And you said “this is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”

– The First Day of My Life (Bright Eyes)

***

“Move your filthy , dumbo!”

Eyes stick to the phone in my hand, I step aside to let Jonghyun wipes the wooden floor better. The snow drizzled down outside is dancing beautifully with dainty sunshine, making a great painting inside the window pane.

“Get rid that stupid gadget off and take your feet away, lazy toad. I swear I’ll kick your shin if you’re acting like a plastic!”

“Stop nagging! It’s your turn to take care the floor after you skip yours twice and let Taemin and I got scold by the manager! Who’s the plastic now?”

Jonghyun throws the mop inside the bucket and keeps it safe at the backroom. Once he’s done with that, his huge mouth started to rant again like an old sadistic mother in law.

“I’ll do everything! Every single thing but this crap!”

Winter is the biggest horror for the three of us. People got snow under their shoes by walking on the street. And once they entered the shop, a little pile of melted snow could be a disaster when finally it revealed its dirt. Jonghyun always founds excuses to skip that part. Until the manager knows and instead slapping his favorite employee, he thrown his tantrum to the innocent Taemin and I.

“We’re done covering your .”

“Come on! I’ll take your shift on Sunday if you take in charge on mopping.”

I shook my head hard, unwavering upon his offer, which sounds really awesome but no, thank you. Kim Jonghyun is not a person who gives up easily though. He already opens his mouth again but cut by a ‘kling’ from the front door.

“Welcome!”

An automatic greets slipped out my throat and it just makes Jonghyun expression’s getting worst. When the said customer raised his head up , his hand ruffles his hair, my heart skipped a bit if it’s not slipped down to my stomach. That radiant smile warmed up the whole interior in instant. I can hear Jonghyun scoffs and turned his back to the coffee machine.

“Hi! Can I get you something?”

“Yes, an Americano with chicken puff.”

“Right after! Jonghyun! An ame..”

“I heard that!” A grumpy dinosaur scowls rather rudely before I could finish my words.

Sudden heat crept up my cheeks. The only thing flashed in my mind is muttering ‘sorry’ to the fallen saint right in front of me.

“It’s okay.”

This is not the first time I heard his voice and I really shouldn’t startled. Only God knows what’s so striking within his voice. He says ‘thank you’ just like chanting some beautiful poems before taking his order to his seat.

Winter might be our less favorite season, but the crowds definitely more friendly than other time of the year. Since it’s too cold to get out the house, people tend to curled up on their couch next to comfortable fireplace. But this insanely gorgeous creature must be not categorized as people. He spends his time at the corner almost every day and orders the same things as if it’s the only goods sold here. The chill from the winter blow looks like decided not to come every single time this little sunshine dropped by. Something’s really hypnotizing from this guy. If it’s not his puffy cheeks, must be his plump lips or his fingers. Yeah, those rather short and fat fingers are stealing my attention and turned me into jelly every single time he provides his card to pay.

I wonder how it feels to intertwine mine with him.

Wait. What?!

“Keep looking that way and your neck might get numb in less than an hour.”

That’s it. I need new shift. New shift without Kim Jonghyun around.

“Mind your own business, dino!”

“Taemin is not a gossip girl after all.”

“Are you guys talking about me behind my back?!”

“For your own good, baby. For your own good.”

Jonghyun buzzed off the backroom sings song impromptu lyrics about me being head over heels with this handsomely odd Americano guy.

***

He’s coming back today. With the same order and of course the same smile. His regular seat is taken by a couple though making today might be my lucky day or something like that, because he chose to enjoy his coffee at the table only six meters away from the counter. It’s hard to focus on your duty when an angel distracts your attention with a warm grin every single time our gaze bumped each other.

Taemin nudges my shoulder just to take me back to earth, “Just ask him out for Pete’s sake.”

“I’m not like you, a believer who asks other people out without ado when you felt something’s dancing inside your tummy every time you encountered a girl seemed to be your fate.”

“At least I tried rather than being a hopeless romantic like you.”

“I’m not hopeless.”

“Yeah you are.” He shook his head, opened the oven to take the cookies out. He keeps himself busy with those golden sweets while I’m busy slyly glancing at this full lips owner who is now currently pouting those marvelous lumps then bites it. Once a while he would scratch his head and massage his neck with his eyes locked with some sheets in front of him. Or taps his fingers on the table. Or checks his phone. Or..

