Under the Umbrella

Chapter 8

﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋

The aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air, customers chatted amongst themselves as you could hear the faint yelling of orders coming from the kitchen. It was a busy day for the workers at the restaurant, however, [name] and her companion sat still with the menu on hand.

Mikey glanced at her from time to time, seeing as how her eyes wandered from option to option including the small smile she had on her face. [Name] felt some pity towards the person she sat across from, his eyes looked droopy with black circles under them, his wrists looked thin from lack of food.

Even so, she stopped herself from whatever assumption came across her mind. One could not judge a book by its cover, after all. Besides, it was indeed hard to determine. Mikey dressed in simple clothes, yet the brand logo gave it away.

"Are you ready to order, Mikey-san?" she asked, placing the menu on the table and looking at him as she waited for his answer. He did the same gesture a few moments later, getting a waiter at their table afterward.

They ordered their food, making small talk once again. Although, this small meeting grew awkward at the moment. [Name] mostly spoke as Mikey listened, she wondered whether to ask questions or not, given as to how he sat quietly most of the time.

"So, what is your job? If you don't mind telling me of course." She waved her hands in the air, trying not to make him uncomfortable with her sudden question. The look in her eyes was soft, her voice felt welcoming. Mikey stared at his hands that rested on his lap.

"I own a restaurant," he says bluntly, leaving the girl in front of him with widened eyes, mouth fell agape. She clears her throat, shifting in her seat before chuckling awkwardly. Although she had to admit, this isn't what she was expecting.

It made sense, he always seemed exhausted whenever she saw him. Owning a business, indeed, will take a toll on you if you aren't careful. She smiled brightly, urging him to continue telling her about it, which he did.

Their food finally arrived with small steam flowing out of it. They ate in peace while the busy restaurant slowed down as time flew by. As much as they both enjoyed this time together, it soon came to an end.

Mikey walked [Name] back to the park, deciding that it was too soon to walk her home. It would be possible that she wouldn't be comfortable with him knowing her address, so this is as far as he could take her.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Mikey. Even if this was entirely coincidental," she joked, her hands clasping her coat as the breeze blew around her. "Oh, here. My phone number, in case you want to do it again sometime."

She felt nervous, a small pink hue crept up her cheek as she extended the piece of paper in her hand. [Name] smiled once Mikey took it out of her hands, placing it in his coat pocket. It felt nice to have a new friend for once, someone outside her line of work, and wasn't introduced by one of the people she already knew.

She had a feeling that it would be good for the two of them to hang out. Although, there was also something suspicious, a feeling she couldn't exactly shake off. And it wasn't a pleasant one either.

They both bowed slightly, saying their goodbyes before parting ways. [Name] made sure no one was following her as she departed from Mikey, however, it did feel like there were eyes on her as she walked away.

The red spot she saw from his coat didn't exactly settle in right with her either. He owned a restaurant, it could've been sauce. Maybe he was fond of painting as a hobby. She hoped with all her soul that it wasn't blood, that maybe there would be a proper explanation.

Alas, she could only feel bad for him as it felt like she needed to extend a helping hand. It was wrong to be naive, but assuming proofless actions was just as unthinkable. Only now, time would tell.