Rollermerica
Title: Rollermerica
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Aiba Masaki/Becky; Nakai Masahiro
Summary: It was awful though, she told herself, thinking about a guy who had gotten her to break the rules all because he had smiled so sweetly at her.
Notes/Warnings: Because bubbly wrote Aiba/Becky for me, I wrote some for her in exchange! She wanted Becky as a waitress and Aiba as a customer at the restaurant.
"Onion rings and choco chip swirl shakes for number four! Becky!" came her boss' obnoxious voice over the loudspeaker.
She was on break and only had been for three of her allotted fifteen minutes. Oh well. Sometimes the post-lunch crowd surprised them. She got up from the picnic table, making sure she was tightly laced up before skating over to the restaurant. Rollermerica ("the premier American-style drive-up diner") didn't have that many franchises open yet on account of Japan not being all that interested in eating their food in their car in a parking lot, but it was better than waiting tables in a family restaurant.
And though the job required her to skate around in a skirt that was shorter than she'd have liked, it was kind of fun to tell friends she was a roller-skating waitress. Well, earning money to begin with was nice after tough economic times had taken their toll on Becky's chosen career - she'd come out of university with a degree in voice acting, and not too many places had been willing to take a chance on someone new when they already had a good stable of acting talent. And skating back and forth from the food window to cars in the lot was doing her body good - she had real muscle in her legs now, which made walking up the five flights of stairs to her apartment every day go a lot easier.
Her boss was on the other side of the window, sliding the tray across to her. "Slacking off, were we?"
"It was my scheduled break, Nakai-san," she said quietly, hoisting the tray. "Number four, off I go!"
But Nakai-san was already over it, finding someone on the kitchen staff to yell at instead. She skated over to parking spot number four, currently occupied by a compact car and a couple inside who were practically glued to one another's faces. Becky blinked away her irritation. If it wasn't middle aged men who wanted to look at her legs, it was usually couples. She kept her smile intact and knocked on the window.
"Excuse me. Your order is ready! Two medium onion rings and two choco swirl shakes. That will be 830 yen, please."
They didn't stop kissing, and she felt the tray start to wiggle a bit on top of her left hand. Couples were everywhere, she told herself. On the train, walking down the street, parked in the lot here at Rollermerica. Couples were just a fact of life, and there was nothing wrong with being single. Nothing at all. Nothing really...
Oh, this was a kiss with a lot of tongue, she thought, nearly losing her nerve. She knocked again.
"Hello there! Your order is ready! 830 yen, please!"
The couple finally broke apart, giving her a rather unwarranted dirty look. They shouldn't have placed a food order if they were only parking there to make out! But she stayed professional, even as the guy rolled down the car window and handed her a 1000 yen note that had seen far better days. She arranged the tray, setting up the plastic stand to keep it attached to the car door.
"Out of 1000 yen, thank you very much," she said, knowing that they just wanted her to leave. She counted out the correct number of coins from the metal change maker belted around her hips. "Out of 1000 your change is 170 yen, thank you again for visiting Rollermerica."
She turned around and skated off in a bit of a huff. She was busy, she told herself. Busy with her job and looking for voice work. She didn't have time for a boyfriend anyhow. No time to sit and idle away the day parked at a place like Rollermerica. But it still hurt, Becky knew, seeing people pull up together, eat, and drive away again to continue being together.
Had it already been a year? A year since she and Nino had broken up? They'd been together all through university and the first few tough years after, but an ocean had proven too big a challenge. While Becky had focused on voice acting, Nino had focused on his music. A Japanese group had debuted in America, and Nino had been invited along to be a back-up musician. Continuing the relationship hadn't made sense, and from the sound of Nino's still friendly emails, he'd found someone new first. Now she was roller-skating every day from car to car with the constant reminder of what she no longer had.
It didn't necessarily make life miserable, but it still sucked from time to time.
"Hey! Waitress!"
Becky jammed the toe of her skate down on the asphalt to brake quickly. Looking to her left, she saw a guy sitting at the picnic table she'd only just abandoned. His hair was dyed brown, and he was waving her down with a rather joyful smile. She peeked at the restaurant window and didn't see Nakai looking over - with the other cars in the lot taken care of, she skated over.
"Waitress," the guy repeated, waving her close. He tapped the wooden table top with his fingers impatiently. "Can you help me?"
She raised an eyebrow, stopping just short of the table. He was tall and lanky, sitting with long legs stretched out under the table. He was wearing a button-down green shirt with black slacks, and his sleeves were rolled up, most likely on account of the heat that day. "Welcome to Rollermerica, the premier American-style drive-up diner."
He kept smiling, and it was something nice to focus on considering the makeout session she'd just borne witness to. "Hey, yeah, I've only got a twenty minute break. Can I get a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake please?"
Becky glanced behind her, seeing three out of the eight parking spots completely empty. "Um, well, this is a drive-up diner. You come in your car, and we bring the food to you there."
He nodded. "Yeah. But I'm sitting here," he said, gesturing to the table.
She cocked her head. "Huh?"
"You can bring the food here, can't you?"
In all her time at Rollermerica, the only people who'd sat at the picnic table were employees on break. She didn't really think it was that big a deal, but her boss was always looking for things to yell about. "I...I better ask my manager."
He pointed at his watch insistently. "Eighteen minutes. Cheeseburger. Strawberry shake."
She skated off. The smile was obviously the guy's ploy. Try to distract her a bit with some pretty teeth before turning into a "difficult" customer. Nakai-san was screaming at the soft-serve machine when she arrived at the window. "Nakai-san."
"Spot five needs an order taken, Becky. Oh you stupid piece of...I hate you!" Nakai turned around, face bright red in his fury. "Uh, the machine, I mean. I don't hate you. Well, unless you give me good reason..."
"Spot five, I got that," she said before thumbing back over her shoulder at the picnic table. The guy in green waved again. "We have a customer at the table."
Nakai shoved away from the soft-serve machine to poke his head out the food service window. "Huh. Well, send him away. This is a drive-up diner."
She leaned heavily against the window ledge, moving her legs back and forth, skates scraping over the cement. "Sure, but he just wants a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake."
"And I want a real job where I don't fight with an ice cream machine all day, but we can't always get what we want. We serve people in cars. Send him away."
The matter was closed. She pulled out her order pad and skated over to spot five where a mother had pulled up in a minivan with two screaming little ones. "Be quiet. Be quiet, I said!" the mother said before turning to Becky. "Yeah, I need two kid meals please, no salt on the french fries."
Becky scribbled it down. "That will take a little longer, I apologize."
"I'm going to tell your father how awful you're being!" the mother screeched. "Yeah, two kid meals, both with apple juice. And then I need a chicken sandwich, extra tomato."
One of the children spilled something inside the car, and the mother turned around to scream some more. "I'll...I'll go put in your order, thank you very much!" she shouted to be heard, turning around and skating back to the window, dropping off the ticket with Nakai. When she turned around again, green-shirt guy was waving frantically.
She returned to the picnic table. "Well, is my food coming?" he asked, looking impatient.
"About that...my boss says..."
"I'm down to ten minutes, and I'm hungry!"
She was losing patience with him. "I'm sorry, but we're a drive-in. To order food, you need to be in a car."
"But that's not fair."
"I'm sorry."
He got up from the table with a sigh. She was only able to look him in the eye because of the added height from her skate wheels. "Fine, fine."
She rolled back a bit, seeing that he really was frustrated. And the last thing she wanted was a frustrated customer going on an Internet board and saying bad things about the restaurant. Or that's what sounded like a good enough excuse. Becky looked around the parking lot, spying a perfect blind spot. "Um, do you see that bush over there at the edge of the lot?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."
"Just...just wait over there, please. Okay?"
"Uh...alright."
She skated back, and Nakai was still screeching at the soft-serve machine. She wiggled her fingers for one of the boys at the grill to come over without disturbing their boss. "Huge favor," she whispered quietly. She took out some money from her own pocket and slid it across the counter. "How fast can you get me a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake?"
He smiled at her, probably because he was still in high school and had a thing for older women. "Faster than you can say 'coming right up,' Becky-san."
Well, it didn't make a lot of sense, but he was going to help her. The order was ready for the family in the minivan, and by the time she went there and back, her new favorite grill boy had a double cheeseburger and an extra large strawberry shake waiting for her. Oh, if only he knew it wasn't for her! "Thank you so much," she said, then raised her voice. "Nakai-san, I'm going to finish up my break!"
"Whatever!" he called, having finally gotten the chocolate/vanilla swirl functionality back.
She skated off, away from the hustle and bustle of the Rollermerica kitchen and to the bush where the customer in green had obediently crouched down in hiding. "Excuse me? I have your food."
She saw his head pop up, eyes wide. "You really got it!" Then he looked down at his watch. "I have...four minutes."
She held the tray out. "I'm really, really sorry."
But he looked amazed with her. "Did you break the rules because of me?"
Oh no, Becky thought, seeing that look in his eyes. It was a look she didn't want to consider. A look that pretty much announced "this guy is cute, and maybe he thinks you're cute, too."
He yanked the burger off her tray, unwrapping it and wolfing it down in a way that would probably give her indigestion if she tried to do it herself. "A double cheeseburger," he was muttering between bites, little bits of lettuce spraying a bit from his mouth. "You are the best."
"I just didn't want you to leave disappointed in our restaurant," she said shyly. Oh no, she thought. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Don't be a sucker, Becky! He was only happy because she brought him food, she told herself. That's what men liked, wasn't it? Women showing up with food. Especially girls in short skirts showing up with food.
He balled up the empty wrapper and set it back on the tray before grabbing the milkshake. "I think I'll take this to go, I have to get back. But thank you, really. How much do I owe you?"
Double cheeseburger and an extra large shake. 550 yen. 550, she said again and again in her head until she scooted back on her wheels. "Just come back with a car next time, okay? That'll be a service for you today."
