Chapter Text
“Imogen! I need you to take the table that just walked in. I’m busy over here!” Imogen looked over her shoulder, almost dropping the plate she’d been drying off. Ashton was on the other side of the counter, balancing a precarious stack of dishes on one arm.
“And I’m busy over here. It’s your section, you do it.” She turned back and pulled another cup out of the now room temperature water.
“Please? The table of old bats won’t leave me alone and won’t tip if I skip them even once. Come on. It’s two people. Please?” They slid the dishes off their arm and came around the counter, avoiding knocking over one of the other servers. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and moved away from the sink, picking up a towel. Ashton was staring at her, attempting to beg. It wasn’t really working, but the kitchen was hot and she wouldn’t mind stepping out for a minute.
“Only two people?” She pulled her earbud out, putting it in its case.
“Only two. And they seem alright. Smiled when they got their menus, thanked Cyrus for helping them. Real polite and won’t leave only a dime for a tip. Please?” She sighed, straightening her nametag.
“Fine. Fine. This one table, two people. I’ll do it. This time.” She balled up the towel and threw it at his face. He caught it with a good natured laugh.
“Thanks Imogen. I owe you one. It’s table nine, can’t miss’em!” She picked up her notepad and made her way out into the rest of the restaurant. She’d sort of heard the volume of people through her music, but without it and the buffer of the door, it was so much louder. She looked through the mess of people, clocking that the table didn’t have water yet. She’d start with that and go from there. She grabbed two filled cups and walked out onto the floor. It was uncharacteristically busy for a Thursday and it was showing on everyone’s face. To the customers of course, all smiles and professional demeanor. But the moment backs were turned, frowns and frustration were evident. She set the waters down and pulled out her notebook, all smiles.
“Hi there, my name’s Imogen. Sorry for the delay, just a little hectic back there. What can I get started for you? Or if you need more time, I can be on my way.” She finally looked at them, smiling politely, laying the accent on a little thick. Ashton hadn’t been wrong. They certainly stuck out compared to their usual.
The man, while maybe a little shorter than average, was looking around, taking in all the details of the people around them. Shorter brown hair, tattoo going down one arm. Not on edge per se, but very aware of everything going on. But a very genuine smile on his face when he spoke to her.
“Not a problem ma’am. We get it. I think we might need a little bit longer though. It’s a little bit more than we anticipated.” He motioned to the menu and its few pages.
“Believe me, it’s more for us as well. And no problem. Any other drinks I can get out your way while you think it over?” She turned from the man to the woman across from him.
Her dark hair immediately stood out to Imogen. Not that it was uncommon or anything like that, but this woman’s, there was something else about it. It was pulled back and away from her face, her pale skin contrasting the dark very well. She was staring intently at her menu, tapping the table with a pen that looked like a rock pick of all things. She didn’t look up immediately, too focused on what she was doing. Imogen didn’t mind and looked back at the man. He was grinning. He looked back at Imogen.
“I’m okay with water, thank you. Laudna? Need a drink?” The woman, Laudna, still didn’t look up, “Laudna?” The table shifted just a little and the woman looked up, glaring at the man. Imogen could guess that he had kicked her to get her attention.
“What Orym? I’m right here, no need to kick me.” Imogen grinned a little.
“Sorry. But Imogen here is waiting very patiently to see if you need something other than water to drink.” Laudna glared at him for another second before turning to Imogen with a smile.
“I’m sorry. Got distracted, it all looks very good. A lemonade please?” The woman’s smile widened a little when Imogen nodded, writing it down. Not that she’d forget it, but she’d been snapped at one too many times for not writing down someone’s very simple order.
“Perfect. I’ll have that over in just a minute.”
“Thank you, Imogen.” Imogen stuck her pen behind her ear and went to get Laudna’s lemonade. Passing by Ashton, they smiled at her.
“What’d I tell you? Actually decent human beings.”
“So far, yeah. Don’t think you can shove another table my way though. I have things to do still.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” They continued on their way, stacking far too many dishes on their arm again. A disaster waiting to happen. Yet they somehow managed to avoid it every day. She walked back over to the table and set Laudna’s drink to the side.
“There we are. Lemonade for Laudna. Thinking of an appetizer of any sort today or need a little bit more time to settle on real food?” She pulled her notebook from her pocket, frowning when her pen wasn’t with it. Fine. She didn’t need it.
