𝚂𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 - 𝙸. 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚢𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

4 - Awkward Encounters

CHAPTER FOUR

Walking into the slightly dimmed bar dubbed White Rabbit, '90s hits played from several overhead speakers and Nishida approached the large circular bar in the center of the room. The blonde situated herself onto a stool before she propped her elbow up on the bar and rested her chin on her palm, glancing over to where Matsuda stood a few feet away, chatting with a very familiar face.

Pro hero Midnight was no stranger to White Rabbit nor Matsuda. It was a stroke of luck that the beautiful raven-haired heroine whom he had always admired had walked into his bar over a year ago, but the friendship they began to build afterward had nothing to do with luck. Their late-night conversations had helped him begin to see past the darkness of his mind and being in her presence helped to remind him of the person he once was, not the shell he had regressed into being.

Though Matsuda was an outgoing individual, he didn't have many close friends as he often kept himself at an arm's length after being burned one too many times. He settled for one-night stands and brief flings to satisfy any need for intimacy, knowing that once someone becomes attached he'd be the first to cut and run to avoid his own inevitable heartache. Kayama, however, was persistent and challenged him. She didn't judge him for his shortcomings but instead encouraged him to accept himself for who he was, but most importantly she always came back. She had found a way to wiggle herself into his heart - and that scared the shit out of him. After all, she was the incredible Midnight, there was no way she'd be interested in some loser bartender anyway.

After becoming curious about the bartender upon their first meeting, the heroine's visits became more frequent and lengthy. Seeing the tortured soul underneath Matsuda's charming smirk and playful persona, Kayama Nemuri found a likeness in both their personalities and their traumas that led her to befriend him, giving him a taste of normalcy he hadn't had in years. While she was also one to keep her heart guarded, the more they bonded, the more attached she became...not that she would admit that to herself, of course.

Kayama smiled coyly at the dark-haired bartender as he made her another Sex on the Beach. "You know, Matsuda, you really should roll up your sleeves. You're doing yourself a disservice by hiding those forearms of yours."

"Sounds like you're just looking for some eye candy tonight, Nemuri," he smirked at her.

"Maybe you should humour me then," Kayama tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked up at him with a playful glint in her eye.

Pausing his actions mid-pour, Matsuda shook out his arms before straightening his left sleeve with his right hand and unthreading the cuff button. He folded the black fabric up to his elbows before repeating the action to the opposite sleeve, glancing up at Kayama with a knowing upturn of his lips as she let out a wolf whistle.

"Now that's more like it," Kayama grinned, her heart softly fluttering at the sight of his charming smirk. "You gotta stop holding out on me, Matsu."

"No promises," he murmured, his enamoured oceanic eyes meeting with hers as he slid her drink in front of her.

Glancing to his left, Matsuda noticed Nishida now seated at the opposite end of the bar and he couldn't help the small smile that played upon his lips as he watched her attempt to blow a wisp of hair out of her eyes. Cute.

Holding her chin in her hand, Nishida crossed her eyes while she focused on the strand of hair that had come loose from her messy bun. After several failed attempts at her hands-free method, she sighed and used her hand to brush it back. She'd be a fool not to have noticed the unwavering attention Matsuda had provided the nearby heroine with and while Nishida wished that he looked at her that way, she knew that would never happen - she couldn't hold a candle to Midnight.