Jonghyun wasn’t an avid coffee drinker but he figured that for the sake of appearances he’d keep that to himself.

“Black. No sugar. Thanks,” he said to the waiter who gave him a look of surprise as he scribbled down the order.

“And you?”

The brunette in front of him, his date, – he bit down on his bottom lip to pacify his excitement because it was a work of sorcery that made an angel like her agree to go out with a guy like him; most people would have attributed his success to the fact that he messaged her non-stop for the past three months and smiled goofily when they passed each other in the school hallways, but he had always thought sorcery was a more accurate explanation – replied politely to the waiter:

“Two sugars and two creams, please.”

He smiled fondly. How sweet. It suited her.

When the waiter had gone they exchanged beaming glances. He thought he’d play the bar card for the sake of getting clichés out of the way.

“So,” he said, “you come here often?”

“All the time, actually.”

“Oh.”

He wouldn’t have known that. He never entered a diner – well, to sit down anyway.

“So, it’s true what they say, then,” she murmured shyly. “You drink black coffee.”

His brow creased. People spoke about him? Really? Well, he did often bring to school a very large mug labelled “Coffee”, but he only ever filled it with hot chocolate or chai. Nevertheless, he squared his shoulders proudly for a soon-to-be accomplishment. After all, what could be so difficult about drinking black coffee?

“Of course,” he said in a silky voice that he had been practicing all of yesterday (and the day before). “As I always say: go strong or go home…” he trailed off with a slight grimace in horror for having resorted to such an expression. Flirting had always been one of his weaker points.

She seemed to take it well, though, cheeks dusting pink. He sighed quietly in relief.

Their coffees arrived and, upon the first sip, Jonghyun realized that he had greatly romanticized the idea of coffee because if this wasn’t the most disgusting thing he had ever tasted he wasn’t sure what was. He did, however, manage a relatively straight face.

“Any good?” he asked with clenched teeth and a tense smile, hand clutching the cushion seat beneath the table where she couldn’t see his real reaction to this abomination in liquid form and fancy cup.

“Quite good. Do you want to try it?”

He raised a quick hand to his chest. “Oh no,” he smiled sheepishly, “just black for me.”

She glanced down, a soft smile playing on her lips. “You know,” she said, “I’ve always admired a guy who drinks black coffee.”

His eyes tripled in size, and it was as though the stars of heaven were shining down on him.

“Really?”

She nodded.

That’s it. He would keep this up if it killed him.

“Well, it’s delicious. What can I say!” he laughed heartily. He took a large gulp of the thing for good measure and regretted it immediately.

God help him.

He was practically raised on chocolate milk and pastries. Black coffee without the aid of cream or sugar was the worst thing that had happened to him – and the best, he reminded himself, taking a swift glance at his date.

He composed himself a second time, a hand to his lips, and feigned deep thought when he was really only trying to hide his repulsion. With much struggle, he finally managed to down the entire mug; he set it on the table triumphantly and clenched his jaws to disguise the grimace.

Praise the heavens! He had done it.

His date grinned at him, and he felt pretty darn good.

“Excuse me,” Jonghyun could hear his date saying to the waiter as he glanced blissfully out the window at the wet streets glistening with the rays of sunlight streaming through the mists, “could he get a refill, please? Black, yes. Thank you.”

Jonghyun would have thought his ears had betrayed him if he hadn’t looked back to witness the atrocity before him: his mug was being filled once again with pitch-black coffee!

“I thought you might need the extra boost,” she said innocently. “You look a little tense...”

Without realizing what he was doing, he slammed his hand on the table, startling his date – whose eyes widened worriedly – and even himself.

Cursing internally, he bit his lip. “I’m just going to head over to the restroom,” he mumbled and scrambled away.

He felt like the silliest man that had ever walked the face of the earth.

The heavy bitterness of the drink was still on his tongue and she was expecting him to have another cup?! And who knew when it would stop? Would he have to drink black coffee for the rest of the time he went out with her?

He had to come clean.

Hands planted on the bathroom counter, he stared seriously at his reflection. A dark lock undid itself from the rest of the gelled-up mass and hung loose over his forehead. He took a deep breath, brushed it back, rinsed his mouth thoroughly with water, and returned to his date.

“Is everything okay?” she murmured.

“I –“ he hesitated. “I lied to you. I don’t drink black coffee. It’s plain awful, and there’s no other way I can put it.” He risked a glance at her. “But maybe… my effort to hide the fact impressed you?” he dared to sound hopeful.

What had once been a sweet face raised the very hairs on his arms. “You lied to me? I can’t believe you! this is only our first date!”

Would you have liked it if I had saved it for the second? he thought bitterly.

“It was just a white lie,” he mumbled in his defence. “Doesn’t it seem a little funny? Surely, this is no cause to storm out – “

The words had barely left his mouth when she had gathered her things and went to pay her bill; the bells clanged messily behind her as she left the shop.

His mouth dropped in utter disbelief. Did that just happen? Perhaps he had romanticized more than one thing today.

He sighed sharply, tapping his fingers on the table and utterly bewildered. Well, he never!

It was a couple of minutes before the waiter approached him. “Would you like your bill?”

“Sure,” he muttered miserably before an idea occurred to him: “But first, could I get a strawberry smoothie to go? With extra whip cream?”

“Certainly. Is that all?”

“Yup.”

Two minutes later, he was walking down the street with his drink and feeling free as a bird. He grinned happily, taking a deep breath of the crispy-cool air.

This was much better.

Anyway, he didn’t need a girlfriend – no, no…

A cat would be nice though.

And that is actually the end lol.

If you drink black coffee please tell me below! (And tell me how you do it please. I'm struggling with even two creams and two sugars.) XD ♥

Lots of love,

kamikazexox