Romance Books

Tsukishima Kei, a salty ball of pain, a savage king, and many more other names all meaning the same thing, Tsukishima was a straightforward and cold guy.

So what Yachi Hitoka witnessed in her new job at a new cafe was needless to say shocking. A Tsukishima Kei, sweet strawberry cake, with an all too sweet drink, and most importantly, a romance book. It was one of her favourites too.

Every Saturday, without fail, the male would come in at around 12pm, when Yachi just gets in for work. He'd order one of the strawberry desserts and then a sweet drink that most certainly would give Yachi a sugar rush from just one sip and that all too familiar red cover of a romance book.

Of course, she wouldn't want the 8th wonders of the world to disappear in front of her own eyes, nor would she want Tsukishima to see her in the ridiculous maid outfit. Which meant one thing, never encounter Tsukishima.

It worked for a few weeks, just staring at the boy behind the shadows, waiting for him to leave but also finding herself more intrigued with how pretty the male looked when he read. The small sparkle in his eyes when she assumes a really cheesy part comes, how adorably cute to see him wipe the cream off his face when he clumsily took a bite of the cake. And how he'd smile or chuckle at what he read. It was such a different aura than when he was in school, Yachi grew more interested in him.

It was a small step, a tiny little spark that could hardly even light a flame. She began reading what he read. First a classic, Romeo and Juliet, then the next week it would be the new novel release from a famous writer that had a red cover, then back again to another old-time classic. Yachi was invested. Too invested.

"Wah? Yachi-san, what's this book?" Hinata asked for the end of their club activities. Yachi flushed hard, she thought she zipped her bag tight. She snatched away the bright pink book from the orange head's hand. Her face went bright when everyone was already looking at her. Curse Hinata's loud voice.

"Oh? Yachi-san, I didn't know you liked romance books?" Yamaguchi teased, giving a covered snicker. Yachi flushed even more, quickly putting away the book in the comfort of her bag. Ah, she didn't want to be caught like this.

"I-I'm keeping it for a friend! A friend!" She tried to push the blame away from her, but it was all too late.

"I thought you'd be into young adult books, Yachi-san, but still, I respect your hobby," Sugawara said, patting the girl's shoulder. Yachi groaned in annoyance, feeling at a loss. That's when her eyes met with him.

Tsukishima, eyes widened in a shocked state, his mouth a bit open. She could tell he was astonished, maybe even flustered with himself. As soon as their eyes met, it quickly was snatched away by Yachi, turning to face her bag. She wanted the day to end quickly.

Well, a glance was just the beginning. No matter what Yachi did, he always seemed to be there. Whether it was the book store or outside the school gate, walking to the gym, or even just the hallways, Tsukishima just so happens to be there. Yachi panicked, she wondered if he knew already, she wondered if he knew of her part-time job and how every week, she'd get caught with the same book he was reading. Yachi was utterly in a state of panic.

It was another day of work for Yachi, the same time when Tsukishima arrived, she'd eagerly gone to the back of the shop, working on other things. But she of course still had time to see what he was reading. The familiar red cover was the new volume of the romance novel. Her eyes twinkled, she needed that book. She turned her back around, easily going back to work after she had seen Tsukishima.

She didn't notice the pair of eyes that followed her.

-

That following week, Yachi had bought the new novel with her hard-earned money. She walked along the halls, holding the new book in her hands, she quickly had given up on trying to hide it, I mean, everyone already knew, why bother?

The bright red book of a new romance novel was the second volume. Yachi was already invested in it and enjoyed the story between the two main characters. She hummed in satisfaction, eagerly wanting to finish reading it by lunchtime.

"Yachi-san?" She flinched. With that deep voice and a monotone tone, she could practically tell who the male was. She froze. Yachi gulped, turning around to see his black uniform neat and tidy, she slowly made her way up to his eyes.

"T-Tsukishima-kun, Hello- haha..." She tried to sound normal, tried, The tall male with not a single emotion on his face, stared right back at her. She really wonders if the Tsukishima she saw in the coffee shop was a whole different person. But she knew it was the real deal. Tsukishima gave a quick scan of the book she was holding and then back to her face.

