The Beginning of a Beautiful Relationship

Who:Aaron and Evelyn
Where: The Drake
When: Afternoon

Most of Aaron's day had been spent either talking about official stuff, or standing around listening to other people talk. Neither of those were his favorite thing to do. The one interesting part of the day, lunch, had ended with the promise of a date from a girl who didn't seem to be too crazy about him yet. He had total faith that she would be before long, but he would have been happier if she had wanted him to stick around a little while.

He'd finally been cut loose from his duties. It hadn't been nearly as long as he thought, but then that always happened. If there was a lot of sitting around and talk, it seemed like days when it was just a couple of hours. He was free at last, but wasn't even close to supper time and he was too restless to just go home. He ended up in the back section of the restaurant, away from the decent folk, which suited him fine. He just wanted to have a few drinks and try to lose the mood.

Evelyn’s lunch shift hadn’t been too bad. Most of her co-workers had either resigned themselves to the fact she wasn’t going to offer any useful answers, or they had latched onto their favorite rumor and just ran with that. And the guests? For the most part they were better behaved during daylight hours in the presence of their families. And her day was just getting better, because she saw who had just sat in her section – she was collecting the tip from a nearby table when he sat down. But it wasn’t the possibility of serving him that was making her perk up, it was the fact that she could go on her break and get someone else to deal with him.

Oh, just about all the female hotel staff knew him… or knew of him. The guy really didn’t like to be ignored – especially by walking XX-chromosomes. Evelyn smiled politely at him before walking towards the back of house, where she ran into John – one of the male servers – and asked him to take care of her section (and therefore that guy). Then she grabbed her lunch and went outside to enjoy her break.

The need to be on his best behavior while working at the Drake often made Aaron more aggressive when he was out of sight of anyone important. He had a habit of making unwelcome advances with the girls, rough jokes, and sometimes childish horseplay with the guys. He really didn't care that he wasn't exactly loved by the staff. There was only one exception. Aaron was always very nice to the cooks.

He sat at the table pouring the salt into the pepper shaker while he waited, and finally his patience was rewarded. A pretty girl came in and collected her tip from a nearby table. She smiled, and he smiled back and was about to order a drink when she just walked off. What. The. Fuck. She didn't even say she'd be right with him or that someone was coming. He dumped some sugar on the table and started making rude doodles in it with a fingertip, sneering faintly in irritation as he waited for her to come back. This did nothing for his mood. And then...who came to wait on him but that punk that always messed up his order, probably because he was still being a bitch about that one time in the elevator when Aaron got him in a headlock.

"Just bring me a couple of beers... and don't open them, fucker. Bring me the bottle opener so I can do it."

The wind was ridiculous; she’d have to fix her hair a bit before heading back to work. But she needed the outside air… or maybe she just enjoyed it. Either way, a break wasn’t really a break if she was hanging around where she worked, right? Fontaine Park wasn’t a far walk from the hotel (she could still see the Drake easily enough if she turned around), but it offered a nice change of scenery from trays and tables. Her coat and scarf protected her well enough from the wind, and a small thermos of hot coffee warmed her up when they didn’t. She took a bite from her sandwich, and leaned her head back to rest against the bench.

A tiredness seeped in as she watched the clouds. Even though she got off last night’s shift early-ish, she had stayed awake long after running into Dodge – first from worrying, and then from just musing about things in general: her wants, her fears, where she was going, Life… she blamed it on meeting Zhen. The general encounter with the girl had left a ticking time bomb of questions that had hit her just before going to bed. But she tried to forget about all that, and just focus on the clouds. Zhen seemed to think she was unable to relax; and Evelyn didn’t like to admit it, but maybe the girl was right. So she drew in a deep breath, and closed her eyes… trying to just enjoy the moment.

While he was waiting for John to bring his beers, Aaron spread the sugar across the table and drew a giant penis in it. He seemed in a much better mood when waiter returned. He stood up, dropped his money on the floor and took the bottles. The guy hadn't brought him a bottle opener, but he was so amused with his own cleverness, that he didn't care. "Your tip is on the table. Just the tip, you greedy lil bitch." He chuckled as he headed out the door, and left the Drake with a grin on his face.

