Chapter Text
The first time she saw him, her world stopped. His platinum blond hair glistened under the sun, and his red eyes reflected the light of the sun.
They were far away, yet somehow she could see him as if he was right in front of her. She could see the slight blush of his cheeks, perhaps due to the heat, matching perfectly with the red streak of his hair. It was odd, the attraction she felt for him. She had never felt the same for any others, not any of her previous crushes nor any other strangers. After all, she was not usually attracted to people for their looks.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, his eyes moved towards her and she panicked, looking away. When she looked again, he was gone. Her heart was heavy of regrets, but she knows she would not have done anything different if the situation had changed.
The next time she saw him, they were much, much closer. So close she could feel his breath on her. Her heart beat loudly against her chest; so loud she worried he would hear it.
She held her books tight in her arms, swerving through the crowd with anxiety. She was in a hurry to be home after a tiring day at work. Xiangling had been fixated recently on an odd new recipe, so you had to work overtime to help her. As one of the few workers at Wanmin restaurant, she has to work particularly hard when the head chef of the restaurant is preoccupied with her interest. Not that she would complain though, considering how her pay increases everytime these instances occur.
Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't notice when someone suddenly walks out of a store, looking back to bid the store owner a farewell, and bump into him. He reaches out and grab her waist to stabilize her, but her books, filled with Xiangling's various new recipe, scattered across the ground. She looks up, an apology at the tip of her tongue when she suddenly stops. it's him, the boy from many days ago. The boy she's been trying to forget for so many days, but this time he is right in front of her. So close she could smell the faint whiff of the ocean on him.
"Are you okay?" he asks her. She freezes for a second. His voice, somehow, fit him perfectly. She'd never heard someone sound so beautiful. His voice was soft, and it calmed her racing heart, like the sea breeze in the morning when everything is quiet and calm. "Hello?"
"Ah," she quickly moved away from him, slightly straightening her shirt. She looked down at the ground and whispered, "sorry."
She quickly bent down and picked up the books. He bent down next to her and picked up the one closest to him. When he stretched out his hand in front of her, she glanced at him, only to be enraptured by his eyes.
Wearing a soft smile, he said, "It's alright, I'm sorry too."
She smiled awkwardly and glanced away, snatching the book away before standing up and he followed. Her cheeks were slightly pink, her head downturned so he could not see it. She muttered another apology before rushing away, her heart in her throat.
For the next week, she could not stop replaying that moment; how his eyes silently gazed at her, the soft hum of his voice, the curve of his mouth as he smiled, and the soft touch of his hand against her clothed waist that seemed to linger forever.
In the following week, she lived her life as she had always done, working all day at Wanmin restaurant and going home as the sun was setting, rushing against the crowd so she could enjoy the comfort of her home sooner. And every day she hoped she could glance at him once more, but he seemed to disappear, never showing even once.
She'd stopped hoping to see him after the second week, thinking perhaps he was just a visitor from another nation, and she would probably not see him again. Regret settled deep in her stomach, but she knows she would not have done anything even if he did show again. She simply wished to gaze at him from afar, like a traveler admiring the view through their journey.
It was a particularly busy day that day, and there was only two others working with her that day. Xiangling had originally been in the kitchen, but a few of her friends had asked her to help, and she hadn't been seen since. She silently cursed her out in her head, complaining how unfair it is that she could leave whenever she pleases. She'd like to leave to hang out with her best friends too, but she's been so busy she hasn't met them in months. The only conversation she's had with them were when they'd occasionally stop by the restaurant during her break and she could mourn the loss of the most beautiful man she's laid eyes on in years, which is always accompanied with her friends' eyeroll and wondering how attractive could the man possibly be.
She was about to bring a customer their order when a few people entered the restaurant. "Welcome—" she starts, but stops when she sees it's Xiangling. She resists the eyeroll and continue with her work.
She could hear a few people talking to Xiangling, but her gaze is focused on her tray, trying her best not to drop it as she carries it to the customer.
"Who's that?" she suddenly hears a very familiar voice. A voice she's replayed over and over and over in her head. A voice she's craved since she first heard it.
She hears Xiangling briefly inform him of her identity; "She's one of the chefs here, it makes sense you don't know her, she's new. I think she just moved here from Mondstat."
She heard him hum slightly, and felt his gaze linger on her before focusing back on his friends. Her heart almost beat out of her chest. Xiangling was friends with him? So he does stay here?
"—could you bring me some spice? Hey?" She hears Xiangling call out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, alright. Hold on." She quickly rushed to get the spice, and a few other things Xiangling mentioned. When she finally grabbed everything, she was surprised to see Xiangling and her friends gone. She was about to be annoyed when she caught a glimpse of a familiar platinum blond hair. She approached him nervously, carefully planning her words.
"Um, here's the things Xiangling asked for." She called out. He turned towards her, smiling. He took the things from her grasp and smiled. "Thank you. I'm Kazuha."
She was shocked, but quickly snapped out of it and told him her name.
"It's nice to meet you. See you later?" she wasn't sure if he was just being perfunctory or genuine, but she awkwardly smiled and returned the greeting anyways.
His visit to the restaurant somehow increased after that. Sometimes it was to meet Xiangling, while others he was just there to eat. Their relationship did not grow further than server and customer. Usually they would not even have the chance to interact unless she was assigned as her server, which she avoided most times.
She was happy with how things were going, though deep down she wanted their relationship to deepen. She wanted to be closer to him, but dared not to make the first move. She thought that was how their relationship would remain until he eventually faded out of her life, until one very fortunate evening.
The lantern rite festival was soon, and their restaurant was busy everyday with preparations, her workday would bleed long into the night. She fought the urge to lie down on the ground and dragged her feet home, every inch of her begging for rest. She wanted so badly to take a holiday, but with how busy the restaurant was going, it was impossible. Chef Mao, the owner of the restaurant and Xiangling's father, had given all the staff a rest day for the day after the lantern rite, which she was endlessly grateful for. Fortunately, she would not be working the night of the lantern rite either since the restaurant would be closed to allow the staff to celebrate the Lantern Rite. She planned to celebrate it with a wonderful night at home with her pillow and takeaway, far from the festivities.
Her thoughts drifted, dreamingly thinking of all her plans for the upcoming holiday, which mostly consisted of her alone in her room, when she suddenly heard someone call out to her.
She turned around and saw a face she’s gotten familiar with. The same face that’s been haunting her nights and days and all her thoughts. A face she can put a name to since his first visit at yhe restaurant. Kazuha.
“Hey,” he smiled when she noticed him.
“Hi,” she mutters, her voice betraying her exhaustion.
He looked at her with pity, saying “i heard from Xiangling that the restaurant has been busy these days.”
”yeah…did you need something? I think the restaurant’s closed though by now.” She could not think of any other reason he would call for her, if not for something related to the restaurant.
”No, no. I don’t need anything. I just… i have a question.” She noticed he was behaving quite odd, which she couldn’t have been able to tell before, but could now that she’s seen him talking to his friends so often now. “I was thinking… the Lantern Rite is soon, and, um… I was wondering if you’d go with me.”