Author's Note: Starting the first chapter of this so I don't forget it!
He worked at the coffee shop standing outside and handing out free samples. Inside he was a waiter. I could tell he'd rather be decorating the cakes though, the way he looked at them. Girls thought he was cute and guys thought he was nice. I came day after day for coffee just to see him. Misaki. He was the brother of a man I once loved.
I was stopping there for the third time today. I had my laptop though. I was tired, but I had a deadline to make. If I kept getting Aikawa into trouble they'd send me a new editor and then I'd be in some trouble. Not everyone was as understanding as my editor. Luckily for me the coffee shop was open 24 hours. Because of their great coffee and desserts people were stopping in all hours of the night. They also let people hang around inside for a while if there were enough tables for customers.
I plugged in my computer and waited for it to boot up. Misaki came around to my table with that smile he always had at this time of night. It was a faded version of his morning shift smile. He was getting tired, but tried not to show it. "Hey, Usagi-san. You want coffee at this time of night?" A pink headband pushed back his crazy hair, his apron matched it. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
"I have a deadline. I held it off for a while, but now my book needs to be finished by tomorrow. I figured it'd be better to come here than to keep making my own coffee." Misaki nodded and walked off to get a cup of coffee. He came back balancing a mug carefully on a platter. Barely anyone was in here so he could walk slowly. It was easy to find inspiration with someone like that around.