I find myself back outside that same shop no more than half an hour later. Wrapping the soft white scarf tighter around my neck, I take a seat and watch as people rush in and out of the shop, clutching plastic bags filled with groceries, and slowly fade into the distance as they make their way back home, continuing on with their day.
People watching is something I have always found fun. It's crazy how sometimes, you can glance at a single person for a split second, and pretty much summarise their life story at a glance. Other times, though, individuals can be unreadable and mysterious — you can't judge a book by its cover, I guess.
Miku's bright eyes and cute smile springs back to mind, and I rest my head in my hand, thinking. There's something intriguing about the tealette — she's an open book on the surface, but something about her seems so... cryptic, almost. Like a clam clenched shut, you have no idea what's inside, and I'd be lying if I said I weren't intrigued.
My gaze drifts down to the rose gold watch, daintily wrapped around my left wrist. 3:35, five minutes past our meeting time; I hope she hasn't changed her mind about meeting up.
Clink. Clink. My acrylic nails tap noisily against the iron bench as I glance around, hoping to catch sight of a small girl with bright turquoise hair. And then I spot her, free of shipping bags, flowing teal hair pulled up into two cutesy pigtails. I can't help a grin from spreading across my tinted lips as I jump up from the bench and drift over to her.
"Hey," I greet her happily, to which she responds with a small wave of her pale hand, her smile mirroring mine. "You look adorable. I'm glad to see the pigtails return!" The tealette giggles bashfully, playing with a strand of long turquoise hair and looking at me through upturned eyes.
"I tried my best," she says shyly. "Hairstyles have never been my forte, and it's a bit more bumpy and uneven than when Rin did it, so, umm... I'm sorry about that." She peers critically into the store window, glancing at her reflection and suddenly narrowing her eyes.
I follow her gaze. Though the reflection is dull, I can make out Miku's pouty expression, and I pat her on the head, smiling. "It's perfect, hun. So don't worry about it so much." The tealette bites her lip and hides behind her bangs momentarily, before looking back at me and muttering a small 'thank you'.
The breeze is becoming more bitter and cold with every passing moment. A violent shiver runs through Miku's slender body, and she wraps her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm. I flash her a quick smile before holding out my hand to the tealette. "Should we go? The cafe I spoke of earlier is just up the road, and it'll be a lot warmer in there."
For a long moment, Miku stares at my extended hand, visibly perplexed. I draw away and cock my head, azure orbs peering hopefully at the tealette. Slowly, she lifts her gaze to meet mine once again, before nodding her head and returning a small smile. "Sure."
The dully lit streets seem bland and monochromatic. Miku and I walk silently down the road, the tapping of our shoes against the cold concrete below one of the only sound breaking the silence. The wind whistles noisily through the street; occasionally, the odd couple walks past, gripping at each other for warmth and comfort.
"So," I pipe up, many questions springing to mind. Miku glances at me, head tilted slightly to the side, waiting for me to speak. "I've never seen you around before. Are you new around here? What school do you attend?"
The tealette averts her gaze to the ground, hands shoved in her pockets. "Nope, I've lived here my whole life," she responds, her tone of voice somewhat sad sounding. "I attend Crypton High. And fuck me, it's quite the shithole." She drags her scuffed shoes along the concrete, occasionally kicking at a stray pebble and watching it roll away through narrowed cerulean orbs.
"Crypton, hm?" I repeat, my mind drifting to Kaito. "Yeah, I've heard rumour upon rumour." I side glance Miku, trying to read the expression on her face; she doesn't look impressed. "You're not keen?"
"That place will be the death of me," she suddenly spits, looking up at me and pulling a face. "Seriously, the fuckboys and the bitchy girls and the shitty teachers..." her voice tails away, and she breathes out a small, exasperated sigh. "What about you?"
"Yamaha Academy for Girls," I respond, amused as I watch Miku's expression light up in awe.
