The diner glowed under neon, the scent of frying onions and coffee hanging heavy in the air.

David had chosen it because it felt timeless; a place where worries seemed to fade away, replaced by the clatter of plates and the murmur of easy conversation. He arrived a few minutes early, as was his habit, smoothing the napkin on the table while trying to quell the flutter in his chest.

A familiar silhouette paused outside the door before pushing it open, a gust of cool air following him in. It was Robert.

David's eyes met his. A smile touched Robert's lips; softer this time time. Less guarded. It sent a surprising jolt of warmth through David.

"Right on time," David said, gesturing to the booth across from him.

Robert slid in, shrugging off his jacket. "Didn't want to keep you waiting." He glanced around the diner, a hint of something unreadable in his expression.

Soon, the waitress approached to take their orders.

"The usual for me," David said promptly. The waitress quickly wrote something on her notepad and then looked at Robert.

"I would like some scrambled eggs and bacon," Robert replied.

"Alright, got it. Anything else?" the waitress asked again.

"No, thank you," Robert replied, and she returned to the other tables.

"We even have similar tastes," David chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Robert asked.

"Scrambled eggs and bacon? That's exactly what I get here." A small smile appeared on David's lips, then Robert let out a quiet laugh, something that David hadn't heard from him before. A bit surprised at first, David soon joined in.

The conversation lulled for a moment, and neither of them rushed to fill the silence.

Eventually, the waitress came back with their orders, thin curls of steam rising off the plate. She placed the dishes on the table and went back to her duties.

David picked at his food, more out of habit than hunger. "The food here is always good," he said with a warm smile.

David watched as Robert took a bite.

"So, how was your day?" David asked.

Robert didn't answer right away. He focused on his food, chewing slowly.

"Yeah," he said eventually. "It was... fine. Just work"

"What about your day?" he asked, almost too quickly.

"There's this boy in my class," David replied, shifting slightly. "He writes well, really well. But the moment it turns social, he just... shuts down." David stopped, "But... I am sorry, I shouldn't bother you with that now." He offered an apologetic chuckle.

Robert pondered for a while, intently watching the food on his plate, as he nudged it into neat sections, not eating, just... arranging.

"Maybe he thinks no one's gonna listen anyway," he said, looking up at David.

David looked at Robert with curiosity.

"Like... not being sure anyone's going to hear him," Robert continued.

"Why do you think that?" David leaned in, eager to know more.

"I don't know. It doesn't look like he doesn't know anything. You said he writes well. So, I thought that maybe he is worried that the others won't understand him." Robert explained.

"That's... really insightful," David pondered for a moment. "You've dealt with this before, haven't you?" he asked.

Robert's fork stilled mid-air. He didn't look up. For a moment, he didn't move at all.

"Robert, I-" David began but stopped.

"No, it's..." Robert said, his voice low.

Both of them sat in silence; neither had anything else to say.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of glass cut through the diner.

David noticed how Robert turned immediately, his head snapping toward the sound a fraction too early.

David followed a beat later. A drunk had thrown a glass near the counter.

"Hey! Hey! If you wanna do this, get out of my diner!" The owner shouted from behind the counter as some men dragged the man out.

David let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

Robert had already gone back to his food.

The waitress eventually came back with the bill.

By the time they stepped out, it was already quite dark.

"It's gotten cold," David said, pulling his coat tighter.

Robert only nodded as he checked the time on his watch.

David said nothing. Just watched.

"It's probably too late to catch the bus now," David said, hesitating. "You could... stay at my place. It's close."

Robert looked at David's face, then glanced at his watch again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," David said. "I'd like that."

There was a pause before Robert said anything.

"...Alright."