Chocolate Fic for tinyangl
To: tinyangl
From: cupid_johnny
Title: Buzzing
Pairing: Jin/Meisa + some Jin/Yamapi bromance
Rating: PG
Summary: A text message gone astray leads to some serious lack of sleep.
A/N: Dear tinyangl, you asked for college and coffee shops… let’s say they get mentioned somewhere. Also, every attempt to include Satomi failed (miserably), but let’s hope some Jin/Yamapi banter and Jin/Meisa “romance” makes up for it. :)
And thank you thank you thank you to the two wonderful people betaing this baby the very last minute!
“Dude, you’re snoring…” Yamapi hissed as he tried to wake Jin, who was lying stretched out over three seats. Pi had known that it would be a bad idea to bring him here. But with the dorm’s wi-fi down and no other plans for the day, Jin had insisted on coming along. And - well - this pighead usually got his way.
“For the record, I wasn’t snoring - I was considering snoring, which isn’t my fault but this guy’s.” Jin pointed his finger roughly in professor Kitagawa’s direction without looking up. “Seriously, isn’t Marketing supposed to be, like, at least mildly interesting? This guy’s worse than valium.”
Pi watched Jin get up, rolling his eyes as his friend stretched and didn’t even try to hide a yawn. Yes, there were a few students in the lecture hall left who hadn’t noticed how bored he was; they couldn’t have that, could they?
“May I remind you that no one forced you to come? You were bored…”
“… and I’m still bored. Man, I can hardly wait for them to fix the wi-fi. Distraction, man, that’s all I’m asking for. But anything’s better than this. How do you keep up with it?”
“By reminding myself that there’s an exam at the end of the class. And please, keep your voice down, at least a little.” Pi made a last attempt to get his friend to stop attracting just about everyone’s attention. Well, he couldn’t care less, just as long as Kitagawa was droning on with his sermon at the front, but…
…mimicking the teacher didn’t really help. “Jin, dude! Seriously! Very grown up.” Nor did taking notes on an imaginary pad. Sometimes, Jin was even worse than Pi’s baby sister…
“I feel you, brother. Now I know what real pain’s like.” And with that, Jin dropped the half-serious act and instead got out his cell.
“You could at least pretend you’re paying attention. Hide the phone, something like that.” Yamapi huffed, averting his eyes and trying his best to focus. There were exams at the end of this class and he intended on acing them.
“And why would I do that?” Jin wanted to know, shifting his phone slightly, eyes fixed on the screen. Looked like Doodle Jump was back in the game. Oh well, at least he had the sound switched off, you had to give him that.
“Manners, just for a start?”
“Dude, you know who you’re talking to, right?”
“I keep forgetting. My bad.”
Jin turned to give him an innocent grin, swearing seconds afterwards when he realized that he’d just failed at breaking his high score. Again. It wasn’t much, but Yamapi couldn’t help but feel a little better. Served his friend right. And he didn’t have to deal with loud cheers of victory - or worse.
So, Jin was a little occupied now, giving Pi a fighting chance to take some notes and pay attention to the lecture. His only chance of passing the class; and Pi wasn’t sure if he could survive another round of “Marketing 2.0 - an Introduction”. Just because Jin acted like a spoiled brat didn’t mean that he wasn’t right. Kitagawa was worse than valium.
But Yamapi’s concentration wouldn’t last long.
“Yes, gotcha! I’m so breaking my own record here.” Did Jin even notice he was talking to himself? Knowing his friend, he probably did, but didn’t care either way. Oh well…
With a slightly annoyed eye-roll, Yamapi snatched his friend’s cell from his hands.
“Hey?! Gimme that back.”
A broad, almost gleefully evil - evilly gleeful - grin broke out on Pi’s face as he now had Jin’s undivided attention. “You wanna be a little more quiet. Oh, and say cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese! Quietly…”
Pi had to laugh when Jin pulled a grimace and even flashed him the peace sign, earning him a few coughs from his fellow students. Oh right, now they were feeling a little distracted, the snoring hadn’t been a problem.
“Let me see.” Jin slipped a little closer to have a look, making two chairs noisily clap back up in the process. More coughing. If Jin behaved like this in his English classes, it was only a matter of time until he got expelled. But then again, Jin was interested in English, so he probably behaved better there than he did… basically anywhere else.
“You’re awfully vain for someone who just squinted, do you know that?”
“Oh, I know I can pull it off.” Snatching his cell back, Jin started inspecting the few pics Yamapi had taken. He seemed amused, until… “Wow!”
“Okay, now you sound like a dick. You’re not that good looking.” For the millionth time, Pi rolled his eyes and tried to follow class again, but Jin wouldn’t let him.
“No, I just got… Wait, for the record, I am that good looking, thank you very much. But remember the chick from the coffee place?”
The chick from the coffee place meant none other than a certain Meisa, the girl Jin had been trying to score with ever since he’d started college - but kept failing miserably. Again and again, to the point it had become a daily ritual.
Sure, even Jin had to learn at one point that some women, especially the good-looking ones who also happened to have some brains, didn’t fall for cheesy pick-up lines (e.g. involving thieving fathers and stars and heaven missing an angel and whatnot). But sometimes it was just brutal watching her shooting Jin down. It had started with misspelling his name on purpose, handing him cups for John, Jimmy or worse, giving him the wrong order or, simple as that, laughing. At him, not with him; there was a difference. She was either the worst barista in the world or simply not into Jin.
If it were up to him, Pi would have given up eventually. But not Jin, old pighead. Yamapi wasn’t entirely sure if it had anything to do with the hurt ego thing or if his friend was really interested in that girl. Usually, Pi would say that some were just in for the hunt, but he knew Jin well enough to see past his (pathetic) attempt at a bad boy image. The guy was a hopeless romantic...
“What about her?”
“She just sent me a selfie and texted…” A little dumbfounded, Jin stared at the screen of his cell phone, obviously not believing what he saw.
