Work Text:
“Sir, are we still waiting on one more?”
Carlos looks up, meeting the kind eyes of the server who was just doing their job. He could see that she was having the same thoughts as him - that he had been stood up and there was never going to be a second person coming.
“Yeah.” Carlos says even though the single word makes his heart ache. He knew that he should give up and just leave but the part of him that believed in people said that they were just running late for some reason.
Thirty minutes late, to be exact.
The server nods and refills his water before disappearing to tend to her next table. Carlos makes a note to give her a large tip no matter how the night turned out for him. Someone deserved to have a good night.
He checks his phone again, letting out a soft sigh when he sees that there are no calls, no texts, no messages of any kind.
He had been stood up. Again.
He sends a text off to his friend to let him know what happened and that he wasn’t very pleased with the outcome of the night before he takes a look around. At the table next to him is a guy looking as dejected as Carlos felt.
“You look like you could use a drink.” Carlos says to the guy.
The man looks up, and Carlos doesn’t mean to stare at him, but the man is just so pretty that Carlos has a hard time tearing his eyes away.
“If I drank I would take one right now.” The man says with a half shrug. “Has dating always been this hard?”
Carlos snorts. “I guess so, seems all I get out of it is bad luck and no shows.”
The man looks at him for a moment before he stands and moves over to Carlos' table, “I’m making the assumption that we’ve both been stood up so how about we at least attempt to enjoy our night by enjoying it together?”
Carlos shrugs, it wasn’t like his night could get any worse. “Sure, be my guest. I’m Carlos.”
The man looks at him, almost in shock. “Wait, are you Carlos Reyes?”
Carlos raises an eyebrow, should he know this guy? He had never seen him before. Carlos was sure he would remember someone as pretty as the man standing before him. “Yeah, I am. Why?”
The man in front of him blushes, ducking his head and he almost looks embarrassed. “I’m TK, I, well, I’m supposed to be your date for the evening.”
Carlos just stares at him.
“ You’re my date?”
TK looks at him sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah… if it makes you feel any better I’ve been here almost as long as you and I also thought you stood me up.”
“If you knew you were my date, why did you just sit over there?” Carlos asks, feeling slightly annoyed at the situation. They had been sitting right next to each other and hadn’t even known.
“In my defense Michelle told me that you’d be wearing a blue button down and you’re wearing a white one!” TK says, slipping into the seat next to him. “What about you? What’s your excuse?”
“Michelle told me I would ‘know him when I saw him’ and that it ‘would be obvious’ who my date was and you were supposed to have some kind of flower!” Carlos says, not convinced he was in the wrong. TK clearly didn’t have a flower in hand.
“Okay, okay.” TK holds up his hands. “We both made mistakes but at least we’ve figured it out. Maybe we can restart? Pretend like we haven’t been sitting here for half an hour thinking we stood each other up?”
Carlos rolls his eyes playfully. “Okay.”
TK grins and stands up, turning around and walking away before Carlos can say anything. He reappears just a few moments later with a flower that Carlos is certain that he stole from the flower display by the door and walks over to him.
“Excuse me, are you Carlos Reyes?” TK asks, holding out the flower. “Because if you are, I’m here to make you night one you won’t forget.”
Carlos can’t help but laugh at how cute TK is and takes the flower from him. “Yes, I am Carlos and I do think you’re my date.”
TK grins and takes the flower from him. “Good, because I do have some plans for the night and I think you’re going to enjoy it.”
Carlos grins, hoping and knowing that he would have a good night with TK.