To say she was a little late was an understatement.
Matsuri was more then two hours late for her job at her local cafe. She was held back at school for cleanup but things got a little bit out of hand when she was accidentally locked in her classroom by her English teacher Kakashi. The stupid teacher was probably to engrossed in his perverted novel to not notice that she was there. She had to wait an extra half hour before she caught the attention of the schools janitor who unlocked the door before she legged it out of the classroom.
Now she was running as if her life depended on it.
This wasn't the first time she was late with different excuses each time . It might come off as tardy but shit happens. The only reason she has this job is because her and her friends are trying to save up for a much anticipated trip to New York. A few more months of ordering coffees and they will be on the earliest flight to the big apple.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the vibration of her phone in her pocket, she had forgotten to take it off silent. She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out her black smartphone and looked at the caller ID.
A picture of a beautiful pink haired girl with emerald green eyes appeared on her screen with the name "Sakura" in big blocked letters. She knew she was in for a scolding. Stopping at the traffic lights which were on red she slid the screen across answering the call.
"I can explain.." Matsuri huffed, out of breath from the running.
" What's your excuse this time? let me guess, you were held back by Guy sensei for another "youth" speech again"
"Hey you were there that time so you can't accuse me of lying" Matsuri exclaimed walking across the street as the lights turned green signaling it was safe to cross.
" Whatever Hinata is worried about you that's why I called, we've got you covered down at the shop so don't worry, it's a bit slow today actually" Sakura said with a sigh.
"Hey are you ok? you seem out of it"
"That's because i'm busy saving your ass, anyway's Naruto called earlier, asked me if I wanted him to pick me up early from work"
Naruto Uzumaki is Sakura's very serious boyfriend of two years with spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes and whisker marks on each cheek. The two met at a close friends house party and were immediately hooked on each other. It was a few months before she announced that they were official, with Sakura playing hard to get and Naruto flirting with other girls in order to make her jealous. It worked because a few weeks later they were holding hands and saying "I love you". He suited her being completely opposite to her with his energetic vibe and and his impressive urge to never give up, He excepts her for her hot headed self and has been faithful to her ever since.
"And you said yes?"
"Obviously, if it means getting off work early i'm there and anyways you owe me for all the times you were late and I had to cover for you" Sakura said with a knowing tone. "Besides I want to spend time with my blonde goofball" she said lovingly.
"Awwwwwww! your so in love, what time are you getting off at?" Matsuri asked as she turned the corner towards the cafe.
"6:30, Ino and TenTen are busy with their own shit so they won't be in today and Hinata is leaving around 8-ish to catch her bus so you will be closing up shop tonight"
Matsuri sighed "That's fair, ok I'm just outside the cafe now so i'll see you in literally 2 minutes"
"I'll be watching the seconds go by until you arrive"
"Bye Sakura"
"Bye"
Matsuri hung up the phone placing it in her pocket and looking up at the small cafe. It wasn't any Starbucks but it was very popular around the area. The walls were painted a pastel pink with two large glass windows on either sides which gave you a clear look at the inside of the cafe. The title was slightly faded and the letter "w" was missing from "SWEET TREATS" so the shop was now known as "SEET TREATS". They really have to get that fixed.
Matsuri took a breath before entering the cafe. Inside the walls were painted white with pictures of famous celebrities such as Elvis Presley and Prince. The cafe was based off of an 80's diner with the green and white striped leather-ed couches and the red tables. The jukebox sitting in the corner filled with classical songs.
As she made her way towards the counter she noticed a very familiar blue haired pearl eyed girl currently behind the cash register taking a customers order."There's my favourite Hyuga" said Hyuga looked up surprised but quickly relaxed when she realised who it was.
Matsuri and Hinata have been friends since they were both 6 years old. They both attended the same primary school together when they were kids. When Hinata was young she was picked on frequently because of her shyness around others making her stutter when she tried to talk to them. She was a quiet person and never really stood out making her an easy target for the bullies. One day when she was being picked on at lunch, Matsuri had enough and stood up for Hinata in front of the entire school. Since then the two have practically been attached by the hip bringing out the best in each other.
"I think I might be hallucinating because for a moment there I thought I saw my best friend Matsuri actually bothering to come to work, It's a bloody miracle" Hinata joked as she handed the customer their order.
