Chapter Sixteen

The next couple of hours were going to be particularly nerve inducing for Hana as she and Jenny sat in Lucky Cat Café. Normally, Hana wouldn't mind spending hours in the café just hanging out, browsing on her laptop, and chatting with her coworkers and regular customers. However, right now she felt rather restless. She couldn't say the same for Jenny though; the blonde seemed positively excited to be here. Not once had her eyes strayed away from Tadashi, who was currently working behind the counter to make a drink.

"You never told me you worked with a really cute guy." Jenny told her in a hushed manner as her eyes followed said cute guy. Hana's eyes drifted from the dreamy expression on her friend's face then to Tadashi. The uncomfortable feeling that had been bubbling inside her only intensified and nervously, she bounced the front of her foot on the linoleum floor.

"I didn't?" Hana feigned innocence, her lips forming into a smile. Why did the smile seem so fake? "I didn't think it was that important."

"Of course it is!" Wide blue eyes stared back her in mock surprise and Jenny grinned playfully. "I would've visited way sooner."

Well, at least now Hana knew that as long as Tadashi was here too, then Jenny would want to visit more often. She couldn't quite decide if that was a good idea or not. On the one hand, the blonde was one of her best friends ever; they grew up in two streets away from each other, attended the same school since elementary, had sleepovers every other weekend, all that normal best friend stuff. But on the other hand, that feeling in her gut kept growing and the grip on her heart was just as painful as before. The idea of Jenny getting closer with Tadashi didn't really sit well with her.

"What about Dustin? Didn't you like him?"

"Dustin?" Jenny placed her chin on her palm and looked up in thought before shrugging a shoulder. "After he left for college, my feelings sort of died down. I still talk with him, but I don't feel anything. He has a girlfriend though, she's very sweet from what he tells me."

Was it bad that Hana had been hoping for better news? Like, Dustin being madly in love with Jenny and waiting patiently for her? But of course, as luck would have it, that was definitely not the case.

"Really? That's really good for him though. He's just as sweet so it's no surprise he found a nice girl at his college." Hana smiled sweetly, pushing away the ugly thoughts. God, she was the worst friend ever for even thinking that.

"And what about you? Any boy news?" There was a sparkle in those blue eyes that had Hana chuckling quietly. Jenny was always the type that loved talking about boys, love lives, or anything scandalous.

There was some hesitation and honestly, she was unsure as to why. The easy answer should've been 'no', but the single word died at the tip of her tongue. Jenny must've noticed because the blonde was instantly on her like a lion on its prey.

"There is, isn't there? You haven't had a boy you liked since junior year of high school!" She gripped Hana's hand excitedly and stared at her with big, bright eyes. Hana could only blink at her rapidly, trying to make sense of what Jenny was saying "Who is it? Is it one of your neighbours? Oh, oh! Or maybe it's a cute regular customer?"

Once she started, she was hard to stop and Hana knew this well. Before Hana could calm her down and make up some excuse, two steaming cups were placed down on their table. Instantly, Hana's brown eyes lifted up and was met with those familiar warm brown eyes.

Her heart fluttered.

"Here you go, ladies." Tadashi smiled at them warmly as he passed each cup of coffee to them. The smell of the hot drinks had both girls smiling widely and Jenny grinned prettily when she saw the leaf latte design in her drink.

"This is really pretty." She complimented while whipping out her phone to take a picture. "Almost too good to drink."

The compliment had Tadashi blushing a little as he rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you. I'm still practicing to get better. Hana's actually way better than I am at it."

Now it was Hana's turn to blush and she held up her hand to wave her hand around. "No way. I'm terrible at it. I can only do a heart and that's the most basic one."

Jenny giggled and lifted her cup up to take a delicate sip. "You're just being modest." The blonde knew how flustered her friend could get when someone complimented her. When she sipped the latte, the dark flavour of the espresso burst on her tongue and it didn't taste burned at all; just perfect. Following the espresso, there were subtle notes of caramel that made the latte the perfect amount of sweetness. "This is really good by the way."

