The Cafe's Warmth

The afternoon air was cold and stiff. Winter in the Kanto region was always a bitter one, but it wasn’t anything Brittany couldn’t handle. That is, until the weather reached an incredible -20 degrees and all the public transportation had been cancelled for the week. Brittany walked through the chilling white streets of the city trying to find a place to rest. She had worked her usual morning shift at a small grocery store not far from her house, but the blizzard had made it difficult to see where she was headed and she got lost near the center of the city. All she could recognize from the area where the tall buildings which looked like icicles and the small shops that looked cozy and warm. So of course she headed to the nearest cafe she could find. Inside where a few couches, plush chairs, and tables scattered around. The whole room was filled with a sweet aroma of coffee and pastries. There was a particular window seat with a rounds couch and a table at the center. No one was occupying that corner so Brittany headed that way. A short time after, a waiter walked up to her and took her order. She ordered a medium hot chocolate and three brownies. While she waited for her meal, the door’s bell chimed signifying someone had entered. Brittany looked up from focusing on the table’s colorful decor to see a man, probably older than her walk inside. He had spiky black hair and was clad in a white long sleeve, blue jeans, and no shoes? ‘Strange….Is he not cold or something?’ she thought focusing her gaze on the man in front of her. He looked strangely familiar to her. She knew she had seen him somewhere before, but she’s not quite sure were. As if he felt her stare, he turned his head in her direction startling her a bit. In embarrassment she turned her head and looked out the window, hoping he didn’t notice her staring. At that moment her food was brought to her, and she began eating. Her thoughts were still wraveled in that man, but she didn’t dare look up again. That is until she hears a smooth voice say “Excuse me, but is this seat taken?” from in front of her. She looked up shocked to see the man with no shoes. She stared at him with a dumbfounded expression for a minute before realizing and replied, “N-N-No, please have a-a seat, s-s-ir.” She mentally slapped herself for stuttering and using the word ‘sir’. By his young looking appearance he didn’t look old enough for a ‘sir’. He sat down next from her, but the way he was sitting had caught her attention. He sat on his two feet with his knees to his chest and his hands on the table. His calm, serious face just didn’t fit his current position. She thought it looked somewhat cute. She had been staring at him for a while now while he just looked straight forward. She tried figuring out who this man was, and why he looked so vaguely familiar.“I know you’re staring at me.” He spoke suddenly glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She flinched a bit and turned her head away blushing slightly. The waiter from before came back to the table to bring the man’s food, only this time he was accompanied by 2 other waiters each holding 3 different trays of sweets. Brittany looked up surprised to see all the pastries were for the man sitting next to her. The man calmly thanked the waiters as he began to snarf the cookies and tea down. After a while of silence, he finally spoke again. “May I ask for your name?” He asked setting down his cup and turning his head to look at Brittany. She was fiddling with her scarf, unaware of the previous question. He reached out and poked her forehead, startling her a bit. “Hey, are you listening?” He asked looking her dead straight in the eyes. She blushed and pushed his hand down onto the table. “No, I’m sorry. What was your question?” She said avoiding his gaze. “What’s your name?” He repeated raising an eyebrow at her. “Oh, My name is Brittany. It’s nice to meet you, um…” She paused expecting him to tell her his name. “Brittany, hmm, the pleasure is mine.” He said holding a hand out. She reached for his hand slowly, raising an eyebrow, now looking at him fully. His hand was warm and when she held it she shivered a bit feeling the warmth run through her veins. “Uhm, may I ask for your name?” She asked, letting his hand go along with the warm sensation. “It’s a secret. Are you going to finish those?” He said now focusing his attention on the two brownies sitting untouched on Brittany’s plate. She was taken back a bit, but in her curiosity she wanted to know. She pushed the small plate of brownies toward the man, hoping for a bargain. He ate half of a brownie when he noticed her curious gaze. “Do you need something?” he asked, holding the other half of the brownie in his hand. “I wouldn't say need but, I do want something in return for those brownies.” She said leaning towards him an inch. “And what would it be that I can give you?” he replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Your name of course!” She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He looked as if he was in thought for a minute and finally said, “No. I told you already, it’s a secret.” She was taken back. “What do you mean no? What’s so special about your name that it has to be a secret?” She spoke furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. “What else could I mean in saying no besides no? It’s a simple word. No means no, by definition. Also, by telling my name to you, it could determine my possible life outcome.” Brittany was super confused at this point. “What even…? That made no sense, what you just said.” She was just about to give up, when she noticed the man shift in his seat a little. “It probably doesn’t make sense unless you pay attention to the news, which I’m assuming you don’t. It doesn’t matter anymore, in the amount of time we’ve spent together, I can conclude, that you are a very trustworthy person. Also, you’re not even on the list of suspects, so I shouldn’t have to worry anyways.” The way the man worded his sentences made Brittany blush in confusment and flattery. He looked up at her meeting her eyes again and finally said, “My name is L.” Brittany practically jumped in joy at finally hearing the mystery man’s name without realizing who he was. Then it hit her. ‘L...L! This is the world’s greatest detective!’ She had heard of how great he worked as a detective and she admired him very much. He was her idol. She never thought he would look this attractive though. Her bright blue orbs gleamed as she smiled. “Then, we should do this properly, right?” She spoke and held a hand out getting his attention. “My name is Brittany, what is your name?” She asked smiling brightly. L looked at her, then her hand, then back at her and smiled softly. “My name is L, it’s a pleasure to meet you Brittany.” He said shaking her hand. The warm sensation returned to Brittany’s body. “The pleasure is mine.” she replied, giggling a bit afterwards.

 

They both sat together talking, eating, and enjoying the cafe’s warmth. After a couple of hours, L told Brittany he had to go back to work. They promised to meet again in a few days, but in the mean time they would talk over phone. They walked out of the cafe together, planning their next meeting, but they stopped walking once they were in front of the cafe. Brittany reached into her pockets and pulled out a pair of black gloves. She handed them to L, and he looked at her in confusion. “Well, you’re kind of not wearing shoes, and there’s snow everywhere. Might as well keep your hands warm if your feet are going to catch hypothermia.” L took the gloves from her hands and put one of them halfway on his own hand. The glove barely fit his 4 fingers, much less his whole hand. He smiled at Brittany and took her hands into his. This made her blush brighter than a tomato. He put the gloves on Brittany’s hands slowly. When they were on he held her hands closer to him and leaned in. He whispered into Brittany’s ear, “ Your face looks like a strawberry.” He leaned back a little so he was now looking at her face. “You know how much I like strawberries, don’t you Brittany?” He asked a smirk playing at his lips. By now, Brittany was about to faint at the closeness of L’s face to hers. His hot breath was blowing against her nose. It smelled like chocolate. Before she could piece together what was happening, L leaned in and kissed her straight on the lips. it was a sweet, simple, and quick kiss, but it was a kiss none the less. In an abrupt act of realization, L pulled away and waved goodbye before walking off.  Meanwhile, Brittany stood there unfazed by the strange looks she was getting from people and the unbelievable cold surrounding her. Almost as a call to bring her back from her shock, her cellphone rang. It was her friend inviting her to a sleepover at her house. When she picked up all she could say was, “You’ll never believe what just happened.”

 

Thee’

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