The thudding of Kyungsoo’s shoes on the sidewalk sounded just as loud as the beating of his heart. Anxiety had him in a chokehold as he tried to remain calm. Much to his dismay, all his efforts were failing. He silently cursed himself for having a roommate like Park Chanyeol, the young man who was too much like an oversized puppy--the kind that thinks he’s a lap dog and doesn’t understand that pushing him off of you does not mean you want to play; the kind that doesn’t understand what glares mean when you’re irritated; the kind that has no off-switch and is constantly happy, with that stupid grin on his face 24/7. His level of eagerness and enthusiasm was too much for Kyungsoo’s taste.

    No matter how much he wanted to blame Chanyeol--wholeheartedly--he knew part of this was his doing also. All because he shrugged. One. Stupid. Shrug. Chanyeol asked if he would ever want to date again. Only half-listening to the giant oaf (as he normally did), he proceeded to answer with a shrug. Apparently, that was enough for his roommate who made a quick phone call, already checked Kyungsoo’s schedule, and booked a blind date for the younger man. All within ten minutes.

    Kyungsoo dug his phone from his pocket and dialed Chanyeol’s number. Not even two rings sounded before he answered.

    “Hey, short stuff. Why are you calling me?” the deep voice bellowed.

    “I told you not to call me that,” Kyungsoo growled.

    “Okay okay. Sorry.”

    Kyungsoo gave an exasperated sigh. “Remind me why I’m doing this again? I’ve never been on a blind date. What makes you think I want to try it now?”

    Because I shrugged, he thought.

    “Because it’s been years since you dated. And truth be told, I’m tired of seeing you always at the house. Single you is so boring...and depressing, Soo. Live a little.”

    “I thoroughly despise you. You know that, right?”

    “That’s why we’re such good roommates. Now,” he started, clearing his throat, “You know how to get to the cafe, right?”

    “Yeah yeah,” Kyungsoo answered brusquely.

    “Well you go play nice now. I think you’re gonna like this one.”

    On that note, Chanyeol hung up on his end, leaving Kyungsoo to feel awkward and curious as to who this mysterious person was. He didn’t even know what he looked like, for crying out loud. Chanyeol knew his type already, but the knot of apprehension still formed in the pit of his stomach. Chanyeol could very well have made a joke out of this. What if he was a total cheeseball? What if he had the personality of a fish? He should’ve at least asked Chanyeol what the guy would be wearing.

    Once inside the cafe, he took a seat at an empty date table. Sitting too close to the entrance conveyed desperation, but sitting too far away would show his disinterest. He sat down at the seat, silently nodding to himself. Middle of the room. Happy medium. A few minutes had passed, and Kyungsoo realized he had been staring at the door, examining each person who entered. After receiving some strange looks, he took out his phone and decided to check emails in hopes for a distraction to his nervousness.

    The small bell indicated another customer had walked in. Irritated, Kyungsoo looked up assuming it was another yuppie in need of their coffee fix. Much to his surprise, in walked a young man so breathtaking, his features looked to be sculpted to absolute perfection and graced by the presence of angels. He pushed back his dark brown hair which feathered back to frame his face. Despite it being winter, his sun-kissed skin gave him a youthful, summery glow.

His gentle, almond-shaped eyes scanned the room as if he were looking for someone. Kyungsoo gulped, fidgeting with the stupid blue scarf Chanyeol made him wear. The young Adonis’s gaze fell upon Kyungsoo. Instantly, his mouth formed into a small grin.

He made his way towards Kyungsoo, who suddenly felt a jolt of fear zap his heart. Surely he wasn’t smiling at him. Maybe someone behind him. Then he mentally cursed himself. That table was empty. The young man stopped at Kyungsoo’s table and stood there, that glorious smile still gracing his handsome features.

“Are you Kyungsoo? I, umm, was told to look for a blue scarf.”

Wide-eyed, Kyungsoo stood up, words leaving his brain like water out of a strainer.

