Juxtaposition

Chapter Two

-Judgment-

Noriaki stood at the foot of his bed, dressed in nothing but his drawstring pajama pants. He stared at the woman in his bed, his arms crossed as he tried to think of how he could make this morning less awkward. But he really wanted her to leave. He had to get to work, and there was no way in hell he'd ever trust some woman in his apartment. But he didn't want to just tell her to leave. After all, last night had probably been the most satisfying of his life.

He shook his head and walked into his bathroom, shutting the door behind him. If he didn't want to tell her to leave, then maybe he should attempt to do something he'd never done before. They could get ready together, maybe have some hot shower sex, a little breakfast, at least that way he could get her number and call her up for another night of fucking.

He smirked at his reflection and nodded. It was a perfect idea. He ran one of his hands through his hair and ruffled it slightly before turning and going back into the bedroom. He blinked and looked around, seeing nothing scattered on the floor aside from his own clothing. A frown appeared on his face as he walked into his living room. She was nowhere to be seen. The lock had been undone, and she wasn't in the spare bathroom.

He scratched at his cheek and looked around once more, for the first time shocked. Never before had he actually been left before he could tell them to get lost. That fact alone intrigued him further about the girl, but it also pissed him off. He shook his head and brushed it off, trying not to let it get to him. It was much simpler this way, and now he would actually be on time for work.

Those thoughts in mind, Noriaki headed back to his bathroom to take a shower.


"You're such a slut." Talia rolled her eyes as she sat with Hikari at a small table in a Starbucks. She was wearing black and a green apron with the coffee shop's logo on the front, and her golden blonde lock were thrown up in a stylish yet messy bun. "You're so lucky he wasn't some psycho rapist killer."

Hikari scoffed, taking another sip of her coffee. "I knew he wasn't." she said. "I could just tell. Besides, now I'm completely over Richard, all of my stress is gone, and I am ready for my interview next week." She smiled, then looked apologetic. "I really am sorry about leaving you though. I know you were just trying to take care of me, and I appreciate it."

Talia simply shook her head and propped one of her elbows up on the table. "You're hopeless." She sighed, resting her chin on her palm.

"Hey, if you'd ever had the amazing sex I had last night, you'd be feeling differently." She nodded, playing with her cup a bit.

The blonde gave her a hard stare. "Well seeing as I've never had sex ever, I really don't see your point."

"Oh lighten up." She sighed, finishing off her drink. "But take my advice," Hikari said, now completely serious. "When you do, make sure that he can make you feel good. Don't do what I did and overlook that before you have sex with him. Emotional crap is important, but if he doesn't get your blood flowing, he's not worth your time."

"Yeah. Yeah." Talia rolled her eyes, waving her friend off. The little bell for the door rang and Talia glanced over, her eyes becoming as wide as saucers. She instantly shifted her body so she was facing the wall and held her hand by her face as if trying to cover it. "Oh my God." She whispered. "Oh my God. Oh my God."

"What?" Hikari asked, glancing to see who had entered. It was a man with ebony hair, his bangs falling off the sides of his face, and the back spiking up a bit. He had forest green eyes, and looked like he was a very serious individual, especially given his business attire. She smirked and looked back at her friend. "So what's the story here? Cause' he's a cutie." She winked.

The blonde gave her friend a silencing glare. "Yeah I know." Talia blushed. "He comes in here every morning and gets a black coffee with three extra shots of espresso and a dash of cinnamon. And he gives me this small hint of a smile every time I make it for him…but…" she swallowed, glancing past her hand and seeing him stop in the line as he worked on his iPhone. "The day before yesterday…I…I…"

"You what?" Hikari demanded in a hushed tone, now caught up in the moment.

"I dropped it and it spilled all over him. He was really upset, but I could tell he was trying to keep it all in. He looked like he was going to blow and then he didn't come in yesterday." She finished, running her hands down her face.

The violet eyed woman couldn't help but smile at her friend's predicament. "Well gosh Talia, you must have really ruined his day." She snickered, teasing her. "You're lucky he didn't decide to find a different coffee shop, then you'd never get to see him again."

Talia groaned and let her face hit the table. "He might as well have. I probably did ruin his day. It must suck to have some retard spill coffee on you cause' she's staring at you like a school girl with a crush."

Hikari shook her head, chuckling. "Well he's about to order." She nodded to him. "I wonder if he'll notice your absence."

"I just hope he doesn't see me." She grumbled, keeping her hand over her face.

When he reached the counter, he looked around the coffee shop, appearing to be searching for someone. Then he looked back as the barista. "Where is Talia?" he asked, his voice soft, yet deep.

"He knows your name!" Hikari exclaimed softly, nudging her friend, who sunk down even lower to keep herself hidden.

"She's on break." The girl smiled. "But I would be happy to take your order sir."

