Breaking The Ice
Hello there readers! Sorry again for the long wait, I've wanted to publish this chapter but I just had a hard time thinking of what the next story will be and what will be the title of this. I'm also busy doing some shoujo manga marathon reading, and I'll be putting up a new fiction story for Faster Than A Kiss. Alright going back, I'm not kinda sure if this chapter's title fits, so I'll just let you guys drop your thoughts by clicking the review button down there. And by the way, I'm in need of beta readers. Happy reading!
"Table number 5, order of cinnamon swirl and a café Americano please for two please." Said Yui who's busy roaming around getting the orders of the new customers.
"Alright. Coming!" I shouted with a smile.
The past weeks here in the coffee shop have been tremendously busy for all of us. For some reason, our shop have been mobbed by girls, be it working or students. Senior staffs said that it was because of a VIP customer and who also happened to be an old good friend our boss; they said it has been a while since this customer was last seen here and since he stopped visiting the shop back then the sales also dropped. I can't remember this particular customer or maybe I'm not yet an employee when he used to go here and now he is back, it is back to bussines – as – usual.
"Cinnamon swirl and café americano for table number 5!" I shouted as I placed the order atop the counter and Yui approached to get it.
"Hey Mi-chan, final exams are coming. How are your studies?"
"Oh yeah that reminds me of the examinations, and it's already this coming Friday. There still a lot to read." I sighed heavily as I told Yui and felt the heaviness on my shoulders ermerging right there. Since the coffee shop became busy, I didn't have enough energy and too tired to study when I get home. Ni-chan always end up carrying me to bed if I ever had time to study and eventually fall to sleep right away.
"Don't worry, me and Ryuuen will be studying together for our final examinations too at my house this Wednesday. You can join us if you want to ne?" Yui winked at me as she got back after serving the order at table number 5. "Miaka, can you please have this coffee serve at the last table over there?" She said pointing at the farthest side of the coffee shop, it is the place where the mysterious friend of our boss usually sits and I haven't seen him yet though. "I'll just go quick to buy a new medical dictionary at the bookstore across the street, I lost mine yesterday."
"Sure no problem Yui-chan." I get the tray she is holding and she removed the apron and hang it on the side of the counter and said thanked me as she heads toward the door. Now I'll be able to see who is this popular customer I told myself. I placed down the tray for few seconds to check myself on the mirror and pick up the tray again.
As I am walking to the farthest side of the coffee shop, my heart start beating wildly all of a sudden only Suzaku and the gods maybe knows why. I walked with all grace and poise as I approach the person who is then cross – legs while reading a broadsheet newspaper. I can't see clearly his physique, the only thing that I can see is the color of his hair which is corny blonde, he is wearing a black formal coat covering his white long sleeves and his arms but I can see his slender white fingers. "Excuse me sir, here is your ordered coffee." I told him politely and in a very soft and charming voice that I could muster. I waited for his reply but he didn't seemed to notice my presence and looks like busy reading business news. "If there is any thing else that you want just let us know. I'll be taking my leave now."
"Even if you tone your voice that way I can still recognize you easily apart from the flair of your chi, Suzaku no miko."
I tilt my head a little, is it me just hallucinating of someone's voice or is it really… I turned around slowly and find a man crookedly smirking with icy blue and black orbs giving me a pinning stare. "Whaa—t?" he widened his crooked smile as if very much fascinated seeing me shocked. "Is this a joke?" I choked.
"Does my very presence look like a joke to you?" Nakago said to be raising an eyebrow.
"Are you following me?"
"Should I be the one telling you that question? Are you following me?"
"Excuse me?" my voice was a little loud but still soft. "Why in the world would I be following you. You're not even worth following." I turned to the other tables and see a group of girls giggling and looking at this arrogant bloke. "Well at least not me."
"Really, how interesting. Let's see. I've been a regular customer from the very moment this coffee shop opened. And this spot has always been reserved for me." Nakago told me as a matter of fact.
"You.. You mean you are that VIP that everyone talks about?"
"Isn't too obvious?" he said with full of sarcasm.
A vein throbbed in me and I was about to blow up when someone spoke from behind and patted my shoulder. "I knew it has to be you huh." I look up and saw it was the owner of the coffee shop. He has long raven hair tied in a loose ponytail, smiling eyes, perfectly curved nose, even lips and chiseled jaw. He smiled at me and turned his attention to the sarcastic jerk I was talking to. "I just knew it is you, the Mr. Popular – womanizer, Nathan Gi, the moment I learned from my manager that girls start to mob again my infamous coffee shop I knew you're back."