"Thank goodness." Tadashi looked relieved when Jenny said that with a smile on her face. "I wasn't sure what you would want so I went with something simple."

"Simple is good. I actually love caramel lattes and it's the perfect sweetness too."

Hana watched as those two interacted and the uneasiness settled in the pits of her stomach again. She could see the way Jenny's eyes sparkled and her grin was a little bigger, brighter. The way she tucked some blonde hair behind her ear and covered her mouth when she giggled. They were all signs that she was interested in the tall boy.

It wasn't like it was strange for a girl to be interested in someone handsome and kind like Tadashi. Hana was sure that there were other girls out there, probably at his school or in his classes, that were interested in him.

But then, why did it bother her?

Why did it bother her so much that it was Jenny that was interested in him?

Supressing a small sigh, Hana gripped the ceramic cup in her hands and lifted it up to her lips to take a sip. When she took a sip, her eyes widened a little at the very familiar taste. It was a dark chocolate raspberry mocha, one of her favourite drinks at the café. Tadashi knew?

Her eyes darted up to glance at him, but he'd caught her gaze briefly. The moment he did, there was a small smile that was directed right at her causing her heartbeat kicking up a few notches. It was only a split second, but one of his eyes blinked. No, that wasn't right.

Tadashi had winked at her before redirecting his attention back to the animatedly talking blonde.

Oh god.

A secret smile crawled its way across her lips as she lifted her cup up again to hide it. This time it was too difficult to ignore the fluttering of her heart.

The next morning was definitely a lot more peaceful. Luckily for Hana, Jenny wasn't an early bird. To be honest, neither was she, but having early morning opening shifts had really conditioned her body to wake up on time. Which was why she found herself wide awake at six in the morning, and that was after she went back to sleep after waking up the first time.

Unable to get anymore shut eye, Hana slipped out of bed and sighed softly when she saw the blankets haphazardly around Jenny. Carefully, she pulled the blanket up to cover the sleeping blonde before quietly exiting the room.

The early morning sun was beginning to peak out from the horizon and coloured the sky beautifully with an array of pinks, purples, oranges, and blues. The rays from the sunrise washed the apartment with warm natural light, covering what it touched with a soft orange. Moments like these were so stunning and tranquil, and Hana found herself relishing in it as she stood in the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee.

Hana leaned back against the counter as she waited for the coffee to brew, watching the brown liquid begin to pool. Even when she was off from work, she really couldn't stay away from coffee, huh?

The image of a certain black haired, Robotics major popped into her mind and for a second, she blinked blankly at the coffee pot. That sudden thought had started her because, why had Tadashi just…appeared in her mind like that?

Yes, it was true that she had been thinking of him more since yesterday. She thought of his smile and the wink that he gave her. Everything seemed so clear yet at the same time it was still so muddled up. A part of her wanted to delve deeper into this, but the other part of her was afraid to even go near those thoughts.

And now with Jenny gushing and suddenly pinning after Tadashi, Hana wasn't exactly sure what to feel. It scared her that she felt such ugly emotions when Jenny talk to him or when she talked about him. Was Hana ready for the dam to open?

The soft ding of the coffee maker echoed throughout the apartment, but Hana nearly jumped out of her slippers at the sound. It may as well have been a cannon going off with how quiet the whole place was. She really must've dazed off for a coffee maker to scare her like that.

"Unbelievable." She chuckled quietly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. The hot liquid made its way down her throat, instantly warming her whole body up as she padded across the living room to the window. It was just as quiet outside than it was in her apartment, the citizens of San Fransokyo beginning to stir awake. Soon enough, the whole city would be bustling about to enjoy another pleasant Saturday.

Briefly, Hana wondered how Tadashi would be spending his Saturday.

It was already late afternoon by the time Hana and Jenny were finished looking around San Fransokyo. The two of them had taken the opportunity to tour around the large metropolitan since Hana had also been unable to look around everywhere. The blonde had been shocked at that confession, but it had only made sightseeing all the more exciting.

