Chapter Seven
"So, he showed you around his robotics lab and you guys had lunch together?"
"Mhm, basically."
"Is that really all?" Angela asked, a suggestive tone laced in her voice.
"Yes, that really is all." Hana rolled her eyes as she lifted up a shirt to inspect it closely.
Today was a day off for both of them had Angela had invited Hana along to go shopping with her. It was really kind of the older girl to invite her out and Hana took the opportunity to get to know her co-worker more. Though, she was more of a friend now than a co-worker. Plus, now that she was making a bit of pocket money, she could splurge on a shirt or two. Then, at one point, Hana spilled the beans to Angela about what happened the day before, but with the amount of teasing and suggestive tones, she was beginning to regret her choice.
"Whaaaat? That's so boring." Angela drawled, a pout on her lips as she shifted through the hangers in search of something that would catch her eye.
Hana shook her head in exasperation while refolding the shirt she had picked up. "I'm not even sure what you were expecting. It wasn't anything like that, trust me." Plus, it hadn't been boring to her. She and Tadashi had gotten to know each other more.
"Well, do you want it to be something?"
For some reason, that question caught her off guard. Did she? She'd only known Tadashi for almost three weeks now and they'd been gradually began talking more. She loved talking with him and getting to know him more.
"I'm not…sure." It was the truth. While she couldn't deny the fact that he made her feel all fuzzy on the inside, a part of her was hesitant. It wasn't that she was new to the whole dating thing, but not all of her relationships had been successful. Not that she expected to end up dating him or anything. Plus, there were so many smarter girls that went to that school and some of them were even in the lab. For example, Honey Lemon and Gogo.
Frowning to herself, Hana shook her head to get rid of those poisonous thoughts before they spread. Both Honey Lemon and Gogo were great people, and they shouldn't be thought of like that.
"Did you find anything?" Angela asked, cutting through her thoughts. Grateful for the change of subject, Hana shook her head and lifted her purse up higher on her shoulder. Angela agreed that there was nothing that caught her eye too, and the both of them left.
As they were going down the escalator to the first level of the mall, the sound of music reached Hana's ears and she swiveled her head to the source of the sound. There, at the big fountain near the mall's entrance, she saw a small group of people playing music. A string quartet, to be exact. And without a second thought, Hana gravitated towards them as soon as she got off the escalator and joined the small crowd that had gathered.
They didn't look much older than her, but they were incredibly talented. Hana closed her eyes and let the music take over. Everything was pretty point on, their tempo, their pitch, and their dynamics. The sound of their instruments matched well together and their pitches were very accurate. All in all, they were amazing and it was obvious that they practiced together for a long time.
However, all too soon the music was over and the small crowd erupted into loud clapping and whistling. Hana clapped just as loud as everyone, excited that she was able to hear such an amazing performance.
"I may not know much about music, but they were really good." Angela spoke up from beside her, surprising Hana a little. She had been so lost in the music that she forgot she was at the mall with Angela.
Hana nodded excitedly. "Yeah, they're so amazing. I wonder if they go to some sort of musical academy."
"We do, but we also go to the Institute of Music and Fine Arts." A new voice chimed in and both girls turned to see one of the members of the quartet standing near them. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help overhear your excitement."
True enough, the crowd had dispersed leaving only the quartet, Hana and Angela. It wasn't like she was quiet about either so of course someone overheard her. It just happened to be the cute cellist from the quartet.
"My name is Evan." The tall brunet offered his free hand while his other held the neck of his cello.
Flustered, Hana shook his hand and smiled. "I'm Hana, and this is my friend Angela. You said you go to San Franskoyo Institute of Music and Fine Arts?"
"Yeah. Are you a student as well?"
"Not yet, but I'm hoping to attend next year." Determination burned in her eyes as she said this, and her strong desire to go to her dream school bubbled inside her. After hearing Evan and his group, the desire became even stronger than before.
"What do you play?" Evan asked, cutely tilting his head to the side.
"Piano. I've been playing for as long as I can remember." Hana replied, amazed at how easily she was talking to him. Maybe it was because some sort of her that felt comfortable with the fact that they were talking about one of her loves, music.
"That's awesome. I'll probably seeing you around at school then, huh?" Evan grinned cheekily.
Hana giggled, waggling her eyebrows a little. "I guess you will." Wow, waggling her eyebrows? She was definitely warming up to this Evan guy really quickly. Mostly because they had some common ground.
