“What the actual ?”

MinSeo was more emotionally invested in all of this than I had expected her to. I was sitting on the café’s kitchen counter, telling her all about it. She was running around tidying things up in order to get everything prepared for the opening time, but she had stopped at the crucial moments of my tale, laughed along and left out appropriate “awws” when the story required it. Right now, after I had gotten to the end of it and told her how heart-breakingly he had pulled away when I tried to kiss him and then simply left, she was furiously scrubbing a glass clean with a piece of cloth, even though it already shined as if it was new.

“I honestly did not expect that either,” I answered, smiling at her heartfelt reaction. “I was a bit shocked for the rest of the evening, but it was something that could happen, so no big deal.”

“No big deal? How can you say that? If everything went as you said, it was more than obvious and logical to think a bit of contact was going to follow,” she huffed. “I don’t really get why he rejected you. It’s not like he was surrounded by paparazzi, you two were alone.”

“I know, but it’s okay,” I sighed. “But listen, we never talked about that. He never told me he was looking for something else apart from friendship…” MinSeo raised an eyebrow. “He didn’t! He was very sweet and gentlemanly, but maybe he just wanted to be friends. I didn’t even think of him that way until I tried to kiss him. Maybe he backed off as an impulse.”

“It’s a kiss, for god’s sake. You weren’t going to bite him!” Her outrage made me laugh.

“If it is just a kiss, it’s not that important. I’m sure he has a reason for acting that way.”

The truth was I had been as mad at the whole situation as MinSeo was right then, if not even more. It was me who was directly involved. I had spent the rest of the evening and part of Sunday morning as I was doing the weekly cleaning analysing every word, action and body language sign I could remember in hope I was able to find where it all had gone wrong enough for him to reject me that way, but I wasn’t able to find a clue. As MinSeo had said, it was the logical step to follow. But he did not.

When I woke up on Monday morning a bit earlier than usual, after I had taken a shower and had my coffee, as I was preparing myself to go to work, everything just fell into place in my mind. He just did not want me. He didn’t want to kiss me because he didn’t like me that way, despite the two very nice dates we’d had. And that was okay. I was not going to blame him or me for it, sometimes things go unexpected ways. Besides, MinSeo had told me one of the things Korean people do to show they’re interested in having a romantic relationship with someone is to text them all the time, at least at the beginning of the relationship. I had never gotten a text from him, apart from those telling the meeting points and times. Farewell, super short love story.

“Anyway, there are plenty more fish in the sea.”

“But this fish is so nice looking,” MinSeo pouted at me.

“We can just stare at him from afar, then,” I laughed. “I don’t have a problem with just having him as an acquaintance or a friend, if that’s what he wants. I haven’t fancied him for long enough, so I feel more confused than heartbroken.”

“Are you sure you are not going to be calling me in the middle of the night to come to your home with a tub of ice cream? That’s very film-like, but I’d do it if necessary.”

She was always so sweet and caring, I was glad she was one of the first few people I met here. I hopped off the counter and hug her to show my gratitude.

“I’ll be doing fine. But you can bring the ice cream if you want.”

That’s actually what she did the next day. Right after work, we stopped at a convenience store, pretended to have an argument over the flavour of the ice cream and laughed at the store keeper’s confusion. Then, we headed home, snuggled up at the couch and watched Korean chick flicks with the subtitles on as we ate spoon after spoon of ice cream. Something inside me was telling me she had not believed me when I told her I was not too affected by what had happened with Sehun, and so, she wanted to check on me and make sure I was actually okay.

And I was feeling fine. Honestly. After I came to the conclusion he simply did not want me that way, I recovered fast and fine. He did not really leave my mind, as I unconsciously spent most of my free time thinking about him. I took quick glances at the door of the café whenever I heard it sliding open. But I did not have any of that bitter taste you’re left with when you’re suddenly dumped. Which I wasn’t, because we weren’t properly dating. Well, we were dating, but we we’re not like together. Right? I was doing very fine.

The rest of the week passed without incidence and MinSeo gradually stopped asking me how I was doing with that worried tone. He didn’t show up at the shop any time, at least not when it was my shift. He also did not text or call just once. I was kind of getting used to his inconsistency, so I didn’t worry. I was doing just fine.

