green light.

Daisy was successfully able to hide any form of a teasing eye roll from appearing on her face in contrast to the beaming smile she already has been wearing. “Thank you, and for that I will later give you a small complimentary glass of wine to drink your sorrows away,” she replied, although biting her lip at the end of her statement to cover up that unnecessary output. “As for all of those things, I can surely help you. I can even get you a table outside, near the window, by the kitchen or at the middle. Just take your pick.” she said, pointing at the options mentioned for him to choose. And as he was preoccupied glancing around and wherever, Daisy being her sarcastic self muttered to quietly, “But basing on the amount of dates you had, I’m sure luck you won’t be able to help you no matter where you sit or what you eat.” 

All she was able to do while he was explaining as to how he ended up in his situation was nod repeatedly. She tried to understand where he stood at, but seeing as she was never pestered on by her mother to go on dates as he was, she never did. “We’ve added a new stew only section. There’s chicken, lamb, rabbit, basically almost everything under the sun. A few desserts and a menu for the spring season. Did you pick your lucky seat now?”

“Wine? Now you’re speaking my language,” Harry murmured back with a shy little shrug. “Although, really. It isn’t necessary. I’m happy to pay for great service. Keep the complimentary glass for someone who could really, really use it, alright?” While flashing his wealth wasn’t something Harry did, he did tend to push towards charitable acts. Money wasn’t something he’d been seeking when he went into programming all those years ago and he still wasn’t too interested in it. Anything he didn’t need, he wasn’t going to accept. “I don’t know...” He began, following Daisy’s gaze out to the tables, “little cold out there, maybe? And I happen to be very fond of podcasts and so many of them say that sitting next to a restaurant window is the worst place you can sit. In case a car comes through the window... Slim chance of that happening here, but I don’t know if I can consciously take that risk.” It was a joke, of course. Partially, anyway. He didn’t mind where he sat at all and his nervousness definitely pushed him over the edge of being too talkative sometimes.

“Stew?” He questioned, turning back to Daisy quick enough to cause whiplash if he hadn’t been careful. “Are you doing take outs by any chance? My dad would do anything for a good Italian rabbit stew. That’s all I ever hear about from his childhood when his Grandmother would make rabbit stew.” It was impossible for Harry to really switch off his family instincts now he was back in the town he’d grown up in. Everything reminded him of his ridiculously big family and how much he missed them while wrapped up in the fast pace of the big city. With a soft sigh, Harry shook his head eventually. “Surprise me? I’m not holding out much hope for this one.” Admitting that felt a lot more embarrassing than showing up to the same restaurant for blind dates every few weeks. But, it was true. He wasn’t looking for anyone and his parents really didn’t have a good grip on the type of person he was best suited to - it was all name, status... Everything but chemistry, it seemed.

Ever so slightly, Bree was able to sit herself up on the bed, her legs still sore and body needing rest that her sleeping pattern couldn’t provide. “Well, you don’t have to bother waking me up now. It’ll take awhile before I get used to the change of timezone,” she shrugged, feeling her stomach growling and yearning to be fed. “But, hey, I’m not that of a heavy sleeper that you’d have to call me three hundred times. Take it down a notch, probably like fifty.” Surprisingly, after the longest trip of her life, Bree still managed to joke around. 

“Hmm, I don’t know, are there any 24 hour fast food chain around?” With that question, she also took her phone out to find the answer to it. Yet, instead of an answer, she was faced with another dispute, “Is there even wifi in this place? I’m so hungry, can’t we get room service or something? But, you know, for food, I’ll enjoy getting lost just to find one that serves at three in the morning.”

“Tell that to my phone bill,” Alba teased back, a fond smile settling onto her features before throwing off the itchy hotel sheets. Slowly, she moved to stretch out her legs, massaging the sleepy muscles with her fingers while letting a soft yawn take over her body. “Mmm, I saw a McDonalds when we were in the cab on the way from the airport?” Alba was well aware that it wasn’t helpful in the slightest, but she had the tendency to resort to mindless speaking or jokes most of the time. Once her legs were woken up and not so stiff, she moved the short distance across the room to sit on Bree’s bed with a little hum.

