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The bell above the door chimed as she opened the door, and again when she closed it. The noise drew the attention of two waitresses. They both looked over to see their new customers.
“Oh, hey darlin’ you’re a new and pretty face,” a blonde said, addressing Gerard. She was a different shade to Shelly's blonde, but he didn’t think anyone could bottle that.
Shelly ducked out from behind the taller boy, hearing him start to stutter. “Hey Daphne, hands off.”
“Oh, hey Shelly!” the other waitress, a brunette beamed. “How’ve you been, sugar?”
“Not bad, Beth, not bad.”
“Who’s your handsome young man?” Beth asked with a smile.
Gerard could feel that he was blushing. “I’m… I’m Gerard.”
The waitresses exchanged a look and then a smile.
“Oh, you’re Gerard! Well honey, any friend of Shelly’s is a friend of ours.” Beth nodded to them both before going to the other end of the counter, which almost spanned the whole length of the diner, to tend to another customer.
“You wanna go and pick a seat baby?” Daphne walked over to the hostess stand and handed the other blonde two menus. “I think your usual booth is free. You know how it works here.”
“Thanks Daph!” Shelly smiled, took the menus in one hand, grabbing Gerard’s hand with the other and leading him to the booth that she normally ended up in; it was kinda tucked in the corner, out of the way.
Gerard watched her slide into the side that allowed her to face the door, so he settled on the other side. The booths were a little strange - the seats were almost more of a U shape than a traditional table seating. He must’ve been frowning because Shelly spoke as she slid a menu across the table to him.
“It’s a dual purpose thing,” she explained quietly. “You can get a few more people on a table this way, or, um…” She cleared her throat a little. “Alternatively couples, or people on dates, can sit closer, if they want.” She glanced up to see him looking at her, his eyes a little wider than normal. “No pressure though. Just you being here is good enough for me.”
His face felt very hot, very quickly so he attempted to distract himself by looking at the menu in front of him. It was a well designed menu; no clashing colours around the words, the font was easy to read, there was even a picture or two of some of the… Almost zanier sounding dishes. He looked up to see what Shelly was up to, just to find her watching him, a small smile on her face and her cheek resting in the palm of her hand. She noticed that he’d caught her and she just smiled brighter, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She didn’t look like she was sorry about being caught looking at him though.
“Um…” He swallowed, not really used to being looked at for this long. And definitely not used to being looked at like that. Like someone was actually interested. “Do you know what you’re having?”
“Mmhm,” she looked at him, looking him over, for a minute. “Pretty much the same thing I have whenever I’m here. You can have whatever you want though, and don’t worry, I’m paying.”
“Shell, I can’t -”
“You can and you will. It’s fine. I can afford it. I don’t mind,” she glanced over the menu for a moment anyway, just to see if something else jumped out at her. “Besides, this was my idea, so I’ll pay.”
Gerard sunk back into his seat. “You’re so stubborn.”
“Oh, I know,” she grinned at him. “You know what you want?”
They discussed food for a few minutes, before Shelly gently took the menu from him and wandered up to the counter. Gerard watched her go, nibbling his bottom lip as he tried not to be so obvious with his staring. Shelly glanced over her shoulder as she waited for one of the girls to be free and caught him. She smiled and giggled as she saw him jump, blush and hurriedly look for his phone. She couldn’t really hear him from where she was, but she would’ve bet that he squeaked too.
“Hey doll,” Beth leant on the counter in front of the blonde. “You both made up your minds?”
“Not difficult for me, really, I’m pretty predictable,” Shelly put the menus on the counter to go over what they wanted; she always did this; used the menu as the waitress entered it into the system. No matter where she went, it helped her remember things and helped her slow down when talking.
“Now, are the fries for you to share with your handsome young thing?”
Shelly blushed. “Well yes. And, he’s not quite mine yet. I hope he will be though.”
Daphne passed them to grab something from under the counter. “Oh, honey, I think he already is; he keeps lookin’ at you.”
Beth glanced in the direction of Shelly’s booth before nodding. “Oh aye, he does. Like he can’t quite believe his luck.”
“I… Um… Well!” Shelly coughed quietly. “I’m the lucky one really, he’s just so…” She paused and, no word of a lie, she sighed softly. “He’s so cute.”
Beth and Daphne giggled.
“And he’s smart, and an artist and - ” Shelly pulled her wallet out of her pocket and paid.
“Doll, we know,” Beth said, handing the girl her receipt.
“We remember,” Daphne nodded. “You do talk about him a lot.”
Shelly blushed, which made them giggle again.
“We expect you to bring him back on your anniversary hon,” Daphne grinned before going back to another table.
“And then again to tell us that he’s dropped to one knee for you,” Beth giggled, passing Shelly a couple of spoons for their milkshakes.
