her head and absentmindedly fanned herself. “Goodness. Is it, um, is it getting a little warm in here?”
As soon as she had asked, Daisy tried to hide her laughter by coughing in her fist. “Waiter, we’re going to need a tall glass of water in here, because this woman is thirsty!” she snickered, pretending to wave around for the waiter.
Peach practically jolted in her chair. “Stars! Please don’t call him back! I’m not ready!” she exclaimed, only to realize a moment later that Daisy wasn’t being at all serious. She sank down in her chair while her friends all gave her fond smiles.
“Oh Peach,” Pauline reached across the table to get her attention. “Well, that’s Mario. He’s the one who saved me from Donkey Kong a few years back. He’s a real sweetheart, too. I happen to know that he’s single,” she gave a sly grin. “He is cute, isn’t he? Do you think you’re into him?”
Peach looked up. “‘Into him?’ What does that mean?” She looked between them, searching for the answer in their expressions.
Slapping her own forehead, Daisy let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, Peach, you sweet, sweet summer child. You truly have been sheltered from the most important aspects of social life.” she said.
Unsure what Daisy meant, Peach tilted her head. “Which are?” she prompted carefully, only to jolt when a voice spoke up behind her.
“Here we are,” Mario appeared right next to her, effortlessly balancing four drinks on a tray. He passed them out, apparently according to memory, while he spoke.“Let me know if you ladies need anything else. I will be back soon to take your order.” he set Peach’s water down last, and winked at her.
He turned, his every movement graceful and precise, and returned to the kitchen with a waiter’s practiced sense of sophisticated urgency. Peach watched him go with wide eyes.
“Did he--? Did he just--?” she gestured vaguely in his direction.
Daisy let out a loud wolf whistle, which caused the Toad couple at a nearby table to look over at them. “Ooh, girl!” she laughed. Pauline tried to shush her, but she was also giggling.
“He seems to be...flirtatious.” Rosalina folded her hands serenely in her lap.
Pauline grinned. “Oh, yeah. For sure. Mario’s a total flirt. He’s only doing it to get you to smile though, Peach. He can probably tell that you’re a little nervous.” she shrugged. “I mean, he probably has no idea why, but he’s always been very accommodating in that way.”
Peach nodded slowly, and played with the hem of her dress. Remembering how he winked at her made her cheeks feel warm again.
“Hey, either that, or it means he’s also into you,” Daisy had her mischievous little smirk. “He’s all yours. I call dibs on the green one.”
With a sigh and an exasperated smile, Pauline pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, Daisy. His name is Luigi. Besides, I don’t think, you know, you and Luigi are, um. How do I put this?” she narrowed her eyes at the table. “Compatible?”
Rosalina didn’t even have to say anything for everyone to look at her. She touched her chin and narrowed her eyes, though she appeared to be looking off into space. She may be Princess of the Stars, but her friends all knew her to be the queen of matchmaking.
While everyone waited for her input, Daisy pouted at Pauline. “What do you mean, we’re not compatible?”
Pauline shrugged, and looked up at the ceiling as if her answer might be somewhere up there. Thinking she may just be trying to articulate her answer, Peach messed with the placement of her silverware. Then, she patted underneath the wood table, only to feel something slight hard and sticky. Gum? Peach slowly removed her hand and used a napkin to wipe off her hand.
“I will need to observe them together for longer.” Rosalina spoke, and everyone turned to look at her. “Then, I can determine their compatibility.”
She then looked up to her right, and, unwittingly, Peach and the others followed her gaze. Just as Luigi appeared around the corner.
“Oh! Hello!” he waved and then rubbed the back of his head, apparently startled, as every single one of them spotted him before he could even announce his presence. “I, ehm, I was just going to check on you while I have a moment. If you’re busy, I can, uh, I can go.”
Pauline shook her head. “Not at all! We’re happy to chat, here, why don’t I introduce my friends.” she glanced to the girls, and then gestured to Luigi. “You guys know, this is Luigi. He’s been a good friend of mine for a long time.”
