It was just a glance, one that was entirely unpreventable; unconscious. It was a natural human instinct to take a survey of the surroundings, to keep a look-out for danger or anything out of the ordinary that might arise. Of course, seeing as I was currently in a small café hidden from street view, there really shouldn’t have been any danger heading for me. However, one look was all it took for me to garner interest in what I saw, something that normally wasn’t there during my almost daily excursions.

Perhaps I should correct myself. It wasn’t something; it was someone. He was someone. I had taken not more than a sip from my white chocolate raspberry latte before I noticed him coming in from the door. Maybe I can blame the little bell that rang every time a customer made his or her way in, though I didn’t take notice of many people before. Something about that particular ring, and that particular time, made me lift my head to watch who would enter the small and quite hidden café. This was where I prided in calling my own, somewhere I could let go of my worries and relax for awhile, even if for not long.

The café wasn’t by any means popular as the well-known Starbucks chain. It certainly didn’t help that it wasn’t visible from the street. One had to know where it was through word of mouth to find it. Luckily, this place was never too bare, and had just enough customers to keep it going. It helped that there was cool air conditioning on hot summer days, and warm heaters during the cold winter nights. It was just the perfect place to escape.

Since the café was usually filled with regulars, I suppose it wasn’t a surprise that I noticed a newcomer. He was dressed for the unusually chilly summer day, with a graphic t-shirt and a light hoodie with the zipper halfway pulled up. On his head sat a baseball cap and dark jeans covered his legs, with Nike free-runs to complete the ensemble. His build looked slim, and of medium height as he made his way toward the counter to order something. I was sitting too far away to hear, not that I was trying to eavesdrop or anything.

When he turned around to find an open table, I looked away quickly, hoping that I hadn’t been caught looking; staring. I obviously didn’t notice that there was an open table in front of my table either. Nope.

Might I also mention, that I wasn’t inwardly thrilled when he did pick the aforementioned table to sit at? No, not at all.

Taking another sip of my latte, I forced my eyes to look out the window, out into the lovely view of the shops within the plaza. Yes, the view that I frequently saw day to day, most likely because I picked the same seat each time. Almost unconsciously again, my head turned back to see if I could catch another glimpse of the stranger. To my utter surprise, I found myself looking into his mischievous eyes and let out a little gasp before jerking my head to the side embarrassingly. I heard someone call a drink and from the corner of my eyes saw him stand up to retrieve his order.

Looking at the time on my cell phone, I sighed and figured that it was a good time as any to leave. I was in no hurry, but after that episode, I figured it was as good as any time to go. Checking my purse, I held my latte and made to stand up before the chair opposite me slid out, a person settling down on it. I looked up once again to meet the eyes of the stranger I had secretly been admiring.

“You’re not leaving so soon, are you? We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet.”

Caught in an awkward position while in the middle of standing up, I decided to sit down.  I wrapped both of my hands around the latte, an attempt to stop my fidgeting that came on when I was nervous. Glancing up and still seeing his bright smile, I spoke up.

“Well, I suppose I could spare a few minutes.”

Growing more confident, I lifted my chin and held out my hand.

“Hye Shin.”

He shook my hand comfortably before letting go, a smile still on his face.

“I’m Tae Min. Nice to meet you Hye Shin.”

And all it took was just one glance.

That was the first one. I hope everyone enjoyed it.

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<3 WinterRose