Title: Coffee Shop

Characters: Lu Han, Son Naeun and Kim Jongin (Kai)

Pairing(s): Kai x Naeun (main), Luhan x Naeun (main)

Genre: Romance/Angst

Ever since he started working in that coffee shop as a waiter, he couldn't help but notice one of the regular customers. She was a really beautiful girl with innocent looks that came everyday and sat in the same table, looking out of the window with a sorrowful smile. She always came at 4pm and stayed there until the sunset. 

That day, he was cleaning a table when he suddenly heard the bells of the door ring. He looked up and there he saw her. She was wearing a simple white dress and yet, looked very beautiful in it. She took the same seat by the window and just sat there, as if she was waiting for someone. He took a deep breath, before approaching her.

"Hi, my name is Luhan, can I take your order?" he asked politely and the girl smiled faintly.

"Two cups of coffee  please" she said and he wrote that down. However, he was surprised because she requested two cups of coffee and he had never seen her with company. Maybe he was just going to drink both cups of coffee herself.

He just decided to shrug his thoughts away and do as she told him. When he order was ready, he went to her and put the two cups of coffee on the table. She smiled gently and he smiled back, before he continued doing his job. 

While he served other tables, his eyes landed on her once again and noticed how she was still looking out of the window as if she was waiting for someone. 

When the clock striked 6pm and the sun was already setting, Luhan saw how the girl stood up from her seat and left some money on the table, before walking out of the coffee shop. Luhan approached her table and noticed that she had finished her own cup of coffee, but the other one was left untouched.

This happened everyday. The strange girl would come and order two cups of coffee, but she would only drink one. The other one was always left untouched. As if she was hoping someone she was waiting for, would come and drink it with her.

****

One random day, Luhan finally decided to ask her something. He had been observing her for the past months and noticed how her behaviour hadn't seem to change. When he handed her the two cups of coffee she had ordered, he decided to ask.

"Miss, are you waiting for someone?" he finally asked. She turned to look at him and smiled

"I'm always waiting for someone" she simply replied. However, her reply only left more doubts in him. He couldn't help but think why was she still waiting for that person that never came?

"Why are we here?" the girl asked shyly as her boyfriend dragged her into a coffee shop she had never been into before. He only smiled to her as they took a seat near the window. 

"I love the coffee here" the guy said "And I hope we can turn this into our new favorite place"

"You are so cheesy, Jongin" she said, slightly blushed and he smiled before planting a soft kiss on her cheek. 

"Only for you Naeunnie" he said "Only for you"

After the first time they went to that coffee shop, Naeun also started to love the coffee there and so as Jongin said, that coffee shop soon became their favorite place. They went everyday at the same hour and sat at the same spot. They ordered two cups of coffee and talked about everything. About their lifes, about their relationship and about their future plans. 

They stayed there until the sun would set and then they would leave, hand in hand. It became a routine for them, but yet, they both looked forward to the afternoons they would spend together, just talking and drinking coffee. They loved each other very much and there was no other place they'd rather be.

"If we ever separate, I'll always come here looking for you Naeun" Jongin once told her and she was surprised by that. She never expected him to say, but she smiled. "Our favorite place"

"Then me too, I'll come here too so that we can meet each other again" she said with smile "At the same time and at the same table"

"It's a promise then" Jongin said, before he smiled brightly her. Naeun looked at him and couldn't help but blush again. She loved how his smile could brighten up her mood. She loved him very much and she wished to never part from him.

Jongin then leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, leaving a small taste of coffee on her lips. She smiled as she thought how the scent of freshly made coffee would always remind her of him.

"The smell of this coffee shop still reminds me of you, Jongin" she mumbled as she took one last sip of her coffee. She said that in a low voice, but Luhan still managed to hear what she said. Naeun then just stood up and walked out of the coffee shop. 

****

"So, how long have you been waiting for him?" Luhan dared to ask once. It already been like 6 months since she came to the coffee shop and do the same thing everyday. Luhan knew he had been too bold to ask something like that and he inmediately regretted it, but instead of being mad, she only smiled faintly.

"How long have you been working here?" she asked suddenly and he was taken aback.

"Six months" he replied and then she smiled again

"Then I've been waiting for him for about six months" she replied and he was surprised. 

Months continued passing and Naeun continued coming to the coffee shop. Luhan was already getting accostumed to her presence and he would smile everytime he saw her. However, he couldn't help but notice that her sadness hadn't faded away. 

As Luhan marked the calendar that day, he noticed it had already been a year since he started working there. Which meant she had been waiting for the same person for about a year now...

Luhan looked at door as he watched her walk in and noticed how that day, she seemed to be sadder than usual. Was that even possible? He approached her and gave her a smile, like he did every day. He didn't need to say his name everytime now, because after a year, she already knew his name was Luhan.

"Same old order?" he asked and she nodded

"Yes" she simply replied 

When her order was ready, he went to her and put the cups of coffee on her table like he did everyday. His eyes landed on her and noticed how her eyes were red and puffy, which meant she had been crying.  He didn't mean to intrude in her life, but he couldn't help but wonder why was she holding onto him so much.

"Have it ever occured to you that he might never come?" he asked out of the blue. He mentally scolded himself for not minding his own business. He expected her to stand up and walk away mad or even slap him. However, she didn't do anything like that. She only looked at him and gave him a faint smile, without replying.

****

"Luhan?" the girl called his name as she waited for her order that day and he was surprised. 

"Yes?" he asked and she signalled him to take a seat in front of her. He hesitated for a while, but when he looked around and noticed that the coffee shop was empty, he decided it wouldn't kill him to just sit there for a while.

"The other day you asked if it had ever occured to me that he may never come back" she said and he nodded, feeling slightly sorry for having asked that. "Well, the answer is no"

"Why?" he simply asked as he still couldn't understand.

"Because I know he is never going to come back" she said sadly, looking down at her coffee. Luhan was suddenly shocked to hear that. Why was she sure of that?

"How do you know?" he asked. 

"Because he can't" she replied. She smiled faintly as she wiped the tears that were rolling down her eyes. Reality suddenly hit him and he finally understood everything. He couldn't come back, because he was gone. The person she always waited for was dead. So the other day she seemed sadder than usual because it was the anniversary of his death.

"Then why do you still come here and wait for him?" he asked softly.

"Because the scent of coffee reminds me of Jongin" she replied with a sorrowful smile. Luhan was surprised to hear her story. The story of girl who came to the coffee shop, waiting for a person that would never come back.