Everyone smiled as Luigi gave a slight bow. “Wonderful to meet you,” he told them.
“And Luigi, I have the privilege of being in the company of these lovely Princesses.” Pauline gestured to each of them. “Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and Princess Rosalina.” As she introduced them, they all gave him a friendly wave.
He nodded. “Ah! The Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland,” Luigi looked to Peach and Daisy, recognizing them. He then tilted his head, and glanced to Rosalina, shifting from foot to foot. “Um, pardon me, but I don’t think I am familiar with your Kingdom, your Highness. Where are you from?” he asked carefully.
Rosalina just stared at him.
Blinking several times, Luigi eventually broke their eye contact and looked at his shoes. “I-- I am very sorry. I don’t mean to be insensitive. I apologize.”
“No! No, no, Luigi, it’s okay!” Pauline laughed and reached to pat his shoulder. “It’s just complicated.”
Rosalina continued to stare. “Yes. Complicated.” she agreed vaguely.
“What is complicated?” came another voice. As soon as Peach recognized him, she immediately averted her eyes to stare at the table, and refused to look up despite the motion out of the corner of her eye. He was back. “Ah, Coniglio!”
Mario leaned in to give Luigi a quick hug before he backed off to stand by Peach again. She folded her arms and kept her head down as much as she could. “Oh, Mario, Luigi, it’s so strange to see you in uniform!” Pauline touched her cheek, looking between the brothers with a fond grin. “You both look so dapper in black!”
“In a Olive Garden uniform?” Mario questioned jokingly, and everyone around the table laughed.
Peach tried to laugh along, though she didn’t quite understand what was so funny. She snuck a glance up. Luigi stood between Pauline and Rosalina, and Mario stood between Rosalina and Peach. The family resemblance was clear. Both of them were very polite and friendly. Although, Peach could spot several differences. Luigi stood with his shoulders folded inward, and glanced around periodically with a nervous smile. Mario, on the other hand, stood with his back straight and with measured eye contact with everyone. Everyone except Peach, that is, because she avoided his gaze.
She assumed Mario must be older, despite being the shorter one between the two. He carried himself with confidence. Enough for Peach to notice, and for her to wonder where her own had gone.
The conversation had gone on without her paying attention. Pauline had just finished telling a story, perhaps once again recounting her adventure with the Jumpman. How Donkey Kong had swept her up on top of a precarious construction site, and how a brave gentleman dared to climb up after her to rescue her from the angry gorilla’s clutches.
Strange, whenever Pauline described the Jumpman, the image in Peach’s mind had always been that of a typical hero-type. Tall, dark, mysterious. The Jumpman was right there, next to her, and he was nothing like she’d imagined.
Tall? Not so much. Actually, he might be a whole head shorter than she was. It was hard to tell while she was sitting and he was standing. Dark? Not exactly. He had bright eyes and a sweet smile that lit up his whole face. Mysterious? Maybe a little, but Peach just didn’t really know him yet.
Yet. Did she want to get to know him? Peach looked up slowly, only for him to make direct eye contact with her.
The noise from the rest of the restaurant was growing. The rush was beginning, and Peach’s heart pounded in her chest.
“Are we ready to order?” Mario was quick to look away, and instead looked at the other girls.
Luigi clapped his hands together. “Oh! Yes! I should get back to the front. Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies, it was lovely to meet you all!” he backed off and hurried back to his post.
After looking around, Peach realized everyone was ready but her. She quickly looked down at the menu.
“What can I get for you?” Mario’s voice was mellower, and she wondered if Pauline was right. Maybe he could sense that she was nervous somehow.
She took in a big breath. “Oh,” she murmured, and pointed to an item on the menu. She could feel Mario lean closer to follow her hand and read over her shoulder. She could literally feel him come closer! It was like her brain was hyper receptive to his every move, to where she could pinpoint exactly how he was standing right out of her sight. “I, um, I would just like the...The spaghetti carbonara.” she finally said. She didn’t even know what the meal was, but those were the only words she could focus on.
