ze:a | i can do without you (but actually, i can't)
I can do without you (but actually, I can't)
Sequel to ' Of flavorful brewed coffee (and a waiter)'
Heechul/Minwoo | pg13 | 4,469w
After finally finding a coffee-house that serves his favorite coffee, Heechul now has to deal with the cute waiter.
♥
I opened the door to the place that had become my second home during school weeks, the bells sounded when the door opened. The smell of coffee greeted me when I walked in. It was quite busy for that time of the day, since it was past four already. Normally it was just me and Minwoo, sometimes a few customers, but not as many as now. While I was searching for a place to sit, I heard a lot of noises coming from behind the counter. It sounded like something fell down. I looked up, and saw Minwoo standing there with a desperate look on his face, while trying to help his customer and clean something up at the same time.
Instead of searching an empty table, I walked towards the counter. A woman looked at me angrily when I walked right past, and I didn't blame her, because standing in line was quite a normal thing to do...But I wasn't planning on standing in line. I walked right in front of the counter, before grinning. There Minwoo was, trying to clean up the mess he made. He didn't notice me yet, and with the protesting customers behind me I thought it was better to make him notice me.
“Yah, Ha Minwoo. Can't you hurry up?” Minwoo shot up, looking wide-eyed before letting out a sigh when he saw it was me. He smiled a little, before seeing the angry customers.
“I'm sorry Heechul, I don't think I have much time for you right now. Just...stand in line, alright?” I shook my head, grinning when Minwoo looked at me with pleading eyes and trying to get me to behave. In the end I decided to be nice for a change.
“Why don't I help you, huh?” And with that I moved behind the counter. Minwoo was starting to protest, but when a customer told him if he could hurry up already, he stopped.
“Okay....” And he took a deep sigh. “Go and get an apron from the back and just...attend to customers.”
“Alright, sir!” I saluted and got to the back. Quickly grabbing an apron, I put it on and went back to the counter.
“You do know how everything works right?” Minwoo whispered to me. I slowly nodded, while carefully pushing some buttons on the machine.
“I only watched you while you were at work, so it seems we will finally find out about your teaching abilities.”
I looked at Minwoo with a grin, and when I looked back at the machine I saw the right coffee came out.
“Ha, turns out you're a great teacher.”
Meanwhile, Minwoo was panicking a little, but before he could say anything I already turned back to the customer.
I know teasing him at that point wasn't really fair since he already had so much to worry about, but it was fun to see him getting all worked up. Besides, I was helping him. I deserved to have a little fun.
It turned out we worked together quite well, so we handled the customers quickly. Around 5.30, the place was quieting down, so Minwoo told me to be a customer myself. I took of my apron and sat at the counter.
“What can I get you, dear customer?”
“Hmm...let me think. How about the usual?”
Minwoo grinned at me and started to prepare my favorite coffee.
“What, no delicious chocolate pie?” I said, when he only put down the coffee in front of me. He shook his head, before pointing to the vitrine.
“As you can see yourself, it looks like the pie is out of stock. You should come back tomorrow, I'm sure we'll have it then.”
I pouted, I was really looking forward to that pie. Especially after helping Minwoo out. Suddenly Minwoo pinched my cheeks.
“Aigoo...you're so cute!”
Looking up in surprise, I saw Minwoo smiling sweetly at me. I slapped his hands away and ducked my head in embarrassment.
“Yah...that's no way to talk to your hyung!”
“But I should say something about your cuteness when you're pouting. It's only polite.”
I gave him a glare, but he just snickered.
“Alright, you look handsome then. Not when you're pouting, but with your regular face you look really handsome. Happy now?”
Just taking a sip of my coffee, I coughed. Minwoo leaned over the counter to pat me on my back, which only made everything worse. Why was he constantly saying stuff like that? It didn't even occur to me to say things like that to him, even though I was normally the one with the flirty comments.
This time I waved him off and told him to go and help some customers.
While I was watching him go, I sighed. I didn't know what was going on between Minwoo and me. We had gotten along right from the start, so it was logical that some sort of friendship had formed. But we never saw each other outside of the coffee-house. We just hung out there, but after closing hours we both went home. I had to admit I liked hanging out with Minwoo, and I wanted to hang out with him after closing hours too. But I just didn't know how to say it.
And then there was all the flirting from Minwoo. He always knew a way to find something that he could turn into a flirtatious comment. And I just flirted back. I didn't know if he really meant all those things he said, but I had to say it definitely made our friendship interesting.
While I was thinking about our friendship, Minwoo was watching me. I knew, because I saw his reflection in the window, and he kept glancing back at me. I shook my head, I really didn't know what was going on inside his head. I looked down at my coffee, which apparently was the perfect moment for Minwoo to come closer. When I looked up again, he was suddenly standing beside me. He suddenly planted a kiss on my cheek.
“There was some chocolate stuck on your cheek,” he said, walking away and standing behind the counter.