“YAA! Watch out! Careful with that! Jonghyun made a terrible mistake last night and I’m not sure it’s already worked properly!”

“What?”

I turned my head to Taemin’s direction whose eyes almost jolted out. And then I heard a quick ‘thug’ then ‘klang’ then I realized the faucet in front of me spilled the water everywhere. The hot water everywhere.

***

It was earlier than usual when he pushed the front door and removed the snow piled up his head before walked further inside. And I’m a bit sad to inform him that his favorite chicken puff is not available since Taemin suddenly got bored and wanted to try another recipe.

“Want to try the other food? We got plenty of favor here.” It’s kind of magic I didn’t stutter and mess everything up.

“Uhmm, anything with chicken then.”

I nod and put the chicken spinach Panini inside the oven and wait aside when suddenly I heard someone’s trying making conversation.

“Is everything alright now?”

“Eh?”

“The other day. When it exploded and you were screaming at the top of your lungs after drenched all over your.. you know..”

If only I could hide my rosy cheek right now. Unlike my fantasy where he’s mocking me, this guy in front of me shows his sincerity and damn, he really does care. Eyes don’t lie, baby.

“Oh, yeah. Would never happen anymore. Or else I shoved Jonghyun inside the oven. Of course after your Panini came out of it.”

And he laughs… exquisitely, kind of laugh that I would never get bored if I heard that day and night.

“Here you go.”

His fingers brushed my hand in a split of second, successfully send some chills behind my neck.

“Be careful some other time. You might hurt yourself even worse.”

And he landed a perfect jab on my tummy with his wide smile.

***

“Have some guts and take your chance on him!!”

In the middle of wiping the tables, Jonghyun managed to gush over about this cute guy. We’re about to finish cleaning at the quiet after hours but Jonghyun breaks the peaceful atmosphere picked this topic up abruptly. Watching this cute guy from behind the counter is becoming my new habit, it’s not like he could conclude it to some drama romantic ideas like this, though.

“Isn’t it supposed to be guy’s thing to do?”

“Are you living in some megalithic era or what?! You mock me every day about being alike with dinosaur yet you yourself living your life with cavemen brain. Learn some gender equality!”

Magically, I flipped the chair up to table without having an urge to throw it to Jonghyun’s big mouth. Taemin is dumb enough with his matchmaking plan. But we got the dumber over here.

“It’s already late! Finish that and let me get to bed early!”

“You really got on my nerves! Do something before I do it myself!”

“Don’t you dare.”

***

”Hey, you’re back!” he sounds excited and I scream internally to the fact he realized I was absent for couple days. Stupid cold. And fever. And me. Lesson to learn, never ever forget to take your coat in the coldest day of the year.

“Yeah. Influenza is not allowed here. As usual?”

He nods gleefully as consent and I can’t help but mirroring the same expression. Jonghyun and Taemin are off today as the replacement of my missing in action. It takes a bit more time to prepare his order. Thanks God there’s no line behind him.

“An Americano and chicken puff. Anything else?”

“Uhmm, yeah.”

“Yeah? What do you want?”

I’m not sure he’s blushed and looked so anxious until he opened his mouth, “Your number, please?”

It’s not even new year yet, but there’s already fireworks inside my head. Standing still in disbelief, I feel the blood circulating under my cheeks boiled to its highest degree.

“Oh my God.”

He scratch his head awkwardly, “Listen, I’m really aware with this gender equality issues. But I just can’t wait it a little longer. So I’m not have any problem with doing this ‘guy’s thing to do’.”

A wide grin appeared on his face, followed by his half-moon smiling eyes, and at last, me who burst into huge laugh with his statement. So I guess I just need to go with the flow and flipped his receipt to write my number on it.

“Tell me, which idiot who’s forced you doing this.”

That small paper after all, safely landed on his hand, “No one really forced me. But I got convinced by the one who looks like.. a dinosaur?”

He bites his lower lips and I surged into another crack. Game on, Kim Jonghyun. Just wait until you’d mopping the floor for the rest of your life.

“Excuse me. Do I really need to call you in this line or I could just wait here until your shift over and maybe talked about the megalithic era while walking home? I’m Jinki, by the way.”

He stretched his hand out, huge smile still lingering on his face. Already drown by his lame jokes, I can’t help but keep smiling and reached his hand which as expected, softer than cotton candy I used to buy in front of my elementary school back then.

“_______.”

Remind me to reduce Jonghyun’s mopping period by ten years.

***