"Alright, I'm off to my lunch break. Don't bother calling me, I won't answer. See you in an hour."
There's a collective murmur of "goodbye, sir" as Zelos gathers the papers in front of him into a stack. He hunts around for a sticky note and a pen, scrawls a few words on it, then labels the papers before he grabs his jacket and leaves.
Down the halls he nods at his underlings, shoots smiles at the ones caught by his charm, but generally avoids conversation with any of them. The meeting he's just left wore on his nerves. There's a reason why he tries his best to stay away from the legal issues; he just doesn't have the time to wrap his head around the intricacies of such matters. Unfortunately for him, his opponent happened to hired a very attractive woman for their attorney, and just as everyone knows, he can't help it when it comes to pretty women.
He rolls his eyes at the thought. The things you do to maintain an image.
He retreats into his office to gather his composure. The room is large, spacious, with minimalist style furniture. His desk is black and sleek, facing away from the large panels of windows that display the bustling city. A few leather chairs line the walls, two potted plants guarding his desk. The redhead is tempted to sit in his huge leather chair, the one by his desk, but he has a feeling he'd end up dozing off instead of getting some food in him.
Lunch. Right. Before he forgets, Zelos grabs his overcoat off the back of his chair and slides it on. He can feel his car keys against his leg as he turns to leave his office. Some food, then it's back to work.
God, he hates his job.
At the moment, Zelos doesn't feel particularly hungry, but he blames his lack of focus for that. His head is still spinning with numbers and patents and ugh. He walks down the streets at a brisk pace, expertly dodging the people hurrying back to work after their breaks.
Eventually a woman makes her way into his line of sight, her curvaceous body moving in front of him. Despite her wool coat, he can see the round shape of her hips, her petite waist. He can tell himself as much as he'd like that his special interest in women is just for his image, but there is just something about this woman that he can't resist.
It's a bit embarrassing, yes, the way he follows her down the street, all careful glances and measured steps, but he can't help himself.
Soon enough he finds himself in a warm room. The bitter cold of the late autumn has left him alone for the time being, replaced by rich aromas of food and tea. The woman continues to walk ahead of him, going to the counter in the far back. She greets what he assumes is her coworkers, then disappears into a back room.
The scents revolving around his head bring his mind to focus. He's out here for lunch, yes. And it looks like he might be able to get some here.
"Hey, welcome to the Fujibayashi Tea House," says a warm voice, "Will you be eating alone today?"
To Zelos' disappointment, the woman from earlier is absent. Instead, a young man is standing in front of him. The redhead gives him a quick once-over, taking note of his unruly brown hair and friendly eyes. The server couldn't be older than Zelos, as the redhead was at a fine age of 28.
"Yeah, guess so," he replies with a wry smile, "What do you guys serve here? Besides tea, of course."
"Well, the lunch menu doesn't have as much as the dinner menu," the waiter states as he leads Zelos to a small table by the window, "But our pastries are pretty popular. If you're looking for something that'll fill you up, I'd suggest a rice bowl or maybe some soup."
"Asian theme, huh?" Zelos says it a bit absently, observing his surroundings. The walls are separated into off-white panels outlined with a dark wood. There are several paintings hanging, tasteful still lifes and a few landscapes. The lighting isn't too bright, and it suits the gray fall day well.
"It matches the name," he says with a slight laugh, "Though we try not to overdo it. Here's your menu, I'll give you some time to have a look."
When he hands Zelos the menu, the redhead takes the opportunity to examine his face again. His gaze lingers on the waiter's eyes, feeling pulled in by their leveled stare.
"I'm Lloyd, by the way," he adds, "Take your time, alright?"
With one last smile, he turns around and walks off. Zelos watches his back, watches him tend to another table with the same animated enthusiasm, before turning to look at his menu.
His eyes skim the page and he decides to get a lunch box. With that out of the way, he peers over the top of the menu and looks around the restaurant again. Firstly, his eyes shoot to the back corner where he saw the woman from earlier disappear to. Just as he looks, she slips out of a door, head down as she ties an apron behind her back. She is absolutely stunning, and the thought makes several rounds in Zelos' head as she looks up to scan the room. Her eyes are bright and cutely curved, her lips round and a lovely shade of pink. Her hair falls in messy strands that frame her face, the dark locks held up in a loose ponytail.
Zelos wonders about her name as Lloyd returns to his table.
"You know what, I forgot to ask you if you'd like anything to drink!" he says, a sheepish note to his cheer.
It takes Zelos a moment to look up. "Ah, yeah. Water should be fine."
"No tea, sir?"
"Hmm." Zelos fights back the urge to return his eyes to the woman. "Sure, that too."
"Alright. Have you decided on anything to eat, then?"
"Yeah, I'll have lunchbox A," he tells the waiter absently, "Hey, could you tell me her name?" The redhead tips his head in the woman's direction.
"Who?" Lloyd turns and searches the room, trying to follow Zelos' line of sight. There aren't any other servers on the floor, though another woman stands behind the counter, fiddling with the cash register. "Sheena?"
"The one with the ponytail," Zelos clarifies, "The very voluptuous hunny over there."
Lloyd returns his gaze to Zelos', though this time he catches Zelos' attention right away. "Yep, that's Sheena. Have you seen her before?"
