Ae Chu watched as his fingers tapped the keys, from slow to fast and then slow again. Entranced in the way his slim fingers played, she was lost in the music that held her captive. And then... It stopped. Ae Chu looked up at him who was also staring back at her. Their eyes met only to be broken as Ae Chu turned her head around in embarrassment.

    “How’d you like it?” He asked.

    “It was... Just wonderful,” Ae Chu said.

    From the corner of her eye, she saw the corner of his lips go up to form a grin.

    “So, if I may ask, what is your name?”

    “Ae Chu,” She replied.

    His smile grew wider. Her heart fluttered as he repeated her name to get familiar with it. The way her said her name made her face redden.

    “Glad to meet you, Ae Chu. My name is Yixing. But My friends call me Lay.”

    They both shook hands and started to engage in a conversation.

    “Do you only play the piano?” Ae Chu asked.

    “Actually... I play the acoustic guitar too. Do you play anything?” Yixing asked.

    “I do. I also play the piano!” Ae Chu responded.

    “Then play me something.”

    “Ah... But I’m not amazing like you though.”

    “It doesn’t matter how good you are at doing things. But the fact that you love to play it and not care about who says anything about how you play.”

    With that, Ae Chu played her recital song. Taking a few glances at Yixing’s face who’s eyes were closed and swayed to the music. When Ae Chu finished the song, he opened his eyes.

    “That was wonderful! Where did you learn that song?” He asked.

    “Actually... I’m not sure where I learned it... It just came into my head one day and I wrote it down,” Ae Chu responded.

    Yixing stayed silent for a bit looking down at the piano. He then looked up and whispered under his breath,

    “She doesn’t remember...” Soft enough that Ae Chu didn’t hear what he said.

    “Ah! It’s getting late! I have to go home. Sorry for keeping you here,” Ae Chu said as she got up from her seat and bowed in a hurry only to be stopped by a hand that grabbed her wrist.

    “I can walk you home, if you’d like,” Yixing offered.

    A smile grew on Ae Chu’s face. She nodded in agreement and waited for him outside of the shop as he closed up. He locked the door and nodded his head in the direction of her home. The walk felt so fast to Ae Chu. They talked and laughed to each other on the way to Ae Chu’s home. When they got to her house, they stayed on the door steps only a foot away.

    “It was nice meeting you, Yixing,” Ae Chu said, breaking the silence.

    “It was great meeting you too, Ae Chu. Maybe... We can get some... Get some coffee some other time?” He asked.

    “I’d like that!” She said gleefully, “Let’s exchange numbers.”

    And so they did. Both typing in their numbers in each others phone and then handing it back. They both smiled at each other a bit and took to their own way. Ae Chu watched as Yixing walked down the steps and waved her a good-bye.