Work Text:
Ena sighed as she let her body settle into the wooden chair with armrests and a bit of padding on the backrest. Her narrowed eyes glanced with some displeasure at her slightly damp clothes, speckled with raindrops.
Damn rain.
She hadn't listened to Akito when he said it would rain today. She had insisted to Airi that she could make it home, despite the warnings of a heavy storm.
She was clearly too stubborn, and now she was trapped in this restaurant, her clothes and hair soaked, paying some kind of price for being so.
Her seat was in a spot that allowed her to see outside, to watch as the drops aggressively pelted the establishment's window. It had truly been a terrible decision to go out without an umbrella, and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon.
She knew with certainty that it was too cold outside. The strong drafts and the moisture did little to keep her body heat where it was supposed to be, so taking shelter was the most sensible option.
Common sense… what I lacked before leaving.
She shook her head a couple of times, chiding herself a little more for being so careless, and leaned forward, letting her body rest against the table. As she did, she felt a menu carefully placed there, seemingly made of plastic or a similar material. It was a little cold to the touch.
Ena wasn't hungry, so she hoped her listless body language would make it clear to the staff that they should just let her be there, stewing a little more over her past decisions.
But of course, that's not how restaurants worked at all.
"Hi! Have you decided what you'd like to order?" Ena dragged her eyes from the window to whoever was speaking to her.
Her eyes widened for a second when she managed to get a good look at who she assumed was the waitress.
She didn't even have a waitress uniform like in other restaurants she'd been to… she just wore a dark blue apron with a bow of the same color tied at her waist. Underneath, she wore a pink blouse with brown ribbons tied around the neckline. She also had a beige, plaid skirt, and Ena decided it would be rude to keep scanning the waitress's body so brazenly.
So she lifted her eyes, meeting a soft pink tone that played with her hair, which was tied up in a high ponytail with another ribbon, this one red.
She was excessive. Excessively pretty, too.
"Um… I'm not used to customers looking at me that way, miss." Ena's body straightened to look at her properly, like a decent, functional person. Maybe that way she could ignore the fierce blush that had just appeared wildly on her face.
"I'm so sorry! It's just that I thought the outfit was really cute," she tried to smile, but she knew it must look incredibly nervous. The waitress let out a little laugh.
"Oh, so that's what it was! For a second there, I thought you were about to start flirting with me," she teased, making Ena shake her head frantically. "Don't worry, I'm glad you think it's cute, because it is!" She looked proud of her clothes. Ena unconsciously relaxed her face and gave her a relaxed smile. "Anyway, have you decided what you want to order?" she asked again.
Ena remembered the reason she was there.
"Uh… I'm just sheltering from the rain. Would it be a problem if I stayed here for a while?" The other girl's face didn't change at all, but she lowered the notepad she held in her hand along with her pen.
"I don't think that'll be a problem, you can stay as long as you like." She put her hands on her hips and nodded. "Luckily for you, few customers come in on a rainy day, and especially one like this, it's the worst!" she continued, nodding toward the window and the relentless rain.
Ena nodded in agreement.
Who could be so idiotic as to go out in the middle of a storm like this?
She grumbled to herself.
"Thanks then." She thought that would be the end of their interaction. Then she could check her phone or something.
"Oh! You might not be ordering anything, but I'll bring you a towel so you can dry off. I don't think you'll enjoy walking around like a wet dog and ruining that cute outfit you have on." Ena frowned. It was almost as if she was mocking her. The playful expression and tone did little to make Ena think otherwise.
"HEY-"
"I'll be right back!"
The pretty, but seemingly audacious, waitress disappeared into the restaurant. It wasn't that there were many people, that was true. But there was an area clearly for authorized staff only, and Ena lost sight of her.
She was pretty, and apparently a little considerate.
She took out her phone and quickly typed a quick reply to Airi.
The rain caught me outside. How about we leave it for another day?
She put her phone away before waiting for a reply.
She bit her lip and tried not to look for the girl too much, but her eyes moved all around the place, trying to find her.
She felt a little silly.
"Here it is!" she returned, handing over a perfectly folded white towel. Ena took it without hesitation and began to dry herself off as best she could.
"Thanks… uh," Ena had no idea what the girl's name was.
