"Magic can be found in stolen moments." – Francesca Lia Block

That night, Makoto can't stop thinking about Haru. He's known for a while now that he wasn't straight, but that hadn't prepared him for the rush of feelings he'd felt when he first saw Haru, feelings that were only being intensified by the distance between them. And he couldn't distract himself or focus on anything, at all.

First, he'd tried watching TV. After a few minutes, he'd switched it off, unable to concentrate on the show.

He decided to finish Love in the Time of Cholera, and put it down after a few pages. He couldn't stop thinking about Haru.

Eventually, he decided to phone Nagisa, who maybe wouldn't have the best advice but would at least listen to him.

"Hi, Mako-chan," said Nagisa sleepily when he answered the phone. "What's up?"

Makoto shrugged, forgetting that Nagisa couldn't see him. "I can't sleep, I guess?"

"You nearly fell asleep at the counter earlier," replied Nagisa. Suddenly, his voice brightened and he added: "Is it because of that boy from earlier?"

"W-what?" Makoto spluttered. He heard Nagisa giggling. Seriously, that kid was always laughing at something.

"Ah, come on, Mako-chan," Nagisa crooned, "you definitely liked him."

"Maybe a little. Anyway, we probably won't see them again," replied Makoto, not registering the disappointment that rang in his voice. It was only then that he realised even though Haru had only been in the shop for ten minutes max and hadn't spoken a single word to Makoto, the shy, dark-haired boy's sheer presence had brightened Makoto's day significantly. He sighed deeply into the phone.

"Mako-chan," said Nagisa, his voice softer now, "it's pretty late and you were really tired today. Get some sleep."

Knowing his friend was right, Makoto said goodnight and hung up. Despite everything, sleep came to him easily that night.

The next day brought a strange calm with it. Makoto's initial passion over Haru had died down slightly, and he was able to spend a lazy morning in bed, finishing his reading and starting work on the draft of his end-of-term essay. His shift at the cafe only began at two, so he ambled over at one thirty to prepare for the afternoon rush.

"Good afternoon, Makoto-kun," Rei greeted him from behind the counter.

"Good afternoon, Rei-kun," Makoto smiled back at him. "Has it been busy?"

Before Rei could answer, Nagisa appeared through the kitchen door, holding a tray of cupcakes. "Mako-chan!" he said brightly, beaming at him. "Perfect timing!"

Makoto frowned briefly. "For what?" he asked.

"There's a lot of washing up to do," responded Nagisa, transporting the cupcakes from their tray to a stand on the counter.

When Makoto opened his mouth to protest, Nagisa shot a very blatant look at Rei, who was wiping up a spill on the countertop, oblivious. Taking the hint, Makoto grabbed his apron and walked into the kitchen. Expecting a mountain of dishes, he was surprised to see just a couple of mugs soaking in the sink, and smiled fondly when he remembered Nagisa's urgency to get him out of the way.

He began to work, and was elbow-deep in soapy water and bubbles when there was a frantic tapping on the door and Nagisa's head appeared, cheeks slightly flushed, grinning wildly. "Mako-chan!" he hissed. "Guess who's here?"

Makoto felt his chest tighten in anticipation. Surely Haru wasn't back already – but if he wasn't, there was nobody else Nagisa would be so excited about seeing. Breathing deeply, he stepped into the main part of the cafe.

Haru and the redhead were back.

Makoto smiled warmly at them. "Good afternoon," he said. "What can I get you?"

Like yesterday, the redhead placed the order for a double espresso and a latte, this time to drink in. Unlike yesterday, Makoto doesn't spill or drop anything. Unlike yesterday, the redhead and Haru don't wait at the counter, meaning Makoto will have to walk over to their table, hand them their coffees and walk back without spilling the drinks, dropping the mugs, falling over or tripping up. He considered asking Nagisa, then reminded himself of what would happen if Nagisa knew why Makoto couldn't walk over their.

Sighing, he walked over to their table, coffees in hand. Thankfully, he didn't fall over anything. "Here you go," he said nervously, placing the coffees down. "One large double espresso and a medium latte."

Haru didn't say anything, but the redhead grinned up at him. "Thanks. Oh—" he grabbed Makoto's arm as he turned to walk back. "My name's Rin," he said. "This is Haru."

Spluttering, Makoto smiles at Rin over-enthusiastically, and retreats back to the safety of the counter. As soon as he gets there, Nagisa nudges him in the ribs and winks suggestively, giggling.

"Nagisa, stop," hissed Makoto, painfully aware that Rin was still watching him.

Hiding a smile, Nagisa simply turned to help Rei with an order. For the rest of their shift, every time Makoto and Nagisa make eye contact, the blond wiggles his eyebrows and glances pointedly at Rin and Haru's table.

Sighing, but amused by Nagisa's antics, Makoto moves to begin serving the sudden influx of customers. It's at least half an hour before the queue numbers begin to dwindle and Makoto has a minute to himself. Thankfully, Haru's still at his table, Rin presumably in the toilet, and Makoto can see their clearly empty cups . With Rei busy with an order and Nagisa in the kitchen somewhere, Makoto resigned himself to his fate and walked over to the two boys.

"Did you want anything else?" he asked, picking the cups up. Before either of them can respond, however, Makoto notices a book lying on the table. "I'm writing my dissertation on that!" he gasped, almost dropping the mugs.

Obviously startled, Haru grabs the book and clutches it protectively.

"Sorry," continued Makoto. "I'm a big fan of Márquez. The General in His Labyrinth is my favourite book."

Haru is silent. Undeterred, Makoto carries on. "Do you read a lot of his work?"

Haru nods, and when he speaks, his voice is so quiet Makoto almost doesn't hear him. "One, um," he clears his throat. "One Hundred Years of Solitude," he said.

" 'Time was not passing, it was turning in a circle,' " quoted Makoto, blushing furiously when he realised what he'd said. "Sorry. I'll take these,"

"Thank you," murmured Haru, hoping Makoto doesn't notice the slight pinkness spreading across his cheeks, or the way his breath is hitching in his throat, or the way his hands are shaking, sending tremors up his arms. With a final large, warm smile, Makoto walks back to the counter, leaving Haru alone once again, this time with a warmness spreading through his chest. It feels strange, but Haru likes it.

next time ~ cutesy, pining Makoto acting like every teenager who's ever had a crush ever, and hopefully some more information about Haru, depending on how the chapter works out.

as usual, all comments/critiques are very appreciated~~