Rainy Days (Dead Plate)

2

Rody's shift was easy. It was a Monday, so the bistro wasn't too extremely busy.

However, there was one thing that put Rody on edge. After he had gotten orders for a table, Vince came up to him and said, "Come into my office once you finish your shift, Rody."

It made Rody's mind race with questions, but he didn't ask them. Instead, he simply nodded and Vince walked away right after.

Then, in no time, Rody's shift was over, and he was nervously straightening out his clothes and fixing his hair, making sure he didn't look too much like an idiot in front of Vince.

He didn't know why he was so worried about that. It was just a simple little one-on-one in his boss's office. Nothing more.

Rody sighed and came out of the restroom, then headed into the kitchen and entered Vince's office. "You... you wanted to see me, Vince?" he said, closing the door quietly behind him.

Vince was sitting at his desk, looking at some papers that were scattered across it. His desk was... unorganized, to say the least. He looked up at Rody and gestured toward the chair on the opposite side of his desk.

Rody walked over and sat in the chair, watching as Vince shuffled his papers and put them in a neat pile, setting it to the side. He looked at Rody in the eyes, his expression dead-serious as usual, but it made Rody feel more intimidated than normal in this dimly lit room for some odd reason. He smiled nervously at the other man, who simply sighed and handed Rody a small piece of paper. When he got a puzzled look from the ginger, he sighed again.

"Meet me there. I'll be out front once you get there, which should be at 9 o' clock tonight. However, knowing your late habits, it'll probably be a bit later than that,"  Vince said. Rody blushed a bit out of embarrassment when Vincent mentioned his tendency to be late to things.

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Okay. I'll try to make it there on time," he said. Vince looked somewhat satisfied with that answer, and he nodded.

"Good," he said. He noticed Rody's nervous expression, and let out a small sigh. "Don't worry if you don't get there on time. Just try not to be too late. Okay?" he said, then raised an eyebrow slightly, giving Rody an expectant look.

Rody nodded. "Got it. I'll try not to disappoint," he said. Vince cringed at the word try. It itched at his skin like a mosquito bite.

He took in a breath, then nodded back at the other man. "You're free to go, then. I'm expecting to see you tonight, Rody."

He watched as Rody nodded and got up and left.

[end of chapter 2]