The Point Sometimes - Gregory and the Hawk
It was an honest stroke of chance that night that Kureno walked into the convenience store.
It was an honest curve of a smile that made Arisa fall for him.
With a lighter heart, and a brighter aura that Hana picked up but did not question, Arisa didn't even notice.
Until each swish of the doors at night would have her look over her shoulder, over the counter, at a person she hadn't been wishing for.
It had gotten tiring. And incredibly stupid. And painful, though not even Tohru could get her to admit that.
So she switched jobs. To during the day, to a busier place where the door opened every second and people came and went without anything special having to happen.
Then she saw him.
Without thinking, she ran, through the crowd, in her uniform, the apron and the black skirt, the ridiculous heels, and her hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt.
He was as surprised as she was, but she was smiling.
Then somehow, they were having lunch together.
Looking back at it now, she felt silly to have been thinking about their age difference over noodles. Nine years. Her thoughts had drifted to Tohru's parents. Eight years.
Looking back at it now, she felt silly to have thought his hand on her cheek, his lips still just above hers, one exhale, was him saying I love you.