This work of mine is practically my baby; I'm putting so much love into it that I don't care if there aren't many reviews, etc. I still appreciate the ones that I got – so thank you for checking this story out!

Crush

Chapter 2: Promise

The next time that Teà went to Burger World was only a couple weeks later, this time craving a full-on meal: she was hungry enough to even rival Joey and Tristan's penchant for food (which was definitely saying something). To be frank, she didn't make it a habit to eat take-out (which would go against her philosophy regarding her future in dance). But this time, she came here because of her friends. Oh, the things she did for them.

It was about seven o'clock in the evening when she arrived, wearing her violet leotard and tights, paired with casual white shorts, a pair of flats, and a denim jacket that she threw on at the last minute. It was getting a little chilly outside, and she knew she would be asked to cover up by the staff if she went in showing less skin. Teà even had her short hair tied up in a small ponytail – not a look she usually went for, but since she just finished dance practice, she really didn't want her hair to be sticking to her sweaty neck. Not a good look.

Her azure eyes swept across the restaurant floor, eyeing up the booths and tables to see if she could see her friends. Not surprisingly, she didn't see them, which meant that she was the first to arrive. As usual.

She mindlessly entered the first free booth she saw, relaxing as she sat down on the soft cushion.

Teà was tired; she had to admit she wasn't expecting dance to tire her out so easily, but then again, she had one or two final recitals coming up and the upcoming practices for those would only get more intense.

She could really use a hot bath right about now. She was sweating in all the wrong places…

But the rumbling of her stomach had put an end to that thought right off the bat. It wasn't one of those quiet tummy growls, but it was a loud, 'feed me now' growl; the kind that Joey would have when they were in class. It was embarrassing, to be honest, knowing that other people were around to hear it.

A buzzing from her cell phone immediately put Teà at ease; pulling it out from her bag, she noticed Yugi had texted her.

Running a little late. We'll be there in a few minutes. Don't wait up for us.

Yeah, she should have figured something had kept the boys occupied. But at least she could depend on Yugi to tell her; if it weren't for him, she no doubt would have lost her patience with them a long time ago.

But at least Teà got the ok: she was starving! She didn't know how long she could wait anymore, given that her stomach was about to erupt.

After flagging down a waiter to take her order, Teà happily settled back into her seat, knowing it was only a matter of time before her food showed up.

And that's when she noticed him again. There was no mistaking it. And he just so happened to be only two booths over from where she was.

She didn't think that she would see him again, but clearly, it was wrong on her part to make assumptions.

Just for the record, Teà wasn't doing this on purpose – whatever 'this' was. But her heart certainly didn't want to accept what her mind was telling her; she felt that same skip in heartbeat as she did the first time she saw him.

Before she could admit to herself that she liked this feeling, Teà subtly (or not so subtly – it's up to you whether you believe her or not) looked at him. Unlike the last time, however, she took the time to study him; he didn't seem to be aware of her looking at him, as he was preoccupied with staring out the window.

He must have had something on his mind. Like how fantastic he looked in a dark sweater and vest, which hugged his lean figure…

Nope, she did not just think that.

But she did.

She didn't want to think that.

But she did.

Teà always thought that her attention to detail was both a blessing and a curse – and right now, she felt like it was a curse.

But before she could tear her eyes away, he looked straight into her eyes , and he was giving her a smile. It wasn't one of those 'Hey girl, I see the way you look at me' smiles, but it was more of a polite smile. If that made sense. And she thought it was endearing.

Teà managed to requite his smile, although she could have sworn that her cheeks were flushing red in the process. So it didn't appear that he was weirded out by her incessant staring. Ignoring that trail of thought, she waved in his direction, but not before tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Honestly, she felt like going up to talk to him, but she had no idea what to say to him – other than a half-assed apology for objectifying him from a distance.

But maybe she didn't have to; Teà's heart started beating quicker as she saw him stand up from his seat and walking toward her.

If Teà wasn't sitting right now, she knew her legs would have turned to Jell-O.

Boy, she felt like she was in trouble. But she knew she shouldn't because… there was no way he would have recognized her.

"Are you alright?" Yep, Teà was in trouble, if the goosebumps on her skin weren't any indication; she didn't expect his voice to carry a legato – she never heard anyone talk that smoothly before – and for it to resonate with her soul. Teà wouldn't be surprised at all if he was a radio host; she would listen to him talk all day if she could. And don't even get her started on how she liked how deep his voice was…

And the way that he was looking at her…

Do not read into it. Do not read into it.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm okay."

"That's good. I noticed that you looked a little warm." Oh, Teà was feeling warm alright… and it wasn't because of the heat. She had to calmly remind herself to breathe – she didn't want to make him worried. But the fact that he came over here because he thought something was wrong, it was sweet of him. He could have totally ignored her.

She didn't blame him though for thinking something was wrong; she was sure she was exuding sweat from her pores, but coupled with how flushed her cheeks were, people would probably assume that she was sick. Teà really hoped that this would not be the case, considering that she could not afford to get even a simple cold when she had to prioritize her dance practices.

"This place is busy," Teà observed, giving the stranger another smile. "I forget how crowded it gets." She didn't think that this guy would want to hear about her personal problems, so she hoped that this excuse would be acceptable for him.

"Indeed."

Now this was the awkward part. Neither one of them wanted to say anything, it seemed. Which was a shocker to Teà, if she had to be honest; she always considered herself to be outgoing. But apparently one look at one guy made her question her own social skills.

But before Teà could even remotely form a sentence, she saw her waiter from the corner of her eye come over to her table, placing a tall glass of water before her.

"Thank you," Teà smiled gratefully, not hesitating to take a sip of her water. When she looked back toward the other guy, she was surprised to see his eyes still on her figure. Not in a sexual way, but it was something else. "Are you okay?" It was her turn to inquire, as she was unable to figure out the exact emotion that his eyes were expressing.

"Yes. Perhaps I should leave you to your meal; I'm sure you do not wish for me to linger." Some guys would feel entitled to stay around; unfortunately, Teà experienced that kind of attention once or twice. But this guy was different; he was kind, and considerate, and chivalrous.

"Oh, no, it's fine. If anything, I don't want to hold you up," Teà replied instantly, and she realized that this was her opportunity to make an impression. "I'm Teà, by the way." She could only hope that the smile that she was giving him right now didn't make her look like a deranged sociopath.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Teà. You may call me Yami." Yep, the name definitely suited him.

"I'll see you around?" Perhaps she should have been more specific: like, would she be seeing him around Domino, or would she just be open to seeing him in Burger World? Now that Teà was thinking about it, it sounded kind of stupid for her to even ask that question.

"I look forward to it. Take care of yourself." And just like that, he left Teà to her own devices – and leaving her to contemplate the meaning of those words.

What she knew for sure now was two things: first, she liked how he said her name, and second, it would be hard for her to keep her composure around him if she met up with him again in the future.

To be perfectly honest, it sounded like he was promising her that they would cross paths again.

That was enough to put a smile on her face for the rest of the day.