x
Keiko
4 years later…
April, xx13
Rena walked into her new job. It was a coffee shop near her apartment in Florida. She had moved down here after graduation, well almost a year after because she was waiting for someone. Someone who never showed up. On her 18th birthday her grandmother gave her a box, a gift from her mother. In it was a letter, keys to an apartment, keys to a car, and the sheet music to her song. The last song she played on stage.
So here was Rena in a new city, hundreds of miles away, starting a new job. Even though she was a little nervous about it all, she was excited too. She just hoped maybe she could make some friends. Friends to fill the emptiness inside her.
“Hi Rena! Glad you could make it in so early! Are you ready to start training?” her manager said in a cheery voice. Her manager was a very pretty woman, tall, slender, blue eyes, and long white hair. The bangs were pulled up in a small ponytail on top. Her name was Miranda or Mira for short.
“Let me introduce you to the team really quickly,” they walked into the back where Rena saw a few more people.
“This here is our trainer Lacy.” Mira introduced a pretty blonde girl with brown eyes. She had her hair pulled up in pigtails.
“Hello! Welcome to the team! We’re happy to have you here!” Lacy said with a cheerful smile.
“These over here are the boys Greyson and Nathan. They fight a lot but don’t let that fool you. They are the best of friends.” Mira chuckled.
“Hey! I’m not his friend! He’s a dumb pervert.” the one known as Nathan yelled. He had pink spikey hair and big eyes.
“Yeah? Well at least I’m not a brainless idiot!” Greyson shot back. He had black shaggy hair and his eyes almost looked as black as his hair.
“You wanna go?! Let’s settle this!” Nathan shouted back.
Suddenly a tall woman with scarlet red hair popped up from around the corner. “If you boys insist on settling it, settle it on your break OUTSIDE!”
Mira giggled as the boys straightened up and shut up. “This is the other manager Ezra. She keeps the boys in line.”
“It’s nice to meet you all, I’m Rena. I’m excited to work with you.” She introduced herself.
“Well, ready to get started with training?” Lacy asked.
“Of course,“ Rena answered with a small smile. They all seem really nice. Maybe this won’t be so bad.
A few months went by and Rena was feeling like she finally had friends. The group she worked with were all so close they seemed like family, and best of all they treated Rena like one of their own.
She had come to learn that they had all been “adopted” by an elderly man who they all called gramps. He ran a center for homeless children, giving them a place to stay and helping them either get back on their feet or setting them up. He owned this coffee shop and had the kids from the shelter run it. They needed a little extra help which is how Rena found the job and applied.
She found she loved the atmosphere and she began to smile just a little bit more.
One thing she wasn’t too sure about was a couple of guys that would come in almost every day. Keiko was a honey blonde boy with light brown eyes. He wore red studs in his ears. He always had a huge smile on his face. He reminded her a little of her childhood friend, except that he seemed to be a big flirt with all the girls, though he did seem to have a soft spot for her.
His friend, Touma, who preferred to be called Azul, was the polar opposite. He had dark black hair that was obviously dyed. His eyes were a bright blue. Had a lot of piercings and the attitude of a delinquent. How these two were friends, Rena had no idea.
Keiko, who insisted on being called Kei, had been giving Rena a lot more attention recently. The girls were constantly teasing Rena that he had a crush on her. They kept trying to encourage her to go for it. She really didn’t want to. She still wasn’t over Clark and she didn’t want to lead someone on.
“Heyo! I’ll take my usual please! Thanks birdie!” Kei chirped as he walked into the shop.
“Hey Kei, I’ll get that started for you. Do you want anything else today?” Rena asked with a smile, even though the name “birdie” annoyed her just a bit.
“Mmm today? No, but tonight? Yes.” he smirked.
“Tonight? Are you coming back later?” she asked.
“That depends on your answer.”
“My answer? To what?” she asked. She could hear Lacy giggling from the back room. Something was going on.
Kei leaned over the counter and rested his chin on his hand, elbow on the counter. He looked in her eyes as she put his coffee on the counter.
“You’re answer to if you’ll go on a date with me?” he asked with a sly grin.
Rena just sighed and glanced away. “I don’t do dates.”
“Aw come on Birdie, please. Just one date.” he said in a whiny voice.
“No Kei, I’m sorry, I just… I can’t.” She started to frown a little, not realizing her face was slipping. A shadow of darkness flashed over her eyes briefly. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Kei.
“Ok ok, no dates but how about just hanging out, as friends.” He said, softening his smile to a genuine one of concern. Something was weighing on her mind. If he was rejected so fast he wanted to know why and what the cause of the darkness that flashed in her gaze.