"After looking at me so closely, you didn't notice I have a name tag? Pretty adorable, if you ask me, miss." A smug smile grew on her face, and the blush returned to Ena's cheeks, but this time she was at least able to hide it by putting the towel over her head to avoid further embarrassment.
A few seconds later, she uncovered her face and saw the girl pointing to the golden name tag on her apron. How had she not seen it before?
Amia.
"Your name is Amia," she stated, making the other girl let out a little giggle.
"Well… technically, that's not my name. The restaurant makes us servers use nicknames while we're on the clock. Fun, isn't it?" Ena narrowed her eyes.
"What's your name then?" Amia shook her head and put on her best teasing smile, making Ena feel a bit of irritation.
"Unfortunately, I can't give you that, no matter how pretty you are." Ena almost choked on her own saliva at the compliment. "Ah, actually, I have to get back to work or I could get in trouble. Don't hesitate to call if you fancy something from our menu, miss!" And with the same friendly smile she had arrived with, she left.
Ena huffed, mentally condemning Amia to her blacklist. She was pretty, but she clearly had a certain arrogant and annoying air that…
Ena couldn't take her eyes off her back as she walked away.
She knew the rain was still falling hard. She knew Airi might have replied. But her eyes only followed the waitress as she rushed from one side to the other, taking customers' orders, and even seeming to say something that made the other servers laugh.
It was a cozy atmosphere.
She hadn't noticed it before, but the good energy of the people inside the restaurant somehow made it quite warm. There was no doubt about it.
She couldn't say anything about the food because she'd never been to that place before and didn't feel like eating lunch at nine in the morning. Normally, she'd be asleep at that hour.
Time passed slowly. Other waiters approached her to ask if she wanted to order anything, but after a few attempts, they left her alone. Ena was sure it had something to do with Amia speaking with them after they approached the table.
She almost sighed at the somewhat protective gesture. She didn't want to be smothered with hospitality, she just wanted to be left alone.
She leaned against the table again, letting her eyes rest for just a moment. The moment she heard the rain against the window and the gentle warmth enveloped her, Ena fell asleep.
Opening her eyes, she found an item on her table. Something unexpected.
Her eyes were barely readjusting when she saw there was clearly a cheesecake and a small note.
♥★♥★♥★♥★♥
You're not going to order anything. But you have to eat something, right?
Oh yeah, don't think this is creepy or anything like that. I just didn't have the heart to wake you.
Just take it as a courtesy of the house!
-Amia
♥★♥★♥★♥★♥
Her eyes couldn't believe the cute note she was seeing, and she smiled. She tried to look for Amia around the place, in fact, she saw her serving a family at the back of the restaurant. She seemed animated, attending to a child.
She would have to thank her later.
Her stomach rumbled, and she immediately took the fork, not before taking a picture of her food. At the first bite, she knew it was delicious.
A soft flavor of lemon and strawberries, it was balanced, playing with the sour and the sweet. It combined very well with the taste of the pastry crust. Definitely a good choice.
Eating while watching a waitress work couldn't be well-seen in any way and could even get her in trouble if it became a habit, but she couldn't help it.
Amia seemed to be a very pleasant person, and only after four hours in that restaurant could Ena stop despising herself for going out without an umbrella, thanking her own stubbornness for leading her there and being served by that pretty waitress.
Her hours passed slowly, the rain didn't let up, and there was no chance of her leaving in that state. She would get soaked again.
Regardless, she kept herself entertained with the family atmosphere of the restaurant and definitely saved its address in her phone. It was there that she also saw some missed messages from Airi.
I told you so.
Don't worry then, we'll leave it for later!
Let me know when you get home, okay?
She wrote a quick reply to everything and put her phone away again.
As much as she could, she remained hypnotized by the girl who worked there. She was dedicated and had a good attitude toward her job.
Ena would probably do her best, but she knew she didn't have as much patience as Amia apparently did. She valued that in a person.
She got up to go to the bathroom, and upon returning, her table was still alone. She crossed eyes with a waitress who happened to pass by her side and saw her wink, making her look away.
The fact that the table remained alone was obviously not random.
But that led her to think… was Amia aware that she was watching her?
She would die of embarrassment if she knew.
With a mental collapse process underway, Ena opened a bag she was carrying and took out her sketchbook. She also took out a couple of pencils and began to draw the place.