“We are talking about Meisa, right? Cute little one from the coffee shop that is handing you your balls every Monday and Thursday?” Concentration broken for good, Pi made to snatch the cell again. Only to have Jin hold onto it, trying to wrangle it free.
“Yamashita-san and… excuse me, have you taken my class before?” the voice of Kitagawa sounded, waaaay too close for Pi’s comfort. So much for acing the class.
And of course Jin would use this moment to get his phone back… for good.
“Oh my! Silly me, this isn’t Ancient Roman History…! Sorry for the interruption, I’m late for class…” And with that, Jin got up, bowed and fled out the door.
Well, as fast as you can actually flee when you have six people getting up first in the process.
~*~
“So are we talking Meisa or what?” were the first words out of Pi’s mouth when he entered their room. He was probably also in for giving him shit for leaving the class like that, but apparently curiosity had won the upper hand. Who could blame him?
“Man, I don’t know what to write.” Jin didn’t even bother to look up from his cell phone, charger attached to it. He hadn’t put it down ever since he’d left class.
“Why’s that?” Pi’s books fell to the ground as he swung himself next to Jin on the bed, trying to snatch a glimpse of his phone. “And didn’t you say something about a selfie? What kind of selfie?”
“I don’t think she meant to text me and if I write back she’ll know that she’s got the wrong number and that’s it.” Jin couldn’t quite hold back the little sigh that escaped his lips - and decided to ignore the selfie question. Tricky, really, really tricky. It didn’t happen often that he was at a loss for words… but if this wasn’t a delicate situation, then what was, anyway?
He seemed to have a hand for always finding the right words to piss Meisa off. Truth be told, he couldn’t really blame her, as he screwed up, vanilla latte after vanilla latte. Who could blame her for not giving him his number, when he sure didn’t?
So it was only natural to feel pressured coming up with something good as a reply to her text. He couldn’t forgive himself if he messed this up as well.
“Like that ever bothered you before,” Pi chuckled, still trying to grab the phone.
Jin wouldn’t let him; this somehow felt way too personal. How’s your day? Still, the words got to him and as he was remembering some of his conquests that had started with an innocent text - usually drunk - he grinned.
Maybe he should just tell her about his day, plain and simple. She’d asked about it and maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t notice that she was basically texting a stranger. At least not right away.
Just survived torture in the lecture hall. How’s yours? Staring at it for another solid five seconds, Jin finally managed to send the text and clap the phone shut. Nothing more he could do…
“Feeling better?” Pi inquired with a laugh, obviously amused. Man, he was right in a way, this was a little… unusual. For him.
But now he had his foot in the door, now he had her number. Oh the countless times he’d asked her for it only to get rejected again and again and again. Maybe it hadn’t been the smartest choice to ask her ‘come here often’ when he’d met her at the coffee shop while she was brewing coffee. Not that bringing her coffee had been more creative…
Argh! He really didn’t want to think about the times Meisa had shot him down right now…
21, 22…
Had she answered yet? Peeking at his phone’s display and knowing fully well at the same time that Meisa’d have to be a super fast typist to get out more than some emoji in this short a time, Jin forced his attention back to his roommate. “What?”
This had Pi explode with laughter. “Dude, seriously.”
“What’s so funny?” Why was he getting the feeling that he’d somehow become the punchline of a bad joke?
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Do you see me laughing?”
Instead of giving him an answer, Pi just patted his shoulder and got up.
Maybe it was about time he changed the subject.
“So, did I miss much in class? I’m sorry I had to leave just when things got really exciting. Can I check your notes later, to catch up?”
Pi just snorted. ”Yeah, thanks again for leaving me like that. I don’t think I’m in Kitagawa’s good books. Thanks to you, I may add.”
A grin started forming around his lips, but Jin never got to join in on the banter as his phone buzzed. A new text!
There was nothing cool about how fast his hand shot to his cell to clap it open. But then again, he didn’t care. All he had to do was phase out Pi’s laughter.
There’s this guy, sitting two rows in front of me. Watching porn. Jin actually laughed out loud at that.
“You do know you’re either acting like a psycho stalker or a lovesick teenager, right? Your pick, by the way,” Pi commented wryly.
“Jealous much?”
“Oh yeah, you got me. Sexting some bitchy coffee-place chick you’ve been pining over for ages? Like that’s not pathetic at all.”
“For the record, I’m not sexting. And… mind your own business.” Sure, he would have preferred something more witty but he was a little distracted, all right? There were more pressing matters than giving Pi an earful. Texting Meisa back, for instance.
I hope he’s got the volume down?
“Seriously, you’re acting strangely out of character. I thought you just wanted her number to prove you could actually get it?”
“And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
And then he’d ask her out, the minute she’d realized that he wasn’t a douche after all. Baby steps.
“Right. ‘Cause that’s what it looks like,” Pi’s tone was meant to be sarcastic, Jin knew. The thing was, he also knew Pi well enough to know there was some measure of true concern underneath there.
“Great. So if it looks like what it’s supposed to look like… then you can spare me the speech you’re about to give and instead make up your mind what we’re going to order for lunch. I’m starving.”
Jin didn’t quite catch Pi’s reply as his phone buzzed again.
~*~
It was way too late for texting but Meisa shouldn’t be up reading a book at 3am in the first place. A real page turner, although she’d read the same paragraph over and over again and was close to calling it a night. Her bed was warm and comfy and she’d have to get up early in the morning, so sleep was definitely the choice to make.
Instead, she caught herself waiting for a text.
When the phone buzzed, she made herself count to ten and then back down to one before she picked it up. Whoever was texting on the other end of the line shouldn’t be thinking that she was desperate for a conversation.
He shouldn’t think that. For some reason, Meisa had made up her mind that the other person had to be a guy. He texted like one and she liked to believe that he was flirting with her between the lines. She still didn’t know his name, hadn’t dared to ask for it in fear of spoiling this… whatever this was. Nice. New. Interesting.
Meisa was no stranger to flirting and she got more pick-up lines than she could possibly care for, especially when she was working part time at the coffee shop. But texting with the mystery man was somehow… different.
