One o’ clock

He’d chosen a café. I’d searched it up beforehand and it looked like one of those cool hipster places with cozy chairs and art all over the walls. I'm here now and well...it does have art all over the walls. The place smells nice too, like chai and coffe beans. But these chairs aren’t as comfy as they look, and the lady in the table beside me is talking to a live parrot. I can’t believe Kyuhyun would like this place. Maybe this is his secret other half, the side of him no one else is allowed to see. Maybe behind all the cool and smooth genius he’s a liberal quirk with a love for chai tea and parrots. Maybe I'll be the first to see. I'm still can't believe he said yes.

One o’ two.

There isn’t any silverware so I twiddle my thumbs. I wish I weren't so punctual. Nobody is on time these days. Heck, it's cool to be a little late. I'm just giving myself more time to nervous by arriving early. Oh well. Deep breaths, Wookie. Deep breaths. I can’t help this twitchy smile on my face. It’s an involuntary thing, like whenever I think of him, I have to grin. It’s the Crush Look. (Much preferred over the Crushed Look.)

One o' five

He said one, right?

Why am I asking?

I know he said one.

Kyuhyun’s handsome face flashed in my mind. Those plump lips curved in a devilish smirk, the kind that makes your knees go weak. When I'd finally gotten the words out, he’d laughed in an sort of awkward way (like a chuckle?).

“Sure. One o’ clock, Saturday, Pinocchio’s.”  

I don’t know he ended deciding everything but to be honest I didn’t really care. I hadn’t really thought past “Will you go out with me?” so it was actually kind of a relief.

Oh my god wait, is it Saturday? Thursday, Friday…Saturday. Yes, it is Saturday.

...I wonder what's keeping him.

One fifteen.

Come to think of it, I may have heard him wrong. Or I remembered wrong. It’s all a blur really. We were at lunch but not in the cafeteria because only geeks sit in the cafeteria, and he is so far from a geek he sits in the opposite end of the school. Ironically, that meant a bigger crowd. I'd trembled so hard my brain rattled, and my voice came out like I’d swallowed a whistle, but it was worth it because he said yes. He'd set yes and he'd set up a time and place. But what if I remembered wrong? What if he said Sunday or worse Friday and I totally missed it?

One twenty

The wooden door creaks and my head jerks up. It’s not him. It’s a couple. It seems everyone comes in couples here. I chose a place near the door so Kyuhyun would see me if he comes in. No, not if. When. When he comes in.

Briefly, I scan the room again to make sure he’s not at a different table waiting for me. I try to do it furtively but the barista catches me staring and gives me a weird look. I glance guiltily at the empty table. My stomach growls. I didn’t eat before coming here (didn’t want to feel sleepy), but those scones in the case look ridiculously appetizing. But I can’t. I can’t order before Kyuhyun gets here; that’s rude.

One thirty.

There is now giant tea cup sitting on the table. It's filled to the brim with hot cocoa and wisps of steam rise up from the surface. I decide to take some low-quality pictures of it with my phone, mostly to keep myself busy. I usually never use my phone. Stupid me.

I should have given Kyuhyun my number. Then he would actually be able to call me and let me know when he'll get here instead of me just sitting here like an idiot. Stupid me. 

I might have to call my mom. I’d told her four o’ clock but if Kyuhyun’s running late we might stay longer.

Stupid me.

It is no longer one o’ clock.

The lady with the parrot is gone. An old hitchhiker replaced her.

I don’t cry, even though usually I cry very easily. He could still show up, right? Like in the books, he just got held up somewhere. He’ll show up, burst through the door looking for me. His great-grandfather got into an accident and he couldn’t avoid checking-up on him even though the old man’s fine now and he'll apologize a thousand times we'll spend the rest of the afternoon together falling in love. Yes, that'll happen. He’ll show up.

They’re in their usual spot: underneath the oak tree in the back of school. It’s the center of the park. He’s laughing with his friends over an imitation of the new biology teacher when a little cough interrupts them. Kyuhyun turns to see a pudgy kid with a crew cut staring at him. The kid’s shaking so hard he looks like he’s vibrating.

“Can we help-?”

“Will you go out with me?” The kid freezes as soon as the words are out of his mouth.

Kyuhyun can hear his friends laugh behind him. They don't even pretend they aren't rude but the boy doesn't seem to hear them he looks so damn nervous. Kyuhyun chuckles in pity.

“Sure. Saturday, one o’ clock, Pinocchio’s.”  

The boy squeals a ‘thank you, Kyuhyun’ looking so happy he wobbles away without once looking back.

Kyuhyun would feel good about being so nice for once except for three little facts.

1) He doesn’t know the boy’s name.

2) He hates Pinocchio’s.

3) He’s planned to go to the city with his friends for the weekend.

And when Saturday, one o’ clock arrives, he’s forgotten this even happened.

A/N: January; the month of the two-faced god Janus. One face looks into the past; the other looks into the present. If either I or Ryeowook could have looked either way we might not have gotten stood up this afternoon. Thanks for reading.