Chapter Three: …Midnight Mocha…

Ueda was on his way home--it was late. The city streets were still busy even after midnight. It was intriguing: the variety of neon lights gave the atmosphere a strange, hazy tint.

As he looked around, Ueda noticed that he couldn't make out anyone's faces. Their features were erased, there were only dark silhouettes making their way through the town. But then Ueda recognized a familiar figure in front of a small ice cream shop. She was the only one who was standing out from all the others. He waited a second, trying to figure out what was going on, then decided to go talk to her.

Ueda approached Tomaru as she was handing a couple coins to the man behind the counter, "You're out late."

"Oh, Manager Ueda…I felt like taking a little walk," she paused and giggled, "Then I passed this ice cream shop and I just couldn't resist!"

They were interrupted when the silhouette behind the counter handed Tomaru her ice cream. She thanked him politely and turned to Ueda.

"You want some?"

He smiled, "Sure, why not?"

When she returned a smiled, Ueda saw a memory flash in front of his eyes: he saw his former love--a persocom--flash the same smile. He shook it off, knowing that it would just stand in his way.

Tomaru followed him to a nearby bench. They sat down, having a few spoonfuls of ice cream and making small-talk.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay later at work, but I have a test on Monday and…"

Ueda cut her off, "Don't worry about it! You've been nothing but helpful since I met you. I mean, you come to work early…you stay later…you even bake extra cookies for me when it gets too busy…"

She took another spoonful of ice cream, "Manager, I'm sorry to stop you, but…would you mind walking me home?"

His eyebrows raised in curiosity, wondering why she didn't want to talk about work. Ueda decided not to ask, he simply agreed to escort her back to her apartment.

At Tomaru's house…

Ueda and Tomaru stood at the entrance of the multi-level apartment complex. They both looked at each other, their faces illuminated by the yellow glow of the porch light.

"Thank you for walking me home," she said shyly, straightening the shoulder strap to her purse.

Ueda chuckled, "Thanks for the ice cream…I guess I'll see you at work in a couple of days then?"

She nodded, reaching for her keys. Tomaru was about to step inside when Ueda lightly touched her arm.

She turned to him, "What is it?"

He opened his mouth, ready to speak, but couldn't find the words. He once again remembered a picture from the past: his first kiss with his beloved persocom. Unable to resist, Ueda pulled her close into him, he could feel Tomaru's steady breathing. His heart beat faster as he leaned in to kiss her. His touch was gentle, his kiss was soft…this was the feeling he had been missing for such a long time…but this time, the emotions were real…not just a series of programmed ones and zeros…and this kiss was sweet--Ueda could still taste the icy mocha flavor which had remained on Tomaru's glossy lips…

…And then he heard the spirited chirps and twitters of the cheerful birds. It was morning. Ueda blinked the sleep from his eyes, sitting up to check the time. He quickly bunched the covers up on his lap when he noticed his reaction to the dream. It was still pretty early, so Ueda plopped his head back onto the fluffy pillow to grab a couple extra minutes of rest.

He thought to himself, I can't believe how real that dream felt!…Man, it really has been quite a while since I've actually thought about another person like that…ever since I lost her…

Ueda stood up, deciding to get ready a little early, but felt his head start throbbing. He sat back down on the bed, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to ease the migraine. However, every time he would try to stand up, dizziness would overcome him--sending him back to bed.

He felt himself get worse and worse by the minute, "Ugh…not today…"

**Hi! Sorry about how choppy this chapter was. I kinda wanted to use it to show how Manager Ueda's feelings are starting to develop for Tomaru, but also how he still can't stop thinking about his lost love. I'd really appreciate it if I got a few more reviews, because if no one is reading this, then I have no reason to keep writing : ( **