I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love (But I Did)

Tuesday morning and Frank’s sinuses have all but cleared up, though he’s still sneezing. He’s not as disoriented anymore though, so his job is infinitely easier than it had been yesterday.

He’s trying to wipe off the front counter, and also trying not to start humming, because he gets yelled at by his coworkers whenever he hums. It’s not like he tries to, but apparently he’s very loud and obnoxious, and also it’s hard to get the harmonies and guitar riffs with just one’s vocal chords.

He hears his name and looks behind him again to see who wants to complain about what he’s doing now, but no one behind him seems to have said anything.

“Frank!” the voice says again, and he’s fairly sure he recognizes that voice.

He looks around the place, and then up where directs his vision to the front door.

Frank’s heart stops for a moment, and he thinks that he must not have woken up this morning, because he’s bound to be dreaming. This realization saddens him because that means his last five hours of work weren’t real, and he’s not going to get paid for them.

Aaron is standing near the entrance to the diner, similarly dressed, but a little more lax today. He’s prettier than Frank remembered. Frank throws the rag he was using onto the counter and then pinches himself. He smiles when he realizes that he’s not dreaming.

Frank tries to step closer to the counter, and apparently multi-tasking is not his forte today.

“Oh god, Aaron,” Frank says before promptly tripping and falling to the floor. He ends up on the ground with his legs in front of him, accompanied by a rather large thump. He wishes the ground would just suck him up and let him die, so that he doesn’t have to face the embarrassment of the fact that he just totally made a fool of himself.

One of Frank’s coworkers, a waitress who’s been there longer than even he has, walks over to him, trying not to laugh. She offers him a hand, and Frank takes it shamefully. He tries to recover himself before he stands up, and looks at Aaron. He stands up facing the other way, brushes himself off, takes a deep breath, and then turns.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m dying a little bit inside,” Frank says. Aaron is looking at him in that ‘oh god I want to laugh, but it would be rude to laugh’ sort of way and Frank doesn’t even blame him. He’s such a complete ditz, and it’s because of Aaron that it happened.

“No please, go ahead. I know you want to laugh at me, get it out of your system,” Frank says. Franks standing near the counter, almost leaning against it. Aaron is a few feet back from the counter and he bites his lip.

“No sorry. That would be rude,” he says, but he’s grinning widely.

“I come off like a lunatic to you. I really don’t do this ever. I don’t almost die and fall over a bunch,” Frank tries to say.

“So I’m special?” he asks, and Frank’s blush grows. He looks down and grabs at his apron with shaking hands, trying to rub the sweat off of them.

“At least you weren’t holding plates or something, you’d have broken them,” Aaron says.

Frank nods and clears his throat, “yeah. You’re, uh, totally right. That would’ve been so much messier.”

Aaron nods, “and we wouldn’t want to have you even redder than you are now would we?”

“Oh god, I probably look like a fucking tomato,” Frank says, “It’s not like I woke up this morning, and thought to myself that I should make an attempt to make an even bigger idiot of myself in front of the French guy who saved my life yesterday. Thanks for that by the way.”

“Oh no, are you going to do that again?”

Frank freezes, “shit, oh god. You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s alright,” he says smiling, “you don’t have to be so apologetic, it was a joke.”

“Yeah, sorry. No wait shit, I didn’t mean to apologize again, sorry. Motherfucker! I’m really not doing well with the whole talking thing today,” Frank says.

“No it’s endearing,” Aaron says.

“Really?” Frank asks, nervously rubbing at his own shoulder.

He hadn’t realized until now just how obnoxiously he clashes with Aaron. He’s this trim, godly, rich French guy with strong arms that are hypnotizing Frank, compared to this short little punk kid with tattoos and greasy hair. It’s not like Frank necessarily sees himself as unappealing, but he’s certainly not a model like Aaron really should be. Frank would buy many an underwear catalog if this guy was on the front. He would also have a fruitful and extremely prosperous life as a porn star. Obviously he’s way too charming and important looking to be either, but Frank wouldn’t doubt his inevitable success were he to quit everything, and take up a new career.

“Yeah,” Aaron answers, “made enough an impression on me to come here.”

“Oh. Actually, why are you here? Not that I don’t appreciate it or anything, because trust me, I do, but I’m not that interesting.”

“You’re selling yourself short,” Aaron says.

“I am short.”

“You’re very sarcastic, I like that,” Aaron says.

Frank wants to reply with ‘I like your face,’ but instead settles for, “did you want something though?”

“Right! Sorry. About that, it’s just that, you mentioned, uh, you mentioned yesterday that you worked here, and I thought I’d like, stop by to say hello. I didn’t know if that was intrusive or-”

“No it’s fine, you’re fine. I mean, I don’t mean that you’re fine, though you’re not like, not like, unfine, but I mean that you’re totally fine. Dammit. Not fine. Or yes fine, but fine in the sense that you’re okay, or that we’re okay. Not we, but you know what I mean, like you and I are totally cool. Cool as in simpatico. It’s okay, like it’s not intrusive,” Frank rambles, and then decides he would very much like to go back to the kitchen and stick his head in the oven.