At first I let him get away with it, but then I realized that I didn't even eat chocolate pie. I frowned, then why did Minwoo kiss my on the cheek? When I looked up at Minwoo, he just looked back at me, grin on his face. I decided that it was now or never.
“Minwoo...why are you doing this?”
“This?”
“Yeah...this. All the comments about me being handsome and stuff. The random kissing on the cheek?”
He didn't answer me, nor had I expected him too. Instead he looked at me, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. While I was still wondering if I just made a fool out of myself by reading to much into it, I took a sip of my coffee so I didn't have to look at him.
Before I even noticed that Minwoo walked to me from behind the counter, he was already in my face.
“I think you know the answer to that already,” he said in a cheeky voice. And before I knew it he kissed me. On the lips this time.
I felt my face heat up and I just knew I was resembling a tomato right now. I didn't really know what to do with myself. I couldn't respond to it either. By the time I realized what had happened, he had already walked away and disappeared in the back room.
After giving it some thought, I decided that it was better to not go after him (even though I really wanted to). I just couldn't deal with this right now. It was one thing to like Minwoo from afar, not acting upon it but just admiring the boy. It was a whole other thing for Minwoo to like me back. If he liked me back. The kiss might just be another one of his teasing methods, a way to give me the wrong idea.
I sighed, putting some cash on the counter, even though I was sure that Minwoo didn't intend for me to pay for the coffee, grabbed my jacket and headed out.
Meanwhile, there were some eyes following Heechul. Minwoo sighed, things didn't go exactly as he had planned. Hearing the bells of the door, he slowly got out of the backroom. He watched Heechul's back through the window. When he was sure the other boy wouldn't come back, he slowly started cleaning the tables.
***
The rest of my evening was spent trying to figure out what Minwoo meant by that. That kiss that I replayed over and over in my head, still feeling the way his lips were pressed against mine, my lips tingling slightly whenever I thought of it. That feeling kept me from doing anything useful, even though I had some things I had to finish for the next day.
When I finally went to bed, sleep was also slow to come. I kept thinking of him, trying to figure out what I should do or say the next time I saw him.
Needless to say, when I finally did fall asleep, my dreams were filled with Minwoo, his lips and the way he tasted of coffee.
***
Coming to the decision of not going to the coffee-house again was a tough one. I made a list of pro's and con's, but I decided that wasn't my smartest idea ever since 1. I couldn't come farther than just two points, and 2. I could write the same things on both sides.
Why avoid the coffee-house?
Pro'sCon'sI will not see Minwoo
There won't be coffee to remind me of MinwooI will not see Minwoo
There won't be coffee to remind me of Minwoo
In the end I decided that I would just avoid the coffee-house for a while, to get some things clear for myself. Meanwhile, it would also give Minwoo time to think.
So the next day, on my way to home, I suddenly found myself walking the route I normally walked: the one that lead me to the coffee-house. Abruptly, I turned around and decided I would take a longer route because I needed some exercise.
After getting lost multiple times, I started craving coffee. I decided that since I had lost my favorite coffee-house for an unknown period of time, I should look for someplace else to go. Strolling around, it seemed as if no place was good enough.
Finally finding some place that looked reasonable enough, I got in. It turned out that they had my favorite coffee, so that was a relief.
Until I took a sip. I resisted the urge to spit out the coffee right after, because that would just be insulting towards the owners (not that they didn't deserve it after serving that awful coffee) and because I would just embarrass myself in public that way. I grimaced when I swallowed the liquid, putting the cup down while eying it warily.
I made the decision of just leaving and going in search of a different place, since my need for coffee still wasn't satisfied. After some wandering around I found a place that reminded me of the old coffee-houses in Italy (not that I had ever been there, but just from the places that I had seen on the internet).
But looks can be deceiving, as I found out when I drank my ordered coffee. Slowly this thought started forming in my head, but I pushed it to the back of my mind whenever it popped up.
So that afternoon, I went on a hunt for the perfect replacement of my favorite coffee. I found out that it was more difficult than I had expected, since I had to go through the half of town and I still hadn't found anything that came close to the taste.
At that point, that thought from earlier found it's way back into my head. I believed that nothing could ever replace it. That coffee, that had this indescribable taste, this scent, this way to make you feel all warm inside (not counting the fact that it was hot coffee)...It really seemed that this coffee was unique.
When it got dark I decided that I should just go home, and continue on the next day. I still had that longing for coffee and I briefly considered going to the coffee-house to get my coffee. But I decided that the confrontation with Minwoo wasn't worth it, so in the end I went home with an empty feeling.
That night I dreamed about Minwoo again. I was chasing him in this gigantic cup of coffee and just when he reached a way out, coffee was suddenly poured into the cup. Minwoo tried to help me escape, but in the end I drowned in the coffee.
When I woke up and vaguely remembered that dream, I realized the lack of coffee must have affected my brains.
