SIX

A few hours rolled by and Kai was still a seat inside the cafe, his hands absentmindedly fiddling with the straw of his drink.

Flashback prior to a few hours ago, Jinae had completed concocting one of her favorite drinks and enthusiastically presenting it to him, ing the drink into his hands motioning for him to take a sip. Kai was flabbergasted at the slight aggressiveness but nonetheless took a sip anyway. The moment his tongue touches the liquid, his eyes began to widen at the taste. Being the sweet tooth he was, Kai was absolutely delighted at the sweetness of the drink and could not help but groaned blissfully. He had for long craved for sweets and this drink definitely fulfilled his desires.

“How is it? Does it taste good? This is one of my favorite drinks!” She had her eyes fixed on him, watching his reaction as he took his first sip, anticipating for a comment.

Kai parted his lips ecstatically, letting the sweet fluid flowed down his throat smoothly. His mouth whined softly at the lack of flavor once the beverage was swallowed down but nevertheless gave out a smile. A smile which looks absolutely adorable, too adorable to her liking. His beautiful smile was generously presented to her and she knew immediately that he loved the drink. Seeing how he was contented at the drink, Jinae breathed out in relief, completely satisfied with her own work. She previously feared that the drink would be too sweet for him but it seems like that thought shouldn’t worry her at all.

Fast forwarding back to the current time, the glass in his hands was now almost empty whilst his eyes were fixed on someone particular. Her movements were fluid and smooth. He had his eyes trained on her gestures, following intently as she stirs around the cafe, putting together and serving drinks to the customers. She was appealing to watch that he barely even noticed the few hours which leaped by briskly. He was nowhere near bored and Kai marveled at how strong she was. Despite the tiredness and weariness he could make out under her eyes, she persisted in doing her job correctly and Kai could grasp the determination she had within herself.

He wished he was as strong as her.

The music inside the cafe shifted into one of the slow songs, and the noise quietened down a bit. There were fewer customers at this time and slowly, he felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness. His eyelids were starting to droop and his hearings hushed a little. Not being able to fight back the drowsiness, Kai positioned his head down, resting on his folded arms as he closed his eyes. He let the gentle and soothing melody rang into his ears melodiously like a lullaby, lulling him to sleep. After a few breathes, the music grew faint, his body was slowly giving in and it was not long after when he fell into a deep and comfortable slumber.

“Kai,”

“Kai, wake up.” A soft voice called out gently and Kai fluttered his eyelids open. His vision was blurry at first and the lights were a bit too bright, but slowly he was regaining his sight back. He lifted his head up to meet another pair of eyes before he brought his hands up to his face, rubbing his eyes rather rigorously. Jinae chuckled at his adorableness and her hands unconsciously made its way to his hairs, tidying up a few of his messy strands. Kai froze in his spot when he felt her touch, unable to ignore the weird tingling sensation in his stomach.

Jinae who noticed his frozen state took her hands off immediately, her eyes widen in horror at what she did. Her hands had moved on her own that she barely even noticed herself touching him. This made her panicked a bit, squeaking out a soft sorry. 

“I..I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Kai budged from his frozen state and look up at her slowly. He had his eyes fixed on her his expression unreadable, before the corner of his lips curled up into a beautiful smile. He shook his head at her as if telling her it was fine.

Seeing how guilty her face was, Kai placed a hand on her wrist and brought it back up to his hair, mindlessly telling her to tidy his hair up. He knew this was a bold move but looking at her dejected expression made him do it. He wanted to tell her that he was certainly okay with her actions and that she should not feel guilty about it. In fact, he loved her touch, it made his stomach lurched – in a good way, which made him feel excited again. It was these little things in life that used to have brightened up his existence. These little things which brought him assurance that he was loved and cared.

She, on the other hand, was startled at his behavior, but a smile was slowly brought to her face. Her hands continued to ruffle his hair, disheveling playfully before smoothening out some of his hair. His hair felt very soft on her fingers and she caught a whiff of her shampoo scent he had used when he showered.

“So..” Jinae started, her hands were still on his hair senselessly untangling some strands, while Kai had his eyes closed again, enjoying the attention he was getting from her. Hearing her speak, he immediately flickered his eyes back open, pouring all his attention to her. “..I just finished my shift and I’ve gotten my paycheck today.” She paused for a while to let out a beam, definitely happy that her hard work has finally paid back.

Kai too let out a beam. If she was happy, then he is too. It was a kind of weird logic but he’s learned that when he smiled then she would immediately smile too, as so when he was happy she would be too. Figuring that out, he should mirror her expressions, which is also another way to show his gratitude. He would help her go through her tough times and that to show that she was no longer alone.

“And because of that, let’s go grab some dinner