Papyrus

They needed to get out. The dinner date was the first outing they had in months. Sure, they still went to parties with their friends or would grab In-N-Out while running errands, but they never went out to nice places anymore. It took a lot of begging from her to even to even get him to consider the idea. After every beg, he’d come up with some awful excuse as to why they couldn’t go which only made her want to go more. Throughout the weeks since he arrived home from tour, she didn’t give up, reminding him over and over how much it would mean to her to get out. By the time Friday came, she had won and he made the reservations.

Garrett didn’t want to change out of his sweats or put his guitar down. It had been such a good day for him; the band had composed a few new songs and talked about touring ideas and then when he came home, he caught his own wave of inspiration, sending him to his own guitar and notebook for the afternoon. All day, he hoped she would came home with that look of exhaustion before giving up on the date for sleep or some story idea that would send her to their room for hours to write. It didn’t happen though. Melanie arrived home exactly when she told him that morning, pressing a kiss to his lips before telling him to go shower.

The two were ready an hour later. He already tried to slip out of the plans, telling her he felt bad or her favorite Thai place was having some deal. Melanie would only groan, telling him to go finish getting ready and she had no intention of changing the evening’s agenda. Garrett sulked off, tying the tie around his neck and slipping his suit jacket over his shoulders with a frown.

“Y’know, I can still turn around.” Garrett’s hands were on the steering wheel, a pair of sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He gave her a glance as they approached a stoplight, “Just get some pizza or something and I think TBS’s showing The Twilight Zone all night.”

Melanie wasn’t convinced, not in the slightest. She turned to him, giving him a heavy glare. “No.”

The light changed before either could address the slight tension that rested between them now. She didn’t smile or laugh at his persistence, instead a heavy frown settled on her face. He’d upset her. After the days of constant pestering, she finally got fed up.

Once he was stopped at the next stoplight, he reached from the steering wheel to pull her hands apart and lace their fingers. Melanie looked at the gesture before looking at him, not cracking the frown when he smiled. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled when she went back to looking out the window. “I should have stopped.”

“You should have.” She repeated his words, meeting his cautious frown with a giggle. “But it’s not like I ever want you to,” a blush creeped up Garrett’s neck at the words when he picked up on the tone and what she meant, looking away from her. “So I deserve it.”

Neither spoke after that, Garrett’s heavy blush silencing both of them. It wasn’t meant to be this long of a trip, traveling into Phoenix was a half-hour drive but with the Friday evening traffic around the city, the interstate was packed. Garrett hummed along to the music as the navigated their way through, drumming his thumb against the steering wheel to the beat of his music.

“So what’d they serve this place?” He asked, breaking the silence again as he pulled off the interstate into downtown Phoenix. “You talk about it like it’s serves edible gold or something.”

“It’s a steakhouse, Gar.” She rolled her eyes, “They serve steak, which is close enough to edible gold.”

Garrett scoffed, sending her a smirk.

Neither spoke again until they arrived in the parking lot even when Garrett got lost on one of the back streets. They arrived right on time, neither stressing over the little details on the evening. When the car came to a halt and Garrett pulled the keys from the ignition, neither moved, watching the Arizonian sun duck behind the downtown buildings in silence.

He was the one to lean across the center console, kissing her cheek before cup her jaw and pulling her lips to his. It was a quick kiss, Garrett’s body snapping back into the seat quickly. Melanie gave him a smirk, twisting in her seat to see him.

“What was that for?” She asked quietly, a smile spread over her lips in reaction to his gesture.

Garrett shrugged, looking at her. “Because I’ve been a bitch this week about this and I’m sorry.”

Melanie smirked, climbing forward this time to kiss him. She held herself in a better angle, her hands resting by his thighs. Garrett’s lips teased against hers, his hands hovering over her but never touching her. She could feel him smirk, leaning back and forcing her to crawl further into his seat more. Before her legs reached the suede of the drivers seat, she pulled away. A quiet whine left Garrett’s lips as he leaned forward again, hoping she’d continue but he hands hit his chest. “No.” She whispered, “Dinner, Gar.”

They walked into the restaurant with their hands together and smiles on their faces. He dropped her hand when they got to the door, opening it for her, and then wrapping his arm around her hips. After telling the hostess their reservations they didn’t have to wait long before they were shuffled off into the dining room and seated at the small table.

“What do ya think?” He questioned when the hostess walked away, “Nice, huh?”

