"it must be an omen

needed you to show me

without you I am lonely "

- omen, disclosure ft. sam smith

Chanyeol slips his numb fingers into fur-lined pockets as he heads down the same street he does every morning. Normally, the sky would be a kaleidoscope of colours as the sun rose, the streets nearly silent, but it’s a little past 10 am now, and the noise closes in on Chanyeol as he tries to breathe around the pungent scent of exhaust fumes and other strange city odours. It’s his day off, and instead of staying in, he’s decided to stop being so self-pitying and eat out instead. Besides, maybe he'd make some friends and his mother would stop nagging him about being lonely all the time.

A red sign catches his eye, and he stops in his tracks as he reads it. If you’re single and ready to mingle, we’ll give you a free meal! Come on in!

Chanyeol scoffs and rolls his eyes. The reminder that he was 25 and hadn’t had a serious relationship since he was 20 stung a little, but then again, he wasn’t the type to turn down free food. Ever.

Opening the door to the restaurant, Chanyeol is greeted by an enthusiastic waiter. “Hello! Are you single?” he asks, holding out a pink sheet of paper. His chocolate hair falls forward in front of his eyes, and he’s actually kind of cute, his nose crinkling as he smiles brightly. Chanyeol finds himself grinning back, taking the sheet. 

“Unfortunately, yes. But maybe this free lunch will make it all worth it,” he laughs. 

The waiter’s grin broadens, and he gestures towards the tables. “Would you please go this way?”

Chanyeol nods, and with a nervous excitement buzzing in his stomach, he walks into the restaurant. 

The room is split into sections, all of them with tables for two, but those tables are divided into booths, a tall opaque wooden screen closing off the view of the other person sitting across. There’s a tiny tablet with a blank screen in each one of them. Chanyeol sits hesitantly on a chair that reminds him of the ones at the dining table in his dingy apartment, in an outdated style with intricate wooden carvings and cloth upholstery. He supposes it matches the whole attempt at an oriental theme, but frankly the place ends up looking more cheap than sophisticated, especially in such low lighting. Chanyeol doesn’t mind, though, as long as the waiters are as cute as the one he’d met earlier…

“Hi sir,” a voice says from behind him, and Chanyeol can’t help the surprised gasp that flies from his mouth. “Can I take your order?”

The waiter smiles a little at Chanyeol’s wide-eyed gaze, but Chanyeol’s thinking about how this waiter’s voice sounds, like honey poured over ice. His eyes are large, a little down-turned at the edges, giving them a sweet almond shape. How is it possible that all the cute guys in the country work at this restaurant, Chanyeol thinks miserably, despite the fact that he’s only met two of the staff so far. 

“Um, sir?” the same voice interrupts his thoughts. “Your order?”

“Oh, right,” Chanyeol laughs, and asks for a classic bowl of ramen noodles. 

He doesn’t notice the quick, fleeting glances of a certain chocolate-haired waiter at the front of the restaurant.

“Here’s what your ordered, sir,” the waiter says to him, and Chanyeol, who didn’t even hear him come up behind his table, shivers. He nods his thanks and the waiter gives him another tiny grin, which he returns. Grabbing his chopsticks, he tries not to slurp the dish, but old habits die hard, and these noodles are pretty good. The quiet ambiance of the restaurant is nice, he thinks, even if the lighting is disappointing and-

A quiet ding! sounds from the tablet that hangs on the side of his booth, and Chanyeol, startled, nearly knocks his bowl over with clumsy fingers. His mouth opens in a round ‘o’ as he reads the message on the screen.

“Are you enjoying your meal? Please take your pick:

‘I want to eat with someone else.’

Yes or No?"

Chanyeol suddenly feels hesitant. It’s not like this is a huge decision, or anything, but all of a sudden he’s painfully conscious of the fact that this one choice could change his life, that the person he eats with could be who he stays with until he dies. His stomach clenches with nerves until he tells himself, Man up, Park Chanyeol. It’s just a lunch date. Just lunch. 

He presses, ‘Yes.'