It's a bad day.

Nothing bad really happened, but it's been so long since he had woken with a massive hangover. He blames Heechul-hyung who knew how to push his buttons and made him give in to a drinking challenge. He doesn't know how much he drank but he knows it's a lot because he wakes up with a splitting headache when he only sleeps the hangover away most of the time.

It gets slightly better after he has freshened up. By the time he reaches the shop, it has become a dull pain. With experience, he manages to ignore the pain with the day's steady stream of customers. 

He finally has a moment to breathe after a few hours. He gives himself a mental head pat for a job well done.

The unmistakable sound of door opening signals a new customer. He turns around…

As a shopkeeper, he's had his fair share of good looking people visit the shop, but he definitely takes the top spot.

The man standing before him is basically a god. The hard lines and planes of his face are accentuated by the sunlight through the windows bouncing off his tan skin. His sculpted facial features are softened with a pair of kind brown eyes and, apparently, the cutest dimples he has ever seen.

Kyuhyun mentally shakes his head. He knows it's inappropriate to check out customers. It's a good thing the said customer is busy looking at the menu to even notice what he was doing. That is until Kyuhyun realizes that he is staring blankly at the menu. He must have realized it too because he blinks rapidly and brings his arm up to scratch the back of his head, his dimples showing as he grimaces.

Too cute!!!

Kyuhyun can't help but smile. 

When he finally makes an order, he silently watches the man pick his seat. And he feels his heart start to pound and his face grow hot as he chooses one of the bar seats close to the coffee machine. He feels both nervous and excited at the same time.

“What do you think of people who do their work in cafes?”

Kyuhyun wants to dig a hole and hide there forever. 

What was he thinking!? Why did he even come up with such a random question? It should have been something simple, perfect for small talk like the weather or something. Kyuhyun doesn't even dare to look at the handsome customer as he starts working on his order.

“Um, I guess they’re not so bad?”

"Do you think they really work?”

A part of him is screaming at himself for being like this. Yet another part of him is relieved that the man is trying to play along. Might as well keep the ball rolling.

One of his hands is stifled under his chin as he ponders, eyes wondering past Kyuhyun. And he is thankful for that because he has probably missed how Kyuhyun is looking dreamily at him. 

He looks way too good!

“Some people simply work better in a noisy environment. It’s the same as listening to music while studying or working.”

Kyuhyun's counter argument bubbles up almost immediately. "But how are you supposed to focus on your work if there's a lot going on around you? Wouldn't it be too distracting?"

A thought suddenly pops up in his mind. 

“Wait a minute, are you one of those people?”

The man raises a thick eyebrow in an almost comical way that Kyuhyun would have never imagined such a beautiful man is capable of. 

“What do you mean by one of those people? It’s not like we’re aliens. To answer your question, it doesn't. In fact, I think I can focus better with the noise.”

Kyuhyun shakes his head in a moment of clarity, finding the right words to keep their conversation going. “I don’t understand."

There's a pause, and he can feel the man's eyes on him as he prepares his drink. 

"Well, look at what you're doing now. You're working perfectly fine while talking to me."

There's a movement from the man that makes Kyuhyun look at him. And he was definitely not ready for the smirk on his chiseled face. A dimple peeking out as he looks at him with a twinkle in his eyes.  "Would you say I'm distracting you?"

Kyuhyun feels his whole face heat up, and he hopes that he isn't looking like a red tomato. How could he not be distracted when he looks like that!? Now what does he say? He knows that flirting with a customer is highly inappropriate, but it's difficult to ignore when the said customer is one of the finest and most handsome men he has ever seen.

His eyes shift back to the man who is still smirking at him, and he panics. The cup clunks loudly as he places his finished drink.

"Your drink, sir-"

"Siwon."

Even his name sounds handsome.

"My name is Kyuhyun, and I still don't understand."

