Never you and I, always you and I [Aguni x Reader]

2 - Find a safe place, brace yourself

Takeru had spoken about managing a club for a long time.

And he had finally done it. Rent a space, hired the workers, done all the necessary paperwork. Aguni had to admit he was impressed. And, overall, he was happy for his best friend.

'So this is the main entrance.' Takeru was saying, arms wide open, pointing here and there with long fingers. He was wearing a purple suit, which Aguni thought was a little bit too much, but he didn't consider himself to be an expert on the topic of fashion. It was also not like Takeru would listen to him when it came to clothing. 'That is where the dancers would be. Oh, wait until you see them. I hired the most beautiful women...'

But Aguni didn't hear anything else. He didn't care about the dancers, at all.

Because he saw you.

You were behind the bar, a book open in front of you. There was a small wrinkle between your eyebrows, and your tongue was sticking out from between your lips. Without taking your eyes off of the book, you were grabbing bottles of alcohol, and shot glasses and clearly had trouble making sense of whatever you were reading because after just few seconds you sighed, exasperated. 

'Oh, Mori-chan, are you thirsty? Wait, I'll introduce you to the girl who makes the cocktails. She's not great at it, but she looks pretty and men will consume more drinks around her. Even try to get her to have some, for sure.'

Takeru grabbed Aguni by the arm, pulling him towards the bar. Towards you. He had misinterpreted him looking in your direction as him wanting a drink.

'Hello, hello, everything ready for the big opening?'

You lifted your head. And Aguni could have sworn his heart skipped a beat.

You were young, in your early twenties, beautiful, with big, slanted eyes that were a different color depending on the lighting. You had incredible hair, the kind a man would like to see spreading on the pillow next to his every single morning and get lost in every single night. You also had full lips, that spread into a crooked, bewitching smile before answering Takeru. 

'Almost.'

'Can we order something to drink already? My friend wants to.'

Your eyes moved from Takeru to Aguni. And lingered. You took a few seconds to reply, seconds in which Aguni felt his mouth go dry and the palms of his hands starting to sweat.

'What do you want?'

Aguni opened his mouth, hoping something would come out, but highly doubting it. He looked around for inspiration, his eyes focusing on the list of drinks behind you.

'A moscow mule?' He croaked, finally. He didn't even know what it contained. It was the first name he had laid eyes upon.

'Coming.' You nodded, the long, dangling earrings you were wearing making a delicious sound. 

You started preparing the cocktail. Takeru kept talking, but Aguni had no idea what he was saying, him observing your every move. The way you put half of your hair up before mixing the spirits, the beauty mark near your jawline that simple move revealed. The way you chewed on your bottom lip.

'Here you go.' You placed a copper mug in front of him about two minutes later, with a wedge of lime and a sprig of mint. And again, that lopsided smile, higher on one side than on the other.

Aguni took a sip. It was good. But you could have served him water from the dishwasher and he would have still drank it and claimed it was the best thing he had tasted in his life.

'Now I can keep showing you the pla... Oh, what is this? Damn it. Give me a minute, Mori-chan. I'll be back as soon as possible and then we can finish the tour.'

Aguni didn't know what it was that required Takeru's attention, but he was honestly thankful he had to go. That way he could stay here a little bit longer, looking at you.

'Mori-chan, huh? Is that your name?' You asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

'Aguni. Aguni Morizono.'

'Ah, Aguni.' He liked the way you said his name. 'Are you friends with the boss?'

'He's my best friend.'

Were you asking him those questions because you wanted to get to know him? Or were you just trying to be nice with a complete stranger and establish a conversation? You worked behind a bar. Maybe that was what Takeru had told you to do. Maybe you were just following orders.

'What's your name?' He asked, refusing to let the conversation come to an end.

You told him. It was exotic, it was different. He had never heard of it. You laughed when you saw his face, throwing your head back. An honest laugh.

'I know, it's super weird. My parents are hippies. My siblings' names are equally strange.'

'No, no. It's beautiful. It suits you.'

There was a spark of something Aguni couldn't recognize in your eyes. Curiosity? Entertainment? You tilted your head to one side, examining him.

'Thank you.' You finally said, in a lower tone that the one you had been using until that moment.

'Do you think I...?' Aguni wanted to ask for your number. But was that right? What if you said no? What if you said yes, just because Takeru was your boss and he was his friend, but you actually wanted to say no? Maybe he should have waited, visit the club a few times, try to get to know you. But it was too late, the question was already out there. And you were still watching with those damned eyes of your, expectant. 'Could I get your number? You're allowed to say no.'

'Why would I say no?'

'Er... If you don't want me to have it, I guess?'

'But why wouldn't I want you to have it? I'm a sucker for boys with big, beautiful brown eyes.' You smiled, placing a strand of hair behind your ear. Aguni could see the earrings you were wearing better now ― a cascade of little stars. It suited you.

You turned around for a second, holding a pen in one hand and a napkin in the other when you faced back at him. You wrote your name on it, and your phone number, and drew a smiley face and a heart. You slid the paper towards him, with two fingers.

'All yours. Call me whenever.'