Work Text:
Every day was the same. Get up, go to work, get home late, crash in bed. Hairi was stuck in this rut with no wiggle room. No time to pursue her dream or visit other shops in town. Barely any time to eat. She worked in the busy coffee shop with the married couple who owned it. They prepared the pastries and handled everything back end and she managed the front of house on her own. There weren't enough people looking for work in town to hire on any help, so she took care of everything else by herself.
In a small town like this one, everyone was familiar. Hairi got fairly good at putting together people's regular orders together once she saw them opening the door. Anything to make the process more efficient. Lately, faces had been disappearing. A regular or two never coming back in wasn't too rare. People move. Older folks pass away. It happens.
When an unknown face stepped through the doors, Hairi paused.
He was tall. Dirty blonde and stern looking with a set of glasses hiding his eyes. Hairi couldn't take her eyes off of him as he approached the counter and inspected the baked goods out on display.
“Are these fresh?” he asked. His voice was a lovely depth that made Hairi's skin tingle. She glanced over at the display while she put together some kind of a response. For some reason, her tongue felt so tied.
“Yes. My boss bakes them daily.” Hairi lowered her head a little as she spoke. Her eyes drifting away from the display to his opaque glasses. He mulled over some unknown decision and pulled his wallet from his pocket.
”I'd like a cream bread and a vanilla latte.“ he was straightforward, already taking out the amount of yen necessary. Hairi rang him up quickly so he wouldn't be stuck waiting for her.
“Right away. Can I have a name for that?” she asked, pulling a little notepad out to write his order and info down.
“Nanami.”
”Ah, thank you. Just make yourself comfortable, I'll bring your things to you once they're ready.“ Hairi gave him a customer service smile and watched as he walked away to pick out a table. She was stuck in work mode the whole time, unable to really think of more than her script. But now that she was free of it, all she wanted to do was stare at him.
He was new. Interesting. There were so few fresh faces in town that she just wanted to learn everything about him. Hairi grimaced at herself and shook her head. She was being weird, it was best that she stopped herself now before she did something stupid.
She prepared his drink, taking her time with it as she always did. Rushing the drink was a sure-fire way to make it taste atrocious. Her mind wandered as it always did, tinkering with some melodies she wanted to refine someday. It's vibe always shifted and changed, never remaining in the same sound font but always borrowing a similar rhythm. She hummed it softly to herself, pouring the latte into a cup and placing the cream bread on a small, colorful plate. Hairi glanced over at Nanami's table to see he was typing on his phone intently. She wouldn't want to interrupt him.
Hairi brought his things over and silently bowed her head in thanks to him.
"One moment, I want to ask you something," he said raising a hand to halt her in her place. She folded her hands and tilted her head, her cherry pink hair falling over her shoulder in a woven mess.
"Sure."
Nanami set his phone aside, turning to her and taking off his glasses, folding them neatly and pocketing them. He had deep brown eyes that held a secret warmth behind the seriousness he put forward. Hairi couldn't hide the faint grin that crept along her lips. His eyes flickered across her features before he began.
"Could I get your name?"
"Of course. I am Tokuma Hairi," she bowed her head respectfully and offered a small, curious smile. His phone buzzed and he gave it a glance, but he ignored it, keeping his attention on her. His insistence on ignoring whatever he was so intent with earlier made Hairi feel oddly special. And the warmth in his gaze made her heart flutter.
"That's a beautiful name. It suits you," he said, only sincerity in his voice. Hairi pulled her hair behind her ear. Her heart fluttering more frantically now. She could barely breathe a thanks.
"I'm new here. I was wondering if you could show me around." he said, resting his chin on his hand. Hairi blushed. Was this really happening? The handsome man wanted her to show him around? She studied him, well aware of the long silence she was forcing onto him. Her finger drumming grew harder, more chaotic and unfocused.
"I-I can certainly help," she stammered, wincing at the harsh poking she was inflicting on herself and tightly clasping her hands together. Nanami faintly smirked.
"Cute. I'll see you after work, then?"