She nodded, looking around the room again. It was so nice to be out with him with the guys or the thought of dishes afterwards. She wouldn’t have to listen to John’s drunken rambling or Kennedy’s giggling, she simply got time with Garrett. The didn’t have to talk about him and the band or what was next like they did when everyone else went to eat with them. They could discuss anything at this dinner, whether it be important or not.

The waitress arrived then, passing them menus and pulling out her notepad to record their beverages. She introduced herself, wasting no time in her business and leaving them to be after she scratched everything down.

Garrett opened his menu first, running his finger over the laminated pages as he read the entry. Melanie followed then, flipping open the first flap, stopping at the first dish. What it was didn’t matter, she couldn’t even bring her eyes to read the words. It was the Papyrus that stopped her. The dark, decorative letters stood out against the light paper. Melanie closed her menu as quickly as she opened it.

Papyrus was the worse font. She could barely handle hearing the name, let alone looking down at it. It was in her menu ruining the food she was excited to eat. She pushed it away quickly, trying to not have an immediate reaction. Garrett’s menu was propped up in front of him, the words on the back written in the same atrocity as the inside. She shuddering, hiding her eyes until she heard Garrett sigh, snapping her back into reality.

“Gar,” Her voice was soft as she stared down at the now closed menu, pushing even further away.

“Maybe we should split an appetizer.” He continued, missing her inaudible whisper. “I mean look at this stuff, Mel…” He set his menu down on the dark table and leaned forward, his finger scrolling over some item. Garrett made a few comments about each dish he saw until his eyes rose from the menu to she her disappointed frown, pulling his small smile away too. “What’s wrong?”

Shaking her head, she looked away. “N-nothing, Gar. What’d you say you wanted?”

His smile returned, attention falling back to the menu. “Well I was looking at this,” He picked up the menu, twisting it around so she could read it, his finger gliding again over the laminated paper, stopping at a particular dish. “I thought we could split this.” He pointed to an appetizer she couldn’t bring herself to read. Looking away, Melanie sighed, trying to not appear as disgusted as she was. “Mel? Baby?” Garrett’s voice softened, his eyes looking into hers. “What’s wrong?”

Melanie swallowed the lump that had settled in her throat. Guilt was starting to fill her. She was the one to beg him to come here. If it were up to Garrett, they’d just have gotten Thai take-out or gone to get burritos at his favorite Mexican place. But no, this was her wanting; to go to a fancy restaurant, for him to wear a tie. Now though, after seeing the restaurant’s menus, she wanted nothing more than to be at home, curled up beside him on the couch, eating In-N-Out and watching some shitty zombie movie.

Before she could mutter out a response, the waitress returned, beverages in hand. Garrett asked her again if she was okay and grabbed her hand and still, Melanie said nothing, staring at the framed picture behind him. The waitress set their drinks down in front of them and sent Garrett a cautious smile. “Ready to order?” She asked, glancing at frowning Melanie and concerned Garrett. “I can wait a little longer if you’re—“

“No.” Garrett interrupted, catching both Melanie’s and the waitress’s attention. “We’re ready, aren’t we baby?” He gave his girlfriend a heavy glare, gesturing towards the waitress. “Mel, you wanna order?”

Melanie only gave the woman a look, crossing her hands in front of her chest, and sat back in the chair, watching him. She could see him growing more confused and frustrated, the muscles across his jaw tightening, another glare sent her way before Garrett turned his attention to the waitress. “S-sorry about her,” Garrett muttered, then looking at the menu. She watched him as he named a few dishes for them to share, still sending her confused glances and nods, hoping she’d chime in with her own order eventually.

When he finished, the waitress folded the notepad shut, putting it in her apron and reaching for the menus. The two stayed silent as she walked away, Garrett’s eyes drifted from her to Melanie, a frown replacing the smile he wore on the way over. “What the fuck was that about?” He voice stern, tracing over her face. “You know her or something?”

Shaking her head, Melanie looked away. She tried to push the thought from her mind. This was a date with Garrett, one she had been begging for for the last month. Letting some minor detail ruin it was silly. “It’s nothing, Gar. Let’s just enjoy this meal.”

“No.” He replied quickly, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair. “Something’s obviously wrong and I’m not dropping it until you tell me what’s wrong.” Pausing, he licked his lips, waiting for her to respond, and when she didn’t, he continued. “What is it, Mel? Is it the restaurant?”