***
It had always surprised me that I didn't hang out with Minwoo at school. Of course there was the fact that he was a year below me, but I also never saw him at school. So even though I wanted to hang out, I didn't know where to find him. I also never mentioned him to my friends, they would just call me crazy and tease me endlessly.
So when I saw a familiar face, that I was desperately trying to avoid, it was logical that my friend Junyoung was surprised when I suddenly grabbed him and hid behind him. I just pushed him forward and turned him around when we passed a certain (in his eyes probably imaginary) point. I only let go of him when I was sure Minwoo wasn't around anymore. I let out a sigh of relief and wanted to walk as far away as I possibly could, but I was dragged backwards before I could even take one step.
Junyoung looked at me questioningly, but I decided to play innocent.
“What?”
Junyoung just raised his eyebrows and gave me a pointed look. Crossing his arms, I understood that I wouldn't get away with this.
“I...I just saw...someone that I wanted to avoid, okay?” And I made a move to get away again. However, Junyoung seemed to know my thoughts, so he stopped me.
“Oh no, you're not getting away with that. Was it Jessica-noona, huh?” Junyoung waggled his eyebrows which only made me look at him in disgust.
“Of course not, you moron. I got over her ages ago.”
“Alright, then who was that someone and what is it about them that makes you act like that?”
I rolled my eyes, it wasn't any of his business anyways. I gave him the silent treatment, but he did the same thing to me. After a little glaring contest, I realized that Junyoung wasn't going to give in. I sighed and decided to just tell him the whole thing. Well, part of it.
“It's just...this boy. I met him some time ago and we get along really well. And now he just...well, something happened yesterday, that makes me want to avoid him. That's all.”
Junyoung, furrowing his eyebrows, of course he didn't believe me.
“Do I know him?”
“I don't think so.”
“Hmpf.” He looked at me in deep thought, as if he was analyzing something. His face brightened and he let out a triumphant 'ha!'. When he saw me looking he got a big grin on his face.
“You like him.”
I flushed a deep red, and I cursed myself. I fell into his trap, like I always did.
“Aw, our Heechul likes a boy. How cute. Ow.” At the last part I stomped him into his arm, I didn't like being called cute.
“Okay, if you like him, then why don't you make up? Unless you did something completely out of line that has ruined all your changes...”
“I didn't....Yah, mind your own business!”
After that I walked away, glaring at Junyoung whenever he got close. I knew he was right, I should make up with Minwoo. But it wasn't like we were fighting, so there wasn't really anything to make up for. There was just this situation where he had kissed me and me not knowing what to do with it.
***
All the thinking, plus the lack of drinking my favorite coffee, got me a headache. I really needed a place that served acceptable coffee and I decided that I would continue my search that afternoon.
Fortunately I didn't walk into Minwoo again that day, so I started my search a little more relaxed that afternoon.
However, my relaxed mood soon changed into a frustrated mood, when I still hadn't found a replacement coffee-house after 2 hours of searching. I really needed a good cup of coffee now and all I could think of was how nice it would be to just drink my favorite coffee and talk with Minwoo for a bit .
And maybe that was why my search for a replacement wasn't working out so far. It wasn't just the fact that the coffee was so unique, that it was served at this place that made me feel at home right away...No, the coffee was so unique because Minwoo was there.
Minwoo made me laugh, told me funny stories, made me feel at ease by just giving me a small smile and he was the one that made me look forward to my coffee. He was the reason that I enjoyed my coffee so much.
And that's why nothing could ever replace my coffee. And that's why this belief lasted for forty eight hours, because I couldn't bring myself to be apart from Minwoo for a long period of time.
I mentally slapped myself when I realized how stupid I had been. And having my feelings returned or not, I was going back to the coffee-house, to Minwoo (and my favorite coffee).
When I found myself in the street of the coffee-house, I slowed down. I didn't even have a plan on how to do this, what to say. Still, I decided that it didn't matter, I never had the need to have a plan around Minwoo before.
I opened the door and heard the bells jingle, the conversations of the few customers that were there drifting towards me, the smell of coffee inviting me further into the cafe. I saw Minwoo look up, looking slightly surprised, before he looked down again and went on with cleaning the counter.
Slowly walking towards him, I took a side at one of the stools at the counter.
“Hey,” I said, only realizing how stupid that one word just sounded after I said it.
“Hey,” he replied, a small smile on his face.
I scratched my neck awkwardly, it reminded of the first time I spoke to him at this counter.
“What can I get you?”
It really was like that time, him asking me what I wanted and me not having a clue what to order. That thought gave me an idea. I pointed towards the pieces of pie.
“I would like one of those.”
“Which one?”
I grinned when I saw that Minwoo was trying to fight back his smile. I knew he was trying really hard to be unfriendly with me, but I also knew just how to handle that.
“Which one do you recommend?”
He shook his head, before grabbing one of the pieces.
“Definitely one of my favorites, also one of yours. It isn't all chocolate, but some surprising flavors as well.”
“Hmm, I remember that one yeah. How much is it?”
