Kimi no Na Wa Afterstory

2: Mitsuha's POV

     No way. I shook my head. "No no no no, I couldn't have you do that. I — "

     "I insist. Please, just let me do this today Mitsuha." His fierce gaze halted any response I had formed.

     I melted, thanking him with a sincerity I hoped could adequately reflect my emotions. An amicable silence blanketed the space between us once again, but I could tell Taki was concentrating on the menu. So I looked at mine. Besides, small talk between the two of us will inevitably lead to a much more somber conversation that further opened the emotional chasm between us. Yotsuha had only been half joking before she hung up: "Make sure you don't blotch your makeup by crying your eyes silly like tonight." 

     Wanting to avoid thinking further about it, I hastily read the menu and decided on a classic café au lait with a cream puff. It was late morning, and I was in the mood for a small treat. I deliberately made sure it wasn't terribly expensive for the sake of the bill.

     Feeling a little fidgety, I discreetly glanced up from the menu to catch a glimpse of Taki's face. The other day I hadn't noticed, but he had...quite nice eyelashes. His skin was also smooth and soft, with few blemishes. With a bit of surprise, I also noted how his shoulders were well defined in his button down dress shirt. Navy. Nice. Approved.

It was mere curiosity. Nonetheless, I felt as though I was doing something oddly inappropriate.

     Suddenly, Taki's eyes drifted upwards to meet mine, startling me. "Hmm?" He asked. I gestured dumbly at the menu, helplessly caught off guard and pretending to be composed. "Oh, you're done ordering? Me too." He closed his own menu abruptly, and I had the fleeting suspicion that he had only been staring at his menu to wait for me to make a decision. He had been staring at the light alcoholic beverages the cafe offered for ten minutes.

A willowy young waitress took our orders with a smile, and for another few minutes silence swallowed the atmosphere around us. A short while later, she came back with our orders and we both said "Thank You" at the same time before looking at each other. And then shared a hearty laugh.

     While biting into my heavenly cream puff (and Taki on his chocolate muffin), we engaged in small talk, finally warming up to each other. He was like a stranger to me, I was a stranger to him; we had lots of stories to share with each other.

     "She really said that?" Taki's face disappeared behind a napkin, the only evidence of his laughter in his trembling shoulders. "Your sister is pretty amazing."

     I was torn between embarrassment and laughing. "Really!" I protested. "She gave my boss the stink eye after he yelled at me, and then told him to go fuck himself. Before I left, another employee remarked that I set a new record for fastest time fired from the job. It was okay though, I didn't like the restaurant much to begin with." I scoffed. I snuck a glance at Taki and felt a thrill that he was having a good time. With me.

Maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad.

     Taki cleared his throat suddenly.

"I wanted to give this to you." A crinkling sound reached my ears. I found myself staring at the black art portfolio Taki clutched in his hands, at the multiple pieces of paper sticking out and ready to slip free. I could not say I understood what he was saying until he laid out several different sketches - all intensely beautiful and obviously fruits of hard labor - and found myself looking at a very nostalgic view.