There's a new batch of customers, and Kyuhyun has never been so grateful for the chance to escape and avoid embarrassing himself any further. Most of the time, he doesn't mind when customers watch him prepare their orders. It's part of a barista's experience. But it's totally different when such a handsome man is watching him.

More customers come in, and Kyuhyun slowly shifts his focus on taking orders that he doesn't even realize that the bar seat has become empty. 

His shoulders sag in disappointment. He probably won't ever see him again.

Customers start lining up and Kyuhyun works double time taking orders and completing them. He doesn't even realize until he looks up and Siwon steps forward, smiling at him with his dimples. Kyuhyun feels breathless for a moment.

"Hi." His deep voice leaving a rumble in his chest.

"H-hi."

This time he doesn't even bother looking at the menu. His kind eyes are looking directly at Kyuhyun as he makes his order. His face starts to heat up, and he almost forgets to finish his payment.

There are still a few customers left to serve, but he can't help but peek at the handsome man who is walking towards the same bar seat as yesterday. Kyuhyun ducks his head to hide the growing smile on his face.

Siwon comes again and again. 

Kyuhyun doesn't know exactly why. Maybe it's the coffee blend that he had subconsciously created for him. Kyuhyun never really asked him about the drinks he had, but he may have an idea given how he has become a regular customer.

He was nervous that Siwon would notice and call him out when he suddenly switched the coffee beans that he used to suit his taste, but he never did. Kyuhyun isn’t sure if he didn’t notice or he simply didn’t say anything. Either way, he feels relieved because things might become awkward between them and he’ll never see Siwon again.

He definitely doesn't want that.

One day, Siwon comes in, and Kyuhyun almost drops the mug in his hand.

Siwon has let his hair down.

His usual slicked back hair style gave him a mature and edgy look that honestly makes Kyuhyun's body tingle sometimes. The neat hair style highlights the hard planes of his face that looks like it has been carved by a master sculptor. Honestly, he has been seeing his handsome face for almost a month now, but Kyuhyun always gets caught by the intensity of his features.

But this. This gives him a soft and fluffy almost boyish charm that makes his heart race with giddiness. Then he smiles, and it's frankly unfair that he has the cutest dimples on top of his already wonderful visuals.

He just wants to stare at him all day.

"What? Does it look bad?," Siwon asks, fixing his hair with a shy look on his face.

"No, no, you look…"

Perfect. You look so good I want to run my fingers through it and stare at you all day long.

Kyuhyun clears his throat. "....fine. It looks okay."

"Good because I slept through my alarm today. I had no time to fix my hair," he says with a pout.

Kyuhyun has learned that Siwon may look like a cold and indifferent person on the outside, but he is actually very expressive and warm. He has been attacked by various expressions from intense to comical to downright adorable, like the small pout he was giving him right now.

Between the small pout and his fluffy hair, Kyuhyun doesn't know how he is still breathing in front of him.

For the first time, their time together passes in a blur. They talk about something, but frankly Kyuhyun didn't remember anything at all. Not when he was distracted by every little thing Siwon was doing, while he was running his fingers through his fluffy hair and smirking at him with his soft dimples.

When Siwon finally leaves, Shindong bumps his shoulder with a knowing look on his face.

"You've got it bad."

"Yeah, I do."

Kyuhyun is both surprised and not surprised that he answered so quickly.

Actually, a good number of people use the bar seats, mostly to wait for their takeouts. They leave almost immediately after they have their orders. That includes Siwon’s seat.

So no one can stop Kyuhyun from placing a small flower vase for “decoration purposes”, only for him to clear the space right around the usual time that Siwon comes in. Sometimes, he deliberately pulls out the other seats and pushes Siwon’s under the table. And he may have tried to place an empty mug on the table just to keep people fron taking the seat.

Shindong never said anything, but of course he knows. He’s way too smart and perceptive even for Kyuhyun. And Kyuhyun is grateful for that because saying it out loud would make him feel even more shy about his growing feelings for Siwon.

