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It was a cold day and the chilly air blew onto your skin, causing goosebumps to rise on your arms. You were wrapped in a large cozy jacket which was doing its job of keeping you warm.
Was it so cold that you could see your breath in front of you? Yes.
Were you still going to your favorite boba shop to order a cold drink? Of course.
You approached the door to the boba shop. There was a sign on the door, displaying the shop’s name: Moon Child. You had always thought it was a cute name, although you wondered about the significance behind it.
Stepping inside, you sighed contently, the warmness chasing the cold away. You relaxed your grip on your jacket and smiled softly. Moon Child was one of your favorite places. After a long day of school, you would order your favorite drink and it would soothe the stress. You would say that boba is one of your comfort foods.
You examined the menu that was on the wall, knowing that you’ll probably end up ordering your usual again. But there were a few flavors of drinks that caught your eye and you told yourself you would try them another day, just as you did the last time you were here.
You realized it was empty in the cafe aside from one worker who waited at the counter, behind the register. Turning to face him, you were met with a young man with dark brown, smiling eyes, and dimpled cheeks. His hair was an ashy brown and was parted to the side.
“Hello. Your usual again for today?” He greeted you, catching you slightly off guard.
“Uhm, my usual?” You stammered. Then, you remembered the past few times you came here, this pretty barista was the one making and serving drinks. He was fairly new, so you were surprised that he remembered you. Although, you suppose you did treat yourself to boba tea way more often than the average person.
“Yeah, the oreo milk tea with boba pearls, light ice, and extra sweet. Right?” He said, proving that he really did remember your exact order. At this, you couldn’t help but smile, a faint warmness painting your cheeks.
“Oh yes, that is my order.” You confirmed. “I’m surprised you remember.”
His friendly demeanor was extremely welcoming, and his warm personality filled you with delight. He seemed like the kind of person who could brighten your day with just a few words.
“Will that be all for today?” He asked as usual.
You nodded.
“Can I get your name? For the order, I mean.” He said.
You told him your name and handed him your card to pay. He took it from you, and for a moment your hands were only inches apart.
A few seconds later, he handed your card back to you along with the receipt. Then he walked away from the register to make your drink, but only after giving you another adorable smile.
You decided to take a seat by the window to watch as the trees swayed in the wind. People occasionally walked past the boba shop, who were not as willing as you to have a cold drink in this weather. Your fingers tapped idly on the table as you waited. The faint sound of a drink being mixed could be heard.
Only a few minutes later, the cute barista called you over to pick up your drink from the counter.
You walked over and grabbed your milk tea along with the straw.
“Thank you!” You cheered, excited for your favorite drink. Just now, you noticed the barista wore a name tag on his apron that had the letters ‘RM’ scribbled on it. You doubted this was his real name, so you decided to ask. You wanted to know the name of the person who has been making you drinks, after all.
“Oh, and what’s your name? Your name tag says RM, so I wasn’t sure.” You asked nervously. Meanwhile, your hands were busy piercing the straw into the seal of the cup. He chuckled.
“This is just my work name-badge that I use. My real name,” He responded as he wiped the counter clean of any spills he had made, “is Namjoon.”
You took a sip of your drink, almost melting at the relief it brought you. Not to be dramatic or anything, but he made your drink perfectly. Sometimes the barista would make it too sweet, or not enough, but somehow Namjoon got it just right.
“Well, thank you Namjoon!” You said, testing his name out. “I’ll probably see you soon.”
Then you walked out of the cafe, your hands even colder since you had your drink in your hands. That didn’t matter though, because soon you would be in your warm apartment with your valued drink, probably daydreaming of a certain boba barista.
—
Four days, you went without boba, and any thoughts about the cute barista were pushed aside to make room for school. You spent those days studying and completing assignments, and now you figured you would reward yourself.
You entered the boba shop, and you were delighted to see Namjoon there behind the counter. He was currently taking the order of a customer in front of you. You used this time to look over the menu, as you usually do.
“Hey _____!” He greeted you once he had finished helping the customer.
“Hi Namjoon.” You said, eyes lighting up as you approach him.
“Will you have your usual again?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow up.
You thought for a moment. Maybe today will be the day you’ll finally try something new. After so many days of having the same boba drink, it was about time you changed it up. But which drink? There were so many options, and you suddenly remembered why you would just stick to your usual.
“Actually, I want to try something different. What do you recommend?” You decided to ask for his opinion.
You could see him thinking, and glancing at the menu trying to pick a suitable drink that would hold up to your standards.
“Let’s see…” He said, “Well I really like the matcha latte with boba pearls. You might like that one.”
“Sure! I’ll try that.” You agreed, thinking his choice sounded good.
“Extra sweet?”
“Huh?” You hadn’t completely registered what he said, still a little nervous around him.
“Would you like it extra sweet? That’s how you usually like your drinks, right?” He clarified. You nodded, again surprised at his observations.
“Yes, that’d be great!” You said. You took out your wallet to give him your card.
“It’s okay! It’s on me.” He said, not taking your card.
“Oh no, I couldn’t! Please take my card.” You insisted, feeling guilty that he would pay for your
drink.
“Nah, it's fine! I get a free drink every day, you can just use it.” He said, not giving up. You hesitantly put your card back into your wallet.
“Oh thank you so much. That’s so sweet!” You thanked him. His kind gesture had your heart fluttering and you couldn’t help but smile. He finished setting up your order, then left the register to make the drink.
You sighed, not expecting him to affect you this much. Why was your heart beating so fast? Why would the butterflies in your stomach not stop fluttering?
You couldn’t get over his handsomeness. Something about his soft features and warm smile had you feeling smitten. And his voice was deep and rang in your ears like your favorite song.
It was his voice that snapped you out of your thoughts.
“______? Your drink is ready. Come let me know what you think.” He called. You walked back over to the counter and picked up the light green drink with boba in it. He watched as you stabbed the straw into the drink. You took a sip of the latte, tasting the matcha and getting a few orbs of boba. It was a lot different than your usual drink, but it was a nice change. Definitely refreshing with a sweet aftertaste, he had picked a perfect drink.
“It’s really good! I love it!” You said. This may have to be your new usual.
“I’m glad you like it! It’s one of my favorites.”
You swear you could almost see a hint of pink on his dimpled cheeks. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he was unsure.
“Thanks again. I’ll probably be back soon.” You said, smiling and waving basfully.
“Ah wait!” He said suddenly. A shy expression overtook his face. “Can I ask for your number?”
You felt shy all of a sudden as well. Was he implying that he wanted to get closer to you? Did he feel the butterflies too? You barely knew him so why did you feel like this? But who were you to deny his advances.
You took a napkin from a pile that was laying on the counter.
“Have a pen?” You asked him. He quickly went to the register where there was a cup of pens. He came back and handed one to you. You used it to scribble your number on the brown napkin.
Then you handed it to him. He took it from you and stashed it into his back pocket.
“I’ll probably be back soon! Text me in the meantime.” You told him. “Bye Namjoon.”
“Bye!” He called as you left the shop.
Walking down the sidewalk, you felt so light and giddy. You haven’t felt like this in a while. The last time you could remember having a crush was in middle school. Now, you felt like a child again, being around Namjoon had you forget the stresses of life.
You took a sip.
The taste of delicious matcha lingered in your mouth as did the thoughts of Namjoon lingered in your head.