Mario stood up straight again, writing in his notepad, and Peach felt like she could breathe again. “Of course. And would you like the super salad?”
Peach blinked. Did she hear him right?
She raised her head and gave him a cautious look, wondering what was so super about their salad. She hesitated, and spoke carefully. “Yes?”
She said something wrong. There was snickering to her left, from Daisy. The rest of the restaurant had conveniently gone quiet as soon as she had spoken. Glancing left and right, Peach desperately searched for hints that would tell her what she did.
Mario closed his eyes for a moment and looked down, clearly trying not to smile. Peach didn’t understand. He opened his mouth to speak, and then had to stop again.
Chuckling, he pressed a fist to his mouth as if he could hide his amusement. “I am--I am so sorry, your Highness.” he turned his head away and tried to regain his composure. His laughter was soft, not mean. “I speak too fast. I mean to ask if you want the soup, or the salad.”
“Oh.” Peach touched her forehead, her cheeks were burning. “I--I’m sorry.” to her left, Daisy and Pauline were both laughing, and Rosalina just regarded her with an amused smile.
“No! No, please, it is my fault.” Mario touched her shoulder for just a moment, and she recognized his attempt to ease her embarrassment. “It happens all the time. I am so sorry for laughing. That is very rude of me.”
It was only after he apologized that Peach realized he had called her by her title. He hadn’t been close by when Pauline had introduced them to Luigi, but somehow he knew she was a princess? Did he know who she was?
“It’s quite alright,” she told him. Before she thought to ask if he knew her, she realized she still hadn’t answered his question. Her friends were still waiting to order. “Salad,” she blurted out, and when she looked at him, she realized he had very pretty blue eyes.
He really was becoming. She wouldn’t have expected him to be, but if she really looked, his thick eyebrows and dark lashes, his mustache, the dimples in his cheeks, his curly hair, she found that he was quite a cute man. She watched him, while he took her friend’s orders. His effortless smile, the natural elegance in his every move fascinated her. He was so kind and polite in all of his gestures and words. Peach couldn’t bring herself to believe that he was only performing his job.
“Okie dokie,” he grinned as he finished writing in his notepad, and Peach felt her heart surge with warmth when he spoke. The silly phrase somehow fit him perfectly. “I will be back as I can with your food. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.” he backed away, with only a brief glance to Peach, before he turned to go to the kitchen.
She watched him, without even realizing that she was smiling.
“Oh, girl, you hate to see him leave, but you sure do like to watch him go!” Daisy threw herself into another fit of laughter with Pauline following close behind.
Rosalina just shook her head, amused. "It's cute to see you like this," she told Peach. "You've never had a crush before."
Just as Peach was brushing some hair out of her face and trying to work out a reply, Daisy let out a dramatic gasp. "That's right! Girl, this is your chance!" she exclaimed. She accidentally startled a family that was being shown to their table by raising her voice.
Peach tilted her head. "My-- my chance?" she asked.
She knew what that look on Daisy’s face meant. She was cooking up a big plan, something wild and crazy that Peach wasn’t sure she wanted to be a part of, yet she knew it was impossible to stop Daisy once she got started. Peach had half a mind to flee the restaurant before she could get another word in. Of course, she knew she wouldn’t make it two steps away from the table without running right into Mario, knowing her luck.
Daisy narrowed her eyes with a mischievous grin. “Okay. I call this one ‘Operation Get Peach a Date.’ Are you with me?” she looked from side to side, seeking Pauline and Rosalina’s approval. To Peach’s dismay, they both gave eager nods.
Putting both her hands on the table, Daisy leaned in, conspiratorially. “Alright. Listen closely.” she smirked.
The plan she outlined over the course of their meal wasn’t complex at all. Compared to Daisy’s usual schemes, it was actually quite simple. However, Peach thought it went way beyond her own audacity to accomplish. Daisy was convinced, however, that Peach could pull it off easily.
