Chapter 7: Sunday Mornings and Embarrassing Rhymes

    The rest of the night passed blissfully for Miya and Jimin, and both returned to their homes with full bellies and butterflies fluttering about. It had been a wonderful first date, the first of many, Miya decided. Although she still felt the unreasonable itch of guilt in the back of her mind due to Jungkook, she quickly shoved those thoughts away. She had no obligation to him, and then proceeded to feel guiltier for even thinking of Jungkook after her brilliant date with Jimin.

    Hanging up her jacket on the hook by her door, Miya caught a slip of paper in the corner of her a sight. She crouched down and gingerly picked up the note and set it down on her kitchen counter before moving towards her bedroom to unwind for bed. Faced washed and clean, Miya made her way back to the kitchen for a glass of water and finally took a look at the paper.

    You seem to be blooming, my beautiful anemone.

    With no signature, Miya couldn’t be sure who left her the note, but concluded that Jimin probably slipped it in her door when he dropped her off earlier. She was pleasantly surprised to read something that showed a different side of him. Smiling at the note, she tucked it away into a box in her room and decided it would be best to get some sleep before her morning shift at the cafe the next day.

    Miya sent a quick text to Mari, lovingly berating her for not sending updates of her date with Taehyung, and a bashful goodnight message to Jimin before turning on the do not disturb function and knocking out.

    The next morning, Miya felt light on her feet, still basking the happiness from the previous day. The date did wonders to her mood, and although she couldn’t completely shake her feelings for Jungkook, she finally felt like she was stepping in the right direction. Surely, Jungkook wasn’t the most important factor in her life, and Jimin was beginning to help her see that. Excited to tell Minjun about her escapades, Miya bounced into the cafe and immediately set to work when she didn’t see him in the office.

    Miya loved working Sunday mornings the most - they were peaceful compared to the hectic weekday mornings which allowed her to work with Minjun is a comfortable silence most Sundays. With families at church and the businessmen at bay, she could relax and enjoy the smells of the roasted coffee beans and pastries baking in the back. After the store was properly set up, Miya bounded up to the door to flip the “open” sign when she heard a clang from the kitchen. Assuming it was Minjun bringing in ingredients for the store, she shuffled towards the back door to help him with the delivery.

    “Good morning, sunshine!” Miya sang as she pushed the door open, immediately making eye contact with one Jeon Jungkook. Her expression instantly morphed from a bright smile to confused and embarrassed. Already feeling her cheeks heating up, her eyes searched wildly for any sight of Minjun around him.

    “Morning, Mi-mi!” Minjun piped up from behind the door. “Could you hold this open while Jungkook and I bring in the rest of the stuff from my car?” Now equipped with verbal instruction, Miya cast her eyes downwards and moved to hold the door open wider as Minjun carried the large bag of flour inside the store. Jungkook had already left to grab the remaining items from Minjun’s car, and the rest of the procedure went by quietly with lots of shuffling as Miya tried to make herself scarce behind the door.

    All the ingredients had been piled in a corner waiting to be put away, so as soon as Minjun went to repark his car, Miya made haste in organizing the kitchen. It was then Jungkook’s turn to stand awkwardly as he watched Miya effortlessly move everything into place, a sign she had done the very task enough times to find it second nature. Both their heads turned as they heard the front door chime, and without a word they paced towards the front counter together.

    Minjun gingerly tossed an apron to Jungkook and turned to Miya, “Miya, I’m sure you know Jungkook already, but please give him the traditional Cafe Ari welcome!”

    Eyes widening, Miya adamantly shook her head and mumbled, “Oppa! No! That’s so embarrassing!” to which Minjun chuckled and ruffled her hair. In a scolding tone, he replied, “Miya, please, you do this for every new hire.” Defeated, Miya sent Minjun an exasperated look before turning to the confused boy beside her. She grimaced and quietly muttered, “don’t laugh” as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and shot Jungkook with her most winning smile.

“Welcome to Cafe Ari, where you’re bound to learn a ton. From coffee to our pastries, you’ll learn how things are done. Each worker is a friend who’ll teach you work is fun. Surrounded by your loved ones, you’ve already won!”

Jungkook stared back at Miya, the side of his mouth quirking up as he held in his laughter. Mortified, Miya let out a nervous chuckle and turned back to a beaming Minjun, who was clapping to the rhythm of her poem and was now applauding her.

“Okay, I did it. I’m assuming he’s here for training? I’ll go grab the menu so we can start practicing.” Miya hurriedly rushed to the other end of the counter, trying to avoid any eye contact with Jungkook as her face turned a tomato red.

“Wasn’t that cute? Miya made it up for us to introduce new hires to break the awkward tension they usually get when they come to train for the first time. Embarrassing things only make us closer, don’t they?” Minjun explained to Jungkook.

    Still supp