What Yachi saw was a miracle. A smile. Not only that, but he gave a soft hum, his eyes fluttering like angel's wings while he smiled. Yachi wanted to engrave that scene in her head. It reminded her of one chapter of the novel she read. ' he smiled at her, only her. He never smiled for others, but when it came to her, it was as if he was another person.'

"It's nothing Yachi-san, I just needed to check something. See you at the club, later," Like a small inner joke to himself, he gave her a pretty stare and walked away smoothly. Yachi wondered just what confirming he needed to do, was she caught? If she was, wouldn't he have given her a cold glare instead of a gentle smile? Yachi was bewildered and quite possibly dumbstruck. Her days were becoming weirder and weirder.

A glance, a smile, and now a conversation. It started small, Tsukishima pointing at her book that was beside her bag. Yachi would chuckle awkwardly and try to hide it away, but then he'd laugh and tell her it was unnecessary, he then would nod and walk away. Then it came to meeting her after school or club, he easily walked beside her, talking ever so slowly about that red book she held.

Yachi glanced at the male who was casually reading her book. They were at the bus stop, waiting for their bus and the male asked politely if he could take a look. The past 2 weeks were a bizarre thing, Yachi getting used to Tsukishima who now walked with her back home. She still didn't know if he found out, she'd rather not want to know, but her curiosity was killing her.

"Yachi-san, which strawberry dessert is the best?" Yachi froze, was this finally the time he tells her that he knows? Her heart thumped hard.

"H-Huh-" She didn't know the answer to his sudden question. But it didn't bother him, he simply stared at her and then laughed, going back to the book.

"Why such a weird face? I was just asking if you liked strawberry desserts, why do you look like you've been caught?" He was definitely teasing her, right? If not then it was just a harmless question that Yachi had overreacted to, right?

"A-Ah, right... strawberry tarts are yummy," He smirked, nodding. It was just a coincidence, Yachi convinced herself. Nothing more than a friend asking for a strawberry dessert she liked.

But it didn't stop there. Tsukishima, without fail, would say something so out of the blue that it catches Yachi off guard.

"Which cafe would you work in?"

"Sweet drinks aren't for you, huh, Yachi-san?"

"Oh, You seem to know this writer too,"

"I have been going to a cafe recently, have you heard of it, Yachi-san?"

"Ah, maid outfits are definitely cute, don't you agree, Yachi-san?"

Yachi couldn't keep her head from exploding. Tsukishima was going around in circles, toying with her. He must definitely know, right!? But those questions only link because of her, if he did find out that she worked here, then certainly those questions are proof but...

"Ugh-" Yachi grumbled, washing the plates in a sour mood. At least Tsukishima doesn't come on Sundays.

"Yachi-san! Get up to the front!" Her manager called for her, she easily followed her words. She walked to the cashier, not particularly looking at who was in front of her.

"Welcome, may I take your order?" She asked, already pressing the screen to the appropriate page.

"Hmm, I knew it, maid outfits are definitely cute, Yachi-san," she froze, she didn't want to look up. She wanted the last few seconds of her dignity to last. She slowly glanced up, his grin already plastered on his face.

Tsukishima never comes on Sundays, well, at least it was true until today. He laughed, giving her his order and then easily walking away in such a proud way that Yachi wanted to die of embarrassment right then and there.

Tsukishima Kei, a salty ball of pain, a savage king, and many other more names to describe such a straightforward person. Likes romance books and sweet drinks, strawberry treats, and of course, likes teasing Yachi every Saturday and Sunday.

I couldn’t find a picture of a cafe au with Tsukiyachi in it, so it's Tsukishima coming in all dressed up in glam on Sunday, ready to surprise Yachi with his presence XD

Author:

Hey guys, it's been a while since I've updated, about maybe almost a year? Thank you all for the people who read this Wattpad book <3 I never knew I would even get 1k views let alone 19k, It truly has been a blessing for me to share these stories I made up in my head to you guys. I won't probably post often since I am focusing on my studies, currently trying to finish my project but I ended up just making a Tsukiyachi fanfic XD. 

Anyways, thank you all for reading this far, it means a lot to me.

- A.A