“If you’re expecting WiFi this whole trip, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Or did you win the lottery and not tell me?” With a gentle nudge to Bree’s leg, Alba wriggled her eyebrows playfully. “There is a reason you’ve stayed friends with me all these years, B,” she pointed out, leaning over the edge of the bed to grab her carry on bag, “and that is pretty much because my mother - as latina as any latina comes - would never let me leave home without snacks on top of snacks.” She bit her lip while searching for the small box, grinning once she pulled it from the bag. “Take anything you’d like. Hopefully it’ll keep you satisfied until we get our first continental breakfast... Speaking of, now that you’re awake, we could plan our day? We have a whole 24 hours to cross things off our Berlin bucket list before drowning in the Lindt museum tomorrow. And Phantasialand. I can’t wait to get you on a rollercoaster.” The thought caused Alba to let out a huff of a laugh and shift so her back was resting against the wall - personal space had never been her forté.

“I still can’t believe we’re actually doing this. We’ve been talking about it for years.”

Maplewood has always been the blanket that coop up one Daisy Wyatt into naivety. It has always been the scenery that she wakes up to and the last view she sees before falling asleep, thus becoming her well known routine since she was a child. The city was a mere idea of lights and heavy traffic to her, as she has always seen on the television, but being the eldest among her two siblings, she has become the dependable rock of her single mother, making the dream of venturing out of her hometown become nothing more but just a dream. 

“Hi, Gloria,” she greeted the old woman who was preparing the food as soon as she entered Pepe’s through the back door. Taking the scent in of the fresh Italian food, Daisy smiled at the sense of familiarity she always get being inside the said restaurant. She soon found herself fixing herself up to get to work outside, and after she was instructed to take up the waiting duty, she ventured out the staff only room and got to work with a fixed smile plastered on her face.

Living in a small town all your life, Daisy did not only have the town familiar to her, but also the people residing in it. Even just through their faces, she knew the all the people that enters and exits Pepe’s nonetheless. Clutching the menu book onto her chest, she heaved a sigh of relief after waiting almost all the tables. But as the bell rang, indicating a new costumer, Daisy knew she’s not done for the day yet. 

“Welcome to Pepe’s,” Daisy piped up, smile widening at meeting the new costumer. “I mean, welcome back to Pepe’s, do you want the same table?” the brunette almost laughed at her lame attempt to make a joke out of the guy’s situation, “Not to pry at all, but does your date know you’ve been bringing your past dates here for a date too?”

“Best restaurant in Maplewood, Daisy,” Harry shot back, his trademark charming smile etched onto his features immediately while pretending needlessly to read Daisy’s name badge. “I don’t know about the table though, seems to be terrible luck on all of these dates... Maybe it’s time to switch things up a little. Order something new. Sit somewhere else. Park in a different spot...” He hummed softly, leaning on the bar next to him as he glanced around the familiar restaurant. It brought back memories of his childhood when his giant family would gather and take over practically the whole restaurant for birthdays and special events. And as far as he knew, the same people had been working here for years. If he was going to put himself through the awkwardness of blind dates - which never worked in his favour - then he was going to do it somewhere that felt like home.

“I can’t say no to my mom, you know what they’re like. ‘My friend Edith has this lovely daughter who is visiting - she’s a nurse, you know, Harry - and you should take her out. Maybe I’ll end up with a daughter-in-law’. Who can say no to that, huh?” He laughed warmly before shaking his head slightly. “The downside of being a good son and actually visiting my parents. And sisters...” After clearing his throat and straightening himself out, Harry glanced over Daisy for a second.

“Things look like they’ve picked up in here. Anything new on the menu since last time?”

“Do you think anything is open right now? It’s...” Alba paused, and rummaged around for her phone, watch - anything - before sighing heavily. “Shit. It’s only three.” Again, now that her eyes were adjusted to the light, she turned her attention back to the other side of the basic and relatively small hotel room. “I can’t even go for a run without probably getting lost here either... All the regrets in this moment in time. Berlin be damned. The currywurst better be worth it. ”

The restaurant had never let him down as far as food went; who didn’t like good authentic Italian food after all? But his romantic life was no further on than it had been since his last long term relationship three years ago.

After parking up his car, Harry wandered into the restaurant and hovered at the host station rocking on his heels until he caught the eye of one of the wait staff on duty. He recognised pretty much every single one of the staff members working at Pepe’s and it was both comforting and a little embarrassing.

“Hey. I know... Back again. Clearly the bread sticks keep calling out to me,” he joked lightly with a nervous little chuckle and running his fingers through his hair. “I need a table for two for tomorrow? Around seven?”