Here it is, my dear, lovely, loyal, encouraging readers: the first half of a double-update!

Enjoy!

Chapter 37a

“It’s getting to be that time,” HimChan said looking at his watch. “Are you ready?”

“I’ve still got time to leave then?” his tablemate asked.

“Quit kidding around. You know you don’t want to do that. You’ve waited so long already. And you do not want to give up. Trust me . . . I know . . . . Anyway, you look great. You smell great. He won’t be able to resist you,” HimChan reassured him.

And he was right. Kim JongHyun, also known as Key’s stalker did indeed look great and smell great. He had spent the afternoon with HimChan being his personal fashion and grooming assistant. If there was one thing HimChan knew, it was how to put things together. And when it came to great-smelling products, he was the king.

“But what if I get nervous? I’ve never been able to talk to him. I’m not good at talking to people I don’t know.”

“You talked to me,” HimChan noted.

“No, you talked to me,” JongHyun corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Well, you have a point there,” HimChan laughed. “It’s pretty hard to fight Hurricane HimChan.”

“Yeah,” JongHyun agreed. “You can’t help being swept away,” he said reaching over to hold HimChan’s hand.

Just at that moment, SungJong walked by. He had been somewhat within earshot and had overheard something about “Hurricane HimChan” and about being “swept away”.

So, it was true! HimChan was hitting on Key’s stalker! And now what were they doing? Holding hands? In the café? With Key coming in any minute?

He never would have thought it of HimChan, but there was the evidence as clear as day. He knew, like everyone who worked afternoons and evenings, that Key had really grown to like this guy. He was just waiting for the guy to make the first move. So, how could HimChan do something like this?

Well, SungJong decided he wasn’t going to let this happen. He would have to do something and do it quick. Key would be starting his shift any minute.

So, as he was passing their table, he “accidentally” lost his balance and poured (spilled, of course, spilled) the remnants of cold coffee on JongHyun’s crisp, white shirt.

“Oh, I’m SO sorry!” SungJong exclaimed. “Let me take you to the bathroom and get you cleaned up!”

“SungJong, what the hell?!” HimChan exclaimed. All his work, his beautiful work, primping and preening JongHyun all afternoon to have it come to this?

“I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry . . .” SungJong repeated looking at the clock from the corner of his eye. “If you’ll just come with me into the bathroom . . .”

“Yeah, you go with him, JongHyun. I’ll get you an extra shirt from the back. Don’t worry. Breathe . . . breathe,” HimChan encouraged.

JongHyun really looked like he was about to have a panic attack. All these months . . . all this preparation . . . and now . . .

SungJong hurried him into the bathroom while HimChan rushed into the back. He had to not only find an extra shirt (that was clean) but he also had to think of a way to make a coffee-house t-shirt look like a thing of beauty in, let’s say, three minutes.

The answer. Accesssorize.

It would be a tough job, but if anyone could do it, Kim HimChan could.

Once HimChan flew through the bathroom door, t-shirt and accessories in tow, he could hear JongHyun repeating, “I knew it . . . I knew it would never work out. He’ll never go out with me. Not looking like this. The universe is against me . . . ”

“Forget the universe,” HimChan grumbled. “Get this on . . . QUICK!”

SungJong stood there wondering what was going on. Wasn’t he on a date with HimChan?

“SungJong, whatever you do, make sure that Key doesn’t come in here, okay?”

“O . . . okay . . .” he stammered not knowing exactly what was going on, but being sure that he’d somehow got the wrong end of the stick.

Just as he exited the bathroom, Key walked through the swingdoors separating the back from the front of house.

“Hey, Jongie! How’s the shift so far?”

“Uneventful!” SungJong said just a little too quickly, “completely and totally uneventful! But . . .” he added quickly as he nervously eyed the bathroom door, “I think some tables upstairs need bussing.”

“Then you’d better get on it,” Key smiled.

