"Can I sit here?"

Eunhyuk glanced away from the nearby window to see a girl standing at the side of his table, pointing to the seat across from him. Her skin was light, and her hair was long and black. She seemed to be of a slim but healthy build, with strong shoulders and a subtly soft jawline. The smile that stretched across her face was shining brightly- almost as brightly as her gleaming pupils did from underneath the bangs that cut off just below the eyebrows. After craning his neck to assess the seating situation in the rest of the crowded cafe, he finally nodded, allowing the girl to sit with him. Then he turned back to the view through the clear panes of glass that were placed in the wall. People walked past, cars rushed by.

"Thanks!" Her voice rang out, and he watched from the corner of his eye as she enthusiastically bounced into the last empty chair of the room. She rested her rose-colored beverage on the tabletop and stuck a straw in. He watched as her lips scrunched into a little "o" to take a sip, and he tracked the slight muscle movement in as she swallowed.

His gaze wandered up to those laughing brown orbs, which he quickly realized were watching him with a kind of playful curiosity. Patches of heat trickled up from his neck to his cheeks, and he averted his ogling eyes. Embarassed to be caught, the 27 year old kept his face turned away from hers as he tried to reach for his drink sitting on the table. Without looking, he brought the cup to his face, opened his mouth, and missed, poking himself in the cheek with his straw.

A girlish giggle notified him that his goofy mistake did not go unseen. Blushing even more, he managed to insert the straw in his mouth and inhaled the drink.

As soon as the chilled condensed milk hit his tongue, he grimaced, visibly expressing his disgust. He had ordered the honey milkshake, a new recipe of the cafe. After tasting the too-cold, too-sweet, and too-thick honey, Eunhyuk realized that his purchase had been a bad choice.

"Is it really that bad?" The young woman's voice sounded from across the table. It was loud enough to be heard, but there was a tinge of tenderness in it too. Hers was the kind of voice he could never get tired of, Eunhyuk decided.

"Uh, yeah. It's no good," he answered, summoning the courage to look his table-mate in the eyes. They were crinkled into eye-smiles, forming two little crescents. The way she leaned ever-so-slightly towards him to listen encouraged him to say more. "It's honey."

Then, while he racked his brains for a conversational topic more interesting than a brick wall, the girl did something unexpected.

"Let's trade." She waited a moment, then interpreted his stunned silence as quiet concurrence and reached with her arms, sliding the drinks across the table's glazed flat surface so that the iced pink liquid sat in front of Eunhyuk and she had the honey milkshake in her hands. Before he could say anything to stop her, she took a swig of the vile drink.

Her eyes lit up and her cheeks swelled as she up as much milkshake as possible. "What do you mean this is no good?" she asked once was free. "This is great!"

Eunhyuk gulped down his disbelief, choosing to bite his tongue and not criticize the girl's obvious lack of taste buds. Instead, he stared at the clear plastic cup that was once hers and internally debated whether to drink or not.  

It wasn't until after he took a sip that he realized how parched his throat was.

The drink was sweet, but not like honey, and had a hint of bitterness, perfect for his picky inclinations. The flavor dashed with light feet on his tongue, bouncing its way down his throat.

"It's passionfruit iced tea," the girl told him. She was smiling even wider than before, baring perfectly straight, perfectly clean white teeth. "Do you like it?"

Eunhyuk nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a slight, almost unnoticable smirk. "Definitely better than that honey-flavored milkshake."

He made a face as he watched her up the gross concoction through her straw. "I can't believe you actually enjoy drinking that," Eunhyuk commented.

"Just because you don't like honey doesn't mean everyone else hates it too," Tiffany calmly reasoned as she continued to sip her honey-flavored milkshake, the contents of the glass cup slowly diminishing. She looked across the table at her grimacing friend and grinned. "If you're so disgusted, why don't you just drink your own beverage and stop criticizing mine." Even through her dark eyelashes, Eunhyuk swore he saw her eyes sparkle. They sparkled every time she smiled.

"I think I'll do just that," he snobbily answered, putting his lips on the plastic straw and drinking his regular passionfruit iced tea.  

The pair sat at their usual table, located at the front of the bistro, just to the left of the door. The light of the afternoon shone through the large glass window next to them, enabling them to see the occasional pedestrian passing by. The bustle of the rest of the cafe hummed behind them.

She tittered, the sound floating through his ears. "Oh, don't be such a sourpuss," the female teased. Eunhyuk kept his eyes trained on his drink, it all up until the cup was empty. The few pieces of ice left clinked against one another. "Look up at me," his companion suddenly ordered, her clear voice cutting through the quiet.

