The One with Cherry Syrup, Backhugs, and Constellations

Yeri was the first to arrive for her morning shift, sitting outside the door of Drip Drop, with a notebook and pencil in her folded lap while she stared at the street in front of her, tracing the image unto paper. She had headphones in her ears, listening to some kind of EDM when the manager strolled up next to her. She didn’t look up, concentrated on the image and trying to shade the awning just right when he leaned down to look at what she was doing, hearing the robotic sounds of her music.

I wonder what other talents she has...

The sudden thought made Yeri jump and a dark line traced into the paper, her eyes going wide as she looked at her sketch ruined and nearly tearing into the next page. She leaned her head back let out an annoyed groan, stamping her feet before she looked up at the manager, a pout on her lips.

Then she had a feeling that wasn’t hers. It was an odd sensation, as it was filled with self-control and slight lust covered with angst. She couldn’t tell why she was feeling this way, but when she eyed her manager, she noticed his eyes dip below her face. At times, she wished she could see what he was seeing, but it didn’t take a genius to see that he was slightly checking her out.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted the strap on his shoulder, “I see you’re here early. When is you first class?”

“Two,” she replied, “I’m scheduled eight to twelve.”

He nodded, a slight smirk on his lips, “Yes, Yeri, I know. I wrote your schedule.”

“Good,” she joked, putting her sketchbook away and standing up. She once again felt that same feeling when the manager looked her up and down, inspecting her basic uniform that was a plain black shirt and pair of jeans with non-slip sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and he once again looked at her neck before she noticed him gulping and turned to the door to unlock it.

“So, um… Tiffany is running a bit late but she’ll be training you on the basics, such as cleaning, order taking, dish washing, and the sorts. You’ll probably won’t be learning any coffee-making until next week when Henry gets back from his vacation,” he said, pulling the door open and heading to the back of the café and setting his stuff in his office. Yeri went to the small employee room and set her things in the cubby and pulled her apron on.

Are you freaking kidding me? And she has a nice too! How old is she again? No, Minseok. You can’t date your co-workers… is it unethical to fire her and then ask her out? Ugh, damn her brother for introducing us… but that was three years ago, and she’s in college… No, don’t you dare.

Yeri, who’s heart felt like was going to escape her chest anytime soon, smirked at the intrusion of thoughts before she left the employee room and walked to the manager’s office, knocking on the door and asking what he wanted her to start with first.

“Think you can say something witty on our chalkboard sign?” he asked, his sharp eyes not leaving the computer screen as he scrolled through to check some things. “Just make sure it’s appropriate. You can work on that until Tiffany arrives.”

“Okay,” Yeri sang as she did what she was told, using her school colors of purple and white.

‘Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks’; drawing a coffee cop with latte art. She added a decorative corner before she turned to the other side of the folded chalkboard. She decided to mark what today’s special was before she realized she didn’t know. When she asked the manager, he told her to write anything that involved a mocha (because it was Monday, he reasoned) before she checked out the recently cleaned syrup bottles and did some online research before deciding on the special being a cherry mocha.

“Ew,” she heard as a woman unlocked the door, her nose scrunching up her perfect face. “I hate cherry and it’s not even the season.”

“We have an extra bottle of syrup. I thought it would be good to use it.”

The woman looked Yeri up and down before rolling her eyes, muttering to herself about newbies before taking a swig of her energy drink, heading to the employee room before yelling at the manager of her arrival.

Jongdae set an iced breve next to his best friend, joining her at her table in the commons area. He purposely brushed his fingers against her shoulder, watching her tense up and shrink away, giving him a shy smile. He pulled her hair behind her shoulder and admired how pretty her side profile was.

“Do you need something?” she asked, avoiding his gaze.

“Your first name with my last name,” he smiled, watching her close her eyes and sighed in what he assumed was irritation.

“How about something I can physically give you?”

Jongdae couldn’t stop his one brow raising, a teasing smile on his face, “Your lips on mine?”

He moved away when she threw her pencil at him, laughing. She threw him a look that he took as annoyance, and she went back to her notebook, transferring notes to her notebook. “What do you want, Jongdae?”

“Your hand in mine.”

She immediately stood up and started to gather her things, glaring at her best friend. “You’re horrible. Trying to flirt while you know your soulmate is out there.”

“She’s standing in front of me,” he smirked, watching her brows wrinkle further in irritation. “Actually, that’s what I want to talk to you about. I made an appointment at city hall for my clock.”

“Took you ten years,” she scowled, taking her things into her arms and leaving the commons room for her dorm. Jongdae followed her, holding unto the hem of her hoodie so prevent her from running away from him, so her body language told him. “You’re getting it fixed, right? How long will that take?”

“A week,” he said, causing her to look at him, unable to form the words to show how irritated she was before she pulled against his grip, trying to get to her dorm faster. He heard her mutter profanities and calling him stupid, causing him to smile.

“You’re so dumb,” she hissed as she pressed t