“I, err, well,” he cleared his throat, feeling his knees shake as he stood there. “Y-yes. I’m Kyungsoo. And you are?”
    “Jongin,” he greeted, shaking the older boy’s hand before they both sat down.

Kyungsoo secretly hoped he wouldn’t be awkward. There was no way he’d make a fool out of himself in front of this man.

“So, I was gonna get some coffee...‘cause they have that here…”

Too late.

Surprisingly, Jongin laughed at Kyungsoo’s idiocy. His laugh seemed so heartfelt, so genuine, that Kyungsoo felt his heart would literally leap out of his chest and flop on the table like a fish. How can a human be so beautiful? Just that smile alone would’ve made anyone weak at the knees. Kyungsoo could attest to that.

Once both had ordered their drinks, Jongin reached for his wallet to which Kyungsoo gently placed a hand on the boy’s arm, shaking his head as he gave his card to the barista.

“Oh no, Kyungsoo. I couldn’t possibly--”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Jongin looked down sheepishly. For a moment, Kyungsoo could swear a faint pink dusted the younger man’s bronze cheeks as he walked toward the pick-up area. After getting their drinks, the two sat down again, the awkwardness slowly diminishing over the beverages and shared coffee cake--which Jongin sneakily bought when Kyungsoo wasn’t looking.

“So,” Jongin quietly started, “You know Chanyeol?”

Unfortunately, Kyungsoo thought.

“Uh, yeah. He’s my roommate.”

“Oh really? How’d you meet him?”

“Back in college. We lived in the same dorm. Turns out he’s super clingy and would never leave me alone. So, here we are.”

Kyungsoo silently grimaced at that last comment. He didn’t mean for it to be rude, but once it left his lips, he realized it was too late. He braced himself for Jongin’s reaction but was surprised to hear a chuckle from the boy.

“I understand. He’s like that sometimes. We've known each other since high school. Used to be a group of us that would hang out. We still managed to keep in touch all these years until recently.” He laughed. “I thought he’d fallen off the face of the earth until the other day. Apparently he talked to his ex, Baekhyun, who then called me asking if I’d be interested on a blind date.”

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows. Chanyeol...dating? Now that was a strange thought.

“But anyway, enough of that,” he dismissed, waving his hand in the air. “What do you do, Kyungsoo?”

Hearing his name come from Jongin’s lips was like honey to his ears--so sweet and enticing. He was confused as to how this young man wasn’t taken already. He just seemed too perfect.

“I work at a used bookstore. Been there for a couple years now. I like it though. It’s nice and quiet. When the shift gets slow, I just read.”

“That sounds so nice,” the younger man mused, nodding his head in approval.

“What about you?”

“Me? Well on the side I’m a dance instructor for children. I’m also involved in a dancing crew. Right now we’re preparing for a show coming up.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes couldn’t help but glance over the man’s lean body, remembering how his long thighs looked in his black skinny jeans when he first entered the cafe. His thoughts suddenly drifted to his imagination: first to happy, smiling Jongin teaching little children how to tap dance, then suddenly floating to him dancing on stage, sweat dripping down his gleaming, bronze skin as his lips were slightly parted, gasping for air, his heaving chest moving rapidly as he used his body as artistic expression.

He watched the young man’s lips move as he spoke about his upcoming performance. They were so pouty, even when he wasn’t trying. They looked so soft, so full. Kyungsoo wondered how many kisses were stolen from those lips. He suddenly felt a pang of envy as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Hmm? You okay, Kyungsoo?”

The older boy suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, a light blush painted on his cheeks.

“Y-yeah. I’m okay. Just the coffee’s making me warm.”

“I see.”

Jongin took a chunk of coffee cake with his plastic fork. Kyungsoo listened as he continued to talk about his dancing crew and the venue where their performance was to be held. Jongin then took a sip of his coffee. A droplet remained on a corner of his lips to which his tongue peaked out to swipe it. The worst part about this wasn't the fact that Jongin was doing these little actions. It was the fact that it was based off of full-fledged innocence, and that he had absolutely no idea that his actions were highly distracting to Kyungsoo.

