The place was packed with college students and other young adults waiting for their next class or just hanging out. Warm orange lighting made the restaurant much more homey and comfortable. Although the chattering at the establishment was almost unbearable Tadashi sat at a table near the large glass windows and worked on a paper on his laptop. He was so engrossed in his typing that he didn't notice the female figure that walked his way.
"Hi." A sweet voice suddenly said and the boy looked up to see her.
Her smile was awkward yet truthful and Tadashi would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy to see how she made an effort for him. He wasn't the most direct guy so to have someone that he could see was pretty focused try for him honestly sparked his interest.
"Hi." He answered forgetting all about the contents on his screen and giving his full attention to the girl standing next to his empty table.
"Well, I know this going to sound weird but...can I buy you a drink?" She stammered in a way that made Tadashi just as embarrassed to watch her so intently. "I didn't mean it like that...it's still noon...I know but I meant like...coffee maybe?"
"I-I..." The boy stuttered as his brain and his heart battled for an answer.
"Please. I really need to pay for my last psychiatric appointment." She joked and he felt his ears heat up as he blushed.
"Yeah, sure, let's get some coffee."
The girl took a deep breath as she stopped in front of the door that would lead her into confronting someone who she didn't know and that she didn't really owe an explanation to but there she was; fingers twitching, heart beat racing and an uncomfortable look on her face. The only thing that still persuaded her to not give up entirely was the hour. As always Tadashi had been the last one at the lab, diligently working on his robot until no one could find a flaw. She tensed up and built up her courage, stepping into the silent workroom trying her best to be cautious while still not seeming shrewd.
"Excuse me?" She called out in half a whisper and got no answer. Taking a few more steps she finds herself at the boy's personal corner. Apparently he hadn't heard her since all he did was continue sitting with his back to the door while hot red sparks sprinkled from his desk. The girl stepped into the room warily and reached out a finger to touch the boys shoulder.
"Excuse me?" She repeated and Tadashi jolted back and dropped the tool he had been using.
"Ah!" The boy had been startled into hitting the girl's stomach with the rolling chair.
"Ow!" She heaved out as she stumbled back. Tadashi immediately stood and went over to her.
"Are you alright?" He said looking down to the girl who lightly held her abdomen. Looking up she realized that the boy was still wearing his protective mask. A small laugh started trickling out of her rosy lips as she saw how funny the boy looked in the mask.
"Yeah, I'm fine...by the way, wasn't Baymax supposed to activate just now?" She quickly took the focus off of her for a bit.
"Well, I'm actually melding his chip right now so he's off." The boy looks to the work on his desk then back to the girl in front of him.
"Oh..." She thinks about leaving and coming back another time but then again, Tadashi was always working on something.
"Did you...uh, want something?" The boy makes sure not to sound rude as he asks this.
"Well...I-I'm not even sure if you remember but..." She darted her gaze around the organized mess before returning to the patient boy towering her.
"We...kind of, ran into each other the other day..." She begins as she felt her burning blood pumping through her veins.
"Yesterday...actually." Tadashi shows her that he understands where this conversation was going. The girl looked up and her pupils grew in surprise before she looked sideways again.
"Yeah...well um...you see...I know I was there and all but I don't really participate. It's...it's just my stupid brother." As she says this Tadashi instantly relates and listens even more intently to every word.
"I-I hate him." She seethes. "He's older than me but I never really knew what it's like to be tended to. I was always the one to get him out of trouble, to help him with his homework; I never got those privileges myself." Her gaze was distant and dark.
"My little brother is into bot fighting too. I get what you mean; I wish he would use his big brain for good things instead that stuff." Tadashi tried to level with the girl who seemed to be imploding only to be met with a scoff.
Her head turns sideways while delicate hands covered her mouth almost as if she was trying to contain her angered expression.
"Big brain. What? Your brother is fifteen and thinks it's pretty cool to show off his smarts to the dark side? If 'big bro' was smart I could at least pretend to secretly admire him and have a friendly competition with him but not really. He's just the reason I've become my parents last hope at 'the family pride'." The girl seemed to be spewing everything that she'd been fed up with while Tadashi uncomplainingly listened.
"I really wish that everything I did wasn't being monitored like I'm constantly trying to embarrass Kade. I just really want to like him but...it's hard you know?" She stops and blinks as if to return to her senses. "Actually...why I am I telling you this?" She says more to herself as a bashful grin crawls onto her face.
"It's okay." Tadashi says with a gentle voice as he watches her calm down slowly.
"Anyway...uh, I-I just came to tell you I'm not secretly into bot fighting or anything." She bit her lip in embarrassment as she stepped back.
"Haha, no problem, you seem like a good girl." The phrase came out almost sexual in the boy's deep voice. Both of them noticed this and the atmosphere became weird all at once.
"Ah...yeah, so, see you around." She finished as she began to leave.
"Oh, um, wait." Tadashi called out to her and she turned instantly. "I didn't get your name."
"Oh, sorry, Catherine Anders." She answered the boy with a smile.
"Catherine." He repeated to himself. "I'm Tadashi Hamada." He politely replied.
