Chapter Text
“John! I have a yuzu americano for John!”. Changbin hears the hot barista shout. A man in his 20s stands up and picks up his drink. He can hear him say grumpily, “My name is Jean, not John,” in a foreign accent (French?). The barista only smiles at him and thanks Jean-not-John goodbye. Changbin scoffs, finding it funny. People probably think it was an honest mistake since the name sounds the same, yet different. But Changbin knows better.
☕️☕️☕️
Changbin has been going to SDD Cafe for a month now. It’s a new small cafe right on the corner of his street that opened 2 months ago. The first time Changbin went to SDD Cafe, the barista and owner, Minho, as written on his nametag, mistook his name as “Chanmin”. He didn’t correct it. The cafe was packed, so he probably did not hear Changbin’s name. Changbin knew Minho did it on purpose when he came back the next week. Minho took his order again, and Changbin made sure to say his name clearly and loudly, even spelling his name. Yet, Minho still messed it up. His name was “Charlie” that day.
Minho’s behavior intrigues Changbin. He used to rotate between three coffee shops that are on his way to work. It was the perfect arrangement, he contributes to the economy, and doesn’t have to rush to work. But ever since that second time, he has gone to the cafe every morning even though it’s the opposite way. He justified it as a way to get his steps in in the morning. The hot barista sure helps as a motivation.
Today is a Saturday, and for the first time, Changbin is at SDD Cafe. He never goes there on weekends, but he has a deadline to finish, and working at home feels too suffocating. Changbin thought it was going to be packed, but it’s surprisingly quiet. He doesn’t see Minho behind the counter, though. His employee, Felix, is taking orders today, so he doesn’t linger like he always does with Minho. After Felix calls up his name (correctly, like the angel he is), he looks around for a seat. He sees a couple of empty ones near the door and at the back, near the window. He goes for the latter; it seems a better place for him to work. Changbin opens his laptop, puts on his headphones, and starts working on the songs he has to finalize for Monday.
Three hours later, Changbin finally finishes his work. He makes sure everything is saved and updated before closing his laptop. Before going home, he wants to enjoy his time at the cafe. But after sitting for hours, he feels stiff, so he stands up to stretch a little. That’s when he sees a familiar figure entering the cafe. It’s Minho. He is wearing a black loose t-shirt and tight jeans that make his thigh and ass look voluptuous. Changbin freezes. He knows he is staring, but he can’t look away. Before he can go back to his seat and pretend to work, Minho turns his head and locks eyes with Changbin.
Fuck!
Changbin can feel his face warming up. He is so screwed. Minho probably realized Changbin was staring, and now he’s going to ban Changbin from the cafe. Changbin spirals even more when he sees Minho walking towards him with a pet carrier. Did he have it with him when he entered the cafe? Changbin doesn’t know, he is too distracted.
Minho is now in front of Changbin. He blinks slowly and says nothing. Changbin thinks he is waiting for him to speak first, so he did.
“Hi,” he says shyly.
Minho tilts his head. He still blinks and doesn’t say anything. His expressions remind Changbin of a curious cat.
“Sorry, I was staring. I didn’t expect to see you on the weekend.”
Minho giggles. Changbin’s heart skips a beat. “I should be the one saying that. You never come here on weekends, only on weekdays. Always at 7.30 am sharp.”
Changbin is flabbergasted. Minho remembers him and the time he came to the cafe.
“Changbin, right? I’m Minho.”
Changbin nods. “You remember my name?”
“Well duh, you’re one of our regulars.”. Minho says it so lightly, and yet, Changbin feels like his heart is going to burst out of his chest. The hot barista remembers me.
Minho laughs all of a sudden. “I don’t think I’m hot, but thanks for the compliment.”
Changbin gasps. Did he just say it out loud? He is going to die of embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to say it out loud.”
Minho smiles, and a tint of pink is now seen on his cheeks. Is he blushing?, think Changbin. He makes sure to say it in his head this time.
“That’s alright. You’re not so bad yourself.”
Changbin stutters, “I- I- thanks?”
Minho laughs again. Changbin realizes he likes the sound of his laugh. He finds that he wants to be the reason behind it. “Are you asking me?”
“No, sorry. I mean, thank you for the compliment.”
Minho blinks and says, “It’s my pleasure, cutie”. Changbin thinks he is trying to wink but fails. It is endearing nonetheless.
Changbin and Minho are still standing, and he can feel the awkwardness seeping in. He wanted to ask Minho to join him, but he wasn't sure if he was crossing any boundaries. He decides to shoot his shot before he can overthink it
“Do you wanna sit together?” “Can I join you?”
Changbin and Minho said at the same time. They giggle and nod.
Changbin moves without thinking and pulls out the chair in front of him for Minho. His action leaves Minho blushing and speechless. He can only smile at Changbin. Changbin feels his heart flutter. He notices Minho’s reaction and takes note of it. He also finds that he wants to make Minho blush and speechless again and again.
Changbin glances at Minho’s pet carrier when he puts it down.
“Do you have a pet?” asked Changbin, pointing at the carrier.
Minho’s eyes sparkle, and they remind Changbin of animated cat eyes. “This is Dori’s carrier. I just dropped him at the vet.”
“Dori?”
“Yes, my cat! I have three cats, do you wanna see pictures?”
Before Changbin even responds, Minho already has his phone out. Changbin can see him scrolling, probably through his gallery. Minho puts his phone on the table and turns it to Changbin. A photo of a tabby cat is on the screen.
“So, this is Dori. He is my youngest.”
Minho swipes the screen, and another photo shows up. This time, it’s a photo of two orange cats that look like twins. “These are his brothers, Soonie and Doongie. Soonie has a white nose, and Doongie has an orange nose.”
“They are so cute!” Changbin coos.
“They are the best. They take all my money though.”, Minho laughs.
Changbin laughs with him. Suddenly, he realizes something.
“Wait! Is the cafe named after them? SDD is Soonie, Doongie, Dori?”
Minho looks surprised, but he grins. He almost looks…proud. “Yes! You’re the first person to figure it out by yourself! Even I had to tell Felix what SDD stands for, and he sees their photos every day.”
Changbin giggles shyly. He said, “That’s adorable. You seem to really cherish them.”
Minho smiles. Before they can continue to chat, Felix rushes to their table and calls for Minho. Something about a broken appliance and a storage room.
“Well, I wish we could talk more, Changbin, but I have to make sure I still have a business tomorrow. See you on Monday!”. Minho picks up the carrier and waves at Changbin.
“See you, Minho.”