“I’m on my way, relax!” you sprinted down the stairs of your apartment, pausing at the exit to readjust your outfit. 

“You know our boss will have my head if you’re late on your first day of work,” your friend snapped on the other line.

“I promise I won’t be late,” you said, setting a steady pace to your new office. “It’s only a few blocks away anyway.”

“Hurry up, you’re giving me unnecessary stress.”

You chuckled lightly, not quite paying attention as a cafe at the end of the block had caught your eye. 

A quick pick-me-up was just what you needed, regardless of being late or not. Coffee won over paperwork any day. 

“(Y/N)? Hello, earth to (Y/N)?” your friend’s anxious tone began to rise in volume. 

“Sorry, I’ll see you at work, I’m going to go grab an espresso or something,” you said as you reached the cafe, opening the door to let yourself in.

“You’re going for coffee?! No-” you hung up on your friend mid-screech, completely awestruck by your surroundings.

The place looked relatively new, which was why you had never known of its existence, and you were immediately drawn in by the cozy and welcoming feeling. The presence of a few other customers only added to the peaceful atmosphere, allowing you to fully appreciate the quaintness. 

The smell of coffee brewing and the tantalizing display of delicacies were enough to put you in a daze and make your empty stomach growl loudly.

You shifted your gaze towards the menu, unsure what you should order.

Without warning, a gentle voice began to sing, distracting you from your dilemma, and your eyes followed the source of intrusion, landing on a young man cleaning behind the counter.

You took a deep gulp, wishing you hadn’t looked.

He wore a white button-down shirt that was a bit taut against his frame, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black apron tied around his waist. His dark hair fell in an effortless style, his eyes squinting in concentration as he scrubbed a particular spot over and over again. 

You cleared your throat, trying not to fan yourself, and he looked up.

“Oh, hi,” he offered a small smile, his singing coming to an abrupt stop, leaving you feeling somewhat empty inside. “May I take your order?”

“E-eh?” you squeaked, having momentarily been sidetracked by the toned muscles in his arms. 

“Your order?” he prompted, setting his towel down and moving towards the register.

“Oh, uh,” you scanned the menu, before your eyes landed on the first choice of beverage. “A caramel macchiato, please.”

“One caramel macchiato coming right up. Is there anything else you’d like?” he asked.

“That’d be it,” you fumbled around in your purse for your wallet, sheepishly handing over your card for him to scan. 

His fingers brushed against yours as he returned it and you felt your cheeks burn a bright red.

“I’ll let you know when your order’s ready,” he immediately set to work, turning machines on and pouring things from cup to cup. 

“Oh, okay,” you nodded mindlessly, shuffling towards an empty table. 

As you were waiting, you stole glances at the barista, finding him more and more attractive by the minute.

The way his brows furrowed in concentration, the way his hands handled the cups with the utmost care, the way he hummed along with whatever song was playing in the cafe…they were all so appealing and you couldn’t tear your gaze away. 

“Miss?” he suddenly looked up and caught your eye, making you duck your head down in embarrassment for having been caught. “Your order’s ready.”

You trudged towards the counter, letting your hair fall in front of your face to cover your red cheeks.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, refusing to meet his gaze, instead focusing on the name tag pinned to his shirt.

Jungkook.

You blinked, finally looking up to find him smiling rather bashfully and rubbing the nape of his neck awkwardly.

“Uh, hope you enjoy,” he offered.

“Yeah, I will,” you replied in a trance.

He coughed and returned to his cleaning duties, rubbing the counters a little more forcefully.

You glanced down at the cup in your hand, smiling at the neat grid pattern of the caramel glaze. 

Hmm, Jungkook. What an adorable name for an adorable barista. 

Needless to say, you were late to work that day.

*~*

“I’ll have a caffe latte.”

Jungkook looked up to meet your expectant eyes, immediately smiling at seeing your blushing face once again.

You had made it into a habit of visiting his cafe every morning, and had consequently been late to work several times.

Who could blame you though? Jungkook was devastatingly gorgeous and if you had your way, you would spend hours just watching him pour drink after drink and draw pretty patterns into the foam.

You worried that you were being too obvious but you tried to tell yourself that you were only visiting because the beverages were fantastic and you had yet to make it through the entire menu.

You knew better though, and some part of you thought that maybe he knew too. That you were head-over-heels for his boyish smile and doe-shaped eyes. 

Not to mention his killer barista skills.

“Sure thing,” he flashed his trademark smile, his eyes crinkling, as you handed over your card.

He swiped it neatly, placing it gently back in your palm and you could have sworn his fingers lingered for a moment too long.

That day, a beautiful flower was drawn into the foam of your beverage.

And you were late to work again. 

*~*

“Are you sure it wouldn’t work? I think it shows great potential since the people have interest in this-”

“Yes, but your idea won’t be ready for printing by the end of this week. We’ve discussed this already, (Y/N), we simply do not have the time for-”

“But, please if you just hear me out-”

“Don’t interrupt me, (Y/N). This is final and there will be no further discussion,” you heard the click of your boss’s call ending.

You groaned, running a hand through your messy hair, dropping your head down onto the counter.

“Um, would you like to order something to drink?” Jungkook nudged your elbow lightly. 

“Anything’s fine, just ring it up,” you handed over your card, too tired to care about anything at the moment.

You had had an unpleasant night, to say the least, and an even worse morning, and you were in no mood to deal with the world.

You found your way to your usual table, collapsing into your preferred chair, rubbing a hand over your tired eyes.

Within a few minutes, a steaming cup of warmth was placed underneath you, accompanied by the sound of a chair being pulled out across from you.

You blinked your eyes blearily, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of Jungkook’s foam art. 

It was in a shape of a heart today. 

“Jungkook, wow, this is beautiful,” you found yourself saying, unwilling to ruin his masterpiece. 

“You know my name?” his eyes rounded in shock and you stared back at him in equal disbelief.

“Oh I-I-um-I read your name tag,” you stuttered out, watching as he glanced down and nodded in understanding.

“Then I suppose it’s only fair that I know yours?” he leaned forward, placing his chin on his hands and his elbows on the table.

“It’s (Y/N),” you blushed.

“Well then, (Y/N)-ah, would you do me a favor and go out with me tonight?” he proceeded smoothly and you could only gape at his sudden display of confidence. 

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” you managed a small smile.

“Is that a yes?” he asked hopefully.

You nodded your head firmly, loving the way his eyes lit up in excitement.

Needless to say, you were definitely late to work that day.