Nakago took a sip from his coffee as if hearing nothing before speaking. "It's been a long time Chuin Rou." The blonde icicle didn't bother to stand up to welcome my boss who happened to be his long time friend. I rolled my eyes and I saw him looking at me and dropped a thin smile. "I never thought she works for you." I was taken aback hearing him stressed the word 'she'.
"Miss Yuuki, you can go back now to your work. I'll keep entertained here, thank you." Chuin Rou said politely. "There will be a lot to talk about since we still have unsettled issues from our last meeting." And I took my bow and left them alone talking silently as if there is something more going on between these two guys. These men don't look just old friends, it looks more like that they've been known each other for a very long time as if they can see and read each other's soul.
"No way!" Yui screemed through my ears.
"Yui-chan tone it down, boss might hear we're talking about them." I told Yui and looked around to check if anyone heard us talking.
"But how is that possible that Nakago and our boss knew each other?"
"I don't know either."
"Could it be, our boss is another reincarnated form of one of the characters from the book?" I looked at Yui with unsure eyes. She has a point there but who would it be? "Could it be one of my seishi, Miaka?"
"I really don't know. But if your suspicion is true, then we need to be careful about Mr. Chuin Rou."
"Hey what's the laid – back moment all about you two?"
"Taka!" Yui greeted first my ex – seishi and ex – lover, we didn't noticed his presence that he's been waiting at the counter to make an order. "Sorry about that, me and Mi-chan were just having some.." I gave Yui a don't – tell – him – yet look. "Err.. Girl talk." I saw my best friend fidget a little she's a no – good liar.
"Ahh. I see. Girl talk." Taka raised us an eyebrow, meaning he's not convinced.
"Yes, girl talk." I finally butt – in. "I'm just asking Yui about some school matters on how to be more efficient student by being diligent on my studies, right."
"I see. But Miaka, if you needed help to your studies you know I can always lend a hand, all you need to is to ask." Taka offered and gave me a sweet smile. How I missed that smile from him, he always give me that kind before when we're still together.
"No worries. Yui is here anyway so, that's fine, thank you." I sighed. I think I saw Taka's facial expression frowned as he heard my refusal for his help. "By the way here is your latte." I changed the topic so that he'll drop the idea of giving help. He took the hot venti cup of latte from the counter, and flashed his cute boyish smile and sit at the bar chair.
Taka loves people watching while having a hot drink of latte. That's one of his most favorite things to do whenever he drops a visit here at the coffee shop. But his aura seemed to changed the moment he saw Nakago coming out from the other side of the shop. 'Uh-oh' not now, how could I forget about that arrogant jerk's in here and let Taka dined in. Yui saw it too and signaled me to do something.
Nakago's stare is locked to Taka's, I hurriedly go in between them just in case, and good thing it is almost our closing time. "Taka it's not what you think it is." I explained to my ex – seishi. "Naka—, Nathan is a regular customer here and a friend of my boss so no need to worry."
"You," Taka spoke. "Are you really following Yui up to here?" Nakago is in his stoic façade, not seemed to be intimidated by Taka. "You're really desperate aren't you." He continued not in form of a question.
"Are you really also pertaining only to Yui-sama?" Nakago hit back in a sarcastic tone. "Suit yourself Suzako warrior. I'm sure you wouldn't want to start a fight with me in this kind of place."
"Hey, both of you stop it." I told them. "Taka I told you, Nathan is not here to cause trouble." Taka cursed under his breath. "And you Mr. Gi stop that annoying sarcasm and just leave as you please."
"Nate, why you're still here? Any problem?" Great. Its my boss checking us out.
"None. Just extending my amusement before I leave." Nakago said unbreaking his eye contact with Taka.
"Do you know each other by any chance?" Chuin Rou asked. But by the way he drops his question it's more of not in a form of question and what us to say something beyond his question.
"I think its out of your concern Rou." My eyes widened hearing what Nakago said to my boss. "By the way, you're about to close right?"
I can smell the salty breeze of Tokyo night after it rained. The streets are almost cleared up since it's already a bit late. The uncommunicative jerk who's driving this jaw dropping Porsche car and sitting next to me is still wearing his annoying victorious smirk. Maybe he's still thinking about the almost incident at the coffee shop before he asked the owner to have me leave early and offered to drive me home. Taka almost lose his composure back then, good thing I convinced him that it will be alright since I have something important to ask Nakago about. I heaved a sigh.