"No way, isn't that place, like, really super expensive and fancy?" She asks, eyes twinkling like a thousand diamonds. "I'd give anything to attend a place where people aren't complete insensitive idiots."
I shrug my shoulders, focusing my attention on the path ahead. "It's not all glitz and glamor. We have our fair share of fights and problems, but generally it's a pretty welcoming environment. We have a swimming pool, and pretty much every club under the sun — cheer, chess, dance, literature, sport; hell, I'm pretty sure there's a manga club."
Miku tilts her head, intrigued. "So you're... like, really rich?" She blurts out, before clasping has hand over her mouth and averting her gaze, cheeks burning. "Sorry, sorry, that just kinda slipped out... that's a bit of a breach of privacy, isn't it...?"
I chuckle to myself. "It's okay, it's a perfectly valid question. And, well, yeah, I suppose you could say I've been born into a pretty well-off family." Slowly, my brisk walking comes to a halt outside of the quaint cafe. Caught up in her own world, Miku walks straight past, oblivious to our arrival. "Hey, where are you going? The cafe is here."
Abruptly, Miku spins around, before scurrying back over to me, a sheepish expression plastered across her face. I smile to myself as I lead the embarrassed tealette into the cafe, unable to get over her adorable klutziness.
Warmth hits my shuddering body the moment I set foot into the cafe, and the familiar scent of baked goods greets me. Miku looks around in wonderment, taking in the warm, homely aesthetic.
"Ahh, Luka-san!" The waitress greets me with a friendly smile and a polite bow of the head. "It's wonderful to see you. A table for two?"
"Please," I respond with a single nod, smiling at the awed tealette. The waitress leads us to a comfortable table in the far corner, where Miku happily takes the window seat.
The waitress hands us each a pretty-looking menu. "Please let me know when you would like to order." She smiles and bows her head once more, before wandering off to serve another customer.
I look at Miku, who is fixated on the window. She watches with amusement as birds hop around outside, cocking their heads as they sing sweet songs before picking up the odd breadcrumb and taking off. "I've never been here before," she gasps, before turning to me, star-struck. "This place is really pretty, I can definitely see why you like it so much."
Smirking, I lean back in my seat and nod towards the bakers, who are fumbling about behind the counter. "And you haven't even tried the food yet. I bet you'll love it just as much," I tell her, before peering down at the printed menu and scanning the specials. "What would you like? I'm happy to pay, so feel free to knock yourself out."
Miku scrunches her face up for a moment, possibly confused by my use of metaphorical expression, before realisation hits, and her expression softens once again. "Umm..." she traces the menu with her finger delicately. "Can... can I order a hot chocolate? I'm not a huge coffee fan."
"Of course you can," I nod, smiling. "Hun, you don't need to ask my permission. What else would you like?"
The tealette looks up momentarily, slightly flustered, before looking back down at the menu. "Maybe... a tuna mayonnaise sandwich, and... oh, that blueberry muffin looks nice." She sounds almost guilty, but hey, what can I say? It's my treat.
"Great choices," I nod my head in approval. Abruptly, Miku looks up, her lips spread into a smile. The waitress drifts over once again, and I recite our order, asking for a mocha coffee and a tuna toastie for myself. She nods her head in understanding and scribbles down our order in her notebook, before taking off once again, weaving through the maze of tables and disappearing into the kitchen.
Miku watches the waitress until she is out of sight. "Everyone here is so nice..." she mutters breathlessly, mostly to herself. "People aren't usually this nice to me." She rests her head against the glass wall and looks over to me, blue orbs sparkling.
I smile at her, though it's bittersweet. "Well, they should be. You're cute as a kitten, and people should have no choice but to love you." Immediately, Miku's face flushes the colour of a tomato, and I smirk to myself as she lets out a quiet squeal. "You're so easy to fluster. I love it."
