Haru licked his lower lip upon hearing her counter question. For some reason, he would want to tell her to give him the time and the attention, but that would sound too greedy of him. It also took him a moment to answer. "Just enjoy the rest of your day without using your phone."
"That's all?" she took the bottle of iced coffee, and Haru only nodded. "Then, I should give all my time and attention to you-"
Haru almost choked on the water he was drinking, "That… that's not what I meant-"
"Oh, yes you do!" she laughed softly. "Besides, I shouldn't really be working on weekends-"
*Beep beep*
He cocked a brow when he heard the notifications from her phone, "Shouldn't be working, huh?"
"These will be the last, then we'll visit the first studio. I promise."
The pink–haired lady really kept her promise. She turned her phone on silent mode and only looked at it to check the addresses of the studios. They were to visit four studios, but the first two to three did not meet her expectations.
Finally, they walked to the last photography studio and were in awe upon seeing the different creative spaces, unlike the three traditional studios. Each room was decorated according to a certain theme, but the whole studio had dried bouquets and indoor greenhouses with sheer drapes. The sunlight seeping through the windows let the photographers take beautiful angles, and most especially, the tall windows with sheer curtains provided an afternoon glow to the whole place.
"I think this is it," Sakura's face lit up.
Haru had been watching her since, so seeing her face finally satisfied also made him happy. "I think so, too."
Someone called out for Sakura's name from the second floor of the building, and it was the caretaker who went downstairs and approached the two. He greeted them warmly and then toured them in each space for a closer look. Before they proceeded to the next room, they were told that there would be a photoshoot tomorrow, so the photographer was doing some test shots in the said space.
They watched the woman who was capturing pictures from different angles while Sakura and the caretaker quietly talked. When the photographer panned her sight to where they were, a shy smile appeared on her face. The three returned the gesture before going back to the main office situated on the second floor of the building. Haru waited outside and stood by the windows to view the afternoon scene.
"Hi, excuse me…" a soft voice of a woman was heard.
Haru turned to see who it was, and it was the photographer earlier who was holding her camera.
"Sorry for disturbing you, but could I take some pics of you?" there was anticipation in her voice. "For reference… and perhaps include you in my photog portfolio in the near future?"
"Oh," being the shy person he was, it was the only word he said.
"It wouldn't take long. I just need 5 to 10 shots," the photographer assured.
Looking at her closely, Chika assumed that the woman had the same height as Sakura. She has medium-length black straight hair, black monolid eyes, and bottom-heavy lips. "Are you going to post it?"
"I am hoping. Why… Do you want me to keep it for myself? Mm?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"No. of course, not-"
"Man, I didn't know the hot and famous barista is a shy type," she finally let out a soft laugh.
Haru blinked upon hearing her remark, but he already had a hunch it was from the special video from Ralme.
"I'll give you my social media links so you know where to see your photos. I should probably get yours as well to inform you beforehand."
"Unfortunately…I… don't use social media that much-"
"Now I know the reason why I couldn't find you! Let's exchange numbers, then?"
He tilted his head in wonder, "Are you a professional photographer?"
She shook her head, "An amateur," and took small steps until she was beside him. "Here are some of the photos I took at the park yesterday before the sunset," she pressed the left button of her camera and glanced at his face once in a while to see his reaction.
"Thank you for sharing these with me," Haru looked at her, "They're really amazing," and a genuine smile escaped his lips.
The photographer's eyes almost turned into crescent moons when she smiled, "Shall we?"
"I'm not sure what you want me to do though," he ran a hand on his nape.
"Let's take some photos of you with your cap and some without it," she positioned herself as she waited for Haru to pose, but the handsome man only stood still by the windows.
"And then?"
*Snap*
"Oh my…" her jaw almost dropped. "It's a candid shot, but you really look amazing!"
"I've heard that a lot of times now," Haru, who'd gotten used to hearing such compliments whenever Sakura took pictures of him, smirked.
"Nice nice nice, turn your body to the right a bit and then stare right out the window," she instructed while also changing the camera angle.
As the photographer suggested poses Haru could do, Sakura instantly saw them as she went outside the room. She was surprised to see him interacting with another woman, but at the same time, she couldn't help herself but stare at the scene of him being taken pics of.
Haru turned toward Sakura's direction when he caught a glimpse of her, "Finally done?"
Sakura beamed as she drew closer to them, "Yes! I didn't know that you two knew each other?"
The other woman gestured with her hands, "We don't, but I approached him for some photos. Hopefully, we can work together in the future."
"See. I told you you're getting famous, Haru!" Sakura lightly hit Haru's arm. "If that's the case, then we should really get your business card and socials," she looked at the photographer this time.
"Right, right! Argiatou!" the photographer took out a business card from her holder and handed it to Sakura. "My socials are included there, Ms. Manager," she grinned.
Haru and Sakura exchanged looks, and the pink-haired lady wiggled her eyebrows and mouthed 'Manager'. The barista found it adorable and couldn't hide his smile in front of the ladies. He then noticed the other lady staring at them, so he quickly looked at her business card and uttered, "Tachibana Hitomi…. It's really nice meeting you."
"It's nice meeting you both, too. I'll see you soon then?" Hitomi flashed a grin before leaving the two.
As soon as she was out of their sight, Haru faced Sakura. "It's been a long day. Shall I take you home?"