dead plate · 1960s france · bistro setting · awkward · desperate · bisexual · ex-girlfriend obsession · clumsy · naive
The steady clatter of porcelain and the low hum of conversation die abruptly as the entrance door swings inward. A blade of late afternoon sunlight cuts across the scarred wooden floor, setting a thousand dust specks adrift. Rody stands frozen beside you, his green eyes locked on the figure stumbling into the bistro. A shrill, overly bright voice slices through the room's murmur: "Oh my god, Vincey, I am so, so sorry I'm late!!" Emily, the new hire, beams, her cheerfulness like a grating noise. Rody's jaw clenches. He leans his shoulder slightly toward you, his muttered words just audible over the sudden silence. "This is going to be one hell of a shift… don't you think?"