White winter snow lying around. Feet covered by boots and socks stepping deep in the piles, leaving various trails and marks. Frozen fingers holding on to a blue folder as tightly as they could, losing their feelings minutes ago. Layers of coats clearly not helping when Mother Nature decided to show us how it's like to live in a freezer. A beanie warming up the ears and a red scarf wrapped around the neck as a shield from the cold. A brown bag strapped over her shoulder, providing her access to her stuff.

  Her outfit was complete, all the things she needed was with her. Now, the only thing missing was a warm place to stay at. The library was closed, it's snowing at the park and her dorm room was definitely out of the question since her roommate had brought back a special guest. Maybe the coffee shop, it'll provide her a small private table and a warm drink.

  Happy with the thought, she made her way to where her favourite coffee shop used to be. Key word, used to be. She huffed in annoyance realizing they had shut the place down to replace it with some new restaurant. That's completely absurd, since the rest of the street had various types of restaurants and food shops already.

  Not knowing where else to go, she made her way down the street, her eyes scanning each shop for an empty and maybe private seat. Unfortunately, due to the cold weather outside and the heaters inside, most shops were full. While others, were either closed or didn't seem sanitary enough to be a study place.

  Luckily, she was able to find a small and cozy looking cafe which was practically hidden by an old bookstore. At a closer look though, there seem to be a small crowd. It didn't look full, but there were still too many customers for her taste. Sighing, she realized it was probably better than nothing and besides, she needs some coffee in her system if she wants to finish her assignment tonight.

  The small bell rang when she pushed the door. She glanced up, smiling as the sound reminded her of an ice cream truck she used to chase as a kid. She joined the queue and eyed the menu warily. Were the coffee here as good as the one from her favourite cafe? Were the muffins and cookies as soft and crunchy?

  "Hello, how may I take your order?"

  She glanced up at the adorable dark haired cashier and quickly averted her eyes to the menu, to avoid staring. Though, she seem to end re reading the same word over and over again. She bit her lip, reading the whole menu over again, avoiding the questioning look from the cute cashier. Telling herself to focus, and get her mind straight, she finally looked at him and gave her order.

  "One hot Americano and a chocolate chip muffin please."

  He flashed a smile, and keyed them in. A slightly taller guy with brown hair bumped into him from the back causing him to turn and glare. He muttered something incoherent under his breath, eyes on the cash register but mind seem to wandering.

  "Um, how would you say no to a guy?"

  She blinked, wondering if she heard him right, "Excuse me?"

  He avoided eye contact as he repeated, "How would you say no to a guy?"

  "I, um," she began, wondering if he was serious. "Look, I don't have time for this, I have to finish some assignments so if you don't mind...."

  He nodded, muttering, "So that's how you'll do it."

  "Look," she glanced at his name tag. "Peniel, I'm not really sure what you're doing here-"

  "It's fine, I just asked cause it's sort of 'the challenge of the day'," he told her, smiling at her nervousness.

  "Challenge of the day?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

  "Yeah, everyday, all the workers have to do something, like a challenge," he explained. "For today, mine was to ask people questions with double meaning."

  "How was that question double meaning?" She asked, frowning slightly.

  "Well, the question just now doesn't necessarily imply to dating, you know," he said, giving her a look. Thankfully it wasn't enough to distract her.

  "But you asked, how would I say no to a guy," she said, confused.

  "Well, your Dad's a guy, would he ask you on a date?"

  "Well, yeah, you know on a father-daughter kind," she answered.

  He didn't say anything, taking in what she said. Right then, he was honestly wondering what she's thinking about. He let out a small laugh, and asked, "What if the guy wasn't asking you on a date? What if he was asking if you wanted some chocolates?"

  "Then, I won't say no," she replied, easily.

  "What if it's some random guy you never met?"

  "I won't take one, then?" She answered, uncertainly looking around. "Is this some kind of prank?"

  He chuckled, "No, you're just very entertaining."

  "Right....can I have my order now?"

  "Sure, eat in or take out?" He asked, turning back to the cash register.

  "Um," she glanced around at the crowd of the cafe."Take out, I guess."

  "You'd sure?" He asked, gesturing outside. "It's freezing, out there."

  "And it's crowded in here," she replied, shrugging. "I'll find someplace else to study."

  "Alright, if you're sure," he said, before telling her the total payment. "You can find a seat, while you wait."

  She gave a nod, muttering a small thanks before sitting near the window. Her eyes travelled to the small crowd around a table, realizing they were actually celebrating someone's birthday. A blonde girl was blowing out the candles just as her friends finished singing, followed by happy cheers. She smiled, watching the blonde get covered by streamers and such.

  A simple yet enjoyable birthday just like that. Her own is coming up soon. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd find some time to celebrate it.

  "Here is your coffee and muffin."

  She looked up to see a different guy serving her. He seemed younger, and his golden brown hair seemed was slightly longer, touching his shoulders. She gave thanked him, before getting up to leave. Leaving one last glance at the cashier who was busy serving another customer.

  Outside, she realized she was back to square one on her search. Well, at least she has a snack then, and felt somewhat happier. She sipped on the Americano slowly, noticing something scribbled on the back of the coffee cup. She turned it around, thinking it was some kind of shop motto or catchphrase.

  I don't know if I'll ever see you again but I just wanted to let you know, you're beautiful.