She explained about half of it before Mario came back with their salad. He set down the large glass bowl, and passed around the salad plates to each of them after he set down the breadsticks. It would have been impossible for him to not notice how the table had gone quiet as soon as he arrived. Though, he gave no indication that he did. “Would you like cheese?” he asked, unsure who to direct the question to.
“Yes,” Daisy replied, and sat there staring at Mario with a childish grin while began to shred parmesan over the bowl.
He kept glancing up, looking for someone to tell him when to stop. Rosalina wasn’t paying attention, and Pauline had just glanced to her phone. Peach realized abruptly, by looking at Daisy’s face, that she wasn’t going to say anything. The cheese continued to climb. Mario warily continued shredding the cheese, without any response.
Daisy just kept grinning. The cheese kept piling on. Surely, at some point the cheese would completely overwhelm the taste of the salad. For a moment, Peach fretted that the cheese would top off the bowl and start crumbling off the sides, making a big mess and causing a spectacle. She finally looked up at Mario. “When,” she said, cheeks burning. “I mean, that’s fine. Thank you.”
The cheese stopped. Mario gave her a grateful glance. “Of course,” he said, shooting a wry, but amused smile toward Daisy. He probably caught on that she held off saying anything on purpose. “I will be back soon with your meals. Please let me know if you need anything else.” he turned and started toward the kitchen.
“Thank you, Mario!” Daisy sang after him, with a big, innocent smile. Mario glanced back and pretended to roll his eyes, sharing an exasperated look with Peach.
While Peach was distracted, staring after Mario as he went, Pauline shook her head. “I think you’re going to get us in trouble one day.” she sighed.
Smirking, Daisy stuck out her tongue. “Hey, trouble is my middle name.”
The banter resumed. The growing noise of the restaurant finally reached a comfortable buzz, though it was still more than Peach was used to. She was used to subdued, formal receptions with live orchestral groups, or perhaps a well-renowned classical singer backed up by piano, whose voice fell into everyone’s subconscious like they weren’t even there. As fancy as those gatherings could be, Peach found that she much preferred the more casual setting of Olive Garden.
Especially watching her friends goof off and have a good time. Daisy was going on about another part of her plan again, and Peach tried to listen while she went to scoop some salad on her plate. She was particularly fascinated with the concept of self-serving; normally, everything was done for her. She found that she quite liked the control over how much she ate.
“Alright, so,” Daisy started, through a mouthful of bread. “Listen closely. As soon as Mario comes back with our food, you’re going to start shoving these breadsticks into your purse. Like so,” she started to demonstrate with Pauline’s bag, to which Pauline cried out with protest. “And you’re going to stand up-- dramatically! Pretend you just heard there was a murder! And then, you turn to Mario and say, ‘I have to leave right now, immediately.’ And then you turn and rush out the door like there’s a sale going for a limited time only at the supermarket.”
By the time Daisy had finished, Peach was covering her mouth and trying desperately not to laugh. At least Daisy wasn’t being serious. She could hear chuckling around her, and assumed maybe other tables had heard Daisy’s wild tale.
Daisy had a huge grin. “Hey! None of that proper behavior, little missy! Laugh as much as you want!”
Finally giving up, Peach broke out into giggles. The atmosphere was just so lovely. She couldn’t help it; she loved being with her friends. Her sweet, wonderful, beautiful friends who were so good and kind to her. She knew, while she sat there, giggling behind her hands, that nothing made her happier than being with them.
She wanted to do everything with them. She wanted to laugh, to goof off, to get in trouble. With them, she could do things she would never dare to do on her own.
“Is something funny?” someone spoke up behind her, and she could only hide her face, unable to speak. She knew it was Mario. Somehow, his sudden appearance only amused her more.
Rosalina was the only one under enough control to say anything. “Oh, yes. We are just having fun.” she explained, and chuckled as Daisy laughed so hard that she snorted.
