Table For Two

It is another lazy summer afternoon—or a busy one, seeing as it is another one of those afternoons that we get very few customers. Perhaps they're all at work. I sigh as I put away the damp cloth I had recently used to wipe a couple of tabletops with. It is another afternoon that I get to savour and fully appreciate the atmosphere and ambiance of my workplace.

Red bricks line the walls. Sunlight streams in through the large windows. Outside, on the sides (minus the front) of the café, are tall plants, tall enough to reach the top edge of the window panes, tall enough to block the blinding sunlight during midday. The front of the café is littered with a couple of wooden tables; the inside is the same. As one enters the café, soft music will make its way into one's hearing—right now, a soft piano-violin duet is playing, composed by the manager's acquaintance, who I unfortunately do not know personally.

The small bells atop the front door tingle; a customer! I come out from behind the counter to greet her. It is one of our usual patrons. And as with her past visits to our quaint café, she comes alone. I do not know much about this young miss; she is often quiet in her stay, oftentimes reading. I haven't seen her bring a companion here—perhaps this is a sanctuary? An escape from the stresses of work? Perhaps so. Despite knowing very little to almost nothing about the young miss, I do know she works nearby—in East Headquarters.

Today must be her day off, because she rarely comes at this time of day. She's also out of uniform. I have never taken much attention to the young miss, since I am always so busy attending to other customers, but now that the café is near-empty, I have had the luxury of observing her.

Oh, I must sound like a stalker, a crazy maniac, or something of the sort, huh? No, no, don't get me wrong, I don't fancy her romantically. I just find her very interesting—the woman, from the way she moves, talks, and carries herself... I can say she is far from being a dumb blonde. That would be an insult; she seems smart—beauty, brains, and brawn, I suppose would be the best way to describe her.

But for such a woman, I wonder why she's always alone? She never brings anyone here, not even a friend. Only herself. And because of that, I am intrigued. Hmm, she seems to have a favourite spot too—the single table by the window. A table for two, supposedly.

This afternoon, she sits at her usual table. Although she's probably memorized our menu, she reads it. "Hmm..." She was looking at our selection of homemade teas. She's tried almost all of them, and now couldn't decide which one to order. After a short moment of silence, she comes to a decision. "I'll have the Apple and Cinnamon Honey iced tea, for a change," she smiles. True, until recently, she had been having the traditional warm teas. But since summer rolled along, iced teas were becoming more popular.

"...and an apple pie," she said, closing the menu. I repeat her order, and she chuckles, commenting, "I wonder why I'm suddenly craving apples today." I let out a small chuckle myself, before excusing myself to get her order. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her reach out for one of the many books we'd been keeping in the café for the customers' pleasure. She had been reading that particular novel for a while now; she must be near finishing it.

As she disappeared from my view, the bells jingle again. Another customer has arrived. I hand over the young woman's order to the chef quickly, and turn to greet the new customer. He smiled back at me; he walked toward the counter, where we display some cakes and other baked concoctions. I already know what he'll be ordering though, even if he gazes at the sweets for a time. He turns to his right, as if looking for something—and I suddenly panic. The young woman and this young man, they share a similar "favourite" spot.

His reaction surprised me though, because he was smiling, still. Oh yes, this young man also worked at East Headquarters! Perhaps he recognized his fellow soldier? "I'll have the usual," he says, before walking off to the table at the right end of the café. Coffee and a clubhouse sandwich, I scribble down and pass it off to the chef. Discreetly, I watch their exchange.

"Hello," he says to the woman, who seemed engrossed in her reading. "Is this seat taken?"

The woman looked up, a bit startled. Of course, it was a bit surprising—someone asking to sit with you, when the whole café is practically empty. But upon catching sight of the speaker, her face lit up with recognition. "Colonel," she said in a slightly amused tone. She nodded, and he sat down.

I manage to hear a snippet of conversation between the two:

"Aren't you supposed to be working, sir?"

"Ah, well... I am. Just taking a short break, you know?"

"Short..."

"Yeah, I'll just get my coffee and sandwich, and I'll go right away, ma'am." He joked; I could sense it in his tone.

I left them for a few minutes, allowing them the privacy that is rightfully theirs. I don't usually poke around the customers' lives, but these two have probably been the most... interesting. I know the man as Colonel Mustang—of course, it's only natural to know him. Hero of Ishbal, and most of all, Flame Alchemist. He's well-known around East. He often visits the café on afternoons like this, and sometimes on rainy days. Always ordering the same coffee and sandwich, and always sitting at the table by the window.

Now that I think about it, that window has a perfect view of the East Headquarters. Hmm... is it just pure coincidence? That these two, both officers at East Headquarters, both sharing a common favourite table... hmm. I can't put a finger on it. Their orders are done.

Looking at them, if I didn't know they were officers, I would've mistaken them for something like really good friends. Or a couple, even. They have such chemistry, like-"Apple and Cinnamon Honey Iced Tea, and a slice of apple pie," I set the plate and drink down in front of the young woman, "And coffee and a clubhouse sandwich," I did the same for the Flame Alchemist. "Enjoy your meal." The two smiled.

I couldn't help listening to their exchange afterwards; there was really nothing else to hear in the almost-empty café, save for their voices. He bid his farewell, as he promised. She called his rank. I don't understand what had happened next, because there was silence. But the two didn't leave until both had finished their meal.

It is yet another lazy summer afternoon, just like that day I saw the Colonel and the Lieutenant at their favourite table. Only this time, the café is entirely empty. It has been a couple of months now, since their visits ceased. I walk over to their table—I have officially claimed it as theirs, but don't tell the manager!—and find their notes perpetually preserved under the table's glass top. As with our other faithful patrons, they wrote messages for the café, and now we keep these testimonials on the tables as a memory of our patrons.

Thank you so much! I've always enjoyed my afternoon days off here. I will surely miss this... I wonder if you've got a branch in Central?

– Riza Hawkeye

Thank you! I can't imagine my coffee and clubhouse sandwiches any other way. Do you guys deliver? To Central HQ, please. Haha!

– Roy Mustang

I sighed. In all honesty, I've started to miss the two—we haven't been particularly close, but I've grown fond of them. I look forward to the next time they come—hopefully, they'll come back and instead of just coming and sitting alone, they'd say, "Table for two."

End.

A/N: I seriously didn't know how to end it. XD I had the sudden urge to write this when I was eating at Cafe Mary Grace the other day. Really nice cafe; it was my first time, but I was already smitten by it. Really nice atmosphere, good food, and everything. I fell in love with it! xD So I modelled the cafe here to Cafe Mary Grace. 8D

"Coffee and a clubhouse sandwich" (ordered in the most unexpected times of the day)—sound familiar? You must've heard it from Chiaki-sempai in Nodame Cantabile, haha. I dunno; is it just me, or is there a striking resemblance between Roy and Chiaki? Black hair and eyes, expertise in what they do... Nyahaha, it must be me. Yeah. XD