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“Shit, shit, shit, shit!”
Kinich rushed out of the house on an empty stomach, dashing through the streets in hopes of making it to the university on time. He mentally scolded himself for oversleeping, even though it wasn’t his fault the power died and his alarm didn’t go off.
He had to hold the front of his hood over his head to make sure it wouldn’t blow off and expose his hair to the clattering rain outside. Kinich would’ve much rather taken a bus, but since he missed the one he usually took, he had to walk— no, run to the university. The fact that it was raining definitely didn’t serve to heighten his mood at all.
It was an important day. Monumental, even. Kinich couldn’t afford to be late to his final Physics exam. His graduation, and thus most of his future, depended on whether or not he made it there on time. He increased his pace slightly, rounding a corner and almost bumping into another passer-by, who cursed at him in some foreign language he didn’t know. He shouted a quick “Sorry!” Over his shoulder before continuing on his way. Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry—
Kinich suddenly came to a halt, almost slipping on the wet sidewalk at the abrupt break. He looked over to his left, the building in front of him being the reason he so suddenly stopped running.
“Mualani’s sweets.”
The new bakery in town. Kinich knew of it because everyone at the university, even the professors, kept talking about it. It was pretty close to the university, and it did look really cozy. Outside stood some wooden benches— which were now drenched from the rain— for those that wanted to enjoy their pastry near the pleasantly decorated building. Kinich peered through the glass windows to take a look inside. The bakery’s walls were painted a calming white hue, adorned with various paintings and inspirational quotes.
His stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him of how his hurried state had caused him to skip breakfast. He looked at his watch. 8:18. He was supposed to be at the exam at 8:30, and the university was only 5 minutes away. If the line at the new bakery wasn’t too long, surely he had time, right?
Another grumble of his stomach had him make up his mind. He stepped forward, the small bell above the door ringing as he pushed through the glass door. The smell of freshly baked bread, accompanied by the sound of the various customers inside chattering amongst themselves hit Kinich like a brick, a stark contrast to the grim weather conditions outside. The building was warm, allowing his jacket to dry up at least a bit. He looked around, taking in every last detail of the building.
“Hello there! What can I get you?”
Kinich’s head whipped around at the voice, and his eyes met those of the girl standing just behind the glass display case full of sweet pastries.
They both froze.
An awkward silence fell between the two, and Kinich was grateful for the other customer’s chatter. At least it wasn’t complete silence.
But it was still a little awkward. As much as Kinich knew he had to hurry, knew he couldn’t just stand around and awkwardly stare at some random girl, he couldn’t.
No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t manage to get his eyes off of her. Her gorgeous blue and orange eyes seemed to have a subtle sparkle in the bakery’s light, her white hair looking almost like moonlight reflecting off a water’s surface. Her face looked soft, touchable. As did her lips. They looked kissable, so kissable…
The girl clears her throat, causing him to snap out of his love-struck daze as well. He quickly averted his eyes, scolding himself for even daring to think something like that, but still stepped closer to the counter.
Okay, it’s cool, he thought. Just order something small and get out. You have an exam to get to.
He looked back up at her, his heart fluttering in his chest when he noticed the small hint of red adorning her cheeks.
“W-What can I, uh… What can I get you?”
Right. Pastries. That’s what you’re here for.
He forced himself to pull his eyes off of the girl and towards the glass display. His mind was a mess, which was unusual for him. Focus up, he thought, but to no avail.
His eyes quickly scanned over the items in the display.
“A-A bagel will do, thank you…” He cursed internally at himself for stuttering like an idiot.
“Right. Will that be all?”
Kinich cleared his throat again, trying to drag his mind away from how cute the girl looked in that apron she was wearing. “Yes, that will be all…”
Kinich’s eyes were fixed on the girl as she moved across the bakery to retrieve one of the freshly baked bagels. Damn it, this is not what he thought would happen. He just came here to get some sort of food in since he skipped breakfast, but now all he could think about was the cute bakery owner.
“What’s your name?”
The girl looks up at him, still slightly flustered. Shit. He hadn’t meant for that to slip out, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to know more about her. He was so hopeless…
“M-Mualani…”
“That’s… That’s a pretty name… Oh, Kinich, by the way.”
Mualani nodded back in acknowledgement. Her hands trembled slightly as she put the bagel in a small brown bag. She put the bag up on the counter and gave some things in on the cash register.
Kinich was sure he was blushing. He didn’t want to be, but it was hard not to in the presence of such a gorgeous woman.
“That’ll be $1,50 please…”
Kinich almost forgot about his part of the transaction. He was so captivated by the other, he couldn’t think clearly. With a shaking hand, he reached for his wallet, pulled out his credit card, and quickly paid for his purchase.
“Thank you… H-Have a nice day!” Mualani said as she offered him a soft smile, causing his pulse to quicken again.
“R-Right… Thank you…”
As Kinich took the bag from the other, his gloved fingers briefly brushed against hers. Even though the contact wasn’t skin-on-skin, it was still enough to have his heart skip a beat.
Just as he turned around to leave, his smart watch started beeping rapidly. Some of the other customers looked at him weird, and even he was surprised by the sudden alarm sounding from the device. What could be—
Then, a robotic voice sounded out from the watch.
“Warning: Abnormal heart rate detected.”