"Yo, Evan! We're heading out to eat now so hurry your ass up." One of the violinists called out to the brunet.
Evan sighed before smiling down at Hana. "It was nice to meet you. See you around, Hana."
"You too. Bye." She waved, watching the tall boy pack up his cello and leave with his friends.
Suddenly, there was a nudge on her arm and the shorter girl looked up at Angela, whom was giving her a look. That look. "Ooh, Hana. Talking it up with a stranger?"
"I was not. He was being nice and he goes to my dream school." Hana huffed while rolling her eyes, a blush dusting her cheeks. Angela laughed out loud and patted the shorter girl's shoulder reassuringly.
"It's so cute how you get all worked up." Angela teased. It was easy to make the girl flustered and Angela, being the hilarious person she was, loved to teasing Hana. All in good nature, of course. Never were the teasings rude or mean in any way. With a giggle, Angela linked arms with Hana and dragged her to a different store.
- The Next Day -
The café was bustling lively towards the afternoon and Hana was starting to get used to the slight rush. The drinks were definitely getting easier to make and she was getting the hang of handling everything else. Today, it was Angela's day off, but even without her guidance, Hana was able to handle things well.
"One caramel macchiato, please." Hana said, passing over a paper cup with the right amount of syrup.
"Thanks." Tadashi smiled, taking the cup from her.
Since Angela wasn't working today, Cass had asked Tadashi to fill in the morning shift with Hana. It wasn't his first time working in the café, but it was his first time working with Hana. But it was so much fun. They meshed well together when they worked and they even had a bit of a system going. It was as if they were a well-oiled machine.
"The crowd's finally dying down a little." Tadashi said once he finished the drink. He leaned his hip against the counter and smiled at Hana, whom was stretching her arms over her head.
"Mhm. I can give my feet a rest now." She smiled widely and rolled her ankles around to loosen them up. "There's probably a lot of people because it's Saturday."
"And it's a really nice day." He was right. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a single cloud in the clear blue sky. It was the perfect day for people to gather, for families to go out, for couples to have an outdoorsy date. Although both of them were working, they were still having fun. Hana wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Plus, she and Tadashi were able to spend some time together.
"Any plans for the weekend?" Hana asked casually, resting her hands in the apron pocket.
Tadashi crossed his arms over his broad chest and made the most adorable thinking face. "Not at the moment. Probably work a bit on my robotics project for class. You?"
"Same. I mean, not the robotics project. I don't have much planned, is what I meant." She smiled and when he chuckled, she felt her heart swell.
"Hana?" An oddly familiar voice called out to her and she turned to see the guy from yesterday. The cellist boy!
"Evan, right?" Hana grinned, leaning her stomach against the counter.
The brunet eagerly nodded his head, pleased that she remembered his name. His green eyes sparkled with cheerfulness as he walked up to the cash register to talk to her. Tadashi raised his eyebrow curiously and peered at the newcomer, wondering who he was.
"Yeah. Wow, bumping into each other again? Some would call this fate, you know."
"And I call it a coincidence." The girl responded smoothly without skipping a beat and laughed softly after. Apparently, Evan was a bit of a tease as well. "What can I get you?"
"Just an Americano, please." Once he paid for his drink, they began talking once again. She asked about his day and if he was on his way to performing, and he replied that his day went well and that he was actually relaxing the whole day. It was as if they were old friends catching up and having fun. And something about it didn't sit well with Tadashi. It wasn't that the guy seemed suspicious – oh no, the guy, Evan, seemed like an incredibly nice guy. A bit of a flirt, but sweet. That's what had him all…like this.
Something deep inside was stirring in him. Quickly, and mentally, he gave his head a bit of a shake to get himself out of those thoughts. He didn't want to delve too deep into whatever thoughts and feelings that was.
Oh my gosh, it's been so long! I'm so sorry for the long wait! Good news though, I finished my semester and now it's summer vacation! I was just finishing up my final essays for some classes and actually, I went to comic con this week! It was so much fun! I bought a lot of posters and prints, ahaha.
But yes! Chapter 7! It was a long time coming and I hope it was okay! And gasp, who is this Evan? And what is this feeling that Tadashi is feeling? Dun dun dunnn... Hahaha! Just kiddinggg. Do not be frighteneddd! The story is progressing and Evan is spicing things up a bit, huh? In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will definitely have the next chapter up as soon as I can!
Once again, I huge, huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favourited, followed, and read this story. All of your guys' support means to whole to me and I wish I could give you all the highest of fives!
~Mari