At first she had been a little surprised to get a response to her initial message. The text with the stupid picture meant for her sister, showing her the new haircut. Same sister with the new phone and, worse, new number.
New number that was almost identical to mystery guy’s, apparently.
But instead of nothing or a simple ‘wrong number’ she’d gotten an answer. And another question. And that had been the start of… this.
They had been chatting for almost a week straight but Meisa still didn’t have a clue who could be sitting on the other end of the line. Somehow, it didn’t feel like talking to a stranger; there was this instant connection… Probably because she didn’t have to deal with said cheesy pick-up lines.
If you had access to a time machine, would you rather go forward or backward?
A smile started forming on her lips as she read his question, taking her fair share of time to come up with an answer. The set scenario was absurd and he’d probably watched Garden State or some arthouse film and tried to be funny. Still, she gave it some serious thought.
Neither, she eventually wrote back.
The reply came almost instantly, but that had been something she had learned over the course of their conversations: The guy had to have loads of time on his hands, for no matter what time of day, the most she had had to wait so far had been twenty minutes.
Why’s that?
Okay, that it was a follow-up question didn’t really come as a surprise. And she’d play nice and answer right away. She could do him a favor every once in a while.
I’ve already seen the past and I don’t want to spoil anything by peeking into the future. Wouldn’t life be awfully dull if you always knew what’s coming next?
Now you’re just trying to be deep.
This had Meisa laughing out loud, making her roommate stir in her sleep. But she liked it; someone who wasn’t afraid to tease her back.
How about you? Past or future?
This time it was she who had to wait for almost ten minutes. Probably as he was making up his mind what to pick. To be honest, she didn’t care either way; it was just a stupid thought experiment, after all…
I’d have said future but now I’m not so sure…
?
So why could he not be sure anymore? Just because she burst his little bubble by answering his question in an unexpected way? Everyone probably wanted to see the future, but wasn’t that just the slightest bit boring? Was he actually thinking about the implications on one’s life?
She didn’t have to wait long at all.
Assuming you can’t go back to the here and now… it’ll mean you’d leave everyone behind either way, came another instant reply.
Now who’s trying to sound deep? she just couldn’t stop herself from typing out.
Like I’m not right. Not everyone’s as lucky as Marty McFly and can go back and forth in time.
Oh, a classic! Meisa found herself nodding in approval, then hushed a giggle as she realized what she was doing. Nodding to the screen was about as productive as bowing when saying goodbye on the phone.
This time it was a little more difficult finding a witty answer. She didn’t want him to think of her as lame. Not everyone could be that pretty, eloquent girl from independent movies that impressed both with looks as well as pop culture knowledge and a quick tongue. But she didn’t want to keep him waiting for too long either. It was getting late and she didn’t want to risk him falling asleep. A little more chatting, was that really too much to ask for?
No.
So she started typing and hit enter although she wasn’t a hundred percent happy with her comeback. I wouldn’t speak of lucky if the younger version of your mother was falling for you.
Her cell phone buzzed in no time at all.
Marry me?
What the…? Was this guy for real? This time Meisa’s chuckle couldn’t be stifled in time, and she earned a grumpy mumble from her roommate.
Still grinning, she started typing: I think you’re supposed to get to know someone a little better before you exchange rings.
So there. For some reason, Meisa was fidgeting, she knew, waiting for the guy’s reaction, when her phone was already abuzz with his text.
You know Back to the Future, that’s all I need to know.
Shooting the guy down was too tempting not to play devil’s advocate. I could know it but not like it?
I’ll let that pass when you’re talking about part 3.
As if part 2 wasn’t worse than 3, by far I might add.
Geeeee, look at the time…
Meisa pressed her face into the pillow to keep from waking her roomie. She could almost picture him, mockingly glancing at an imaginary watch and faking a yawn. Which was weird, because she had no idea what he looked like.
Was he handsome? For some reason you always pictured someone attractive when you received a nice email or talked to someone with a pleasant voice on the phone. How old was he? He knew Back to the Future, so he couldn’t be that young… but could he be that old? For all Meisa knew, she could be talking to an 80-year-old granny who’d discovered the joy of smartphones.
But somehow she didn’t quite believe that.
~*~
Geeeee, look at the time…
Not for a second did he believe that Meisa really compared Back to the Future part 2 to that horrible accident of part 3. One of the jumping-the-shark milestones, and this woman was way too perfect to miss that…
You’re not really leaving, are you?
The hell he would. Jin was dead tired due to a lack of sleep but he enjoyed this far too much to stop just yet.
Nah, trying to figure out how you could redeem yourself.
Then maybe you should have gone to bed already, cause we both know I’m right. So good night.
Okay, so it was true what they said. Nobody was perfect, not even Meisa.
Agree to disagree.
For five minutes, a time that seemed like an eternity, Jin thought that she’d really fallen asleep for good. It was unreasonably late and he’d regret it in the morning, yet that was a price he was willing to pay.
Agreed.
Thank God.
So, tell me one thing about yourself that you usually don’t tell others?
It took a while; Jin did take this as a good sign. That she was thinking about something about herself others didn’t necessarily know. He had to stay positive after all, right?
I know how to swordfight.
Now if that wasn’t something unexpected, then he didn’t know what was, even if he would have preferred something more personal. But all in its due course.
Why would you know how to swordfight?
The question is, why wouldn’t you?
I never said I couldn’t. As a matter of fact, I could survive a fight… given the opponent is hopelessly drunk.
Or the fight was choreographed. It was funny, even years after graduating, Jin still remembered the steps to the fighting scene of one of his high school plays.
I like how graceful it looks. You get really focused.
In his mind, Jin tried to imagine Meisa’s beautiful face all concentrated and focused, which suited her a lot better. It was true, her movements were graceful, even if the look she was usually giving him was annoyed instead of focused.
Like in dancing? Or music?
Yes and no. You can lose yourself in music. You can’t do that in swordfighting. But you blend everything else out, in dancing, in music, in fighting…
God, it was way too late for conversations like that. Jin got what Meisa was trying to say - and it made sense, in a way - but had no idea how to respond to it. Maybe because he wasn’t entirely sure if he fully agreed or not.
