This is your own little piece of heaven.  A moment of relaxation in a coffee shop, perched on top of one of those tall stools facing the window with a warm cup of coffee nestled in your hands.  After long days and nights stuck in your art studio completing what is to be a part of another exhibit, finally having the sunlight faintly touch your face is something you had to be grateful for. 

So, you gently tap the rim of your cup as you carefully observe the people passing by on the other side of the glass thinking what possibly can their stories be like.  You smile to yourself as thoughts run through your mind.  A sweaty man in a suit hurriedly walking with a phone on his ear suggests he might be late for something, a meeting perhaps and he likely won’t be able to close the deal.  A couple who appears to be in the mid-20s pass by leisurely with interlocking fingers and you begin to think they were on a date and probably still new to the relationship and seeing how they look at each other, that man will probably close the deal at the end of this date.  A bulky man walking a small dog that is probably not his at all drags the poor thing by its collar and how you wished that before the day ends that tiny dog can get to bite that man on the .  An old couple walking by arm in arm made you smile as the old man touches his wife’s nose so gingerly.  That moment alone made you think some relationships really do last for a long time and it is possible to have things not change with time.

And then a tall man sauntered by and in an instant you begin to think of a love lost.  You stared at him unmoving for long seconds without flinching a single muscle as your mind finally processed that it was Nichkhun.  He approached the glass with his usual gentle smile and tapped on the window sending you back to your senses and you smiled politely with a nod.

The cup of coffee almost fell from your hands as you saw that familiar beautiful face of the man who always caused your heart to run a marathon.  You sat there frozen like an ice sculpture afraid to turn around and see him once again.  You turned your stool in an attempt to leave just to find that Nichkhun was already by your side claiming the stool next to yours.

“Hi.”  He greeted you warmly with a smile.  A word that made sparks crawl down your spine causing your whole body to become charged and awake.  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Without realizing it, you shook your head to clear away the thoughts that are beginning to fog your brain.  “Sorry.  Hi!  I just didn’t expect to see you here.”

In a way, you couldn’t understand why you still had this kind of reaction to him after so long.  You are happy now, you have moved on.  You even have someone else occupy the same place he had once.  He should’ve been flushed from your system by now, but doesn’t seem to be the case.

“People watching?”  Nichkhun leans his elbows on the table as he looks at your direction, the smile never leaving his face.

Your next breath came out as a shudder as you lift the cup next to your lips, partly to hide your now flushed face.  “Uhm.  Old habits die hard I guess.”  You nodded while he reached for your hand and sets the cup back down on the table.  “What are you doing?”  Your eyebrows lowered in a scowl.

He then puts his hand on your seat and turned it so you were facing him and then bracketed your legs in between his.  “Why do I get the feeling you’re being distant again?”

“Am I?”  You tried your best to appear as innocently as you could.

“Aren’t you?”  He reached to touch the tip of your nose so naturally that your body shivered and left a trace of goosebumps on your skin.  You couldn’t bare the weight of his stare, so you tried to turn your stool only to find his knees keeping you in place.  “See?  You’re avoiding me again.”  He leaned in closer making his gorgeous face inches away from yours.

“How is it that I am the only one who seems surprised to see you here?”  You leaned back to create the much needed distance.  “Did you know beforehand that I would be here?”  You joked laughingly.

“There’s that laugh that I love.  Anyway, have you been painting again?”  Nichkhun changed the subject so easily and subtly that you almost did not notice it.

“Do I look that haggard?”  You wiped your face with a hand.

“No.”  He shook his head as he tucked the loose strands of your hair back in place.  You had your hair up in a messy bun showing off your neck as your knitted blouse fell off one shoulder.  “You look beautiful.  It’s just that you have a green colored paint here.”  He touches your neck just right under your ear, trying to erase it off.  His fingers hot to the touch against your skin.

“Leave it.  We both know it won’t come off like that.”  You shrugged off the compliment and held his hand still to put it gently away from your neck.  You took a sip of your coffee instead.  “I have an exhibit coming up.  Maybe you and your girlfriend could come.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Not what I read.”

His grin widens.  “You read news about me?”

“I happen to see them on occasion.  Not that I want to read them intentionally, it just happens to be -”

“Whatever – stalker!” he teased.

You paused as you looked at him dumbfounded and your pulse fluttered at feeling guilty as to the accusation.  He was right, you have been reading about him every single day.  A habit you just haven’t gotten out of.  “So, bring your girlfriend to the exhibit.”

“I told you I don’t have any.”  His face looked serious for the first time since he appeared out of the blue.  “I ended up breaking up with every girl I’ve been with because of you.”

“Of me?”  You snorted as you pointed to yourself in disbelief, somewhat a little offended.  “What do I have to do with it?”

“It’s either I talk about you too much or I try to find a hint of you in her and once I said your name while I slept because I was dreaming about you and much worse I called your name while we were having .”  His ears beginning to turn red while you whole body was in a trance.  “So you see?  It was all because of you.  And if you’re wondering how in the world I came to be here when I live on the other side of the city and work on that side as well, I came especially to find you with the help of an old friend of ours that I would not identify right now since he might end up dead for giving away your location.  You see, I dreamt about you last night, just like I always do, you know, the type that seems so real that you could almost feel it in your skin even after you wake up.  Have you had those?  Because I’ve been having them since we broke up.  So anyway, truthfully, I came here especially to find you.”

You had your heart in your throat and you could feel it slowly choking the life out of you.  You kept on blinking several times as your eyes couldn’t stand the intensity of his gaze and the way his velvety voice made heat soar into your veins.  “This isn’t real.”  You thought to yourself.  This could all be just a dream or worse, you are daydreaming it all.

“What for?”  Your lips pressed into a thin line as your eyebrows peaked in the middle of your forehead.

“What do you mean what for?”

“Why did you want to find me for?  To blame me for all your failed relationships after me?”

“No.  God no.”  He shook his head with a laugh.  “Isn’t it clear still?”  He leaned in closer that you could feel his warm breath against your cheek as he spoke.  “I want to win you back.”  He held your hand in his.  “I want to start over.”

“Khun.”  You released your hand from his.  “Are you high or are you just drunk?  I already have someone.  I have Jack.  Remember?  You met him at the lodge.”

“When we saw each other again, I know you felt the same way I did.  You can’t deny that fact.  I felt it and I saw it in your eyes.”

“Are you kidding?  Cause I sure do hope you are.”  You stood up to leave.

His eyes closed as his shoulders began to sag.  “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry, okay.  Don’t leave.”  He held you by the shoulder and turned you around to face him.  “Please, can we just –“

“You show up out of nowhere after all these years and I’m just supposed to jump back into your arms just because you wanted to start over.  I have a life Khun.”

“I know.  I know and I’m sorry.”  He shakes his head.  “How about this…let me visit your studio and pretend this didn’t happen.”

“What?”  You scowled at the absurdity of it all.

“I’d like a sneak peak to your exhibit.  Come on.  Please.”  He pleads and acts all cute.  “I know I ed up and I’m sorry.  I don’t want to lose you again like this.  Friendship is okay.  Even that is okay for me.  So please.”

“Fine.”  You gave in as you begin to lead the way to your studio.  Halfway through you begin to regret your decision.  You and Nichkhun in a confined space alone will probably do you no good when you are just about a few inches away from giving in.

"I have Jack.  I have Jack.  I have someone.  And he loves me.  He loves me."  You repeated to yourself over and over as you walked with him trailing close behind.