Mario was smiling, she could hear it in his voice. “Good! I’m glad! I just came to check if you needed anything. Your food will be ready soon. Here, if you are done with the salad, I can take your plates…” Rosalina apparently gave the okay for him, and Peach heard her plate clink against the others.
She looked up, still covering her mouth with her hands, just as he stood back. Habit dictated that she couldn’t show her earnest smile to anyone. “Thank you,” she told him.
He hadn’t expected to make eye contact with her, and she could tell because of the way he blinked and held her stare for a little longer than normal. “Of course!” he finally remembered to answer. Then, with that charming grin, he nodded to her, before turning heel and hurrying back to the kitchen.
Peach bit her lip and leaned in toward her friends. Then, lowering her voice, she looked up at Daisy. “Okay.” she said, glancing to make sure no one else could hear. “Tell me how to get a date with him.”
Daisy’s smirk told her that she wouldn’t regret her choice.
O~o~O
“How is everything tasting?” Mario was coming by quite frequently to check on them. In fact, as Daisy pointed out, he was coming by more often to them than he was going to the other tables he was waiting.
And Peach was able to prepare herself a little better for his arrival each time. “Wonderful!” she answered him, as everyone else’s mouths were full. Truly, the meal she had ordered by accident was excellent as far as she was concerned. Perhaps it was because the meal promised that she would be able to see Mario again and again.
Each time Mario left again, Peach would listen closely to Daisy’s instructions. She had the plan down. She was going to ask Mario out.
She felt all sorts of silly, nervous energy bubbling up. Before she knew it, she had finished her pasta. There was one breadstick left. When Pauline caught her staring at it, she gave a knowing smile and motioned for Peach to take it. Peach tended to eat a lot under stress.
“Are you sure this will work? What if he says no?” she fretted, sipping her water once Mario had left to bring them their checks.
Daisy shook her head while she chewed on her last mouthful of lasagna. “Uh-uh. Don’t even think about it. Focus on asking.”
With a solemn nod, Rosalina looked between them. “Those are wise words.” she said.
Peach opened her mouth to ask something else, but she noticed Mario coming back. The rest of the group went quiet as well. His expression brightened when everyone noticed him. “Okie dokie, here you are.” he glanced at each check, and distributed them by memory. “I will be back in just a moment.” he spared a brief smile before he had to hurry away to another table trying to get his attention.
She realized there was really only a few occupied tables left. The rush must have come and gone. Peach glanced out to the dark window, where the parking lot was illuminated only by LED street lights. How long had they been at the restaurant? She glanced at her watch and marveled at the time. The only source of noise left, really, was them. She let out a happy sigh; time just flew by when she was with her friends.
Pauline was trying to take her check when she wasn’t looking. “Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she let out.
“Hey, tonight’s about you. Let me get it.” Pauline waved it off, and the others nodded in agreement.
Peach shook her head. “No, everything always gets paid for me. I want to pull my own weight this time.” she held her hand out, asking for the check.
Pretending to roll her eyes, Pauline sighed and handed it to her. “Okay, alright. Whatever you say, your Highness.” she teased.
Mario came back abruptly, after glancing to make sure they were ready. The restaurant was going quiet. Peach could finally make out the music again. It wasn’t jazz anymore, but it was something bright and upbeat. “Here, let me take care of this…” he was saying, though he sounded distracted.
Once he picked her check up, she clasped her hands in her lap. “I don’t need change,” she indicated with a shy smile.
“Oh.” Mario blinked, and she caught his quick glance to the money he carried. He grinned. “Ah, thank you, your Highness.” he gave her a grateful nod. Then, after a brief glance to all of them, he gave a slight bow and quickly turned to go to the register.
Daisy snickered. “Did you see that? He was blushing,” she elbowed Pauline, and she nodded in agreement. “I think he likes you.”
