[chapter 04: just a day]

The tempest had ceased.

The sky was clear blue, save for the last few clouds dancing off after their rage. Winds passing through the town were thin and cold, nipping the bare flesh and disappearing without a trace, without looking behind. Taking with them the last remnants of rain, but unable to touch what had been nourished by the falling water.

Yes, the tempest had ceased, but what was left behind?

The sun cast it's shadows as if to prove it still existed.

In a small café nestled in the town, a young woman busied herself serving the only customer of her morning shift. Their words were short and courteous, the man smiling with his mouth and eyes at the server whose lips only curved up, eyes searching for something to say and finding herself asking only if he needed anything else.

His reply was no, he was alright, thank you. Could she deny that she was disappointed?

But if she found something to talk about with him, she wouldn't have been able to watch him from behind the counter, where she pretended to fill another pot of coffee. His hands, strong and hard, tapped against the table along to a tune playing on the radio. Fingers that nimbly straightened his tie, that smoothly held a cigarette, wrapped around the handle of a mug that steamed with dark coffee. Lips that could arch into a smile, speak words simple in meaning and suave in tone, that had probably met sweeter tastes than the bitter coffee, took in the pitch-black liquid unfamiliar with the generosity of a milky touch.

And eyes that could see the people outside of the café walking, or see the world behind them, a world changing in hue and feeling.

Uni wondered, when those eyes looked upon her, what did they see? Just a girl, with arms and legs and a beating heart like everyone else? Or a girl whose eyes mirrored the sky, arms like the sea that wished to touch more than the grains of time and whatever else had been left behind?

She couldn't say anything. Words caught in her throat, snagged by her anxiety and her fear of rejection. Gamma's kindness from yesterday didn't seem to differ, but Uni felt she had been altered, and the eyes through which she saw him had changed focus. Uni wanted his friendship, because of the gentleness of his eyes and words, even though his words were few and so were hers. Friendship seemed like a lot for someone like her to ask of a man who wore his red tie and smiled while drinking bitter coffee.

But, still, she wanted it. A friendship not born out of obligation or sympathy. Even if Uni feared wishing for something, afraid it would be taken away from her.

When Gamma paid and made to leave, he turned to habitually smile and thank his server. His smile today danced with hints of familiarity, sprouting from seeds planted, nurtured by the rain of a day passed. And from the young girl, it coaxed a less-fearful smile of her own.

"Have a wonderful day, Miss Uni. I'll see you tomorrow." He ran his fingers through his blond hair, grinning and hoping his last sentence didn't sound like a question, like he was asking her if she wanted to see him the following day. But at the same time, he wanted to hear her confirmation. Yes, they could meet again for coffee tomorrow, even if he was sitting and sipping it while she stood several feet away brewing the drink. And he could pretend he didn't feel her eyes on him while fighting the urge to let his own linger on her. If all they exchanged were a few words, it was fine by him.

The dark-haired girl nodded, strands of black brushing her cheeks. Her half-smile had not faded, though it wavered. "Have a nice day," was her response. The man guiltily expected more from her; she did, too.

He left and walked along, his mind on the girl and wondered of the words and thoughts that seemed to propel those cobalt eyes more so than they did her fragile lips.

And she returned to her position at the counter, his presence still lingering in the seat by the window and arousing in her the desire to speak to him. Whose ears would hear her mumbled sentences? Surely not he, the man to whom she had nothing to ask but wished to hear a soothing voice unmarred by her own sadness.

But…there was one. One who could hear her, who always heard her. Whether or not she was alone, and even now, they were listening to her silence.

Uni thought of the next day. Yes, she would see him; she had not lied.

There was another she had to see, as well.

She wondered what they thought of the man who was numb to bitter coffee.

A/N: I'm sorry for the short, eventless chapter! I have the next two planned out, so this was a sort of link between the last chapter and future happenings. I'll be away for several days, though, and I won't be able to do much writing =( Sorry there was so little dialogue, too. I like them better when they talk outside of the café. It's not as…awkward? What do you think? Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story, it really means a lot to me!