He looked ready to leap over the bush and hug her, instead taking a long, happy sip of his milkshake. "Thank you, thank you really." He started running off, waving. "Thank you!"
She turned around to skate back, coming food tray to chest with Nakai-san as soon as she moved forward. "Nakai-san!" she gasped, seeing her boss' eyes narrow.
"And here I was, on my way to apologize for taking you away from your break earlier," he said, voice almost threatening.
She looked at the pavement. "I'm sorry...I...I didn't think it was fair, turning customers away. Just because he didn't have a car. Not everyone has a car. I mean, even I don't have a car..."
"Ah ah ah," he interrupted her, yanking the tray away. "Since you already paid for it, there's not much I can do. However. As soon as your shift is over, you're on garbage duty..."
"Oh, but I was only just..." she started.
"...for the next month." Nakai beamed at her. "Now get back to work."
--
Cute Guy, Becky dubbed him. She obviously didn't have a name, but the thought of Cute Guy chowing down his burger and his cute Cute Guy smile was enough to get her through garbage duty and definitely enough to get her through the next few days of work. It was awful though, she told herself, thinking about a guy who had gotten her to break the rules all because he had smiled so sweetly at her.
It was an injustice she wouldn't face in other restaurants. Other restaurants just required customers to be in shirts and shoes - hers asked a bit more of people. They needed cars.
And it seemed as though Cute Guy had gotten the message. She was on her way over to spot seven with a nearly overloaded tray of french fries and chicken sandwiches when she heard the loud honk. She held tightly onto the tray, nearly losing one of the sandwiches. It was a pretty fancy looking car, silver and clearly owned by a wealthy person as the windows were tinted. She skated off to deliver the meal, and when she looked back, the silver car's tilted window rolled down. And there was that smile again.
"Oi, waitress!" he hollered even though she was right next to him. "Look, I'm in a car this time."
She approached the window, taking out her order pad. "So I see. Playing by the rules, are we?"
He killed the engine and stared up at her. "You know, I was going to try and convince you this was my car, but since you paid for my food last time I thought I'd be honest."
"Is that so?" How she was able to sound so outwardly unconcerned while her insides were churning up a storm, Becky had no idea. This time he was wearing a t-shirt but the same dark slacks. They were covered all over with thin strands of...hair? He needed a lint roller.
"Yeah," he admitted, tapping the steering wheel. "It's my boss' car, and I've been allowed to borrow it for my lunch break. And if I so much as drop a french fry in here, I'm fired."
Her eyes widened. "That seems risky. Someone at one of my other cars just spilled a whole cup of pop all over their gear shift."
He smiled again. "Well, maybe you can hook me up with some extra napkins. You know, as this time's service."
She eyed him suspiciously. "How about I just take your order, and I'll consider your napkin request."
"You're tough!" He leaned an elbow on the open window, big brown eyes staring her down. "Double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake."
Not entirely surprising. She scribbled it down. "I'll put that right in for you."
She dropped off the order, hesitating at the window. None of the other cars needed an order placed or had a tray to take away, and she wanted to go back to the silver car, back to him. That was obviously a problem. Becky prided herself on being a good employee, a professional employee. She'd already broken her personal rules by buying him lunch last time, and she knew she really hadn't done it because she thought he'd leave a bad review. No, his way of smiling at her (even though they were complete strangers) combined with her difficult to ignore loneliness had done it.
And now he was back with the same food order and in a fancy sports car, and as the burgers sizzled on the grill behind her, she dared to remember the last time she'd felt this strange feeling buzzing in her stomach. It had been with Nino, she realized. Nino in that first week of university when he'd flirted his way into her life by pretending he wanted to be "study buddies" for their literature class.
No, she told herself. It was because she'd bought him the cheeseburger last time. This wasn't like her time with Nino at all. This was only their second meeting, and she was definitely not an eighteen year old fresh out of high school any longer. Grow up, she told herself as his order came up.
She skated back to the silver car, getting the tray set up against the door for him. "Double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. That'll be 550 yen please." He handed over a credit card, and she frowned. "Oh...I'm sorry."
He stared at her. "What is it?"
She pointed to the sign at the front of every parking stall. They'd just posted them this morning once the system had gone down, and Nakai-san had gone into an entirely new type of rage. "The credit card readers are down. The system overloaded, and we're only taking cash right now."
He took his card back, blushing in a way that tugged at her heartstrings. Not again! She couldn't handle this again! "But...but I don't have any cash on me." He looked back up at her with hopeful eyes. "You're not going to take my food away, are you?"
The sign was pretty clearly posted! Why hadn't he read it? Maybe he'd been so focused in driving his boss' car that he hadn't bothered to. "I'm sorry. You really don't have anything else?"
He grabbed the cheeseburger with a sigh. "I only have my credit card. I...well, I guess I could go to the ATM, but I'm already running behind..."
She closed her eyes, considered everything she knew to be true as she listened to him unwrap his greasy lunch.
She knew that she'd paid for his food the first time because he'd been cute and friendly.
She also knew that Nakai-san would be livid if she let a customer drive off, even if he was going to come back with money later. And Nakai-san would somehow blame her for not reminding the customer of the cash-only policy before taking his order.
"What if..." she started, "what if I took care of it for you for now, and you paid me back later?"
When she cracked open one eye, he was halfway done with the burger already, almost as though he'd expected her to offer to cover his ass on the meal. "I don't know," he said despite that. "I'd feel bad if you bought me a meal twice in a row, and we don't even know each other's names."
"Well," she said, gesturing to her nametag. "I'm Becky."
He wiped his mouth with one of the many napkins she'd brought him. "Nice to meet you, Becky-san. I'm Aiba Masaki. Do you have any pets?"
She blinked at the question. "I'm sorry?"
"Any pets," he repeated before taking a long swig of his strawberry shake. "I'm a vet tech. Sunshine Animal Hospital, about a mile that way?"
"Oh!" she replied. That explained the hair on his clothes. She thought of the two small lizards Nino had left behind with her, Vegeta and Piccolo. They'd been a birthday gift for him from a friend, and he'd left them in her care even after they broke up. "Depends on the kind of pets you take."
"Well, we take all kinds," he said, sounding a little boastful. "I'm more than willing to pay you back, but I mean, if you want to bring in your pet we can give him a free exam."
An exam cost a lot more than two burgers and two milkshakes. "Do you take lizards?"
His smile disappeared. "Oh, well...maybe we don't take all kinds. We don't have a herpetologist at our facility..." He looked panicky. "But I could write you a referral!"
"How about you just pay me back when you've got some cash?"
"I'll do you one better," he said. "Do you want to get something to eat sometime? I mean, it doesn't have to be a date or anything. I just want to pay you back, say thank you. You've really been taking care of me, both times, and...yeah." He seemed really distressed that he hadn't been able to buy her off with the free veterinary visit.
She looked over, seeing that Nakai was still busy with some kitchen issue. There wasn't really a rule about not dating customers. It wasn't exactly something Becky had had to worry about, seeing as how most of the customers who flirted with her were as old as her dad. And it wasn't a date, Aiba the vet tech had even said so, right? She listened to him slurp down his shake.
"I don't know," she hesitated. She was making more out of Aiba's offer than it probably was. He was just trying to say thank you. He was probably just a nice person. He worked at an animal hospital - people who took care of animals had to be nice people.
"I'm going to be late, and we've got a busy afternoon ahead, so how about I pick you up tomorrow when your shift is over? Do you work tomorrow? I can come get you whenever you're done."
One of the cars honked their horn in the spot furthest from Aiba's, and she couldn't hear the other waitress skating over. She was busy gabbing with the grill boys at the window.
"Service at spot one, Becky. Service at spot one," came Nakai's voice over the loudspeaker.
She turned back, seeing Aiba waiting for her answer. "I have to go..."
"What time tomorrow?" he insisted.
The car honked again. "9:00 PM," she blurted out before she realized it. "I'll be back for your tray, alright?"
She skated over, taking the other car's order on auto-pilot. Dinner. A dinner date. Or a dinner occasion. With a guy. A cute guy. Oh no, what the hell was she thinking? By the time she skated back, Aiba had already left, leaving behind the tray on the sidewalk.
--
The next day's shift was the most agonizingly long shift she'd ever worked. Screaming kids, touchy-feely couples. And three different customers had managed to topple their trays of food and demanded refunds, even though they'd spilled the food over their own vehicles. And of course, prior to Becky's shift there'd been the additional dilemma of what to wear.
It had been a very long time since she'd been on an actual date. Even if Aiba's goal in taking her to dinner was in the friendly way not the romantic way, she still wanted to look presentable. To at least prove that she was more than a roller-skating waitress in a short skirt. And it didn't help that Nino had been such a homebody. They had rarely gone out after being together for more than four years, so it had been ages since she'd had to think about what to do.
Since this would only be their third meeting, she'd settled on a long top, leggings, and flats - nothing too fancy, but different from her work uniform. It was all inside her locker in the restaurant, just waiting for her shift to end. She finally settled the last bill and skated back to see Nakai counting the cash in the register while the other workers cleaned up the kitchen.
She handed over her change holder and cash, feeling some crazy combination of terror and giddiness at the thought of meeting up with her new...friend. She supposed friend was the best term she could use at this point. After all, once someone had borrowed money from you, they had to be more than a mere acquaintance. She headed into the locker room, sitting down on the bench to unlace her skates.
She changed quickly, hurrying over to the mirror to fix her makeup. It would be a late dinner, but she'd gotten a bit sweaty over the course of skating all day, and she didn't want to look like a complete mess. Finally satisfied and feeling a bit more confident in her favorite lip gloss, she exited and headed out to wait at the picnic table where they'd first met. She wondered what Aiba would think - at the very least, she'd be a lot shorter now since she didn't have on her skates. Once the lights in the kitchen were off, nobody usually came into the parking lot except people picking up her fellow co-workers.