“You think so?” Peach asked, suddenly feeling breathless. Everyone was starting to stand up. Once they all left their tip, the plan would move forward. Peach was getting jittery. She couldn’t stop wringing her hands, and she was certain her face was flushed. “Oh, goodness.”
Rosalina came to touch her shoulder. “Relax,” she said, with an even tone. “You will be fine. We will wait for you at the front.”
She nodded rapidly. “Right. Okay.” she let out.
“Hey, tell him he’s handsome.” Pauline nudged her with a smirk. “The brothers don’t get that very often.”
Peach swallowed hard and nodded. She could do this.
Her friends had just disappeared around the corner. According to the plan, they would give her some privacy, though Peach had a feeling her friends would try to do whatever they could to watch. She couldn’t think about that. She had to calm herself down, so she took a deep breath.
The restaurant was quiet. Most of the people had left, except for a few couples all the way across the room. Peach thought to stack up some of the plates on their table to make them easier to take away.
“You could go there if you please, wild honey…” she turned when she heard a voice coming from down the hall, near the kitchen. There was no one around that she could see. She recognized the voice was singing along with the radio. Just as she was about to turn to look somewhere else for who it could be, Mario came through the doors. “And if you go there, go with me, wild honey…”
As soon as he spotted her, he fell quiet with a bashful smile. He must be in a good mood; he had a spring in his step, and a jovial light in his eyes. His smile was contagious.
Now that she was standing, she realized their height difference. Her heart swelled; he was just adorable. “Here, I can take their receipts.” she said once he got close enough, straining to keep her composure.
Mario nodded, and handed them to her. “Oh, they left you to take care of it?” he assumed, with a funny little grin. His amusement was so natural. Peach wanted to see him smile all the time.
She remembered she had to reply to him. “Something like that,” she agreed. She couldn’t help a nervous laugh as she took the receipts.
He was looking up at her, he had an expectant expression like he wanted to say something to her. But, after a moment, his eyes fell away. He cleared his throat. “I hope your meal was nice. Thank you for coming.” he gave her the typical, formal farewell that she had heard him give to other people who were leaving the restaurant.
Peach had just nodded and was about to speak, when he started to pick up the plates. He apparently expected her to leave right away. She blinked. Her chance was about to slip right through her fingertips. He was in a rush. She felt bad for stopping him; perhaps he was busy. Or perhaps it was just late and he wanted to finish up with everything he had to do.
But she couldn’t just let him leave. She didn’t spend all that time planning with Daisy, only to lose her nerve now.
She steeled herself with a deep breath. “Excuse me, Mario?” she called out, hesitating to use his name.
He stopped, apparently startled, and turned back to face her. “Yes? How can I help you?” his tone sounded uncertain, but eager. Maybe he was as surprised to hear her use his name as she was.
Peach willed away the urge to break eye contact. She had to be brave. “I’m, uh…” she clasped her hands together. Daisy had told her exactly what to say, but the words were eluding her. What was she supposed to ask? She couldn’t remember it. She bit her lip. “I’m supposed to ask if you, um, if you have a number?” she managed to say.
His eyes widened, a delayed reaction after she had spoken. She was sure she wasn’t imagining the way his cheeks turned a little red. “Oh,” he said. He rubbed the back of his head, letting out a nervous chuckle. His formal demeanor didn’t hold up as much when he was embarrassed. He took a small step back in her direction. “Ehm. Yes? Can I ask why…?” he hesitated to ask.
She had already messed it up. She didn’t have a script for if he asked her a question instead. Peach looked at the floor and tried to think of a way to get back on the right track. “I’m so sorry, I just-- You see, I,” she let out a frustrated huff. Her stammering was almost worse than when she was trying to order her food. Mario watched her and listened with a patient gaze. Peach finally clenched her hands into fists and spoke her mind. “Listen, I’ve just heard so much about you from Pauline since I met her; she thinks very highly of you. And now that I met you, I can see why. I just think that you’re very handsome and sweet, and I wanted to know if maybe you would be interested in going on a date with me sometime?”