“So...I'm not sure how these work, to be honest. Ya know, ‘blind dates’,” he said, quoting the air with his fingers. “Are we supposed to ask each other questions about dating history, or is that off limits on the first date?”

First date? Jongin made it sound like he was already planning for another one. Was there a chance that he--No, no. Don't think that far ahead, Kyungsoo.

“Hmm, I don't see why it would be. Off limits, I mean,” he clarified. “So, ask away.”

Jongin took another bite of the cake and chewed slowly as he thought.

“Well, let's start with the easy question. Have you ever been on a blind date before?”

“Yes, I have.”

“And?”

“Well, I'm on one right now so what does that say?”

“No luck, huh?”

“Nope. How about you?”

“I never have, actually. You're my first,” he said innocently.

Now hold on just a second. How was it even remotely possible that he doesn't get set up on blind dates? It was difficult enough to comprehend how he was still single. It was a conundrum that made his head hurt.

“But if we're being honest here, I have dated before, but it was never anything that lasted. I've learned over the years that people can be quite superficial. Not real with you, ya know? It's like they aim to please you--be on their best behavior every time they're around you. You never get to see the full picture. I wanna see you at your best times and downright ugliest times. That's how you get to know a person. How about you, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo took a long sip of coffee as he thought of what to say next. Clearly, this guy was about a relationship, not just dating around. It was rare for Kyungsoo to see that, given how people were at their age. And truth be told, he kind of liked it. It was a relief to hear Jongin’s honest opinion because if Kyungsoo were to be honest with himself, he felt exactly the same way.

“My dating life is not so extensive, I'm afraid. I was in a relationship with this one person. We dated throughout college. Turns out though that he wanted something better for himself which didn't include me.”

A brief silence came between them. It wasn't tense, nor was it awkward. It was simply an air of respect that was deemed appropriate for the given situation. Kyungsoo lifted his eyes to look back at Jongin whom he realized had never once taken his eyes off of him. A wave of heat washed over his cheeks as they stared at each other for a moment.

Then, Kyungsoo being his awkward self, couldn't take the silence. A smirk slowly formed at the corner of his lips. His lips spread into a full-fledged smile as he began to laugh. Honestly, he didn't know why he was laughing, but he just felt so comfortable around this guy. Jongin soon joined him, a hearty laugh escaping his mouth as he squinted his eyes and scrunched his nose.

As time had passed, the rush of people had slowly dissipated, now leaving a few stragglers in its wake. Seeing as their coffee was finished and the cake had been demolished, they decided to get up from their table. Kyungsoo pulled open the door, holding it open for Jongin as he passed through. Once outside, Jongin casually threw his hands in his pockets. Kyungsoo stood there, awkwardly fidgeting with his scarf. He looked up at Jongin, slightly jealous that the boy was so much taller than him. A sweet smile formed on Jongin’s lips as he sighed.

“Well, I guess this is it then.”

“Yeah…”

And here was the moment of truth. Here, Kyungsoo would know if he met Jongin’s expectations. Here, he would know if he would ever see him again. He didn't quite know why, but he felt a slight pang of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

“Umm,” Jongin started, reaching a hand out to ruffle the hair on the back of his head. “Think we could do this again sometime?”

For a split second, Kyungsoo thought he'd heard him wrong. He stood there, staring at Jongin who raised an eyebrow in confusion. Everything felt like he was in a tunnel.

“Umm, Kyungsoo?”

“Y-yeah?” he said, blinking rapidly. “Oh sorry, I was…”

Jongin said nothing but instead smiled at the older boy. He suddenly leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“I'll take that as a yes then.”

Suddenly, he walked away, leaving Kyungsoo standing there, his brain a pile of mush. He then took out his phone and unlocked his screen. He texted a few words before heading back to his car.

"You were right. I hate you."