Change of subject.
Are you also fighting sleep?
I’m doing the best I can. Why are you still awake?
I’d love to say because my roomie is snoring but that would be a lie.
Pi only ever snored when he was drunk or when he had a head cold. His best friend was probably the best kind of roommate Jin could wish for - he’d have his head in the morning, though.
So shall we call it a night, then?
Jin hesitated, but eventually typed out, Let’s. Good night.
Nighty. Sleep well.
You too.
Jin leaned back in his pillows and pressed his shut cell phone to his heart. Maybe Pi had been right, maybe he was acting like a lovesick teenager… but he couldn’t care less.
Even if he was making a fool of himself, he was sure that Meisa was worth it. She was pretty, she was smart, she knew how to make the perfect vanilla latte… knew Back to the Future. And seemed like a genuinely nice person now that she wasn’t mocking his every word.
But she still had no idea who he was. She knew his clumsy customer self who excelled at annoying her, amused her at best… but what would happen if she found out. When he told her? He was acting a little stalker-ish, as much as he hated to admit it.
But it had been her who’d texted him. He hadn’t asked for the picture - although he hadn’t deleted it from his phone either. What if she hadn’t thrown the empty cup away the one time he’d written his number on it? What if…
His phone buzzed again, stopping his train of thought.
You’re still there? I can’t sleep.
‘Looked like Pi would have to empty an ice bucket over him to get him out of bed in the morning’ was the last thought crossing Jin’s mind before he started typing.
~*~
Oh God, why hadn’t she gotten more sleep? Meisa felt as if her eyelashes were magnetic, making it near impossible to keep them open. Also, she caught herself yawning every ten seconds or so. Weren’t these ideal conditions for a day filled with work and long lectures?
But did she regret texting all night? Not really.
Chatting with mystery guy was a bit like tuning into a new TV show. You hadn’t heard of the pilot and stumbled over it while zapping through the channels. But there was something that drew you in - the handsome lead, the well written dialogues, the scenery or just the overall concept. You couldn’t always pinpoint it, but you watched the second episode, then the third… until you found yourself waiting for the next season, checking the calendar and counting the days.
Waiting for a new text was waiting for season two. In the first season, she had learned that he had a baby brother who was trying to make it in the entertainment industry. He’d told her that he played the guitar, often jammed with his roommate, who also happened to be his best friend since junior high. His parents had met in high school and were still together - and he was often unnerved when people tried to hit on his mother, assuming that she was his sister. He didn’t like reading manga but enjoyed anime, had a soft spot for Detective Conan and Speed Racer. Also, he thought that Fujiko Mine was hot and should aim higher than Lupin. And that Pacman would kick ass in Street Fighter if he had a say in it…
So could you blame her for texting instead of sleeping? Could you really?
Meisa was busy brewing an abnormally large Caramel Latte, low fat, with cream and chocolate sprinkles, hoping that the smell of fresh coffee would somehow help her stay awake, when the door opened and that guy walked in.
So okay, what if she recognized his face? He came in every Monday and Thursday, always ordered a medium Vanilla Latte, always tried to get her number, always failed. Why? Because he might be cute, but as soon as he opened his mouth, one stupid pick-up line was chasing the next. Or brainless non-favors like bringing her coffee; seriously, where had he gotten that idea!
Of course it was flattering to get compliments from some hot guy, but was it really too much to ask for to hear something new? She didn’t want to sound vain, but Meisa knew she’d been blessed with a stock of good genes. In order to get her number it took a little more than a cute face and telling her that she was pretty. And some of the men coming here shouldn’t be so shocked when she shot them down. Meisa liked to think that she was more than just a pretty face - all she was asking for was to be treated like a person, not a doll.
A little more than stupid pick-up lines.
But that was exactly what Meisa was getting inwardly ready for already: The usual game; how many cheesy platitudes could this one guy have… At least he was persistent, you had to give him that.
And good-looking. But that was not the point.
“Hi…” He looked a little nervous today. “How are you?”
“What can I get you?” Meisa fake-smiled without giving him an answer. He could see she was busy and he could probably see she was tired, too. So he’d better get to the point.
“Um…”
Already getting her sharpie out and ready to write the name of a fish on it for his half-open mouth and sudden inability to speak, she nodded, “And a medium Vanilla Latte to go it is.”
Meisa didn’t allow his cocky smile to get to her but kept herself busy preparing the order. So she got his order right, so what? But his name couldn’t be Nemo; what were the odds? He would stop grinning in no time… he did have nice teeth, though.
Oh, it was really too bad he didn’t come up with something decent. If he’d just ask her nicely once… she might even be tempted to give him her number along with a second chance.
“Come on, you could at least have written Sharkbait,” he even pouted a little as he handed over the money for his drink.
That didn’t count as his bad pick-up line of the day yet. And he did know his Disney animation movies, it seemed. “You’re lucky you didn’t get another four-letter name, you know.”
“Whatever lets you sleep at night… but we both know that you’ve got my order right.”
Meisa let out an exasperated sigh. “For someone who spends a fortune on coffee to go, you’re awfully careless when it comes to pissing off the people who prepare your drinks…”
“You only live once…” Coffee man winked and took his cup, turning around to leave before Meisa could tell him off that she had other customers to tend to. Okay, this was new. He hadn’t even asked for her number. Was he giving up already?
Meisa couldn’t quite believe it. Neither could she believe the small but insistent nudge of disappointment that he would give up on getting her number.
As he was leaving, she could see him get his cell phone out of his pocket, then her own phone buzzed. Maybe her mystery man could chase away that stupid feeling of being let down in an even more stupid way.
“This is important, I’m sorry. Be right with you,” she smiled apologetically at the girl next in line. It would only be ten seconds; Meisa needed this.
Maybe more than ten seconds. Meisa’s jaw dropped as she read the message. Son of a...
Just for the record: It’s Jin, not Nemo. And I’d still love to take you out for coffee if you let me.