“It’s fine.” She tried shrugging and looking away, as if she stopped caring, as if the font hadn’t been printed into the menu, making her stomach churn. “I told you Garrett, it doesn’t matter.”

“So you’re gonna eat what I ordered then?” He questioned, “Go back to how you were in the car.”

The idea of eating the food made her even more nauseous. If the place used Papyrus font, she could only imagine what there food was like. Garrett stared at her, waiting for a response that she couldn’t bring herself to say. She knew it’d make him mad, his jaw would tighten at the words. After he ordered all that food, she was planning on not eating a single bite, the knowledge of the poorly designed menu turning her off from the whole restaurant.

“No.” She breathed, looking away as to not catch him processing it.

Garrett fell forward in his chair then, his arms falling to his side. At first, he only replied with a frustrated groan. It wasn’t until she brought her eyes to his that she saw how annoyed he was. “At least explain it to me then.” His hands pushed his washed hair up, then dropping to loosen the tie from his neck. “You’re begging to come here for the past month, demanding we actually go on a ‘real date’ and then we get here and you’re completely put-off by the whole thing. What happened?”

“You’ll be mad.” She whispered, looking away as his fingers pinched the top button of his shirt open. “Just, I dunno, Gar. Just eat and…”

He cut her off then with a scoff. “I’m taking you out, remember?” His words suddenly lightened, a smile appearing. “I’m not gonna sit here and eat dinner while you sit there and watch. That’s not a date, Mel.”

“I know but I can’t, okay?”

It was obvious he was worried, trying to bite back the bits of frustration for a more sympathetic approach. Garrett reached across the table, resting his hand atop hers, mustering up a weak smile. “Just tell me what’s wrong, baby.” He whispered, leaning forward so his palm rested at her knuckles. “I’m sure we can work it all out.”

There was nothing to work out. She wasn’t eating here, not after that. Garrett could do anything, it wouldn’t change her mind. Font choice was important. The restaurant could have printed their menus in almost anything else and she could have stomached it all for the steaks and spending time with Garrett. But Papyrus wasn’t worth it.

“Papyrus.” She whispered, looking away from him.

Garrett’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

She watched him cautiously, hoping he’d catch on without her explaining it. The topic of fonts wasn’t an unusual one for her, anytime he took her to visit his brother’s she’d go on and on about Helvetica and how there was nothing more perfect. But he just stared at her from across the table, his lips turned down in confusion and his hair messy from all the frustrating moments the evening held for him.

“The uh, menus.” Her voice rose so he could hear her. “They’re in Papyrus.”

“Papyrus?” His eyebrows scrunched together even more as he repositioned himself in his seat, toying with the glass of water in front of him. “Papyrus as in the paper or—“

“The font.” She mumbled again, looking away completely then to avoid Garrett’s reaction.

They were both silent for a few minutes, neither bring their eyes to look at the other. Even in the few moments when the waitress brought a basket of bread to them, smiling at Garrett only to receive a cold glance. She fled before either could tell her to leave, reading their faces and body language correctly. Garrett sat back in his chair then, readjusting once again. Melanie feared the silence, knowing that’s when Garrett had time to churn things would always escalate.

“Gar?” She looked back at him for the first time since she uttered the very word that made him so upset. His jaw had tightened some, his own eyes dragging back over to hers.

“So you’re not gonna eat here, with me, because they printed the menus in Papyrus?” Garrett’s tone wasn’t the same. He didn’t cup her hand, his tone soothing as if she didn’t feel well or had just ran into someone she didn’t want to speak to. This was more condescending and cruel, mocking her more than anything. “Seriously?”

“It’s Papyrus, Garrett.” She tried again, hoping he’d understand. He didn’t care about fonts. Garrett din’t even notice, too busy reading the menu or commenting on the background music to care. “Papyrus.”

He didn’t seem to care. “Please tell me you are kidding about all this? You’re not gonna eat at a place you’ve been begging to go to for months because of a font.” His voice grew between each word, capturing the attention of the couple seated beside them, both giving them glances.

“Fonts are serious though.” Her voice was soft as her eyes looked into her lap to avoid his. She didn’t want a scene especially not the type Garrett made.

She felt guilty for the situation. Melanie should have never told him. Faking an illness would have been far easier and less dramatic. Garrett’s reaction though was unnecessary. He was blowing things out of proportion. They could stay and eat, enjoying the time together and just pick up something on the way home for her. They could spend the rest of the night on the couch like he wanted, watching whatever he wanted while she ate and swatted his hands away from her and her food. This wasn’t gonna end like that.

