Chapter One: Vanilla Montblanc

The girl gazed out through the clean glass windows to watch the people passing by. The rain outside drizzled lightly upon the high school students that were leaving the nearby school. Smiling, she turned back to the book she held in her hand and continued reading silently to herself. She was starting to lose herself in her imagination when a soft clatter snapped her back into the real world. Her order was here.

Sniffing the air she sighed pleasantly. It smelled wonderful! The calming scent of steaming hot chocolate along with the faint smell of a delectable dessert was too much to resist. She smiled up at the server. "Thank you very much." The girl was surprised to see that the waiter was about her age. He had short black hair that seemed to be in constant disarray, and large rectangular glasses that sat upon his nose. The boy grinned as he carefully placed the plate and cup before her.

"It's my pleasure." The waiter bowed slightly and walked away carrying the empty tray. For a moment the girl stared after him, but then turned to her plate. Her expression lit up as soon as she dug into her pastry with her fork. The first time she had tried montblanc was just a week ago. It had been another lazy day at the café when she had spotted it on the new menu. One sample was all it took for her to fall in love with the dessert.

Now she found herself at the café after school every day, always eating montblanc. She never got tired of it. Her favourite spot in the cozy establishment was in the back corner. She had a small table to herself right beside the large front windows so she could daydream while she basked in the sunlight. On occasion her eyes took in the interior setting as well.

The entire café was fashioned in a lovely yet simple manner. There were rows upon rows of circular, wooden tables all in precise order. She found the darkness of the stained cherry wood tables relaxing, like she was in a forest. The cherry wood that made up the floors added emphasis to the homey forest atmosphere. The walls were covered in a deep shade of green which matched the uniform stripes on the tablecloths.

Across from where she sat was the front door of the café, which was open slightly to let in the natural breeze. Wind chimes were hung on the door so that they tinkled faintly every time a new customer entered or left. The cash register and the kitchen were located all along the back of the café. Overall the experience of spending her early afternoons here was an enjoyable one.

The girl took a sip of hot chocolate and set the cup down just as her cellphone rang. Slightly put off by the disturbance and worried that the noise would interfere with the mood, she grumbled and answered it. "Hello?" It was her mother. Rolling her eyes she got up from her chair. "Yes, I'm going now." She shoved her phone into her bag and walked to the back counter to pay. She gave a grateful nod to her server and marched out of the café leaving a soft melody behind.

The next day was pleasant and warm. School had just ended and the girl ran to the café. As she stepped inside she saw the waiter from before. Smiling, she waved at him and proceeded to her usual seat. A minute later the boy walked over to her table. "Hello, again. What would you like to order for today?"

The girl immediately replied, "A strawberry milkshake and a vanilla montblanc, please." With a grin the waiter nodded and wrote it down on a notepad. "It will be with you in a moment." He disappeared into the kitchen as the girl turned to stare out the window. She sighed contentedly and began to daydream.

"What's your name?" The server had returned with the tray of food which he set down in front of the girl. She was surprised to see him sit casually in the chair opposite to her. Slightly caught off guard the girl blurted, "Aki. Aki Mori." She fell silent and stared down at her plate. The boy chuckled and replied, "I'm Aito Sasaki. Nice to meet you."

Aki blinked up at the strange boy. "You go to my high school don't you? You're in senior year." Aito leaned on the table and smiled at her. "That's right. I'm a year older than you are." An awkward silence stretched for a few minutes when the waiter spoke up. "You should eat. My break is over soon so I should go now." He stood up and adjusted his glasses. With a mischievous grin he turned to face the girl. "Oh by the way, some people say that montblanc is like love."

The confused girl raised her eyebrows. "Why is that?" Aito chuckled and waved as he started walking back into the kitchen to work. He felt the girl's eyes burning into his back and his lips curled upwards. "You'll see… Aki Mori."

Aki didn't know whether to feel annoyed, suspicious, or both. But as she picked up her fork to start eating her montblanc, she found she couldn't stop thinking about what the boy had said. Some say that montblanc is like love. Sucking on her fork thoughtfully, she gave a wistful glance towards the back counter. Aito Sasaki. What a strange boy.

The girl ate her dessert slowly and occasionally watched customers go in and out of the café. She also would stare at Aito, though she made sure that he wouldn't catch her peeking at him. After she had finished with her plate she went to the cashier to pay, and stepped out into the brilliant sunlight. She smiled to herself. She would like to get to know more about Sasaki Aito.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Aki returned to the café. Her straight brown hair that normally fell to her shoulders was now tied up into a graceful ponytail. She had her reading glasses on and was working on some homework while she waited for her order to arrive. Her light brown eyes analyzed her study notes in an intense gaze as she mumbled important facts to herself for revision. At the sound of someone approaching she bit her lip to stop herself from having a wide grin.

She slowly looked up from her notebook and released the tension in her cheek muscles. Aito beamed at her and took the empty seat in front of her. "Homework?" He pushed the chocolate montblanc towards her and peered over. Aki gratefully took a bite from the dessert and nodded as Aito continued to look over her work. The girl chewed on her treat just as her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She placed her fork down on the table and dug her phone out.

Aki stared at the screen for a moment as she read the message. Looking up at Aito, she said, "I'm sorry but I have to go home now. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She gave an apologetic smile and stood to leave when the boy held up his hand.

"Hold on. Do you mind if we exchange phone numbers?" Aito held out his own cellphone for her to receive. The two swapped their phones and exchanged their numbers. Aki gave a shy smile and waved at the waiter.

"Well... I'll see you tomorrow then." She paid her tab at the counter and quickly scampered outside. Trying to contain her excitement within her, she clutched her phone tightly.