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The ticking sounds of the clock hanging on the wall echoed in Changbin’s ears as he stared idly at it, tapping his fingers rhythmically along to it. It wasn’t as though the clock was particularly loud or anything like that but perhaps it only appeared to be the case because his full attention was focused on it.
He slowly exhaled, relaxing his shoulders as he straightened up from his position against the counter. He tidied his uniform and brushed off invisible lint. He let his gaze sweep over the interior of the shop, performing a quick customary check of the customers.
Then, Changbin glanced at the clock again.
Of course, since it had barely been two minutes since he had taken his eyes off it, nothing much had changed. Each tick of the clock seemed to resonate with the hasty beats of his excited heart, stiffening up his joints and filling him with uneasiness.
He repressed another sigh and forced his gaze back to the counter, noticing the fingerprint marks and stains on the marble surface. He grabbed a cleaning rag and fiercely wiped the counter down, ensuring that it was spotless. He even rearranged the vase of orange roses next to the cash register so that it looked neater.
And his eyes travelled unconsciously to the clock hanging on the wall once more.
The other was late. Biting down on his lips, Changbin wondered if he would come after all.
That was when the bell hanging over the doorway chimed noisily, announcing the other’s arrival. Just like every other day for the past three weeks, the pretty boy had visited the shop again. Today, he was clad in a simple black hoodie and jeans, looking just as beautiful as he did every other day.
Brushing his hair out of his face, the boy immediately headed towards the counter where Changbin stood waiting.
They exchanged shy smiles, eyes meeting before darting away quickly before the other placed his order. It was the same thing that the boy always ordered at the shop.
“A double scoop of strawberry ice cream, please!”
Changbin stumbled over his reply as he always did. “Of… of course. I’ll… it’s coming right up! I mean… Hold on for a minute.”
As he grabbed a cup and fumbled with the glass display case, he could feel the heat of the other’s gaze on him. It made him a hundred times more conscious of his actions and every movement that he made felt unbearably awkward. Even though he had worked at this shop for months and could serve ice cream in his sleep, right now everything felt strangely foreign and strange to him.
It was only when Changbin had finished preparing the order and was working the cash register that he chanced a glance up at the other.
The pretty boy’s eyes were on the vase of orange roses next to the cash register, a dreary and distant look evident within his deep orbs as his ruby lips curved gracefully. The delicate fingers on both of his hands were curled around the straps of the caramel-coloured satchel bag slung over his right shoulder as he fiddled with it. Most of the other’s long dark hair had been pushed casually behind his ears except for a single tendril that had found its way to brush against his rosy cheeks.
A vision of loveliness that was simply impossible to resist.
“That will be $4 please,” Changbin managed, his brain slowed by all the synonyms of the word ‘beautiful’ that had been conjured inside his mind.
The boy made his payment and he handed the other the cup of ice cream along with a spoon and a napkin. Their fingers brushed against each other’s for the briefest of moments and Changbin imagined he felt an electrifying jolt exchanged between them.
“Thank you.”
Having received his purchase, the other made his way to the small table that was tucked in the corner of the shop. It was the same table by the window that the boy always sat at as long as it was available.
As the boy tucked into his ice cream, Changbin started cleaning the counter area again as though he hadn’t just done the same mere minutes ago. It was, after all, the perfect excuse to stay at the counter and stare at the people in the shop.
Well, he was only staring at a specific person and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Aside from the pretty boy whom he couldn’t help sneaking glances at time and again, there were also a group of children and a pair of mother and daughter in the shop. The group of five boys dressed in soccer uniforms were crowded around a table near the middle of the shop, enjoying their sweet treats as they chatted and laughed merrily. At the same time, near the front doors of the shop, the mother-and-daughter pair were talking quietly over the banana split they had ordered to share, identical smiles evident on their faces.
The shop wasn’t very crowded at this time of the day on the weekdays mostly due to its remote location given how it was tucked away in a row of old, dilapidated shophouses but on the weekends, the quaint and rustic appearance of the shop drew more than its fair share of customers looking for a relaxing place to spend their days off from work.