“When you're here to act rude again, it would cost too much for you,” he said without looking at me. “If not...who knows, you might get it for free?”
I smiled widely, understanding the hint. I looked around to see if any customers were watching and when I decided it was safe, I took my chance.
I leaned over the counter, kindly grabbed Minwoo's chin and pulled his face towards mine. Planting a soft but swift kiss on his lips, then murmuring a soft 'I'm sorry' against them, I looked at him. He blushed slightly, and I mentally gave myself a high-five for finally making him blush.
“So...how much will I have to pay?” I said cheekily. Minwoo grinned at me before giving me a playful shove.
“You still wouldn't be able to afford it.”
“But...then...” I sighed. “Alright, tell me what I can do to make it cheaper.”
Minwoo pretended to be in thought, then he got a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Do what you did just now...just with a little more passion. We'll see if that fixes things.”
“Wait...what...here? We're in the middle of the cafe, Minwoo. There's people around!” I hissed. There was no way that I would kiss him like that in front of customers. I would do it if it was just the two of us, but not like this.
Minwoo seemed to realize it too, because he looked quite disappointed. Then he gestured for me to come to the other side of the counter. I walked towards him and he grabbed my arm and dragged me into the backroom.
“I see no people around here,” he said triumphantly.
Sighing, I decided to give him what he wanted...and what I wanted. I found it was time for him to meet the true me; so far he had always been the one to tease me, he had always seen me blush and get all shy, but not this time. No, this time he would be the one to get all flustered.
I pushed him into the wall, my hand next to his head to keep him locked in. I moved forward slowly, teasing him by not giving him what he wanted. He looked annoyed, but didn't say anything of it. Finally I was close enough to kiss him. But I just let my lips barely brush his a few times.
“Hyung!” He groaned. “Stop teasing me...you've done enough of tha--”
That's when I kissed him. Grinning a little in the kiss, I made sure it was exactly how he wanted it. Pulling away, Minwoo looked up at me a little dazed.
“Can I afford it now?”
“Yeah...it's free.”
Grinning I walked back into the cafe. When I noticed that Minwoo wasn't following me, I poked my head into the backroom.
“Are you coming? Or are you just going to stand there looking all lovestruck?”
Minwoo glared a little, before moving past me. He didn't say anything, but instead went to help some customers.
I grinned and went to sit at the counter again. Taking a sip of my coffee, I heaved a sigh of relief. It never tasted any better, especially when I could keep glancing at the cute waiter. He definitely gave the coffee some extra flavor.
***
When all the customers were gone, Minwoo couldn't avoid me anymore. He sat down beside me, putting down two cups of coffee. My favorite.
“Why did you walk away last time?” He asked me.
“Because you confused me. I didn't know if you were just teasing, or if you really meant it. I went home to think about it. Well, I tried to think about it. With the lack of my favorite coffee and you messing up my head...it didn't really work out.”
“I messed up your head.”
“Why do you skip over the part with the lack of coffee? That was an important reason too.”
Minwoo let out a little laugh, and I realized how much I missed the way his eyes crinkled into cute half moons when he did that.
“You know, there's no place where the coffee tastes as good as here. I figured out that a cute waiter added to the taste of the coffee.” I said.
Minwoo blushed a little, taking a sip of his coffee. While he took the sip, he looked at me. He got a confused look onto his face and put the cup down.
“I think I know what you mean. It's just not a waiter for me, but a very handsome customer.”
We smiled at each other, linking our legs together quite naturally. We drank our coffee in a comfortable silence for a while, before Minwoo let out a laugh.
“I messed up your mind by just giving you a kiss? So all I have to do is kiss you if I want to confuse you again?”
I tried to look at him all annoyed, but when he smiled cutely at me I just let out a little laugh.
“I guess so...”
He laughed again before saying, “Perfect.” He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me towards him to kiss me again.
Knowing that something like this could happen, I was prepared for it. I pulled him closer by the waist, so his stool was slightly titled towards me. Tasting all the different flavors in his mouth, he reminded me of something. I pushed him away when I realized what it was.
“Chocolate cake.”
“What?”
“You taste exactly like that chocolate cake.”
He looked at me surprised. “I do?”
“Yeah...it isn't just chocolate, but some surprising flavors as well. It's a nice taste. I could become addicted to it.”
He blushed a little, shoving me away playfully.
“As long as I'm the only thing you get addicted to, I'm alright with it.”
“How cheesy.” I replied.
“What, you started it with your 'I could become addicted to it'.”
“I did not!”
Our bickering went on for a while. It got dark outside and the whole mood seemed right.
I realized that coffee was all about your personal preferences after all. It isn't just about the flavors, the smell, the different products that it's mixed with. No, it's about the ambiance of the place where you're drinking the coffee, the looks of the place, the certain feel as if you were at home. And of course how it was served and most importantly by who.
While I helped Minwoo clean up the coffee-house, I realized that there wouldn't be a need to change my favorite coffee as long as it was served by him. No, I wouldn't want to change it at all.
