When Hideki's dull, uneventful weekend was over, it was officially the start of a long and mentally tiring week.
Monday morning, he got up and picked out his clothes, finding his usual denim and a sweatshirt. He gathered all the testing materials he needed; with his fingers crossed that he didn't forget anything. He had his calculator, pencils, pens, and erasers. The boy left his apartment ten minutes earlier than usual, so he could stop for a coffee before the exam. Although Hideki didn't usually drink caffeinated beverages on a daily basis, he knew it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one before taking what proved to be one of the longest tests of his career as a student.
He was passing Chiroru, when Ueda-san was just arriving for the day. The baker was unlocking the door when he turned his head, noticing the familiar face of his friendly employee.
"Good morning Ueda-san!" Hideki said, immediately perking up at the sight of his favorite man.
"Morning, Hideki," Ueda-san smiled. "You're out early today," he added.
"I have the first of my entrance exams, so I'm going to get a fresh coffee," said Hideki.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Ueda-san remembered. "Just do your best, and that's all that counts."
"I'm not too worried about it, I just hope I don't fall asleep," the boy joked. "H-hey, do you wanna come get coffee too?" Hideki asked, with a slight quiver of nervousness in his voice. He pointed at the cafe across the street.
"Uh, sure, Why not?" responded Ueda-san, putting his keys back in his pocket.
The two of them went across the street and sat down at a table near a window after ordering their coffee. At first, neither of them had anything pertinent to say, but then a bell rang at the counter, so Ueda-san got up, bringing back both his and Hideki's drinks.
"Oh, thank you," said Hideki, cheerfully, as his handsome boss placed the hot beverage in front of him.
"No problem. Both of ours were ready at the same time," he replied, taking his first sip.
"I got french vanilla," said Hideki. "What did you get in yours?"
"I got a mocha. I'm sometimes not sure what to have, but these always seem to be pretty good," answered Ueda-san.
After a couple of more minutes went by, Hideki looked down at his wristwatch. "I've got to get going now, Ueda-san. It was nice to meet up with you this morning, though!" he added, trying to hide the blush that was forming across his cheeks.
"Good luck, Hideki!" Said Ueda-san, giving his employee an encouraging smile.
"Thanks!" The boy said, turning, as he hustled out the door.
The baker sat there at the window, finishing his coffee. He looked up at the sky, noticing the grey clouds beginning to roll in. Ueda-san took a deep breath when he was finished, and then got up.
At school, Hideki found his seat. Miss Shimizu had placed name cards on each desk in the classroom, so that all the students would be in alphabetical order while taking the first test.
About two hours into the exam, Hideki started thinking about his time with Ueda-san earlier that morning. He knew he had to concentrate on the test that was in front of him, but it was so difficult to. It seemed unimportant. He valued Ueda-san much higher than pretty much everything else he had going on in his life.
School, work, and his apartment, were Hideki's primary focuses, but when he thought of Ueda-san, he went to far beyond those items; a whole new area of thinking and feeling. The boy even knew what it was, but he didn't want to confront his boss about it. He didn't know what to do, because he still had no idea what Ueda-san would think, or how he would react, of course, to confessing his feelings for him.
To Hideki, not knowing what was going on inside Ueda-san's mind was causing him so much internal confusion and pain. He hadn't been able to pick up on anything Ueda-san had said or done that could potentially suggest that he felt the same way for him.
Even though Hideki felt like crying, he couldn't. It was all on the inside. The thoughts he had about his boss were just as tension-filled as his conversations with him in real life.
Realizing he'd let his attention stray from the exam for too long, Hideki resumed his intent concentration, so that he could score as best he could.
When the test was finally over, everyone in the class got up and was stretching their arms and legs after sitting for so many hours. Hideki looked out the window, as the sky was now filled with dark storm clouds.
"Thank you all for your patience and cooperation," Miss Shimizu announced. "Make sure to get home safely. The forecast says it's supposed to get very windy, and the rain might not stop until midday tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning," she said, as the students were packing up to leave.
It started raining as Hideki was walking home.
(A/N): Thank you so much to Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan for the support and encouragement you've given me throughout this story.