He walked out into the park, looking for a good surface to knock the lid off a beer bottle on. Back of a bench would do just fine. Aaron stepped up to the first one he saw, though there was someone on it, and set the edge of the cap, then knocked it with a fist to pop the bottle open. Then he realized who the girl on the bench was and grinned, swinging a leg over the back and stepping onto the seat and then down to sit next to her. "Guess you were in a hurry to get out here on such a nice day that you couldn't tell me hi or take my order." He was grinning at her, but it wasn't a very nice grin. It was like a predator waiting for the prey to make a move.

Evelyn’s eyes opened at the sudden sound, and she angled her head to see where it came from. Oh, fuck. Really? She didn’t look particularly ecstatic to see him, but she did a decent enough of job of not showing just how much so. Although his clothes were neat, he didn’t come off as being from the kind of money that typically inhabited the Drake. Yet he was there often enough – and it wasn’t unusual for him to bear the marks of (what she assumed) some sort of fight… such as now, his knuckles were scraped as hell. Evelyn was observant, and intelligent enough to put the clues together. She didn’t know exactly what it was he did for the DiGiovannis, but she was pretty certain he did something. So she kept the scowl off her face, even if she didn’t look too happy.

“I was going on break,” she answered noncommittally, giving a slight shrug. “I don’t take a table’s order and then hand them off in the middle of a meal.” It was true – guests usually didn’t like their server being changed on them, and it caused friction as to who was entitled to the tip. She did leave out the part where she was relieved to hand him off, though. “I’m sorry if you were offended, sir, but I was just doing my job.” Her tone, though polite, was dismissive as she returned to her lunch.

Aaron didn't just roll his eyes, he rolled his entire head like a four year old about to throw a fit. "Fuckin.... Come ON woman." He wasn't really aware enough of why he was doing what he was doing to understand how, but she was doing it wrong. "You couldn't have stayed five more minutes to bring me a beer or two?" He took a long pull on the bottle he'd just opened and gave her a sullen accusatory look. He didn't like her very professional little speech and didn't like her calling him sir. He wanted her to call him other stuff.

Evelyn blinked mid-bite at his little fit. What the… was he serious? She was too confused to be properly offended – although she certainly didn’t appreciate the tone or language. And the sullen look didn’t do much more than confuse her – because she really couldn’t see any reason why he would care so much. She didn’t care who did or didn’t serve her in a diner, as long as she got her food. Trying to keep in mind that this guy was somehow connected to the DiGiovannis, she kept her tone as even and de-escalating as possible. “I’m sorry, sir, but I was going on break,” she repeated – slower, this time. Who in their right mind would hold off their well-deserved break just to take on another table? And how was she supposed to know whether he wanted to order a beer or a feast? But she knew she couldn’t bring up those points in a manner that would de-escalate the situation.

“I was scheduled for a break, so I went on it. If I had been late starting it, I would have been late coming back – and I would have made other people late for their breaks as well.” She took a steadying breath before continuing, “ And I assure you that every other server in the restaurant is just as qualified to serve beer as I am.”

And, for as much effort she was spending defending her break, she really wasn’t enjoying it much. The whole point of coming here had been to enjoy her lunch in peace and try to relax – none of which was being achieved. She hadn’t even gotten past one sandwich-bite yet!

Fucking logic. Fucking calm. It was infuriating. "No, they aren't. The guy that served me isn't qualified to wipe his own ass. And I don't trust him." That part was true. The guy kept messing things up. It was on purpose, and that was just childish and unprofessional. Aaron didn't see how that might be his own fault. It was the waiter's job to do things right. That's how it worked. It didn't matter what a childish dick the customer was.

He was groping for something... anything that might set her off. "His tits aren't as nice, either." There. Maybe that would do it. After standing around so long while people went over the same shit, he wanted something to happen. He looked down, though her rack was well bundled up and all he got to see was lumpy winter coat. It was for effect.