Sequel to ' Of flavorful brewed coffee (and a waiter)'
Heechul/Minwoo | pg13 | 4,469w
After finally finding a coffee-house that serves his favorite coffee, Heechul now has to deal with the cute waiter.
♥
I opened the door to the place that had become my second home during school weeks, the bells sounded when the door opened. The smell of coffee greeted me when I walked in. It was quite busy for that time of the day, since it was past four already. Normally it was just me and Minwoo, sometimes a few customers, but not as many as now. While I was searching for a place to sit, I heard a lot of noises coming from behind the counter. It sounded like something fell down. I looked up, and saw Minwoo standing there with a desperate look on his face, while trying to help his customer and clean something up at the same time.
Instead of searching an empty table, I walked towards the counter. A woman looked at me angrily when I walked right past, and I didn't blame her, because standing in line was quite a normal thing to do...But I wasn't planning on standing in line. I walked right in front of the counter, before grinning. There Minwoo was, trying to clean up the mess he made. He didn't notice me yet, and with the protesting customers behind me I thought it was better to make him notice me.
“Yah, Ha Minwoo. Can't you hurry up?” Minwoo shot up, looking wide-eyed before letting out a sigh when he saw it was me. He smiled a little, before seeing the angry customers.
“I'm sorry Heechul, I don't think I have much time for you right now. Just...stand in line, alright?” I shook my head, grinning when Minwoo looked at me with pleading eyes and trying to get me to behave. In the end I decided to be nice for a change.
“Why don't I help you, huh?” And with that I moved behind the counter. Minwoo was starting to protest, but when a customer told him if he could hurry up already, he stopped.
“Okay....” And he took a deep sigh. “Go and get an apron from the back and just...attend to customers.”
“Alright, sir!” I saluted and got to the back. Quickly grabbing an apron, I put it on and went back to the counter.
“You do know how everything works right?” Minwoo whispered to me. I slowly nodded, while carefully pushing some buttons on the machine.
“I only watched you while you were at work, so it seems we will finally find out about your teaching abilities.”
I looked at Minwoo with a grin, and when I looked back at the machine I saw the right coffee came out.
“Ha, turns out you're a great teacher.”
Meanwhile, Minwoo was panicking a little, but before he could say anything I already turned back to the customer.
I know teasing him at that point wasn't really fair since he already had so much to worry about, but it was fun to see him getting all worked up. Besides, I was helping him. I deserved to have a little fun.
It turned out we worked together quite well, so we handled the customers quickly. Around 5.30, the place was quieting down, so Minwoo told me to be a customer myself. I took of my apron and sat at the counter.
“What can I get you, dear customer?”
“Hmm...let me think. How about the usual?”
Minwoo grinned at me and started to prepare my favorite coffee.
“What, no delicious chocolate pie?” I said, when he only put down the coffee in front of me. He shook his head, before pointing to the vitrine.
“As you can see yourself, it looks like the pie is out of stock. You should come back tomorrow, I'm sure we'll have it then.”
I pouted, I was really looking forward to that pie. Especially after helping Minwoo out. Suddenly Minwoo pinched my cheeks.
“Aigoo...you're so cute!”
Looking up in surprise, I saw Minwoo smiling sweetly at me. I slapped his hands away and ducked my head in embarrassment.
“Yah...that's no way to talk to your hyung!”
“But I should say something about your cuteness when you're pouting. It's only polite.”
I gave him a glare, but he just snickered.
“Alright, you look handsome then. Not when you're pouting, but with your regular face you look really handsome. Happy now?”
Just taking a sip of my coffee, I coughed. Minwoo leaned over the counter to pat me on my back, which only made everything worse. Why was he constantly saying stuff like that? It didn't even occur to me to say things like that to him, even though I was normally the one with the flirty comments.
This time I waved him off and told him to go and help some customers.
While I was watching him go, I sighed. I didn't know what was going on between Minwoo and me. We had gotten along right from the start, so it was logical that some sort of friendship had formed. But we never saw each other outside of the coffee-house. We just hung out there, but after closing hours we both went home. I had to admit I liked hanging out with Minwoo, and I wanted to hang out with him after closing hours too. But I just didn't know how to say it.
And then there was all the flirting from Minwoo. He always knew a way to find something that he could turn into a flirtatious comment. And I just flirted back. I didn't know if he really meant all those things he said, but I had to say it definitely made our friendship interesting.
While I was thinking about our friendship, Minwoo was watching me. I knew, because I saw his reflection in the window, and he kept glancing back at me. I shook my head, I really didn't know what was going on inside his head. I looked down at my coffee, which apparently was the perfect moment for Minwoo to come closer. When I looked up again, he was suddenly standing beside me. He suddenly planted a kiss on my cheek.
“There was some chocolate stuck on your cheek,” he said, walking away and standing behind the counter.
