Finding Home at Randy’s (Diner Days)

Chapter 8

“ F ancy seeing you here.”

Looking up from my screen, I smile when I meet Denver’s gaze. “Hey, want to join me?” I gesture to the empty seats across from me.

Denver looks to their companion, who happens to be the cute redhead I saw across the diner the other day. “That okay with you? Grae’s cool.”

“My kid would argue otherwise,” I say. “But I think I’m cool, too.”

The redhead laughs a little. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

I shake my head. “I wouldn’t have offered if I did. I’m Graeme, by the way, or Grae.”

“Luka.”

Denver slides into a chair opposite me, and Luka follows their lead. “We were just out and about, window shopping, that sort of thing, and thought we’d stop in. Luka’s fairly new in town, so I’ve been showing him around.”

“Nice, where are you from?”

“Los Angeles.”

“Wow, big move then.”

He nods. “Yeah, but I needed a big change. It was getting…stifling.” He huffs a little. “I know, I know, it's kinda ironic to say that about such a huge city, but…” He trails off and shrugs.

“Nah, I get it. Sometimes you just gotta get out, find someplace new.” I give him a smile. “So, you liking Boston?”

He nods. “Yeah, it’s been great so far. My job is more or less the same, and I made a friend there already. Plus, my roommate is someone I knew from back home, so they’ve helped a lot with the transition. That’s how I met Denver, actually. They’re friends with one another.”

“Denver’s a good person to know, they’re fun.”

“I didn’t know you thought so highly of me, Grae,” Denver says.

I roll my eyes, but before I can respond, Maisy comes over. “How’s everyone doing here? You want a menu, Denver?” she asks as she sets one in front of Luka.

“Nah, I’m good. Just the usual.”

“You got it. And what would you like to drink, sweetie?” Luka blushes at the endearment, and stammers a little as he orders a water. Maisy grins at him. “I’ll be right back with that, and I’ll bring you more coffee, Grae.”

“Thanks, Mais.” When she walks off, I look at Luka. “Maisy’s cool; everyone here is. You don’t have to be nervous.”

He laughs a little and shakes his head. “It’s my natural state of being.”

I nod. “I saw you with Ivy a few weeks ago, Maisy is her sister.”

“I remember Ivy mentioning she worked here.”

“I swear, I’m not a creep or anything, but I noticed you guys when I went to the restroom, I thought about introducing myself then, but didn’t want to come off as weird.”

Luka smiles. “No, don’t worry. I don’t think that. I uhh…noticed you too that day.”

Neither of us admits that we caught each other sneaking glances at one another, but that’s fine. It’s not like I’m that smooth, it’s been…far too long since I’ve dated. Awkward glances from across the diner are as good as it gets for me.

“Please, tell me you’re working on your fantasy series,” Denver says, nodding to my laptop.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m just fooling around with an idea I’ve had for a while. My brain is still working on the storyline for book two, but I promise, it’s coming.” Maybe, possibly, if I don’t burn it first.

Denver tries to glare at me, and it’s an adorable effort, they’re about as fearsome as the kittens Callum keeps trying to get us to adopt.

Speaking of my child, I look over to the other side of the diner to find him laughing at something one of his study partners has said. I’m not sure what’s so funny about schoolwork, but there’s sure been a lot more chatter and laughter from that end of the diner than anything else.

Maisy stops by the table to drop off our drinks and takes Luka’s order before whisking off again, only to return with the carafe to refill my coffee. “Need anything else?”

I shake my head. “I’m good. But would you mind telling me how much damage Cal has done?”

She laughs. “He only ordered one entree, but two different types of pie, so it could be worse.”

I sigh but agree. “Great, thanks.”

“No problem, let me know if you need anything, and I’ll be back with your guys’ food shortly.”

Denver asks, “Cal’s here?”

I nod over to where the study group is sitting. “Yeah, he's supposed to be working with his homeschool friends, but as you can see, it’s more of a social hour.” Luka looks confused, so I explain. “My son, Callum, is fifteen and homeschooled. I don’t mind letting him hangout with some of the people he knows from his homeschool group, it's good to know he has people his own age he can spend time with. It’s not a hardship for me to sit around and try to get some work done while he’s doing his thing.”

“Ah, okay. I always wanted to be homeschooled, but my parents lamented about how there wasn’t anyone around who knew how to teach me.” He rolls his eyes.

“I don’t know what we would have done before online schooling. My ex-mother-in-law is actually the one who organizes his schoolwork—she did all the research into the different kinds of programs there are and stuff. She was a teacher and offered to help with Callum when we decided to homeschool him.”

“That’s sweet,” Luka says.

