The Asian boy just glared at him. "Hn."
"Okay, whatever… You're the shy type, huh? I can handle that. Anyways, my friends and I are sitting over there." He pointed to where Trowa and Quatre were seated. "You can come hang with us if you want."
The dark haired young man made no response, simply smoothing out a wrinkle in the olive green T-shirt he was wearing. His order, a cup of jasmine tea and a large mug of steaming vegetable soup, arrived at the counter. He paid for his meal and headed towards a table for two in one corner without looking back.
Duo sighed, shrugged, and went back to the booth where his friends were waiting for him. He made a face as he sat down.
"No luck, I see," Trowa observed dryly, smirking. Duo kicked him under the table and Quatre cast each of them a disapproving look.
"Shut up. He's just shy. Besides, with one that cute, there's no way I'm giving up yet!"
"But Duo," Quatre began hesitantly, frowning a little. "We've never seen him around here before… What if he's from out of town?"
"He might be, but then again he might be new in town. Or he's only just heard about this place; you know that Sally and Noin have only recently started advertising."
"That's because I've only just managed to convince Noin that we need said advertising," commented a blonde woman, walking up to their booth. She was in her early twenties, and an amused smile graced her pale pink lips.
"Hi Sally!" chorused the three friends, grinning at the woman they'd just been talking about.
"I thought that Noin was going to run G-Alloy by herself today, and let you take the day off?" Quatre said, looking rather puzzled.
"Thank you, Quatre. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who remembers that."
"I'm guessing that Noin herself doesn't remember?" Duo put forth.
Sally nodded. "One of her famous moments of random short-term memory loss. Anyways, there's a sale at the mall. 'The biggest sale of the year: twenty-five percent off all clothes, ten percent off shoes, and five percent off fashion accessories.' That's in all stores applicable. You know how Noin gets at the prospect of a really good sale; she just couldn't resist. She asked first, though, and she looked so cute that I just couldn't resist." Here she stopped and looked Trowa straight in the eyes. "I'm sure that you, at least, know how it is, right, Tro?" He nodded while Quatre turned his head away and grinned.
"Now, for why I really came over here…" Sally slid into the booth, sitting down next to Duo. "You're interested in that Japanese boy, I see."
Duo blinked. "Yeah… He's Japanese? That's cool. I just knew for sure that he's Asian." He paused for a moment, thinking. "I wonder if he likes anime?"
Sally smiled briefly, then scowled. "Don't change the subject, Duo. This is important."
"Me liking a guy is important?"
"Yes. No. Well… That's a part of it, at least. I'm going to make you an offer. A deal."
The chestnut haired young man leaned forward, letting Sally know he was interested and listening. "Okay. Shoot." he said.
"I propose that you wait a few days to make another move. After all, he may never show up again, and I don't want you overly disappointed. But if he does… I have a plan that will enable you to talk with him frequently without raising his suspicions."
"What's that?"
"I can hire you as a waiter here," Sally offered. "It's a mutually beneficial plan. We're quite understaffed, as you're all aware, and you can help remedy that problem. You'd get the chance talk to him, maybe to learn his likes and dislikes, or some of his opinions, perhaps. And, of course, you'd get paid in the process. Just think of all the things that you could buy with pocket money of your own…"
Duo's face lit up and he grinned broadly. "Throw in free coffee, and you've got a deal!" he exclaimed. Just then, his order finally arrived, and he eagerly began to devour the treats.
Sally's eyebrows shot up as she watched the younger man bolt down he food, obviously relishing every bite. "We'd have to set some limits on the free coffee part, but that seems acceptable. Should I check back with you in a few days?"
"No need, my mind's already made up. Being a waiter here sounds good. Even if the guy doesn't work out, I could still use a job, especially working with people I like."
"Great! I'll be going, then. See you three tomorrow! And Duo, you don't start work until next Friday, so enjoy your freedom while it lasts!"
Duo nodded, then focused his gaze on the Japanese beauty in the corner. He didn't hear much of what Trowa and Quatre said after Sally's departure, but they understood.
Author's Note: I'm not very happy with this chapter. I kept trying to fix it, but to no avail. I might change it later, but until then… Forgive me for the semi-suckiness. It wouldn't agree to be written any other way!