AN: The first two chapters are my Christmas gift to pamiart on Tumblr! Please, please, please check out their art and give them some love.
Happy holidays! I hope you like it, Pami! :)
It was a rainy morning the first time she'd seen him. He'd came into the cramped diner with a miffed expression on his face, his dark hair matted to his forehead and the sides of his face. He'd shed his jacket and set aside his wet umbrella briskly, perhaps both having been ineffective in the vicious downpour outside.
Hinata had been behind the counter, ringing up an order when her eyes had met his unintentionally, lavender pearlescents widening partially. She hadn't even heard him walk up.
"W-Welcome," she'd uttered softly enough for him to hear, quickly remembering her manners while she finished up her task.
"Yes, I would like eggs over easy with coffee. Black." There was something about his tone of voice that was authoritative-as if he were a man that wasn't used to taking no for an answer. For many women, if he weren't so attractive, they would've quickly dismissed him for his attitude. Unfortunately, Hinata wasn't in the minority on this matter. Her heart did not flutter, but instead, she wondered what he did for a living and why he would come to a hole in a wall like this. He dressed too nicely for the part.
"Of course." she dared to meet his eyes again to flash a friendly grin, before she went back to the line and called out the order.
The brunet had taken a seat at the counter, pulling out a handkerchief to dab at the water that was still running down his face.
Sasuke was having a shit morning. His car had completely coughed out on him down the road, which meant he would be horribly late for work that day. To pass time while his roadside assistance arrived and worked on his vehicle, he'd made his way to the diner that had only been a block or so away. Had it not been for that incident, he would've never thought twice about entering such a place. The brunette wasn't a topnotch politician or anything, but he had his standards when it came to food and dining.
He'd ignored the wandering gazes from the other waitresses and guests as he looked through the newspaper that had been cast aside next to him. The man was used to receiving constant looks everywhere. It was a curse of his family genes, one he wished to not at all take advantage of. He was detached. Aloof. He did not want to be bothered.
And she recognized this. Hence, Hinata never made a move on the man, at least not initially. She treated him just as any other guest she would've encountered- with steadfast diligence and attentiveness, nothing else. It was also what she had picked up from her own family, even if they had spurned her.
Those eggs and cup of coffee had been enough for the man to include a visit to the place in his schedule. It was probably the best eggs he'd ever had to date, and most of all, no one had bothered him. Even if he received constant gawks from the employees and customers.
It became like clockwork. Every morning besides Fridays and the weekends, the Uchiha would visit the diner around seven thirty, requesting his usual order of Italian dark roast coffee (black) with eggs. Occasionally, he'd throw in an order of a donut or pastry-never for himself, but rather, for his eldest brother. She'd overheard this one day while one of her coworkers had been serving him.
He had eventually began to engage in small talk with the waitresses, his responses clipped, though polite. Hinata had never said more than a couple words to him each time, but their eyes always met, even in passing.
She'd even recognize that he would either take a table while she worked on the floor, or would sit at the counter if she was working behind it. It was the little things like that that made her believe that there was a connection between the two of them in some way. Unsaid, but present and readable in how their opposing hues met, the elevated rate at which her heart thudded in her chest, and the subtle warmth that would come to his features whenever she served him.
During her dreary days at the diner, Hinata couldn't have asked for anything better than those tiny thrills and occasional doses of serotonin. Being a waitress gave her enough money to pay rent to her parents each month, but little for anything else. It was a temporary job to pass the time while she developed herself for a career, but the end was not in sight yet.
Still, this man caught her attention, though not as blatantly or as frantic. There was something between them. Even if it was all imagined. Even if it would amount to nothing. She was happy with this distant, lukewarm infatuation.
Hinata had decided to make her move when the rainy season gave way to misleading sunny skies and heavy breezes of the wind that constantly shoved leaves into the diner. She had been sweeping these away when he'd entered, stopping mid-sweep to bow her head in greeting, hoping her face wouldn't betray her by divulging her inner most thoughts.
"Where are you working?" he asked this casually as he took off his hat and coat, the young woman's countenance transforming into one of surprise. She'd already failed.
"Th-The floor today…" she mentally pinched herself for stuttering in front of him.
With a nod, he made his way to one of the booths, and she quickly finished her task with shaky fingers. So her suspicions had been true.
Once she'd put up the broom, she'd straightened up her back and mentally calmed herself. This wouldn't be anything different than before. Don't make a fool of yourself Hinata...surely, you're not wishing for affections from a stranger…
The Hyuuga made her way to the man, not even bothering to take out her notepad. "Will it be your usual today? Mr…" she trailed off, never having known his name.