Of course. Key was the manager. There was no way he was going to go upstairs and bus tables unless the place was packed and it was absolutely necessary. What had SungJong been thinking? Now, not only wasn’t he able to get Key out of the way, he couldn’t even hang around and somehow prevent him from going into the bathroom, that is, if he had a mind to.

“Okay, Key-ssi,” SungJong said just a little too loudly. “I’ll get on it right away, Key-ssi!”

Key smiled weirdly at SungJong wondering what was up with him before looking down to check the receipts and till.

What have I done? SungJong thought to himself as he slowly walked up the stairs.

In the bathroom, HimChan and JongHyun had heard SungJong’s desperate hint.

Key was here.

“What am I going to do now? I was supposed to be sitting at the table? I was supposed to hand him a rose. I was supposed to look suave, cool and sophisticated.”

“Now as good as you looked, we both know you would never have pulled all that off,” HimChan said honestly. “Anyway, you don’t have to. Remember what I told you about Key? What does he like more than anything else?” HimChan quizzed.

“Sincerity?” said the well-tutored JongHyun.

“That’s right. Sincerity. With a capital “s” and that’s something you’ve got lots of, so don’t worry.”

“But . . . but . . .” JongHyun started, again finding it hard to catch his breath.

“Do . . . not . . . worry . . .” HimChan insisted, pronouncing each word with emphasis. “I promise, it will all work out. Or my name isn’t Kim HimChan.”

“Okay,” JongHyun said, breathing easier.

HimChan is a pretty convincing guy when he wants to be, he thought.

He just hoped that all that confidence was well-placed.

After a few more minutes of work, HimChan had JongHyun looking great. He didn’t look quite as immaculate as he had when he first walked in: the t-shirt made him look a little more casual, but HimChan didn’t think that was a bad thing. After all, it was true what he had said: the most important thing to Key was sincerity and this guy had it by the bucketload.

JongHyun had come to that café practically every day since it opened, and that just to see Key. He hadn’t dated or even been interested in anyone else since the first day he laid eyes on him and, if HimChan read him right, he would have continued to go there for many months more, hoping to work up the courage to talk to him.

At first, when he’d seen Key, JongHyun had just liked the way he looked, but after sitting at a table for hours, working on his laptop while stealing glances at Key and listening to how he dealt with customers and staff, he began to really like him. Key was sometimes a bit sarcastic and could even be prickly at times, if provoked, but he was never mean or unkind, no matter the situation. And he was pretty funny. So, as soon as he discovered how fun and agreeable he was, JongHyun was determined to get to know Key better.

But he had one problem.

He was incredibly shy.

And with Key’s easy way and outgoing personality, he imagined that someone like him would be the last type of person such a social butterfly would be interested in. So, he’d decided that he would simply admire him from afar.

Actually, from a café table.

There were times when he’d actually thought that Key might . . . like him back, but he couldn’t bring himself to really believe that. Key was nice to everyone, so he was sure that when Key was interacting with him in a friendly way, he just being his usual nice self.

Until HimChan sat down across the table from him that day and told him differently.

At first, he hadn’t known what to make of Kim HimChan. He just slipped into the chair across from JongHyun and started talking. He seemed to know everything about how he felt about Key and started giving him advice.

He thought about denying everything, but HimChan had a way about him that put people at ease and made them open up to him, so instead of fighting it, JongHyun instead calmed himself inwardly. And listened. And decided to take his advice.

And that first day led to this.

The day he was finally going to ask Key out.

They had planned everything perfectly. But now it wasn’t going so perfectly.

But HimChan had assured him that the things that really matter hadn’t been ruined by a cup of cold, leftover coffee, so all he had to do was be himself and Key would most certainly say ‘yes’.

JongHyun only hoped that when it came to it, he would actually be able to open his mouth and speak. Honestly and sincerely.

And he hoped above all that HimChan was right.

While HimChan and JongHyun had been in the bathroom repairing his appearance, Key walked over to one of the tables. It was one on which one of the chairs there lay a bag that he recognised right away. It had a monogramme that had been burned into his brain.