He looked up from his drink to see her radiant face. When Tiffany was sure she had his attention, she began to reenact an oft-brought-up scene, slowly lifting her cup to her mouth and deliberately piercing the soft skin in the round of her cheek with the dull edge of the cylindrical straw.

Eunhyuk was not amused. Tiffany, on the other hand, burst into a fit of shrieks and laughter at her own silliness, clutching at her stomach.

"That was just one time, are you ever going to let me forget it?" the man sighed, but was fighting the smile that threatened to show on his face. Her laughter could be dangerously contagious at times.

"I will, if you ever stop being so haughty all the time," she answered, finished with her giggling fit and slightly out of breath. She drank some of her milkshake to replenish herself.

He stared as Tiffany squinted her smiling eyes and stuck a tongue out at him. He enjoyed her twinkling laughs as he did the same.

"I'm never going to stop being haughty. I'll be a bitter, selfish prick forever," Eunhyuk dramatically declared, intending it as a joke.

But Tiffany abruptly stopped laughing. She reached over and grabbed one of his hands, almost yanking off his arm in the process. Clasping his warm hand in her cold fingers, she squeezed tightly. "Eunhyuk, fighting! You can become a person that is extremely fun to be around, and generous too. Don't let the haughtiness restrain you!" He could tell she was earnest, and he almost laughed in her face.

Except that since this was Tiffany, she somehow had a way of making him believe her words. He sort of wanted to live up to her expectations now, to become the kindest person known to man. Yet that was impossible, because Eunhyuk was pretty sure Tiffany claimed that title.

Embarassed by the close personal contact, Eunhyuk snapped out of his thoughts and pulled his hand away from her grip, jerking it close to his body. He didn't mean to seem uncomfortable by her gesture, but it unnerved him, exposing him to a benevolence that he had never experienced before.

She didn't seem bothered by his unnatural movements; she just winked and gave him another 'fighting' sign with her arms before going back to working on her milkshake.

As Eunhyuk sat in the the easy atmosphere, he tuned out the white noise of the rest of the cafe and marveled at the girl in front of him. Her rounded cheeks; her lightweight, feathery hair; even her poised and polished fingers; all of it was attractive, and all of her took his breath away. Every little thing she did, every word she spoke, every smile she gave.

He liked her a little more than he wanted to believe. He wondered if she would ever noticed him gawking at her out of amazement, out of admiration.

He hoped she wouldn't, but some part of him also hoped she would.

Tiffany huffed and slouched in her seat. The way her cheeks bunched up and brow furrowed ever so slightly were cute, Eunhyuk admitted, but also extremely disconcerting. He wasn't used to them, and probably never would be. He never wanted to see her mad. "Oh, stop scowling," the man told his friend, attempting to put an end to her pitiful pouts. "It's not my fault you-" he snickered before continuing, "-locked your purse in your car." He chuckled and shook his head at her predicament.

"But I need to have my honey milkshake to help me get over this embarrassment!" Tiffany wailed, laying her head on folded arms on top of the cafe table. "Why won't you buy it for me?" Her muffled question was understood by the stubborn man, and he promptly shook his head.

"No way." Eunhyuk was adamant in enjoying this rare no-honey day. But upon seeing her dejected face, he felt the need to console Tiffany. "You drink it so often you smell like it, anyways."

She didn't answer him; her face remained smothered in her forearms. 

Her companion sighed. He didn't want to face the silent treatment Tiffany would sometimes give when she was angry or upset.  

FInishing up the last of his passionfruit tea, he got up and threw the cup away in the cafe's trash bin, in the opposite corner of the room. Along the way back he internally kicked himself for what he planned to do.

"Can I get a honey milkshake, please?" The clerk behind the counter nodded and immediately handed him one; somehow it was already pre-made. Eunhyuk smiled as he carried it back, thinking that he and Tiffany had gone to the cafe so often that even the staff knew their orders.

"Here," his mood quickly became grudging as he slammed the drink down onto the table. However, it didn't last long. When Eunhyuk saw the beam on Tiffany's glowing face he couldn't help himself, he smiled back. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes, yes I am," she replied, hastily grabbing the drink and sticking in a straw. "Thank you, Eunhyuk." Those glittering brown eyes reflected sincerity and utter joy. Eunhyuk said nothing but crossed his arms and watched as Tiffany delighted in her milkshake. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the need to make a face. He felt oddly at peace, sitting there doing nothing but enjoying her company. To him, there was nothing better. How lucky he was to be able to rest his eyes upon Tiffany's beauty, upon her uplifting smile.