She refrained from rolling her eyes at his outburst; it didn't strike her as the response of a mature adult. She gave a slight frown at the tits comment – it wasn’t appreciated, but she wouldn’t be nearly as good at her job as she was if she couldn’t successfully hide her annoyance. Annoying people just came with, well, any job that involved people -- especially in the restaurant. Because there annoying people were given alcohol, and got even more annoying. If she were on the clock she would have simply smiled vapidly through it; not being on the clock, she didn’t do that here, but she at least kept her face impassive. “Well if you find the service unsatisfactory, I’m certain you can take it up with the supervisors. At the hotel.” Hint hint. “Just talk to any of the front of house staff and they would be happy to get them for you.”

Leaving it at that, she finally took the second bite of her sandwich. Even though she wasn’t letting it show, she was a bit frustrated. But it had less to do with his vulgarity and more to do with the fact that she wasn’t able to enjoy her freakin’ lunch in peace.

The frown, slight and brief though it was, made his eyes light up. Then it was gone. Damn. "You like a robot lady or something? Like in that space movie?" It was crazy how she just kept saying the same kind of shit over and over and calling him sir. He repeated in a robotic voice "Take it up with the management" Then he laughed and shook his head. "I'm not the kind of guy to make trouble for somebody at work. Next time he messes up my order, I'll take it up with him in the elevator, or the men's room, or the parking lot." Aaron shrugged and drank, watching her out of the corner of his eye to see if he'd found a button yet. He knew it was childish, but he didn't care.

Of course, making trouble for someone at work was just a crappy thing to do. Especially when the problem was personal. He'd take it up with John man to man. Or... man to brick wall. Tossing people into walls was a very effective means of communication. It said loud and clear 'What you are doing causes me great anguish, and I would like you to stop, please. `It hurt, but spread the impact so there was less bruising. It also seemed to scare the hell out of them. It might be worth waiting for the guy to finish his shift.

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way,” she answered softly, staring at a pedestrian walking by. Right then Evelyn didn’t care if he said he was going to shove John beneath a moving automobile if it meant she could eat her lunch in peace. She took another small bite of her sandwich, keeping her eyes forward and not humoring him with a glance. She wondered if she just ignored him if he would go away. Obviously calmly answering his questions wasn’t working, and she wasn’t dumb enough to insult him and antagonize a guy who seemed prone to violence – and whose knuckles reinforced that image.

Aaron leaned forward a little, trying to make her look at him just from the movement. It didn't work and he sat back, frowning at his beer bottle. Then he straightened and dug in his coat pocket. "Oh.. want a beer? I got two. Made that guy bring me two to start with because he'd let me sit there a damn year with an empty bottle." He held the second beer up so she could see. "Cap's still on and everything. So I know he didn't spit in it or anything." He didn't expect her to take it, but maybe she'd say something other than sir.

“No, thank you,” she kept her voice soft and polite, keeping the annoyance pushed down. Her eyes flicked up to him for a momentary glance, since she was already answering the question. “It’s nothing against you, sir. I just don’t drink on the job.” She then gestured to her thermos. “I have my coffee anyway.” She flashed him a small obligatory smile, although the warmth of it didn’t entirely reach her eyes, before again facing forward and resuming her lunch.

She debated lying and telling him that her break was up now – but the guy had been very present for when it first started and might see through that. Not to mention, with her luck, he might just end up following her to the hotel and harass her there. No, her best bet was to just put up with him and do everything to be as boring as possible so he would leave before her break ended.

The whole day had been so boring and frustrating, and then, low and behold... here was a challenge. He was going to get something out of this woman if it killed him. Aaron considered his next move, and thought for a moment it might be time for something that would surely get him slapped, but no, one more try first, then the big guns. "Well, then. What about when you're off work and out of coffee?" He waggled his eyebrows at her with a sly grin.

What the…? First he was throwing a needless fit about her going on her break – they didn’t even know each other – and now he was asking her out? Uh, no. was physically attractive, yes, but the mafia connections and petulant behavior weren’t her thing. She wasn’t interested in going out with a freakin’ five-year-old.

“No, thank you. I have plans.” Not that she actually did, but it was better than just telling him to ‘fuck off’ and ‘not in a million years’. And even if it was after work, she still regarded him as a guest or customer she saw around the hotel; and he was one who had some type of connection to the family that owned it. Evelyn did not let her personal life and work life mix. If she had, then she probably would be telling him she had a boyfriend right now anyway.

