White Day

Shasta made sure to arrive earlier than most on White Day. At least early enough to where Oliver and Cyrus were the only people at the restaurant. He nearly forgot White Day, if not for Oliver reminding him the previous day. Shasta decided to return the gift even though Anita's chocolates meant only friendship and appreciation. So the night before, he had managed to make chocolate to return the favor.

"Someone's here early," teased Oliver, poking his head out of the loft. Shasta crashed against the wall in shock.

"Please don't ever do that again," Shasta warned as he made his way towards the women's changing room.

"Is that your gift for Anita? Aren't you going to give it to her in person?" Oliver crawled out of his hole and sat on the table. Shasta stopped, looking down at the dessert. He didn't know if he would be able to handle a confrontation with Anita by giving her the chocolates face to face. So he decided to sneak it into her locker. But then he realized he didn't know what locker she used.

"I can leave it out with a note saying, 'For Anita'," he suggested as he returned to the table.

"Shasta." Oliver put a hand out to stop Shasta from bending over the table to write the note.

"I support you and your pursuit of Anita wholeheartedly. Even though your methods are a little whack, and that's coming from me."

"Thanks."

"But this is the first time you can try to get your feelings across! Take this opportunity and give her the chocolates, so she understands your heart."

"You must be an artist because that was too romantic for any normal man."

"I'm sentimental; sometimes I'm an artist, other times a poet. Now stand there, be a man, and give her the chocolates."

"Give who the chocolates?"

The boys both turned to see that Anita had entered the room, followed by Leigha. Oliver pushed Shasta forward, so he was right in front of Anita. Shasta could feel his entire body heat up, and Shasta was sure his face had turned red. So he thrust out the chocolates towards Anita, keeping his eyes down.

"For Valentine's Day," he mumbled as Anita took the box.

"Thank you, Shasta. I'll be sure to split it with Leigha and Ramona since they helped."

"No!"

Anita jumped back, surprised by his cry and with an almost pleading sound in his voice.

"Just, just for you."

He then dashed off to the men's changing room, leaving Anita in shocked silence. Anita looked at the decorated chocolates, with swirls etched in the sweets.

"Oh, I get it," announced Leigha. Oliver was quick to jump off the table and hauled her off to explain. Anita watched for a moment before looking back at the chocolates. She walked to the changing room, missing Shasta as he sped out of the men's changing room and to the kitchen.

---

Anita was confused. Sure, Shasta had been kind to her after their first meeting. Except when arguing about soulmates. But receiving chocolates after she had given him thank you chocolates was strange. Did this mean he liked her? But he knew she was looking for her soulmate, Norman being the highest contender at the moment. Plus, now Leigha was acting strange, making sneaking glances toward Shasta before snorting and not talking about soulmates or chocolate at all.

"Cyrus is hiding something," admitted Leigha after returning from the back. Why she had gone to check on Cyrus, Anita didn't know.

"I think he got something for Linda as a way to say thank you for Valentine's Day. Do you know if she is coming by today?"

"No, I don't."

"Hmm, we'll have to let Miles and Ramona know so they can make sure he sees her."

Anita nodded, still in a daze. Her consciousness was broken when the door was thrust open. A panicked Norman entered, his outfit looking disheveled as if he had run to get there. He scanned the room until his eyes laid on her. He straightened up his appearance a little even though Anita was watching the whole thing. He proceeded to march towards her with a determined look in his eye. Norman stopped at the edge of the bar, facing her and grabbing everyone's attention. He pulled up his arms, which were holding a bouquet, and bowed his head behind the arrangement.

"Happy White Day, Anita!" He yelled. Anita could feel the warmth spread across her cheeks as she took the flowers from the man. There was a variety of flowers but were all were a mix of pinks and reds. She looked up and smiled.

"Thank you, Norman."

Norman looked up, relieved at seeing her smile.

"You're welcome. And I was also wondering if you would like to go out sometime?"

All the warmth left Anita's face once she heard that question. She still didn't know if he was her soulmate after months of trying to see his hand. She looked at the hand in question to find it straightening his tie before going into his pocket. But he was a nice guy; maybe he was, perhaps he wasn't. They could still at least have a lovely night.

"I would like that. I'm free Friday night," she offered, hiding her embarrassment in the flowers.

"Friday works great. I'm off at 6:00, so we can meet here at 6:30?"

"Alright."

"Alright, see you on Friday." Norman wandered out of the restaurant in a daze, jolted back to consciousness as Frank's car appeared. Norman climbed inside the vehicle, and Frank drove him elsewhere. Once Norman left, Leigha tackled Anita in a hug.

"You did it, girl! You found your soulmate," cheered Leigha.

"I still don't know if he is yet," Anita confessed.

"You like him and he likes you. See where your date goes and takes it from there."

"But what if he isn't my soulmate?" whispered Anita, crushing the stems of the bouquet between her hands. She so wanted him to be her soulmate and now Shasta had added weird new feelings into the mix.

