aladdin sane

I finally gave Natsume Youji his clothes the next day, because I'd told him about them before, but I guessed we'd forgotten about it. He showed up early for the second time in a row. "Thank you," he said, but then he tossed the paper bag containing them to the side, so I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic. Ootsuki Rima saw this. She saw me. She stared at me. I fell apart, seam by seam. 

We'd been open for an hour and only had two clients: the same old man as usual, and a middle-aged woman that walked in with a dog. Ootsuki Rima called Mr. Clarence on the phone about this, but apparently he told her that we didn't have the luxury to chase clients off. Besides, dogs were more sanitary than people these days. That's what she told me. While she and I stood listlessly at the counter, Natsume Youji worked at the kitchen. I heard him sing (tunelessly) from the room behind us. 

"He's in a good mood," noted Ootsuki Rima.

"Y-yeah."

"Something fun happen last night?"

"Uh... maybe. Not that I know of."

She snorted.

Sometime later, the classmate that never talked to her showed up again. I went to attend her. However, instead of ordering, she asked, "Where's the guy with piercings?"

"Natsume Y—san? Do you need him for something?"

She toyed with the pages of the menu like they couldn't fold. If she ruined them, what would I tell Mr. Clarence? I literally didn't breathe as she did this. "...would it be possible for him to take my order?"

"Oh. Sure? Could you please stop doing that?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The... the menu."

She stopped, then apologized. Since she was nice about it, I told Ootsuki Rima to look for Natsume Youji because I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't tell her the last part. "Talk to him yourself," she replied, as she typed on her phone. "I'm busy."

"It's just that, um. I don't want to talk to him today."

"Why? Did he cheat on you?"

"What."

"What." But then she smirked at me. I'd never seen this side of Ootsuki Rima. I thought she was nice. She covered my shifts when I was busy with college and couldn't show up. Still, she stood up, then headed up to the kitchen. Natsume Youji emerged moments later, and I stiffened. As in, my whole body. That sounded dirty. I hardened? Worse. I'd really lose it at this point.

Natsume Youji took the girl's order. For the second time since I'd first seen her, she smiled. She looked at him until he reached the kitchen again. If she had been a guy, she would've stiffened in the dirty way. 

"Are you guys boyfriends?" Asked Ootsuki Rima. The woman and her dog left. She had ordered a slice of pie for her dog, but the mongrel didn't even eat half of it. 

"...no. Why would you think that?"

"Let's see: he carried you to the couch the other day. He left with you on his motorcycle. You got him this job. You just gave him back clothes. You keep staring at him. Do you think I'm stupid?"

The imagery of him carrying me after I slid off the motorcycle ripped another seam. "I... it's just a coincidence."

"So you think I'm stupid." She huffed. "Fine, then I'll ask h—"

"No!" The schoolgirl, old man and a couple drinking coffee near the window all looked at me in unison. I crouched behind the counter to hide. At this point I didn't care anymore. No one had gone to pick up the dog's leftovers yet. 

Before I could elaborate, Natsume Youji emerged from the kitchen. "Isao? Are you okay?"

Ootsuki Rima smirked again. I couldn't tell if she was nice or not. She was better at running this business than Mr. Clarence, if that said anything. "No," I mumbled. "Um. Wait. Yes. I'm okay."

He knelt next to me. Why did he keep doing that, sinking to my level? I couldn't help it; I leered at him before scooting away. Where somebody normal might have taken the hint, he asked, instead: "Are you sure?"

"Go away."

"All right. If you need me, I'll be back at the kitchen. Rima-chan, same goes to you. I'm the oldest one here after all." 

I didn't need to see to know he'd grinned at her. So they were on a first-name basis already? Same with me, I guessed, but still...

I didn't stand up until he left, but then he went out again to give the girl her order, so I crouched, then erected myself soon after. That sounded even worse than stiffened and hardened. I wished I could stop thinking.

Another regular walked in—a businessman that always ordered black coffee. It kind of made no sense to me since he ordered it with six spoonfuls of sugar, but to each their own, I supposed. After Ootsuki Rima came back from serving the coffee candy, she told me, "Don't worry. I'm an expert on the subject."

"Um."

"Also... I was kidding earlier, you know."

"Yes."

"I won't tell Natsume-san about it. Just... if you guys ever do it at the break room, please put a sign, because—"

I fled to the kitchen.