“I think I’m ready to skip right on to the real food. Sounds far more appealing. Laud?”
“Uhhhmm, mmm. Yes. Food. Ready to go.”
“Fantastic. What can I get going for you?” She looked at Orym first. His menu was already folded up and set on the edge of the table.
“I’ll have the whiskey bacon burger? No cheese though, if possible. Slightly lactose intolerant. Medium rare aaaand a Caesar salad for the side.”
“Of course. Easy enough. And for you?” Turned to Laudna again.
“Could I please have the hand battered fish and chips? But uh, without the coleslaw please? Not a fan.”
“Can’t blame you there. Not a problem at all skipping that. Anything else?” Looking again between them. Orym had pulled out his phone and was shaking his head.
“There is actually. If that’s alright. A friend of ours was running late and wasn’t sure she’d be able to make it. But her schedule cleared up and it looks like she is on her way. If it makes your life easier, she doesn’t need anything to eat. Just a sweet tea.”
“No, no. Not a problem at all. I can absolutely put in an order for her if you know what she’s getting.” She couldn’t really tell them no. As much as she wanted to.
“Are you sure? We don’t want to overload you with a million things.”
“Don’t worry about it. If I had my pen, I’d write it down. But memory works just as well.”
“Oh, here. You can borrow mine.” Laudna picked up her uniquely shaped pen and held it up. It surprised Imogen, but she reached over and took it.
“Uh, thanks. Yeah. Okay.” She wrote down their orders and glanced at Orym again.
“Great. Laudna with the save. So our friend, Fearne, she would like that sweet tea, extra sugar somehow. Don’t think that’s possible really because it’s cold tea and the sugar needs heat to melt. Anyway, she’ll figure it out. That and the three cheese chicken penne pasta. With an extra order of breadsticks. Please.” Orym added. Imogen nodded with each thing, marking Fearne’s to be made slightly later. Laudna’s pen was a hell of a lot nicer than the cheap ass generic one she’d been using.
“Okay. Fearne. Got it. Any specific aspect to look out for when she gets here so we don’t try to stick her somewhere random and on her own?”
“She’s hard to miss. Tall. Very tall. Light green hair, probably going to have some ribbon or thread in it in some way. She’ll stick out. We’ll also keep an eye out for her, give you one less thing to do.”
“Tall, green hair. Got it. I’ll let them know. I’ll have her food out shortly after yours, just so it doesn’t get cold on her. Same with the tea. Your orders will be going right in and up shortly. Thank you for this. Writes very well.” She handed the pen back to Laudna. She’d have to stock up on good pens again soon.
“Thank you Imogen.” She smiled and walked away. Left the order with the kitchen and looked around for Ashton.
He was at the sink, finishing off the dishes she’d abandoned.
“Your two person table is on its way to becoming three. You’re lucky I like you and wanted to walk around a little.” She pulled her water bottle out from under the counter, taking a small drink.
“I think you can handle one more person. I’ve seen you take on worse in there. But it’s sort of slowed down, I can take it back over if you want. I brought all sorts of presents to clean if you’re intent on avoiding the people.” They pulled their arms out of the water, shaking them off. She backed up, not wanting dirty dish water all over.
“I’ve got it covered. Makes it easier to deal with the extra order.”
“Sure. Okay. Why is your pen tangled in your hair?” They asked, picking up a towel and properly drying their arms off. Imogen put her hand up, frowning. She’d forgotten that was where she’d put it. And no one had bothered to point it out. Orym and Laudna had definitely seen it there, but hadn’t made any comment or joke about it. For whatever reason.
“Because that’s where I put it.”
“You forgot where you put it, didn’t you? I saw you using that woman’s pen instead.”
“No, I didn’t forget.” She put an earbud back in place, pulling out her phone and hitting play, “I was distracted by all the damn noise. Kids are so loud.”
“Sure, okay. I won’t disagree on the kids being loud. They gave me a headache too. Now everything really hurts. You wouldn’t happen to have any Tylenol squirreled away anywhere would you? Apparently I ran out.”
