“No free hot chocolates today?” was Baekhyun’s manner of greeting when he met me at the cafe the next day.

I looked up from the rim of my cup and gave him a dark look. He grinned before pulling out the chair in front of me, settling down and reaching for the coffee that I ordered for him.

The seat I had chosen was next to the window, giving us a perfect view of everything outside and everything in. We had been going to this cafe ever since a few months ago, when the sign flipped to show ‘open’ for the first time and customers came pouring in. They were giving out free samples back then to everyone who came through the door; I immediately knew that this cafe would surely become my personal favourite.

The decorations were simple and modern. The walls were painted coffee brown and decorated with pictures depicting cups and foods. Shelves ran along one wall, and on it were decorative mugs and large bags of coffee beans, along with several little glass ornaments that glittered under the light. Most of the cafe was taken up by chairs and tables, and along one side were the counter and a cake display. Waiters and waitresses lingered around the tables, wearing uniforms of black and white and holding standardised notepads used for taking orders.

“So,” I said when Baekhyun set down his cup, “what exactly do you need me to tell you this time?”

Baekhyun looked thoughtful for a while, his lips as he tried to get off the excess cream smeared on his top lip. “How do I show her that I’m interested in her, as in, really interested to date her?”

I thoughtfully stirred my tea as I pondered over the question. “How comfortable is she with you?” I finally asked.

Baekhyun looked confused. “Comfortable enough to talk to me and greet me when she sees me.”

“Not that,” I said as I waved my hand dismissively. “I mean in terms of physical contact. Has she ever playfully smacked you on the arm or something?”

“Once, with a book.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I take it you’ve never tried to hold her hand then.”

Baekhyun looked hesitant. “Am I supposed to? Won’t she feel uncomfortable?”

“Ah,” I said, setting down my teaspoon. “Tact, my dear Baekhyun. It’s all tact. You need to be able to execute that particular act at the right moment and the right time to hint to her of your possible interest. “

Baekhyun furrowed his brows. “Elaborate.”

“You’re going on a date with her tomorrow, right?”

“It’s not a date,” Baekhyun said with a faint blush tinting his cheeks. “We’re just hanging out.”

I waved my hand dismissively. “Details, details. Anyway, I want you to take her to the shopping district.”

Baekhyun chewed on his lower lip. “That’s one of the busiest streets at this time of the week.”

“Exactly why you’ll get to hold her hand. People will get rough, believe me, and she’ll somehow get swept back. The only way for you two to stay together is if you hold hands. And besides, you can also pass this off as an act of chivalry; it shows that you take extra care of her.” I leaned back, satisfied.

Baekhyun nodded thoughtfully. “Huh, you’re right.”

I smirked. “Aren’t I always?”

Baekhyun laughed and drank from his cup again. “So is this what you hope for?”

“This what?”

“That hand holding thing. Is that what you want from a guy when he takes you out?”

I looked away, not meeting his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

Baekhyun leaned forwards with a teasing smirk. “You’re blushing right now.”

I wanted to argue, but couldn’t find the right words to say. “Fine. It has crossed my mind once or twice.”

Baekhyun leaned back in his seat, satisfied he managed to elicit a confession from me.

“Not a word,” I warned him as I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I didn’t say anything,” he said with a pleasant smile, taking another swig from his cup. “Are you done? Let’s go to the arcade today.”

The arcade was located on the other side of the street, at a corner lot next to a bubble tea shack. The red neon sign pulsed with light as we neared it and as the glass doors slid open, I was taken aback by the amount of people cramped in it.

The interior was nowhere near small, but seeing as tomorrow was another holiday and homework could be postponed till then, the whole arcade was full of kids. I saw some from my school in front of a racing machine, and a lot more scattered around as we got in. A few of our classmates greeted Baekhyun and I as we passed them.

Around us, the pinging of machines drowned out almost all the conversations. Lights pulsed from the machine and the walls, casting the floors with a colourful, patterned glow. I dodged bodies and ducked flying projectiles as I tried to keep up with Baekhyun, who, as a frequent customer, was familiar with the twists and turns of the arcade.

Baekhyun made his way to the token counter and pulled out his wallet, exchanging some of the bills he had for thirty-something tokens. I eyed it. “Is that all for you or do I get some?”

Baekhyun turned to me with a mischievous smile. His face looked pale under the lights, but they seemed to highlight the curve of his mouth and his dark eyes. “That depends, how many days are you willing to buy lunch for me?”

I rolled my eyes. “Forget it.”

Baekhyun laughed and slung an arm around me. “Of course I’m planning on splitting it with you, Yoora. I owe you.”

I grinned. “So where do we start?”

Baekhyun glanced around. “Well, the truth is, I want to play with one of those racing games but seeing that they’re full, why not we try those basketball hoops first?”

We played for about half an hour. Baekhyun was a better shooter than me, so he easily topped my score. He did try to help me to increase mine, shooting some of the balls for me before I smacked his arm away and insisted that I wanted to beat him on my own. He just laughed and watched, but I was forced to swallow my pride and admit that my skills were nowhere near on par with his.

After that, we played one of the pinball machines, tried to win against each other in a shooting game, and even tried the claw machine. One thing about Baekhyun, he was good in things that required hand-eye coordination, but was lousy with things that required concentration. I easily grabbed a small teddy bear while he was forced to leave empty handed, complaining that it was a girl’s game to ease his sore pride.

We had managed to squeeze into an opening at one of the racing game machines, and right now, I was watching Baekhyun as he attempted to break the latest high score. He had on a look of pure concentration –concentration that I regret to say only existed in the arcade and never in school –and his fingers were tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, jerking it left and right to avoid the obstacles thrown at him on the screen. I just leaned against the machine, people-watching as I left Baekhyun to play to his heart’s desire.

My gaze landed on a familiar head of blonde locks, and my eyes immediately zeroed in on Luhan. He was playing the dance revolution machine, his group of friends cheering him on as he perfected the combos. I watched as he bit his lip in concentration, his eyes seeing nothing but the screen. His feet were a blur, and I recognised the occasional dance moves he’d put in: a jerk of the arm here, a little slide there. Occasionally, he would smile and the machine would light up, indicating that he received a perfect combo.

When he finished, I noticed the sweat glistening on his face. He hi-fived his friends, received the congratulatory messages with a laugh and a good-natured thanks. He looked up after doing some kind of complicated handshake with Sehun, and his soft brown eyes met mine from across the room. My heart raced when he flashed a smile at me.

“You like him, don’t you?”

Baekhyun’s voice startled me. I paused mid-wave and whirled around to look at him. He was sitting sideways in his seat, one arm draped across the steering wheel. The screen flashed ‘High score!” over and over again.

“I don’t,” I lied.

“I don’t believe you,” Baekhyun said as he leaned forwards with a teasing smile. “I can practically see the hearts in your eyes.”

I smacked him on the shoulder.

He laughed, holding both his hands up in a gesture of surrender. He noticed that I didn’t protest. “Luhan? How on earth did that happen?”

“It’s a long story,” I mumbled, looking away.

“Well,” Baekhyun said, sliding himself off the seat to stand in front of me. “We got lots of time.”