"Yeah, I know, you said it in your presentation." Catherine reminds him and he blushes fiercely.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot..." He stuttered and the girl chuckled lightheartedly.
"So what do you want?" The girl asked as the two of them walked into a busy café.
"Anything's fine." Tadashi tries to be polite.
"No, really, choose what whatever you want; I want to see what you'll choose." Catherine said this with a cool aura and the boy only nodded.
"Uh, then let me get an expresso." He says looking from the waitress to Catherine who had on a smile.
"Expresso: a man's coffee." She joked and Tadashi rolled his eyes although he laughed a bit.
"I'll have a macchiato." She moved her hair behind her ear and added to the order.
"Right up." The woman replied and went off to making the drinks.
The room was warm, different from the late autumn weather outside. Soon the smell of ground coffee beans and sweet milk filled the two up and made them feel comfortable and cozy. They talked about the most random things finding something in common in the midst of unorthodox ideas. As Tadashi drank the hot liquid while listening to the girl's gentle whispering tone he felt the soothing effect of the scenery. Catherine honestly couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to him. She'd never been one to talk much so to be sitting in a café talking about her deepest rooted theories felt almost foreign to the naturally lonely girl. The two were so surrounded by their own conversation that they didn't notice when the burgundy door opened letting the icy wind drift inside the comfy place. Black Vans stepped into the place and headed to the two youngsters talking at the counter.
"Catherine." A husky voice called and the girl stopped talking and turned.
Meeting her glance were deep, dark eyes cover by strong eyebrows and messy bangs. Catherine instantly switched her own eyes to their more hostile form, wrinkling her brow as she squinted and narrowed her vision as if ahead of her was a cunning enemy not her own flesh and blood.
"What?" Is the only word she let seep from the filter of her hateful feelings.
"I need some money." The guy said simply while shaking his head and rearranging his wild hair, mid-length top with a soft undercut.
"Handle it." Catherine replied with the tone of someone who could jump at the kid's neck at any moment. A smirk spread over his predominant lower lip and the boy took one of his hands out of his dark jean's pocket and patted the girl on the head.
"Come on, little sis, help me out." His plead was so false that it exasperated the girl to hear how naturally he could let the words drip from his tongue.
"Get out of here, Kade." A low growl came from her throat as the boy swirled his finger around his sister's long hair.
A perfectly pointed nose moved to see Tadashi sitting tense and mute behind Catherine.
"Oh, I get it." Kade says feigning regret as he steps back from his sibling. "You're on a date, huh?" The guy asks while looking into Tadashi's shocked eyes.
"Kade." Catherine sets the boundary and the boy settles down. If looks could kill the two Anders siblings would be bleeding on the floor at that instant.
"You gonna help me out or not?" Kade questions again in a more somber, brusque tenor.
Against her will Catherine sees through the bad-boy gawk and straight to the desperate interior. After all, who else could he go to? She goes to her bag and pulls out a twenty.
"Here. Get out of my sight." The girl slaps the bill into the boy's outstretched hand and sends him away.
"Thanks baby girl." Kade smiles and kisses his sisters forehead before leaving almost instantly.
As soon as he leaves the girl slumps in her seat and lets out a deep sigh. Tadashi is motionless and suddenly Catherine rises from her seat and puts another twenty dollar bill in front of Tadashi.
"I'm sorry." She whispers and starts for the exit.
"Wait...Catherine...waitress." Tadashi fumbles around with the money while standing from his own seat and calling on both Catherine and the waitress. When the girl goes through the door he hurriedly leaves the money on the counter and runs out after her.
"Catherine...uh, could you please wait." He calls just behind her and she doesn't heed his words.
"This isn't happening." The girl shakes her head as she reaches her car. She opens the white door and throws her bag to the passenger seat before ducking to sit at the driver's seat.
"Wait. Catherine, just wait." Tadashi places his hand over Catherine's holding the top of the door. The boy lets out a relieved breathe and looks to the girl's face. She looks down as soon as their eyes meet and Tadashi shuts his eyes as he tries to think of the right thing to say.
"It's okay." He begins slowly.
"Not really, it's not." She shakes her head again.
"Why?" The boy asks more to get her to talk about her feelings rather than to get an answer.
"He's not gonna stop doing that and I'm not gonna stop doing that. You...I mean, I'm not an easy person. You're a good kid, right? Love your family? Got an amazing academic record?"
"What does that have to do with thi-Us?" Tadashi asks boldly implying a relationship between them.
"I like you...I think I like you...but you're gonna regret it." She said the last part with eyes that tore Tadashi apart.
Not knowing what to say at that point the boy took both his hands to the girl's head and stared at her eyes for a minute before placing his lips lightly over hers. Slowly she responded to the touch by moving and Tadashi slid his tongue over her bottom lip and his eyes started fluttering closed. She opened her mouth for him and gradually their tongues gently began greeting each other. The kiss was slow and a bit hesitant but it was pure and clear. The taste of coffee still lingering on their pallets swirled around their kiss and as they pulled back their half-open eyes stared at each other's face.
"I'm not gonna regret it." Tadashi assured and Catherine licked his taste from her lips as she nodded.