“Of course I have Tylenol. You think I can get through a shift without it? My head would explode. Lemme run outside. Oh, and if you see a tall woman with green hair walk in, she’s the third for your table of two. I’ll be right back.” Imogen slipped past them and out the back door where they all parked, out of the way of customers’ potential parking spaces.
Opening the passenger door of her car, she looked around in the dim light for the bottle of painkillers she was never without. It wasn’t in the glove box like usual. She pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight, turning down the ambient music still playing in her ear, crouching to see if it had rolled under the seat. She’d forgotten she’d taken a couple before clocking in and had heard something hit the floor when she shut the door. There it was. Sitting right in the middle of the floor. She set her phone down and reached under, swearing when she bumped it and it rolled farther away. She stood and moved to the back door, again kneeling down to reach for it. And again bumped it just out of reach, no matter how far she stretched.
“Oh come on. Really?” Not that anyone could hear her complain. She stood up, stretching her arm. That had kind of hurt. She grabbed her phone, before she forgot that too, and opened the trunk, pulling out the ice scraper she’d thought she was done using for the year. Apparently not. Muttering to herself about the indignity of the entire situation, she poked the handle under the seat, sending the bottle rolling out. She tossed the scraper onto the seat, not caring enough to put it back in the trunk. She picked up the bottle, closed all the doors, and locked it before heading back in. That had taken far too long. Ashton wasn’t in the kitchen anymore. She’d find him when she could. She had to go check on her table. Set the bottle beside her water and went back out into the noise. And stopped just past the door. Ashton was at the table, talking up a storm with the now three people sitting there. She had never seen them with such a genuine smile on their face while talking to customers. When she saw the newcomer, Fearne, she understood. Her green hair stuck out even more than Laudna’s dark. And even from across the room, Imogen could tell she had a certain aura around her that made people just want to talk to her.
Ashton had it handled, from what she could tell, so she turned right back around and checked in with the kitchen to see if that third order was going. It’d be ready in a few minutes and the rest had already gone out. Perfect. She went back to her little corner and started on the silverware. There was always silverware to roll.
“There you are. Thought you got lost out.” Ashton came back after a few minutes, still smiling.
“Not lost, nope. Just was a little tougher to find than I thought it would be. It’s with my water bottle.”
“Great. Thank you.” They knelt down and dumped a few into their hand, swallowing them dry, “Your table was concerned something had happened to you when you didn’t come out with their food by the way.”
“I’m sure you told them nothing but the truth. That I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. Much appreciated.”
“Nah. I told them you’d be back out with Fearne’s food when it was ready. As much as I would like to bring it out for her. Did you see her by the way?”
“Kind of. I saw you . Smiling like an idiot at her. Is there a plan there?” Ashton rubbed the back of their neck, grinning.
“I was doing my job. Nothing more than that. Being polite.”
“Sure. For the single table you had no time for twenty minutes ago. With a smile wider than the one you had in Disneyland.” They didn’t look at her, picking up some silverware himself, “Come on. I saw her too. Believe me, I get it. You gonna shoot your shot or not?”
“She’s a customer. No one likes when their waiter hits on them. That’s just weird.”
“Okay, sure. If she asks about you when I run out there, what am I doing?”
“Nothing! Don’t do anything!” He was flustered. That never happened, “I’m just doing my job. Nothing more. It’s fine.”
“Okay, okay. Fine. I won’t do anything.” one of the cooks called out that her third order was ready to go. Imogen stood up and headed over.
“Remember, not a word!” Ashton called after her. She waved with her free arm, not looking back at him. Last time she’d done that, she’d run into a door and dropped several plates. Not something she ever wanted to do again. She wove through with her single plate and put her smile back on when she got to the table. The extra breadsticks requested were already there, along with several packets of sugar, some opened and emptied already. Fearne was talking animatedly to the other two, smiling widely and gesturing everywhere.
“Here is that third entree for you. Sorry about the wait, just didn’t want it getting cold before you got here. I’m sure my friend Ashton said as much when they stopped over here.” She slid the plate in front of the woman next to Orym.
“They absolutely did. And that is very much appreciated, thank you. And thank you for even putting it in for me, I know it can be a hassle adding food for someone not even here.”
“It was no trouble at all, really. Anything else while I’m here? Don’t let me keep you from your meal. Refills, random condiments?” Fearne hadn’t stopped smiling and looked between her two friends, raising an eyebrow. Orym laughed and just shrugged. Laudna across from them shook her head, smiling a little. Imogen knew when she was out of the loop. They’d talked about something in the time since Ashton had walked away.