At first I let him get away with it, but then I realized that I didn't even eat chocolate pie. I frowned, then why did Minwoo kiss my on the cheek? When I looked up at Minwoo, he just looked back at me, grin on his face. I decided that it was now or never.
“Minwoo...why are you doing this?”
“This?”
“Yeah...this. All the comments about me being handsome and stuff. The random kissing on the cheek?”
He didn't answer me, nor had I expected him too. Instead he looked at me, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. While I was still wondering if I just made a fool out of myself by reading to much into it, I took a sip of my coffee so I didn't have to look at him.
Before I even noticed that Minwoo walked to me from behind the counter, he was already in my face.
“I think you know the answer to that already,” he said in a cheeky voice. And before I knew it he kissed me. On the lips this time.
I felt my face heat up and I just knew I was resembling a tomato right now. I didn't really know what to do with myself. I couldn't respond to it either. By the time I realized what had happened, he had already walked away and disappeared in the back room.
After giving it some thought, I decided that it was better to not go after him (even though I really wanted to). I just couldn't deal with this right now. It was one thing to like Minwoo from afar, not acting upon it but just admiring the boy. It was a whole other thing for Minwoo to like me back. If he liked me back. The kiss might just be another one of his teasing methods, a way to give me the wrong idea.
I sighed, putting some cash on the counter, even though I was sure that Minwoo didn't intend for me to pay for the coffee, grabbed my jacket and headed out.
Meanwhile, there were some eyes following Heechul. Minwoo sighed, things didn't go exactly as he had planned. Hearing the bells of the door, he slowly got out of the backroom. He watched Heechul's back through the window. When he was sure the other boy wouldn't come back, he slowly started cleaning the tables.
***
The rest of my evening was spent trying to figure out what Minwoo meant by that. That kiss that I replayed over and over in my head, still feeling the way his lips were pressed against mine, my lips tingling slightly whenever I thought of it. That feeling kept me from doing anything useful, even though I had some things I had to finish for the next day.
When I finally went to bed, sleep was also slow to come. I kept thinking of him, trying to figure out what I should do or say the next time I saw him.
Needless to say, when I finally did fall asleep, my dreams were filled with Minwoo, his lips and the way he tasted of coffee.
***
Coming to the decision of not going to the coffee-house again was a tough one. I made a list of pro's and con's, but I decided that wasn't my smartest idea ever since 1. I couldn't come farther than just two points, and 2. I could write the same things on both sides.
Why avoid the coffee-house?
Pro'sCon'sI will not see Minwoo
There won't be coffee to remind me of MinwooI will not see Minwoo
There won't be coffee to remind me of Minwoo
In the end I decided that I would just avoid the coffee-house for a while, to get some things clear for myself. Meanwhile, it would also give Minwoo time to think.
So the next day, on my way to home, I suddenly found myself walking the route I normally walked: the one that lead me to the coffee-house. Abruptly, I turned around and decided I would take a longer route because I needed some exercise.
After getting lost multiple times, I started craving coffee. I decided that since I had lost my favorite coffee-house for an unknown period of time, I should look for someplace else to go. Strolling around, it seemed as if no place was good enough.
Finally finding some place that looked reasonable enough, I got in. It turned out that they had my favorite coffee, so that was a relief.
Until I took a sip. I resisted the urge to spit out the coffee right after, because that would just be insulting towards the owners (not that they didn't deserve it after serving that awful coffee) and because I would just embarrass myself in public that way. I grimaced when I swallowed the liquid, putting the cup down while eying it warily.
I made the decision of just leaving and going in search of a different place, since my need for coffee still wasn't satisfied. After some wandering around I found a place that reminded me of the old coffee-houses in Italy (not that I had ever been there, but just from the places that I had seen on the internet).
But looks can be deceiving, as I found out when I drank my ordered coffee. Slowly this thought started forming in my head, but I pushed it to the back of my mind whenever it popped up.
So that afternoon, I went on a hunt for the perfect replacement of my favorite coffee. I found out that it was more difficult than I had expected, since I had to go through the half of town and I still hadn't found anything that came close to the taste.
At that point, that thought from earlier found it's way back into my head. I believed that nothing could ever replace it. That coffee, that had this indescribable taste, this scent, this way to make you feel all warm inside (not counting the fact that it was hot coffee)...It really seemed that this coffee was unique.
When it got dark I decided that I should just go home, and continue on the next day. I still had that longing for coffee and I briefly considered going to the coffee-house to get my coffee. But I decided that the confrontation with Minwoo wasn't worth it, so in the end I went home with an empty feeling.
That night I dreamed about Minwoo again. I was chasing him in this gigantic cup of coffee and just when he reached a way out, coffee was suddenly poured into the cup. Minwoo tried to help me escape, but in the end I drowned in the coffee.
When I woke up and vaguely remembered that dream, I realized the lack of coffee must have affected my brains.
***
It had always surprised me that I didn't hang out with Minwoo at school. Of course there was the fact that he was a year below me, but I also never saw him at school. So even though I wanted to hang out, I didn't know where to find him. I also never mentioned him to my friends, they would just call me crazy and tease me endlessly.