"O shut up I was caught up in school today and came here as fast as I could"
"As long as your here that's all that matters" Hinata gave her a warm smile as she started wiping the counter down.
"Where's Sakura by the way?" Matsuri asked Hinata.
"Bathroom Duty" Matsuri grimaced when she heard this. Sakura and bathroom duty do not mix.
"Crap, that's not good" as soon as she said this the doors leading to the bathroom burst open to reveal a very pissed off Sakura with a mountain of cleaning supplies in her arms.
"I swear the next time I see another god damn smoke in the toilettes, I am going to shove that persons face in there and show them just exactly who their messing with" Sakura exclaimed as she dropped the pile of cleaning supplies to the floor removing her yellow cleaning gloves.
"Sending them to their grave is more like it" Matsuri muttered to herself as she picked up the supplies from the floor and brought them to the closet were they keep them.
"Well it's 6;15 now so I'm going to meet up with Naruto now" Sakura said as she hung up her brown apron and put on her brown suede jacked and grabbed her handbag from off the rack.
"I thought he was picking you up from work?" asked Hinata as Sakura gave her a hug goodbye.
"Change of plans, ever since we started dating he's been bragging about this ramen shop around the corner called "Ichraku" and how great the food is. So since he's picking me up early today I thought I'd treat him to his favourite food" Sakura gave Matsuri a quick hug before making her way towards the café doors.
"Ok then have fun, but not two much fun you crazy kids" Matsuri said with a smirk on her face as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Sakura turned around and stuck her tounge out at Matsuri. "Your just jealous of our relationship" she claimed before walking out the door of the café.
"That's the least of my worries" Matsuri shouted out to her. She then sighed and turned towards Hinata who was giving her a warm smile.
"Time for work" she sang and Matsuri groaned in response.
"Alright, what's my chores for today" she asked as she put on her apron and grabbed a tea towel from the sink.
"Just clean up tables 5 and 6 and mop the floor, I'll wash the dishes and the kitchen before I go"
"Aye-Aye captain" Matsuri gave her a fingered salute as she made her way over to the tables littered with rubbish, empty cups and unfinished food. "Ever thought of a bin?" she asked herself as she started to clean.
Before she knew it was a half hour before closing time. Hinata had just left to catch her bus leaving Matsuri to lock up the café. The place was practically deserted so she wasn't expecting any new customers not before someone asked for her assistance. She turned around and was met with green eyes.
Very beautiful green eyes.
His stare would almost come off as cold but Matsuri was to busy staring at his face to even notice. The man before her looked at least a year older than her. Probably around 18. He had dark red hair almost like a burgundy colour that shot up in different directions. He stood at a good height of 5'9 and he was slouched slightly with his hands in his pockets staring at her. He gave off a murderous dangerous vibe that practically screamed "Don't get close to me". Aside from that Matsuri couldn't help but feel as if she had seen him before. But from where?
"Can I get a black coffee please?" he spoke in a tone that made shivers run down her spine. It was deep and little husky which added to his hole dangerous vibe. Not that she cared.
The man in front of her was gorgeous.
"Uhm, sorry yeah of coarse" Matsuri squeaked as she typed his order into the cash register.
"Will that be all, sir?" she asked in a nervous tone. He hummed in response and reached into the back pocked of his jeans and pulled out his wallet.
"That will be 2.65 please" he handed her the exact change and she placed it into the cash register before handing him the receipt. She swiftly turned her back to him to make the coffee all the while feeling his intense gaze on the back of her head making her hands shake. When she had made the coffee she turned around to face him red faced and reached the drink out towards him.
"Here's your coffee sir" he didn't say anything but gently reached out and took the coffee from her grasp making their hands touch. They were surprisingly cold but being the middle of winter you can expect it from the cold weather. They were also soft. Very soft. They looked big enough for him to easily wrap his hands around her wrist.
He turned to leave but not before looking at her once more. He gave her a fox like smirk before making his way out of the caravan leaving Matsuri red in the face, heart pumping maniacally and barley breathing.
"Please come again" she whispered to no one in particular. She went home that night with mysterious red head on her mind and hoping that they could meet again someday.
Authors Note:
Feel free to leave your comments and ideas. It will be much appreciated.
A&F
shadows-turn-into-ghosts