The woman was made of stone. At least on the outside. He was starting to have a little bit of fun with this and to forget the day's little irritating details. Part of it was anticipation of what might come next. If she didn't say more than 'no thank you', he wasn't sure what his next trick might be. The sly grin didn't fade even the least bit as she turned him down. He thought if he had met this girl at another time and place, he might have really asked her out instead of just screwing with her head, but at the moment, he was simply trying to entertain himself by solving a little puzzle. And this was going to be the solution, he was sure...

"Can we just fuck, then? I can make it quick... If you talk dirty to me." Aaron actually had a hell of a time saying that with a straight face.

What the hell?! Did she just have some sign on her head that was attracting rude come-ons? It took all her control to make sure expression only showed slight annoyance. “No,” she replied steadily, her eyes – slightly narrowed – locked onto him as she answered and then stood up and packed her lunch back into the bag. Hell, this guy was making Dodge and the drunken cop look like a pair of Prince-fuckin’-Charmings. Evelyn really didn’t know why he was so fixed on harassing her – she had only seen him around the hotel and they had never talked to each other. She was pretty sure she had never done anything to him – unless going on her break was some kind of crime now. But really, who the hell honestly cared about who brought them a beer?

“And I should really head back.” She was good at containing her anger, but her lip couldn’t help stretching in a slightly thin line as she went about getting her things. She wanted to really tell him off, but she didn’t need him getting angry or violent. There was no way she could hold her own in a physical confrontation with this guy – she wasn’t particularly fight-savvy at all. But she wasn’t going to just sit there and take this. So she grabbed her purse and thermos, clutched her lunch in her hand, and walked off. “Good bye.”

He was about to burst waiting for her to respond. Her tightly controlled expression and firm no and good bye opened a floodgate of laughter. Aaron squirmed on the bench laughing like a pubescent boy at his dirty joke. He hopped up off the bench, now in a very light mood and walked around in front of her. "Come on, babe, don't be that way. Wow, you're ice cold. I've never seen anybody hold it together like that in my life. Come on... don't go. Have your coffee. I was just screwin with you." That was impressive how she didn't scream or slap or any of that. He'd never known a woman that could do that before.

He'd pissed her off, at least enough to leave and it cheered him up greatly. The fact that she didn't completely lose her shit was just fascinating to him. "Really... seriously... " He was sort of skipping around half backward like a little boy. Aaron earnestly explained, "I was joking. I've never made it quick in my life. I was just messing with you." Somewhere in the middle of it all, he'd decided he sort of liked her.

Jesus Christ this guy was psychotic! Evelyn was unimpressed with his explanation, and she only gave him an impassive stare as she continued walking. She really wished the guy would just leave. She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend and, if she was, she didn’t want this weirdo. When it became apparent that he was following her, a slight scowl flittered over face but she didn’t look at him. Staring straight ahead, she finally replied with an icily calm voice,

“I’m heading back to work now.” At least there she could enter through the employee entrance where he couldn’t follow. “And I’m certain you have other things you can be doing.” Like other people he can vulgarly ‘kid’ with. “So good bye, sir.” Evelyn could see the alley that turned into one of the employee entrances just up ahead. She only had to suffer and ignore this bastard for a few more minutes before reaching it. And, well, if he insisted on following her in – at least then she could have some of the staff and hotel security to back her up.

"Gonna just break my heart like that, huh?" He stopped following her, but was still calling after her, "We'll always have the park bench!... And I'll just have to drink away my sorrows." Aaron headed off down the street, in an amazingly good mood. He really, really liked her. And it was going to take a hell of a lot to get her to like him.

Evelyn kept her frustration under wraps as she resisted storming her way to the bathroom. There she took some of her anger on her wind-worn hair as she pulled some pins out to readjust the style. What. The. Fuck?! She was just trying to actually go outside for a break and just fucking relax -- and she had to deal with that shit?! Evelyn had never really believed in luck, and for the past couple years had felt that if there was such a thing it was against her. The past couple days just seemed to prove it. Even when she fuckin’ tried her best to do something right – like listen to that weird Zhen and relax – something always just came out of fuckin’ nowhere and messed it up!

Her hair straightened up, she gave her reflection one last frustrated glare before heading over to the break room to finally finish her lunch.