Despite everything, she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she started typing.
From: cupid_johnny
Title: Buzzing
Pairing: Jin/Meisa + some Jin/Yamapi bromance
Rating: PG
Summary: A text message gone astray leads to some serious lack of sleep.
A/N: Dear tinyangl, you asked for college and coffee shops… let’s say they get mentioned somewhere. Also, every attempt to include Satomi failed (miserably), but let’s hope some Jin/Yamapi banter and Jin/Meisa “romance” makes up for it. :)
And thank you thank you thank you to the two wonderful people betaing this baby the very last minute!
“Dude, you’re snoring…” Yamapi hissed as he tried to wake Jin, who was lying stretched out over three seats. Pi had known that it would be a bad idea to bring him here. But with the dorm’s wi-fi down and no other plans for the day, Jin had insisted on coming along. And - well - this pighead usually got his way.
“For the record, I wasn’t snoring - I was considering snoring, which isn’t my fault but this guy’s.” Jin pointed his finger roughly in professor Kitagawa’s direction without looking up. “Seriously, isn’t Marketing supposed to be, like, at least mildly interesting? This guy’s worse than valium.”
Pi watched Jin get up, rolling his eyes as his friend stretched and didn’t even try to hide a yawn. Yes, there were a few students in the lecture hall left who hadn’t noticed how bored he was; they couldn’t have that, could they?
“May I remind you that no one forced you to come? You were bored…”
“… and I’m still bored. Man, I can hardly wait for them to fix the wi-fi. Distraction, man, that’s all I’m asking for. But anything’s better than this. How do you keep up with it?”
“By reminding myself that there’s an exam at the end of the class. And please, keep your voice down, at least a little.” Pi made a last attempt to get his friend to stop attracting just about everyone’s attention. Well, he couldn’t care less, just as long as Kitagawa was droning on with his sermon at the front, but…
…mimicking the teacher didn’t really help. “Jin, dude! Seriously! Very grown up.” Nor did taking notes on an imaginary pad. Sometimes, Jin was even worse than Pi’s baby sister…
“I feel you, brother. Now I know what real pain’s like.” And with that, Jin dropped the half-serious act and instead got out his cell.
“You could at least pretend you’re paying attention. Hide the phone, something like that.” Yamapi huffed, averting his eyes and trying his best to focus. There were exams at the end of this class and he intended on acing them.
“And why would I do that?” Jin wanted to know, shifting his phone slightly, eyes fixed on the screen. Looked like Doodle Jump was back in the game. Oh well, at least he had the sound switched off, you had to give him that.
“Manners, just for a start?”
“Dude, you know who you’re talking to, right?”
“I keep forgetting. My bad.”
Jin turned to give him an innocent grin, swearing seconds afterwards when he realized that he’d just failed at breaking his high score. Again. It wasn’t much, but Yamapi couldn’t help but feel a little better. Served his friend right. And he didn’t have to deal with loud cheers of victory - or worse.
So, Jin was a little occupied now, giving Pi a fighting chance to take some notes and pay attention to the lecture. His only chance of passing the class; and Pi wasn’t sure if he could survive another round of “Marketing 2.0 - an Introduction”. Just because Jin acted like a spoiled brat didn’t mean that he wasn’t right. Kitagawa was worse than valium.
But Yamapi’s concentration wouldn’t last long.
“Yes, gotcha! I’m so breaking my own record here.” Did Jin even notice he was talking to himself? Knowing his friend, he probably did, but didn’t care either way. Oh well…
With a slightly annoyed eye-roll, Yamapi snatched his friend’s cell from his hands.
“Hey?! Gimme that back.”
A broad, almost gleefully evil - evilly gleeful - grin broke out on Pi’s face as he now had Jin’s undivided attention. “You wanna be a little more quiet. Oh, and say cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese! Quietly…”
Pi had to laugh when Jin pulled a grimace and even flashed him the peace sign, earning him a few coughs from his fellow students. Oh right, now they were feeling a little distracted, the snoring hadn’t been a problem.
“Let me see.” Jin slipped a little closer to have a look, making two chairs noisily clap back up in the process. More coughing. If Jin behaved like this in his English classes, it was only a matter of time until he got expelled. But then again, Jin was interested in English, so he probably behaved better there than he did… basically anywhere else.
“You’re awfully vain for someone who just squinted, do you know that?”
“Oh, I know I can pull it off.” Snatching his cell back, Jin started inspecting the few pics Yamapi had taken. He seemed amused, until… “Wow!”
“Okay, now you sound like a dick. You’re not that good looking.” For the millionth time, Pi rolled his eyes and tried to follow class again, but Jin wouldn’t let him.
“No, I just got… Wait, for the record, I am that good looking, thank you very much. But remember the chick from the coffee place?”
The chick from the coffee place meant none other than a certain Meisa, the girl Jin had been trying to score with ever since he’d started college - but kept failing miserably. Again and again, to the point it had become a daily ritual.
Sure, even Jin had to learn at one point that some women, especially the good-looking ones who also happened to have some brains, didn’t fall for cheesy pick-up lines (e.g. involving thieving fathers and stars and heaven missing an angel and whatnot). But sometimes it was just brutal watching her shooting Jin down. It had started with misspelling his name on purpose, handing him cups for John, Jimmy or worse, giving him the wrong order or, simple as that, laughing. At him, not with him; there was a difference. She was either the worst barista in the world or simply not into Jin.
If it were up to him, Pi would have given up eventually. But not Jin, old pighead. Yamapi wasn’t entirely sure if it had anything to do with the hurt ego thing or if his friend was really interested in that girl. Usually, Pi would say that some were just in for the hunt, but he knew Jin well enough to see past his (pathetic) attempt at a bad boy image. The guy was a hopeless romantic...
“What about her?”
“She just sent me a selfie and texted…” A little dumbfounded, Jin stared at the screen of his cell phone, obviously not believing what he saw.
“We are talking about Meisa, right? Cute little one from the coffee shop that is handing you your balls every Monday and Thursday?” Concentration broken for good, Pi made to snatch the cell again. Only to have Jin hold onto it, trying to wrangle it free.
