C o f f e e

1- I Won't Take No As An Answer

S A K U R A   H A R U N O

"A small mocha for Naruto!" I yelled out from the counter, sliding a hot cup of caffeinated goodness to the receiving hand of my blonde friend, who snatched it up and brought it straight to his mouth before I could warn him that it was extremely hot.

"Ah! Hot, hot, hot!" Naruto jumped up and down with his tongue stuck out, desperately waving his hands at it, trying to cool it down from the scalding drink. After a full minute of his ridiculous jumping and waving, the Uzumaki managed to calm down and instead focus his energy on yelling at me for not telling him the drink would be hot.

I knew it would be a waste of time to argue with him (even though I wanted to kick his ass far away from the coffee shop) so I went back to making the next order. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Naruto had left, most likely stomping his feet while pouting like a child.

"Hey, Sakura." Ino tapped on my shoulder. I glanced over at her while I was in the midst of making a latte.

"Yeah?" I responded while returning my attention to the making of the drink.

"Business is slowing down so after you make that drink, Hinata and I can handle the rest. It's your first day here and you've done a lot already so it's fine." Ino said before returning to her position at the front behind the cash register.

I sighed in relief as I finished off the latte and sent it off to the waiting customer. It was my first day in the coffee shop but I was used to the hustle and bustle from working at various other places so I was able to fit in well. Despite that, I was grateful for the rest since it was nearing noon and I had been working since 8:00 AM.

I leaned against the counter and looked at the dwindling line of customers. Ino was right, the flow of customers was starting to slow down. I smiled as I saw everyone enjoying their drinks and snacks, laughing with friends, focusing on work, and just having a good time. I loved this coffee shop the moment I walked in because it had such a warm atmosphere.

The bell on the door chimed again, signalling that a customer had either walked in or out. I looked over at it and saw that a guy dressed in black ripped jeans and a baggy white sweatshirt with the hood pulled up walked in. Instead of heading towards the line like most do, he went straight towards the table in the right corner next to the window and looked out with earbuds stuck in his ears.

I watched him and saw that all he did was lightly bob his head to the music and watch customers going in and out along with people walking past the shop. I was getting a little suspicious of his behavior so I walked over to Ino and whispered into her ear, "That guy in the right corner next to the window... He hasn't ordered and all he does is watch people and listen to music. He's kind of weird, don't you think?"

Ino flicked her eyes to look in his direction and let out a small chuckle before replying. "That guy comes in almost every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. He never orders and just sits there listening to music and watching people just like you said. He never does anything weird and stuff, just stays quiet and sits there for about an hour. He's been coming in here for about four months by now." I nodded along, still watching him.

"He's pretty cute, huh?" Ino whispered in my ear with a knowing smile. I quickly pulled away and slapped her gently as I felt the blood rushing to my face. Ignoring the fact that I had hit her face, Ino continued to smile at me. "Well, why don't you serve him a cup of coffee? I'm sure he's extremely thirsty right now. And while you're at it, might as well strike a conversation with him. When you finish, come back to me and spill." I rolled my eyes at her words but obliged, taking the cup of coffee that she seemed to have prepared ahead of hand, as though she knew I would ask her about him.  God, sometimes she was really annoying. 

I was two feet away from his table and I felt like I couldn't budge. He was even more handsome up close even if most of his face was blocked from me by his hoodie. He gave off this mysterious aura that sent chills down my spine. 

Sakura, you can do this!  He's just a random dude who comes to the coffee shop on the same days every week...

I mentally encouraged myself as I shuffled my feet closer to him. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of him and he was looking up at me curiously. Removing one of his ear buds, he spoke with a deep voice, "Yes?"

I felt as though my entire body had been dumped into a vat of hot liquid as my body heated up from embarrassment as I realized that I probably looked very creepy just standing in front of him staring.

I wiped the sweaty palm of the hand not holding the coffee and managed a small smile while gently placing the coffee down in front of him. "I just thought you would like something warm to drink since it's especially chilly today."

He looked at me with a flustered expression and lightly shook his head and afterwards replying, "I'm sorry but I really can't accept this. I didn't even pay for it." As he spoke he also nudged the cup back towards me.

I smiled more at his reply. At least he was polite, compared to that blonde idiot, Naruto who would accept any food or drink with out a word of thanks. God, just thinking of his behavior made me want to punch a hole through a wall.

Taking myself back to my current situation, I nudged the cup towards him once again and said, "No really, it's fine! It's on the house."

"As nice as that sounds, I really can't accept this. Thank you anyways." He replied before putting his ear bud back in and turning to look out the window.

Now I was getting a little impatient. I might have liked that he was being polite at first but now it was getting on my nerves. I had told him it was on the freaking house and still he didn't accept. He was stubborn but I knew that nobody was as stubborn as me.

"I won't take no as an answer." I placed my hands on my hips and wore a serious expression on my face. "I don't care what you say, you are going to drink that coffee!"

In response, without saying a word, he grudgingly accepted the cup of coffee and brought it to his lips, tipping it back to drink.  After a long silence filled only with small gulps, he brought the cup back down, empty.  

"It was delicious.  Thank you."  He then stood up and left, leaving the correct amount of money that the coffee would have cost on the table.  

And as he walked past me, he spoke softly so only I could hear.  "Keep the money to yourself."  

//

Let's all take a moment to appreciate the fact that this chapter is over 1000 words long and I haven't written a 1000 word long chapter in eternity.  It feels great lmao.  *looks back at chapter and realizes that it still looks super short*  *cries tears of pain*

Also, another new book coming out soon but it has nothing to do with Naruto  (I know, I know...).  Well you'll see what it is soon-ish.

I also just wanted to say thank you to KakaBaka7 and kingmonroexoxox for being so nice to me and I really appreciate it! 
Till next time- Fate