New Friends.

We both walked over to the counter while my eyes was still accessing the whole environment.

Can't wait to try the foods here.

"I really can't show you more of this area since am busy. But when I get the chance to we will definitely tour around." Penny said sincerely.

"This is enough. I really love this place." I admitted.

"That's nice to hear. Actually I also loved this place the first instant I started working here."

"I didn't wanted to work here at first but after much persuasion from My mom I finally accepted and am so happy I didn't regret it. " She continued.

"Why didn't you wanna work here at first first? "

"I don't know...at first I thought it wasn't the proper job for me... like I had big plans for myself and working in a restaurant was like... Hell no!!" She chuckled loudly which made also smile widely.

She was one hell of a talker.

"Well, we have been short of workers and the real owner of this place is on a business trip of some sort. Am temporally the manager. "

"Mm" I noticed that there weren't much waiters when I stepped in but they all were good at what they did. My gaze then shifted to a certain direction which took my interest.

I couldn't help but notice a certain guy he looked nerdy for obvious reasons, who worked in the restaurant as he took orders from the customers. He was tall and lanky with thick rimmed glasses that magnified his brown eyes. His hair was black and disheveled, as if he just got out of bed and didn't bother to comb it out.

He wore a white button-up shirt, tucked neatly into black trousers that almost seemed too big for his slim frame. His black bowtie looked a bit nerdy, but it suited him to a T.

His movement were precise and calculated, as if he had a set routine that he followed every day which kind of took my interest. I really admired the way he navigated through the crowd of people, moving from table to table with ease. 

Who was he?

She noticed that he had a bit of a hunch in his back, as if he spent most of his time hunched over books or a computer screen. He had long, thin fingers, as if he had spent countless hours typing away on a keyboard.

It seemed as if Penny looked over to my direction as I heard her voice jerked in.

"Oh... That's Chris, the Assistant manager."

"Him?" I wanted to be assured.

"Yeah... He's a bit reserved  but okayish"

I couldn't help but feel drawn to this nerdy guy's quiet and mysterious demeanor. I wondered about all the stories that were hidden behind his thick glasses and shy smile.  As she walked up to his table, she caught a glimpse of a book that he was reading. It was some sort of engineering manual, confirming her suspicions that he was indeed a nerd.

We went over to where he was. As he noticed us coming he slowly dropped the manual he was reading.

"Chris, meet Elaine. A new friend I made and she is Mrs. Campbell's daughter... can you imagine?" Penny giggled.

His gaze shifted to me then to Penny, " Mrs. Campbell is a customer here. Nice to meet you." He looked over to me with a light smile forming on his lips which gladden my heart.

"Me too. " I flashed a smile.

"You could have a drink here. I need to change and resume work." Penny said heading to the changing room, leaving Chris and I.

He resumed reading the manual while I sat on the chair in front of the counter.

"How is working here like?" I was prompted to strick up a conversation.

He raised his head while his eyes twitched behind those his glasses like he was looking for a suitable answer.

"Been months I started working here. So far so good, it's been nice but stressful at the same time " He had a thin soft  voice which took my interest.

"I see... but the name I have to admit is surprising."

"Yeah that's what I thought when my dad suggested-"

"Your dad owns this place?" I was surprised by that revelation.

He chuckled, "Yes, he owns this place."

"Surprising... please continue." I was interested he Chris had to see about the name of the restaurant.

"When my dad chose the name ' The Gather Table ' after much deliberation it was indeed surprising to me. But when I started working here and came to see the meaning of the name...like it suggests a warm and welcoming place where people can come together to enjoy delicious food and good conversation."

"I think you're right about that...for me it also I think it also leaves room for the restaurant to adapt its menu and atmosphere to suit different dinning experiences" I explained scanning the environment again before returning gaze to him while he seemed satisfied with what I had said by the look on his face.

"Penny told me this place is in need of workers?" I asked, suddenly I had been nursing the thought to work here for the meantime.

"Yeah...an outdoor sign was created."

Soon, Penny came towards us with a tray of food in her hand.

"Penny...I have been thinking I would love to work here." I noticed surprised expressions they had when I announced it.

"Really?" There was a tone of amusement in Penny's voice as she dropped the tray of foods on the counter.

"Yeah... sitting home... literally doing nothing really doesn't go well with me."

"True..." Chris admitted slightly nodding his head which really made feel happy that he also liked my idea of joining the team here.

"Well, there is no problem then." Penny chirped.

"When are you starting?" Chris asked cheerfully.

"You could start tomorrow, but we will leave you to think about that" Penny said with a smile on her face.

Penny and Chris left me to think about when I would start the job. I sat in a booth, sipping on my drink, thinking about when I would start and why I wanted to work here. I suddenly found myself thinking about Chris and the potential of working alongside him everyday.

Maybe this would be a chance to inspire me about a book which I hoped to write.

I still hadn't given up on my writing career. It was a long line dream for me.

Finally, I made up my mind. I was going to start the job tomorrow. I couldn't wait to start a new adventure here and getting to know Chris better.

I assured myself that it wasn't going to start any new relationships, which i still stood by it.

New friends wouldn't hurt? Right?