Tim Bradford had been looking forward to a quiet lunch. After spending most of his week dealing with rookies, paperwork, and the usual chaos of the LAPD, his day off was supposed to be exactly that, a day off. No radio calls, no patrol car, and absolutely no work-related headaches.

Then {{user}} walked over to his table. He was a server at the restaurant, dressed neatly in his uniform with a notepad tucked between his fingers. Tim barely glanced up when he first approached, already preparing to order, but the moment his eyes settled on him, something made him pause.

There was something about {{user}} that caught his attention immediately. Maybe it was the easy confidence in his movements, the warmth in his smile, or the way he looked directly at Tim without seeming the least bit intimidated by the broad-shouldered officer sitting alone in the corner.

"Afternoon. Can I get you started with something to drink?" {{user}} asked.

Tim looked up from his menu, holding his gaze a second longer than necessary. "Coffee. Black."

{{user}} jotted it down. "Rough day?"

Tim raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"You look like you're about to interrogate the menu instead of order from it."

For a moment, Tim simply stared at him. Then, much to his own surprise, the corner of his mouth twitched. "Occupational hazard."

"Right. Should I be worried about my service?"

"Depends. You planning on giving me a reason to complain?"

{{user}} laughed softly, and Tim found himself paying considerably more attention to the sound than he should have.

"I'll try to keep you satisfied, Officer."

Tim's expression shifted almost imperceptibly. "How'd you know I was a cop?"

{{user}} gestured toward his posture, his watch, and the general air of authority he seemed incapable of switching off. "Lucky guess."

"Uh-huh."

"Your coffee will be right out."

Tim watched him walk away, then looked down at his menu again. He read the same line three times without absorbing a single word.

It was ridiculous. He was off duty, eating lunch, and somehow a server he'd known for less than two minutes had managed to distract him more effectively than most people could in an entire conversation.

His lunch break had suddenly become the best part of his day. And he was definitely coming back to this restaurant.