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It was a Thursday night, and Alec had just been stood up on one of his new dates.
He didn't see you at first - his head down, staring at the wet gravel that shifted underneath the bottom of the nicest shoes he had. He was sitting at a small round table, there was an umbrella open above him that sheltered him from the light rain that was forming.
It was like he had been torturing himself, you knew that there was something wrong - you always did - but he would never tell you why.
Looking both ways down the street you didn't see any cars, so you crossed over towards him. You stood in front of the fence - next to where he was sitting - and looked at him.
“You look occupied.” Alec had jumped, hitting his knee against the table as he looked at you.
“Oh, bloody hell.” He grunted, almost holding back an eye roll as he leaned back in his chair. “What do you want.”
You stared at him.
“Are you waiting on someone?” Your eyes turned to the empty seat on the opposite side of the table, but eventually found their way back to his again.
“Have been.”
“How long has it been, exactly?” You leant against the fence and kept your eyes trained on him.
“A bit.”
“How long?”
“I'm fine.”
You stared at him again, it was silent - apart from the gentle rain that looked like it would pick up at any given moment.
“You're getting on my nerves.”
“Stood you up, did they?”
“Shut up.”
“How long have you been waiting?”
“An hour…?”
“So, yes.”
“To what?”
“This mysterious person, they stood you up.”
“She's just late.”
There's another silence.
“Oh, so it's a ‘she’ then?”
“Why wouldn't it be?” Alec looked at you, confused.
“No reason.”
“As if. Spit it out.”
“Can I sit down?”
“Why?”
“So you're not alone. And my schedule is pretty empty tonight.” You give him a small smile, nodding towards the chair.
“It'll be weird.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because we're both men? We aren't gonna get attacked out on the street, plus we can just say we're having a meet up because it's ‘been a long time’. If you're scared.”
His eyes steer away from you, now staring at the chair in front of him.
“Fine. Sit down.”
You smile and walk away, to turn around the end of the fence and join him at his table.
It was tense for a few minutes, and awkward at most.
“What were you doing before you saw me?” Alec crossed his arms, sinking back into his chair.
“I was just on a walk.”
“Why?”
“Because I can?”
“Wow.”
“Why were you waiting for someone? In a restaurant, no doubt. It doesn't seem like you.”
“Daisy said that I was a grumpy old sod, said that I needed to find someone - or at least try to.”
“Daisy?”
“My daughter.”
“Ah.”
He had fallen silent after that, he nodded his head once before he started staring at the small table decorations.
“Have you eaten yet? Or do you plan on waiting forever?”
“Haven't eaten.”
“Why's that?”
“Don't typically… like this fancy restaurant smuck.”
“Then why don't you leave?”
“I made a reservation.”
“Oh.”
There's an awkward silence again, and the light rain grew the tiniest bit.
“Let's go somewhere dry.”
“I can't. I spent way too much money on this reservation, I cannot let it go to waste.”
“I'll pay you back. Plus, do you really want to eat in the rain?”
He was silent for a few, debating on whether he should respond or not.
“Not really.”
“Let's go somewhere dry.”
“Where?”
“We could probably go back to my place? I've got some leftover dinner from last night available. I made it myself.”
“What is it?”
“You'll see.”
—
On the walk towards your house, Alec had trailed behind you - like he was scared to come any closer, like it was frowned upon by everyone.
You looked behind you - towards him - and smiled again.
“C'mon Alec, we aren't like Orpheus and Eurydice. I'm not letting you disappear on me, come closer.”
“What does that even mean?”
You just shrugged and stood still, waiting for him to move closer before you walked again.
You soon fell into a rhythm, step by step and block by block, until the two of you had reached your house.
It was small, a tiny two story - it had a tiny balcony with two chairs, visible from the front of the gate. You pushed it open and let him in, locking the tiny latch behind you, then doing the same once you both had entered the house.
The tiny hallway from your front door was dark. But when you switched on the light, the two of you could see the multiple decorations around the place.
Alec doesn't say anything, he only looks around. You saw him pause in front of the small table pressed against the wall, he had picked up a small picture frame. It was one of you, when you were younger and carefree, next to you was one of your old friends.
“Who's this?” He was holding it, from what you could see, it looked like he was looking at the photo.
“Oh, that's one of my old friends. Haven't talked to them in a long time now.” You shrug and push further into the house, hanging up your coat and kicking off your shoes - only to stop and line them up together nicely since you had a guest.
He nodded as you passed, following you into the house.
“Do you want some wine?”
“Um.”
“Do you not drink it?”
“No I do, I just-”
“It's a yes or no question.”
Alec looks at you, like a little kicked puppy.
“Fine.”
—
You had bonded over wine over the next few hours, Alec had only finished his first glass - saying something about ‘enjoying the flavour’, while you were on your third.
It was getting late, and you were buzzed, and you started feeling tired.
“You want to spend the night?”
“Excuse me?”
“Stay tonight, Alec. It's too late to walk now.”
“I'll be fine.”
“You don't know that, anything could happen.”
“Fine.”
“Yay.” As you stood and placed your wine glass down, Alec looked at you silently.
“What?”
“Nothing…”
“C'mon, the couch is way too small for your tall ass. We can share the bed.”
“Huh?”
“Share the bed. You're fine with it, right?”
“I can stay on the couch.”
“It's too small, Alec. You'll hurt your back and trust me, I've done it before.”
“I've dealt with sore backs before, I'll be fine.”
“You practically live off of having a sore back, just humor me this once?”
“Fine.”
“Thank you.” You start walking upstairs to your room, you had gotten the kind of house where the second floor was just one room.
—
It was almost 1am by now, the wine in your system had started rubbing off on you and you had flopped onto your bed - but not after changing into something more comfortable.
Alec, however, had tried to just use parts of his uniform as pyjamas for a night.
You didn't let him.
So there he was, laying on the left side of your bed in an old pair of your clothes and a grumpy expression etched onto his face.
After switching off the lamp next to your bed, you got comfortable and started falling asleep beside him. He felt odd - uncertain even.
It had felt almost foreign to him to have another person sleep by his side again, even if it was for just one night.
Alec's eyes had trailed over your face as you slept, and he had just one thought as he laid there - underneath your blankets and your roof.
Tonight was one of the many night's he would want to spend with you.