Mario didn’t react at first. He just stared at her, in silence, with those big blue eyes of his. Peach bit her lip and ducked her head. She knew she messed up, or overstepped somehow. Perhaps he wasn’t even interested. She was prepared to back away, apologize, and leave. Never show her face again. If her friends ever wanted to take her to Olive Garden some other time, they would have to go to the one across town. Pauline wouldn’t ever be able to tell the story of the Jumpman without Peach burning with shame.
Just as she was about to voice her apologies and leave, Mario cleared his throat. “Your Highness, I…” he was fussing with his gloves. When Peach looked at him, she realized his cheeks were bright red. His voice had gone quiet. “Are you in a hurry?”
Peach blinked. “Pardon?”
He had a small smile. “Do you have to go anywhere? I am off in a few minutes.” he elaborated. “If you’re not in a hurry, we can talk.”
“Oh.” Peach pulled in a sharp breath. Was that a yes? She wasn’t sure. “Um, no, I’m in no rush. I can wait for you.” she said.
He nodded, relieved. He started to the table again to gather their plates. “Okay. Do you like bubble tea?”
Peach was caught off guard by the question. “Yes?” she answered, and then abruptly realized why he was asking. “You-- you want to go on a date right now?”
Just as he was balancing the last plate, he flashed her a shy grin. “Why not? There’s a place just down the road.” he shrugged. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, your Highness. I just need to eat dinner.” his eyes went back to the table, where he was getting their salad plates. Somehow, he made carrying all the dishes look easy.
Of course. Peach should have known that he wouldn’t have had a chance to eat dinner yet. Her heart hammered away. “No! No, that’s perfect. Okay.” she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Mario nodded and started back toward the kitchen. “Just one thing?”
Mario paused, and glanced back to indicate he was listening.
Peach rubbed her arm, sheepish. “You don’t have to call me by my title. My friends call me Peach.”
Tilting his head, Mario considered her for a moment. “Okay. Peach,” he added her name quickly, as if anticipating she would say something. He was blushing. “I will be right back.”
Peach nodded, giggling as he turned to hurry to the kitchen. She definitely heard him humming along with the radio again. Once he was out of sight, she looked up at the ceiling and gave a disbelieving sigh.
She couldn’t stop smiling. The plan worked! She couldn’t wait to see her friend’s faces when she told them she wouldn’t be needing a ride tonight. She knew they would all be so excited.
With a bright smile, she held her hands close to her chest, clutching them tight.
She had a date!
O~o~O
The music from the radio was soft. There was a small voice humming along with it. “If you go there go with me, wild honey…” the restaurant was quiet. The room was empty, as far as he was concerned. She crept closer and closer. “Won’t you take me, take me please? Wild honey…”
She moved in for the kill. “Hey there, handsome.” Daisy leaned and spoke right in his ear.
“Wh--whoah!” Luigi practically jumped from behind the counter, and scrambled to maintain his balance. His eyes were wide. He turned to face her in a clumsy movement.
He didn’t recognize her at first. “Hi, welcome to Chili’s!” he blurted out. Daisy watched the expressions play out across his face, the frantic smile, the realization, the dread. He smacked his forehead. “Ahi! I’m so sorry, this isn’t Chili’s. I mean-- I just…”
Daisy watched his entire display with a smug smile. “Busy day, huh?” she asked, and Luigi nodded miserably.
The song changed. She could hear other workers talking from around the corner at the bar. He sighed. “Can I help you with anything?” he managed to ask her, leaning awkwardly against the post. He cast a searching glance around the room, looking for the others. “Oh! You’re leaving already?”
Rosalina and Pauline were standing outside, as per the plan. Daisy nodded and wondered how he didn’t notice them leave. Perhaps the poor man really did have a long day. “Yeah, we’re on our way out. I just had a question.” she said.
He nodded. “Of course! What do you need?”