“Yamashita-san and… excuse me, have you taken my class before?” the voice of Kitagawa sounded, waaaay too close for Pi’s comfort. So much for acing the class.
And of course Jin would use this moment to get his phone back… for good.
“Oh my! Silly me, this isn’t Ancient Roman History…! Sorry for the interruption, I’m late for class…” And with that, Jin got up, bowed and fled out the door.
Well, as fast as you can actually flee when you have six people getting up first in the process.
~*~
“So are we talking Meisa or what?” were the first words out of Pi’s mouth when he entered their room. He was probably also in for giving him shit for leaving the class like that, but apparently curiosity had won the upper hand. Who could blame him?
“Man, I don’t know what to write.” Jin didn’t even bother to look up from his cell phone, charger attached to it. He hadn’t put it down ever since he’d left class.
“Why’s that?” Pi’s books fell to the ground as he swung himself next to Jin on the bed, trying to snatch a glimpse of his phone. “And didn’t you say something about a selfie? What kind of selfie?”
“I don’t think she meant to text me and if I write back she’ll know that she’s got the wrong number and that’s it.” Jin couldn’t quite hold back the little sigh that escaped his lips - and decided to ignore the selfie question. Tricky, really, really tricky. It didn’t happen often that he was at a loss for words… but if this wasn’t a delicate situation, then what was, anyway?
He seemed to have a hand for always finding the right words to piss Meisa off. Truth be told, he couldn’t really blame her, as he screwed up, vanilla latte after vanilla latte. Who could blame her for not giving him his number, when he sure didn’t?
So it was only natural to feel pressured coming up with something good as a reply to her text. He couldn’t forgive himself if he messed this up as well.
“Like that ever bothered you before,” Pi chuckled, still trying to grab the phone.
Jin wouldn’t let him; this somehow felt way too personal. How’s your day? Still, the words got to him and as he was remembering some of his conquests that had started with an innocent text - usually drunk - he grinned.
Maybe he should just tell her about his day, plain and simple. She’d asked about it and maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t notice that she was basically texting a stranger. At least not right away.
Just survived torture in the lecture hall. How’s yours? Staring at it for another solid five seconds, Jin finally managed to send the text and clap the phone shut. Nothing more he could do…
“Feeling better?” Pi inquired with a laugh, obviously amused. Man, he was right in a way, this was a little… unusual. For him.
But now he had his foot in the door, now he had her number. Oh the countless times he’d asked her for it only to get rejected again and again and again. Maybe it hadn’t been the smartest choice to ask her ‘come here often’ when he’d met her at the coffee shop while she was brewing coffee. Not that bringing her coffee had been more creative…
Argh! He really didn’t want to think about the times Meisa had shot him down right now…
21, 22…
Had she answered yet? Peeking at his phone’s display and knowing fully well at the same time that Meisa’d have to be a super fast typist to get out more than some emoji in this short a time, Jin forced his attention back to his roommate. “What?”
This had Pi explode with laughter. “Dude, seriously.”
“What’s so funny?” Why was he getting the feeling that he’d somehow become the punchline of a bad joke?
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Do you see me laughing?”
Instead of giving him an answer, Pi just patted his shoulder and got up.
Maybe it was about time he changed the subject.
“So, did I miss much in class? I’m sorry I had to leave just when things got really exciting. Can I check your notes later, to catch up?”
Pi just snorted. ”Yeah, thanks again for leaving me like that. I don’t think I’m in Kitagawa’s good books. Thanks to you, I may add.”
A grin started forming around his lips, but Jin never got to join in on the banter as his phone buzzed. A new text!
There was nothing cool about how fast his hand shot to his cell to clap it open. But then again, he didn’t care. All he had to do was phase out Pi’s laughter.
There’s this guy, sitting two rows in front of me. Watching porn. Jin actually laughed out loud at that.
“You do know you’re either acting like a psycho stalker or a lovesick teenager, right? Your pick, by the way,” Pi commented wryly.
“Jealous much?”
“Oh yeah, you got me. Sexting some bitchy coffee-place chick you’ve been pining over for ages? Like that’s not pathetic at all.”
“For the record, I’m not sexting. And… mind your own business.” Sure, he would have preferred something more witty but he was a little distracted, all right? There were more pressing matters than giving Pi an earful. Texting Meisa back, for instance.
I hope he’s got the volume down?
“Seriously, you’re acting strangely out of character. I thought you just wanted her number to prove you could actually get it?”
“And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
And then he’d ask her out, the minute she’d realized that he wasn’t a douche after all. Baby steps.
“Right. ‘Cause that’s what it looks like,” Pi’s tone was meant to be sarcastic, Jin knew. The thing was, he also knew Pi well enough to know there was some measure of true concern underneath there.
“Great. So if it looks like what it’s supposed to look like… then you can spare me the speech you’re about to give and instead make up your mind what we’re going to order for lunch. I’m starving.”
Jin didn’t quite catch Pi’s reply as his phone buzzed again.
~*~
It was way too late for texting but Meisa shouldn’t be up reading a book at 3am in the first place. A real page turner, although she’d read the same paragraph over and over again and was close to calling it a night. Her bed was warm and comfy and she’d have to get up early in the morning, so sleep was definitely the choice to make.
Instead, she caught herself waiting for a text.
When the phone buzzed, she made herself count to ten and then back down to one before she picked it up. Whoever was texting on the other end of the line shouldn’t be thinking that she was desperate for a conversation.
He shouldn’t think that. For some reason, Meisa had made up her mind that the other person had to be a guy. He texted like one and she liked to believe that he was flirting with her between the lines. She still didn’t know his name, hadn’t dared to ask for it in fear of spoiling this… whatever this was. Nice. New. Interesting.
Meisa was no stranger to flirting and she got more pick-up lines than she could possibly care for, especially when she was working part time at the coffee shop. But texting with the mystery man was somehow… different.
