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Without fail, every day at noon right around lunch time the same man comes by the bakery and orders the same thing: A simple sandwich.
It was routine at this point, ingrained in your muscle memory to make the sandwich fresh and ready for his arrival. As soon as you packaged the sandwich, the bell would ring. Right on time, as always.
“Welcome, Nanami.” You smile at him when you saw him enter.
“(Y/N),” he greets you back, nodding his head.
Just a regular customer like any other who frequents your little bakery. You enjoy seeing familiar faces. Sometimes they would even chat with you, giving you bits and pieces of their day. It made you feel closer to them. Not only were you providing them with something to eat, but lending an ear to listen to.
Nanami...wasn’t exactly like that. Curt, blunt, a man who wastes no time. He didn’t do things unless it was beneficial for his sake. Or, that’s the impression you get from him anyway. Either way, you were grateful to see him everyday nonetheless. He was embedded in your routine.
“Another hard day at work?”
“It’s the same as any other day.”
You hand over his sandwich in exchange for the money. Based on the way he dresses, you assume he works at an office job. Hours spent staring at a computer screen, looking. over reports, speaking with clients, it was all quite receptive. There was a lingering tiredness in his eyes, telling of the impact that came with his work. You only hope your food left a positive impact instead, at the very least countering the other effects in his life.
“Please come again Nanami.” You smile again. He says nothing, turning around and leaving your shop.
~~~
“You must really like this sandwich.”
“Hmm?”
You chuckle, pointing at the sandwich. The same sandwich he always orders. The same one you always prepare for him in advance.
“You only ever get this at my bakery.”
“Yes. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t order it. My local convenience store stopped selling it.”
“Wouldn’t you say it’s much better to have these types of things from a bakery? Better tasting right?” You grin.
“I suppose,” he nods. Still curt as ever, but you like that about him. Straight to the point, you won’t misinterpret anything.
“Why don’t you order something else with your sandwich? Or maybe something different altogether?” You decide to ask. With so many options, you would say that it would be better to spice up your life with some variety. Add more colors to the canvas, make it brighter.
“I'm satisfied with what I order, I have no need to order anything else.”
His response makes you slump your shoulders a bit, but you don’t take it heart too much. It was just how Nanami is. If consistency is what he valued, so be it.
“Please come back again,” you wave as he leaves.
But maybe, just maybe, you can convince him to use one color at a time.
~~~
Exhaustion was nothing new to see on Nanami’s face. It was his constant companion, just like Nanami himself was your regular customer. However, he looked a lot worse than usual.
His eyes were dull and the dark crescents under his eyes dig into his skin more. His skin looked pale too, almost white as a bedsheet. Something weighed down on his shoulders. Something occupied his mind.
The happy tone in your voice vanished upon seeing him. All you could do was stare, taking in his appearance. Did something happen at his job? Was he working late nights?
“(Y/N)?” Nanami calls your name, snapping you out of your thoughts. He peers into your eyes, studying you closely. “Is something wrong?”
You shake your head. “I should be asking you that, Nanami. You look so tired, is everything okay at work?” Worry laces your tone.
“Do not worry about me. Work is the same as it’s always been.” he responds smoothly.
A frown tugs on your lips. “Have you thought of taking a few days off?”
“Not necessary.” He brushes your advice away. “Nothing is hindering my performance. If I don’t work, I’d be be wasting those days where I could’ve worked to make money.”
Was that all he did? Did he take strolls in the park or go watch his favorite movie or some other pass time? Granted none of this concerns you and that he must be a busy man but still, it looked as though he needed something new in his life. Something that wasn’t just centered around money and crunching numbers.
“Here,” you say, taking out a pastry to go along with his sandwich. “It’s nothing too sweet. Something simple and good.”
“(Y/N), you know-”
“Please?” You cut him off, your eyes imploring him. “It wouldn’t hurt to try something new, would it?” This was all you could do for him, but you hope it’ll make some difference.
A small sigh leaves his lips, taking out his wallet. “I suppose not. How much does it cost?”
“It’s on me. Take it as a complementary gift.”
“Not very good for business if you give things out for free.” He points out, but still takes his sandwich and pastry.
You shrug. “Eh, I’m not particularly bothered by the money aspect. I just want to make people happy.”
Nanami walks towards the door, stopping right before he exits. “Thank you...(y/n).” Expressing his gratitude he turns to look at you. For a brief moment his eyes narrowed, like something was behind you but it vanished.
The corners of your lips curve upwards. “Of course. Please come again Nanami.”
Oddly enough, he lingers for a bit before leaving. You don’t know why, there’s no one else in this shop but you.
~~~
Much to your happiness you see a bit of color returning to Nanami’s complexion the next time you see him. He didn’t come for the next three days which alarmed you, more than you thought. You made his favorite sandwich but he didn’t come. It was a force of habit, one you couldn’t shake off. So when the bell rings and you see him, your eyes light up and a dazzling smile graces your lips. Finally, he can receive his sandwich.
“Nanami! It’s good to see you again.” You say cheerfully, leaning on the counter.
“Sorry for my absence. I took your advice.” He explains, coming up to the counter.
Your eyes widen. “You mean you actually took a few days off?”
“Correct.”
“Wow.”
“Does that surprise you?” He arches an eyebrow. “You were the one who suggested it to me.”
“Yeah but I didn’t think you’d actually listen to me.” You blink at him. The shock wears off though, and you’re back to smiling. “I’m glad that you listened. It did some good for you.”
He nods in agreement. “It was...nice...,” he says slowly. You figure the idea of a break and actually taking days off for himself was new, like stepping into foreign territory. Scary, confused, a new world he delved into. But when you take it slow, one step at a time, it doesn’t feel so foreign anymore.