So when I saw a familiar face, that I was desperately trying to avoid, it was logical that my friend Junyoung was surprised when I suddenly grabbed him and hid behind him. I just pushed him forward and turned him around when we passed a certain (in his eyes probably imaginary) point. I only let go of him when I was sure Minwoo wasn't around anymore. I let out a sigh of relief and wanted to walk as far away as I possibly could, but I was dragged backwards before I could even take one step.
Junyoung looked at me questioningly, but I decided to play innocent.
“What?”
Junyoung just raised his eyebrows and gave me a pointed look. Crossing his arms, I understood that I wouldn't get away with this.
“I...I just saw...someone that I wanted to avoid, okay?” And I made a move to get away again. However, Junyoung seemed to know my thoughts, so he stopped me.
“Oh no, you're not getting away with that. Was it Jessica-noona, huh?” Junyoung waggled his eyebrows which only made me look at him in disgust.
“Of course not, you moron. I got over her ages ago.”
“Alright, then who was that someone and what is it about them that makes you act like that?”
I rolled my eyes, it wasn't any of his business anyways. I gave him the silent treatment, but he did the same thing to me. After a little glaring contest, I realized that Junyoung wasn't going to give in. I sighed and decided to just tell him the whole thing. Well, part of it.
“It's just...this boy. I met him some time ago and we get along really well. And now he just...well, something happened yesterday, that makes me want to avoid him. That's all.”
Junyoung, furrowing his eyebrows, of course he didn't believe me.
“Do I know him?”
“I don't think so.”
“Hmpf.” He looked at me in deep thought, as if he was analyzing something. His face brightened and he let out a triumphant 'ha!'. When he saw me looking he got a big grin on his face.
“You like him.”
I flushed a deep red, and I cursed myself. I fell into his trap, like I always did.
“Aw, our Heechul likes a boy. How cute. Ow.” At the last part I stomped him into his arm, I didn't like being called cute.
“Okay, if you like him, then why don't you make up? Unless you did something completely out of line that has ruined all your changes...”
“I didn't....Yah, mind your own business!”
After that I walked away, glaring at Junyoung whenever he got close. I knew he was right, I should make up with Minwoo. But it wasn't like we were fighting, so there wasn't really anything to make up for. There was just this situation where he had kissed me and me not knowing what to do with it.
***
All the thinking, plus the lack of drinking my favorite coffee, got me a headache. I really needed a place that served acceptable coffee and I decided that I would continue my search that afternoon.
Fortunately I didn't walk into Minwoo again that day, so I started my search a little more relaxed that afternoon.
However, my relaxed mood soon changed into a frustrated mood, when I still hadn't found a replacement coffee-house after 2 hours of searching. I really needed a good cup of coffee now and all I could think of was how nice it would be to just drink my favorite coffee and talk with Minwoo for a bit .
And maybe that was why my search for a replacement wasn't working out so far. It wasn't just the fact that the coffee was so unique, that it was served at this place that made me feel at home right away...No, the coffee was so unique because Minwoo was there.
Minwoo made me laugh, told me funny stories, made me feel at ease by just giving me a small smile and he was the one that made me look forward to my coffee. He was the reason that I enjoyed my coffee so much.
And that's why nothing could ever replace my coffee. And that's why this belief lasted for forty eight hours, because I couldn't bring myself to be apart from Minwoo for a long period of time.
I mentally slapped myself when I realized how stupid I had been. And having my feelings returned or not, I was going back to the coffee-house, to Minwoo (and my favorite coffee).
When I found myself in the street of the coffee-house, I slowed down. I didn't even have a plan on how to do this, what to say. Still, I decided that it didn't matter, I never had the need to have a plan around Minwoo before.
I opened the door and heard the bells jingle, the conversations of the few customers that were there drifting towards me, the smell of coffee inviting me further into the cafe. I saw Minwoo look up, looking slightly surprised, before he looked down again and went on with cleaning the counter.
Slowly walking towards him, I took a side at one of the stools at the counter.
“Hey,” I said, only realizing how stupid that one word just sounded after I said it.
“Hey,” he replied, a small smile on his face.
I scratched my neck awkwardly, it reminded of the first time I spoke to him at this counter.
“What can I get you?”
It really was like that time, him asking me what I wanted and me not having a clue what to order. That thought gave me an idea. I pointed towards the pieces of pie.
“I would like one of those.”
“Which one?”
I grinned when I saw that Minwoo was trying to fight back his smile. I knew he was trying really hard to be unfriendly with me, but I also knew just how to handle that.
“Which one do you recommend?”
He shook his head, before grabbing one of the pieces.
“Definitely one of my favorites, also one of yours. It isn't all chocolate, but some surprising flavors as well.”
“Hmm, I remember that one yeah. How much is it?”
“When you're here to act rude again, it would cost too much for you,” he said without looking at me. “If not...who knows, you might get it for free?”
