"Love is a state in which a man sees things most decidedly as they are not." - Friedrich Nietzsche
The very next week, the restaurant was up and running. With the help of the brothers, I'd finally gotten through the horrible process of hiring five employees.
One, the teenage mother, Azai, who broke into tears when we told her we would be going along with her hiring. She thanked us multiple times and gave me the tightest hug I'd ever receive from a girl.
Two, a 32-year-old man named Hantazi Ryuinn, a father to three girls and a husband to a women who had lost her left arm in an accident he had no business speaking of. He had a history of chef experience - longer than I'd been alive. He was a round man, with a short neck and stubby fingers, a missing front tooth, and a chunk of his ear torn out, but his sparkling green eyes gave off a sense of happiness that nobody could take away from him.
Three, a 25-year-old man, Miisa Yano. I personally had somewhat of a problem with his high level of self-confidence. The way he waltzed into the room like he owned the place, propped his feet on the desk, and threw a wink my way bothered me to no end. But he was incredibly attractive, though a little on the short side, which Kankuro said would attract female customers.
Four, a very timid girl named Kono Keisuke. She was only a year older than me, but by the way she acted, she seemed much younger. Her auburn hair covered one of her dazzling green eyes, and no matter how many times she tried to push it behind her ears, it always fell back into place a few seconds later. Even in her interview, she seemed terrified and awkward, so we hired her as the dishwasher.
And finally, our fifth member of the team: Kasaji.
Opening day, the seven of us, including Kyan, sat around waiting for seven in the morning when we could open the doors. My heart pounded heavily in my chest.
I knew it wouldn't be as easy as working in the restaurant back home. These people, with the exception of Kyan, were not my family, whom I'd known all my life. They were completely new people, each with agendas of their own. We were in an entirely new village. I prayed endlessly that Kyan wouldn't get lost on her way to take deliveries.
And the hardest part of all: I was the boss. More than anything, this fact made me miss my mother and grandfather.
"Here we go!" Yano exclaimed right at seven, pushing the doors open himself. Already, there was a large group of people who had obviously taken notice to the majestic banner hung on the building that read "GRAND OPENING!"
Everything that happened from that moment on fell into a blur. I seated the group to our largest table and delivered menus. Kyan and Azai danced their way around chairs, filling water glasses and taking drink orders. I helped them out by running back and forth from the kitchen to the table to drop off drinks and make small talk.
I was complimented many times about my age. "You're very brave to be running a restaurant all on your own at your age," was a popular comment. I wanted to tell them so badly that I wasn't brave at all, that I was terrified beyond belief, but I couldn't say that. So I just smiled and thanked them before running off.
Before any of us knew it, it was already noon. Many people had come and gone, leaving most of us exhausted. The only one who seemed to be having fun with all the work was Ryuinn, who sang loudly (and a bit off-key) in hopes to keep everyone in high spirits.
The chime of the door opening sent my heart into a flutter. More people to seat and cater to, no doubt. But as I looked around the corner from the cash register, my eyes locked with Kankuro, who waved at me.
I hurried to him and wrapped my arms around his neck in a tight hug, which he happily returned.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, somewhat out of breath. "I thought you were going to be helping Gaara with the Kazekage stuff all day."
"We got done early," he replied, kissing my forehead softly. "Looks like you're busy. Need help?"
I exhaled into his chest, closing my eyes tightly. Even in the middle of all the chaos, all the clinking of glasses and silverware, all the orders being shouted from the back, I was thankful that even just for a small moment, I was able to find peace thanks to the person standing in front of me.
"I think we'll be fine," I lied, opening my eyes to look up at him.
Kankuro's eyes strayed over my head to watch all the people. I turned to see exactly what he was looking at. Yano was flirting with a table of females, Kasaji was entertaining a married couple by making faces at their baby to cause loud high-pitched laughter, and Azai let out a loud squeak at a man who had pinched her butt.
"Okay, maybe a little help would be nice," I admitted with a defeated sigh.
()()()
At the end of the day, which was around seven, all I could look forward to was shedding my sweat-drenched clothing and cuddling myself in a tub full of hot water. After congratulating all my employees on a great first day and parting ways, I rushed back to the house, nearly stripping myself on the way.
About fifteen minutes into my water haven, a quick knock came at the bathroom door. I sank down further into the bubble-filled liquid.
"Occupied!" I called out, wondering why in the world someone needed to use my bathroom.
Instead of walking away like the person should've done, the door swung open. I yelped, forcing my body down to the point of almost drowning myself.
"Sorry, sorry!" Kankuro rushed to say, bending down to tear open the cabinet doors under the sink. "Where the fuck is it?"
It felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. Kankuro seemed to take forever to look for whatever he was trying to find. I could hear my heavy heartbeat echoing in the water.
"What are you looking for?" I managed to squeak out as I watched him move things around throughout the bathroom.
"Just…something," he replied, obviously not willing to tell me. "Its not in here anyway, I guess. Sorry." And with that, he was gone, shutting the door behind him.
I remained in the water for nearly fifteen minutes before gaining the courage to step out. Nobody other than my parents and Kyan had seen me naked before. I wasn't entirely sure that Kankuro saw anything, but as I looked in the mirror, the deep blush I stared at gave away just how nervous I was.
After putting something light on and messing up my hair while trying to dry it with the towel, I found Kyan in my room, lounging on my bed. Her hair was also damp.
"W-Will you braid m-my hair for me?" she asked, holding a rubber band toward me.
And so I spent the next fifteen minutes trying to make the perfect waterfall of braids with her hair. I wasn't a very good braider; our mother always did it for us. So naturally, I found myself frustrated many times during the process.
"Wh-when do you think w-we'll see her again?" Kyan suddenly asked, hugging her legs to her chest.
"Who?" I asked, running my fingers through the messy braid to start over again.
"Mother."
My hands froze in her hair. What was she, a mind reader?
"Soon, I'm sure," I lied. I wasn't actually sure if we would ever see her again. "Maybe she'll come visit."
She didn't say anything after that. Finally, I braided her hair almost perfectly and decided to call it good. She didn't leave, though, so we lay in bed together. Soon enough, a light snore came from her body and I turned the lights off.
I stared at the dark ceiling for hours, lost in my own thoughts. Arranging a trip to see Mother wouldn't be hard, but finding someone to look after the restaurant while we were gone would be nerve-wracking. I couldn't just pick anyone and honestly, I didn't trust any of my new employees enough to leave them on their own.
Just as I was beginning to fall asleep, my bedroom door opened. Instead of sitting up to see who it was, I pretended to be asleep, taking long, drowsy breaths.
"There she is," Kankuro's voice whispered. I automatically assumed he was talking about Kyan.
"Hm," Gaara's raspy voice sounded. "Just wanted to be sure."
"How was she acting weird today?"
"Never mind."
There weren't more words. The door slowly closed, making almost no noise.
What did they mean? What was wrong with Kyan?
Hey, guys! Just wanted to say thank you again for all your support and patience. I know my updates have been lacking lately, and I apologize for that. I graduate high school in 16 days, so my family and I have been running around trying to send out invitations and make plans and whatnot, so I haven't had much time to write.
You're all so great, especially those of you who have put up with my sudden "falling off the earth" episodes and still continued to read my story. It really does mean a lot to me, so again, thank you!
Please continue to enjoy this story! Love you! :D