"Nathan, can we go somewhere else first?" He looked at me and flashed a raising eyebrow. "Hey don't get ideas, I just want to ask something."
"Can't say it here?" he said sarcastically.
"Can, unless you stop the car first." He didn't respond right away but after a few minute drive he pulled over to the sidewalk and stopped the engine.
"What about?"
"How do you know Chuin Rou?" I'm real dead – curious about their relationship so I asked straight forwardly.
"I never thought you are nosy about other people's business." Nakago dropped a very thin smile. And it made me blush.
"Because I know there's a lot beyond to know."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I just knew. And my boss said that you still have some unsettled matters with him."
"Does it already means something?" Nakago said sarcastically.
"So what's your real relationship with Chuin Rou?"
"I thought it's already the talk – of – the – town in his coffee shop?"
"They said you're long time friends." But this isn't the answer I'd like to hear.
"That answers your question."
"You're lying." I turn to his direction and trying to meet his gaze. "You're not telling me the truth."
"How sure are you?"
"I can tell."
Nakago removed his seatbelt and leaned forward to me, I was taken aback. "Really." He flashed his crooked smile. "Then, proved it and make me."
Having him this close I felt like I was about to hyperventilate to the closeness that we are on right now. He is still leaning so close to me, we are just inches apart and our noses are almost touching. I can feel his breathing next to mine and he is giving me that pinning stare that made me immobile the most. I'm lost in his eyes. I gulped hard. I can feel my face burning, my ears are hot as well and my heart is running wild like crazy. I think I lost my sanity that very moment. Unconsciously my hands suddenly cupped his face. My fingers started to trace every details of his face, from the eyebrows that he always used to raise to annoy the shit out of me, I touched the corners of his eyes and realized that his lashes are long and beautiful. His perfected nose line down to the chiseled curve of his jaw and his lips every features of this man is very surreal.
Nakago moved more forward and he let our forehead and then our noses touched. I closed my eyes and feel the moment, listening to the then becoming heavy breathes, and music of our heartbeats. Moments have passed, and we're still unmoving.
"Still not giving up, Suzaku no miko?" He said in a very deep voice. And I felt like I'm loosing my knee bones. "If you don't stop this now, I might end up kissing you again." He teased, and I feel butterflies flying inside my stomach. "Or don't tell me you're all too willing this time?" I opened my eyes slowly to see our proximity but I turned it shut again when I saw him looking at me in a different way. His eyes are heavy, as if controlling and fighting with himself. Maybe this jerk was not joking after all that he might end up again kissing me. I release my hold to his face and slide it down to his chest and tried to push him away but when I did he just pushed himself to me a little more which surprised me the most. I tried to push him again, but this time his left hands cupped the right side of my face and he wrapped his right arm on my waist. "Are you scared now?"
"No." He was taken aback, and loosened his hold on me and looked into me. "I was never scared of you. At least not in this lifetime." And I gave him a soft smile.
"But didn't you just called me a liar earlier?" he said as a matter – of – factly, I did called him a liar but I don't know either why do I trust him this much.
"Credibility is the most important thing for a high profiled people like you." I reason out.
"Are you sure is that really is?"
"What do you mean?" He is looking at me intently but I'm trying to avoid his stare.
"You know what I am talking about, Miaka." My face went beat red and my heart raced like horse as he said my name.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course you knew."
"Stop it.." No this is impossible.
"The first time we saw each other you already knew, is it?"
"No I don't.." No don't say it. I'm not..
"Then why not prove it." My eyes widened hearing him said that. "Let's kiss."
"You gotta be kidding me?" I squealed. This guy is totally out of his mind. "You know what? I only thought you're just an uncommunicative – arrogant – icicle – jerk.
"Scared much to be proven guilty, Suzaku no miko?" he teased. He really is such a tease!
"Of course I'm not!"
"Then.." Within just a snap of two fingers, he then again cupped my face and wrapped his right arm on my waist and pulled me closer by leaning much to me and the sudden gush made me shut my eyes and then his lips devoured mine, for the first time since our first meeting after the book I'm allowing his lips to explore mine. Yes we kissed but its twice if the indirect kiss that we had during the baking class counts. But this time around, I'm allowing him to do this. My mind doesn't want to but my heart is telling me otherwise. Could it be.. Could it be then.. I have.. We parted a little bit heaving and Nakago's 2 hands cupped my face. "I told you, you've fallen for me."
(A/N: What do you think of this chapter? I wanna hear from you guys! Tell me all about it! And again, I'm in need of beta readers. Thank you! )
