Abandoned At Denny's: A Love Story ~ TSL

Adelmar Waterson-Aitchison III known as Trey was daydreaming while staring out the window at some students playing Soccer. He was supposed to be working on a paper for his Accounting Class. He had been looking up some really old statistics when some movement outside caught his eye. The teams were playing shirts vs. skins and the eye candy was distracting, to say the least. Trey was about to go back to work when a new skin player arrived on the pitch. It was Shawn Zurita-Sheppard the star striker for the University's Soccer Team. Shawn was a stud in anyone's definition and was always being chased by a gaggle of female groupies and a few guys as well.

Shane Rennalls walked into the library looking for his best friend Trey, when he saw what Trey was doing, he just shook his head. 'Boy Trey sure has it bad for Shawn, and he won't do anything about it. Sad, well I better go find my Benny and see what we can do about getting Shawn and Trey together.'

Meanwhile, Remus Bennett AKA Benny was in Shane's room looking out the window at his best friend Shawn, and just shaking his head. Shawn was surreptitiously looking for Trey, who he had the hots for, however, Trey was on the Dean's List, and unavailable. Or so Shawn thought. Shawn also didn't know if Trey liked boys or girls as he was never seen with anyone, except that is for his high school pal Shane. Benny pulled out his phone and sent a quick text message to Shane,

He then turned his phone off, as that was the only way he would get any peace otherwise Shane would keep asking him questions. Benny took one more, quick look out the window, because even though he and Shane had been together since they were knee-high to a grasshopper Shawn was a hunk and not a bad guy either.

Benny arrived at 'their' Denny's just over ten minutes later, Shane was already waiting for him just as Benny knew he would be. Shane had a very impatient look on his face. Benny waved at the Host as he headed toward their regular table, the waitress for that section saw him and yelled across the restaurant to the cook,

"Two 'Owners' Specials' needed yesterday." She then headed over to make their Chocolate Banana Milkshakes with Chocolate Whipped Cream.

Benny reached their table and without saying a word reached in his pocket, pulled out his phone and handed it to his soulmate Shane, who also without speaking turned the phone on and began playing back his messages to Benny. Before the messages had finished, the waitress arrived with the boys' milkshakes; she set them down on the table, one in front of each of them, and then with the ease of lots and lots of practice skillfully removed the phone from Shane's hand and turned off the message playback.

"You know the rules, food first, fighting and lovey-dovey afterward." She then put the phone down on the table and went to get their food.

"Busted!" Was all Benny said before he began drinking his shake. He and Shane had been eating at 'their' Denny's since almost the minute it opened, both of their sets of parents' worked and ate at that Denny's a lot since it was close and relatively cheap. The boys eventually ended up at the same school together and Benny saved Shane from being beaten up by the class bully, and they were attached at the hip from there on. The families slowly stopped eating there, however, the boys ate there every chance they could get. Eventually, they ended up with their own table, and over the years outlasted many managers and employees alike. One day a newbie waitress tried to stop the boys from sitting at their table without being seated; their favourite waitress that they thought of as a grandmother quickly set the blonde bimbo straight,

"Honey chile, those two boys be the owners they have been eating here longer than you been alive! That table is theirs no matter what time or what day they come in. If there be somebody else sittin there, you move them no questions asked. Got it?" Of course, she said it loud enough for everyone in the whole restaurant to hear, Shane and Benny just grinned and then opened their textbooks and started studying. When their milkshakes arrived, they subconsciously grabbed theirs and started drinking.

As soon as each of them had drunk about half of their shakes, Shane turned to Benny and said,

"Start talking Buster you pulled me away from studying with Trey, and if I fail that test on Friday..."

"Oh, stuff it lover, you know Trey won't let you fail and it is partially about him that I dragged you in here kicking and screaming. Oh, wait I didn't hear any screaming. I just realized that you and I may be able to solve our two biggest problems and that is getting those meatheads that are our two best friends together so we can double date and get on with our lives, without having to hold their hands as they pine over their unrequited love." Benny had to stop speaking as their 'Owner's Specials' were set in front of them. He knew better than to keep talking until most of their food had been eaten.

