The Impatient Man and His Suit

The Umbrella

An awkward atmosphere instantly overtook the air as we three stood silently. Michael; glaring, the blonde; expressionless, and me; eyebrows raised and waiting to see who would make the first move while actively ignoring the fact that the former had just suggested riding a broom to the moon. Michael suddenly clasped the dustpan onto his broom and shoved it into my hands. He then casually walked behind the counter to pull out his notepad and pen.

"No need for that," the blonde said slipping his hand into his pocket. Alas, he had yet another extensive list of items. Michael snatched the piece of paper from his fingers, then walked to the kitchen door, and just before entering he gave me a solitary nod.

Clutching the broom handle, I cautiously gazed at the frightening figure. He looked just as rugged as he was the last time I had seen him, the only difference was that his hair wasn't drenched in rain. His eyes were fixed on a display of cookies and scones. Noticing that his attention now turned to me, I straightened my posture and continued to sweep at nothing.

His presence was so prominent that despite turning away, I could still sense his unfriendly stare. Although I busied myself, I couldn't refrain from discreetly viewing his person, on the off-chance he might creep behind me with injurious intent. Adding fuel to the flame, I glanced back to see his unfriendly frown lift into a crooked smirk.

"Oh, looks like you've missed a spot. Just there," he pointed. 

He wasn't mistaken, Michael did neglect a small pile of dirt tucked away in the corner of a booth. Swallowing my pride, I slowly swept it up. Unsurprisingly, the unsavory character didn't seem to be satisfied, so he complained loudly "The tiles over here are filthy."

"There are plenty of other diners you could badger with your bad attitude rather than here," I muttered. His half-smile slowly turned back into a frown.

"Well, considering that this is the most run-down and cheapest diner in central London, I thought I'd save a little money. See?"

Although I appeared to be mellow and collected, I was absolutely infuriated. Dropping my guise, I swung around and opened my mouth, ready to banish him before Darla came wobbling back inside. As soon as she noticed the blonde she locked eyes with mine. Her expression turned from cheery to stern and seemingly violent. Flashing the man with a disapproving shake of the head, she casually took the broom from my hands.

 "Take your break love, I'll finish this up." 

I slipped past him, keeping my head down. Bracing myself for the cold air, I discovered it was terribly muggy instead. The moon looked absolutely breathtaking. A few stratus clouds stretched over its illuminated face, and the stars peaked out from behind the misty night sky. By this description, it would appear to be somewhat of an ominous night; like in a movie about shirtless werewolves and sparkling vampires. But the only thing similar was that sinister feeling provided by the fiend left in the diner. He was not shirtless nor sparkling to any degree. With the cold settling into my bones, I started to wiggle about to regain my warmth. Ten minutes went by and I was still standing in the cold without a jacket. After a couple of sneezes and shivers, I decided my current discomfort was decidedly more unbearable than when I was indoors.

Expecting to see not a single trace of the blonde -given that ten whole minutes had passed -I was unpleasantly surprised to see him now leaning on a wall beside the front counter. Sluggishly going about my own business, again, I could feel his eyes digging themselves into the back of my skull. Darla who was still sweeping lifted her head, "It's been but ten minutes, are ya' that eager to work?"

"Tsk..."

The two of us darted our heads towards the one who, without any provocation, emoted. He didn't return our offended stares but continued his activity of leaning against the counter, unbothered when Michael's bell suddenly dinged. Darla quickly walked into the kitchen and shortly came out with two large bags. Saying nothing, she carelessly dropped the bags onto the counter. The unwanted guest casually took the plastic bags and happily made his way for the door. Just as he was about to exit, he suddenly stopped and turned around, pinning his eyes onto mine.

"You forgot this," he declared, holding out a small umbrella.

I paused for a moment, processing what had just been said. Timidly approaching the character, I took my lost item and drew a hand to my mouth in embarrassment. My muscles released their tension and my anxieties dissipated the moment I realized the tale I fed myself was wrong. Just then, Hattie came bursting through the door, nearly smacking the blonde in the process. 

"(Y/N)! Oh, there you are...You r--" she paused as soon as she noticed electric hair in front of her.

 Slowly moving aside for him to exit her face turned white. I gave out a giant sigh of relief. I was glad to know I wasn't at a constant risk of being stalked and slayed, but I was left with one unanswered question.

I quickly flung open the door and ran down the sidewalk. 

"Hey! Wait!" I yelled after the departing figure. He was less than a block away from me and I watched him stop immediately upon hearing my voice. As soon as I caught up to him I saw that his face was a mixture of annoyance, anger, and confusion. 

"How did you know my name?" I asked between breaths. Unable to shake the feeling that there was something more to the individual, I cast my fears of confrontation aside and stood defensively before him. He said nothing but sighed loudly as he looked down at the heavy plastic bags he was holding.

Suddenly he lifted one of his occupied hands and I stumbled backward, my fears immediately returning. His brows rose and so did his pointer finger. We both stood in silence for a moment longer, watching each other with equal caution.

"Your name tag..." 

Looking down at my own chest, I felt my face fill with heat and my legs weaken under the weight of embarrassment. Unable to say anything, I retreated back to the diner.

"What happened!?"

"We saw him try to hit you!"

"You really told him to back off didn't ye?"

"Almost called the police!"

Still, I could say nothing to anyone. Even uttering a pitiful "goodbye" couldn't be managed. Hattie's endless inquiries and remarks about the "freakishly white bloke" were met with silence. So, when I shuffled into my flat and collapsed at my kitchen table, my seal broke at last.

"I doubt I'll ever see him again but why am I so terribly embarrassed!"

To make my bewilderment that night worse, in my peripheral vision I thought I saw a glimmer of light flash from the crystal ball sitting before me. Letting a groan escape my lips, I dropped my head onto the table.