Becky wasn't sure what car to expect. She doubted Aiba-san would be borrowing his boss' car for a dinner and/or date situation. Maybe he wouldn't come in a car at all, she thought. Maybe he didn't have one and would just take her somewhere in the neighborhood. Her watch turned to 9:10 PM, and she heard Nakai barking out for everyone to go home. He came out of the kitchen, locking up and walking her way, keys jangling.
"You need a ride home?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nope, I'm getting picked up."
"Alright, have a good one," her boss said before heading off to the employee only roped off section of the lot. And once Nakai drove off for good it was 9:15, and Aiba was fifteen minutes late. She tried not to panic. Maybe he was just running late. He didn't have her phone number or anything so there was no way to get in touch with her.
So she kept sitting at the table, lit by street lights while she waited as patiently as she could. She checked her makeup a few times, using the additional light from her cell phone to help out as she looked in her pocket mirror. Even that grew tiresome as 9:30 came and went, and so did 9:45. She could hear couples and groups of friends a street away where there were a few bars and small restaurants. Everyone sounded like they were having a great time.
She checked her phone again. 10:00 PM and an hour late, and Becky realized that he had most likely forgotten or maybe even ditched her. As it sunk in, she looked around. Sitting alone in the dark at the picnic table, she'd let her imagination get away with her. He wasn't coming. She was out 1100 yen overall (not like it really mattered). And she didn't know why it hurt so much.
Getting up from the table and picking up her bag, she decided to walk home instead of taking her usual subway line. It gave her time to think. Maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough. She'd obviously not left enough of an impression on Aiba for him to remember their dinner. She was working in a job where she roller-skated people's food to them. And she lived in her apartment alone with her ex-boyfriend's lizards.
She waited until she got to her own block before she started to cry, annoyed with herself for putting so much faith in a person she didn't know. Tomorrow before her shift she'd apply for jobs twice as hard. She'd work on her fighting spirit. She had to make herself someone worth remembering, someone worth hiring for their talent rather than someone worth hiring because she looked okay in a short skirt.
--
"Got someone at the picnic table, Becky," Nakai complained, waving his hand dismissively. "And don't be nice this time, ask them to come back in a vehicle. I don't care if they show up on a Vespa, they need to have wheels."
She looked over, only to see Aiba just getting up at the table, bowing his head to her slightly. She turned back to her boss. "I think I'll deal with the customer who just pulled in at spot five first."
"Don't forget to tell them the special!" he said before turning his attention back to hauling veggies out of the large refrigerator.
Becky skated right on past the table, doing her best to ignore Aiba sitting down again to wait for her. Maybe he'd been thoughtful enough to bring the money he owed her. When she rolled up to spot five, she saw that one of her least favorite customers had arrived. Maybe it would have been better to deal with Aiba first. The man had a thin mustache and greasy hair, munching on his fingernails as she approached the car and took out her order pad.
"Morioka-san, welcome back," she said as cheerfully as she could manage. He looked at her chest.
"Hey sweetheart, looking lovely today."
She held her pen over the notepad. "Your order, please?"
"I don't know," he said, leaning over to leer at her further. "What would you recommend today?"
"Well, we have a fish sandwich special today, buy one, get one free."
"Mmm, that sounds delicious," he replied, and Becky knew he wasn't talking about the food.
"Can I put you down for two fish sandwiches?" she asked, growing a bit flustered. She'd told Nakai about Morioka-san before - her boss had said to let him know immediately if he caused a problem. But all he did was make her uncomfortable. He always paid and never left a mess behind. There wasn't really anything she wanted to do. She didn't want to rock the boat.
"Two fish sandwiches," he said, licking his cracked lips a bit. "Extra special."
"Coming right up," she replied, speeding off as fast as her skates could carry her. Her next destination should have been Aiba at the picnic table, but right now, she just wanted to get Morioka-san his sandwiches so he'd hurry up and go.
"You talk to the guy at the picnic table?" Nakai asked her as he took the order slip from her.
"Not yet."
"He bothering you?"
Yes, she thought, but not in the way Nakai could do anything about. "No, I'll take care of it as soon as I finish up car five's order."
"See that you do. I don't want anyone else getting the idea they can park themselves in the employee break area."
"Two fish sandwiches," her favorite grill boy said, sliding the tray over with a smile.
She skated past Aiba again, taking a deep breath before skating over to Morioka-san's car and setting up the tray. When she moved to slide the tray down over the door, he grabbed hold of her wrist. He'd never done that before.
"On second thought, honey, why don't you bag those sandwiches up to go. It's a good deal, buy one get one. Why don't you sit in the car with me, and we can each have one? I'll drive us some place nice."
His hand on her wrist was inappropriately tight, and she tried to smile. "I'm sorry, I can't take a break yet. But I can go and get you a to-go bag..."
"You think you can smile and make everything okay, even though you're skating around in that get-up asking for trouble?" He pulled tighter when she tried to move away, toppling the two sandwich baskets off the tray and into his lap, spilling out lettuce and tartar sauce onto his slacks. Her hips thunked against the side of the car as he yanked her forward. "Now look what you've done!"
Her face felt hot. "I'm sorry," she said, and he was still not letting go. "I'm very sorry. Let me get you some napkins. I won't charge you for the sandwiches."
"Look at the mess you've made in my car!"
"I'm very sorry!"
"Hey, what's going on here?" Becky heard from somewhere near the hood of Morioka-san's car. It was Aiba, hands on his hips, staring down the creepy customer.
Morioka-san released her, knocking the tray out of her hands and onto the pavement. She squatted down as best she could in her skates, picking up the tray. "None of your business," Morioka-san said.
"Becky-san, are you okay?" Aiba asked, looking between her and Morioka, who was now taking the fish filet and toppings out of his lap and throwing them angrily onto the ground for her to have to pick up.
"I'll get some napkins," she muttered. And she'd get her manager. But that was when Morioka decided to throw most of his other sandwich onto her skirt, and she could feel the sauce start to run down her leg, past her knee.
"What is your problem?" Aiba shouted, slamming his hand down on the hood of the car. "Leave her alone!"
She was just about to tell Aiba to stay out of this so she could get Nakai, but Morioka was furious. "Did you just touch my god damn car?"
He opened the car door suddenly, and Becky had no time to get out of the way. The door hit her hard right in the knee, and she lost her balance. She slipped on the food Morioka had thrown out of the window, and she couldn't jam her toe to brake fast enough. She landed on the ground with a soft cry, knowing she'd twisted something as one of her skates landed under her.
"Becky!" Aiba shouted, hurrying over. Morioka was temporarily stunned but quickly closed the door again and turned on the car. He backed up in a hurry just as Nakai came running over screaming.
"Get out! Get out or I'm calling the cops! You're banned for life!" Nakai said, angrily chasing Morioka and his car out of the lot.
But Becky had other things to be concerned about, like the scrapes from falling to the pavement so suddenly and the increasing throb in her ankle. Why had Aiba intervened? Why? If he hadn't done anything...
...if he hadn't done anything, who knows how else Morioka might have humiliated her.
"Becky, I'm sorry," he was muttering. "Where does it hurt? Are you okay?"
Nakai returned, shooing Aiba away. "What the hell just happened? My god, I look away for one minute and you've got customers flinging food at you!"
"I'm sorry!" she said, only just realizing that she was crying in front of both her boss and in front of Aiba. Her ankle was going to swell inside her skate if she didn't get it off, whimpering as she hurriedly unlaced it with her trembling fingers.
"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Nakai asked. "Are you going to be able to keep working?"
"You can't make her go back to work like this!" Aiba protested.
"Who the hell are you? Don't tell me how to do my job!" Nakai shot back.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I'm really sorry."
"Stop apologizing. Go change and go home," Nakai ordered. "Go get patched up."
"I'm not going to be able to skate," she admitted, knowing that she'd sprained her ankle pretty badly.
"Well, then you can cross-train on desserts when you next come in, just take the rest of the day off," Nakai ordered, getting back up to return to the kitchen to shout for one of the high school boys to come clean up the mess she'd caused.
She unlaced her other skate, feeling embarrassed as Aiba helped get her to her feet. "Can I help you out at all? Can I take you to the hospital?"
She shook her head, taking a limping step forward and immediately regretting it. "I don't need to go to the hospital. It hurts, but it's not broken."
"Where are you trying to go?"
Why was she talking to him? He'd ditched her last night, hadn't he? What did he really care? "I'm going to get my bag from the locker room."
"Stay here," he said, sounding concerned enough to start cracking the wall she was desperately trying to put up between them in her mind. He was just being nice, she told herself. Just being a decent person! "I can go get your bag."
She didn't really want to accept his charity, but her ankle was all in favor of it. She had her small locker key on the bracelet at her wrist, and she took it off, handing it to him. "I'm locker number six," was all she said, even though it would have been polite to thank him. She stood there while he took off, eventually bending down to pick up one of the napkins that had fallen. She inhaled sharply as she dabbed it against a scrape on her knee. It could have been worse, she told herself. She could have hit her head.
He returned quickly with her bag and helped her over to sit at the empty picnic table. "If you won't go to the hospital, at least let me patch you up. Just...wait here, okay?"
And all she could really do was listen to him. He went over to the kitchen counter and had one of the other employees bring her an ice pack for her ankle. She stayed there, dabbing at blood one moment and tartar sauce the next as he ran off as fast as his long, skinny legs could carry him. She was getting really awful deja vu of last night's abandonment, but within fifteen minutes he returned, out of breath, but with a car. Not the fancy silver sports car, but an older model sedan that had seen better days.
