Chapter Text
Rose was meeting her old college buddy Deena for lunch at their favorite cafe. Looking around, Rose watched as people walked quickly between buildings or strolled slowly up and down the sidewalk outside. Why did it seem everyone was either in a super hurry or moving at a snails pace? She had been noticing it more and more as the day wore on. Maybe it was her imagination. As she waited for Deena, Rose failed to spot the guy over at the counter staring at her curiously. There was something strange about him, as though he was somehow less substantial or more ethereal than everyone else around him. The man continued to watch her unobserved for nearly 15 minutes before nodding softly to himself and whisper a comment to the empty air. The waitress at the cafe, however noticed his whispers and approached him, somewhat nervously. "Sir, so you need anything else? Or would you like your check?"
The man whipped his head around quickly to look at the waitress. "Um, I could use a drink. A large raspberry iced tea please." The man thanked the waitress and quietly chuckled under his breath. The waitress shrugged and walked away, somewhat confused by the man's reaction and her own worry about what was going on. With a mental shake, she went off to go get the requested beverage.
Meanwhile, Rose had finally stopped pacing and spotted Deena. With a huge grin, She called out to her friend; "Dee, over here! What happened, did you get lost AGAIN?" The other woman trotted up and gave her friend a quick hug and laughed.
"No, Rose. That only ever happens when you distract me. Now let's eat! I'm super hungry."
The two women linked arms companionably and walked into the cafe. As they waited to be seated the man at the counter turned his gaze to the second woman in the group. She was a short, thin, fiery brunette from all appearances and clearly was dressed for a day out with friends. Her long hair was tied up in a cute, but messy ponytail, and her clothes were a pair of flared jeans and a pretty, but simple, long-sleeved tee. The woman looked like she was not wearing any makeup from where he was sitting, but it was a little hard to tell. She was carrying a small denim bag and wore simple sneakers that matched her tee shirt rather well. The man once more looked over at the other woman, 'Rose' he thinks he heard her called. The name suits her. She is rather tall for a woman, probably just over 1.85 meters or 6 feet tall. Her build could best be described as zaftig, or curvy and large, but not unpleasantly so. It suits her taller height, the man thinks to himself. She is pale, with large, dark eyes that have just the barest hint of smile lines forming at the corners. Her straight auburn hair was bobbed to just below her ears and it framed her face nicely. He noticed just the smallest traces of dark roots that matched her long dark lashes and elegantly shaped eyebrows. She has a smattering of freckles and birthmarks, both on her arms and face, which give her an interesting and cute appearance. She too has no makeup on and was dressed casually in jeans, sandals, and a light sweater. Her friend said something to her just then and a loud crack of laughter was heard. The man looked down at the counter and smiled to himself. She has a lovely voice and a fantastic laugh, he thought. He also enjoyed how her small round nose crinkled at the corners and dimples flashed at the corners of her mouth when she laughed. He decided she had a kind face. Just then the waitress brought his drink over. He thanked her and began doodling on a napkin as he lost himself in thought once more.
Rose was completely unaware of the stranger's scrutiny however, and walked over to the table with Deena when the hostess seated them. Deena had noticed the man, but since he didn't seem to be a creepy weirdo or obviously drooling over them, she ignored him. He seemed to be staring more through them then at them anyway, or so Deena thought at the time. She gave no more thought to the matter as she focused on her larger friend.
"How long has it been since we last went out Rose? Six months? Seven?"
Rose grinned and replied, "Hey, I'm not the one who got married and left on a three month honeymoon out of the country. I was patient! Whose fault is it that after you got back you couldn't be away from Alex for even one night out with me?" She fake pouted and added, "Really. Not even one." She then traced a fake tear down her cheek. After only a few seconds she then grinned and giggled a little as her friend blushed and tried to stammer out an apology. "Relax I was just kidding! You ought to know me well enough to know when I'm serious by now."
Deena looked relieved and quipped back; "Rose, you deadpan things so well sometimes even I can't tell if you're serious or not. Don't you remember that acting class? The professor was so impressed with you he tried to recruit you for the show! Come on, be fair now."
Rose chuckled softly, "I had forgotten about that. I can't believe he tried to fail me for not agreeing. Fortunately, the department director was able to make him see sense. I was just too busy with my other classes ans work to swing anything else. You remember what I was like..."
"Yeah, I do. And what you are still like. How did you manage to pry yourself away from your computer long enough to meet me today? How many alarms and reminders did you have to leave for yourself? Come on now and tell me the truth."
"Okay, okay. More than one. But I have been busy and since I work from home, it can be hard to know what day it is. I get so much more done at home though, my boss says he swears I must just work around the clock. Personally, I think it's 'cause I don't have other people constantly talking at me, I can work the hours that work best for me, and I don't have anyone watching over my shoulder. Especially since I am working on web design and art. I can meet the clients once or twice, and then just chat or video conference with them about what they want, changes they need, or how they like things. Plus no commute!"
"Hey, you don't have to sell me on it. Clearly you know what your doing and are in the right job. The boss loves you, the clients all love you, and you save the company loads of money. Alex is always talking about how great an employee you are and wondering how he can steal you over to his department. He would love it if you abandoned the PR people and joined the art department full-time. You know that. But enough about work. Tell me what's new with you since we talked last?"
Just then a waiter walked up with menus and asked them if they knew what they wanted to drink pr if they needed a few minutes before they ordered. Deena immediately responded, "I'll have a large banana smoothie, a grilled chicken and spinach panini on garlic toast, and a side of chips and salsa. Extra pickles on the side and please go light on the mayo. Thanks!" After just a minutes so the waiter can get all that down, Rose responded with her order. "I'll have a large diet cola with a lime slice, please. And the shrimp wonton salad with dressing on the side, extra croutons. What kinds of soup do you have today?"
The waiter looked at the cheat sheet he had tucked behind the writing tablet. "Cream of broccoli, Italian Wedding, Enchilada, Tomato, and a Beef Mushroom stew."
Rose thought about it for a few seconds and said "I'm gonna need a minute to figure out the rest of my order. Can you ask again when you come back with the drinks?" The waiter nodded and smiled as he walked away.
Deena eyed Rose suspiciously. "You are gonna order more than just that little salad right? Your not trying to go on some crazy diet again are you? You know what happened last time." Both women shuddered briefly at the memory of the several month hospital stay and treatment for malnutrition and anxiety that the larger woman had needed. Rose shook her head firmly.
"I just want to look over the menu and see what they have added recently. Honestly, I forgot to eat this morning and am starved, and the first thing I thought of was a cheeseburger. The only cheeseburger I saw so far on the menu has onions cooked in and bacon." Rose has several food allergies and a somewhat sensitive stomach, as her friend well knows. Deena wrinkled her nose at that and giggled, "What are you a LOLcat? Are you gonna ask if you CANZ HAZ CHEEZEBURGERZ?!?" Rose laughed softly and said "No, of course not. Now let me read the menu for a minute okay? Thanks!"