Tyler stepped inside the restaurant and took a whiff of the fragrant air inside. The door behind him closed with a soft click. A smile settled on his face as he looked around the restaurant. It looked good.
Tyler took a step forward, still scanning the room until someone appeared in front of him.
"Hello. Table for one?" She asked.
Tyler was stunned as soon as he looked at her face, he momentarily forgot how to talk. It wouldn't have been an exaggeration if he said that she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.
She was wearing a simple pink blouse, neatly tucked into black trousers. Her hair was pulled back, just to keep it off her face. She wasn't wearing any makeup, at least none that Tyler could identify but her skin still looked smooth and sharp.
"Table for one?" She asked again, snapping Tyler out of his thoughts.
"Yeah. Just me".
She smiled slightly, then she gestured towards a table near the window and started walking towards it. Tyler followed her to the table, then settled down. Without another word to him, she handed him the menu and stepped away.
Tyler took a deep breath as he sat down. The place wasn't full, and there wasn't a lot of noise. There were a few small groups and couples here and there but no one was particularly loud. He opened the menu and skimmed through it, but his mind wasn't focused on the food, he was just thinking about the waitress who attended to him a few moments ago.
He looked around and found her helping another customer at the other side of the room. He was checking her out, but his gaze lingered a second too long. She turned around and they locked gazes.
Tyler's first instinct was to turn away, but he continued looking.
'Lenny said I shouldn't turn away if a girl catches me looking'. Tyler thought to himself. 'Something about confidence and alpha male energy'.
It took Tyler all but a couple of seconds to realize how stupid he sounded and then he averted his gaze while praying that she didn't label him a pervert in her head.
By the time he turned to look at her again, she was already in front of him.
"Are you ready to order?" She asked.
Tyler looked at the menu, actually checking the food available this time, then looked up at her. "I'll have the seafood risotto, and a side of fries".
She nodded while writing down his order.
"And a small Cesar salad. And a glass of water".
She stared at him briefly, then she continued writing it down.
"And a glass of lemonade?" He said, but he was asking himself. He then turned to look at her. "Should I get a glass of lemonade?"
She smiled. "I work here so I'm inclined to say yes".
"A glass of lemonade then". He said.
She gave a short nod before walking away. Tyler watched her as she walked towards the back area. He managed to turn his attention away after a few seconds of staring. It'd be very weird if she turned around and caught him staring at her ass.
He fiddled with his phone a bit, trying to focus his attention somewhere else. He went on a few social media apps, but nothing could distract him for long enough.
A few minutes later, she walked back with a tray containing the drinks he ordered. She set them down neatly and turned to face him.
"Your food will be ready soon". She said.
"Thanks". Tyler replied.
Ten minutes later she returned with the rest of his food, and placed them down. She was about to walk away when Tyler spoke again.
"Actually, could I get the Tomato soup as well".
She looked at him briefly before nodding, "Of course".
He smiled, and watched her as she walked away. He didn't even want the tomato soup, he just wanted an excuse to see her again. He already made up his mind that he was going to approach her when her shift finished, he just didn't know what to say.
'Damnit' He swore internally. 'If I knew this day was going to come soon enough, then I'd have listened to Lenny when he was talking about all the shit that girls liked'.
'I think he said something about girls liking funny guys'.
'Am I a funny guy?'
While Tyler was having a mini existential crisis, the waitress of his dreams returned and placed the tomato soup on his table. He stared at it briefly before turning to her.
"Could I also get some grilled fish?"
She looked at his nearly empty plates, then turned to look at him. "Are you expecting someone?" She asked.
"No. Just me".
After hearing his response, she wrote his order and walked away.
By the time she brought the fish, he wasn't even hungry anymore. He used his fork to stab at it without any interest, he was just glancing at her from time to time.
Eventually, she came back to his table and brought the bill, placing it gently at the edge of the table. She stared at his half eaten grilled fish and held back a smile.
"Take your time" She said then walked back to the register and stood beside the counter.
Tyler looked at he check and nearly vomited all the food he ate early. It wasn't cheap, not at all, but it wasn't too expensive either, not with the signing on bonus he got when he signed for Monaco. The thing was that he learnt the value of money from a very young age, staying with his grandma so while he could comfortably afford it, he didn't feel comfortable spending such a huge amount.
Tyler reached into his pocket, picked his wallet and placed his card inside the small leather holder. A different waiter came to him, picked it up and walked away. A few minutes later, he returned with the receipt and Tyler's card and walked away without a word.
Tyler muttered a few word of thanks and remained seated a little longer, pretending to look at something on his phone. He looked at the time on his phone. It was almost six o'clock. If she didn't leave soon then he would have to go.
After a few minutes, she came out of the back area but she wasn't wearing any apron or taking any orders. She had a bag on her shoulder, and she walked out of the door, disappearing into the crowd outside.
Tyler stood up almost immediately. He placed all the money he had in his wallet, which wasn't a lot, on the table and hurried out of the door, scanning the crowd.
The street was busier than Tyler remembered. A sea of people moving in both direction and then then occasional car passing by. He stepped out further into the street and found her, flanked by a lot of people.
He was moving to her but then he lost sight of her, making his heart beat faster. Without thinking, he shouted the first thing he could think of.
"Pretty lady in pink!"