"Uchiha. But Sasuke is fine." He corrected, eyes shifting from his newspaper to her. "Yes, it will be. Thanks."
She nodded, mentally gleeful over the fact she knew his first name and walked off, not noticing the eyes that had followed her back, analyzing her every move, every day they had encountered her in the diner.
Sasuke could never exactly place a word on his emotions towards the woman. If it hadn't been for his car breaking down and the fairly decent grub, his other reason for returning had been her. She was sweet and did her job well. Naturally, she wasn't too bad on the eyes, either.
And yet, he had done nothing to advance this. Not even tipped her extra, as, perhaps, she would take that a different way than intended. It was really because he didn't know how to navigate these things. Love, even meaningless flings, had never interested him. His career as a detective, success, and pursuit of justice for the helpless had always been his goal. That satiated him, or so he thought.
Upon returning, he pointed out, "I can't read your name tag."
"Oh, this?" she blinked, seeing that her name tag had been dirtied over time from wear and tear and the greasiness that she sometimes encountered. "Um...my name is Hinata." The young woman said politely, answering his indirect inquiry.
"Hinata…" he repeated under his breath, reaching for his fork and knife. A somewhat common name, but he felt it suited her.
Blinking once, she nodded, her social ineptness causing her to have little words to say. "Enjoy your meal Uchi...Sasuke-san." she bowed her head and practically scrambled off, rousing a smirk from the man as he ate.
Their interactions continued to be short, but gradually, friendlier.
Hinata eventually figured out his course of work and very short tidbits about his family.
He learned her surname, realizing it rang a bell, but couldn't help but wonder why she would work in a place like this. He never ventured to figure this out, however.
"Sasuke-kun…" it had been a few weeks, and Hinata had taken a seat across from the man. It was normal now for her to take a short break and chat with him.
"I've always wondered why you never eat anything else on the menu..."
"It's because most things are typically too sweet or greasy."
Well, she could agree with that. "You're not a fan of sweets?"
"Not at all."
She chuckled some, to which he raised an eyebrow. It was unusual to her, as she was quite the opposite. "I see...I wanted to share some of my gingerbread with you." The holidays were drawing near. Hinata would have to plan another gift for the detective.
"No need." He assured. "But I appreciate the thought." Then he smiled. Probably the broadest that Hinata had ever seen from him.
The image of it had been implanted in her mind, and she found herself wishing to see it again. However, she wasn't so lucky to receive that privilege.
The unexpected but inevitable began to occur.
Sasuke did not come the next morning, to which Hinata assumed he had been sick or too busy. She was surprised he'd came nearly every day so consistently for months, so she thought nothing of it.
A week passed. Then two.
Hinata found herself looking at the places he usually occupied in the diner during the morning. Their vacancy was often akin to the emotions that she was experiencing then and through the rest of her shift.
Furthermore, her usual manager had left and was replaced with a meaty older man who had a boisterous voice that made Hinata's head nearly ring.
He seemed to target her over the most insignificant of things, like missing a spot on the tables or floor, not hurrying out food quick enough, or even speaking in a soft tone with customers (even if most of them knew her and was used to it). She felt so embarrassed and belittled by a manager who openly scolded her in front of their customers and her peers.
In short, Hinata's days at the diner had transformed into ones of misery. No longer was it a peaceful time in the morning for people to get their coffee, but instead, a tense, unwelcoming place that sent many people to want their orders to-go.
The crowd was low during the days leading up to Christmas, and the woman wondered if it was even worth going in because her tips were so little. She had saved more than enough to move on, but there was a flicker of hope-the feeble hope that she could possibly see the raven-haired man once before the year ended.
She had entered her work as usual, bracing as the manager had immediately walked up to her.
"They did a shit job closing last night, I want you to sweep the floors."
"O-okay." Hinata forced a friendly grin and went to go get the broom and begin her task.
"No, no, you're doing it all wrong!" She could feel a wave of anger pass through her, and she simply exhaled a sigh.
"Pull out the tables and try again. I'm know you missed something."
"B-but Kamiya-san, the tables are heavy a-and—"
"I don't care how long it takes, just get it done."
Hinata's face was hot as she willed herself to not throw down the broom and walk out right then and there. Being a waitress, she expected to be treated badly occasionally, but she didn't deserve this and no one else did.
While she was busy tending to her task, a few customers poured in, sitting across the way. Some watched the girl with pity as she struggled to pull out the tables, the friction of the table against the floor causing quite the ruckus in the small place. She swept with her head dipped low, aware of the many eyes that were focusing on her.