"God..." Miku cups her burning cheeks with her hands. "You... you're such a tease!" She pouts, to which I stick out my tongue playfully in response. "Enough of that... actually, there was something I wanted to ask you." Miku lowers her hands and tilts her head, as if seeking my permission to speak. I raise an eyebrow, and she flashes me a faint smile before continuing. "I was just wondering, how long have you been dancing before? Because I watched you from the wings, and... you were really, really good."
The topic of conversation taken me slightly aback, and I can't help but smile at the authentic compliment. "Thank you," I say, genuinely flattered by her approval. "Well, to answer your question... I've been a dancer since I was two and a half. My mother stuck me in dance class to peruse a dream she couldn't herself, and I've been dancing ever since." The topic is bittersweet, especially when I don't quite know where my passion stands anymore; it's a lingering question.
Miku nods her head at my words, clearly interested. "I see. That's a really long time," she states, to which I smile sheepishly.
"It is. It's just, yknow, I don't know if I want to pursue it. I'm older, I have different interests, and I'm not my mothers 'mini-me' anymore — far from, in fact." Thoughtfully, I rest my head in my hand, once again meeting Miku's gaze. "What about you? Do you have any hobbies?"
"Hobbies?" Miku echoes. "Umm.. not many, no. When I'm bored I'll play a couple of video games on my old DS or my brothers PlayStation, and sometimes I like to doodle, but... I'm not very good at drawing." She averts her gaze to the table below, where she is tracing shapes with the tip of her finger against the wooden surface. "I'm sorry... I'm really boring."
I narrow my eyes and sit up straight. "Miku, don't say that. You're not boring at all." Miku glances up at me for a brief moment, before lowering her gaze one more. I clear my throat before changing the topic. "You said you have a brother? What's it like to have a sibling?" Momentarily, I close my eyes and breathe out a small sigh. "I don't have any siblings; just me and my parents. I've always wished for one, though."
A small smile appears on Miku's lips. "My older brother is my best friend through and through. We are really close and he always has my back, through thick and thin." She responds, tugging on her hoodie and tilting her head slightly to the side. "Siblings fight, and siblings make up. But he's always there for me, and I know he always will be."
"That's sounds nice," I reply dreamily. "It sounds like you two have a really close knit bond." One I could only dream of. Miku nods her head, that smile refusing to subside. "The closest I have to a sister is my best friend IA. Sometimes I think we were made to be best friend because no parent ever could handle us as blood-related siblings."
The tealette chuckles at my words. "Judging by that statement alone, I'm guessing you can be quite the troublemakers?"
"Me? No, no — I'm good as gold," I respond sarcastically, to which Miku raises a questioning eyebrow. "Though I will admit, I guess you could say we've caused our fair share of problems. Hasn't your blonde friend?" My mind casts back to the peppy blonde girl from yesterday, and the tealette lets out an airy laugh.
"Rin? Well... she's most definitely the yin to my yang." The fondness in her voice as she talks about her blonde best friend is heartwarming, and I can't help but smile as she continues on. "She's loud, sometimes boisterous and bossy, but I love her. She's always there for me and she stands up for me when I can't quite do it myself... though yeah, I suppose she can be quite the handful on a bad day."
Our conversation is brought to a halt by the sweet smell of hot chocolate, and I look up to see the same waitress from before, handing us each our goods. "Enjoy!" The smiley waitress beams at us each in turn, before disappearing back into the kitchen.
"Bon appétit!" I chirp, before taking a bite of my toastie, thoroughly enjoying the flavoursome fillings and nodding my head in approval. Miku takes a dainty sip of her hot chocolate; the marshmallows on top are beginning to melt into the drink, and the whipped cream is covered in chocolate powder.
Suddenly, she looks up, eyes wide. "This tastes incredible!" With that, she takes a long sip, before drawing back abruptly, spluttering. "Shit, hot, hot-!" She scrunches her eyes closed and desperately sucks air through her teeth, trying to cool down her now burnt tongue.
I can't help but laugh, thoroughly amused by the scene in front of me. "Be careful there, Miku. It's called hot chocolate for a reason!" With that, I take a short gulp of mocha, all the while watching Miku with one eye.
