—

spring flowers scented the soft air as cars and buses drove by outside, a reminder of the lives lived by many people and their individuality. a sense of peace brought that within in when that bell rung just above the bakery you’d been working in, alerting you of a new customer every time.

you had usuals. that elder lady with the ginger hair who ordered tea and a raspberry crème danish—always exceeding with her compliments to you and your co workers. a younger woman, blind yet always seemed to find her way from the scent of croissants and freshly brewed coffee. every customer had their own individuality—their own lives and jobs and feelings. some were simple, some were special and others were.. avoidant. quieter, kept in their own spaces away from everyone. they either sat by the windows to watch the world go by or left for their own, or continue with their lives. you picked up routines, times, spaces, places, cars. familiarity was your biggest strength.

a specific customer had stood out to you. his routine, his time, his space, his place, his familiarity. he always held a briefcase, a deep black suit complimented the pale skin he wore as his own. he was a tired man, him. every wednesday and friday he’d come in—just after 9 AM and ordered the same thing. a black coffee, regular and a French toast with lightly sprinkled powdered sugar. it was easy to remember due to the simplicity of the order, but he was also easy to remember.

he was intimidating to you. every time he had come in, it was you who took his order, who made his order. he’d even ask for the awkward woman to assess his needs. you always looked him in the eyes. he was tired—exhausted even. you assumed he was some sort of lawyer or defence attorney. he wasn’t a man of many words, to be frank. it was only ever “the usual” to you. it wasn’t disrespectful, no—but it was not easy to try and communicate. one time, you had tried to ask how his day was going and he grunted in response, muttering “fine.” without reply. you’d hoped he wasn’t slowly breaking down or destroying himself.

—

It was a wednesday morning. soft breeze came through the bakery as you finished up assessing an elderly man, who couldn’t read the menu from so far. you smiled at him gently, adjusting your pink apron as you noticed that familiar man in the line, right behind your current customer.

you made eye contact with him as the elderly man thanked you and went to his seat to relish in his treat. you blinked softly, greeting the familiar man. his eyes were always the first thing noticeable on him, as well as his nose. he had a beautiful face, and an even more intriguing tone.

“Good morning. Welcome to—“ you were quickly cut off, his deep tone interrupting and warping the softness in yours.

“My usual.” his voice ran through your ears as he blinked, waiting for you to assess his order. you stood awkwardly before smiling slightly and turning to collect his treat. you sighed deeply, looking toward Liu, your co worker. she flashed you a subtle smile as you prepared his order.

after finishing, you returned back to the counter with his coffee and pastry, setting it down in front of him. he pulled a black card from his back pocket and lifted it to pay. you watched as he held it between his fingers, his hand making it disappear from the utter size of it. he tapped it and didn’t even wait for approval, knowing it would work. you couldn’t tell if he was rich or sure of himself. he picked up his order and his coffee, moving towards the door.

when he opened the door, you watched him. his stature was so tall, it was almost mesmerizing. you daydreamed of him, soft smiling before you realized he had dropped something on his way out. you quickly ran to the door, picking up his debit card and looking down at the name. “HIROMI HIGURUMA”

you turned and noticed him walking, quickly running after him.

“Sir! Sir!” you caught up to him, breathing heavily as you tapped his shoulder. he turned to face you. his dark eyes scanned you up and down, glancing down at the card in your hand.

“You.. dropped this.”