romeomendozaâ:
Romeo was mid shift, sweaty from the heat of the stoves partially visible from the front counter. No Manches was a small joint, four round tables inside and two tables outside, colorful hand painted murals and a wall to wall counter with a menu hanging overhead written in chalk. They served a few things, but served them well, in a Tex-Mex style that screamed tourist trap, not to mention the vegan options (Romeo didnât mind them, but he had some suggestions). A white uniform apron was strapped around his tall frame, pressing down on the t-shirt he wore and freshly stained with grease splatter. He was on a roll that day, moving from front to back of house to the managerâs office to have a few words with his boss that had offered to mentor him (more like, make him work overtime under the guise of gaining experience).Â
His laughter was contagious, and despite being overwhelmed and exhausted he made a joke to one of the cooks in Spanish about the state of the beans and slapped two of them on the back, a trio of boisterous hollering. Romeo shook his head before another coworker nodded at him and spoke through crooked teeth, âChica guapa con un culo gordo sentada al frente, echa un vistazo.â Romeo laughed, but when he looked over and saw Shay his face dropped, moving to slap the guy on the arm. âNo seas un pervertido, JosĂŠlito.â Romeo tugged at the towel in his hands before throwing it over his shoulder, thinking. He rubbed his thumb to his mouth in an attempt to wipe the grin off of his face. Lightly smacking the back of his hand against the shoulder of the guy nearest him, âIâmma take a fifteen, handle the pick ups.â he spoke without so much as looking at the worker, who nodded in grunt form and patted him on the back as they passed.Â
Coming out from the back, he cocked an eyebrow at Shay teasingly and put his hands out, mouth slowly curving into a grin. âLooking for someone in particular, or you just hungry and we was the closest place?â he joked, put his hand on the table she sat at. âWhat can I get for you? On the house.â
Shayâs smile matched Romeoâs evenly as she saw him approach. She hated to admit even to herself that she was relieved to see him, and suddenly more in the mood for Tex Mex for lunch.Â
Amused as she was by his joke, she didnât give him the satisfaction of an answer. Instead, she instinctively leaned forward on the table towards him and offhandedly painted towards the trendy looking chalkboards. âWell, none of that stuff, because if I remember right, you said you had some off-the menu ideas to treat me to if I ever visited.âÂ
âSo, you up for surprising me today? Your answer is gonna have a direct impact on whether I came here looking for someone or not,â she teased back brightly. âJust saying.â






















