"Dude, did you see her?"

I could feel Tony shaking me but my mind was elsewhere. She is to be the new waitress? Well, that's if she actually gets the job and why the heck was my heart racing?

"Haruto! Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, Yeah."

"She's your type," Tony said.

"What? Why would you say that?" I asked, finally zipping my backpack. "You just saw her, nothing more and you assume she's my type?"

"Haruto, you know I sense these things," Tony said, laying his hand on my shoulder and patting me. "All you have to do is trust me."

"Could you please stop with the matchmaking? You do realize that you are still single, right?" I shot back, nervously.

"That does not negate the fact that I am a perfect matchmaker, and I am single because I choose to," Tony replied smiling.

"Yeah well, we need to leave," I said, heading towards the door.

"Dude, I say we wait for like ten to fifteen minutes and get a better look at her."

"You want us to stalk her? Are you mental?"

"Okay, enough with the weird colloquial. All I am saying is that I feel it, deep down Haruto. You know how I am with these things. And I know you feel it too so stop acting all weird."

"First of all, I don't feel anything."

Why was I lying to him? My heart had picked up the pace because all that he was saying was true. Was I afraid to own up to my feelings or was I just scared that I was not good enough for her?

"I know you are self-loathing right now and wondering whether you are worthy to even have a simple crush. Dude, you are an incredible human being. With your belly fat and all. You are like...the cutest teddy bear!"

"Ewww, you are making it sound so weird when you say it like that. And I am not self-loathing, I am simply being critical of my image."

"Same thing man."

"Wait, where are you going? We are supposed to head to the metro."

"Dude, we are going to grab some lemonade and wait for her to leave the interview. Then, you will see what I mean," Tony said and walked into The Siesta, forcing me to follow him.

"Tony! Same as usual?"

"Yeah, make it a double. I have Haruto with me." He replied and sat at the bar, gesturing for me to take the seat beside him.

"It is weird that you guys come to a bar for lemonade,"  Gus said, polishing our glasses. "Really weird but I absolutely get it."

"Oh Gus, you simply make the best lemonades we know," Tony said, reaching for his glass. "And we have been through this over a hundred times so, quit wondering."

"Hey Gus," I said, sitting beside Tony, defeated.

"What's with the long face?" He asked, pushing my glass towards me.

"Haruto here has met the love of his life and is too chicken to approach her," Tony replied before I could get a word in.

"You need to stop alluding to things, Tony. We barely know her," I shot back, sipping my lemonade. "I don't know how you do it Gus but this is really good."

"Do not change the subject Haruto," Gus said, smiling. "Who is this mystery woman?"

"She might be a new waitress at Ramen Shoppe. We saw her as we left work today and Haruto here zoned out for a while," Tony said.

"I did not zone out, I was merely preoccupied with leaving work."

"What makes you think that she is the love of his life?" Gus asked, walking away to clear part of the counter. "Well, the guys who just left sure are drunk as hell. They left me a hundred dollar bill for drinks that cost only fifty. Praise my ancestors, ey?"

"That can cover the lemonades," Tony shot back, smiling.

"Nope. Not today Tony. Today, you pay and tip well too!"

"Yeah yeah. Okay, back on topic. I don't know. I am the one who saw most of her as Haruto here was packing," Tony said. "It is simply how she looked that struck me. She looks like the kind of lady that would make him happy, you know? That would love his fluff and all."

"Wow, you are being really emo right now Tony," Gus said, chuckling. "What about you Haruto? You have been sipping that lemonade like it's the water of life."

"I don't know," I whispered. "I just don't know."

"Well, you'd better make your mind up fast because there she goes," Tony said, grabbing his bag off the stool and slamming a twenty on the table. "Consider yourself tipped for life Gus. Come on, we gotta go!"

"Tony! Are you being serious?!" I called out to him.

"Dude, get a move on!" He replied without stopping.

"He is unbelievable!" I took a long sip of my lemonade and quickly followed suit.

"Go get her Haruto!" Gus said.

Good God, what is wrong with these people?

"Could you not be any creepier?" I whispered to Tony, pulling him back. "I am sure she will notice us lurking behind her."

"Um, no. We are heading to the metro and to our advantage, this is the only path. Haruto, chill out. I just want us to get a better look at her okay?"

"Does it matter? We will see her at work anyway."

"Well, are we sure she will have the same shift as us?"

"I mean, maybe. She is replacing Anita so..."

"I do have to say, your dreams are going to come true Haruto," Tony said coyly, walking a few feet away from her. 

She was texting someone and one of her earphones was in her ear. I wonder what kind of music she likes.

"Why are you saying it like that?"

"Well, I know for certain she is your type because she fits the ideal woman you envisioned when you were in University. Looks-wise that is. And I am happy that she actually exists. That your idea of what you want in a woman has been manifested right before our- oh shit!"

Tony abruptly stopped walking and bent down to tie his shoe, forcing me to follow him to the ground, thinking that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to pick him up.

"Dude, she has stopped walking!"

"So?"

"So, I do not want to pass her, I want to walk behind her!"

"Are you kidding me? And you think that pretending to tie your shoe is any better?" I replied, getting up.

"I am buying us time!" He whispered.

What I saw when I got up made my heart stop. Just for a millisecond but that was all it took. She had turned around and we locked eyes. I just stared back wondering whether she actually saw me. Was it weirder that I was simply looking at her, with a blank face and a racing heart? When I saw her put on her other earphone and quickly turn away, I thought that maybe I was not the one she was looking at. Maybe she had not seen me.