The weather's been really cold lately. Stay warm and try your best not to catch a cold! :)

Has anyone been wondering what I've been doing during my long hiatus? Well, my dad hired me to teach him some English, so I did. But I got fired in less than ten minutes.

In case you haven't noticed, this is a little gift for my friend, Ryu! Ryu, a.k.a. Ryuchu, is one of my closest friends on this site. I started reading her stories back when I was a newbie (about three years ago) and I'm still following her updates~ Her stories are jaw-droppingly amazing. I swear there's no words to describe how awesome they are! Reading her fanfics always motivates me to write and I hope to become a great writer like her. If you haven't read any of her stories you're missing out on a lot so go visit her profile whenever you can!

A little message for Ryu: Ryu, I'm really happy that I was able to become good friends with you over the years and I hope we will keep being friends. :) I haven't actually done anything for you besides leave crazy reviews filled with nonsense, so I thought I should make this for you. I know I have a lot of mistakes here and there but I hope you enjoy this fanfic! :)

Paradigm

Dedicated to – Ryuchu

Day 1

Aria stood behind the counter watching every movement as she tapped her fingers against the marble counter. She observed the forlorn figures with her glistening opaque eyes as the people chatted lively to one another or quietly occupy themselves with something as they sipped their morning tea. Her gaze finally rested on a table a few feet away, and she stayed patiently behind the counter waiting for something to happen.

The high school student has been working as a waitress at her favorite café not too long ago. Aria was inexperienced, but she was determined to excel at whatever task she was given.

Aria slowly bent down to reach a clean towel without looking away. She stood waiting—waiting for it to trigger.

And finally it happened.

A loud crash gathered everyone's attention, and Aria's eyes focused on the shattered glass resting on the floor she mopped a few hours ago.

A young tealette somewhere around Aria's age stood from her chair with her hands clenched from anger; her eyes were sharp as she glared at the blue-haired acquaintance sitting across from her, staring at the broken glass on the floor before turning to look at the girl.

"That's it!" The tealette cried, reaching to grab her purse resting next to her. "We're over!" The helpless acquaintance only looked back in disbelief as he watched her long teal-colored hair dancing violently behind her as she strode away titanically; her eyes shone with virtue.

By now Aria had already stepped in and began picking up the broken pieces, careful of everything around her so she wouldn't get her delicate fingers cut. She ignored the customer who slapped a few bills on the table before catching up to the diva who had just walked out. Unfortunately Aria found herself letting out a small shriek when the boy accidently bumped into her and her fingers made contact with the sharp glass in her grasp. Aria quickly extracted her hand to her chest as if she idiotically touched a blazing fire. Her eyes met the dazzling red color on the tip of her fingers and she made no move. How long did she sit there and stare at it? She did not know. Aria's mind was scattered everywhere until she caught sight of a hand holding a blue handkerchief right in front of her.

Aria looked up like every girl seemed to do in a sappy love story, and saw a man—a foreigner —his face emotionless as he waited patiently for her to accept his offer.

"Thank you," she said quietly, reaching to grab the cloth.

Aria half-expected him to crouch down next to her and help, but the man swiftly moved around the mess and left the store without a single word. She watched him until he was out of sight and slowly lowered her gaze at the handkerchief in her hand, now mixed with red.

Day 2

Aria pulled out the handkerchief from the pocket of her apron—clean and blood-free—as she watched the foreigner from yesterday making his way to sit on the table parallel from her station. She watched him sit in his usual seat and take his time flipping a few pages of his book as he sat cross legged, unaware of her stares.

Aria knew who he was. He wasn't a human being that popped out of nowhere. He was a regular; a man who came into the café every day, order the same drink (a simple order of Earl Grey), sits on the same spot and reading the same book every single day. He would mind his own business and she would mind hers. Aria never minded him until now. He was there for as long as she could remember. He was there when she first started working.

So when Aria came over to his table with his tea, she eyed the man as the cup landed on the table. The foreigner didn't look up or act as though he noticed her presence. Watching him made her wish he would look at her. She wanted him to notice her. Aria frowned as she returned to her station and dug into her pocket until she felt the soft cloth against the tips of her fingers.

She watched him engrossed in the same book, occasionally stopping to take a sip of his tea from time to time. There's something about the foreigner that makes her enjoy observing him. Aria blinked as she watched him flip the page of his book. Sometime it would be fast, and sometime it would take hours until he finally flips the page.

Day 3

The man would come into the same café, sit on the same spot and read the same book from the beginning. Aria watched him read the same book for a long time that it made her wonder if he knew the words to the book word by word.

He doesn't say anything.

It makes Aria wonder.

Day 4

Today is the same day as any other day. The man would come in, order, and open the book. But what Aria found so intruding is that the man wasn't reading today. Instead he looked ahead as if there was something that captured his attention. So when Aria arrived with his usual order, she almost lost her footing when she surprisingly gazed into his pale moss-colored eyes.

It struck her how fascinating he is.

She watched him throughout the day and finally made her move near nightfall when the store was about to close and everyone needed to leave. What startled her was when the foreigner seemed shaken when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Aria took a step back as she watched the man rise from his seat. She observed him do a small bow before walking away with the book in his hand. When she glanced at his tea, it was cold and half empty, just like him.

He would always finish it before walking out.

Day 5

The day frightened her.