She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't Aiba the vet tech driving her away from Rollermerica to the animal hospital where he worked. It was obviously a slow day since nobody stopped him from helping her inside and into one of the exam rooms, taking away her ice pack and sitting her down in one of the chairs usually reserved for a pet owner.
He hadn't said anything on the drive over, and she didn't say anything either. The room was clean and quiet but not entirely unfriendly, and he was busy going through drawers and getting ready. It wasn't until he was kneeling in front of her, latex gloves on his hands, to clean up her scraped legs that either of them said anything. "Wait," she said.
He looked up, and his eyes were almost sad.
She couldn't stay mad at him, not really. Not after all he'd done to help her so far. "Are you...do you know what you're doing?"
He eyed her suspiciously. "I think most people know how to take care of a few cuts and scrapes. I just figured this was a more sterile environment. Plus," he said, gesturing to the bandage materials on the pet exam table, "we've got better stuff than your typical first aid kit."
She winced as he started to dab at her legs with a clean wet cloth, wiping away the dried blood and dirt before bandaging her up. He worked precisely and gently, not doing anything weird to her. He was probably used to taking care of skittish dogs and cats, so he clearly appreciated the change of pace.
"Aiba-san?" she asked quietly just as he was wrapping her ankle in a bandage.
"Yeah?"
"You're not going to give me one of those cones you put around the dog's head after surgery, are you?"
He shook his head, continuing to wrap her ankle. "Unless you're planning to lick at your wounds and rip the bandaging off, then no, I don't think you need one."
It felt strange to joke with him. She had something more important to ask. "Did you...about last night, did you forget..."
He looked up at her. "That's why I came to the restaurant. To tell you." He finished wrapping the bandage, securing it quickly before standing up again. "We had an emergency last night. A dog ate a bunch of onion. I...I couldn't get away, I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry, I hope you didn't wait too long."
She felt terrible. She'd been so angry, so upset. He hadn't forgotten her - it had been work. "Was he okay?"
"The dog?" he asked, taking off his gloves and putting them in the trash. "Yeah, he was okay. Got him some fluids, flushed him out. He's fine. But I still feel terrible. And now look at the mess I've gotten you into."
She blushed. "It's okay, I'm not angry." Not anymore at least, she thought. "It's just dinner. And for that dog it might have been life or death. I understand that."
"Well, I don't like to break promises. So that's why I went to apologize, and then that jerk was so horrible to you, I couldn't just leave it alone..."
She felt a little embarrassed at Aiba's chivalry, but warmth bubbled inside her nonetheless. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For helping me."
"Well, we don't have any crutches here, so let me give you a ride home. Or I could call you a taxi if you'd prefer..."
A taxi was probably more sensible, but she didn't want to be away from him yet. Finding out that he hadn't intentionally stood her up significantly raised her opinion of him. Her sprain wasn't too terrible, and she did her best to make it back to Aiba's car on her own, though she did allow him to carry her skates and her bag. It was odd to direct him to her apartment, but the building's lack of elevator meant she'd have to enlist Aiba's help again to get her upstairs.
The last man who'd been in her apartment, aside from the maintenance man who'd been in a few months back to fix the dishwasher, had been Nino. She knew her cheeks were getting redder and redder as she held onto the banister and worked her way slowly up the steps with Aiba right behind her. Had she left clothes on the floor? More importantly, had she left underwear on the floor?
Thankfully she hadn't left any in the entryway, squeezing her way inside and allowing Aiba to pass her things to her. "Thanks again, I really appreciate you helping."
He shook his head. "It's nothing. But I still haven't paid you back..."
"I think we're even now," she said, wiggling her foot. "Fancy bandage and medical care."
He looked at her with a mock-stern expression. "Now you lay down as soon as you're in there and rest. Keep your ankle elevated."
"Yes, sir."
He caught her door just before she closed it. "Becky-san?"
She stared up at him. "Yes?"
"You'll be here tomorrow? You'll stay home from work? You'll be right here?" he asked.
She nodded. "Well, I definitely can't do my job like this, so yeah, I'll probably take off tomorrow."
"Ah, good. Good. Well, take this anyway," he said, slipping something small into her hand before excusing himself. She opened her palm to find a 100 yen coin, and he was already halfway to the next floor.
--
She turned into a lump on the couch, keeping her ankle raised and icing it in twenty minute spurts a few times a day. It was mid-afternoon the following day, and most of the swelling had gone down. Without work to keep her busy, she'd had a long time stuck inside her own mind with her thoughts.
Thoughts that increasingly revolved around Aiba Masaki, the vet tech who'd only just fallen into her life.
She'd been hesitant at first, annoyed next. And now she just decided to give up and cultivate her little crush. She stared at the coin he'd handed over, wondering what it could mean. She'd already told him that he didn't have to return her money. What was he doing?
There was a knock at the door. Great timing. She was still in pajamas, no makeup, hair piled up in a mess on top of her head, and no quick way of fixing any of those things before answering the door. "I'm coming!" she called. "I'm sorry, it'll just be a minute!"
There was no response, and when she opened the door, she was mortified to see Aiba standing there patiently. But the fact that he didn't recoil immediately at the sight of her unkempt appearance had to mean something, right?
"Aiba-san," she muttered, still wanting to close the door and hide.
"Good afternoon," he said cheerfully. "How's the ankle?"
She balanced herself on the doorframe, holding out her leg a bit. "Swelling's gone down. I'm going in to work tomorrow."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Not skating I hope?"
"No," she assured him. "I'm on kitchen duty for a week, boss' orders."
"That's good." He stuck his fist out at her, opening his fingers to show another 100 yen coin. "Here you are."
She laughed. "Aiba-san, what's with the coins? I'm not a collector."
He held it out insistently. "Just take it."
She took it before anyone in the building spied the strange conversation. "Are you ever going to explain why you've given me 100 yen coins two days in a row?"
He ignored her completely, backing away from the door and bowing his head lightly. "Take care of yourself now, have a good one!"
--
Kitchen duty felt a little claustrophobic after so many weeks of skating outside in the sun. But aside from a few headaches from her boss' yelling and a few minor splatters from the fryer, Becky was just happy to be working again. It was her third day back when one of the other waitresses came back to the kitchen window with a coin for her.
"Did they overpay?" she asked.
The waitress smiled, gesturing behind her to where a familiar sedan in spot three was already backing up and heading out of the parking lot. Becky had been so busy filling orders that she hadn't seen him pull in. She spied the ticket - double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. He'd done so deliberately, she expected.
"He said to give it to you, and that was it. I mean, it's weird but he seemed harmless," the waitress said. "And cute too. Is he your boyfriend or something, Becky?"
She blushed and quickly pocketed the coin. "He's definitely not."
That made 300 yen.
--
The fourth 100 yen coin found its way to her two days later at the end of another busy lunch shift. The fifth was mailed in a small envelope with no note. Becky's confusion was mounting, and the next time she saw Aiba Masaki, she'd be ready for his strange tricks.
She was finally cleared for roller duty by Nakai-san and back in the parking lot. Now that she was mobile again, he'd be easier to spot. But the lunch shift went on by with no sign of him and no orders for a double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. Her shift went on in an uneventful haze, taking orders and skating food back and forth across the diner parking lot.
Well, she decided, maybe he was busy. The animals at the hospital came first, after all.
She was just leaving the locker room at the end of the night, skates slung over her shoulder when she spotted Aiba sitting at the picnic table alone waiting for her.
Becky joined him, setting her bag and her skates on the ground as she sat down on the bench across from him. "Aiba-san."
"Becky-san," he said, smirking at her under the limited street light.
She leaned forward, elbows on the table top and resting her chin in her hands. "So let me guess, you've got another 100 yen coin for me."
He raised his eyebrows, leaning forward and mirroring her pose. "Oh, you think so?"
"I think so," she repeated. "That would make 600 yen, and since you owed me 1100 to start, I can expect a few more coins at inopportune times from here on out. But how about you just stop this game and tell me what you really want? My co-workers are starting to whisper, you know."
"Well," he said, "I'm sorry about that." Of course, he didn't sound sorry at all. He was smiling. "You haven't been able to figure it out, have you?"
"I'm not sure what there is to figure out here. You just find strange ways to return people's money."
"Becky-san, I'm not doing this to return your money." Although he shoved his hand in his pocket to retrieve a sixth 100 yen coin, sliding it across the table to her. "I'm doing this because it gives me a reason to see you again."
She froze.
"So that," he said, gesturing to the coin, "makes six. I...well, I did screw up a few times. I was really busy on the last one, so I did mail that one, which is stupid in hindsight. But I've got five more chances ahead of me at the current rate I'm going."
He wanted to see her. He'd been planning eleven occasions to try and see her. Acquaintances didn't do that. Friends didn't go to all that trouble. She knew she was blushing, but thankfully, the low lighting in the darkness kept it from showing. At least that's what she hoped. "Aiba-san," she mumbled, "you can come see me any time. I mean, you know where I work."
"Mmm, that's not really enough for me," he admitted, picking the coin up and tapping it against the table top nervously. "Because I'm already at six, and I had it all planned out. It was going to be perfect. I was...well, I was going to wait until I gave you that last coin, and I was going to ask you to go out with me, but...but I...I don't think I can wait that long."
He dug in his pocket again, dumping five more 100 yen coins on the table, looking at her earnestly even as she covered her mouth to keep from screaming in excitement.
"So I hope you don't mind me rushing the game forward here." He arranged the coins with shaky fingers. "Go out with me?"
She nodded quickly, unable to keep from laughing. It was the sweetest confession she'd ever received and one she wouldn't soon forget. "Yes. Yes, of course I will!"
He beamed from ear to ear, seeming to be celebrating internally. As if there was any doubt she'd say yes!
"But if we do go out," she said quietly, reaching across the table to gently twine her small fingers in his longer ones. "I have one request."
"Name it, anything."
She grinned and gave his fingers a squeeze. "Don't make me pick up the bill every time."