JKH

He looked around, but couldn’t see its owner anywhere.

He wouldn’t have left and forgotten his bag, would he?

Key felt a little concerned. He hoped nothing had happened, like an emergency or something.

“Did you happen to notice who was sitting at this table?” Key asked SungJong as he descended the stairs after having bussed the tables upstairs.

“Um . . . uh . . . no . . .” he lied, and then quickly walked into the back.

Key looked around one last time and, satisfied that the owner was nowhere to be seen, he decided to take the bag into the back for safe-keeping.

Just as Key went into the back, JongHyun emerged from the bathroom, after a last-minute pep talk from Coach HimChan, with his head held high and his confidence following suit. This was it.

Once he’d resumed his seat at the table where they had been sitting, HimChan passed him by, briefly stopping to lean over and whisper, “go get him, tiger.”

JongHyun smiled. He was really going to go and get him.

But then he realised something.

His bag was gone.

The bag that, for once, had something in it other than a laptop and papers. It contained Key’s rose.

“My bag,” he said worriedly, signalling for HimChan to come back. “It was here. Key’s rose . . .” he frowned.

“No time for that now,” HimChan shushed. “Here he comes.” Then HimChan, skipping stairs quickly, disappeared upstairs. He’d agreed to stay nearby just in case JongHyun needed some help, but he was sure that he wouldn’t. If JongHyun managed to get the words, “Would you like to . . . ?” out before Key shouted ‘Yes!’ that would be a miracle.

“Uh . . . hi,” Key said uneasily as he noticed JongHyun sitting there.

Wearing a t-shirt with their café’s logo.

That’s weird . . .

“Hi,” JongHyun answered, managing to sound relaxed and casual and maintain eye contact with him for once.

So far, so good . . . don’t screw up now, he thought to himself.

“Did you leave your bag there? I looked around and didn’t see you, I mean, anyone . . . so I wasn’t sure whose it was.” He continued to talk without giving JongHyun a chance to answer. “I put it in the back . . . for safekeeping. I’ll just go get it for you.”

Just as Key was turning to walk away, JongHyun suddenly reached out and took his hand.

Key stopped in his tracks.

“Can I . . . can I talk to you for a minute?” JongHyun asked. His insides were shaking like jelly, but he didn’t think his voice betrayed that. He hoped, anyway.

Key turned back and looked into his eyes. He was absolutely struck dumb.

He’s talking to me . . . he’s talking to me! . . . He’s touching my hand! . . .  Key thought excitedly. But being the king of the poker face, he just looked at JongHyun calmly and said, “sure.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed me before . . . I mean, I guess it would be hard not to, since I come here every day, but . . . I just wanted to you to know that I . . . I really . . . I really like you. I know I don’t know you very well and I know that you don’t know me either but . . . I would like to get to know you,” he said, before adding quickly, “if you’d like to get to know me, too, I mean . . .”

Okay, botched that a little, but I think I was able to bring it back in the end . . . JongHyun cheered himself thinking.

Key smiled.

“What are you asking me?” he wanted to know. He was a manager here and this was a customer, not to mention he needed to know this guy’s intentions. There couldn’t be any misunderstandings. He had to be absolutely sure.

“I’m asking . . . will you please go out with me?” JongHyun asked sincerely.

He finally said it!  It’s about time!

“Under one condition,” Key said coolly, as if he wasn’t doing handsprings inwardly.  “I have a break in a couple of hours. Will you spend it with me?” he asked.

JongHyun was shocked. He wouldn’t have to wait? He was going to be able to spend time with Key tonight? This was far better than he’d expected.

“I’d be happy to,” he answered, continuing to maintain his cool exterior. He just hoped that HimChan was going to be free later. He knew he was going to need someone he could jump around with, clap hands with and scream with about this!

“Good. I have to get back to work now. I’ll bring you your bag and we’ll talk later.”

He could feel JongHyun’s eyes on him as he left and returned.

