He was always there. Every morning, at 8 o' clock sharp, he would be there. The café opened at 7, so he would usually be sitting on a bench scribbling on a notepad. He would sit down at the table facing the sun, one hand pulling his chair in, the other running through his untamed golden hair. He'd reach into his olive satchel and lift a bundle of newspaper out onto the table.
She knew because she noticed. She observed. She would wait, polishing the cups left on the table just to give them an extra shine, occasionally glancing out the window— from where she sat it was the perfect spot— to look out for any sign of him. Well, fine: she would constantly stare at the window for any sign of him.
She didn't even know why. Maybe he was some sort of eye candy, a relief to her stress of her part-time job as a waitress, but she knew that that was not it. He had a nostalgic aura around him, something recognizable, yet unable to grasp. She didn't understand why she was so drawn to him; he was just a regular customer, after all.
And also her very favorite.
Her colleague, Gilthunder, always chuckled at her strange tendencies, but at the same time worried about her... infatuation of the young customer. She always denied it was infatuation of any sort, and she was sure it wasn't. She would tell him about it, cheeks red and flushed. He would always try to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't. She just wouldn't. He was always there, running through her mind for thousands of miles.
That line was so old, she thought, when she got up for work the next day. She donned her uniform: a sleeveless white flannel shirt, a sleek black pencil skirt that she wore high up her waist, stockings and pumps. Fastening the last accessory, a pretty silk ribbon, on her collar, she grabbed her jacket and walked out the door.
Probably the only things she would perk up to were Gilthunder and him. Gilthunder was her "only friend" there, since she only worked part-time and he taking the full-shift. She didn't know who else worked in the afternoon or the evening, nor did she hang back after work to see where he would go. See, she would say to her pink-haired partner, it's not an infatuation. I don't stalk.
Today, however, she saw, in both horror and dismay, that he had brought a few friends. There was a girl, with shoulder-length brown hair and violet eyes. She wondered if they were together. He had also brought a tall, lanky man with spiky white hair and a young boy with a timid face. She could tell because he was hugging a pillow.
She tried not to look at them as she entered the café. Gilthunder was already there, and he sighed in relief when he saw her. "Lucky you're here," he said, as he gestured toward the sparsely spread customers all over the place. "or I would have had to apologize for not being able to save you your favorite." She nodded mutely, thanking him in her heart. She dropped her jacket on a chair behind the counter and went to work.
It was not a good day. She got orders wrong, things spilled, and she even tripped once. She caught herself before she could fall. Gilthunder was there when it happened, and he brought her to a seat and made her drink a glass of water. "What's the matter with you out there?' he scolded her in a brotherly manner, eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes wide. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't watch out. Here, I'll take over for a minute. You stay here."
He disappeared. Her gaze trailed after him, and when she was certain he was gone, got up. Sneaking out the front door and out into the sunshine, it caught her eye in all its glory and reflected into his green ones. He was looking at her! He was in a headlock, presumably the spiky-haired one with a maniacal grin on his face. The girl was laughing in the background while the boy tried to stop them.
As his gaze landed on her, her face flushed. He closed his mouth and smiled.
Usually he would greet her in the morning and place his order. But now, something in her heart blossomed, something she had never found in herself before. She flinched, unnoticeably, before retreating back into the café.
She got back inside before Gilthunder could see her. The minutes turned into hours, and customers came and went. Gilthunder noticed a slight cheery aura surrounding her, and watching her whiz about with cups and dishes, he wondered what had happened.
Her shift ended. She bid goodbye to Gilthunder, picked up her jacket, and went on her way. She was about to turn her corner when her head spun back. He was there, flipping his paper through, sipping his never-empty cup of coffee casually. It had always been part of her daily routine; looking back wouldn't hurt, she had thought on her first day...
Her foot turned on a loose stone. She watched silently, awaiting the pavement to make the full impact on her face, knowing that Gilthunder could not help her now—
A hand reached out and grabbed her around the waist. Another held her own hand, and she lifted her face from the ground. Finally, still a little shocked and shaken, she turned around, and gasped.
His golden hair hung all around his face like a halo. His face was smooth and shaven, and his features childlike and youthful. His build was broad and strong, with well-toned muscles that seemed to tense at her touch. A grin lit up his face while the sun reflected on him, and his mesmerizing green eyes fixated upon hers.
"You hurt?" He lifted her ever so strongly in his arms, and that was where she felt safe. She watched as he straightened, his clean white sleeves rolled up just a little so she could see his arms. His satchel slung over his shoulder, and he wore a black vest over his shirt. A high open collar exposed his collarbone, and open boots adorned his feet. He brushed his white pants, and swept his yellow hair out of the way, only to fall back over his eyes. "I'm glad you're okay."
She felt the blush returning. "Thank you," she said breathlessly, and the question inside her burst its bubble. Before she could open her mouth, he said: "My name's Meliodas. You?"
She believed that she would be the one to ask that. "I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Liones." He didn't take his eyes off her as she dusted herself. "Thank you very much, I—"
He cut her off. "I believe that young man in there is your boyfriend?" He motioned toward the café, and she swore she saw him raise an eyebrow. She blushed harder.
"No! He's just... a friend." Relief set into his eyes. "Oh, that's good, I guess." Her heart fluttered slightly.
"So, Elizabeth Liones, if you're not busy or anything, do you want to get some lunch?" He laughed, a deep, chuckling one, "unless you want to eat from your own restaurant?"
"No, it's fine! We can go somewhere else, if you like," she smiled out of pure joy, "and yes, I'm free."
"That's great, then. Come on, let's go," and with that, he took his hand in hers, signaling the start of a new friendship.
This was originally supposed to go with a song, By Chance by JRA. Oh well.
Hope you enjoyed this one! Personally accomplished with this one, and it was based on a picture by blanania on Tumblr! Go check it out!
- Mint-chan.