Time passed quickly without her realizing it. A couple of pillars placed in strategic spots. A few tables just like hers in different points so each person could eat quietly without bothering others. The decoration, some pots with tall, green plants with many leaves…
And so she detailed as best she could, even trying to draw some of the customers. A lady with a pair of striking earrings, a child with a Hatsune Miku figure, an incredibly beautiful waitress serving the place along with some coworkers who paled in comparison.
Ena frowned and blushed upon seeing how detailed Amia had turned out in her drawing.
She also noticed that the girl was nowhere in sight when she looked around again.
She waited a couple of minutes, but there was no trace of her. Her stomach sank noticeably. Maybe her shift had ended? Maybe she was in the employee area? On a break, perhaps? She didn't know… she was only aware that she felt disappointed at not being able to find her. Just then, Amia appeared by her side.
She cleared the table, collected the plates, and politely accepted Ena's thanks before continuing her work. Ena’s eyes settled back on her open sketch, her heart beating a little faster. Apparently, there were plenty of people like her who went out to eat despite the weather conditions, keeping the pretty waitress moving from table to table.
She was still lost in thought when she was startled by the sound of the chair in front of her.
Looking up, Amia was there.
"Ohhh, this drawing is amazing!" she cheered. She hadn't changed much, but she certainly wasn't wearing the apron anymore. "Are you an artist? You're very good!" Ena even felt dizzy from the compliments.
"I-It's not that good," she started, hating how weak her voice sounded. But at the same time, she realized something else. "Actually! You shouldn't look at other people's sketchbooks without their permission," she scolded, somewhat annoyed.
But not really.
"It's a shame you want to hide that drawing, miss," she commented with a slightly more neutral look, as if trying to hide her sadness.
Ena felt like she had just kicked a puppy!
"Fine, I don't care if you see it," she rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair.
"Yay!" her smile returned, and Ena watched her a little more while she was distracted.
She took a moment to appreciate her details, but she seemed happy looking at her drawing. It made Ena feel incredibly happy.
"You have talent…" she murmured, lifting her gaze to meet her eyes. Ena could feel herself sigh, but she didn't want her to see it if she was right in front of her.
"Thank you, Amia…" she murmured back.
"Mizuki."
"Huh?"
"My real name, it's Akiyama Mizuki," she nodded, putting her elbows on the table and letting her chin rest in the palms of her hands.
"Ah… Shinonome Ena." Ena also introduced herself. But later, she thought about how easy it was to say Mizuki and just let that name roll off her tongue. But to her dismay, Mizuki placed an umbrella on the table.
"E-Eh?"
"My shift is over, and I can go home." Ena nodded silently, immensely disappointed to know she wouldn't see Mizuki for a while. Not unless she had a good excuse to come back. "Unless you want to take a little walk to a nearby shopping mall… we could get there with my umbrella." Ena froze.
"Are you asking me out?" was the best she could come up with to say. Mizuki laughed at that, shaking her head.
"I've been trying to flirt with you all day. What do you say?" Mizuki insisted, getting up from her chair and giving her a friendly smile. She even extended her hand toward her.
"We've only just met today…" Ena needed a little time to organize her head, she was having an internal implosion. Her voice didn't even sound very sure. "It's a bit weird, don't you think?"
"So when it rains, you go to restaurants to stare at pretty waitresses? A bit perverted, if you ask me, beyond just weird," the other teased, making Ena shake her head. She tensed at the joke.
"I'm not! It's just that you're… w-well… uh-"
Her voice got lost in the sentence, and the other's satisfied look grew to the point where Ena had lost the battle.
"Fine. Let's do something," Mizuki took her umbrella and offered it to her this time. "How about we get to know each other and stop being strangers? After that, whatever happens is up to both of us," she offered, almost like a deal.
Ena huffed, finding that phrase terribly cheesy.
"Ugh, fine… a walk will be okay then."
Even though she rolled her eyes, she took the umbrella and stood up with a small smile. Then Mizuki carefully took her by the forearm.
"Great! A little rain won't bother us, but I have a couple of places we could go. Oh, but if you see something you like, we could stop there too… just let me know!" Ena laughed at the other's enthusiasm as they headed to the exit. Mizuki was practically dragging her with a victorious smile.
Childish and cute.
Ena definitely loved rainy days.