Taking the Long Way Home

a small slice of every day life

*.*.*.*

Strands of auburn hung loosely in front of her face obscuring her eyes from view. She sat hunched, one hand cradling a porcelain mug, the other delicately turning a page of the hardcover in front of her. There was a gentle breeze that threatened to rustle the pages of her novel, but there was no doubt in his mind that the vibrant colors of the surrounding trees had compelled her to stray from her regular booth despite the early autumn chill.

Not that he'd ever admit he knew she was a regular there, of course.

It wasn't his fault that his favorite music store was close by. It was purely chance that the first time he took the long way home, he caught a glimpse of her unmistakable red hair through the coffee shop window. The next few times he saw her after that were completely coincidental, too; one week there was a new clothing boutique around the corner he wanted to check out, and a few days later he was merely trying a yakitori place that happened to be right across the street.

After that, he just got used to taking the long way. And it had absolutely nothing to do with his fiery-haired friend, thank you very much.

The wind ghosted over him carrying the scent of her floral perfume and he stiffened, suddenly aware of his close proximity to her now that she was sitting outside. He felt much more exposed without the usual café wall in between them and his cheeks burned at the thought of being caught standing around. He debated whether he should just go talk to her or if he should try to walk past her unnoticed. In the end, he simply rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet indecisively.

"You know, you can come and say hello."

Yamato flushed even harder as her voice floated over to him. It was a few seconds before she slipped a bookmark into her novel and lifted her head to offer the blonde the kind of smile only she was capable of that sent his heart fluttering. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shuffled his way over to her table, keen on taking his time so that when he responded, his voice was flat and even.

"Hey, Sora."

Her broad smile morphed into a grin as she cocked her head to the side.

"So, you stand there for almost five minutes without saying a word and all you have to say to me is 'hey, Sora'?"

He grinned back, not missing a beat.

"I'm not a man of many words."

"No, you really aren't," she chuckled.

She gestured towards the empty seat across from her and he bowed his head politely before joining her. Yamato was determined to play it cool, so he swiveled his head around for a few moments, seemingly soaking in his surroundings, before taking his turn to speak.

"I never knew you were a coffee drinker," he stated, nodding his head towards her empty cup.

"I'm not," she replied, tilting the cup towards him so he could see the used tea bag floating among the dregs of the drink. "I just like to come here to unwind after the school day before going home. You know how my mother is… sometimes this is the only 'quiet time' I get all day."

The last thing she probably wanted was for me to barge in on her alone time…

"Oh, well don't let me interrupt you," he said slightly flustered, lifting himself up from the chair ready to make his exit.

"Wait!" she cried, grabbing hold of his arm before he could move any further. Her hand was gone as quickly as it came, but Yamato still felt her touch linger far after her arm had returned to her side. "I didn't mean it like that! Please, stay. Unless you have somewhere to go, of course…"

He gingerly sat back down, not wanting to appear too eager.

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" he teased, plastering on his trademark smirk. He was pleased to see he wasn't the only one blushing during the exchange and it made his pulse race that much quicker.

As Sora's cheeks returned back to her natural color, she struck a more casual pose, folding her hands underneath her chin and resting her elbows on the table.

"So, Yamato, what brings you here today?"

Was it just his imagination or did she have a mischievous twinkle in her eye?

"Not much," he answered smoothly. "Just taking the long way back from the music store. Finding ways to waste time before I have to head home. You know, the usual."

"Well I'm so honored I get to help you waste away your day," she giggled.

The sound she made was so foreign and melodic to him that Yamato almost let his jaw drop in surprise. Within seconds, he made it his new goal to be the reason she made that sound more often.

"I think you'll be perfect for the role," he assented.

She smiled at him again before tilting her head to look slightly past him.

"You know," she started, "I really should sit outside more often, I don't think I realized until now how ideal of a place this is to watch the sun set. It's nice, don't you think?"

He turned in his chair, noting the perfect blend of colors painting the sky as the sun descended around them. He was no artist, but he could definitely appreciate the aesthetic quality of the sight.

"Mhmm."

He turned back around to face her, but she still was staring off to the side watching the view. They lapsed into a comfortable silence and he took a moment to regard her more intently.

It was during these rare occasions Yamato could truly appreciate the unique color of Sora's eyes up close. They were such a distinctive color; they weren't quite brown, but not quite red, and sometimes he swore he could even see little flecks of gold in them, especially on days like this when she was perfectly aligned with the light of the sunrays. He wondered if she knew how extraordinary her eyes were. Probably not, knowing Sora. She always told him he had nice eyes, but he didn't think they held a candle to hers.

It took him a moment to realize her eyes had connected with his, but he decided to hold her gaze for just a moment longer before forming a shy smile against his will. In that very moment, he would have given anything to know what she was thinking. For such an empathetic and emotional person, he found it mystifying how hard she was to read. Was he the only one that felt the electricity between them? Did she ever think about him the same way he thought about her?

Sora was first to lower her gaze as she picked up her book from the table and placed it into her backpack.

"I'm sorry to say I can't be a distraction for you much longer," she lamented lightheartedly. "I probably should head home since my mother's expecting me and I'm already a tad late." With just a hint of a frown, she bent down to gather her backpack and tennis bag while Yamato got up and walked around the table to stand by her side.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm just glad to have spent any time with you at all."

The words had spilled out before he could even digest what he meant by them. She was still hovering over her bags so he couldn't see her reaction, but he begged and pleaded to the powers that be that she didn't find his declaration out-of-line. Berating himself for being so forward, he took a step back to give her some space.

"Yeah, me too," she smiled shyly after what felt like ages to Yamato. She straightened herself up with all of her belongings and he let out a small, silent sigh of relief.

"Anyway, I'll see you later," Sora said with a wave and he offered her a small one in return. She turned the opposite way to head down the street and he waited to watch her receding figure. She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped and turned her head over her shoulder, eyeing him carefully.

"Just so you know, Yamato, I see you walk by the coffee shop every day," she confessed in a small voice. With more confidence, she added, "I'd love it if you actually came and visited me more often, I promise I won't bite if you do.

Stunned into silence, he wracked his brain for any logical response, but she had already turned the corner and was gone from sight.

Yamato could only blush. Maybe he would do just that.

*.*.*.*