“Yeah, I’ve always liked her. She’s amazing. I still claim her as my mother-in-law because I may have divorced her son, but not her. Anyway, she does the school stuff mostly. We all try to encourage him to make friends with other kids in similar situations. Being lonely was one of the things we struggled with when trying to figure out what to do.”

I don’t explain further because the rest of Callum’s story, why we chose to homeschool in the first place, isn’t really something you tell a stranger. Plus, it’s always been important for us to let Cal know that he has a choice in telling people his business or not. As his parents, of course we need to know so we can help him, but no one else needs to, unless it’s what he wants.

“Sounds like you’re doing the best you can for him.” Luka’s voice is soft and sweet, almost wistful.

I smile a little. “Thanks, we try. Sometimes it’s hard to know if we’re doing the right things, or are screwing him up, but he’s a good kid and makes it pretty easy.”

Denver speaks up. “I think most parents have those thoughts, so ya know, it’s normal.”

I shrug. “True, I guess.”

Maisy drops off their food and I go back to my work in progress, so they can eat without me awkwardly staring at them. I poke at the keys a few times, trying to pretend I’m not watching as they talk amongst themselves.

My heart gives a soft lurch as I realize they look good together. They obviously have spent some time together because they’re at ease with one another; you can tell by the way Denver leans into Luka, their face close to Luka’s as they say something too low for me to hear.

Denver has always been friendly and willing to talk to everyone, but they only really get that close with their core group of friends. I watch as they reach up and brush a stray lock of red hair off of Luka’s forehead, enjoying the man’s blushes, even as an envious pit settles in my stomach. Though whether I’m jealous of Luka or Denver remains to be seen.

I might only admit it to myself, but I’ve been attracted to Denver for a while. They’ve always been open about who they are, and their personality has always shone brightly, drawing me in. They’re very different from Rory, and maybe that’s what attracted me to them in the first place, because while my ex is slightly introverted like me—even if he’s more outgoing and willing to talk to new people—Denver isn’t, and it’s almost a breath of fresh air. Of course, that’s not the only reason I find myself wanting to spend more time in their orbit, but it was the first thing that drew me in a few years ago when we initially met.

Luka, however, has a different type of magnetic energy. We’ve only just met, but I like the way he blushes, and his shy, more reserved nature. He seemed a little out of his depth the first time I saw him, and something about that made me want to take him under my wing. I’m not as brave as Denver, though, so I’m not surprised they swooped in and took charge. That Luka seems to easily and eagerly go along with Denver intrigues me, and makes another, long-forgotten part of me perk up as well.

“Hey, Grae.” Denver’s words bring me out of my head and I meet their amused hazel eyes. “You still with us?”

“Yeah, sorry, were you talking to me?”

“I was asking if you were ever going to join Pancakes and Pronouns again? We’ve missed seeing you around.”

Tension has my shoulders tightening, and I try not to squirm in my seat. “I don’t know… I’ve been out of the scene for a while, and while I know I’d be welcome, it feels…weird being there and not being actively looking for anything.”

Denver rolls their eyes. “You know neither Gay or Cin will kick you out if you were to show up. It’s not just for people actively in the lifestyle. The whole point is to meet people and familiarize yourself with the scene in a low-stakes environment.”

“Doesn’t make it easier, especially when most of the people know my situation, and I’m sure not everyone believes Rory and I are just friends.”

“Those people don’t matter. It’s also why I think it’s important for you to go to this particular munch, because…I don’t want to say Rory’s not allowed, that feels too much like we’re excluding him, but what makes it good is there are people who understand a little bit better, since we’re all kinky and trans.”

“What are you talking about? If you don’t mind my asking?” Luka cuts in before I can respond, and I’m relieved to get the attention off me.

“You know what a munch is?” Denver asks.

Luka shakes his head and Denver smiles indulgently. “Oh, you sweet, summer child.”

I snort and Denver rolls their eyes at me before turning back to Luka. “Okay, so you know BDSM? Kink?”

Luka nods slowly. “Yeaahh, I haven’t done anything like that, but I have a basic understanding.”

“Okay, well, a munch is just like…an informal gathering of kinksters. Nothing kinky happens, but it’s a nice low-key social gathering where we can catch up and spend time with people who get what it’s like. This one is hosted here at Randy’s every second Wednesday, and the host is non-binary. It’s specifically for non-cis kinksters. Though, if you’re interested, you can join us.” Luka immediately shakes his head, and it causes both Denver and I to smile. “Like I was reminding Graeme, it’s not just for people who are already active participants in the BDSM scene. It’s a good place to meet like-minded people in a chill, casual setting.

“Everyone is great, so if you want to see what it’s like, you can. Even if you decide the whole BDSM thing isn’t for you, it’s another avenue to meet other people.”

