Tainted (Erenxblackreader)

Encounter (XIV)

It was a usual afternoon for Nathan Gorūden. He had just finished work at the studio he worked at in downtown Manhattan and, to treat himself, headed over to his favorite coffee shop 20 minutes away. The streets leading to this place were slightly compressed, the tall buildings towering over the pedestrians and the 6-foot brown skin man.

Nate walked on the sidewalk, periodically traveling his eyes all around the little shops he came across, admiring the little lights wrapped around the poles and cool fresh air that brushed against his skin. He lifted his arm to look at the watch around his wrist: 4:30 pm. It's probably morning in Japan, he thought. It had been a month since he came to the U.S for this business trip his boss(Ackerman) insisted on him going to. He tried to avoid it, but Levi convinced him this trip was worth the risk.

"Workaholic" he grumbled. He always admired his boss for his work, but felt annoyed. The man is literally dominating the market and media, yet still wants to exceed. That behavior left Nathan impressed but scared him at the same time. A low scoff escaped his lips as he grabbed the handle of the coffee shop, pulling it open to be greeted by a familiar voice.

"Hey darling, welcome back!" a female voice called out.

Nate slowly turned his head to look at the woman. Nodding, he closed the transparent doors behind him and walked closer to the woman at the counter, a huge smile plastered over his face.

"Hi Miranda"

❣︎𝑇𝐴𝐼𝑁𝑇𝐸𝐷❣︎

Miranda was a 60-year-old Native American woman with waist-length hair tied in a low bun. Her skin was a medium brown, with minor wrinkles sprawled across her face and fingers. Her eyes displayed a beautiful dark brown that showed others how tender she is. If it wasn't for the grey strands of hair and her sinking hooded eyes, she'd easily be mistaken as a young lady from a distance.

"So how was work today? I see you went casual today" she brought her voice down as she began wiping away the melted ice from the bar counter, distancing her body so her apron wouldn't get wet. Nate sat on one of the tall stools, using his weight to twist it around and watch the pedestrians outside the clear glass.

"Oh..you noticed," he let out a breathy laugh, pleased she complimented his appearance "Yeah, had little to do today, so I didn't bother dressing up"

"Ah, I see. Would you like the usual?"

"Yes, please"

He did go casual today. It didn't even look like he went to work today because all he wore was black cargo pants with a matching hoodie that covered his shoulder-length locks. Getting off the stool, he headed towards an empty table and took a seat. The shop wasn't packing today. There were 5-10 people present, laughing and chattering while enjoying the delicious snacks and warm coffee Miranda's Cub offered.

To pass the time while waiting for his order, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and texted Sheila (your mom) to check up on her. He'd been working all this week, so he didn't have time to communicate. Not that she had a problem with it because it seems a certain someone kept her busy.

"Ugh. I don't want to think about that" he felt repulsed. No one wants to think about their parent's love/sex life.

"Uh...Nathan?.....Nathan...Nathan!"

"I- huh?...oh" the woman's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hi. This is your order right?"

"Yeah... thanks. Sorry, I got carried away" he apologized, placing his phone down and dragging the tray in front of him. He ordered a hot chocolate with a croissant filled with cream cheese. Just because that's what he was craving. Lifting his head, he grinned.