A/N: Decided to give you some Haruto time before more dreaded Mason and Benji buffoonery XD Anyways, enjoy <3

Ollie's POV

"You're an absolute idiot, Ollie." Courtney had said for the umpteenth time today. "He most definitely meant you!"

"There's no way!" I shot back. I turned to Mahealani for backup, but she shook her head.

"Court's right, Ollie. He wasn't subtle one bit."

"There's no way that Haruto would look at me and think I had more to offer than those other amazingly beautiful people that come into this shop."

Mahealani sipped her iced coffee rather loudly. "He's totes in love. There's no doubt about that."

"You're wrong."

Courtney scoff. "It's like you're trying to deny yourself of him when he's obviously into you. Who else could this adorable idiot be? Besides that description is spot on."

"No," I drawled. "If he was, and did mean me, where is he now? Tuesdays, he works the 3-10 pm shift. And he's not here now, is he?"

Courtney looked at me with a pointed look. "I mean it is getting close to their thesis deadline, right? It's a week before our finals. He's probably got a bunch of work for that."

Letting out a sigh, I took another sip of the subpar cold brew. "Besides, we haven't really talked since then, even the other day when he was working, they were so busy that he couldn't sit with me during his lunch."

"Doesn't mean he doesn't like you."

"Whatever. I just don't want to get my hopes up, alright?"

Courtney rolled her eyes before turning to her girlfriend. "He's hopeless. How is he that good at school but literally has no common sense?"

"I'm right here, Court."

"Physically. Mentally, I'm not sure anymore."

"Whatever."

Mahealani chuckled before something caught her eye out the window. "Hey, isn't that prince charming? In the flesh."

Both Courtney and I whipped our heads, to see Haruto himself walking past the giant window. I almost didn't recognize him, his outfit far different from his norm. Was that a suit?

"No," I groaned, not because I didn't want to see him, but thought how awkward it would be with the girls here. They were most definitely not subtle as they hit each other's arms with a squeal. Internally, though, my mind was doing the same, freaking out as the chime to the door rang. He even had a tie and matching pocket square on.

"Yes," Courtney hissed. He stepped through the door, and I never wanted to hide my face more than I did at that moment. He looked towards Mi-young and Janice who manned the registers before his eyes scanned the cafe, settling at our table. He waved, smiling at us.

"He's hotter in person, geez, Ollie." I kicked Courtney for that comment which earned me her signature glare. "I mean look at him. He's even got a fancy-schmancy suit on."

Mahealani nodded approvingly before giving Haruto a sheepish wave. He strode over to the registers, Janice getting him a cup of water just as Courtney gripped her shoulder bag. "I think it's time to go."

"What?"

Even Mahealani looked at her funnily, but Courtney gave her a stern look. "Right babe?"

"Wait, why?"

Courtney scratched her head. "Yeah, sorry. I totally forgot we had something to do, right babe?"

Mahealani's brow rose but she nodded her head aggressively after. "Oh, yeah, lots of things to do, sorry. Can't keep it waiting."

"Girls," I whispered, bordering a whine. "Don't leave me."

Alone with him, I wanted to add. I wasn't ready to face him, not after that giant bombshell he shared. What if he was meeting that person here. Seriously, it looked like he was going on some fancy date. I couldn't just stay here awkwardly by myself. Courtney gave me an impish smile.

"Rude."

"Bye," Courtney sang-song, before whispering lowly. "Enjoy your Haruto time."

"He's not mine," I hissed back, just as Haruto had neared the table.

He tilted his head, a curious glint in his eyes after he waved to the two girls leaving me behind. "Hm?"

"Nothing," I rushed out, a wave of warmth rushing to my cheeks. He looked out of place in that suit of his. Even his hair had been styled. "Um, nice to see you? Didn't know you were off today, or busy or anything. Very fancy suit you got. Got a date or something?"

I wanted to smack myself. What was I saying?

"Oh." He looked down as if forgetting his outfit, before grinning. "Yeah, actually."

"Oh. I see." I couldn't quite mask the disappointment on my face at that. Of course, he did, I had told the girls that this was likely, yet it still felt like another stab to the chest. "With that person, you were telling me about?"

"With my professor, actually," he added abruptly as if catching himself. "Thesis deadline. Wanted me to dress the part to practice this morning."

"Oh," I said, relieved, my shoulder relaxing a bit. "But a suit and a tie?"

"Yeah," he laughed it off. "He's a bit serious about this thesis business, but he's a great mentor. Anyways, coffee alright? Mi-young's cold brew is better than Janice's, I bet."

"Could be better," I agreed. "Nothing beats yours though."

"Want me to make you some?"

I shook my head, gesturing to the half-empty cup. "It's alright. I'm assuming you took the day off, then?"

He hummed, before leaning over the table. "Yup, you hungry?"

"I'm not allowing you to steal from your store again."

"No, I mean for real food. Street food? Make up for the fallen shrimp tempura and overwhelming mall experience."