At first she had been a little surprised to get a response to her initial message. The text with the stupid picture meant for her sister, showing her the new haircut. Same sister with the new phone and, worse, new number.
New number that was almost identical to mystery guy’s, apparently.
But instead of nothing or a simple ‘wrong number’ she’d gotten an answer. And another question. And that had been the start of… this.
They had been chatting for almost a week straight but Meisa still didn’t have a clue who could be sitting on the other end of the line. Somehow, it didn’t feel like talking to a stranger; there was this instant connection… Probably because she didn’t have to deal with said cheesy pick-up lines.
If you had access to a time machine, would you rather go forward or backward?
A smile started forming on her lips as she read his question, taking her fair share of time to come up with an answer. The set scenario was absurd and he’d probably watched Garden State or some arthouse film and tried to be funny. Still, she gave it some serious thought.
Neither, she eventually wrote back.
The reply came almost instantly, but that had been something she had learned over the course of their conversations: The guy had to have loads of time on his hands, for no matter what time of day, the most she had had to wait so far had been twenty minutes.
Why’s that?
Okay, that it was a follow-up question didn’t really come as a surprise. And she’d play nice and answer right away. She could do him a favor every once in a while.
I’ve already seen the past and I don’t want to spoil anything by peeking into the future. Wouldn’t life be awfully dull if you always knew what’s coming next?
Now you’re just trying to be deep.
This had Meisa laughing out loud, making her roommate stir in her sleep. But she liked it; someone who wasn’t afraid to tease her back.
How about you? Past or future?
This time it was she who had to wait for almost ten minutes. Probably as he was making up his mind what to pick. To be honest, she didn’t care either way; it was just a stupid thought experiment, after all…
I’d have said future but now I’m not so sure…
?
So why could he not be sure anymore? Just because she burst his little bubble by answering his question in an unexpected way? Everyone probably wanted to see the future, but wasn’t that just the slightest bit boring? Was he actually thinking about the implications on one’s life?
She didn’t have to wait long at all.
Assuming you can’t go back to the here and now… it’ll mean you’d leave everyone behind either way, came another instant reply.
Now who’s trying to sound deep? she just couldn’t stop herself from typing out.
Like I’m not right. Not everyone’s as lucky as Marty McFly and can go back and forth in time.
Oh, a classic! Meisa found herself nodding in approval, then hushed a giggle as she realized what she was doing. Nodding to the screen was about as productive as bowing when saying goodbye on the phone.
This time it was a little more difficult finding a witty answer. She didn’t want him to think of her as lame. Not everyone could be that pretty, eloquent girl from independent movies that impressed both with looks as well as pop culture knowledge and a quick tongue. But she didn’t want to keep him waiting for too long either. It was getting late and she didn’t want to risk him falling asleep. A little more chatting, was that really too much to ask for?
No.
So she started typing and hit enter although she wasn’t a hundred percent happy with her comeback. I wouldn’t speak of lucky if the younger version of your mother was falling for you.
Her cell phone buzzed in no time at all.
Marry me?
What the…? Was this guy for real? This time Meisa’s chuckle couldn’t be stifled in time, and she earned a grumpy mumble from her roommate.
Still grinning, she started typing: I think you’re supposed to get to know someone a little better before you exchange rings.
So there. For some reason, Meisa was fidgeting, she knew, waiting for the guy’s reaction, when her phone was already abuzz with his text.
You know Back to the Future, that’s all I need to know.
Shooting the guy down was too tempting not to play devil’s advocate. I could know it but not like it?
I’ll let that pass when you’re talking about part 3.
As if part 2 wasn’t worse than 3, by far I might add.
Geeeee, look at the time…
Meisa pressed her face into the pillow to keep from waking her roomie. She could almost picture him, mockingly glancing at an imaginary watch and faking a yawn. Which was weird, because she had no idea what he looked like.
Was he handsome? For some reason you always pictured someone attractive when you received a nice email or talked to someone with a pleasant voice on the phone. How old was he? He knew Back to the Future, so he couldn’t be that young… but could he be that old? For all Meisa knew, she could be talking to an 80-year-old granny who’d discovered the joy of smartphones.
But somehow she didn’t quite believe that.
~*~
Geeeee, look at the time…
Not for a second did he believe that Meisa really compared Back to the Future part 2 to that horrible accident of part 3. One of the jumping-the-shark milestones, and this woman was way too perfect to miss that…
You’re not really leaving, are you?
The hell he would. Jin was dead tired due to a lack of sleep but he enjoyed this far too much to stop just yet.
Nah, trying to figure out how you could redeem yourself.
Then maybe you should have gone to bed already, cause we both know I’m right. So good night.
Okay, so it was true what they said. Nobody was perfect, not even Meisa.
Agree to disagree.
For five minutes, a time that seemed like an eternity, Jin thought that she’d really fallen asleep for good. It was unreasonably late and he’d regret it in the morning, yet that was a price he was willing to pay.
Agreed.
Thank God.
So, tell me one thing about yourself that you usually don’t tell others?
It took a while; Jin did take this as a good sign. That she was thinking about something about herself others didn’t necessarily know. He had to stay positive after all, right?
I know how to swordfight.
Now if that wasn’t something unexpected, then he didn’t know what was, even if he would have preferred something more personal. But all in its due course.
Why would you know how to swordfight?
The question is, why wouldn’t you?
I never said I couldn’t. As a matter of fact, I could survive a fight… given the opponent is hopelessly drunk.
Or the fight was choreographed. It was funny, even years after graduating, Jin still remembered the steps to the fighting scene of one of his high school plays.
I like how graceful it looks. You get really focused.
In his mind, Jin tried to imagine Meisa’s beautiful face all concentrated and focused, which suited her a lot better. It was true, her movements were graceful, even if the look she was usually giving him was annoyed instead of focused.
Like in dancing? Or music?
Yes and no. You can lose yourself in music. You can’t do that in swordfighting. But you blend everything else out, in dancing, in music, in fighting…
God, it was way too late for conversations like that. Jin got what Meisa was trying to say - and it made sense, in a way - but had no idea how to respond to it. Maybe because he wasn’t entirely sure if he fully agreed or not.