She gave him an impish grin. He watched her with wide, curious eyes, as she came to lean against his post with him. Then, barely able to stop herself from laughing, she wiggled her eyebrows. “Come here often?”
Luigi blinked at her. He gulped, and tugged at his collar. “Ehm.” he hesitated. “I work here on weeknights?”
Daisy had to cough into her fist to stop from laughing. “Oh, honey.” she shook her head. The man was absolutely adorable. She reached out and tapped his nose, and he went cross-eyed. “You poor thing. I’m trying to flirt with you.”
Ducking his head, Luigi rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh.” he adjusted the way he was leaning, several times. His cheeks were blazing pink. “Really? Why?”
She couldn’t believe he was asking her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. His wide eyes searched her face for an answer, his expression was so soft and genuine. He really didn’t know why she would flirt with him. “Because I think you’re cute,” she answered him, reaching to smooth down his collar where he had rumpled it. Then, she spotted his notepad and pen in his breast pocket. “Would you go on a date with me sometime? Here, I can give you my number.” she slid the pad from his pocket and clicked the pen open.
Luigi stared at her with his mouth hanging open. “Ehm…” he gestured in vague circles, looking for words. “Wait, you-- you’re being serious?” she had already scribbled her number on the paper and ripped it out before he asked.
Tucking the pad and pen back into his pocket, Daisy took great care to fold the paper with her number. Luigi’s hand was still up, in a half gesture, and she placed it there. “You bet your buttons I am.” she winked.
“Coniglio!” Both Luigi and Daisy looked up at a voice from across the room. Daisy broke into a grin at the sight. Mario was waving at them, with a big, dorky smile on his face. Peach was there with him. “You have a date, also?”
Before Luigi could answer, Daisy stood from the post. “Hey, what’d I tell you?” she asked, pointing at Peach’s hand resting on Mario’s shoulder. “My plan worked, didn’t it?”
Peach laughed and nodded. “Yes, I suppose it did!” she answered. Then, she gasped and seized both of Mario’s hands. “Wait! If they’re going on a date too, we should all go together!”
Daisy turned back to face Luigi with her eyebrows raised. Mario and Peach were going out already? She shouldn’t have been surprised. “A double date? What do you say, sugar?” she asked, tilting her head toward the door.
While Luigi stammered, trying to work out his reply, Mario wasn’t wasting any time. “Come on, let’s go!” he came and grabbed Luigi’s arm, and began to drag him out from behind the post to the door. He could barely contain his excitement. “We are having bubble tea!”
“Wh-- wha--? Wait!” Luigi hollered, but there was no stopping Mario. “I need to clock out!”
“I already clocked out for you!”
“You-- You’re not supposed to do that!”
Giggling, Peach came to Daisy, and they both followed the brothers out the door. “We did it!” Peach beamed, and Daisy nodded in agreement. “Certainly not how I expected to end the day, but look!”
They passed through the doors, where they saw Mario and Luigi chatting with Pauline. Poor Luigi still didn’t look like he knew what was happening. Mario lit up as soon as he spotted Peach and Daisy. He gestured for them to come, and they started eagerly toward the brothers.
“A match made in the stars,” Rosalina commented, with a vague smile as the two couples met and started off on their date. “That is what they are.”
Pauline raised a brow and came to stand by her. “Don’t you mean a match made in heaven?” she asked with a grin.
They watched the way Mario smiled at Peach, and the way Daisy continued to tease Luigi. The sight was almost sickeningly sweet. Rosalina chuckled to herself and closed her eyes. The couples walked down the sidewalk, off on their new journey together. All was right with the world. “Bubble tea...sounds very tempting.” she finally hummed.
Nudging her elbow, Pauline nodded in the couples’ direction. “Triple date?” she asked playfully.
Rosalina just smiled. “They do not have to know. We can find a table across the room and watch from afar.”
They both laughed. “I like the way you think!” Pauline hooked their arms together with a flourish. Then, they started to walk together toward the new couples. “Bubble tea, here we come.”
O~o~O