The redhead shakes his head. "I saw her come in. That's how I ended up here, anyway."
"Right." Lloyd grins. "I can send her over here, if you want."
With a laugh, Zelos shakes his head. "No, no, don't bother. I need some time to think of how to approach her."
"Well, if you say so. She's really nice, even if she doesn't always like to think of herself that way." Lloyd scribbles something onto a notepad. "Good luck. I'll be over with your lunch as soon as possible."
Zelos simply nods. Lloyd moves away, touching Sheena's arm as he passes. She glances up at him and gives him a tired smile.
As he sits and waits for his food, Zelos' mind starts to wander. There's something very homey about this place, he thinks. Very comfy, cozy. He doesn't have to think about work here, or his image, or his sister, or every little thing that nags him and urges him to at least try and seem to be a worth while person. It's calming, and while it's a thought that's almost unsettling, he can't seem to wrap his head around the idea entirely.
That woman, god, that woman. There's something so irresistable about her. Though she's probably heard it more than enough times. Is he even good enough for her? Probably not, he thinks. With a sigh, he lowers his eyes to his folded hands sitting idly on the table. At the very least, it's nice to observe her.
Soon enough, Lloyd returns with his drinks. "The lunchbox will be ready soon, sir," he says, then turns to leave.
As the waiter moves, another server comes onto the floor. Well, it's more accurate to say that she slips and falls onto the floor, sending a few dishes into the air.
"Colette!" Lloyd exclaims before he rushes to the woman's side.
The other server's long, blond hair fans around her as she picks herself off the ground. She looks young, slightly younger than Lloyd, but her eyes are frantic and apologetic. Eventually those eyes meet Zelos' and the woman starts to blush, quickly averting her eyes.
Ah. She recognizes him, it seems. Of course, this place was too good to be true. One person can't be too bad though, right?
He watches as Lloyd helps the woman onto her feet. Sheena comes to her aid as well, wielding a small vacuum cleaner. When she bends to clean the mess, she bends her knees, folding into a crouch. Smart woman, he thinks, though Zelos would be lying if he said that he's not disappointed by her modesty.
The hubbub clears away after a few moments and Zelos begins to zone out again. He begins to calculate the hours of sleep he should be able to get that night when Lloyd approaches his table. Firstly, the brunet sets Zelos' food down, but once that's out of the way, it becomes apparent that the waiter isn't through with Zelos quite yet.
"I knew you looked familiar," Lloyd says with a wide grin, "You're Zelos Wilder! It's pretty exciting to see the owner of Regeneration Co. in our little tea shop. Did Regal tell you about us?"
At the sound of his name, a few of the other patrons look their way. Zelos puts on his business smile, though he crosses his arms over his chest.
"Don't think too much of it, bud," the redhead says, and while his tone and smile is warm, his eyes don't quite match up. "Like I said, I came in here because of her." Again, he tilts his head towards the curvaceous waitress.
Lloyd chuckles. "Of course, of course. I dunno if she'll fall for your pretty boy charm, though. She's not really the kind of girl who appreciates a sweet talker."
Zelos rolls his eyes, though he ducks his head to hide it. "Right, thanks for the tip."
He feels Lloyd's studious gaze on him. After a few moments, Lloyd nods and gives a little bow. "Yeah. Enjoy your meal, sir."
The redhead heaves a tired sigh, then looks down at his food. Hopefully he can just inhale it and go. He glances at his watch. Twenty minutes of his lunch break left to go. He picks up his chopsticks and takes a bite. It's very good, much more than he initially expected; the food disappears in moments.
As he sips at his tea, Sheena approaches his table, a slight blush on her face. Zelos wants to melt at the sight of it.
"H-Hello, sir," she says, then gives a bow, "Thank you for giving our humble tea shop a visit. I hope the food was satisfactory."
"It was actually fantastic, thank you," Zelos replies with an easy smile. The waitress blushes a deeper shade of red. "It definitely helps that such a cute waitress is here to cater to my needs."
Sheena starts to splutter, her cheeks a vibrant shade of red. "E-Excuse me?"
The redhead leans onto the table, sliding closer to her. "I'm sure you hear that more often than you'd like, but you're just so gorgeous. How did such a lovely hunny end up serving me, little ol' Zelos?"
"I-I'm not-! I-" she clenches her eyes shut and vigorously shakes her head. "Nothing more than a coincidence, I'm sure!" Without opening her eyes, she gives him another bow. "Th-Thank you again, sir, for coming. I'm gonna get the bill now."
As she turns to leave, she takes her empty platter and puts it behind her back, covering her round rear. She scuttles off to hide behind the counter, inputting numbers into the cash register.
Zelos' smile dies down to a slight curve to his mouth. She really is cute. But probably too good for him, as most people are. It's a shame, he thinks, especially since the food here is truly very good, but he can't imagine coming back here and sitting through the torture of not having her.
Lloyd comes back with the bill and a smile. Zelos pays and gives a generous tip, earning him a wide eyed look from the waiter. The redhead merely gives him a nod before going on his way.
A/N: I'm sorry if that started out a bit blandly. Hopefully the next chapters will be more engaging! Enjoy!