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Aiba Masaki/Becky; Nakai Masahiro
Summary: It was awful though, she told herself, thinking about a guy who had gotten her to break the rules all because he had smiled so sweetly at her.
Notes/Warnings: Because bubbly wrote Aiba/Becky for me, I wrote some for her in exchange! She wanted Becky as a waitress and Aiba as a customer at the restaurant.
"Onion rings and choco chip swirl shakes for number four! Becky!" came her boss' obnoxious voice over the loudspeaker.
She was on break and only had been for three of her allotted fifteen minutes. Oh well. Sometimes the post-lunch crowd surprised them. She got up from the picnic table, making sure she was tightly laced up before skating over to the restaurant. Rollermerica ("the premier American-style drive-up diner") didn't have that many franchises open yet on account of Japan not being all that interested in eating their food in their car in a parking lot, but it was better than waiting tables in a family restaurant.
And though the job required her to skate around in a skirt that was shorter than she'd have liked, it was kind of fun to tell friends she was a roller-skating waitress. Well, earning money to begin with was nice after tough economic times had taken their toll on Becky's chosen career - she'd come out of university with a degree in voice acting, and not too many places had been willing to take a chance on someone new when they already had a good stable of acting talent. And skating back and forth from the food window to cars in the lot was doing her body good - she had real muscle in her legs now, which made walking up the five flights of stairs to her apartment every day go a lot easier.
Her boss was on the other side of the window, sliding the tray across to her. "Slacking off, were we?"
"It was my scheduled break, Nakai-san," she said quietly, hoisting the tray. "Number four, off I go!"
But Nakai-san was already over it, finding someone on the kitchen staff to yell at instead. She skated over to parking spot number four, currently occupied by a compact car and a couple inside who were practically glued to one another's faces. Becky blinked away her irritation. If it wasn't middle aged men who wanted to look at her legs, it was usually couples. She kept her smile intact and knocked on the window.
"Excuse me. Your order is ready! Two medium onion rings and two choco swirl shakes. That will be 830 yen, please."
They didn't stop kissing, and she felt the tray start to wiggle a bit on top of her left hand. Couples were everywhere, she told herself. On the train, walking down the street, parked in the lot here at Rollermerica. Couples were just a fact of life, and there was nothing wrong with being single. Nothing at all. Nothing really...
Oh, this was a kiss with a lot of tongue, she thought, nearly losing her nerve. She knocked again.
"Hello there! Your order is ready! 830 yen, please!"
The couple finally broke apart, giving her a rather unwarranted dirty look. They shouldn't have placed a food order if they were only parking there to make out! But she stayed professional, even as the guy rolled down the car window and handed her a 1000 yen note that had seen far better days. She arranged the tray, setting up the plastic stand to keep it attached to the car door.
"Out of 1000 yen, thank you very much," she said, knowing that they just wanted her to leave. She counted out the correct number of coins from the metal change maker belted around her hips. "Out of 1000 your change is 170 yen, thank you again for visiting Rollermerica."
She turned around and skated off in a bit of a huff. She was busy, she told herself. Busy with her job and looking for voice work. She didn't have time for a boyfriend anyhow. No time to sit and idle away the day parked at a place like Rollermerica. But it still hurt, Becky knew, seeing people pull up together, eat, and drive away again to continue being together.
Had it already been a year? A year since she and Nino had broken up? They'd been together all through university and the first few tough years after, but an ocean had proven too big a challenge. While Becky had focused on voice acting, Nino had focused on his music. A Japanese group had debuted in America, and Nino had been invited along to be a back-up musician. Continuing the relationship hadn't made sense, and from the sound of Nino's still friendly emails, he'd found someone new first. Now she was roller-skating every day from car to car with the constant reminder of what she no longer had.
It didn't necessarily make life miserable, but it still sucked from time to time.
"Hey! Waitress!"
Becky jammed the toe of her skate down on the asphalt to brake quickly. Looking to her left, she saw a guy sitting at the picnic table she'd only just abandoned. His hair was dyed brown, and he was waving her down with a rather joyful smile. She peeked at the restaurant window and didn't see Nakai looking over - with the other cars in the lot taken care of, she skated over.
"Waitress," the guy repeated, waving her close. He tapped the wooden table top with his fingers impatiently. "Can you help me?"
She raised an eyebrow, stopping just short of the table. He was tall and lanky, sitting with long legs stretched out under the table. He was wearing a button-down green shirt with black slacks, and his sleeves were rolled up, most likely on account of the heat that day. "Welcome to Rollermerica, the premier American-style drive-up diner."
He kept smiling, and it was something nice to focus on considering the makeout session she'd just borne witness to. "Hey, yeah, I've only got a twenty minute break. Can I get a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake please?"
Becky glanced behind her, seeing three out of the eight parking spots completely empty. "Um, well, this is a drive-up diner. You come in your car, and we bring the food to you there."
He nodded. "Yeah. But I'm sitting here," he said, gesturing to the table.
She cocked her head. "Huh?"
"You can bring the food here, can't you?"
In all her time at Rollermerica, the only people who'd sat at the picnic table were employees on break. She didn't really think it was that big a deal, but her boss was always looking for things to yell about. "I...I better ask my manager."
He pointed at his watch insistently. "Eighteen minutes. Cheeseburger. Strawberry shake."
She skated off. The smile was obviously the guy's ploy. Try to distract her a bit with some pretty teeth before turning into a "difficult" customer. Nakai-san was screaming at the soft-serve machine when she arrived at the window. "Nakai-san."
"Spot five needs an order taken, Becky. Oh you stupid piece of...I hate you!" Nakai turned around, face bright red in his fury. "Uh, the machine, I mean. I don't hate you. Well, unless you give me good reason..."
"Spot five, I got that," she said before thumbing back over her shoulder at the picnic table. The guy in green waved again. "We have a customer at the table."
Nakai shoved away from the soft-serve machine to poke his head out the food service window. "Huh. Well, send him away. This is a drive-up diner."
She leaned heavily against the window ledge, moving her legs back and forth, skates scraping over the cement. "Sure, but he just wants a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake."
"And I want a real job where I don't fight with an ice cream machine all day, but we can't always get what we want. We serve people in cars. Send him away."
The matter was closed. She pulled out her order pad and skated over to spot five where a mother had pulled up in a minivan with two screaming little ones. "Be quiet. Be quiet, I said!" the mother said before turning to Becky. "Yeah, I need two kid meals please, no salt on the french fries."
Becky scribbled it down. "That will take a little longer, I apologize."
"I'm going to tell your father how awful you're being!" the mother screeched. "Yeah, two kid meals, both with apple juice. And then I need a chicken sandwich, extra tomato."
One of the children spilled something inside the car, and the mother turned around to scream some more. "I'll...I'll go put in your order, thank you very much!" she shouted to be heard, turning around and skating back to the window, dropping off the ticket with Nakai. When she turned around again, green-shirt guy was waving frantically.
She returned to the picnic table. "Well, is my food coming?" he asked, looking impatient.
"About that...my boss says..."
"I'm down to ten minutes, and I'm hungry!"
She was losing patience with him. "I'm sorry, but we're a drive-in. To order food, you need to be in a car."
"But that's not fair."
"I'm sorry."
He got up from the table with a sigh. She was only able to look him in the eye because of the added height from her skate wheels. "Fine, fine."
She rolled back a bit, seeing that he really was frustrated. And the last thing she wanted was a frustrated customer going on an Internet board and saying bad things about the restaurant. Or that's what sounded like a good enough excuse. Becky looked around the parking lot, spying a perfect blind spot. "Um, do you see that bush over there at the edge of the lot?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."
"Just...just wait over there, please. Okay?"
"Uh...alright."
She skated back, and Nakai was still screeching at the soft-serve machine. She wiggled her fingers for one of the boys at the grill to come over without disturbing their boss. "Huge favor," she whispered quietly. She took out some money from her own pocket and slid it across the counter. "How fast can you get me a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake?"
He smiled at her, probably because he was still in high school and had a thing for older women. "Faster than you can say 'coming right up,' Becky-san."
Well, it didn't make a lot of sense, but he was going to help her. The order was ready for the family in the minivan, and by the time she went there and back, her new favorite grill boy had a double cheeseburger and an extra large strawberry shake waiting for her. Oh, if only he knew it wasn't for her! "Thank you so much," she said, then raised her voice. "Nakai-san, I'm going to finish up my break!"
"Whatever!" he called, having finally gotten the chocolate/vanilla swirl functionality back.
She skated off, away from the hustle and bustle of the Rollermerica kitchen and to the bush where the customer in green had obediently crouched down in hiding. "Excuse me? I have your food."
She saw his head pop up, eyes wide. "You really got it!" Then he looked down at his watch. "I have...four minutes."
She held the tray out. "I'm really, really sorry."
But he looked amazed with her. "Did you break the rules because of me?"
Oh no, Becky thought, seeing that look in his eyes. It was a look she didn't want to consider. A look that pretty much announced "this guy is cute, and maybe he thinks you're cute, too."
He yanked the burger off her tray, unwrapping it and wolfing it down in a way that would probably give her indigestion if she tried to do it herself. "A double cheeseburger," he was muttering between bites, little bits of lettuce spraying a bit from his mouth. "You are the best."
"I just didn't want you to leave disappointed in our restaurant," she said shyly. Oh no, she thought. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Don't be a sucker, Becky! He was only happy because she brought him food, she told herself. That's what men liked, wasn't it? Women showing up with food. Especially girls in short skirts showing up with food.
He balled up the empty wrapper and set it back on the tray before grabbing the milkshake. "I think I'll take this to go, I have to get back. But thank you, really. How much do I owe you?"
Double cheeseburger and an extra large shake. 550 yen. 550, she said again and again in her head until she scooted back on her wheels. "Just come back with a car next time, okay? That'll be a service for you today."
