"… one cappuccino."

 

It was seven in the morning. It was not even thirty minutes before opening hours and Lu Han had found himself a customer. The weather was cold that day, very cold. The unforgiving icy wind blew inside from the creak between the door and its wall, and Lu Han felt like shivering. But he liked winter; cold weather called for a coffee and more coffee called for money. 

 

The customer closed his eyes, waiting patiently for his reply. Lu Han looked up. The customer was very tall, almost half a head taller than him. His limbs were long and perfectly standing straight, such a fine material for a model. The yellow uniform peeked from beneath the coat outside and Lu Han noticed that the customer was still in high school. Being in his twenty already, Lu Han never saw such a rapid growth in a teenager.

 

"We're not opened yet, actually." Lu Han sounded his best to be apologetic.

 

It was not him who flipped the front sign open, but he was the one who flipped it closed last night. It had to be his employee's wrong doing. The coffee shop is small and Lu Han had decided that he did not need much employees to begin with. So he hired only one and that was his friend, Zhang Yixing. They were friends since the middle school, breaking all the odds for having the same class together since grade 8 up to 12 in high school. 

 

Lu Han was supposed to be in college right now. He was twenty one right then and supposed to be in his fifth semester. He had a thing for literature, but his parents did not have enough money for it. He actually had enough cash after the first year of his coffee shop business, but Yixing was aiming to be a doctor. In Lu Han's mind, doctor was more important than just someone with writing skills, and thus he helped Yixing to pay the entrance fee because Yixing was more or less poor like him, but for a whole different reason, though.

 

"… I see." A hint of disappointment was slightly evident in the customer's voice.

 

The customer sounded so small, like a trail of whispers, gently brushing his ears. Lu Han felt a shiver ran up from his back, to his neck and ended at his ears. It was kind of feeling when his ears heard a good music. The voice was very soft, like it was afraid to be heard. Lu Han was curious. He wanted to hear more; he wanted to hear it clearly. There was something beneath the voice, something alluring, something very, very captivating.

 

"Well, I can make an exception, though just today." Lu Han said, his smile was bouncing in between the words. "Just wait there for ten minutes." He pointed at the set of bar chairs on the right side of the counter.

 

The customer's face bloomed into a smile. It was just a split second and Lu Han was very grateful that he decided to give a last look at the customer before running to the small pantry room behind. The seemingly stoic expression of the customer had melted into a serene, happy smile and he closed his eyes again. 

 

Lu Han continued to observe the customer while he sat. The bag that was slung on his shoulder was sitting on his lap and he looked very content as he waited there. Soft puffs of his breaths was coming out as a white smoke and Lu Han felt nothing different from its color and the customer's skin. It was very white, and exceptionally pale. 

 

The coffee was done nearly five minutes ago but Lu Han could not stop himself from observing more. This customer was beautiful and he wondered why he intrigued him so much. Lu Han had several dates in the past when he was very popular in high school. Yixing was often jealous because his innocent and pure minds could not attract the same amount of women. But at every single date, Lu Han did not feel anything. It turned out that he could not bring himself to love a woman, and did not have any courage to love another ever since. Yixing had known this, somehow, and Lu Han cried on his friend's lap when he came out, begging him not to hate him, not to leave him alone. 

 

Yixing did not, and he never would. 

 

Lu Han jolted backwards as the customer suddenly opened his eyes, looking as shocked as him when Lu Han's face was only three inches in front of his. The red on Lu Han's cheeks traveled fast into his ears, hot and burning with embarrassment. 

 

The corner of the customer's lips curved upwards. It revealed the line of his white teeth and without further notice to Lu Han's heart, the customer laughed. It sounded like music to his ears, rich and deep, filled with husks and dripped with sweets. Such a beautiful, beautiful laughs that they left Lu Han reveling. The red was still on his cheeks, even more prominent then because of the voice. Lu Han took five more seconds to come back to himself, shyly offering the customer his coffee.  

 

"That - your coffee. It's finished."

 

The customer still did not speak. He only nodded simply, taking the first sip with careful blow from his lips. The eyes which looked straight at Lu Han was then lightened with brightness. He took another sip from the paper cup, another smile of content was on his lips. 

 

"… delicious," the customer said softly, with his eyes brightened like a kid. 

 

Lu Han replied the smile back, eyes closing to crescents as he curved his lips. He felt very happy. Although money was the first reason, hearing a sudden compliment from the customers had been Lu Han's other reason for keeping the shop opened. 

 

The silence that filled the small room then was comfortable. Lu Han was back to preparing the shop, going back and forth between the pantry and the counter to place many jars filled with coffee beans, chocolate syrup and sugar. The customer was still sitting there, closing his eyes in his own enjoyment while sometime flicking his eyes open to watch Lu Han counting the jars quietly with his fingers. 

 

The chair made a skit noise from clashing with the floor, and Lu Han saw the customer stood up. The paper cup was empty on his hand, but he reached the counter again, meeting Lu Han's eyes carefully with calculating gaze. The eyes travelled to the small name pin on Lu Han's shirt and he took a deep breath, as if deciding something very hard.

 

"Thank you, Lu Han-ssi."

 

The voice was clear that time, very, very clear, like a glass, like an ice reflection on the water cup. It was hypnotizing, gently caressing Lu Han's ears with every husk that went inside with the words. 

 

And all of the sudden, Lu Han could see spring inside his shop, green and pink with flowers blooming around the floor. He closed his eyes, the warm breeze tickled his face and he opened them again. The white winter welcomed him back with cold wind from the opened door. The customer was now gone out of the shop, leaving several coins in his tips jar, taking a piece of Lu Han's heart with him.

 

Lu Han hoped he could meet him again.