He stopped and looked at her. "Be careful," he said. "Hot tea tends to be hot." He smiled wryly and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Matt."
Takada reached out and lightly gripped his hand. "Hello, Matt. I'm Takada."
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
"I'm fine," she replied. "I just burnt my mouth a little."
"Well, you could sue this café for millions," he joked. The waitress, who was still picking up ceramic shards, looked up worriedly.
Takada smiled. "You're funny, but that won't be necessary. It's just a little burn." The waitress became relieved.
"So what brings you here on this lovely day?" he inquired.
"I'm just waiting for class to start. What about you?"
"Let's just say that I'm on vacation."
They chuckled harmoniously.
She looked at her watch. "Sorry, but I have to get to class. I hope I'll see you again."
"Well, how about this?" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. "I'll give you my number and we can possibly make plans." He jotted down the number to his cell phone.
Takada grabbed the slip of paper from him. She read it and smiled. "Thanks," she said. "I'll talk to you later." She turned and headed back to the university's main building.
In the distance, she heard a chime. "Crap, I'm going to be late for class." She took off, her high-heels clacking against the pavement as she wove between cars while crossing the street. In all this commotion, she was oblivious as her phone slipped out of her back pocket and fell to the ground in the middle of the street.
Matt looked at his watch. "I'd better get home so I don't miss that special on the Tech Channel." He casually strutted across the street, taking the same path Takada had. He stopped in the middle of the street and gazed at the asphalt. There lie a pink phone, completely contrasting the black of the road.
He ignored the loud honks of the impatient drivers he was obstructing and bent down to pick up the phone.