"Uh, I don't think I've had street food. Unless you count the taco truck on campus."

Haruto feigned a hurt expression. "You haven't tried any of the vendors from Chinatown? They have the best food, and it's all relatively cheap. We can go now, it shouldn't be crazy busy."

I glanced down at the table. After his crush-revealing news, I had told myself I wouldn't allow myself to be swept into these temptations, but the rumbling in my stomach and the promise of food wasn't easy to turn down. Especially coming from Haruto.

Clearing my throat, I pointed to his suit. "Dressed like that?"

"Many of the regulars go there straight from their offices after work, you'd be surprised to see that most of the patrons wear their fancy business suits or dresses."

"Aren't you tired, though? You had that thesis thing and—"

"I'm not tired one bit, just extremely hungry. I can show you my favorites."

The offer was too perfect not to reject. I mean, food and hanging out with Haruto. I could almost forget about that last conversation we had. Not to mention ogle at him in a suit—not saying he didn't look good in his normal cafe attire, but this was definitely a step up. I tanked the last remaining quarter of the drink before letting out a sigh. "Sure, let's get some food, then."

He beamed like he had won the lottery as he waited for me to pack my belongings. He gathered my trash and threw it away for me as Mi-young and Janice had waved to us with a curious glint in their eyes on the way out. I could almost pretend to ignore that with Haruto's promise of food.

He held the door open dramatically, gesturing to the street like a fancy doorman before pointing towards Chinatown. "It shouldn't be too terrible to walk there, right? Or would you like to wait for a bus or taxi?"

"Walking is fine," I said, pretending it wasn't just cause walking meant more time with him.

He grinned. "You're not allergic to anything, right?"

"Not that I'm aware of." I let out a laugh. Unless you wanted to include Mason and Benji, I wanted to add.

"Good, there's some really amazing tteokbokki, taiyaki, and takoyaki I want to show you."

"Uh, what now?"

"You'll see; they're a staple street food in Chinatown. About the closest to being in an authentic street market as you can get, without having to pay thousands to fly there."

"You've been there? Japan? Or China?"

"Once, when I was a kid I went to Japan with the both of them. " Haruto talked with his hands, almost hitting a passerby as they walked past us. He ushered an apology before turning to me. "I don't really remember it, but my parents loved going there for dates before I was born."

As we neared the edge of the park, across the street from Chinatown, I admired the sight of the gateway that marked the area. It was only about a block, but with the number of shops all condensed together, it seemed like an entire city of its own. The red decor and iconic colorful roofs are almost an unofficial landmark in the city. I passed by it how many times on the bus but had never visited once.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He whispered just a few inches from my ear, his hot breath sending a wave of goosebumps down my neck and arms. I was grateful I had a long-sleeve shirt on to hide it. "Although, it's not completely taken care of, the food and market stalls are totally worth it. It can get pretty hectic in the narrow alleyways, so just stay close to me. If it's too crowded we can leave too."

I merely nodded, wishing to tell him that I wouldn't pull a mall 2.0 scene, especially since Mason and Benji would never have gone to a place like Chinatown. I don't think either of them particularly liked much of Asian cuisine. Mason, maybe, but Benjamin was very set on Americanized food last I remembered, even Sriracha had been too spicy for him.

A couple of pedestrians glanced at Haruto's suit in wonder, but most, as he assured earlier, didn't find it odd at all. And as we entered Chinatown, hardly anyone had found it strange at all.

Languages of all sorts were being thrown out there as we passed by. From the familiar sound of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean that I recognized from campus, there were other southeastern Asian languages I could sort of pinpoint. A Filipino couple was manning an adobo and lumpia stall, while one elderly man was selling Bahn mi across them. Haruto bowed his head to a few of them in respect, and I followed suit in respect, to which they smiled and mimicked. Haruto led us to a couple of stalls, pointing at some of the food they offered. Some more hearty meals, while others offered dessert or drink items. It was so lively, vibrant, and filled with so many unique smells that were worlds better than the sterile smell at the mall. My stomach growled at all the delicious food, even though I hardly recognized most of the food offered.

"Here, this way," Haruto directed, pointing to a rickety cart with wheels near a dimly lit area of the corridor. "It's the best bao in town, I promise."

"Bao?"

"Steamed buns. I recommend the classic pork belly he serves." As we neared the stall, I bowed my head as we had to other vendors, where the man greeted Haruto in Mandarin. Curiously, I watched as Haruto ordered a couple of them from the man, thanking him in the man's native tongue is what sounded like perfect Mandarin. The buns were still warm, vegetable toppings rested on top of the decadent and perfectly crisp pork belly. "I could eat these all day if I wanted."

"I didn't think you knew Chinese."

"I know enough to order from most of these places," Haruto commented. "My pronunciation isn't the greatest, but the people understand."