He looked ready to leap over the bush and hug her, instead taking a long, happy sip of his milkshake. "Thank you, thank you really." He started running off, waving. "Thank you!"
She turned around to skate back, coming food tray to chest with Nakai-san as soon as she moved forward. "Nakai-san!" she gasped, seeing her boss' eyes narrow.
"And here I was, on my way to apologize for taking you away from your break earlier," he said, voice almost threatening.
She looked at the pavement. "I'm sorry...I...I didn't think it was fair, turning customers away. Just because he didn't have a car. Not everyone has a car. I mean, even I don't have a car..."
"Ah ah ah," he interrupted her, yanking the tray away. "Since you already paid for it, there's not much I can do. However. As soon as your shift is over, you're on garbage duty..."
"Oh, but I was only just..." she started.
"...for the next month." Nakai beamed at her. "Now get back to work."
--
Cute Guy, Becky dubbed him. She obviously didn't have a name, but the thought of Cute Guy chowing down his burger and his cute Cute Guy smile was enough to get her through garbage duty and definitely enough to get her through the next few days of work. It was awful though, she told herself, thinking about a guy who had gotten her to break the rules all because he had smiled so sweetly at her.
It was an injustice she wouldn't face in other restaurants. Other restaurants just required customers to be in shirts and shoes - hers asked a bit more of people. They needed cars.
And it seemed as though Cute Guy had gotten the message. She was on her way over to spot seven with a nearly overloaded tray of french fries and chicken sandwiches when she heard the loud honk. She held tightly onto the tray, nearly losing one of the sandwiches. It was a pretty fancy looking car, silver and clearly owned by a wealthy person as the windows were tinted. She skated off to deliver the meal, and when she looked back, the silver car's tilted window rolled down. And there was that smile again.
"Oi, waitress!" he hollered even though she was right next to him. "Look, I'm in a car this time."
She approached the window, taking out her order pad. "So I see. Playing by the rules, are we?"
He killed the engine and stared up at her. "You know, I was going to try and convince you this was my car, but since you paid for my food last time I thought I'd be honest."
"Is that so?" How she was able to sound so outwardly unconcerned while her insides were churning up a storm, Becky had no idea. This time he was wearing a t-shirt but the same dark slacks. They were covered all over with thin strands of...hair? He needed a lint roller.
"Yeah," he admitted, tapping the steering wheel. "It's my boss' car, and I've been allowed to borrow it for my lunch break. And if I so much as drop a french fry in here, I'm fired."
Her eyes widened. "That seems risky. Someone at one of my other cars just spilled a whole cup of pop all over their gear shift."
He smiled again. "Well, maybe you can hook me up with some extra napkins. You know, as this time's service."
She eyed him suspiciously. "How about I just take your order, and I'll consider your napkin request."
"You're tough!" He leaned an elbow on the open window, big brown eyes staring her down. "Double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake."
Not entirely surprising. She scribbled it down. "I'll put that right in for you."
She dropped off the order, hesitating at the window. None of the other cars needed an order placed or had a tray to take away, and she wanted to go back to the silver car, back to him. That was obviously a problem. Becky prided herself on being a good employee, a professional employee. She'd already broken her personal rules by buying him lunch last time, and she knew she really hadn't done it because she thought he'd leave a bad review. No, his way of smiling at her (even though they were complete strangers) combined with her difficult to ignore loneliness had done it.
And now he was back with the same food order and in a fancy sports car, and as the burgers sizzled on the grill behind her, she dared to remember the last time she'd felt this strange feeling buzzing in her stomach. It had been with Nino, she realized. Nino in that first week of university when he'd flirted his way into her life by pretending he wanted to be "study buddies" for their literature class.
No, she told herself. It was because she'd bought him the cheeseburger last time. This wasn't like her time with Nino at all. This was only their second meeting, and she was definitely not an eighteen year old fresh out of high school any longer. Grow up, she told herself as his order came up.
She skated back to the silver car, getting the tray set up against the door for him. "Double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. That'll be 550 yen please." He handed over a credit card, and she frowned. "Oh...I'm sorry."
He stared at her. "What is it?"
She pointed to the sign at the front of every parking stall. They'd just posted them this morning once the system had gone down, and Nakai-san had gone into an entirely new type of rage. "The credit card readers are down. The system overloaded, and we're only taking cash right now."
He took his card back, blushing in a way that tugged at her heartstrings. Not again! She couldn't handle this again! "But...but I don't have any cash on me." He looked back up at her with hopeful eyes. "You're not going to take my food away, are you?"
The sign was pretty clearly posted! Why hadn't he read it? Maybe he'd been so focused in driving his boss' car that he hadn't bothered to. "I'm sorry. You really don't have anything else?"
He grabbed the cheeseburger with a sigh. "I only have my credit card. I...well, I guess I could go to the ATM, but I'm already running behind..."
She closed her eyes, considered everything she knew to be true as she listened to him unwrap his greasy lunch.
She knew that she'd paid for his food the first time because he'd been cute and friendly.
She also knew that Nakai-san would be livid if she let a customer drive off, even if he was going to come back with money later. And Nakai-san would somehow blame her for not reminding the customer of the cash-only policy before taking his order.
"What if..." she started, "what if I took care of it for you for now, and you paid me back later?"
When she cracked open one eye, he was halfway done with the burger already, almost as though he'd expected her to offer to cover his ass on the meal. "I don't know," he said despite that. "I'd feel bad if you bought me a meal twice in a row, and we don't even know each other's names."
"Well," she said, gesturing to her nametag. "I'm Becky."
He wiped his mouth with one of the many napkins she'd brought him. "Nice to meet you, Becky-san. I'm Aiba Masaki. Do you have any pets?"
She blinked at the question. "I'm sorry?"
"Any pets," he repeated before taking a long swig of his strawberry shake. "I'm a vet tech. Sunshine Animal Hospital, about a mile that way?"
"Oh!" she replied. That explained the hair on his clothes. She thought of the two small lizards Nino had left behind with her, Vegeta and Piccolo. They'd been a birthday gift for him from a friend, and he'd left them in her care even after they broke up. "Depends on the kind of pets you take."
"Well, we take all kinds," he said, sounding a little boastful. "I'm more than willing to pay you back, but I mean, if you want to bring in your pet we can give him a free exam."
An exam cost a lot more than two burgers and two milkshakes. "Do you take lizards?"
His smile disappeared. "Oh, well...maybe we don't take all kinds. We don't have a herpetologist at our facility..." He looked panicky. "But I could write you a referral!"
"How about you just pay me back when you've got some cash?"
"I'll do you one better," he said. "Do you want to get something to eat sometime? I mean, it doesn't have to be a date or anything. I just want to pay you back, say thank you. You've really been taking care of me, both times, and...yeah." He seemed really distressed that he hadn't been able to buy her off with the free veterinary visit.
She looked over, seeing that Nakai was still busy with some kitchen issue. There wasn't really a rule about not dating customers. It wasn't exactly something Becky had had to worry about, seeing as how most of the customers who flirted with her were as old as her dad. And it wasn't a date, Aiba the vet tech had even said so, right? She listened to him slurp down his shake.
"I don't know," she hesitated. She was making more out of Aiba's offer than it probably was. He was just trying to say thank you. He was probably just a nice person. He worked at an animal hospital - people who took care of animals had to be nice people.
"I'm going to be late, and we've got a busy afternoon ahead, so how about I pick you up tomorrow when your shift is over? Do you work tomorrow? I can come get you whenever you're done."
One of the cars honked their horn in the spot furthest from Aiba's, and she couldn't hear the other waitress skating over. She was busy gabbing with the grill boys at the window.
"Service at spot one, Becky. Service at spot one," came Nakai's voice over the loudspeaker.
She turned back, seeing Aiba waiting for her answer. "I have to go..."
"What time tomorrow?" he insisted.
The car honked again. "9:00 PM," she blurted out before she realized it. "I'll be back for your tray, alright?"
She skated over, taking the other car's order on auto-pilot. Dinner. A dinner date. Or a dinner occasion. With a guy. A cute guy. Oh no, what the hell was she thinking? By the time she skated back, Aiba had already left, leaving behind the tray on the sidewalk.
--
The next day's shift was the most agonizingly long shift she'd ever worked. Screaming kids, touchy-feely couples. And three different customers had managed to topple their trays of food and demanded refunds, even though they'd spilled the food over their own vehicles. And of course, prior to Becky's shift there'd been the additional dilemma of what to wear.
It had been a very long time since she'd been on an actual date. Even if Aiba's goal in taking her to dinner was in the friendly way not the romantic way, she still wanted to look presentable. To at least prove that she was more than a roller-skating waitress in a short skirt. And it didn't help that Nino had been such a homebody. They had rarely gone out after being together for more than four years, so it had been ages since she'd had to think about what to do.
Since this would only be their third meeting, she'd settled on a long top, leggings, and flats - nothing too fancy, but different from her work uniform. It was all inside her locker in the restaurant, just waiting for her shift to end. She finally settled the last bill and skated back to see Nakai counting the cash in the register while the other workers cleaned up the kitchen.
She handed over her change holder and cash, feeling some crazy combination of terror and giddiness at the thought of meeting up with her new...friend. She supposed friend was the best term she could use at this point. After all, once someone had borrowed money from you, they had to be more than a mere acquaintance. She headed into the locker room, sitting down on the bench to unlace her skates.
She changed quickly, hurrying over to the mirror to fix her makeup. It would be a late dinner, but she'd gotten a bit sweaty over the course of skating all day, and she didn't want to look like a complete mess. Finally satisfied and feeling a bit more confident in her favorite lip gloss, she exited and headed out to wait at the picnic table where they'd first met. She wondered what Aiba would think - at the very least, she'd be a lot shorter now since she didn't have on her skates. Once the lights in the kitchen were off, nobody usually came into the parking lot except people picking up her fellow co-workers.
