Of course she had noticed. Akako had recognized his voice the moment he had spoken to the cashier but noticing and initiating conversation were two completely different things. When she had looked to find the source of the familiar voice she had easily pinpointed him by his blond hair and refined stance, even under the weight of so many shopping bags.
So she had waited to see if he would see her and sure enough he had. And then he immediately looked away and she bristled slightly at being ignored, even though she was doing the same thing.
Of course he would still be mad. The idea occurred to her quickly and it calmed her attitude, but only slightly. When he turned back to look at her again she couldn’t help but feel a pang of hurt at the look on his face; as if he had been hoping to never see her again. She had hoped to never see that face on a man ever again.
So instead of turning away, she gave him a tiny wave, nearly unnoticeable but she was sure that he would.
Oh no. She had noticed. And then- what, a wave?
Hakuba frowned. He wasn’t sure how else to react. After what she’d done, a wave? He fought the compulsion to wave back. To smile and nod at her in greeting. It would be rude to ignore her gesture, but then, he didn’t really have anything to say to her that wasn’t rude anyway, so what did it matter?
The detective looked back to the cashier, wondering why it was taking her so long to get his coffee ready. He took in a deep breath, exhaled a sigh, then forced himself to look back at Akako and nod in her direction.
THERE. That had to count for something, didn’t it?
He was displeased, sour-faced, hands slipping into his pockets – what he could manage, anyway, with the shopping bags looped around his wrists. Ugh. How could someone so beautiful be so… so… so like her?