"More than just a hat!" ((BH6 Fanfic!))

Chapter 2: Fulfilling Promises

Tadashi's POV

After school I rode back to the cafe. It was quiet in the afternoons, so there wasn't much going on. A few people sat at the tables, enjoying a pastry or a cup of tea. I walked into the cafe.
"Hey Aunt Cass," I said. As I looked around the cafe, I realized that she wasn't here. In her place the young woman from this morning was cleaning one of the tables. She looked up and smiled. That mesmerizing smile struck me.

"She went out to get some groceries. I'm helping out here for now. Oh, I've missed you so much, Tadashi!" she set her rag on the table and came up to me. She reached up, took my cap off and put it on herself. "I kept my promise. Did you keep yours or did you forget already?"

Then it hit me harder than the baseballs that hit me when we used to practice together in high school.
"Chántel! I would never forget," I almost cried. It had been three years and she had come back. I hugged her tight, but apparently a little too tight.

"Tadashiiii!!!! You're squishing me!!!" She called. I let go and smiled. I swore that she turned pink on her tan skin. Her golden-brown hair was pulled back into a bun. Loose strands framed her face. Her eyes pierced mine as she smiled that mesmerizing smile.

After all this time, she came back. I couldn't believe it. She seemed to have changed very little in the past three years. I still towered over her. She still had the rich accent. But something had changed. Her scent. I remembered her scent in high school being clean hay and flowers. Now she smelled of honey.

My mind came back to reality when I realized she still had my hat. I took it back and put it on. She laughed. Her laugh was silky smooth. Our moment alone was interrupted when the door opened. Aunt Cass and Hiro walked in. I went to help Aunt Cass with the groceries and looked at Hiro. He was late coming home. He noticed my stare and responded, "I was finishing up a project."
My tense state calmed at his words. I noticed him staring at our new helper in the cafe.

"Aunt Cass, did you hire someone to help out in the cafe?" He asked.
"No, Hiro!" She called from upstairs. "Don't you remember Chántel?"
Something appeared to click in his mind.
"Oh yea. Hey Chántel. It's been a while," he stated plainly and clearly bored as though he didn't care that she had come from so far away just to see us again. I wanted to punch him. She gave a small grin.

"Where are you staying?" I asked her.
"There's a hotel not far from here, that's where I am," she called from behind the counter.
"Hey, aren't you going to Texas A&M?" I called to her.
"Not anymore! I finished college. I was taking college classes when I was in high school. I finished up and graduated with a degree in astronomy and space science. I haven't decided to continue my studies and inventing of a sleeker shuttle or become an astronaut."
"You never finished your shuttle designs?"
"No. You weren't around to help me with that ultra-special design."

I took in what I had just heard. She hadn't finished something she had been working on since who knows when. I had to fix this.