Becky wasn't sure what car to expect. She doubted Aiba-san would be borrowing his boss' car for a dinner and/or date situation. Maybe he wouldn't come in a car at all, she thought. Maybe he didn't have one and would just take her somewhere in the neighborhood. Her watch turned to 9:10 PM, and she heard Nakai barking out for everyone to go home. He came out of the kitchen, locking up and walking her way, keys jangling.
"You need a ride home?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nope, I'm getting picked up."
"Alright, have a good one," her boss said before heading off to the employee only roped off section of the lot. And once Nakai drove off for good it was 9:15, and Aiba was fifteen minutes late. She tried not to panic. Maybe he was just running late. He didn't have her phone number or anything so there was no way to get in touch with her.
So she kept sitting at the table, lit by street lights while she waited as patiently as she could. She checked her makeup a few times, using the additional light from her cell phone to help out as she looked in her pocket mirror. Even that grew tiresome as 9:30 came and went, and so did 9:45. She could hear couples and groups of friends a street away where there were a few bars and small restaurants. Everyone sounded like they were having a great time.
She checked her phone again. 10:00 PM and an hour late, and Becky realized that he had most likely forgotten or maybe even ditched her. As it sunk in, she looked around. Sitting alone in the dark at the picnic table, she'd let her imagination get away with her. He wasn't coming. She was out 1100 yen overall (not like it really mattered). And she didn't know why it hurt so much.
Getting up from the table and picking up her bag, she decided to walk home instead of taking her usual subway line. It gave her time to think. Maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough. She'd obviously not left enough of an impression on Aiba for him to remember their dinner. She was working in a job where she roller-skated people's food to them. And she lived in her apartment alone with her ex-boyfriend's lizards.
She waited until she got to her own block before she started to cry, annoyed with herself for putting so much faith in a person she didn't know. Tomorrow before her shift she'd apply for jobs twice as hard. She'd work on her fighting spirit. She had to make herself someone worth remembering, someone worth hiring for their talent rather than someone worth hiring because she looked okay in a short skirt.
--
"Got someone at the picnic table, Becky," Nakai complained, waving his hand dismissively. "And don't be nice this time, ask them to come back in a vehicle. I don't care if they show up on a Vespa, they need to have wheels."
She looked over, only to see Aiba just getting up at the table, bowing his head to her slightly. She turned back to her boss. "I think I'll deal with the customer who just pulled in at spot five first."
"Don't forget to tell them the special!" he said before turning his attention back to hauling veggies out of the large refrigerator.
Becky skated right on past the table, doing her best to ignore Aiba sitting down again to wait for her. Maybe he'd been thoughtful enough to bring the money he owed her. When she rolled up to spot five, she saw that one of her least favorite customers had arrived. Maybe it would have been better to deal with Aiba first. The man had a thin mustache and greasy hair, munching on his fingernails as she approached the car and took out her order pad.
"Morioka-san, welcome back," she said as cheerfully as she could manage. He looked at her chest.
"Hey sweetheart, looking lovely today."
She held her pen over the notepad. "Your order, please?"
"I don't know," he said, leaning over to leer at her further. "What would you recommend today?"
"Well, we have a fish sandwich special today, buy one, get one free."
"Mmm, that sounds delicious," he replied, and Becky knew he wasn't talking about the food.
"Can I put you down for two fish sandwiches?" she asked, growing a bit flustered. She'd told Nakai about Morioka-san before - her boss had said to let him know immediately if he caused a problem. But all he did was make her uncomfortable. He always paid and never left a mess behind. There wasn't really anything she wanted to do. She didn't want to rock the boat.
"Two fish sandwiches," he said, licking his cracked lips a bit. "Extra special."
"Coming right up," she replied, speeding off as fast as her skates could carry her. Her next destination should have been Aiba at the picnic table, but right now, she just wanted to get Morioka-san his sandwiches so he'd hurry up and go.
"You talk to the guy at the picnic table?" Nakai asked her as he took the order slip from her.
"Not yet."
"He bothering you?"
Yes, she thought, but not in the way Nakai could do anything about. "No, I'll take care of it as soon as I finish up car five's order."
"See that you do. I don't want anyone else getting the idea they can park themselves in the employee break area."
"Two fish sandwiches," her favorite grill boy said, sliding the tray over with a smile.
She skated past Aiba again, taking a deep breath before skating over to Morioka-san's car and setting up the tray. When she moved to slide the tray down over the door, he grabbed hold of her wrist. He'd never done that before.
"On second thought, honey, why don't you bag those sandwiches up to go. It's a good deal, buy one get one. Why don't you sit in the car with me, and we can each have one? I'll drive us some place nice."
His hand on her wrist was inappropriately tight, and she tried to smile. "I'm sorry, I can't take a break yet. But I can go and get you a to-go bag..."
"You think you can smile and make everything okay, even though you're skating around in that get-up asking for trouble?" He pulled tighter when she tried to move away, toppling the two sandwich baskets off the tray and into his lap, spilling out lettuce and tartar sauce onto his slacks. Her hips thunked against the side of the car as he yanked her forward. "Now look what you've done!"
Her face felt hot. "I'm sorry," she said, and he was still not letting go. "I'm very sorry. Let me get you some napkins. I won't charge you for the sandwiches."
"Look at the mess you've made in my car!"
"I'm very sorry!"
"Hey, what's going on here?" Becky heard from somewhere near the hood of Morioka-san's car. It was Aiba, hands on his hips, staring down the creepy customer.
Morioka-san released her, knocking the tray out of her hands and onto the pavement. She squatted down as best she could in her skates, picking up the tray. "None of your business," Morioka-san said.
"Becky-san, are you okay?" Aiba asked, looking between her and Morioka, who was now taking the fish filet and toppings out of his lap and throwing them angrily onto the ground for her to have to pick up.
"I'll get some napkins," she muttered. And she'd get her manager. But that was when Morioka decided to throw most of his other sandwich onto her skirt, and she could feel the sauce start to run down her leg, past her knee.
"What is your problem?" Aiba shouted, slamming his hand down on the hood of the car. "Leave her alone!"
She was just about to tell Aiba to stay out of this so she could get Nakai, but Morioka was furious. "Did you just touch my god damn car?"
He opened the car door suddenly, and Becky had no time to get out of the way. The door hit her hard right in the knee, and she lost her balance. She slipped on the food Morioka had thrown out of the window, and she couldn't jam her toe to brake fast enough. She landed on the ground with a soft cry, knowing she'd twisted something as one of her skates landed under her.
"Becky!" Aiba shouted, hurrying over. Morioka was temporarily stunned but quickly closed the door again and turned on the car. He backed up in a hurry just as Nakai came running over screaming.
"Get out! Get out or I'm calling the cops! You're banned for life!" Nakai said, angrily chasing Morioka and his car out of the lot.
But Becky had other things to be concerned about, like the scrapes from falling to the pavement so suddenly and the increasing throb in her ankle. Why had Aiba intervened? Why? If he hadn't done anything...
...if he hadn't done anything, who knows how else Morioka might have humiliated her.
"Becky, I'm sorry," he was muttering. "Where does it hurt? Are you okay?"
Nakai returned, shooing Aiba away. "What the hell just happened? My god, I look away for one minute and you've got customers flinging food at you!"
"I'm sorry!" she said, only just realizing that she was crying in front of both her boss and in front of Aiba. Her ankle was going to swell inside her skate if she didn't get it off, whimpering as she hurriedly unlaced it with her trembling fingers.
"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Nakai asked. "Are you going to be able to keep working?"
"You can't make her go back to work like this!" Aiba protested.
"Who the hell are you? Don't tell me how to do my job!" Nakai shot back.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I'm really sorry."
"Stop apologizing. Go change and go home," Nakai ordered. "Go get patched up."
"I'm not going to be able to skate," she admitted, knowing that she'd sprained her ankle pretty badly.
"Well, then you can cross-train on desserts when you next come in, just take the rest of the day off," Nakai ordered, getting back up to return to the kitchen to shout for one of the high school boys to come clean up the mess she'd caused.
She unlaced her other skate, feeling embarrassed as Aiba helped get her to her feet. "Can I help you out at all? Can I take you to the hospital?"
She shook her head, taking a limping step forward and immediately regretting it. "I don't need to go to the hospital. It hurts, but it's not broken."
"Where are you trying to go?"
Why was she talking to him? He'd ditched her last night, hadn't he? What did he really care? "I'm going to get my bag from the locker room."
"Stay here," he said, sounding concerned enough to start cracking the wall she was desperately trying to put up between them in her mind. He was just being nice, she told herself. Just being a decent person! "I can go get your bag."
She didn't really want to accept his charity, but her ankle was all in favor of it. She had her small locker key on the bracelet at her wrist, and she took it off, handing it to him. "I'm locker number six," was all she said, even though it would have been polite to thank him. She stood there while he took off, eventually bending down to pick up one of the napkins that had fallen. She inhaled sharply as she dabbed it against a scrape on her knee. It could have been worse, she told herself. She could have hit her head.
He returned quickly with her bag and helped her over to sit at the empty picnic table. "If you won't go to the hospital, at least let me patch you up. Just...wait here, okay?"
And all she could really do was listen to him. He went over to the kitchen counter and had one of the other employees bring her an ice pack for her ankle. She stayed there, dabbing at blood one moment and tartar sauce the next as he ran off as fast as his long, skinny legs could carry him. She was getting really awful deja vu of last night's abandonment, but within fifteen minutes he returned, out of breath, but with a car. Not the fancy silver sports car, but an older model sedan that had seen better days.
She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't Aiba the vet tech driving her away from Rollermerica to the animal hospital where he worked. It was obviously a slow day since nobody stopped him from helping her inside and into one of the exam rooms, taking away her ice pack and sitting her down in one of the chairs usually reserved for a pet owner.