Something felt out of place when Aria observed the almost-empty café and finally stopped at the usual-occupied table. She squeezed the soft cloth in her hand, wondering if he'll come back tomorrow. Throughout the day Aria wondered if something happened to him. She hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

She still needed to return his handkerchief.

Day 6

The foreigner finally made a move.

When the man signaled Aria to come over and take his order, he surprised her by ordering two drinks instead of one. Aria blinked for a second before jotting it down and taking it to the head cook. When she came back with the two cups, the man moved his gaze toward her in wonder as Aria was about to leave.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Yes?"

"You gave me two," said the man, his dull green eyes looking directly at her glistening blue eyes.

"You ordered two," said Aria, silently reminding herself this is the first time she's having an actual conversation with him.

The man blinked for a second before averting his eyes somewhere else.

"Sir, do you not remember?" Aria questioned.

The foreigner didn't reply.

"Is it alright if I sit with you?"

Aria gasped before realizing what she had just said. She blushed in embarrassment and racked her brain to say something before the man surprised her by saying in his strong accented voice, "Alright."

Aria sat on the unoccupied chair across from him as he moved one of the cups toward her direction for Aria to have. She watched as his eyes move from side to side as he read and occasionally wonder what he was thinking when his eyes stop moving as if he was zoning out. Aria took a sip of the tea and felt the dryness of her throat quickly dissipating.

"Why do you sit here all day and do nothing?" said Aria, unable to stand the silence. She watched him look at her in surprise as she kept chattering, "I see you reading the same book every day. What is it about? Is it a good book to read? Why do you—"

"I come here to remember; remember the memories." The foreigner simply replied, looking at her with a small smile. "A friend of mine published this book. We would come here and drink tea whenever we had the chance."

"Then why isn't he here? Where is he?"

"He passed away."

"Oh…"

That was it. Aria didn't know what to say next. She bowed her head in shame for asking such a stupid question. Aria wasn't in the mood for tea anymore. By the time she looked up again, she saw him smiling understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those smiles with a quality of reassurance in it.

"He wrote this book right before he died," he said, holding the book a little higher for her to see. "I feel as though he's trying to tell me some kind of message whenever I read it. Sometime I can hear him talking to me; sometime I see him sitting across from me; sometime I think he's still alive."

"Is that why you come here every day?" Aria asked. "You come here to remember him?"

"I sound crazy, don't I?" replied the man, showing her a sad smile.

Aria slipped her hand into the pocket of her apron and pulled out the blue handkerchief. She placed it on the table and gently pushed it toward the foreigner, who was watching her every move.

"You gave this to me when I was hurt," said Aria, placing her hands on her lap. "You seem to be in pain, so now I'm giving it back."

He grinned. "Thank you."

"Do you mind telling me why you weren't here yesterday?"

The foreigner held the handkerchief in his hand and his eyes didn't move away from it as he replied, "I was thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?"

"…Leaving," he replied softly.

"Leaving where?"

"I'm going to explore the world. It's time to start moving on. Staying here will only cause me to keep thinking about him."

Aria swallowed a mouthful of tea, but her throat felt dry. "You're going to…explore?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded. "Maybe visit my hometown when I have a chance."

"I see. You must be happy going back to your country."

"Yes," he chuckled quietly, "I am."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow," he replied without hesitation.

"You're going so soon?"

"Yes."

"I see..." Aria didn't like how her throat felt so dry, but she wasn't in the mood the drink more tea. "Are you planning on coming back?"

"I'm not sure yet. This country makes me think of…of him. When I feel as though I can be strong, I will come back." The last sentence caused Aria to hold in her breath. She slowly lifted her head and found him with a reassured smile. "Yes," he said, "I will most definitely come back."

"Are you going to stop by tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure." He replied honestly. "I haven't really given much thought."

"You should. I'll serve you the best Earl Grey anyone has ever tasted."

"Then I will." The foreigner splattered a smile that caused Aria's heart to flutter. "My name is Leon. It was nice talk to you Miss…"

"Aria," the girl quickly adds. "My name is Aria."

"Aria?" he questions. "Aria," he says her name slowly, as if it's a word he never heard before. Finally he lifts his gaze toward her and smiles warmly. "It's a beautiful name," he says.

Day 7

Aria took a deep breath as she reminded herself that today's the last day of the week. She eyed the almost-empty café and pouted at the lack of visuals and communication.

Something felt missing.

There was something wrong with the picture, and Aria knew exactly what was missing. She stared at the empty table across from her place and slightly frowned when she found the chair to be vacant. 'He didn't forget, right?' she thought. 'He said he was coming…'

About a quarter after four when Aria began humming a small tune, the door opened and Aria found herself looking straight at Leon, who was on his way to his usual spot. As Aria bubbly arrived at Leon's table, she saw him with a low smile—a smile that said many things.

"Miss. Aria," he said politely, "would you like to join me for some tea?"

Yes, Aria was sad he was leaving, but she's going to bear with it. Today she will talk to him about many things and hope it will help him start a new beginning. It will surely be a day he will never forget.

A little more messages for Ryu: I know how much you adore LukaxLen. I want to thank you because I started liking that pairing thanks to you. I was originally going to make a LukaxLen one-shot but I knew you were waiting for someone to make a story with IA and Leon in it, so I did that instead. I hope you enjoyed it! ^^

This one-shot was kind of random but I actually like stories like this. I like stories that make you think what happens next and stuff like that. It lets me use my wild imagination. :D

How was it? Please leave a review with your thoughts! :)