“At the moment? I think we’re good. Ashton got refills out of the way. We may need something from you later, but we’re good right now.”
“Awesome. I’ll check back in later, make sure everything tasted great.”
“Thank you again Imogen.” Orym said before she walked away.
Ashton was where she’d left him, rolling silverware. The pile beside them was significantly taller. She joined them and quietly helped. The relative silence and simple task was needed for both of them. The silverware finally ran out and Imogen went back to the sink while Ashton stepped back into the noise. She zoned out for a little, focusing on the tasks in front of her, knocking one thing after another out of the way. She was glad the owner understood her need for quiet and breaks away from the chaos. She worked better that way.
“Imogen. Hey, Imogen. The trio is asking for you.” She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, water splashing over the side of the sink and over her apron, narrowly missing her shoes. She turned around, drying her hands. Ashton grinned, understanding he’d interrupted.
“Sorry. You were zoned out. I’d handle it now, but they specifically wanted you. Sooo here I am. You got it?”
“Yeah, yeah I got it. Coming. Thanks.” She tossed the towel into the hamper, pulling her hair back and out of her face. Most of the plates had been cleared from the table, presumably Ashton’s doing, “Sorry about that. Fell into a haze back there. What else can I get for you? Dessert? One last drink?”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re not in a hurry. I think we are actually ready for the check. Right?” Orym looked between his friends, putting his fork on top of the few dishes still left. Laudna nodded, watching Fearne.
“That’d be perfect Miss Imogen. One other thing maybe, if possible.” Fearne added.
“If it’s in my power, alright.”
“If it’s not too forward of course. Don’t want to overstep bounds. Can I borrow your little notebook for a moment?” Odd request, for sure.
“Um, yeah, alright.” She handed it over. Fearne picked up Laudna’s pen, flipping to a blank page. Imogen started picking up the plates while Fearne wrote something down. She tore the page free and folded it up before passing both back over. Imogen took it in her free hand.
“Could you maybe give that to the other purple haired cutie walking around? The one with the pronoun and upside down smiley face pins, Ashton. When you get a second of course, no rush at all. Please?” Imogen wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what was on the piece of paper in her hand. She smiled. She hadn’t done anything, just like Ashton had wanted.
“Of course. Not a problem at all. I will make sure they get it when we both have a free minute. And I will be back with your check in just a moment. All on one or separate?”
“All one please.” Orym said, already pulling out his wallet. Both women looked like they wanted to protest, but knew it was a fight they’d lose. She nodded and walked back to the POS. Got everything rang in properly and printed out. Orym had money out and before she could even hand anything over, he was passing it her way.
“Hopefully I did the math right. Keep the change, there should be plenty to split between you and Ashton. Thank you again so much, everything was perfect and couldn’t have asked for better service.” Imogen glanced at the money in her hand. It was for sure enough to cover everything, and then some.
“Okay. Um, thank you as well. Really. You’re welcome to hang around for a little to finish your drinks if you want. But have a good day.”
“You as well.” She walked away from them, cashing everything out. She held onto the change and went to find Ashton. He wasn’t in the kitchen. She hadn’t seen him on the floor either. Making sure the folded note was in her pocket still, she stepped out the backdoor. Ashton was sitting on an upside down milkcrate, leaning against the wall.
“Hey. All good?” She sat beside them.
“Yup. Just needed a second. That was a lot of walking around and my feet are killing me.”
“Got it. We’re almost done for the day. Almost.”
“So close. Your single table call it a night?”
“They did, yeah. Very nice, very patient. Tipped very well.” She pulled out his half, as well as the paper and handed it over.
“They tipped you in paper? Seems kind of lame.”
“The paper came from Fearne. She wanted me to get it to you.” Imogen grinned at Ashton’s confused face.
“But why?”
“Seriously? You’re smarter than this. Unfold that and tell me I’m wrong. That woman gave you her phone number and you didn’t even have to try.”
“No she didn’t. That’s ridiculous.” The tips of their ears were red as they unfolded the note. Imogen peeked over their shoulder. And smiled when she saw the numbers and a note scribbled along with them.