Luka is silent, he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth and seems to be thinking about how to respond. Though there’s something in his eyes I can’t quite decipher. It seems like interest, but I don’t know Luka, so I can’t say for sure, yet he doesn’t seem put off or against the idea.

“I’m not good with people,” he says slowly. “And I appreciate you trying to spin it into meeting new people, but well…I’m sure you know I’m awkward as all hell. I don’t want to make anyone else uncomfortable when they’re just there for a good time.”

Denver rolls their eyes. “We all start somewhere. There’s no censure for being new, or curious. So long as you’re not there to gawk and pass judgment on things you might not understand, no one will care if you don’t have experience.”

Luka squirms in his seat, and if this were any other situation, if we were in a place where making him squirm was the goal… Once more, the dormant parts of me stir, making me want to see Luka squirm underneath me… Shaking my head, I brush those thoughts to the side, because that’s not what’s important right now.

I am…cautiously interested in the man sitting across from me, but then, I’ve also been interested in Denver for a while, too. Neither of those things mean I am actually going to do something about it.

“I’ll think about it,” Luka finally says.

“Good.” Denver smiles and then looks back at me. “And you? I mean, how can you say no to both of us?”

Before I can respond, someone sidles up to our table and I let out a quiet sigh of relief when I see it’s Callum.

“Hey.” I smile up at him. “What’s up?”

He shrugs. “Everyone is getting ready to leave.”

“Okay, did you have a good time?”

“It was fine.”

Concern fills me because after consuming as much sugar as I know he’s had, and spending a few hours with his friends, he should be bouncing off the walls, but I can’t ask about it in front of Denver and Luka.

Callum slides into the booth next to me and sighs. “Continue with your conversation,” he says.

“But then how can we talk about you?” Denver teases.

“Pretend I’m not here,” he shoots back. “Nice to see you, Denver, it’s been a while.”

“It has. You need to start coming in with your dad again. It’s so boring when you’re not around.”

Callum knocks his shoulder into mine. “I know, I’m the interesting one, but I think Dad’s alright, sometimes.”

“You little shit.” I push against him, making him laugh.

“I’m going to tell Da you’re calling me names again.”

“He’ll agree with me,” I shoot back.

Callum groans and turns to Luka and Denver. “You see what I have to deal with?”

“Yes, you poor baby,” Denver coos.

“Don’t encourage him,” I say with an exaggerated sigh. Side-eyeing my son, I gesture to Luka. “Don’t give him the wrong idea and make it seem like you’ve not been raised right.”

Callum snorts. “Between you and Da, I don’t think I ever stood a chance.”

Denver laughs. “He’s not wrong, Grae.”

Groaning, I look at Luka. “I promise, I did my best with him. It’s not my fault he’s…” I gesture to Callum. “All that.”

Luka laughs a little. “I think it’s nice. I can’t say I had such a…relaxed relationship with my parents.”

That makes me sad for him. It was very much the same with me and my father, which was one of my biggest fears when it came to raising Callum. I didn’t want to make the same mistakes my parents did.

“I’m Callum, by the way,” Cal says to Luka. “In case Dad tried to pretend he didn’t know me.”

Luka and Denver laugh while I groan in exasperation.

“Luka.” He reaches across the table to shake Callum’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too. I haven’t seen you around before, but then, I haven’t been here recently.” Callum side-eyes me. “Have you been hiding me from your friends?”

“Can you blame me?”

Luka shakes his head. “I’m fairly new in town, this is only my second visit to Randy’s. And I just met Graeme today.”

Callum huffs but ends up smiling at Luka. “I guess that’s fine then.”

“You’re such a brat,” I tell him.

“I know you are, but what am I?” Callum counters.

Rolling my eyes, I sigh, knowing I won’t win this one.

“We better go,” I say, packing up my stuff. “It was nice meeting you, Luka.”

“You, too.” He smiles at both me and Callum as I nudge Callum to slide out of the booth. “Maybe we’ll see each other around?”

“Keep coming here and we will, for sure. I’m here often enough to work.”

“Think about what I said, Grae,” Denver says. “I’d love to see you again. Don’t think I won’t call Rory and make him drag you kicking and screaming.”

“You’re cruel, Den.”

“All’s fair in playtime, Graeme.” They wink.

I shake my head. “We’ll see.”

Setting a hand on Callum’s shoulder, I steer him to the counter so I can pay.

“What was that about?” he asks in quiet French.

“Nothing, just Denver being Denver.” When Maisy rings us up, I give Callum a mock glare. “Next time, I’m making you pay for yourself,” I tell him as I swipe my card.

“It was only a little bit of food!” he defends himself.

Shaking my head, I decide not to argue because he’s not entirely wrong, it could have been way worse. I’ve seen how the kid eats when he’s “starving.”