She felt a hand over hers, looking over to see Leigha beaming the smile she and her brother shared.

"Take a moment to put your flowers in a vase or something.”

"Right."

Anita took a deep breath, feeling better as she let it out. She was about to grab a cup when she found Shasta holding a pitcher already halfway filled with water. He was avoiding her gaze as he pushed it to her.

"Thank you." She took the pitcher, placing her flowers inside before heading to the breakroom to put them away. Shasta scurried back to the kitchen. He received questioning looks from both Oliver and Leigha as he went back to work.

---

Miles had learned last night that he could not make chocolate. He could get by with breakfast, lunch and dinner, but dessert was his hubris. He should have figured it out since it took a while to make a parfait correctly at Tormino's. But after receiving Ramona's homemade chocolate for Valentine's Day, Miles failed all last night to make chocolates for White Day. He had stopped by a confectionary store on the way to school that morning to buy her a gift, which he was considering eating to wake himself up before work.

He heard running steps coming from behind where he stood at the corner of the Tormino's parking lot. He turned from his leaning place to find Ramona collide into his chest.

"Sorry," she murmured as she pushed herself off, only to fall back. Miles grabbed her arms to steady her. "No worries, that's what I'm here for," he jested, as Ramona offered a small smile.

He tucked one of her arms under his before leading her across the parking lot.

"You know, with the snow gone, you don't have to help me across the parking lot," she whispered.

Miles checked the area around them to find instead of snow and barren branches that the trees were in full bloom. A couple of Sakura trees were peeking over the wall separating the hospital from the diner.

"I don't mind," he finished with a yawn, then remembered why he was so tired. He reached for his bag and pulled out the small box.

"I couldn't make chocolate, but I hope you like it…as a present for the chocolate on Valentine's Day." He handed her the package with his free hand, and Ramona accepted it. They hadn't discussed the chocolates since Valentine's Day. Miles figured it would be nice to return the favor since she had worked so hard on it.

Miles opened the door for them, leading the two to the breakroom.

"Anita and I will be off in a bit," informed Leigha as Sierra moved a large box from the storage room. Sierra looked over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah, go relax in the breakroom for a bit. Leigha's helping me carry some things."

Too tired to argue, Miles led himself and Ramona over to the breakroom, where the teenagers sat down in two chairs.

"May I open it?"

Startled, Miles looked over to Ramona, who had set her gift on the table, but her other hand was in his own. He let go, moving his arm to remove his school bag.

"Sure."

Ramona smiled, turning back to the small box. She opened the package. Mile blinked as he fought to stay awake during her slow unpacking process. She opened the package to reveal a round chocolate pudding, with a raspberry and a piece of chocolate adorning the top. She clutched at the necklace still around her neck as she smiled at the desert.

"Thank you, Miles, it looks so pretty." She was about to turn to him when she felt something fall on the side of her head.

"Ow," she whispered, trying to look over, only to see Miles' head leaning on her shoulder.

"M-Miles?"

The only response was his rhythmic breathing. Ramona pushed his head up a little but it rolled back along with the rest of his body. She pushed him forward so he wouldn't fall. When he moved, his head fell onto her lap, as Ramona emitted a nervous "eep" when he landed. She looked down to see Miles had fallen asleep. He had dark circles under his eyes, probably from not having slept the night before. Ramona looked around the room, finding no one watching them or approaching the breakroom. She reached her hand over his head and kept her vigilance, while stroking his hair. She was surprised by how soft it was; she looked down to see Miles' tight face relax.

"Thank you for the White Day gift," she whispered as she continued to pet his head.

"I'm so worried; what if he's not my soul mate," Anita's voice echoed down the hall.

"And if he is?" asked Leigha. the two girls entered the breakroom to catch sight of Ramona and Miles. Ramona turned bright red as she pushed Miles off her lap and onto the floor, where he landed under the table with a thud. She squeaked in mortification before rushing to the girls’ locker room with her bag. The small dessert remained on the table. When she slammed the door shut, Miles finally woke up and was confronted by several legs of chairs and two pairs of female legs.

"How did I?" He grumbled as he moved out from under the table, only to see the red face of Anita and his ever-gleeful sister. He scowled as soon as their eyes met.

"Have a nice nap," Leigha teased.

He said nothing as he got up, grabbed his things and stormed off to the men's locker room. When the door slammed shut, Ramona emerged in her uniform. She took the chocolate dessert and rushed off to the front to refrigerate it.

"I don't know if teasing him is the right thing," stated Anita as the girls went to the locker rooms.

"Not like I'm going to get a different reaction if I do something else."

Anita frowned and glanced at the boys’ changing room. The strained siblings she would have to work on as soon as she finished her date with Norman.

---

Cyrus tried to focus on work. And by work, he meant glancing between the security camera footage and the pinball game on the open computer. He even opened next week's schedule to work on that. But the nicely wrapped box in the corner of his office desk distracted him. He knew Leigha saw it earlier and then told the rest of the staff since that girl could not keep a secret.

