It was a rainy, cloudy day and the moment I woke up, I knew that the only thing I wanted to do that day was go to my favourite coffee shop and curl up in my favourite squishy armchair by the window with a coffee and a good book. I got out of bed and after completing my routine I grabbed an umbrella and my bag and walked out of my apartment. Since it wasn’t raining right then, I quickly walked the 10 minutes distance to the café.

It was chilly outside and the second I walked into the café, with a small tinkle of the bells hanging on the door, I heaved a sigh of relief as the warmth and the familiar smell of coffee beans and cocoa enveloped me. I walked to my armchair and sat down, setting my bag and umbrella on the table. Before I ordered, I took a second to just stare out of the window, falling back in love with the familiar scene. The tall buildings rising out of the ground as if trying to touch the sky, the scores of the people bustling about on the streets on their way to work or wherever they needed to be, all blanketed by the gorgeous background of the blue grey sky. The scene doesn’t seem romantic, there’s no mystery or magic attached to it. To most people it’s dull and dreary but I’ve always loved seeing it. People might call the scene dreary, but I’ve always loved looking at it.

I shook myself out of my reverie and looked across me to see the chair in front of me. The armchair’s perpetual emptiness was beginning to get to me, almost like it was mocking me. Looking at the chair, I wondered how this table was always empty. I’d moved to this neighbourhood 3 months ago and after the first week of my coming here, I’d noticed that this table was always free. Irrespective of how crowded the small café was, this table was always free. I wondered why. Thoughtful, I just brushed it out my thoughts. If it was empty, it was empty. Good for me.

I pulled out my wallet from my bag and looked across to the counter and I couldn’t help the giddy feeling that spread across my chest. Standing behind the cash counter was one of the reasons I had begun to frequent this café. Smoothing the front of my shirt I stood up and walked to the counter with a smile on my face. “Hi Jisoo. How’s it going?” I asked, once I reached the counter.

Jisoo looked up at me from the computer she was staring at and on seeing me, a beautiful smile slowly inched its way onto its face, reaching her deep brown eyes. “Hi Jennie. I wondered if I’d see you here today. Coffee and good book weather for you isn’t it?” she said with a chuckle. “Of course, it is. You know me too well.” I said, feeling my heartbeat quicken a little on hearing her small chuckle. She laughed on hearing my words, doing nothing to help the situation and asked, “Well, what’ll it be today? Hazelnut cappuccino with a chocolate muffin?”

“Hmm… I’ll get the cappuccino, not sure about the muffin though. Can you suggest anything else?” I asked her. She looked back at the menu board with furrowed brows, looking extremely attractive, I might add, trying to work out the best combination. “You might want to try the new vanilla and chocolate brownie. It’s a new flavour Seulgi wanted to try out.” She said. She looked so convinced with her choice that I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d never really liked vanilla brownies.

“Of course. That sounds great. I’ll get that one then.” I said. “How much will that be?” She quickly keyed it onto her screen. “That’ll be 5 dollars” she said. I took out the bills and passed them to her and when she took them, her fingers brushed my palm lightly, lingering there for a few seconds more than necessary. I felt my face heat up a little and she must have realised what she did because when I looked up at her, she quickly pulled her hand back and cleared , shaking her head a little. The action was so endearing I almost giggled out loud, but I managed to hold it in as she quickly tore out the receipt. This time she placed it on the counter between us instead of handing it to me and I could see the awkward tension in her shoulders and the slight blush on her cheeks.

Placing the receipt down she said, “Here. You can collect your drink at that counter.” She was looking down at the counter, avoiding my gaze and there was a slight awkwardness in her tone. I walked to the counter and waited for my drink, all the while looking at Jisoo. I don’t think she noticed my gaze because she was still staring at the spot I’d been standing looking very conflicted and confused. When I got my drink and my cake, I went back to her counter and said, ‘Hey’. She jumped on hearing my voice, so deep was she in her thoughts.

“What’s up?” she said, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. “I don’t think I can finish this on my own.” I said, gesturing to the large brownie. “Can you join me? Help me finish it, please.” I said with a pout. Seeing that she laughed, and suddenly, the grey morning seemed so much brighter. “Of course,” she said.  “Let me tell Seulgi I’m taking a break.” She laughed again and turned away from the counter as I went back to my table, a silly smile on my face. I don’t know what it is about Jisoo, but I feel strangely drawn to her. Maybe it’s the deep brown eyes that make me feel ridiculously warm instead or maybe it that beautiful smile that makes me feel like the sun has come out again, regardless of situation.

Speaking of the smile, it suddenly appeared in front of me, as she settled into the armchair in front of me. Those soft eyes looked into mine and for the first time, the chair opposite mine wasn’t mocking me with its emptiness. She told me she could take a long break because there weren’t any customers and that was the best thing I’d heard all day.

We spoke for what seemed like hours but in reality, had been much less. She told me about her love for art and food, especially chicken. She told me how she was working as a barista part time to make some extra money to support herself through college. She told me about her passions and her dislikes and all I could do was stare at her, at the fervour in her eyes as she spoke, at the hands that waved around trying to underline her point. As she spoke Icould see the tension leaving her and when we both reached for a piece of the brownie, her hands brushed mine again. But this time, she didn’t pull away. With a shy smile on her face, her fingers ghosted along the top of mine, giving me goosebumps, making my heart race.

“I don’t know if you remember, but the first time you came in here, I was at the counter. And the second you walked in, my heart started racing. You were new here I think, and you were so confused. You had no idea where you were. But the second your eyes fell on this armchair I could see you relax and when you sat down, staring out the window, I could see how happy you became. Ever since that day, I kept hoping for you to come back, not because I wanted to talk to you, I wasn’t brave enough, but because I just wanted to see you. And when you kept coming back, always sitting in this chair, I could see how much you loved it. So I started keeping the chair empty for you, at all times, never knowing when you might come back.”

She was looking at the table as she spoke, her hands fidgeting with her shirt. She was looking anywhere but at me and that was probably best because the heat slowly spreading on my face was becoming unbearable. As she continued speaking, I almost couldn’t process what she was saying because the giddy happiness slowly seeping into my mind was making it impossible for me to do anything but just stare at her. The fact that she was the reason my armchair was empty was too much for my heart to handle, and a small ache, a longing, was making its way across it as she kept speaking.

“When you came in last time, I almost brought myself to speak to you but the second you looked at me with those eyes of yours, I forgot how to speak again. But I promised myself I would speak to you if you came in today. And you did. And before I could do anything you asked me to sit with you and my heart nearly burst out of my chest. I was so happy.” As she said this I reached across the table and softly gripped her fingers. On feeling my hand on hers she finally looked up and I was able to see the brown eyes I longed for so much.

“I really like you Jennie.” She said in a soft voice, looking deep into my eyes. I thought my heart would leap out of my chest on hearing those words and I couldn’t help the ridiculously large smile that wormed its way onto my face. “I really like you too Jisoo. You can’t possible imagine.”

Her face lit up with a full-blown grin and I was never prouder of myself than I was in that moment, knowing I was the reason behind it. After 3 months of trying to build up courage, I’d finally told her and somehow, I knew, that the armchair across from mine would never be empty again.