What did not feel fine at all was when he finally dropped by the shop the next week. I had never seen him talk to other people when he was there, but this time, another guy was keeping him company. From the moment they both passed through the door and sat at the table to wait for someone to serve them, he did not look at me, not even once. Just from that, I knew something was off, but I could not really point out what. I mean, last time we saw, he pulled away from my kiss, but I was not trying to attack or force him in anyway.

As I was the closest worker around, I grabbed my small notebook and my pen and approached them. The boy he was with looked around the same age as him, was very tall as well and was wearing a snapback over his hair, which was dyed a shade of red I personally thought didn’t fit him. When I arrived at the table, I looked at Sehun, but he seemed very busy staring at a page of the menu he had looked through a hundred times before. He didn’t move or even answer when I said hello to both of them. The red haired guy, on the other hand, lifted his head and flashed a smile at me as soon as he saw me.

“Is there anything I can bring you?” I asked to red hair guy, ignoring Sehun as much as he was ignoring me.

“I have a sweet tooth today,” he answered with a deep voice. “Is there anything special today?”

“I think we still have some red velvet cake.  It is really good and soft, not overly sweet. Would you like a piece?”

Somehow, he had found something funny when I recommended the cake, and looked at me with a childish grin that looked adorable and didn’t quite go with his height.

“That’s great. I will have the red velvet cake.”

“And you, sir?” I said turning around to face Sehun, who finally raised his head, but did not look at me when he spoke.

“Just a cup of black coffee. No sugar. Thank you.”

I visibly shrugged at him before taking note and leaving. As I walked towards the kitchen, I could hear Sehun’s friend mocking his voice.

“Just a cup of black coffee! What’s up today, Mr. Grumpy, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed…?” and then he laughed loudly.

Once in the kitchen, I made a noise for MinSeo to notice me before I started to gather the stuff I needed for the order.

“He’s back,” I simply said when she got to my side. She stretched her neck to take a look out of the window and saw them sitting outside. From this point of view she was only able to see him and the back of the other guy.

“What did he say?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“He’s acting weird, as if he didn’t know me and was really angry at the same time.”

“But you just came up to them and say hello normally? Maybe you’re still angry because of the no kiss and it has showed?” she asked.

“I am not angry anymore, MinSeo.” I rolled my eyes at her. “It’s been more than a week. I’m not the one acting strange, he is.”

MinSeo took the can of the whipped cream out of my hands and decorated the piece of cake with artistic sweet shapes. Meanwhile, I made Sehun’s cup of coffee and stared a little too intensely at the hot liquid pouring out of the machine, as if it was to blame for his behaviour.

“Go back there and try not to drop the coffee this time, okay?” MinSeo told me as she put the plate with the piece of cake in my free hand, trying to lighten up my mood.

Red hair guy looked surprised at the piece of cake I put over the table in front of him. MinSeo had really made it look even more appetizing that it already was with the whipped cream.

“Did you do this yourself?” he asked me.

“My co-worker baked and decorated it; I just put it on the plate.” He quickly took a piece of the cake with the fork and ate it. “But I will tell her if you think it’s good,” I smiled.

“It’s so good,” and he started eating it so fast I did not think he could really be feeling the taste of it.

I also put down the cup of coffee in front of Sehun, who once again, did not look at me, but rather at his cake loving friend.

“You’re not from here, are you?” I heard red hair guy ask me when I was about to leave.

“I’m from the USA, but my father and grandparents are Korean.”

He nodded and then looked at Sehun with a hint of malice in his eyes.

“My friend here has always had a soft spot for pretty foreign women, you know…?” he said smirking, leaving me staring at him, speechless.

After Sehun got back from the initial shock, he looked clearly mad and made a movement down the table, which I interpreted as a quick kick in the shin that red hair guy wasn’t fast enough to avoid.

“Chanyeol, I’m pretty sure this lady has many more important things to do than to watch us two being stupid together,” he scolded his friend, who was exaggerating his pain grimaces as he rubbed the spot where Sehun’s foot had hit. Then, he opened his wallet, took out a bill and handed it to me, avoiding my eyes the whole time. “Keep the change.”

Without any more words, I came back to my spot and started doing my usual chores. From the corner of my eye I could see them two chatting and even laughing together, as if nothing out of the usual had happened. Not once in the whole time they had been in the shop up until they both left together, Sehun did the littlest gesture to acknowledge me, as if I was just a waitress he had never spoken with.

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A/N: Hi! I've never spoken to any of you who are reading this story? Are you like it this far? :3