Love Came in a Supermarket

2| Aromatic much

"Ai" Hina drawled plopping down on one of the bar stools across from Ai at the counter "I need coffee and one of those swirly bread thingies you sell"

"You mean a croissant" Ai said turning away to prepare her order. Not too long after, Ai sets a cup of coffee and a plate of croissant with cherry flavoured filling in front her best friend with peach dyed hair.

"You are paying for this you know" Ai says resting her elbow on the counter then placing her head on her open palm.

"Can't you pay for this one out of love for me Ai?" Hina drawled her name tried to give her the puppy dog eyes which doesn't work on Ai.

"No!" Ai gives her a stern look.

"I thought best friends pay for each other's stuff" she pouts looking at her friend "sometimes you make me wish I didn't have so much money" she gives her a solemn look and Ai rolls her eyes.

She didn't understand what was the need to pay for each other's stuff when they could clearly pay for it by themselves. It's not like it was written anywhere in a Best friends handbook somewhere —if there's any that is.

Hina drops the script she was reading through beside her on the table which reminds Ai that she hasn't completed her assignment for her Scriptwriting class which is due the next week.

"This is so good" Hina moaned in delight before sipping her coffee and giving her friend a serious look "that cat, is a witch" Hina proclaims out of the blue.

Ai rolls her eyes, here we go again she thought.

"I seriously don't understand how my mother survived with that devil sent creature from the pit of hell" Hina goes back to munching on her croissant.

"Then get rid of it already" Ai says apathetically grabbing a towel and wiping the counter.

"I can't do that" Hina pouts as a solemn look washes over her features on her oval face "Even though she's evil, she still belonged to my mum and I don't think my mum would've liked that"

A sudden feeling of empathy floods Ai's heart and she reaches over to squeeze her friend's hand on the counter. Hina immediately brightens and does a little evil cackle making Ai to scowl, she can't believe she fell for her friend's trick.

Hina was getting a hang of it lately, drawing a show of emotion out of her friend. "I can't believe you" Ai frowned at her friend who just sticks out her tongue at her.

"Can I get an iced tea please?" A familiar boyish voice interrupts the two friends making Ai to look away from her friend to the boy. Ai gawks at the familiar boy that she never thought she would meet again and her heart does a little flutter.

"H-hi" Ai stuttered choking on her spit and coughing as her eyes watered a little. Way to go at acting normal Ai.

"Are you okay?" He reached out to touch her shoulder and she tensed immediately she felt his palm against her skin, a sort of tingling sensation played on her arm where his hand laid. His warm hand on Ai's pale skin made her shiver in delight as she looked from his hand to his worried eyes.

Ai's eyes darted back to his hand and he must have noticed because he immediately withdrew it and a blush creeps into her cheeks as she looked away.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" He suddenly ask making Ai to turn her gaze back to him and a sort of disappointment seeps into her heart as she watched him scratch the back of his head and confusion flooding over his features.

Ai wondered why she was suddenly feeling so disappointed, after all they had just met once and it's not like they knew each other, they were practically strangers but why was she feeling like this. I mean after all he was just another customer, right?

"Uh I do—" Ai gets cut off before she can even complete her statement.

"Oh I remember—" he suddenly grins making Ai smile a little, a sort of hope starts budding in her chest again "you're that girl from the supermarket, the one I bumped and later needed help reaching—" he stops short not completing his statement, amusement played on his face as Ai turned beet red at memory of what he was talking about.

It was that day at the supermarket after they had bumped into each other. Ai had gone into the next isle and was trying to reach for a pack of sanitary towels, unfortunately for her she wasn't blessed with so much height and so couldn't reach the brand she used.

Someone had sidled up next to her and before she could even utter a word of plea in their direction, talk more of seeing who it was, the person had reached for it and Ai had noticed how boyish the hands were and had gone completely pink in the face when she saw the purple haired guy that had sidled up next to her to help.

"Don't worry—" the boy's voice brought her from the memory "I won't tell" he said winking at her as he smirked and she turned twice the shade and he laughed. Ai ducked her head as her heart did a flip at the hearing of his laughter.

She scrambled away from him to prepare his order before bringing it over to him not looking him in the eye.

"See you around sometime eh—" he said as she watched his eyes dart to her name tag "Ai, hmm nice name" he smiled paying for his drink before leaving.

Ai sighed in relief as he walked out the glass doors, she had never felt something like that before.

"Wooooooowww" Hina drawled making her presence known again. Ai had totally forgotten about her friend sitting a barstool away from her at the other side of the counter.

"I thought you said you were aromatic and incapable of love" Hina said in a dramatic way laughing at the expense of her best friend.

Ai scowled as she whipped her best friend with the table towel as Hina laughed, "That doesn't count as love Hina!" She said a little too loudly drawing the attention of the other customers present to her.

Even for a slow Wednesday evening, the place was still a bit full.