Pastries and cakes are almost a staple in coffee shops, and Shindong agrees that it's about time they start stocking on food that people can have with their drinks.

Coincidentally, the baker's specialty are cheesecakes which he admits is really good. Kyuhyun would have argued with himself that cheesecakes are pretty popular in coffee shops, but who was he kidding? A large part of the reason he chose to have cheesecake is just to see the wide boyish smile on Siwon's face.

And even if he had already expected it, nothing can ever prepare him for the brightness of his smile as he gobbles the slice in front of him.

"It's good, right?" Kyuhyun asks.

Siwon gives him a thumbs up as he stuffs his mouth full of cheesecake. Kyuhyun can't help but giggle at the cute sight in front of him. 

When Siwon left, Shindong comes by shaking his head.

"I know you like him but you can't just give him the whole cake for free. It's bad business, you know."

Of course, he knows. Kyuhyun knows that Shindong had always known. Yet he hides the rapidly growing blush on his face behind his hands as he runs to the lockers to retrieve his card.

Shindong only laughs at him teasingly.

Looks aside, talking with Siwon is so easy. He finds out that they can talk about anything. Siwon even accepts the random topics that Kyuhyun comes up with. Sometimes they share the same ideas, sometimes they argue. But at the end of their time together, Kyuhyun always feels somewhat refreshed and fulfilled with both their conversations and his dimpled smiles.

And later he realizes that their everyday conversations have led to Siwon becoming a fixture in his life.

So when he suddenly stops coming, it feels like someone has pulled the rug under him and pushed him out of the daily routine that he has built around Siwon. Simply put, it feels wrong.

Every time the door opens, he looks, silently hoping that he’s going to be hit with his sculpted features and kind eyes. Sometimes he finds himself turning towards the bar seat only to find it empty. Maybe he even prepares the Siwon blend for himself just to make sure he doesn't forget how to make it.

Has he done something wrong? Kyuhyun tries to remember the past few days before Siwon stopped coming, and he can't come up eith any answer. 

Then again, Siwon isn't obligated to visit the shop every day. Yes, they were friends and Kyuhyun should know that it's normal for friends to have off days too. They don't have to see each other all the time. Kyuhyun believes- no, he knows that their friendship is deeper than that.

The thought kept him going for a Siwon-less week. At the end of the week, he has calmed down and the pain has subsided into a pinch of disappointment every time he glances at the empty seat by the counter.

It's still progress, Kyuhyun thinks.

Until the day he decides to pass by Mouse Rabbit.

He has heard that renovations were finally done. Weeks ago, they started to put out posters and flyers to invite everyone to their grand re-opening. Naturally, Kyuhyun kept tabs on the competition in the same area. Although their shop is probably no match for Mouse Rabbit which was bigger and more established, it's still good to know what they were up to.

There's quite a line when he enters the shop, but it's okay. Kyuhyun has time to spare today so he patiently waits observing and analyzing their menu.

When he was closer to the counter, he is faced with a delectable selection of pastries and bread that makes his mouth water. Cakes, breads, pastries, pies. Then his eyes fall on the croffles. 

Oh, he definitely needs to try those.

"Hi, welcome to Mouse Rabbit. What would you like for today?"

"I'll have your best coffee drink and 3 croffles."

One for me, one for Shindong-hyung, one for….

He freezes. Kyuhyun thought he was over it after surviving days without seeing him. So why did he order 3 pieces? Why did he even order croffles?

His face flashes in his mind. His dimpled smirk turns into a wide smile with his nose scrunched cutely as he tries to describe the sinful taste of croffles. You have to try them, Kyu!, his deep voice echoes in his ears. 

Disappointment fills his heart because his smile is not as bright, his eyes not as kind, his whole bieng not as alive as he is in reality. How he wish everything would go back to normal and Siwon would visit the shop everyday.