And as Key worked until the eagerly-anticipated break, JongHyun, with his laptop back in his possession, got some of his own work done, but while they each worked, they always found time to glance at each other and smile. And whenever Key had the opportunity of sweeping by him, he would lightly touch JongHyun on the shoulder or the back of the neck, causing jolts of ecstasy to shoot though JongHyun’s body, leaving him wanting more of Key. Much more.

After all the months of watching him, he had become more and more certain that he wanted to be with Key, but this apparent reciprocation of feeling made him feel indescribably warm inside, like someone who has finally come home.

By the time Key’s break came around, all the eye-contact and slight caresses had, while raising their interest to a fever pitch, had also had the strange effect of simultaneously also making them both feel much more familiar and comfortable with each other.

The final gesture that broke down any resistance that might have been lingering in Key’s mind, came when JongHyun, sitting opposite him just as his break was about to end, pulled out a perfect, red rose, looked deeply into his eyes and handed it to the man he’d liked for so many months.

Key was bowled over.

It wasn’t the rose. It wasn’t the way he was dressed (though, the fact that he was so built he could even rock the café t-shirt, was a point in his favour). It wasn’t even how good he smelled (and, he smelled so good!). It was what Key had seen in his eyes as he handed him the rose.

Sincerity.

When Key left work that night almost floating on a cloud, knew some things. He knew, from experience, that there were no guarantees. Someone you feel convinced is the person who might love you forever could turn out to be someone who breaks your heart. But, something else he knew was that if a person is sincere, if they meant it from the beginning, there was a much better chance that it might work out. Hoping for ‘forever’ was certainly expecting too much, but, being able to bask in that person’s love for as long as the relationship lasted, was enough. That made the step of trusting worth taking.

That was Key’s opinion about relationships. A little cynical, but he had good reason for it.

Little did he know that this shy man, this man who was quiet yet tenacious, this Kim JongHyun, was about to restore his faith in the power and endurance of love.

*                                *                                *                                *                                *

That night, while Key was getting his love life on a brand new and more promising track than he could ever have imagined, JinYoung was at home trying to work up his courage.

The courage to contact Mark.

Ever since the movie night, JinYoung had thought of little else other than how to build a relationship with him. Even though he had little hope of them ever being to each other what they once were, he wanted this awkwardness that was between them to stop. That he still had some hope for them, JinYoung couldn’t deny. Even though it was at a very low ebb, that indomitable hope continued like an underground stream: confined below a formidable surface, but still there, and ever flowing towards its destination.

But whether or not that was merely a false hope he didn’t want to think about at the moment. Mark was someone he had always admired; someone whose company he had always enjoyed and, that wasn’t limited to romantic feelings they’d shared. Mark was truly a good person. A good friend. They were friends once, good friends . . . best friends, even. Maybe they could be manage to be close again, as friends. That was his chief hope now.

He admitted to himself that it hurt seeing him so close to HimChan, but he was happy it happened. Now he could understand, not just with his thoughts but with his feelings just a fraction of what Mark must have felt during everything that entire episode with MiRa. Mark had not only suffered while they were together because of JinYoung’s ‘plan’, he suffered even more afterwards, knowing that JinYoung had actually slept with her.

He tried to imagine how he would have felt if he’d found out that Mark had slept with someone else, even while they were apart. The thought of Mark being that close, that intimate with another human being: kissing them, touching them, holding them at that moment . . . it would have killed him.

Now, his night with MiRa was no fantasy lovemaking session: for him, it was mechanical and sort of . . . experimental, for lack of a better word. He didn’t love her at all. It was, in a way, almost as though he wasn’t really there. He went through the motions, but he didn’t really care. But that didn’t matter. All Mark knew is that it had happened. Who knew what he was imagining?

So, that Mark didn’t want to have that sort of relationship with him again was understandable, but he did say he was willing to be friends and JinYoung had agreed that he was willing too. So it was time to make a serious effort, not just cross each other’s paths when they were invited to the same event. It was time to get on with it.