“Oh, oh! Where are we going?”
“Breakfast,” he grunted.
“But I could cook?” Foxx said, sounding confused.
He shook his head. “Just get ready.”
* * *
Foxx hummedas he looked over the menu. Though JJ’s Diner was a cute little retro-style establishment with red booths, checkered floors, and even an old jukebox, it did not have a breakfast menu at this time of night.
It had been interesting to watch how many chain restaurants changed after the exposure of vampires… Well, after they were legal, that is. No point catering to those who you could kill on sight. Many places were now not only open 24/7 but also had a breakfast menu all day. The smaller, more locally owned businesses had been slower to catch up. Honestly, it didn’t matter to him. His stomach wasn’t particularly picky about what he ate first thing in the morning.
“Do you have any recommendations?” he asked Harlow, who was sitting across from him. The man wasn’t even bothering to look at his menu, which told Foxx the human had come here enough times to know what he wanted already.
“Their fried perch is good. It’s also in season, and it's the special right now.”
“Sure, let’s go with that then!” Foxx said brightly, setting his menu down. “Wait…you eat fried food?”
Harlow glared at him. “Just because I mostly eat healthy, does not mean I can’t enjoy some fried shit every now and then.”
“Yes, but you said the best way to feel like garbage is to eat it.”
“Yes, well, that doesn’t apply to fried fish.”
Foxx snorted. “Fried anything is bad for you. So, yeah, it kind of does. Also, now that I’m thinking about it. You trying to win the office cookie race is pretty questionable too, Mr. Healthy.”
“Fine, I’m inconsistent! So sue me,” Harlow growled.
The waitress came then. The woman was probably in her early twenties, and of average height. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she was wearing a button-down light teal shirt with a white collar, paired with a white apron and black smart trouser. She had a pad of paper and pen in hand. “Hello, welcome to JJ’s Diner, I’m Sandy, and I’ll be your server today. Can I start you two off with something to drink?”
“We are ready to order,” Harlow stated, tone neutral.
“Oh, well, then go right ahead,” she said with a smile.
“I’ll have the perch special, but I’ll substitute the fries for a small side salad with ranch dressing. For my drink, I’ll have water with lemon.”
She quickly wrote that down and asked, “Are you fine with the coleslaw as your other side?”
Harlow nodded. “Yes.”
Her smile turned Foxx’s way. “And for you?”
“I’ll have the same. Except, I want my fries, and I’ll have a Diet Coke or Pepsi, depending on what you have here,” Foxx said before sending a beaming smile her way.
She gasped and took a step back, her pencil freezing.
His smile dropped as the realization that she was afraid of him hit. Her eyes were slightly dilated, and the smell of fear wafted up as sweat formed on her brow.
Harlow cleared his throat loudly. “Is there a problem, miss?” His words sounded very unfriendly.
Her gaze snapped to the human, as if she was trying to figure out if Harlow was a vampire too, or something else.
“No!” she squeaked, quickly writing on the pad as she walked away without another word or even bothering to take their menus.
Harlow sighed. “I’m much scarier than you are.”
Foxx snorted. “In looks, perhaps, but I am stronger. And in the minds of those who fear my kind…you are still human, thus less of a threat. Though, she may be questioning if you are, in fact, human now, just for being in my company.”