He was head over heels for her, he now knew that. If only he could get her to stop drinking that blasted honey.

"Do I really smell like honey?" Tiffany's question materialized in the air. Eunhyuk briefly wondered if the girl could read his mind. Then he jumped at the opportunity to .

"Yes. I bet a person could get high off the gag-inducing fumes you emit." He was exaggerating, of course.

Gullible Tiffany continued to be concerned, though. "Can you smell it from there?"

"Not really." Eunhyuk slipped up and spoke the first thing that came to his mind. But then he perked up as he fixed his mistake. "But I think I'd have to be closer."

"Oh. Then can you smell it now?" Tiffany inched forward, leaning her head over the table towards Hyukjae.

He sniffed the air, and made a face. "Ew! Yeah, I can smell it. Tiffany, you smell like poop," he lied in a mocking, childish voice.

She just giggled at his attempted jibe. "I'm serious, Eunhyuk! Tell me if you can smell honey." Her smiling face moved a little closer as she strained to stretch across the tabletop. She leaned over the table, her long dark hair hung over her shoulders, the suspended stands swaying slightly to and fro.

"Whew! The smell is so strong," he continued to joke, squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain from the stench.

When he opened them again, he had an upclose and personal look at his dear companion.

Tiffany's face was a mere inch away from his, her smile never wavering, her expression never faltering. "How about now?" she asked in a teasing tone, a hint of allurement lingering in those few words.

Eunhyuk was speechless, his mouth slightly agape. Her eyes pierced deep into his. They shone like black diamonds, mesmerizing him, tempting him. Attempting to escape the trap she had set, he let his pupils travel downwards, only to have them stay on .

His eyes were glued to her lips, to Tiffany's perfectly glossed, perfectly plump lips. He closed his mouth and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he tried to swallow away the dry, nervous feeling.

He tried saying something, but all that came out were his quick, anxious breaths. "I- I," he whispered. But he didn't finish his sentence, for he had given up resisting his desire.

Acting on impulse, he craned his neck so that his face was level with hers. The palms of his hand pushed against the tabletop and his arms propelled him upwards, moving him forward so that his small chapped lips pressed into her soft plush ones rather clumsily.

While kissing Tiffany, Eunhyuk's senses heightened, and he became conscious of everything about her. The sound of her steady breathing, the way her eyelashes delicately fluttered shut. He felt her jaw loosen as she opened and allowed his shy tongue entry, using her own to guide it. He noticed the light ghost of her warm breath on his skin, and felt the just-as-gentle touch of her fingers flit across his chin and neck.

And yes, he was able to detect the slight scent of honey when he began to kiss her more deeply and confidently, his nose grazing her smooth skin as he resituated his head. The smell was faint, but still present. It didn't assault his nostrils like he had expected, but rather, meandered its way in, wrapping around his brain and entrapping it in a hazy cloud of enjoyment.  

Eunhyuk was able to taste the honey, too. His tongue dug into and roamed around, sliding against the walls of her cheek and the tip of her tongue. The subtle sweetness that was laced in her saliva greeted him.The palate was almost indescribable- Golden was the best his mind came up with. Like honey. He smiled at the irony.

Feeling the upward curve of his lips, Tiffany did the same. They both started to giggle when they realized that kissing while smiling was not an easy task. Eventually she pulled away from him, unable to hold back her chuckles any longer.

After they parted, Eunhyuk realized that Tiffany had drawn back all the way to her side of the table, and that he had unknowingly followed her all the way there. He hadn't wanted to end the kiss, and so now he was the one leaning all the way over the tabletop and she was sitting back in her seat.

By the way Tiffany was smirking, Eunhyuk knew that she could tell the taste of satisfied him.

Her eyes glinted. "Honey doesn't seem so bad anymore, does it?"

He shrugged, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Guess not."

A/N: LULz I ended up failing in my original intention and sort of reverted to my old writing style in the end (note the difference in length between the first and third parts). I hope it doesn't look too bad though. Thanks to all subscribers, readers, commenters, and raters! If you liked this, an upvote would be nice, and a comment would make my day. If you didn't, tell me what was weird about this fic- I'll try to improve!

(Personally I think I could have given better descriptions and played out the theme a little more subtly. Gosh, I also need to get myself together when keeping writing styles consistent. I'm just all over the place in this fic OTL)