One of the things I could always stare at were the walls of my favorite cafe. Looking at them always made me feel some sense of comfort, a sense of comfort that I could never really get from any human. The walls with a beige color were littered with quotes and poems; I couldn't relate to not one of them but I would often catch myself reading them over and over. Sometimes I would stare at them so long that I wouldn't hear the waitress telling me they were about to close up. She's grown used to it anyway. Today was different though. I could feel it. All I knew about it though, was that I was not looking forward to it. Everything started out normal, I went to the cafe as I did every afternoon after classes, I picked a table parked in the very corner of the room, and I got lost in the walls just like always...but I didn't stay lost for long. I didn't hear the chime of the bell above the cafe entrance when someone entered. I also didn't hear when the person placed their order with the waitress. I did see when that person moved into the seat across from me. I trained my eyes on the wall in hope that they would get the idea and move away.

"I know you see me" the sound of his voice twisted my insides "are you going to speak or just pretend as if I'm not here?" I turned to him to tell him that I wanted to be alone but when I looked at his face, the words got caught in my throat. He was really beau- nice looking. He was really nice looking. He had the brightest smile plastered on his face and the cutes- nicest eye wrinkles. Who is this man and why does he want to talk to me? His plump lips parted to speak again

"Well, at least I've got your attention, now I just need you to speak" he chuckled and continued "I'm Jinyoung, Park Jinyoung. Not Park Jinyoung, the headmaster of the school nearby, just regular Park Jinyoung." Well...what was I supposed to say to that? "Sooo...what's your name?"

I heard him but...somehow I had become lost in the way his mouth moves when he speaks.

"My name is Mark Tuan. Not whoever else you know named Mark Tuan, just regular Mark Tuan." I mocked quietly. "Oh look, he can speak and he can make jokes." Jinyoung cooed.

I looked down at the oak wood table to avoid his  gaze; for the first time I noticed the different stains  on the wood from where they had gotten various liquids spilled on it  previously. I was a bit disturbed to see that one of the stains was white...I never said this was a very classy cafe. Though, I was a bit more disturbed that I could still feel Jinyoung’s eyes on me; luckily I was saved from the awkward atmosphere that was swiftly creeping in by the waitress bringing Jinyoung his drink. I heard him mutter a thank you but then his attention was back on me

“Did you order anything?” He asked, leaning down a bit so he could look at my face. As many times as I’ve been here, I don’t actually know what any of the drinks or sweets here taste like; I never bothered to get anything. I probably wouldn’t have touched it anyway, the writing on the walls is far more interesting.

“I don’t mean to be offensive when I say this, but why are you talking to me?” I looked up at his nose as I spoke; I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact just yet.

“No offense taken. I just saw that you were sitting all by yourself and you looked pretty bored just staring at the walls,” he chuckled with a hand covering his mouth “but if you want me to leave you alone I can just go find a different seat. If this makes you change your mind just a little bit though, I’m actually really lonely right now. My roommate has a full-time job so he’s never really around for me to talk to him.” Jinyoung’s smile slowly disappeared as he talked.

I thought about it for a moment. I can relate to how he feels though; my roommate Jackson is also never really around, although, I never really know what he’s doing when he’s out. We don’t talk much anyway; he’s much too loud for my taste and I’m much too quiet for his as he puts it. I was so positive that I wanted Jinyoung to leave me alone before, however, now that he was actually asking, i’m actually starting to feel like if he leaves I won’t be able to focus on anything for the rest of the day. I guess he had taken my silence as an answer because he grabbed his drink and slid out of his seat. I might have slightly panicked when Jinyoung started to walk away because I quickly reached out and wrapped my fingers around his wrist. He turned back to look at me with surprise.

“Y-you can stay” I stuttered out. Jinyoung stared for a moment and then made an O shape with his mouth and sat back down with a smile back on his face. “Thanks, I was really wondering how I was going to entertain myself for the rest of the day.” I chuckled this time.

It’s been awhile since I’ve genuinely laughed at something. The last time I remember was when I went or rather was dragged with Jackson and some of his friends to a waterpark. He was trying to impress a pretty girl nearby by doing a backflip but the floor was just a bit too slippery for a proper landing.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to entertain you very well but thanks for having faith in me.” I smiled just a little bit. “Wow, he can talk, make jokes, and laugh. Impressive; and don’t worry about entertaining, you’ve already done that without even trying.” Jinyoung smiled back at me.

I didn’t think I would ever be able to make eye contact with somebody I just met but...that day I did...and even after everything that has happened...I don’t regret it.

“Sometimes quiet people really do have a lot to say...they are just being careful of who they open up to” - Susan Gale