“Oh, shush!” She stuck her tongue out at the two women before heading back to the booth and back to Gerard.
He looked up from his phone when Shelly sat back down opposite him. He hadn’t heard the conversation, but he had heard the giggling and he could see how pink she was. “You okay?”
She nodded quickly. “Mmhm! Just trying to stop them stealing you away from me, that’s all.”
Gerard tried to hide a smile and glanced up to see her chewing her bottom lip a little. He hesitated for a moment before reaching across the table to cover one of her hands with his own. She blinked rapidly and looked up in surprise.
“You don’t need to worry about that…” He said quietly. “It’s you I like.”
“Well, I should hope so,” she placed her other hand over his. “I mean, it’s me you’re here with after all.”
He grinned and was about to say something else when Daphne appeared with their milkshakes and cutlery.
“Here ya go darlin’s,” she placed them down on the table. “Now, I know Shelly here; she always has the same thing, so this one must be yours.”
“Thank you,” Gerard said quietly.
“Hey! You can’t fault me for liking something that’s so good,” Shelly muttered.
“Of course not honey,” she patted Shelly’s shoulder. ”Your food shouldn’t be too long.”
“Thanks Daph,” Shelly placed her hand on the other woman’s, while it was still on her shoulder, patting it before she went back to work.
“They’re really nice here,” Gerard said quietly as he examined his milkshake. “And this looks incredible.”
“Milkshakes to die for,” Shelly agreed. “And yeah, all the girls that work here are nice. The cooks are pretty cool too,” she hummed and nibbled on the wafer from her shake. “I do come here quite a lot, and I try to be really nice, and tip really well ‘cause I know that working in the service industry can suck.”
Gerard nodded and almost did a double take. “Shell, you’ve…”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“You’ve got…” He shifted around the seating, only a fraction, only so he could be a little closer. When he was close enough, he gently wiped a little whipped cream off of the tip of her nose. “There.”
Shelly watched him, and almost went cross-eyed when his thumb brushed over her nose. Almost. She definitely went pink when he did it, and maybe even a little pinker when he quickly licked his thumb.
“Must’ve been on part of the wafer,” she said, still a little pink. “Not the first time I’ve done that, and probably won’t be the last either.” She hummed for a moment. “At least I’ve got you here today to keep me presentable though.”
Gerard chuckled and was about to shift around the seating again when she put her hand on his arm. He blinked down at it before looking up at her.
“You don’t have to move away,” she said quietly. “If you don’t want to. I mean… I’m okay with you being this close. It’ll be easier to talk this way too. But, if you want to move, that’s okay too!”
He shifted a tiny bit; just enough to pull his jacket and milkshake to within an easier reach. When he finished moving around, he could see that Shelly was trying to hide a smile.
“If you’re sure that you’re okay with it?”
“Mm!” She pushed her shake aside and focused her attention on him. “Of course I am.”
“She’d be in your lap if you’d let her sugar,” Beth appeared with their food, carefully placing the three plates on the table. “Don’t be shy now, we encourage a little affection between couples. Especially ones as cute as yourselves.”
Gerard coughed slightly and Shelly pouted.
“Beth,” she said quietly. “Be nice.”
The waitress giggled. “Enjoy your meals darlin’s.”
“Thanks Beth,” Shelly rolled her eyes, but she was smiling so there wasn’t an ounce of malice in it at all. She turned to Gerard. “Thanks for agreeing to go the whole way with me here.”
Gerard almost choked on his tongue. “Excuse me?!”
Shelly giggled - she was very aware of what she’d just said. “I mean, with the fries! The cheese, the barbeque sauce and the bacon bits.”
“Oh! Oh. Yes, that’s fine, I mean,” he huffed as he tried to catch his breath again. “I think I’d be a monster to not agree to that.”
She hummed happily. “And you’re nothing of the sort.”
“Not to you, anyway,” he muttered, picking up his fork.
“No, and that’s the important thing.”
They sat and ate quietly for a little while. He couldn’t speak for her, but the quietness felt… Comfortable to him. She had been absolutely right though - the milkshakes and the fries were, more than likely, the best things he’d ever had. The fact that she kept licking and sucking sauce off of her fingers was… A bonus. Yeah, he was going to call it a bonus.
“Jesus, still so many fries,” he muttered.
“I did tell you that sharing would be the best option,” she teased lightly. “Bet you’re really glad that you listened.”
“Of course. I would’ve listened to you anyway. I mean, you’re more familiar with this place than I am, and I trust you, and your opinion, anyway.”
“You trust my opinion?” She turned her body towards him a bit more.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then why don’t you trust that I know what I want?” Her voice was soft and gentle. “Who I want?”
Gerard shrugged a little. “I guess I’m just trying to stop you from wasting your time?”
Shelly tutted softly. “Time you enjoy ‘wasting’ is not time wasted. Okay?”