Changbin was just glad that the shop was mostly quiet during these hours because it meant that he could give his undivided attention to the pretty boy who was slowly savouring his strawberry ice cream while looking out of the shop window.
As the sun began to set over the city, it started bleeding in orange across the landscape, bathing it in blinding orange hues. That unholy, magical light that engulfed the city had people stopping in their tracks to capture a glimpse of the beginning of the end of the day.
But not even the beauty of the sunset could compare to the ethereal pretty boy in front of him, with an orange halo over his head and his lovely gaze trained on the distant horizon.
Holding back a sigh, Changbin leaned forward on the counter so he could rest his chin on the glass display case to stare even further, all thoughts of subtlety entirely tossed away.
He almost wished that the ice cream in the other’s cup was unlimited, allowing the pretty boy to stay within his sight for a moment longer.
But the coming of the night was an inevitable phenomenon.
Eventually, the orange seeped out of the sky as light faded into dark and night cloaked the city. Amidst the screeching of tires outside the shop and the bustle of people walking past on the streets, the day was coming to an end.
The boy placed his last spoonful of strawberry ice cream in his mouth before quietly lowering his emptied cup, wiping at the corners of his plump lips with his fingers.
Changbin yearned and his heart was in agony at the person that was so close yet so far away from him.
He desperately wanted to reach out, know the boy’s name and maybe get his number. He wanted to know why strawberry ice cream was the other’s favorite and what he was thinking of when he got that distant look in his eyes.
He desired to form a connection with the pretty boy in front of him.
But as the boy got to his feet and picked up his bag to leave the shop, Changbin found himself rooted in his spot by his own insecurities and self-doubt.
What if he initiated a conversation and the boy was weirded out by it? What if the boy was so put off by his forward attitude that he decided to stop patronising the shop because of it? What if he scared the other off and he couldn’t even get to see him from afar anymore?
As much as he wanted to have his daydreams materialise in his reality, he was too bothered by all the ‘what ifs’ clouding his mind to actually make a move.
By the time Changbin looked up from his indecision, he had already lost the chance to make a move.
All that was left of the pretty boy was the used disposable utensils on the table he had vacated and the swinging of the glass door behind him.
A mixture of disappointment and relief filled Changbin as he mentally gave himself a kick.
If only he had made a move, then maybe something could have come out of it. But then again, maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t done anything to make the situation awkward.
With a heavy sigh, he pulled out a piece of napkin from his pocket. It had his phone number written on it.
He crushed the napkin in his fist, balling it up before he tossed it into the bin.
Well, since there’s nothing he could do anymore, he might as well not think about it any longer.
Grabbing his rag, Changbin walked to the empty seat tucked in the corner of the shop to clean up, steps heavy with lingering regret.
As he picked up the used ice cream cup and spoon that had been left behind, he gazed idly out of the shop window, tracing the fading light beyond the horizon with his eyes.
The bright orange of the skies had almost entirely faded away and the burning orb that was the sun was nearly completely concealed behind the city buildings as it continued to vanish beyond the horizon line. Soon, darkness will fill the skies and the first of many evening stars will illuminate the land with its silvery light.
Changbin’s heart calmed as he continued staring out at the picturesque scene that the sunset had painted over the city, his regret giving way to hope.
That’s right. With the end of a day comes the dawning of the next.
He’ll have another shot tomorrow.
Lowering his eyes back to the table he was cleaning, a smile curved the corners of Changbin’s lips. He tossed the trash into a nearby bin before spotting a piece of napkin that he had missed out on earlier since it had been left on the seat of the chair.
He lifted it from the chair and was just about to throw it into the bin as well when he noticed that there was something unusual printed on the other side of the napkin.
It was a message.
I couldn’t help but notice your staring so I thought perhaps you were interested. If I’m wrong, please throw this napkin away and forget that anything ever happened. ><
And below the message, written in the same black ink, was a string of numbers.
Changbin nearly tripped on a nearby chair in his haste to save the phone number he had just obtained into his contacts.