“This isn’t some cheap restaurant, Mel.” His voice was stern and heavy as he scolded her, catching her tired eyes on their journey to the wall behind him. “I just ordered food and you refuse it because of a silly font. Seriously? This meal’s like fifty bucks worth of steak and potatoes.”

Melanie shrugged, pushing past his tone. “Stay and eat it then. Like I said before, I can wait.”

“No.” He snapped, capturing the attention of more than just the couple beside them but now the cluster of tables surrounding them were listening. “Fine. We’ll fucking go. Where you wanna go, Mel? Helvetica-land?”

“Calm down.” She snapped back, making his jaw tighten. “Garrett, c’mon, it’s not that big of a deal, just—“

“Not that big of a deal…” He chuckled out repeating her words again, “You’re delusional.”

He stood from his chair before she could counter, tossing the napkin onto the table. Garrett walked off to pay the bill, insisting to pay for the food they hadn’t gotten. Melanie reached the door when he did, his hand reaching for the knob. She expected him to let her walk through first, like he usually did. This time he brushed passed her to leave first.

Garrett had always been dramatic hen they fought, but she wasn’t used to him being rude. No matter what the two disagreed on, he’d still insist on doing the gentleman-y thing for her. As they moved out to the sidewalk, she started at only a pace behind him but as they got closer to the car, he sped up, leaving her to move slowly along the sidewalk.

“Gary.” She whined, moving quickly behind him as he continued at his quickened pace, not stopping or slowing for her. “Stop.”

He only stopped when he reached the door of their car, ripping the driver side open and dropping in before she even reached the front hood. The var sat idly as she made her way around, climbing in quietly. His jaw was tight, his fingers curling over the top of the steering wheel, knuckles whitening. He was angry and embarrassed, regretting making such a scene in the restaurant. Melanie waited for him to calm down, torn between letting him process everything himself or using her own methods to relax him.

“Gary?” She whispered after a few moments, reaching her hand out to touch his tightened fingers. “Are you okay?”

The only acknowledgement he made to her was the soft scoff that came from his lips at her words. When her hand touched his, he didn’t jerk it away like she half expected him to. She brushed her hand over his, making his grip loosen and his knuckles resume their normal color. The touch got his attention, his eyes shooting to hers then back outside.

Melanie waited a little longer before she brought her hand back, cupping his cheek and jaw gently. He sighed at the touch, leaving her more confident that he was calming down this time.

“Garrett.” She watched him, waiting for his head to twist and that innocent smile reemerge. It took a few seconds for his eyes to glance at hers.

Before either could process anything, Melanie slipped from her seat to his, forcing his hands to rest at the small of her back as she straddled him. Garrett could stop the smile that came to his lips at the action, giving her a toothy grin after his initial shock.

“What’re you doing?” Garrett mumbled, “We’re in the middle of—“

She stopped his talking by pressing a finger to his lips, seizing the action. Garrett let go of her longer enough to through his hands up in defeat, giving her the go ahead to continue. Her finger fell then, his lips staying shut as her arms coiled around his neck and she repositioned her further in his lap. “I’m sorry.” She smirked, her lips at his nose and her body pressed up against his enough to slop his actions. “I’m really sorry.”

Garrett smirked a little at her words, shifting under her. She had him pinned into the seat well, keeping him from trapping her words in her throat with his own lips. For the time she was on him, she spent the time teasing him, bring her lips close to him only to pull away. Garrett’s hands were what finally brought her close enough that he could capture her lips, stopping her from pulling away.

At first, she just whined, trying to separated their bodies but then, when Garrett’s hands wandered under her shirt, pushing the fabric up to touch her skin did she finally give in. Her hands slipped into his hair and down his neck, stopping when she felt the tight collar of his shirt and the tie that secured it. She smiled against him then, bring her hands around to pull the tie apart and the buttons to become undone.

He was the one to pull then apart when her hands ducked lower on the shirt, the last three buttons remaining closed. “H-house?” He breathed watching her sit back a little to breath.
Nodding she climbed off, falling back into her seat with a sigh. “Let’s go.” She spoke as Garrett’s attention dropped to his shirt, quickly trying to closed the open opens she’d done. Melanie swatted his hands away, winking at him. “Hurry.”