That Stupid Little Waiter

Chapter 5 - Shadow of the Night, Shadow in My Mind

Silence was all Rody heard. Was it perhaps the reason the thoughts inside his mind were so loud?

Having been exhausted from the cycling, he stopped by the sidewalk and just sat there on his bike, panting as he gazed up at the starry night sky above. It wasn't that late in the night, but it wasn't quite early either. He was the only person on the usually busy road, the illumination shining down from the streetlight and emphasizing his lonesome presence on this quiet night. It was just him, the stars above and his racing heart.

For as long as he had lived in this bustling city, he had gotten himself familiar with this very street, down to every nook and cranny of it. He grew up in this neighborhood, cycled down the same road every day to work and walked to the same store every time he needed to get the most basic of grocery, only occasionally venturing somewhere different to take Manon there for a date. Therefore, it wasn't the fact that he was tired from cycling home-he had done so plenty of times ever since he even knew how to ride his old bike he got in middle school, he was used to it. It was just... whatever happened there.

The memory from merely a few hours ago flooded back to him. When he arrived in front of Vincent's apartment, nothing seemed strange about it. Compared to the restaurant, the hallway leading to Vincent's place was... tame in terms of decoration. If Rody even dared say, it was more decently decorated. Not that nicely decorated, but decent to the interior of the restaurant. Aside from questioning if he could trust his own personal preference or if his distaste to the décor was because he had never such luxury to afford it, one question he was asking himself while on the way there was just, what could Vincent possibly need him for at this time of the hour? Although he was certainly relieved it wasn't the dangerous possibility he briefly had in mind, it was still worth asking that question, and he was almost certain he wasn't invited as a guest.

Well, only one way to find out, and Rody knocked after taking a deep breath.

"Coming."

Vincent's signature monotone voice rung from inside the room, followed by the sound of his footsteps approaching the door before the door swung open. There Vincent was, standing at the doorway in a different outfit that admittedly threw Rody off at first. He knew Vincent wasn't always wearing his work attire-some would describe him as a weirdo, but he definitely wasn't that weird-but there was just a drastic change in his outfit that made Rody stay quiet for a good moment to truly take it all in. Instead of his pristine white chef shirt that Rody could never understand why he could keep so clean, he was in an oddly normal-looking, long-sleeved black shirt with matching black pants. Despite that, his hair was still as nicely kept as always, which was especially messing with Rody-this man was at home, in a casual outfit, and his hair looked perfect, like he had never laid down or rolled in bed in his goddamn life. Rody couldn't decide if that was extra as hell, or admirable.

"My eyes are up here, Rody." Vincent spoke, chuckling as Rody looked up to his face. Rody's face turned from confused to blushing a deep red, arguably even redder than he had ever been, even if it was with Manon, when a realization hit him.

Had he been... staring at Vincent's chest this entire time?

"O-Oh hey Vince!" Rody started making a bunch of weird motions, which definitely wasn't helping him hide the fact that he was nervous and embarrassed. "Y-Yep, here I am, in the flesh, super stoked to be here, wouldn't want to be in any other place on this fine night."

Vincent just gave him a blank stare before letting out a chuckle, this one louder than the last. "You don't need to act so excited. No one is that happy to work."

"So does that include you too? I thought cooking is your passion."

Another blank stare before Vincent spoke again. "Just fucking come in, will you?"