“Oh,” his voice was quiet. “Okay.”
She shuffled closer to him in the booth and ever so gently lifted his chin. “Hey, listen to me.”
He nodded, trying very hard not to look at her mouth. “I’m listening.”
“Good,” her hand moved from his chin to cup his cheek. “I would like to spend my time with you, outside of classes. I’d like to be more than just friends - I’d like to go out on dates with you. Maybe kiss you a little eventually. That’s what I want. How does that sound to you?”
Gerard swallowed. “Um, I… Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. I… I can go along with that.”
A small smile tugged at the blonde’s lips and she raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Sounds good, huh?”
“Um! I mean, it sounds great! I…” He turned into the hand that was still cupping his face and pressed a small, shy kiss to her palm. “I’d like that.”
“Yeah? You sure?” She watched, and felt him nod before she exhaled, giving his cheek a gentle squeeze before removing her hand. “I am really, really glad to hear that. I was a little nervous.”
“You? Nervous?” he blinked rapidly. “I don’t believe it.”
“Of course I was! I was worried that I’d bullied you into this… Are we calling this a date, or just a conversation?”
“We can call it a date, if you want,” he said bashfully. “And no, you didn't bully me into it. I just couldn’t believe that you were serious.”
“Oh, Gerard,” she put her hand on his knee under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. “How could I not be serious? We get on pretty well, I think you’re smart and funny, and on top of all of that, you’re adorable. How could I not want to date you?”
He went pink when she squeezed his knee and was positively peony by the time she’d finished speaking. “I… I didn’t think I’d be your type. I thought that maybe I’d be a little too nerdy or something…”
The girl snorted slightly. “Oh, rubbish. You forget that I know you, remember? We’ve had hours and hours of conversations in art. Our whole relationship, for lack of a better term, up until now hasn’t just been you staring at my boobs in English.”
Gerard went absolutely scarlet and spluttered. “I.. I! I couldn’t help it, and - you never dressed like that in art!”
“Ah, so you did notice that bit.” She giggled to herself. “But no, seriously. I wouldn’t’ve kept doing that if I wasn’t interested.”
“You- you knew I was looking?” He avoided her eyes and fiddled with a napkin. “Although I promise that I tried really hard not to…”
“I know sugar. And yes, I knew,” Shelly shrugged and sipped her milkshake. “Sometimes a girl just knows when someone’s looking at her. I always hoped it was you, and then I caught you a few times.”
Gerard felt his face get even hotter. “I’m sorry, I really am.”
Shelly waved it off. “You can’t apologise for doing something that I wanted you to do. Especially not when I started purposely dressing that way so that you would look at me. That’s like, entrapment? You really have no need to apologise for that.”
Gerard hummed softly before nudging the almost empty plate of fries towards her. “You want the last few bits?”
“Um,” she glanced at the plate. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Sure, I’ve had more than enough.”
“Okay,” she smiled at him before stabbing the sauce-ladened fry with her fork and eating it. She hummed happily and licked her lips. “You can have the last one next time. I mean! Providing you want to do this again? Providing you want to come here again? With me?”
“I’ve already said that I’d like that,” he put his hand down on the booth seating between them, inches away from hers. He edged his hand closer before hooking his pinky finger over hers. “To come here again, coming here again with you, and to just… Seeing you again?”
Shelly glanced down at their hands and smiled before covering his hand with hers and giving it a small squeeze. “Good!”
Daphne came over to take away their empty plates. “Everythin’ good darlin’s?”
“So good,” Gerard replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Aw, well, ain’t you the most polite young man!” She looked at Shelly. “You keep a tight hold on him.”
“Believe me, I’m gonna,” Shelly squeezed his hand under the table again. “Everything was wonderful as always, Daph.”
“You want anythin’ else baby?”
Shelly looked at Gerard who just shook his head. “Maybe just some water please?”
“Sure babe, won’t be long.” She smiled brightly at them before disappearing with their plates.
“I have to have something to counteract the milkshake,” Shelly explained. “It just makes me feel better. I don’t know why.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to explain to me.”
Beth bought over two small glasses of ice water for them. “There you go, dolls.”
“Thank you,” they chorused together, accidentally.
Beth giggled and returned to the counter. Shelly sipped from one of the glasses quietly and Gerard watched her for a moment before doing the same. When they’d finished, they left, but not before Shelly said goodbye to the waitresses and dropped some money (a couple of notes, Gerard noticed) in the tip jar. She held the door open for him when they left and almost bounced to catch up with him.
“Well,” he said quietly as they slowly walked away from the diner. “You were right, about the milkshakes and the fries. Totally to die for.”
“Of course I was right. I’ve been going there long enough,” Shelly giggled. “Would you like to go anywhere else? Or would you like me to walk you home?”