Aaron looks pretty lost at that, but just shakes his head and says, “Right.”

“Yeah so, uh, why you, I mean why are you here?” Frank asks, slanting up against the counter and leaning his head on his hand.

Aaron makes an odd gesture where he grabs his right arm near the elbow, and then holds onto it. Frank shuffles his feet under the counter and tries not to stare directly at Aaron.

“I was just wondering, and I guess just really hoping that I’m not misreading things here, because I’d hate to make a total buffoon of myself, but sorry, I’m rambling. I don’t mean to. Yesterday, I was totally scared shitless that I was wrong about you, but I thought on it overnight, and I guess it’s worth the chance, so here I am. I just wanted to, like, ask you maybe if I could like, get your number?” Aaron says, and to Frank, it’s like the sky started singing.

“What?” he asks, totally shell-shocked.

“Oh god, I did misread this, didn’t I?”

“Whoa, no wait. Fuck,” Frank says, flustered and confused, “no yeah, definitely.”

“What?”

Frank nods, and grabs the notepad from his apron, hurriedly. His hands are trembling and he has difficulty actually writing anything, but he scrawls the right digits down onto the top page of the pad.

“You didn’t misread anything, I’m just really dumb,” Frank says, “h-hold on.”

“You serious?” Aaron asks smiling.

“Um, only if you are. If you were kidding than I’m totally just playing around,” Frank says nervously.

Aaron makes a relieved laughing sound, “no, completely serious, sorry. I was so sure I was wrong, but I’m glad I wasn’t.”

Frank smiles back stupidly and tears off the top page than hands it over the counter to Aaron who accepts it gratefully.

“So, like, would it be out of line to ask if you want to maybe grab dinner later? Or, you know, if you’re busy tonight that’s fine and all.”

“No! Not busy. Unless you count old reruns of Batman with my roommate and neighbors, as busy, then I’m totally free,” Frank says.

“Okay cool,” he nods, “That’s good. I’ll um, so I can call you later then?”

“Well I think that’s kind of the purpose of me having given you my number, so I guess it’d be alright if you called me,” Frank replies.

Aaron looks down at the paper in his hand like he’d forgotten about it. Frank can’t help but look at the way the corners of his mouth are twitching upwards.

“And that’s Frank...?” he asks asking for a last name.

“Iero. Spelled with far too many vowels, as well as unpronounceable too any and all high school teachers,” he says.

“Aaron Crépeau,” he says in response, and Frank is in love with the way that the guy says his own name. He’s had years to practice it, so obviously he’s gotten pretty good at it, but damn does that roll of the tongue.

Aaron bites his lip again and he looks at Frank in a way that makes him want to melt, but he just smiles back. Frank hopes that his boss doesn’t come out here to tell him to get back to work, and to stop flirting with the customers.

“Well, I’ll see you later,” Aaron says backing up to the door, and Frank nods. “You know, I’m really glad I saved your life, Frank Iero.”

Frank is one hundred percent sure that he’s never heard his own name pronounced so beautifully. Aaron’s voice could lull Frank to sleep, it’s fucking majestic.

“Me too,” Frank says giddily and then his elbow gives out underneath his forehead, and he very nearly whacks his head on the counter, but he stops himself just in time. Aaron doesn’t seem to notice, and he gives Frank one last look before he exits the diner.

The minute he leaves, Frank lets out a very airy and giddy laugh. His coworker, the one who had helped him up, stands against the counter next to him. She’s an older woman, greying hair with wrinkles, and she’s got a name that shows it. No one names their kids Ruth nowadays.

“You are in love with that guy,” she says with amusement.

“Did you see him?” Frank says, “My god-fearing Catholic mother would want a slice of that.”

“He certainly owns a room,” she replies, “but what happened to the roommate?”

“What? Oh Gerard. He’s pretty, and blind as usual,” Frank responds, “why?”

“Because you seemed pretty hung up on that guy the last time I checked,” she says.

Frank shrugs, “Well, I mean, it’s not like I’m in love with Aaron or anything. Not actually. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving Gerard, but this guy, he saved my life. I don’t know if you’ve ever had your life saved by a beautiful stranger, but it leaves quite the impression.”

“You’re practically swooning over that guy, someone you just met, and you’ve been stuck on a different guy for five years. It’s a fairly noticeable, and rather off-character reaction.”

Frank considers her for a moment, “Hm, maybe you’re right. But did you see him! I bet even his snot is pretty. That face could make a lesbian turn, or a straight guy. Just fuck.”

“It’s a powerful face if it’s got you all giggly.”

Frank smiles, “I don’t know. I guess I just can’t, I mean, I owe him my life, and the fact that he saved me, that’s hot. Like that’s fucking hot. I’m super into it, and that ass of his could start a war.”

“I’m too old to hear this,” she says, and turns.

“Oh sure, but you are so envious that I have a chance with that boy,” Frank says.

She rolls her eyes, and goes back to doing her actual job. Frank is reminded of the fact that he has a job and he’s at it, so he should really get back to doing it.