"Yesung-hyuung!"

"Siwonnie!"

As if by some magic, Kyuhyun finds himself looking at the exact same smile that he longs to see. There he is standing in his usual perfectly cut suit and his neatly styled hair. He can almost hear the deep timber of his voice and his booming laughter as he speaks comfortably with a man who seems to be the owner of the shop. Kyuhyun watches as his cute dimples peek out when he flashes the man another excited smile. Even from a few tables away, he can feel the excitement buzzing off him like a huge golden retriever eager to play.

Kyuhyun is frozen in place unable to take another step forward because there must be a reason why he stopped dropping by, right? Kyuhyun spent days trying to figure out what he did wrong and he can't help but feel it was his fault. Perhaps he did something or said something that made Siwon feel bad enough to avoid him.

Instead, he watches silently from the side as Siwon talks excitedly to the man. He tilts his head to the side and his dimples appear as he playfully pushes the man as if teasing him.

Kyuhyun's chest aches. It aches for him. He wants to stand and call out his name. He wants to see that handsome face break into a beautiful smile like he used to see everyday. He wants to hear his voice and his laughter teasing him and calling his name. He wants to feel his warm hands on his shoulder or his forearm. He wants his gaze looking warmly at him, only him. 

So it all happened in a blur. The next moment Siwon has a drink in his hand and he's gesturing as if he's about to leave. Waving to the man, he turns around.

And something bursts inside Kyuhyun pushing him off his feet. He jogs lightly towards the swinging door, hand outstretched. It brings him closer and closer to him until Kyuhyun feels the rough fabric of his long coat. He pulls at the sleeve as he tries to stop his legs, the momentum bringing him face to face with the man himself. So close Kyuhyun can freely breathe his woody scent. His familiar brown eyes widen as they fall on him.

"Kyuhyun?"

His name on his lips makes the hair on his arms stand as his face heats up. But it also bring a wave of clarity at what he just did.

Suddenly, Kyuhyun feels embarrassed. Did he really just run like in those TV dramas? 

"H-hi," he manages to say as he looks into his warm eyes.

Kyuhyun wants to look at him and study his whole face to remind himself how good he looks, but he can't because he is being into Siwon's intense gaze. Those beautiful brown eyes that seem to portray so much more. Kyuhyun sees confusion and something else that he cannot name.

Was this a mistake? Did he really want to avoid him intentionally? Unconsciously, he takes a step back as he feels the tears starting to form in his eyes.

Until the door behind them suddenly opens, startling both of them out of the trance. The man who Siwon was talking to is looking at them with hands on his hips. He turns to Kyuhyun.

"Well you must be THE Kyuhyun. I've heard so much about you."

"Yesung-hyung!," Siwon tries to cut the man off to no avail.

"Oh come now Siwon, it's alright," he says, waving his hand at Siwon. Then he crosses his arms and puts on a serious look. "But what's not okay is you two blocking the entrance to my cafe."

He places his hands on their shoulders and starts pushing then off to the side. "You can talk but please don't do it in front of the door."

Yesung pushes them until they reach the street, and he waves enthusiastically at them. "Thank you. Bye bye. Please come again!"

Kyuhyun turns towards Siwon and finds him already looking at him with wide eyes, similar to his own reaction at whatever just happened. Once the door closes behind Yesung, Kyuhyun feels his lips stretch into a small smile. Siwon mirrors him and purses his lips letting his dimples form on his cheeks. Kyuhyun bites his lips trying hard not to let his emotions run.

A small snicker comes from Siwon and suddenly they're both laughing at the ridiculous situation. People are definitely looking at them. Normally, Kyuhyun would behave himself in public, but it's so funny. And maybe it's also because he has Siwon laughing just as hard beside him.

Once they have themselves under control, reality starts crashing back, but somehow Kyuhyun feels lighter than before.

It feels like they've started to slip into the familiar push and pull of their friendship.