with a few undone buttons. Wendy resembled a goddess, but I couldn’t pull off the same outfit style. I was much too thin, and had little to no assets to accentuate. To top it all off, Wendy was a real beauty. Her blonde hair was always pulled into a classy bun, and she never once showed up to work without her trademark bright red lipstick on. Every man that entered the restaurant couldn't resist looking her way at least once to the great displeasure of their female companions. I wore my hair in a boring ponytail, and never had any make-up on. Needless to say, I didn't have to worry about being bothered by anyone for as long as Wendy worked alongside me.
But I didn't envy my gorgeous colleague. I preferred staying in the background because I wasn't accustomed to the attention. It was much easier to exist in Wendy's shadow and remain unnoticed. Besides, all my life, I never knew anything else.
Despite the fact it was extremely busy, by some wonder we got all of the orders out on time. We worked twice as hard than usual, and I did my best to match Wendy's pace. Luckily enough there were no complaints or difficult guests that evening.
Sometime in the middle of my shift, I cleared away one of the tables when a group of four, tall, suited up young men entered the lobby. Some staff and several regular customers stopped to steal a quick peek. Such refined men didn't usually frequent our restaurant. Mangiare was a small, casual place that offered excellent Italian food, but nothing fancy. The atmosphere was warm and homey with simple hand-made wooden tables and yellow walls covered in pictures of Sicilian landscape. Most of our guests were local, everyday people. For some reason, I stopped collecting plates from the table, and couldn't bring myself to look away from the unnatural scene this group of men created.
As Wendy showed them to their table with unprecedented enthusiasm, one of them glanced my way. Our eyes met for a split second before he averted his gaze. Burned by the unyielding self-confidence in his dark eyes, I was struck by the almost unreal perfection of bronze skin and neatly trimmed black hair. I paced away with a strange afterthought. This must have been the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Moments after when I picked up a ready order in the kitchen, dark eyes hidden beneath thick lashes sprang to the forefront of my mind and I couldn’t comprehend why I was affected by something so insignificant.
I returned to the restaurant, carrying a tray load of steaming plates in my hands. Wendy was already busy flirting with our sophisticated guests. While the rest took the bait and laughed at Wendy's comebacks, the beautiful stranger seemed uninterested. Instead of responding to her jokes, he remained serious. A black, somber figure who stood in astonishing contrast to the vibrant liveliness of his companions. As I passed their table, he stared at me. Aware of his ruminative gaze, my hands trembled so bad that I almost dropped one of the dishes into a guest's lap. Apologizing, I quickly collected the empty entrée plates and rushed back toward the kitchen, blocking out the stranger's piercing, dark gaze that followed my every movement.
I entered the kitchen in an unusual hurry, flushed and bothered for reasons that were completely unfathomable. The chef's assistant, Carol approached, eyes narrowed as I piled the dirty plates in the dishwasher with shaky hands.
“What is the matter with you?” She leaned her hand against my forehead. “Please don't tell me you're coming down with something. We can't afford to lose another waiter these days.”
I took in a deep breath, forcing myself to regain my composure and stop acting ridiculous because a gorgeous man noticed my existence for one short second.
“I'm fine, Carol. It's just really hot in here, and I've been running around for hours to catch up with everything,” I assured her.
She smiled softly. “Why don't you take a break and go get some fresh air? I'm sure it will help.”
“That might be a good idea,” I agreed, scuffling out the back door and taking a few moments to compose myself.
The fresh air did me good just like Carol said, and pretty soon I felt normal again. Aware guests were waiting, and Wendy remained in the restaurant all by herself, I rushed back inside and out of the kitchen with a sense of haste. I entered the