Chapter 3 - Fish and Chips
Z's POV
I removed my ID, rolled it up, and placed it in my back pocket. I put on my sunglasses and my headset, which has been hanging around my neck all day. You can hardly see me without these headsets, and I only take them off on special occasions and at home, where I have my speakers blasting from every corner of my room, and of course, we have a separate one at our studio, where we finish most of our projects. You can say that it's a trademark from other people's perspectives, but for me, I can't survive without it because, you know, music is life.
Listening to YOASOBI, I vibe my way to the café.
I'm glad that it's Friday and we didn't ride our e-scooters today. J and I usually ride them to work, but we agreed to walk every Friday because we usually just sit in front of our desks all day, even at night when the situation calls for it.
We agreed to go for a walk every Friday so that we could get some exercise other than those workouts that we never do. I agreed because the alternative was a regular morning jog, which is not my thing.
I can already see the shop as I approach the road, and I suddenly got a chill as I realized how uneasy I was about going back there. Not the part where I have to place an order, but rather the fact that I will be seeing her again.
I pushed the glass door and heard something rattle that I hadn't heard the first time. The store exudes a contemporary yet vintage vibe. The walls are gray with occasional paintings and frames with quotes, and the wooden floor blends in with them. Half of the walls are made of wood. I might just be too anxious to even notice that, but I need to make the most of it, and I'm starving like crazy!
I see that they have a self-service line for takeout and that they offer dine in service as well. I tried to check if the girl was behind the counter but got disappointed right away because she isn't the one taking up orders anymore.
'Ugh, bummer. Maybe she's done with her shift'. I tried to cheer myself up by going to one of the nearby tables and turning off my headset.
Listening to soft jazz playing in the background, I picked up the menu that was on the table. I looked for something that could soothe my aching heart.
'Aching what? Pfft! I don't even know her name yet!'
'Blergh! Most of these items are salads. What the hell. I hate vegetables!
I turned the page and saw that they offer other dishes, which made me sigh in relief.
'Okay, I'll get fish and chips—maybe I'll just settle for a sandwich—okay, how about some pasta? But I was thinking of getting some coffee and I don't think that's a good idea.'
"Having a difficult time deciding?" I kept turning the pages and didn't realize that someone was already standing beside me, which startled me.
As I heard her angelic voice. I snapped my head to the side without much thought, and I saw the reason why I came here in the first place. Still as beautiful as ever, like she had never worked earlier at all.
She looks at me lovingly—hey, that's how I see it, so shut it— giving me her perfect smile.
'F*ck I turned my head way too fast. I thank these shades cause I bet my eyes are outside of their sockets now'
"Y-yeah, hi! uh, I– yeah, tough time." What the hell is wrong with me, Goddammit! I've never been this stupid in front of a girl before. C'mon me! Recover! She mentally cleared her throat.
"You didn't come with your husband this time." She most likely confirmed rather than asked.
"Husband?" I narrowed my eyes and scrunched my brows at her.
I then recalled what happened this morning and shook my head forcibly, "No! You've got it wrong. We're just friends! Best friends! We like to joke around sometimes. But yea, no, I mean, we live together but no wait, we're just roommates and we're not together—"
"I get it." She raised her hand to cut me off and giggled, covering my view of her face, making me disappointed that I didn't see her laugh. "I got it; that's really good to know," she added.
There was a silence after what she said as I thought 'really good?'
She then cuts off my thinking by pointing at the menu. "Have you decided?"
I put down the menu and blurted out, "C-care to share the good stuff?" Good what? Man, that sounded awful. "I mean, is there something you can recommend?"
She laughed at that, showing me a perfect set of white teeth and some of her hair escaping from the loose ponytail falling down to her face as she giggled. And yes, I've been saying perfect because she just looks so perfect to me. I'm crushing on her so hard! My gawd, is she an angel? Her laugh sure sounds out of this world.
'Okay, that's enough, simping.' I told myself that.
"You look like you'd enjoy our fish and chips." She said her smile was not leaving her face.
"Oh, that's— okay, I'll take that." I agreed and followed with, "I think I'd like that, but I think I'd enjoy it more if you ate with me." I cringe at what I said, waiting for her reply.
She pursed her lips and looked at her watch as I just watched her in awe. "I'm actually about to take my lunch, but do you think I'd enjoy it if I had it with you?"
I tittered and said, "I'm not sure, but it's worth a try." I shrugged, removing my sunglasses and putting them down on the table beside the menu.
"I guess there's no harm in trying. I'll decide on your drink then, and I'll be back with the food." She winked, then turned to go back to the kitchen.
'And that, kids, is how I met your mother.' I thought to myself. I rested my chin on my palm as I looked at the place she disappeared from.
Just like that, she completely stole my heart. I sighed and rested my back on the chair with a wistful smile on my face, and I can't wait for her to come back.
'Dang I forgot to ask for her name again!'