He was hoping to return the Valentine's Day gift, although not as grand as she had done. Still, it was the thought that counted. But Linda was not showing up at the restaurant for dinner and it closed in half an hour. It gave him a nervous tic as he waited. His knees bounced as his eyes flitted between the computer screen and the present in the corner.

A knock on the door interrupted his anxiety.

"What?!" he snapped, opening the door to find Miles with a bag of food.

"Delivery request. Don't be late." He handed him the bag before Cyrus could argue. Tormino's didn't do delivery. He looked down at the bag to find a sticky note taped with the hospital address and Linda's name on top. She was going to pick it up in five minutes.

Cyrus grabbed his present and dashed out of the restaurant. The staff smirked as he passed them. His long legs carried him twice as fast to the hospital and he ran inside to the front counter.

"I'm here to see Nurse Linda Nordic," he panted, holding up the food.

"Sorry, sir, no outside food allowed."

Right, like Linda had mentioned.

"Is there a breakroom where I can drop it off?"

"Sorry, sir, no outside guests allowed in the staff break room."

"Come on, give me something here. I am making a delivery for Nurse Linda Nordic. Can you at least page her to pick it up?!"

"Cyrus?"

Cyrus turned at the sound of his name to see Linda in her scrubs and a sweater about to head over to pick up her food. He immediately stood at attention and held out the bag.

"Delivery," he panted. Linda smiled, stifling a chuckle behind one of her hands as she came forward to accept the food.

"Thank you, although no outside food is allowed in the hospital."

"So I've heard," he growled, casting a mean glare at the receptionist, who was already back to her typing.

"Well, we do have some benches outside if you want to join me."

Cyrus was about to argue that he should be heading back, but then he remembered the gift he had brought with him. A few minutes away wouldn't hurt.

"The security footage shows no patients on the patio," commented the receptionist.

"Perfect, come on." Linda took hold of Cyrus' hand still holding the bag of food. She led them to the patio around the corner from the front of the building. Building lights lit up the blossoming Sakura trees as Linda picked out a bench for the two of them.

"Thank you for bringing me dinner. Tonight's been crazy, so this helps."

Linda took the bag from Cyrus' hands and opened it. She lifted the lid off the box, smiling as she took in the fresh smell of food.

"No problem, although if I had known, I would have made it for you," he grumbled. Linda was smiling as she took a bite of food.

They sat in silence, due to Linda eating and Cyrus feeling too awkward to say anything. He clenched the present in his hand, surprised she hadn't noticed it.

"Thank you again for dinner."

Startled out of his internal thoughts, Cyrus looked over to see Linda packing up the box and tying the bag.

"Hopefully, it won't be so crazy tomorrow. I can come to see you all again." Linda tossed the bag into the trashcan and started to head back to the hospital.

"Wait," he cried out as he stood, finally finding his voice.

Linda stopped and turned to see a determined Cyrus marching towards her. She was never quite sure what these moments were about when he looked that way. But she usually seemed to like their results.

"Here." He held out a wrapped box, some of the wrapping paper wrinkled along the edges from his tight grip.

"Happy White Day." Linda gasped as she took the box from Cyrus. He had given her White Day gifts before, but usually it was some store-bought chocolates. The package was not store-bought chocolates. She opened the wrapping and the lid of the box, revealing a heart-shaped locket and chain.

"To replace the old one, I got you back in high school. You had mentioned it to Ramona when she showed you the necklace," he stated as she picked up the delicate silver thing.

"It looks exactly like it, but newer. Can you help me put it on?" She held out the necklace to him, moving her hair with the other hand.

"Are you sure you're allowed?" he asked as he took the necklace. Linda turned around as Cyrus moved his arm around her, so the chain rested on her collar.

"It should be fine for the next few hours." She reached up to touch the metal as she felt Cyrus fiddling with the clasp. When it was secure around her neck, Cyrus let it fall before taking a step back. Linda spun around to let him see.

"You know, this locket will need a picture," she smirked.

Cyrus shrugged, "Probably, I don't think you put one in the old one."

"I did, one of the photo booth ones I made you get in."

Cyrus scrunched his eyebrows, not remembering when they had done that. While he was trying to remember, Linda pulled him back to her and took her phone out of her sweater pocket. She attempted to hold it up to take a picture, but her arms were too short.

"I'll do it," he snapped as Cyrus took the phone from her hand and took the picture.

"One more for safety," advised Linda.

Cyrus groaned but got into position again, about to take the picture when he saw Linda kiss his cheek. She snatched the phone out of his hand to make sure he gotten the photo. Once she was satisfied, she ran back to the hospital

"Happy White Day, Cyrus!" She called out before going back inside, leaving him frozen on the patio. Ten minutes after Linda left, Shasta and Oliver pulled him away to lock up the restaurant. Ex-girlfriends didn't kiss ex-boyfriends. And friends did not kiss friends.