She pushes the hot drink to one side momentarily, instead fixating her attention on the tuna sandwich in front of her. She picks up the sandwich carefully and takes a bite, before smiling and nodding. "This is good!" The approval in her voice is evident, and she demolishes the sandwich within moments.
"Tuna is by far my favourite food," I state, before taking another bite of the toastie and melting into the incredible taste. "Always has been, always will be."
Miku nods her head with a small smile. "I can see why," she says, before taking another — cautious — sip of her hot chocolate. "Call me crazy, but... my favourite food is a vegetable."
"And what would that be?" I inquire, curious.
"Spring onions," the tealette responds proudly. "They're great however you prepare them — cooked, boiled, raw, you name it."
I tilt my head thoughtfully. "Have you ever tried Negitoro sushi before?" I ask. "It's a sushi made of both tuna and spring onions, and it's heavenly."
Miku shakes her head. "I don't think I have," she responds with a shrug of the shoulders, before looking down to the blueberry muffin she'd requested. "Hey.." she looks up at me, cerulean eyes kind. "How come you didn't order yourself a dessert?"
I hesitate, suddenly feeling flustered myself. "Oh, y'know..." I start up awkwardly, glancing at the younger girls skinny build. "Just calorie intake and stuff like that. Plus, I wasn't awfully hungry."
Miku looks at me thoughtfully, before glancing down at the cake. "Would you like some of mine?" She asks generously. "I don't mind sharing."
"Oh!" I exclaim, unsure of how to respond. "Thank you for offering, but it's okay..."
Miku tears the fluffy treat in half nonetheless, before holding one half out to me and looking at me with a look of determination. "I insist," she says, before flashing me a small smile.
Hesitantly, I take the muffin and smile back at her, appreciative of her munificence. "Thank you," I respond, before daintily nibbling the treat, and savouring every bite. Miku grins, seemingly more satisfied, and before long, our plates and glasses alike are empty, and I'm paying the bill whilst trying to ignore the younger girl's guilty stare.
"Thank you for coming!" The waitress chirps as she waves us off. We each return our gratitude with a smile and a bow, before heading back up the street. It's colder than it was before, and the sky is swiftly darkening; I zip my coat up and put on my scarf, wrapping it tightly around my neck.
Miku falls into step beside me, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you so much for this, Luka." She looks up at me through elated blue orbs, a bounce in her step as she skips beside me. "Nobody's ever done something like this for me before... I can't thank you enough." Her sentiments are enough to make me feel warm on the inside. "Is there anything I can do for you in return? Please, please let me know."
I hesitate for a moment, before stopping in my tracks. Confused, Miku stops several paces ahead, looking back at me through perplexed orbs. I smile at her and reach into my pocket, grabbing my phone and powering it on. "Actually, there is one thing I'd like to ask of you, if you don't mind."
The tealette shakes her head. "No, of course I don't mind. What is it?"
Hopefully, I reach out my phone to Miku. "Can I get your number?" I ask, tilting my head and flashing her a smile. Immediately Miku smiles back, hastily taking the device from my hands.
"I don't see why not."
Miku speedily types her number into a new contact, before passing the device back to me. "Thanks much, cutie," I thank her with a playful wink. The tealette nods stiffly, though that angelic smile doesn't cease.
"Once again, thank you so much for this," she thanks me with a bow of her head. "I should really be going now, though... I need to get back home."
I nod in understanding. "Could I perhaps walk you home?" I ask with a smile. A faint blush slowly creeps upon Miku's cheeks, and after a moment, she responds with a shy smile.
"If you'd like."
And so, Miku and I find ourselves walking side by side through the darkening streets, laughing and joking and enjoying one another's company, all the while keeping a goofy pair of broad smiles. There's something about her presence that makes me feel so relaxed and at ease, and I can't help but hope and pray that our paths will cross again very soon.