The sky got darker as the storm started to pick up. Hideki's feet were getting wet, and he didn't even have an umbrella.
As much as he didn't want to inconvenience Ueda-san from work, he darted into Chiroru, soaked through to the bone. Ueda-san saw Hideki, and then found him a towel as fast as he could.
"Man, you're drenched!" Said Ueda-san, handing the boy a cloth to dry his face with.
"Thanks," responded Hideki. "I got caught in the rain as soon as I started my walk home. Again, I'm sorry to bother y-"
"No, don't worry about it, Hideki. I'm glad you stopped here; look at it out there!"
By now, it was down pouring, and the streets were becoming channels for the buildup of water.
"I don't want you to catch a cold. I have a clean change of clothes in the back, so you're welcome to borrow them," offered Ueda-san.
Hideki turned red at the baker's kind gesture, he directed him to a space near the back door in the kitchen.
"Uh, sure. Thank you, Ueda-san," said the slightly embarrassed boy.
When Hideki was finished changing out of his dripping wet clothes and into Ueda-san's, he came back out of the kitchen.
The baker shyly chuckled as he noticed that the slightly smaller boy had cuffed up the bottoms of his pant legs, and rolled up the long, loose sleeves of the shirt.
"I didn't realize how big they'd be on you," said Ueda-san, who still appeared to be amused by the sight.
"At least I'm not soaking wet now," said Hideki. "I've never heard you laugh before," he added, introducing a new thought.
"Please forgive me if I offended you, but I just couldn't help it," replied Ueda-san.
"No, it was good to hear you laugh! You should do more of it," said Hideki, starting to smile warmly.
"You should try doing it more often too," Ueda-san reminded him. "How was your exam today, by the way?"
"Oh, it wasn't quite as difficult as I'd originally thought it was going to be, but I have such a hard time focusing. Its not easy to chase away all the day dreams I have, whether they're good or bad," answered Hideki.
"Ah, I see," said Ueda-san, thinking. "Can't keep all those pretty girls out of your head, can you?"
Hideki didn't know what to say, as his facial expression sank slightly.
"What's the matter, Hideki?" Ueda-san asked.
"Nothing. I-I was just wondering how long this rain is going to keep coming down for," said Hideki, glancing towards the window.
"Oh yeah, don't you need to get home at some point?" Asked the baker.
"Yes, I'm hoping the rain will let up so I can walk. Otherwise I'll just have to get soaking wet again," Hideki answered.
"If you wait a few minutes, I can give you a ride home if you'd like. I just have to clean everything up and close the store," suggested Ueda-san.
"You already lent me your clothes; you don't have to drive me-"
"Hideki, its no trouble at all, as long as I don't get anymore flat tires," Ueda-san joked.
"Alright, thank you," said Hideki, appreciatively.
Ueda-san and Hideki started tidying up the patisserie and putting everything away for the evening. The boy tried to lift a heavy pile of metal baking pans, not realizing how difficult it would be for him.
"Careful," Ueda-san said, taking half of the stack from Hideki, who was struggling with the weight.
"Whew, thanks," Hideki said, taking a breath.
When they were all done, Ueda-san grabbed his umbrella, and opened the door to put it up.
"Can you make sure that's locked?" The pastry chef said, handing Hideki the keys.
Hideki took the keys and shut the door, hearing the click of the lock as he turned the key. Then, Ueda-san gently motioned for Hideki to walk under the umbrella with him.
Hideki couldn't help but let his imagination wander happily as he and his handsome boss walked closely together in the rain. At least to him, it felt romantic.
R & R !