He hadn't said anything on the drive over, and she didn't say anything either. The room was clean and quiet but not entirely unfriendly, and he was busy going through drawers and getting ready. It wasn't until he was kneeling in front of her, latex gloves on his hands, to clean up her scraped legs that either of them said anything. "Wait," she said.
He looked up, and his eyes were almost sad.
She couldn't stay mad at him, not really. Not after all he'd done to help her so far. "Are you...do you know what you're doing?"
He eyed her suspiciously. "I think most people know how to take care of a few cuts and scrapes. I just figured this was a more sterile environment. Plus," he said, gesturing to the bandage materials on the pet exam table, "we've got better stuff than your typical first aid kit."
She winced as he started to dab at her legs with a clean wet cloth, wiping away the dried blood and dirt before bandaging her up. He worked precisely and gently, not doing anything weird to her. He was probably used to taking care of skittish dogs and cats, so he clearly appreciated the change of pace.
"Aiba-san?" she asked quietly just as he was wrapping her ankle in a bandage.
"Yeah?"
"You're not going to give me one of those cones you put around the dog's head after surgery, are you?"
He shook his head, continuing to wrap her ankle. "Unless you're planning to lick at your wounds and rip the bandaging off, then no, I don't think you need one."
It felt strange to joke with him. She had something more important to ask. "Did you...about last night, did you forget..."
He looked up at her. "That's why I came to the restaurant. To tell you." He finished wrapping the bandage, securing it quickly before standing up again. "We had an emergency last night. A dog ate a bunch of onion. I...I couldn't get away, I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry, I hope you didn't wait too long."
She felt terrible. She'd been so angry, so upset. He hadn't forgotten her - it had been work. "Was he okay?"
"The dog?" he asked, taking off his gloves and putting them in the trash. "Yeah, he was okay. Got him some fluids, flushed him out. He's fine. But I still feel terrible. And now look at the mess I've gotten you into."
She blushed. "It's okay, I'm not angry." Not anymore at least, she thought. "It's just dinner. And for that dog it might have been life or death. I understand that."
"Well, I don't like to break promises. So that's why I went to apologize, and then that jerk was so horrible to you, I couldn't just leave it alone..."
She felt a little embarrassed at Aiba's chivalry, but warmth bubbled inside her nonetheless. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For helping me."
"Well, we don't have any crutches here, so let me give you a ride home. Or I could call you a taxi if you'd prefer..."
A taxi was probably more sensible, but she didn't want to be away from him yet. Finding out that he hadn't intentionally stood her up significantly raised her opinion of him. Her sprain wasn't too terrible, and she did her best to make it back to Aiba's car on her own, though she did allow him to carry her skates and her bag. It was odd to direct him to her apartment, but the building's lack of elevator meant she'd have to enlist Aiba's help again to get her upstairs.
The last man who'd been in her apartment, aside from the maintenance man who'd been in a few months back to fix the dishwasher, had been Nino. She knew her cheeks were getting redder and redder as she held onto the banister and worked her way slowly up the steps with Aiba right behind her. Had she left clothes on the floor? More importantly, had she left underwear on the floor?
Thankfully she hadn't left any in the entryway, squeezing her way inside and allowing Aiba to pass her things to her. "Thanks again, I really appreciate you helping."
He shook his head. "It's nothing. But I still haven't paid you back..."
"I think we're even now," she said, wiggling her foot. "Fancy bandage and medical care."
He looked at her with a mock-stern expression. "Now you lay down as soon as you're in there and rest. Keep your ankle elevated."
"Yes, sir."
He caught her door just before she closed it. "Becky-san?"
She stared up at him. "Yes?"
"You'll be here tomorrow? You'll stay home from work? You'll be right here?" he asked.
She nodded. "Well, I definitely can't do my job like this, so yeah, I'll probably take off tomorrow."
"Ah, good. Good. Well, take this anyway," he said, slipping something small into her hand before excusing himself. She opened her palm to find a 100 yen coin, and he was already halfway to the next floor.
--
She turned into a lump on the couch, keeping her ankle raised and icing it in twenty minute spurts a few times a day. It was mid-afternoon the following day, and most of the swelling had gone down. Without work to keep her busy, she'd had a long time stuck inside her own mind with her thoughts.
Thoughts that increasingly revolved around Aiba Masaki, the vet tech who'd only just fallen into her life.
She'd been hesitant at first, annoyed next. And now she just decided to give up and cultivate her little crush. She stared at the coin he'd handed over, wondering what it could mean. She'd already told him that he didn't have to return her money. What was he doing?
There was a knock at the door. Great timing. She was still in pajamas, no makeup, hair piled up in a mess on top of her head, and no quick way of fixing any of those things before answering the door. "I'm coming!" she called. "I'm sorry, it'll just be a minute!"
There was no response, and when she opened the door, she was mortified to see Aiba standing there patiently. But the fact that he didn't recoil immediately at the sight of her unkempt appearance had to mean something, right?
"Aiba-san," she muttered, still wanting to close the door and hide.
"Good afternoon," he said cheerfully. "How's the ankle?"
She balanced herself on the doorframe, holding out her leg a bit. "Swelling's gone down. I'm going in to work tomorrow."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Not skating I hope?"
"No," she assured him. "I'm on kitchen duty for a week, boss' orders."
"That's good." He stuck his fist out at her, opening his fingers to show another 100 yen coin. "Here you are."
She laughed. "Aiba-san, what's with the coins? I'm not a collector."
He held it out insistently. "Just take it."
She took it before anyone in the building spied the strange conversation. "Are you ever going to explain why you've given me 100 yen coins two days in a row?"
He ignored her completely, backing away from the door and bowing his head lightly. "Take care of yourself now, have a good one!"
--
Kitchen duty felt a little claustrophobic after so many weeks of skating outside in the sun. But aside from a few headaches from her boss' yelling and a few minor splatters from the fryer, Becky was just happy to be working again. It was her third day back when one of the other waitresses came back to the kitchen window with a coin for her.
"Did they overpay?" she asked.
The waitress smiled, gesturing behind her to where a familiar sedan in spot three was already backing up and heading out of the parking lot. Becky had been so busy filling orders that she hadn't seen him pull in. She spied the ticket - double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. He'd done so deliberately, she expected.
"He said to give it to you, and that was it. I mean, it's weird but he seemed harmless," the waitress said. "And cute too. Is he your boyfriend or something, Becky?"
She blushed and quickly pocketed the coin. "He's definitely not."
That made 300 yen.
--
The fourth 100 yen coin found its way to her two days later at the end of another busy lunch shift. The fifth was mailed in a small envelope with no note. Becky's confusion was mounting, and the next time she saw Aiba Masaki, she'd be ready for his strange tricks.
She was finally cleared for roller duty by Nakai-san and back in the parking lot. Now that she was mobile again, he'd be easier to spot. But the lunch shift went on by with no sign of him and no orders for a double cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. Her shift went on in an uneventful haze, taking orders and skating food back and forth across the diner parking lot.
Well, she decided, maybe he was busy. The animals at the hospital came first, after all.
She was just leaving the locker room at the end of the night, skates slung over her shoulder when she spotted Aiba sitting at the picnic table alone waiting for her.
Becky joined him, setting her bag and her skates on the ground as she sat down on the bench across from him. "Aiba-san."
"Becky-san," he said, smirking at her under the limited street light.
She leaned forward, elbows on the table top and resting her chin in her hands. "So let me guess, you've got another 100 yen coin for me."
He raised his eyebrows, leaning forward and mirroring her pose. "Oh, you think so?"
"I think so," she repeated. "That would make 600 yen, and since you owed me 1100 to start, I can expect a few more coins at inopportune times from here on out. But how about you just stop this game and tell me what you really want? My co-workers are starting to whisper, you know."
"Well," he said, "I'm sorry about that." Of course, he didn't sound sorry at all. He was smiling. "You haven't been able to figure it out, have you?"
"I'm not sure what there is to figure out here. You just find strange ways to return people's money."
"Becky-san, I'm not doing this to return your money." Although he shoved his hand in his pocket to retrieve a sixth 100 yen coin, sliding it across the table to her. "I'm doing this because it gives me a reason to see you again."
She froze.
"So that," he said, gesturing to the coin, "makes six. I...well, I did screw up a few times. I was really busy on the last one, so I did mail that one, which is stupid in hindsight. But I've got five more chances ahead of me at the current rate I'm going."
He wanted to see her. He'd been planning eleven occasions to try and see her. Acquaintances didn't do that. Friends didn't go to all that trouble. She knew she was blushing, but thankfully, the low lighting in the darkness kept it from showing. At least that's what she hoped. "Aiba-san," she mumbled, "you can come see me any time. I mean, you know where I work."
"Mmm, that's not really enough for me," he admitted, picking the coin up and tapping it against the table top nervously. "Because I'm already at six, and I had it all planned out. It was going to be perfect. I was...well, I was going to wait until I gave you that last coin, and I was going to ask you to go out with me, but...but I...I don't think I can wait that long."
He dug in his pocket again, dumping five more 100 yen coins on the table, looking at her earnestly even as she covered her mouth to keep from screaming in excitement.
"So I hope you don't mind me rushing the game forward here." He arranged the coins with shaky fingers. "Go out with me?"
She nodded quickly, unable to keep from laughing. It was the sweetest confession she'd ever received and one she wouldn't soon forget. "Yes. Yes, of course I will!"
He beamed from ear to ear, seeming to be celebrating internally. As if there was any doubt she'd say yes!
"But if we do go out," she said quietly, reaching across the table to gently twine her small fingers in his longer ones. "I have one request."
"Name it, anything."
She grinned and gave his fingers a squeeze. "Don't make me pick up the bill every time."