We stopped to rest in a less-trafficked area, where we bit into our bao, something I had never experienced before. The bread was fluffy, on the sweeter side, which complemented the pork and vegetable flavoring perfectly. Practically scarfing the remainder of it, Haruto smirked. "Good, right?"

"My God, why haven't I come here before. This is so good."

"The best," he agreed before pointed further down the walkway. There's this excellent spring roll and Bahn mi station down on the right, and up ahead we have—what I like to call—dessert heaven. This is what I mostly come here for, the desserts."

As we neared some of the stalls, there was one serving what appeared to be ice cones, another serving ice cream of unique flavors I've never seen in more Americanized ice cream shops. Next to that stall was a small boba stand. Haruto bypassed both of those, approaching one that seemed to be pouring pancake batter into molds.

"What this?" I pointed at the fish-shaped item on the side of the griddle.

"Taiyaki, it's a classic. That and Takoyaki are a popular treat in Japan. I think you'll love the taiyaki more, though."

"Why a fish?"

"Legend has it that it represents a fish that symbolizes luck and fortune," he said matter-of-factly. "I think it's also just fun and enjoyable this way. It's usually served with red bean paste in the center, but you might like the custard one more."

He greeted the shop owner, this time in perfect Japanese, paying for the treats with his card before handing me one of the taiyakis. "Custard. Unless you want to try the azuki bean. It's kind of an acquired taste, but it's one of my favorites. Wanna try?"

He tilted his dessert towards me expectantly, and despite the swirling of other patrons around us, all I could think was why not? I leaned forward, taking a bite of his taiyaki, getting a mouthful of the azuki beans, letting the flavor ruminate for a bit. It was interesting, to say the least, not something I'd expect with this type of bread, but it wasn't terrible. I hummed, before taking a bite of the custard one, a taste I was more familiar with. He tiled his head. "So?"

"I think I prefer the custard. Thanks, though."

He laughed. "Yeah, I think I started with the custard too."

The taiyakis were larger than the bao, so we savored it near an empty spot, watching as people came and went, ordering all kinds of food and desserts. After finishing off the last few bites, I felt the first drop of rain on the back of my hand. Then another, larger this time. Haruto felt it too as he looked up at the sky, which had become darker than earlier when we first arrived.

"Ah crap," he said under his breath, catching me off guard as the raindrops came down harder. With his hand on my upper back, he pointed toward a part of the sidewalk an awning covered. "Let's go this way."

I held my hand up to the rain as we stepped under the awning, the rain coming down steadily. "Where did this rain come from?"

"Who knows, I thought the weatherman said it would be clear today."

"They're always wrong." The rain fell through my outstretched hand. "Should we wait it out?"

He pointed up at the dark clouds surrounding us. "I don't think it's going to clear anytime soon."

"We could try one of the buses? I don't know which run through the area though." I hummed, pulling my phone out to check the app.

"Or we could run back to the cafe?"

"In the rain?" I pointed to his suit, which had already gotten wet on the sleeves and collar. "Your suit, though."

"It'll dry," he trailed before looking at my shoulder bag. My eyes trailed to it, noticing the edges of the folders had gotten wet. Water droplets had gotten onto the fabric cover of my laptop too. "Your bag."

"Oh shit."

"Here." Haruto had slid his jacket off, revealing the long-sleeved white dress shirt. Without hesitation, he draped it over my shoulders. The bottom hem of the suit covered my bag with ease.

"Haruto." I turned to him. "You'll get wet though, you hold onto it. Your jacket will be ruined."

"It's fine," he insisted, before pointing back to the booths that were clearing out. A few of the vendors were moving things from the main walkway, some even packing up for the day in case the rain persisted. "Let's go back to the cafe. We can wait it out there. The girls might've left a spare umbrella somewhere. There might even be a poncho or spare clothes in the locker room."

"You sure? What if you get sick?"

A mischievous look crossed his face. "Well, then I have someone to nurse me back to health."

I blinked, letting out a nervous laugh as the coat slipped from my shoulders slightly. "Yeah, sure."

"Here, let me fix it." He stepped closer, almost impossibly close, that I could feel the heat of his body even through our clothes. I stiffened, unsure of what to do but to stay absolutely still. His hands wrapped around my shoulders before pulling the coat above my head as well, wrapping the presumably expensive suit sleeves around my neck like a makeshift cape. As cliche as it sounded, time seemed to slow down, my heart rapping at my chest as he hovered above me. My eyes fixated on his tie, a deep royal blue. Had this been some romantic movie, this was where the main character would tug on the tie and pull the other into a kiss, but how could I think to do that when I wasn't even sure if Haruto even had that kind of thoughts about me or men in general. For all I know, he was with that other person, maybe even as far as to intimate with them.

"Shall we?" He extended his hand out, the water runs off soaking the right side of his shirt in a matter of seconds. Not trusting my words, I simply nodded, placing my hand in his. With a soft smile, he gently pulled me through the market stalls of Chinatown, before we rushed down the sidewalk towards the familiar glow of the coffee shop.