“The pastry was good as well.”
The happiness inside you swells. “Would you like to have it today with your sandwich?”
“No.”
You deflate like a ballon. Well, it was never guaranteed someone will order something again even if they liked it. However, Nanami catches you off guard once again.
“I’d like to try this pastry today.” He taps at the screen door. Below the counter was a display of treats to choose from. Nanami never once spared a glance at it. Until now.
Your cheeks start to hurt from how wide your smile was. “Of course!” Bending down you open the door and take out the pastry, packaging it and placing it on the counter. A sudden twinge of pain hits your shoulder and you wince, using your free hand to massage the area between your neck and shoulder while you ring his order up.
“Have you been overworking yourself?” He questions.
“Not really. Maybe I’ve pulled something when I was moving boxes. My shoulder aches a lot.” You offer an explanation. The pain was a dull throb most of the time. You know it’s there, but you could ignore it. Then there are times when the pain flares up, overloading your nerves. When it’s really bad, you couldn't even move your arm.
“Take it easy then. Don’t work any harder than you need to.”
You chuckle at his words. “Giving my advice back to me, eh?”
His lips twitch. “Worked for me.”
You watch him leave, telling him to come back like always. To see him in better health acts like a buffer for your pain. The rest of the day you worked without a hitch.
~~~
“It seems like you didn’t take your own advice.”
“Believe me I tried. The pain is still there, worse even.”
You grimace when you feel another sharp pang. They were more frequent now, hindering your ability to work. You were fortunate enough to have some people run the shop in your place, but not even taking a few days off helped much. You decided to return since you felt better today, but the pain wasn’t merciful to you. You rub your shoulder, hoping to ease the ache a little but it was still there. Felt like something was on your shoulder physically, digging their claws into your flesh.
“Maybe I should go to the doctor’s...,” you mutter to yourself. Maybe you need some prescription medication instead of the over the counter ones.
Nanami says nothing for a while, staring at your shoulder. “Please step forward (Y/N).” he instructs.
“Hm? Okay.” You do as he says, not really sure why though.
Lifting his right hand he does a swift cut in the air to the right of him. Before you could ask him what he did that for, you realize that the weight on your shoulders was suddenly gone. “Hey...it feels lighter!” You say in awe, rotating your shoulder. “And it’s not as painful as anymore!”
“Good.”
“Thank you Nanami, thank you so much.” You beam at him. Honestly, you don’t know what he really did or how he managed to get rid of the pain so easily with just a gesture. Regardless, you were grateful Nanami was here.
The blond man grows quiet, thinking of something. You wait patiently for what he wanted to say.
“If you were to be injured and the bakery closes, many people would mind. Many people would notice and grow worried,” he starts to speak. “People wouldn’t mind if I wasn’t here, they most likely won’t notice-”
“You’re wrong!” You interrupt him, shaking your head. How could he say that? How could he even think that? “I would mind if you weren’t here, I would notice. I was worried for you when you didn’t show up for those three days. Please don’t think lowly of yourself.” You whisper, holding your hands against your chest and closing your eyes. “I care for you. So please Nanami, don’t think like that.”
It hurts you that he thinks of himself this way. As someone expendable, someone who goes unnoticed by everyone else. Someone who gets replaced and no one spares a second to think of him. You don’t see him that way. He was someone you look forward to, gracing you with his professional and gentlemen like aura. Nanami wasn’t just your regular customer. To you, he was more. He always was more to you. He deserves more.
“...It appears I’ve been wrong with my judgement.”
Opening your eyes you look at him. Maybe you were imagining things, but there was a softer look in his eyes. This was an expression you’ve never seen before, and you feel lucky that you have the chance to see it.
“You’re always welcome at my bakery Nanami.”
Even if the whole world forgot him, you wouldn’t. Right here in your little bakery, the memories you and Nanami created together were warmer than any treats you baked.
~~~
“I’ll take these two shelves. All of them.”
“Uhh....you sure?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
While Nanami has been dipping his toes into new waters frequently, this was just plunging headfirst into the ocean. You’ve never had a customer who cleared out an entire shelf of goods for an order, much less two shelves. Normally he would just try one or two new things a week. This was peculiar.
“Not that it’s my place to ask Nanami...but are you going to eat all this?” you question, packaging the sweets into a box.
“These pastries are not for me, but for someone else.”
“Then they must have a large sweet tooth.” you have a hard time imagining that someone can eat all this and not get sick.
Nanami drags out a sigh. “It’s inhumane almost at how much he can eat. He forced me to buy sweet stuff for him for our meeting.” He shakes his had in exasperation like a tired parent having to satiate their child. “He better be grateful that I bought all this, from the best bakery no less.”
“B-Best bakery?” you stutter. “You really think that?”
“I know it to be true.”
Heat rushes to your cheeks at his words. How can he say it so easily? “I don’t think I’m the best...I mean for you to come to a conclusion like that you must have tried all the other bakeries around here...,” you continue ramble but Nanami interjects.
“I have no need to sample other bakeries. I know yours is the best.”
The blush on your cheeks only darkens and your heart hammers away. For a man like himself you’d be sure that he’d be the type to logically think his way through this, which would be to sample everything around him before coming to a final decision. But he was so sure, no hesitation on his face whatsoever.
“T-Thank you Nanami...,” you murmur shyly, tucking a strand behind your ear. “Here you go.”
Pushing the box of treats towards him your hand brushes against his when he handed you the money. His hand was warm. Taking the box he heads towards the door.
“I’ll come again, (y/n).”
“Please do Nanami.”
You were about to put the money away when you realized that there was a piece of paper alongside the bills.
I’ll be free on Sundays. We could do something on those days, if you like. Here’s my number as well.
You were a part of Nanami’s routine, in more ways than one.