The both of them weren't embarrassed to take touristy pictures either, especially Jenny. The blonde was always so outgoing and fun-loving it was easy for Hana to have fun too. By the end of their adventure, they'd come out with a few souvenirs and shopping bags, which was after their trip to the mall.

Hana had almost forgotten about Tadashi.

Key word: Almost.

"C'mon, maybe he's working right now." Jenny gushed giddily, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as they waited for the light to change. Hana knew for a fact that Tadashi was working that afternoon as she had checked the schedule in advance a few days ago.

Jenny had suggested that they grab a quick drink and snack after their long morning and afternoon exploring the city. And who was Hana to deny something like that? Especially when Jenny seemed so hopeful and thrilled. The black haired girl internally sighed, unable to tell the blond that she wasn't so keen on going to the café today.

"Ah, Jenny!" Hana exclaimed when her friend suddenly shot across the street as soon as the crosswalk light turned white. The only response she received was a loud giggle.

Hana walked as quickly as she could across the street and toward the café, where Jenny had already entered. And when Hana pushed into the not so busy café, she saw Jenny already energetically chatting with Tadashi. Ignoring the squeezing in her chest, she smiled back at the black haired boy that greeted her warmly.

"Jenny was just telling me you guys explored the city and did some shopping."

"Yeah, it was really fun. It was a good time to look around the city since I actually haven't done much of that." Hana smiled widely, the smile that Tadashi directed at her causing her heart to palpitate. Her cheeks began to heat up a little so she casually glanced down at the shopping bags in her hand.

"We came for some drinks and snacks." Jenny cut in with her dazzling grin.

Tadashi chuckled and nodded, straightening up so he can take their orders. "What can I get for you ladies?"

"Green tea latte, please."

"An iced Americano for me." Hana said after Jenny, and shifted her bags so she could reach in to grab her wallet. However, before she could pull it out, a different hand appeared from behind her and placed a crisp ten dollar bill on the counter.

"Make that two iced Americanos." The voice that could only belong to Evan said, his voice rather close to her and his body radiating a comfortable warmth that she could feel through her shirt. It caught her off guard and she swung her head around, peeking up at the brunet.

Tadashi's lips pursed a little, but he maintained his smile at the three of them. When had Evan come? Was it when he was grabbing cups and punching the orders into the cash register?

"Evan, you really don't have to." Hana pouted a little, trying to reach for the bill on the counter. But Evan was quicker; he slid it to the side just out of her reach before giving it to Tadashi.

Evan smiled down at her briefly before taking the change that Tadashi offered. "Don't worry about it. I wanted to."

From the side, Jenny watched carefully at the interaction unfolding between Hana and Evan. Her watchful blue eyes shifted between the two before settling on the handsome boy, scrutinizing his easy going expression and his beautiful green eyes. She noticed how his eyes never strayed away from Hana's face or smile. And his body was leaning in a way that was close to Hana but not close enough that it would make her feel uncomfortable.

Then, it clicked.

Evan liked Hana. It was obvious from the way his smile was just a little wider, his face a little brighter.

Jenny smiled to herself, already devising a plan in her head. Her smile only widened when Evan introduced himself to her and shook her hand. It only solidified the plan.

Once they got their drinks, Jenny took that brief moment when everyone was taking a sip of their drinks to speak. "So I was thinking, why don't the four of us hang out? I would love to get to know you guys more." She glanced at Tadashi and Evan, smiling casually as she took a sip of her own green tea latte. "Kind of like a double date?" The last part was said playfully, but she had really implied it.

The three of them stared at Jenny as if she just spoke in a different tongue. But once her request settled in, Hana's heart nearly dropped into her stomach at the implication. It didn't take a genius to realize what the blonde meant. If this was her ploy to spend time with Tadashi then…

Hana glanced to the side where Evan stood next to her and her heart squeezed.

Oh.

Hello. It's me. It's been so long! And I'm really sorry. My last semester in school got really hectic and then I was away on vacation during winter break. I'm back though! And I'm going to try my best to keep this story updated. Thank you for sticking by me even through my unresponsive time. I love you all ~

~Mari