She glanced back at him, noticing he dropped his cocky, flirty attitude. At that moment, she saw her old best friend in him. Maybe it’d be ok, just as friends. Sure she had the coffee crew but she needed someone outside of work. Maybe Kei wasn’t all that bad.
“Alright, fine. Just as friends though and you have to stop calling me birdie. Deal?” She sighed.
“Aww but then what will I call you? Kid?” he pouted.
“Please don’t call me kid. Just Rena is fine.” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Ook. You have a deal. Pick you up at 7?” he smiled, picking up his coffee.
“Sounds good.” she said.
“Sounds like a date,” said Azul as he walked in the door.
“Oh hey hot stuff,” Kei said with a slight grin.
“Shut it bird boy. I’m not in the mood for your shit. Hey Ren, can I have a dark brew, just black.” Azul grumbled.
“Only if you take back the date comment,” she said, crossing her arms. She didn’t feel like dealing with his shit today.
“Oh? What’s wrong, doll. Don’t want to admit you have a thing for blonde boys, red earrings, and a hero complex?” He smirked.
“No actually, and don’t call me ‘doll’. It’s weird.” Rena said, rolling her eyes as she went to get his coffee. She turned back and reached out as if she was handing it to him. When he went to grab it, she pulled it back. “Uh-uh, take it back.”
He just glared at her before he growled back a low “Fine. I take it back.”
She smirked as she finally handed him his coffee which he snatched from her hand. He walked over to the door where Kei was waiting. “See you tonight, Ren!” Kei said, giving a wave as Azul and him walked out the door.
Rena let out a sigh as the duo left. She decided she needed a break and turned to head into the backroom. The crew was standing behind her all with grins on her faces.
“What?” She asked.
“Oh nothing, just you’ve finally got yourself a hot guy for a date.” Lacy grinned.
“Oh hush Lacy! It’s not a date! And speaking of, are you going to let a certain pinky get away. Maybe you should go on a date with him before claiming mine to be a date.” Rena smirked as the blonde began to blush.
“S-shut up. I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she gulped as she turned back into the backroom, running right into a certain pinky.
“Whose got a date?” He asked.
“You and Lacy!” Rena said without skipping a beat.
“What?” “Huh!?” Nathan and Lacy said at the same time, glancing at each other as blushes spread on their faces. They quickly looked away and stepped away from each other.
“Rena! Wh-what did–” Lacy started to say but was interrupted by Nathan.
“I mean, if–if you want to.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.
Lacy turned back to him “Oh. Um. Y-yeah. W-we could go on a d-d-date.” she stuttered.
Rena just smiled at the couple. It had been obvious to her for a while that they liked each other. They were just both too shy to act on their own. They needed a little push. It also might have been a little payback for teasing her about Kei.
Rena’s shift was finally over and she was waiting for Kei to come pick her up. She wasn’t sure what he had in store for her since he wanted it to be a date but she was going to insist it was just as friends, nothing more.
The time finally came around and Kei promptly walked in the door. “Sorry I’m late! Are you ready to go?”
Rena stood up and grabbed her stuff. “You’re right on time, Kei.”
Kei held the door open as they walked outside, the warm air touching their skin.
“So what do you have in mind for tonight?” Rena asked as they walked to his car.
“Well I had planned a few things to try and sweep you off your feet, buttt your reaction this morning gave me the idea that maybe we should just go get some food and get to know each other by talking. Then maybe next time I can get you on a real one.” He said with a wink.
Rena giggle softly, “I’m flattered but–”
“You don’t do dates. I know but if I may, I’d like to know why?” He said as he opened the door to the passenger side of his car.
Rena paused for a moment, “Um.. I..”
“You don’t need to answer right now. Let’s just go, have some good food, and get to know each other. Alright?” Kei answered with a small smile.
“That would be lovely. Thank you. Sorry to lower the mood.”
“That’s impossible, with a pretty face like yours, you light up the room.” He said with a cheeky grin.
“Kei.. just get in the car.” She blushed a little.
“Yes ma’am.” he joked as he shut her door and walked around to the driver’s seat.
Soon the two arrived at a pizza place. They went inside and ordered some food and began to just chat away at mundane things. They exchanged the usual 20 questions such as favorite colors, ice cream flavor, band, etc. It was a nice change of pace and Rena learned that they had a lot more in common than she thought. After they were done eating they decided to take a stroll in a park that was across the street. They found a bench overlooking a large fountain in the center of the park. They sat down and enjoyed a soft silence for a few minutes before Kei decided to ask Rena a question.
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