Back at the University:

Trey finally decided to give up trying to get any work done as his mind and eyes kept drifting to the soccer game outside and a certain shirtless Adonis. He took the book that he was looking at over to the MultiFunction Office Machine and had it scan the pages he needed, and then email the scans to him. He then went back to the table where his textbooks, notebook, and laptop were, and began doodling Shawn's name in his notebook, he even wrote Shawn's name with his last name and his name with Shawn's last name. 'Oh, if only I could become Adelmar Zurita-Sheppard or even better yet Trey Zurita-Sheppard,' Trey mused dreamily as he watched the man of his dreams run all over the pitch chasing the ball and occasionally taking shots. What Trey didn't see through his rose-coloured glasses was that Shawn was actually getting beat by the defenders and none of his shots were coming close to the goal, oh well they do say love is blind.

On the pitch and inside Shawn's head:

 Shawn was basically just going through the motions playing in the pickup game, he thought that he had finally figured out a way to get to meet Trey the Academic God that was also an Adonis. However, the class that he wanted to transfer into was full, and the professor was one of the few anti-jock professors on campus and wouldn't give him a waiver. Shawn was one of the few jocks that he knew that loved statistics, spreadsheets, and even actuary tables. He couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to be an Accountant, a CPA, or an Actuary. What very few people knew was that he could have attended the University on either an Academic or a Sport's Scholarship. He chose the Sport's Scholarship to make things easier for him in the Athletic Life at the University. He knew that Benny's lover Shane was best friends with Trey and that the three of them often had meals together. He also shared meals and studying with Shane and Benny; now if he could only get up the nerve to ask Benny and Shane, to invite him along one night when they were having dinner with Trey or to invite Trey on a night when they were having dinner with him. This is the time when the voice in Shawn's head should be saying 'Be Careful What You Ask For©!' D&B 2007

Back at the Denny's

The duo had just finished eating and had started on their third or fourth milkshake; they weren't exactly sure how many as this Denny's served their milkshakes Soda Fountain style with the metal container the shake was mixed in along with the milkshake in the fancy glass topped with Chocolate Whipped Cream and a Cherry. Suddenly Benny reached over and smacked his soulmate on the back of his head,

"You know we have to be two of the biggest idiots of all times, your best friend is Trey right and the three of us get together for dinner and studying, right? My best friend other than you of course, is Shawn and we do the same thing with him right...?" Benny stopped talking as he had to reach over and lift Shane's jaw off of the floor where it had landed when the light went on in Shane's brain.

"Valentine's is this Friday, so, this is what we do..."

Valentine's Day, Friday Night at Denny's

Shane picked up Trey just before 6 PM on Friday evening to drive him to their dinner with Benny at their Denny's. Trey gave Shane his usual hug and then asked,

"Where's Benny, I thought he was having dinner with us?"

"He'll meet us there, he had an errand to run."

On the other side of the campus, the same scene was playing out just the names were changed to protect the innocent. Shawn asked Benny,

"Where's Shane?"

"Oh, he'll meet us there he had an errand to run."

When Shane and Trey arrived at their Denny's, Shane and Trey walked over to their usual table,

"Go ahead and sit-down Trey, I have to go see a man about a horse, I'll be right back." Shane then exited stage left.

Shane hadn't been gone for more than thirty seconds when Benny and Shawn arrived, and Benny pulled the exact same trick as his lover.

So here we have Trey and Shawn finally getting to meet each other and neither one of them can get their mouth to speak. Just as Trey decided to break the ice their favourite waitress brought their usual drinks followed by a waiter with their usual meals. She then spoke up,

"Honey chiles, just go ahead and eat your friends won't be back they said they had some studying to do. Your meals, including dessert, are all paid for, and they said to call for a Taxi to get home. Now you two know the rules, food and drinks first and then lovey-dovey," with that she turned around and walked away.

The End

Addendum:

Ten years later the author returned to his story and yes, the two guys were still sitting there as they were the night they got Abandoned At Denny's. Oh, wait that is another story entirely.

Author's Note:

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this whimsical tale as much as I enjoyed writing it. In case you were wondering I was trying to set the Galaxy Record for the use of the most clichés in the fewest amount of words. I think I did pretty well, what do you think?

 TSL

Flames, compliments, and criticisms are always greatly appreciated at The Story Lover

Art's Note:

I have to admit that this story made me thirsty for a shake. Well done TSL, I enjoyed it!! I just wish our Denny’s wasn't on the other side of the island.

Art

 Darryl's Note:

post it note. grin

Nice story, cute and concise. I still don't know what happened to my original copy.

TSL, I'm sorry it took me so long, but I had some life issues earlier.

I somehow lost track of various things I was in the middle of.

 Thank you for sending me the story again.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

 Modi's Note:

I hate cliffhangers! So, do they get together or not? LOL ;)

Modi