Friday, 4:04PM

Jisoo  was waiting in her favorite chair, looking out, fascinated by the hubbub from the roadside repair. I've never seen anyone so attractive fashioning sweater paws while
engrossed with road construction

“Vibrations from the jackhammer are strong on this side of the resto." Jisoo flinched to my voice before replacing her left earbud. 
"Are you fine with that?" I was fine with it since I got used to all the inexplicable vibrations I got from Jisoo's stares that it was impossible
for the jackhammer to still affect me.

"It's fine. How about you?"

"Couldn't be better." I smiled and sat down

"I got my coffee, do you want anything?"

"Not really. I just want to hear your thoughts about me."

“You didn't forget."

"I almost. But no." It would actually be
ridiculous if I forgot because I have been contemplating about it the entire day yesterday alternating with thoughts about what to wear that was pretty enough to impress her.

"I thought about your name quite a lot before.”

"Why?"

"Because when I thought of you, I wanted to call you some name."

I totally understood what she meant because I endured that frustration too

"In my head, I called you the name changing macchiato girl." Did you call me anything as meaningful as that?
She chortled before she answered,

"I called you the nameless angel."
"Oh wow. Now  I feel ashamed of how
thoughtless I was with naming you." I pulled my bangs straighter and pretended I was hiding behind the strands

"I'm giving you a chance to change my name now, so you could feel better.”

I didn't want to think through my answer deeply so as not to spoil the spontaneity our chat so I blurted whatever l really had in mind. 

“I'll call you the mysterious girl I’ll
fall in love with.” After the last word slipped recklessly I realized how excessively spontaneous I went. I actually pulled all my hair to cover my face. I crammed it all in front of me and held it still with my hands.

"I should change your name then too."

I only expected her to laugh or be silent or ask why.

“To what?" My reply was muffled by the ruft of air

"The nameless angel who will fall in love with me”

I thought for a moment she said shameless instead of nameless that Released the hair on my face and pouted.

"You don't like it?"

“You just called me shameless.”

"I said nameless.”

"Oh. Okay. I thought."

“Do you mind fixing your hair?"

It would have been sweeter if she tried tucking my hair behind my ears and not just deliberately ask me to fix it. So, I annoyedly unlangled my hair. flicked it backwards before pulling it to rest on my shoulders.

"I'm sorry if it caused you trouble. I just wanted to see your face." She said as she stared at me intently. I wanted to ruffl my hair again just she could request me to fix it again, bul I rebelled in her gaze and it paralyzed me.

"Excuse me, I need to use the washroom."
To collect myself and prepare for a calmer, less obviously love-struck comeback

“Chu, how old are you?” I asked while watching her drink coffee. I didn't order anything since I've not had appetite for sweets lately that the desserts she got me just went to the trash untouched. I guess Jisoo was enough to cause a spike in my sugar level.

"23."

"Oh, we're the same age! 96-liners."

"Ah. 1996."

“January 16. You?"

“January 3rd."

Oh, I Thought you were younger.

“I thought the same”

“Chu, why do you always come here alone“

"I just like being alone."

"Is my presence some sort of annoyance to you?"

"No, not a single bit."

That's a relief because I intend to always join you when you come here."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I think I've grown to like being around you." After telling her about my blatant thoughts of falling in love with her, I thought it was not as shameless if I told her that truth

“Is that so?"

“No, it isn't quite so."

"Huh?"

I didn't plan on saying what I said, but since it already came out, I just decidedly blocked all other thoughts and took the deepest breath I've ever taken in my life.

"Jisoo, I think I like you. I know I like you. I like you... in a girlfriend-ish way. I like you a lot, Chu." 

Well I couldn't express my liking
enough to stop myself from saying it over and over while forgetting to breathe. I thought that I would fumble with words when I finally get to tell her, but I actually was able to speak without stuttering.

However, she didn't answer, and the way her shoulders dropped did not escape me. I felt she was unhappy about my revelation.
Maybe l was too straightforward for heir taste. Or maybe she was already in a relationship and I was making her situation problematic. The silence made me nervous that it took roughly a minute before I could stop avoiding her eyes and speak again

“I hope what I said didn't scare you. I hope you would still let me hang out with you."

"I'm not scared. You've never scared me."

"l can understand that what I said wasn't so customary. And I'd also understand if you didn't like me that way”

"I like you too.”
It took another minute before one of us spoke again
“I've liked you for more than seventeen weeks now..." She looked straight into my eyes.