Change of subject.
Are you also fighting sleep?
I’m doing the best I can. Why are you still awake?
I’d love to say because my roomie is snoring but that would be a lie.
Pi only ever snored when he was drunk or when he had a head cold. His best friend was probably the best kind of roommate Jin could wish for - he’d have his head in the morning, though.
So shall we call it a night, then?
Jin hesitated, but eventually typed out, Let’s. Good night.
Nighty. Sleep well.
You too.
Jin leaned back in his pillows and pressed his shut cell phone to his heart. Maybe Pi had been right, maybe he was acting like a lovesick teenager… but he couldn’t care less.
Even if he was making a fool of himself, he was sure that Meisa was worth it. She was pretty, she was smart, she knew how to make the perfect vanilla latte… knew Back to the Future. And seemed like a genuinely nice person now that she wasn’t mocking his every word.
But she still had no idea who he was. She knew his clumsy customer self who excelled at annoying her, amused her at best… but what would happen if she found out. When he told her? He was acting a little stalker-ish, as much as he hated to admit it.
But it had been her who’d texted him. He hadn’t asked for the picture - although he hadn’t deleted it from his phone either. What if she hadn’t thrown the empty cup away the one time he’d written his number on it? What if…
His phone buzzed again, stopping his train of thought.
You’re still there? I can’t sleep.
‘Looked like Pi would have to empty an ice bucket over him to get him out of bed in the morning’ was the last thought crossing Jin’s mind before he started typing.
~*~
Oh God, why hadn’t she gotten more sleep? Meisa felt as if her eyelashes were magnetic, making it near impossible to keep them open. Also, she caught herself yawning every ten seconds or so. Weren’t these ideal conditions for a day filled with work and long lectures?
But did she regret texting all night? Not really.
Chatting with mystery guy was a bit like tuning into a new TV show. You hadn’t heard of the pilot and stumbled over it while zapping through the channels. But there was something that drew you in - the handsome lead, the well written dialogues, the scenery or just the overall concept. You couldn’t always pinpoint it, but you watched the second episode, then the third… until you found yourself waiting for the next season, checking the calendar and counting the days.
Waiting for a new text was waiting for season two. In the first season, she had learned that he had a baby brother who was trying to make it in the entertainment industry. He’d told her that he played the guitar, often jammed with his roommate, who also happened to be his best friend since junior high. His parents had met in high school and were still together - and he was often unnerved when people tried to hit on his mother, assuming that she was his sister. He didn’t like reading manga but enjoyed anime, had a soft spot for Detective Conan and Speed Racer. Also, he thought that Fujiko Mine was hot and should aim higher than Lupin. And that Pacman would kick ass in Street Fighter if he had a say in it…
So could you blame her for texting instead of sleeping? Could you really?
Meisa was busy brewing an abnormally large Caramel Latte, low fat, with cream and chocolate sprinkles, hoping that the smell of fresh coffee would somehow help her stay awake, when the door opened and that guy walked in.
So okay, what if she recognized his face? He came in every Monday and Thursday, always ordered a medium Vanilla Latte, always tried to get her number, always failed. Why? Because he might be cute, but as soon as he opened his mouth, one stupid pick-up line was chasing the next. Or brainless non-favors like bringing her coffee; seriously, where had he gotten that idea!
Of course it was flattering to get compliments from some hot guy, but was it really too much to ask for to hear something new? She didn’t want to sound vain, but Meisa knew she’d been blessed with a stock of good genes. In order to get her number it took a little more than a cute face and telling her that she was pretty. And some of the men coming here shouldn’t be so shocked when she shot them down. Meisa liked to think that she was more than just a pretty face - all she was asking for was to be treated like a person, not a doll.
A little more than stupid pick-up lines.
But that was exactly what Meisa was getting inwardly ready for already: The usual game; how many cheesy platitudes could this one guy have… At least he was persistent, you had to give him that.
And good-looking. But that was not the point.
“Hi…” He looked a little nervous today. “How are you?”
“What can I get you?” Meisa fake-smiled without giving him an answer. He could see she was busy and he could probably see she was tired, too. So he’d better get to the point.
“Um…”
Already getting her sharpie out and ready to write the name of a fish on it for his half-open mouth and sudden inability to speak, she nodded, “And a medium Vanilla Latte to go it is.”
Meisa didn’t allow his cocky smile to get to her but kept herself busy preparing the order. So she got his order right, so what? But his name couldn’t be Nemo; what were the odds? He would stop grinning in no time… he did have nice teeth, though.
Oh, it was really too bad he didn’t come up with something decent. If he’d just ask her nicely once… she might even be tempted to give him her number along with a second chance.
“Come on, you could at least have written Sharkbait,” he even pouted a little as he handed over the money for his drink.
That didn’t count as his bad pick-up line of the day yet. And he did know his Disney animation movies, it seemed. “You’re lucky you didn’t get another four-letter name, you know.”
“Whatever lets you sleep at night… but we both know that you’ve got my order right.”
Meisa let out an exasperated sigh. “For someone who spends a fortune on coffee to go, you’re awfully careless when it comes to pissing off the people who prepare your drinks…”
“You only live once…” Coffee man winked and took his cup, turning around to leave before Meisa could tell him off that she had other customers to tend to. Okay, this was new. He hadn’t even asked for her number. Was he giving up already?
Meisa couldn’t quite believe it. Neither could she believe the small but insistent nudge of disappointment that he would give up on getting her number.
As he was leaving, she could see him get his cell phone out of his pocket, then her own phone buzzed. Maybe her mystery man could chase away that stupid feeling of being let down in an even more stupid way.
“This is important, I’m sorry. Be right with you,” she smiled apologetically at the girl next in line. It would only be ten seconds; Meisa needed this.
Maybe more than ten seconds. Meisa’s jaw dropped as she read the message. Son of a...
Just for the record: It’s Jin, not Nemo. And I’d still love to take you out for coffee if you let me.
Despite everything, she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she started typing.