I smiled widely, understanding the hint. I looked around to see if any customers were watching and when I decided it was safe, I took my chance.
I leaned over the counter, kindly grabbed Minwoo's chin and pulled his face towards mine. Planting a soft but swift kiss on his lips, then murmuring a soft 'I'm sorry' against them, I looked at him. He blushed slightly, and I mentally gave myself a high-five for finally making him blush.
“So...how much will I have to pay?” I said cheekily. Minwoo grinned at me before giving me a playful shove.
“You still wouldn't be able to afford it.”
“But...then...” I sighed. “Alright, tell me what I can do to make it cheaper.”
Minwoo pretended to be in thought, then he got a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Do what you did just now...just with a little more passion. We'll see if that fixes things.”
“Wait...what...here? We're in the middle of the cafe, Minwoo. There's people around!” I hissed. There was no way that I would kiss him like that in front of customers. I would do it if it was just the two of us, but not like this.
Minwoo seemed to realize it too, because he looked quite disappointed. Then he gestured for me to come to the other side of the counter. I walked towards him and he grabbed my arm and dragged me into the backroom.
“I see no people around here,” he said triumphantly.
Sighing, I decided to give him what he wanted...and what I wanted. I found it was time for him to meet the true me; so far he had always been the one to tease me, he had always seen me blush and get all shy, but not this time. No, this time he would be the one to get all flustered.
I pushed him into the wall, my hand next to his head to keep him locked in. I moved forward slowly, teasing him by not giving him what he wanted. He looked annoyed, but didn't say anything of it. Finally I was close enough to kiss him. But I just let my lips barely brush his a few times.
“Hyung!” He groaned. “Stop teasing me...you've done enough of tha--”
That's when I kissed him. Grinning a little in the kiss, I made sure it was exactly how he wanted it. Pulling away, Minwoo looked up at me a little dazed.
“Can I afford it now?”
“Yeah...it's free.”
Grinning I walked back into the cafe. When I noticed that Minwoo wasn't following me, I poked my head into the backroom.
“Are you coming? Or are you just going to stand there looking all lovestruck?”
Minwoo glared a little, before moving past me. He didn't say anything, but instead went to help some customers.
I grinned and went to sit at the counter again. Taking a sip of my coffee, I heaved a sigh of relief. It never tasted any better, especially when I could keep glancing at the cute waiter. He definitely gave the coffee some extra flavor.
***
When all the customers were gone, Minwoo couldn't avoid me anymore. He sat down beside me, putting down two cups of coffee. My favorite.
“Why did you walk away last time?” He asked me.
“Because you confused me. I didn't know if you were just teasing, or if you really meant it. I went home to think about it. Well, I tried to think about it. With the lack of my favorite coffee and you messing up my head...it didn't really work out.”
“I messed up your head.”
“Why do you skip over the part with the lack of coffee? That was an important reason too.”
Minwoo let out a little laugh, and I realized how much I missed the way his eyes crinkled into cute half moons when he did that.
“You know, there's no place where the coffee tastes as good as here. I figured out that a cute waiter added to the taste of the coffee.” I said.
Minwoo blushed a little, taking a sip of his coffee. While he took the sip, he looked at me. He got a confused look onto his face and put the cup down.
“I think I know what you mean. It's just not a waiter for me, but a very handsome customer.”
We smiled at each other, linking our legs together quite naturally. We drank our coffee in a comfortable silence for a while, before Minwoo let out a laugh.
“I messed up your mind by just giving you a kiss? So all I have to do is kiss you if I want to confuse you again?”
I tried to look at him all annoyed, but when he smiled cutely at me I just let out a little laugh.
“I guess so...”
He laughed again before saying, “Perfect.” He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me towards him to kiss me again.
Knowing that something like this could happen, I was prepared for it. I pulled him closer by the waist, so his stool was slightly titled towards me. Tasting all the different flavors in his mouth, he reminded me of something. I pushed him away when I realized what it was.
“Chocolate cake.”
“What?”
“You taste exactly like that chocolate cake.”
He looked at me surprised. “I do?”
“Yeah...it isn't just chocolate, but some surprising flavors as well. It's a nice taste. I could become addicted to it.”
He blushed a little, shoving me away playfully.
“As long as I'm the only thing you get addicted to, I'm alright with it.”
“How cheesy.” I replied.
“What, you started it with your 'I could become addicted to it'.”
“I did not!”
Our bickering went on for a while. It got dark outside and the whole mood seemed right.
I realized that coffee was all about your personal preferences after all. It isn't just about the flavors, the smell, the different products that it's mixed with. No, it's about the ambiance of the place where you're drinking the coffee, the looks of the place, the certain feel as if you were at home. And of course how it was served and most importantly by who.
While I helped Minwoo clean up the coffee-house, I realized that there wouldn't be a need to change my favorite coffee as long as it was served by him. No, I wouldn't want to change it at all.