Chapter Text
The moon was high in the sky and the heater was blasting inside the old truck. It was nice — or would be if it were not for Arthur feeling himself drifting in and out of consciousness. It had been a stressful few days, having to drive back and forth across multiple states to help various family members. It started with just his fathers asking him to help load their things into a van as they moved, and while they only lived a few hours away, Dutch had insisted he bring up John too to help. This led to having to pick up his younger brother, bring him to their fathers, and drive him back, and come right back because Hosea wanted his help for something else.
So by the end of it, his fathers were on their way to their new home and Arthur was on the verge swerving off the road and crashing into a tree.
That's why he figured he should stop at whatever building was just down the road — the one with a bright neon sign reading 'open'. He pulled into the parking lot, letting his head lull forward and rest on the steering wheel before stepping out into the dull chill of the night.
It was late January, and while snow was forecasted to hit soon, it had yet to. Arthur had a bit of him hoping it would snow soon, he hadn't seen any since he was little and went ice skating with his siblings. A snow storm would mean he could be tucked away at home, and enjoy the warmth of his bed.
He moved inside into the building, which seemed to be a small diner. He moved to a booth in the corner after nodding to a woman behind the desk, situating himself and glancing outside. Very quickly a menu was put in front of him, which he muttered a thanks to as he read over it.
Looking over quickly gave him insight on what place this was, a quiet little restaurant called "Pearsons" which his sister had talked about before. Tilly would talk about how she enjoyed the food, and often went there with Mary-Beth as she wrote and got Tilly's opinions on things. He tried to remember what she said she got every time, but he couldn't. He blew out a long breath, rubbing a hand over his face as he heard the sounds of footsteps nearing.
“Hello, welcome to Pearson's, what can I get you today?” The voice (which Arthur took a moment to take in) asked. Arthur glanced at the man, and once again paused for a moment. He was a sight, long hair he had tied into a braid. Arthur opened his mouth as if to respond, before shutting it again.
Another moment passed before he responded, glancing over the menu. “Could I get a coffee? And whatever you recommend for food, I ain't ever been here before.” He said, pulling a dry chuckle forward. He held out the menu to the man, a small smile pressing to his lips.
The man — who wrote what he wanted down before glancing at him — returned the smile, taking the menu. “We'll get you that as quickly as we can.” A soft nod, before disappearing past the seat.
Arthur tried to calm the feeling that pulled in his stomach as chest, feeling the heat in his face and pressing his head against the cool window next to the table. Many thoughts were going through his head, mainly what was going on with him. He'd felt this before, obviously, with his ex-girlfriend, Mary — and even Eliza even if it were lesser.
It felt odd that this time the feeling felt stronger, and that it was for a man (who he didn't even know the name of). He'd found men attractive before, yes, even commented on it to some of his friends, but never like this.
He swallowed, turning over how he felt in his head — as if trying to dissect it and figure out just how and why it was this man. His thoughts were brought to a halt as the person of interest came back. He set a steaming mug of black coffee in front of Arthur, along with a plate of some scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a small stack of pancakes. Glancing up, he gave a smile again. “Thank you, sir.” He said, giving yet another nod.
The man of course returned these gestures, followed by a small, “Happy to, will that be all for you tonight?”
“Mhm, that's all.” He spoke, forcing himself to pull his eyes away from the man as the red creeped up along his cheeks.
“Alright, I'll go get your check for you then, enjoy your meal.” He spoke, before disappearing once again.
Arthur glanced at the food, and drank the coffee first. It burnt his tongue a bit, though that only helped to wake him up. Next he moved to the food, eating that rather quickly. The pancakes were delicious and fluffy, and everything else barley stood to them.
The man appeared back only three more times, and both Arthur tried to keep his eyes elsewhere to not keep staring at the poor soul. Once was to place down the check and clear the plates, the second to take the money and receipt, the third to return the copy back to him.
He wished Arthur well as he grabbed it up and moved to the door, Arthur chewed over his lip as he called a thanks back.
He moved against the cold that bit through his jacket, and noticed faint white dots twinkling down around — snow. He got into his car, and quickly turned on the heater.
Looking at the recipt after reaching his car, he noticed small words scribbled in the corner. Shifting to let the moonlight help him see, he read the words.
“Hope you enjoyed your meal, xxx-xxx-xxxx, text me if you'd like.”
Arthur did infact, text.