The man sighed, clearly unhappy. "Fine. I want black coffee with three shots of espresso and a dash of cinnamon. Make sure it's nice and hot."

The girl nodded, putting in the order. "That will be three fifty-seven." She said, before taking the cash from him. "And I'll go make that coffee for you." she turned and began to put it together while the man stood there and waited. When it was finished, she handed the steaming cup to him with a smile. "Here you go. Enjoy."

He raised it to his mouth and took a small sip, before his face contorted to one of displeasure. "This is unacceptable." He stated, setting it back down on the counter. "I want Talia to make it. She is the only one who knows how to do it properly."

"But sir, she's on break." The girl tried, becoming uncomfortable with this minor confrontation.

"Then I will wait until her break finishes to get my coffee. Either that or you can give me a refund for this terrible excuse of a beverage, and I will take my business elsewhere." He said.

Catching this, the manager stepped up and gave him a friendly smile. "That's not necessary. We here at Starbucks want you to have a pleasant experience. I'll get Talia." The portly man said, looking around the establishment. "Talia!" he shouted, unable to spot the hiding woman.

The blonde slid beneath the table, covering her face with her hands. "I'm not here." She whispered.

"Talia!" he called again. "Get out from under that table!"

Talia got up instantly, facing the wall still since her face was a dark red. She was so embarrassed now because everyone was staring at her. She walked back over to the front and behind the counter, stopping beside her manager. "Yes sir?" she asked.

"This most valued customer," the manager began, gesturing to the ebony haired man, "would like for you to make him his beverage. So if you could do that for him really quick, you can resume your break." He instructed.

"But I-uh sir I don't…" she held up a finger to protest, but he was already gone. Talia looked back at the man and couldn't help but blush. "Um…coming right up sir." She said softly, trying not to freak out.

He crossed his arms. "Take your time." He said, watching her.

She grabbed his regular size and started to blend his usual. It didn't take much thought and that was a good thing, because she was practically freaking out in her head. "Remain calm." She told herself, stirring the mixture after she added the cinnamon. "Here you go." Talia breathed out, hoping he didn't say anything about the spill.

He took it from her, slowly bringing the cup to his lips before taking a sip. A small smile came to his face and he looked back at her. "Thank you." he said, placing a ten dollar bill into the tip jar for her. "For your trouble, since I interrupted your break." He explained with a slight shrug, turning and heading out of the establishment before she could respond.

Talia watched him leave, leaning forward as she rested her elbow on the counter and her chin in her palm. She so had a crush, "How lame…" she pouted, annoyed with her stupid fantasy.

Hikari got up from her seat, throwing away her empty cup before going over to the counter. "That was cute." She smiled. "Why don't you ever flirt with him? I bet he'd ask you out after a while if you did."

"Because." She huffed. "He's rich and big up there and I…work at Starbucks." Talia sighed.

"So." The other woman scoffed. "You're pretty, smart, funny, I mean, any guy would be lucky to date you." she said. "Besides, he remembers your name, and wants you specifically to make his coffee. If that's not a sign of like then I don't know what is."

"Maybe I'm just good at making coffee."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Okay Talia, I'm just trying to tell you what a non-biased third party saw and here you are trying to argue with me." She said. "I just think it would be good for you to go on a date for once in your life."

The blonde growled out as she plopped back down in her chair. "Well that would incorporate him asking me out. Which would never happen in a billion years. I saw his credit card once. It was a black card! So he's stupid rich and got all this attention." she sighed. "He has paid cash since."

"Maybe if you tried not to be such a spazz he would ask you out." The pale haired woman said, sitting across from her friend. "Or you could take the initiative and ask him out. He'd probably say yes to coffee." She snickered.

"Oh har har. You're freaking hilarious." Talia rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "I don't want to ask him out. Why should I initiate the inevitable, impossible relationship. I'm not just looking for sex to boost my ego like you Hikari."

This made the other woman look down at the table, a frown on her face. "You didn't hear what Richard said to me." She said softly. "And you know I wouldn't normally do something like that, but it was nice, to pretend to be somebody else for a while."

"Still." Talia sighed and then reached over to pat her friend's hand. "He was a waste of your life anyways."

"I know." Hikari sighed and looked up at the blonde, smiling ruefully. "I only wish I had realized it sooner."

"Yeah, but you're a woman. You're bound to do stupid things around men before you get the right one." The blonde looked at her watch and sighed, "Well I better get back to work. I'll see you tonight when I get off." she smiled and then rose, going back to resume her mundane day.

Hikari rose as well, shouldering her purse and walking out of the coffee shop with a wave to her friend. The rest of her day would be spent shopping, because she needed to find a new outfit for her interview. Smiling at the prospects, she put on her sunglasses and turned the corner.