The next table, Hinata pulled too hard and the syrup glass and salt shaker had fallen and shattered.
"You're breaking things now?"
Her body began to quiver as she heard his footsteps behind her. "Goodness, I wonder everyday why you were hired—"
"Well she's a good employee, and it seems you're just being a dick."
The unknown voice caught both of their attention as Hinata turned, teary eyes immediately holding a small amount of shock.
It was…
His face immediately turning a pink, the manager babbled, "E-Excuse me?"
"You heard me. The customer's always right, correct?" Came his dry response.
She had walked over to the tall man, looking up at him pleadingly, "Sasuke-kun, please you don't have—"
"I don't give a damn." He ignored her gaze, staring directly at the haughty man. "I'm not going to let this lowlife treat you like this."
"Lowlife!? Why I'll have you kicked out." His eyes darted to Hinata. "And you're fired."
The restaurant had grown quiet as this scene erupted, Hinata feeling a rush of embarrassment yet relief as she threw down her name tag and ran out.
"Hinata!"
She had ran out without her coat, tears falling freely from her eyes as she trudged to her car through the thick sleet.
A gloved hand gently grabbed her arm and whirled her around. She was encountered with Sasuke once again.
"I'm sorry." He said, a frown marring his features.
"It w-wasn't your fault." She sniffed looking up at him with a soft smile, her body shivering from the cold. "If a-anything, you gave h-him th-the perfect excuse t-to do it b-before I qu-quit."
The detective hurriedly freed himself from his outerwear and draped the female in it, ignoring her soft protest. "How long had it been that way?"
"Around...around the time you stopped coming."
Sasuke felt an instance of guilt at hearing her say that. He should've given her an adequate signal, or at least told her of his absence. That was a fault on his part.
"I'm sorry about that too.." he said breathlessly, the cold wind piercing the thin fabric of his blouse temporarily. The Uchiha hadn't recalled apologizing this frequently in a long while. "Let's sit in my car and talk."
He guided her to his car, opening the door for her before getting in on his end.
Once Hinata had settled, she shuddered visibly, her cheeks a rosy pink as the heat from the car was finally beginning to affect her. "Did something happen?"
"I had an increase in cases that I had to tend to. I hardly had time for anything. Not even breakfast."
She nodded in understanding, though still worrying. "Being a detective must be so difficult…"
"It can be, but I'm used to it now."
"Please, take care of yourself. Breakfast is important, you know…"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Only with a worthy presence. Otherwise, I can survive without it."
She blinked once or twice, finally dawning on her that he was perhaps, talking about her.
She changed the subject. "Thank you, Sasuke-san. You didn't have to defend me…"
"But I did." he turned to her, his face stoic now. "I have something for you."
Hinata looked over at him furtively with fidgeting fingers, watching him pull a small red bag from his backseat.
"Y-You really didn't-!"
"Just open it." she was way too humble and giving at times. Well, he'd have to fix that.
Hinata pulled out a long black box and opened it, a gasp leaving her. It was a thin necklace with a purple pendant, and judging by the looks, it wasn't cheap at all.
Just how much had he spent on her? A simple waitress he hardly knew that only served him breakfast on some days.
"I...I don't know what to say." She was breathless, never having received such a gift from a man that hadn't been her father.
"I know you're a woman of fine tastes because of your family name." He began to say. "I never understood why you would work in a place like this. Please. Accept it."
Hinata closed the box, feeling her heart pound in her chest as she placed it back in the bag with shaky hands. He knew her family, and she wondered if he knew what had happened to her. How much had he researched on her and for what reason?
"I feel so awful taking something of such cost." she whispered. "Why would you give such a thing to me?"
"Well, it's Christmas. And I want to spend more time with you."
"I...I want to do the same." she found herself saying, meaning it deeply. She was ecstatic, relieved that all those months of her imagining things between the two of them, hadn't been imagined at all.
"Thank you...Sasuke-san."
His hand reached to grab hers, holding it tightly within his own.
"Thank you for gracing my presence."
The giggle he heard after saying that, made his eyebrow twitch, but his arms easily accommodated the woman that had made motions to embrace him.
"I admit, it sounds...interesting hearing such w-words from you. Forgive me." she pressed a kiss to his cheek, Sasuke hoping that no heat would flow to his cheeks.
They parted from the hug, Hinata slouching back in the seat. "Sasuke-san...could you take me home, please?"
"Which one?" the man mused.