“Ridiculous, huh? When you gonna call her?” She bumped his shoulder with hers.
“I, pfft, no. No. I’m not. Um. I mean, should I?” He was staring at the paper.
“Ashton, now is not the time for stupid questions. Was she fun to talk to?”
“Yes.”
“Great. So, when you calling her?” He laughed, standing up and putting the note in his back pocket.
“I’ll do it tomorrow, okay? Today would just be too soon.”
“Don’t chicken out okay? Text me if you need to. Or Letters. They’ll cheer you on as well. Come on. Let’s finish the day.” She stood as well, dusting off her knees.
“If you say so.” She followed them inside and the rest of the day went by in a flash. It slowed down back to normal Thursday business. Knowing she had the next day off just pushed her to finish everything that much quicker. She headed out the door before Ashton.
“Don’t forget you have something to do tomorrow, Ashton.” She reminded them on the way out, bag over her shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He waved at her, swapping out his shoes for the boots they preferred. She laughed, making sure she had all her things before heading home. To the peace and quiet. No noise bombarding her from every angle, just the way she liked it. She closed her door with a sigh, kicking off her shoes and tossing her bag onto the nearby chair. The night passed as they usually did for her. Quiet, alone, reading, and overall just decompressing from the day.
Her day off was more of the same. Avoiding getting overstimulated as much as she could. Background music playing when she went out, gloves on to avoid kids staring at the scars on her hands. She was glad it was still chilly enough to warrant them. Summer was the worst for that. She was used to it, but avoiding it all together was a hell of a lot easier.
She was sitting down with some tea, dreading work the next day, when her phone rang. Ashton’s specifically chosen, loud as all hell, scare the shit out of you ringtone. She almost dropped her tea when she jumped, scrambling to answer it.
“Jesus Ashton. Remind me again why I don’t change that god awful noise you made me download?”
“Because then you’d never answer when I called and claim you didn’t hear it. I need you to do me a favor.” She could hear the noise of the restaurant in the background. They must have picked up a shift.
“Sure, that’s how you start a conversation. What? I am not covering your shift tonight. I can’t.”
“I’m sure you’re incredibly busy with your horse documentary and lavender tea. No. Not that. You’re not doing anything come Tuesday are you? And don’t tell me you’re working, I’m looking at the schedule right now.”
“I mean, no. I don’t think I have any plans. Was thinking about seeing a movie maybe. They’re slow on Tuesday and I want popcorn.”
“That’s perfect! I talked to Fearne earlier. Not a long conversation, but one was had. Ahem, she also suggested seeing a movie Tuesday. With um, one minor request. That I may have agreed to already. So please don’t leave me hanging.”
“Ashton, what’d you do?” She stood up, moving to close her curtains all the way.
“Okay. Don’t hate me. I know you’re not looking to see anyone right now. And I get it. But uh, Fearne, she doesn’t want to leave her friend Laudna, you know the dark haired one, out to dry. They sort of had plans themselves. Sooo I suggested a friend of mine come with to keep her from third wheeling. You. Laudna agreed to it. And as far as they know, so did you. So what do you say? Double date?”
“I’m sorry, you did what? Ashton, what did you do? I don’t want to see a movie with two strangers.” She started pacing, needing to move around.
“Come on, please. You said it yourself. This woman went out of her way to talk to me. That never happens. Help a friend out here.”
“You help a friend move Ashton.”
“Please Imogen? I won’t ask you for anything else for like a month. Probably. C’mon. Launda seems nice. You can always use more friends, right? Please? Letters would do it, buuut you’re more Laudna’s type. Please? One date. Just to help me out here.” She ran a hand across her face. She knew she was going to give in. She’d do almost anything they asked. That’s what you did for your friends, especially when you only had a couple. She moved her phone away from her ear, sighing loudly. Ashton hadn’t stopped talking, doing whatever they could to convince her to come along.
“Ashton. Ashton, shut up. Fine. I’ll go with. Let me know when and I’ll be there.”
“Really? Thank you so much! I owe you so much.”
“Yeah, you do. I’m going to go warm my tea back up and enjoy the rest of my night.”
“You do that. Thank you!” And they hung up. She stared at her now black phone screen, wondering what the hell she’d just gotten herself into. A double date with Ashton, Fearne, and Laudna. Great.