A Messy Conundrum ~ h. shinso

-•- Chapter 7 -•-

Reverie's POV

We walk out of the Musutafu train station into the bright sunlight. I put my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun. I look around at the city landscape, and it almost catches my breath. It fills me with a little resentment too. That my parents have kept this from me. This beautiful city.

I look at the time on my phone. "It's nearly noon," I say. "Maybe we should think about stopping somewhere for lunch."

"Hm," Shinso rubs the back of his head. "You got any suggestions?"

"I don't get out much," I laugh. Shinso pulls out his phone and begins scrolling through restaurants.

"You're telling me there's not a single restaurant in all of Musutafu you like?" He looks at me skeptically.

"Well, I'm sure I'd like them. But I haven't been to many. Although, I have always wanted to try this one cafe," I say.

"Let's go there then," he says.

I'm not entirely sure how to tell him that I want to go there because it's a cat cafe. And I want to pet little kittens. It doesn't seem... entirely his style.

"Here," he hands me his phone. "Type in the address and we'll walk there. Is it close by?"

I look at him with my eyebrows raised. "And how could I possibly know that?"

He puts the palm of his hand into his forehead. "You have a brain too, y'know. You can use it sometimes," he says.

"Sorry," I say. "Put my brain in for maintenance. It's been out of commission for months." He rolls his eyes, but he's smiling.

"Here," I say, handing him back his phone. "It's only a fifteen minute walk."

Shinso nods and we start walking toward the cafe.

I step down from the sidewalk curb and start to cross the street.

"Wait!"

A hand wraps around my upper arm. My body yanks backward. I stumble over my feet and fall into Shinso behind me. I feel a sudden gust of wind, a large truck speeds past, beeping its horn loudly. My breath hitches.

"Are you okay?" Shinso asks me.

I try to steady my heart. "Yeah," I say. I try to stand up, but my legs are shaking. Shinso grabs my hands and helps to pull me up. He puts his hands on my shoulder and looks me squarely in the eyes.

His eyebrows are furrowed. "You are a dumbass." He removes his hands from my shoulders.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I give him a small smile. "The one and only."

"Seriously, are you good?" He asks me again.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." My legs have stopped shaking, although my heart's still beating far too fast. "Just scared me is all."

I watch Shinso as he puts his hand over his right shoulder. He winces slightly. 

"Are you good?" I ask him, nodding to his shoulder.

He nods. "Yea, just a little sore."

"I'm sorry," I say meekly. "I saw the walk sign, I didn't think to look both ways. I'm sorry."

Shinso lets out a soft chuckle. "You are not a city girl, are you?"

I shake my head adamantly. "No, no I am not."

~~~

We come to a stop in front of a quaint-looking cafe. An old rustic looking sign board reads: Chaton Cafe.