He's not going to go up and talk to her.

He will not allow himself to be consumed by his momentary lack of self-preservation - he wasn't Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo set up his guitar on the tall stool next to the chair. The mic stand stood tall in front of him, the microphone coming right between his eyes.

This - how many times did he have to tell Chanyeol to adjust the items he messes around after a solo performance?

Kyungsoo bends to turn the little metal knob in the mic stand when he catches sight of her again. She's looking in his direction. 

Kyungsoo's hand brushes past the knob as he changes course and slides down to one knee. His shoelaces are in a perfect knot but he takes them apart to tie them again, his brain working in overdrive so much that his forehead begins to sweat.

She's going to see him lower the mic; he'll have to adjust the stool, too. He could ask Chanyeol to fix them but the taller was nowhere to be seen.

What if he just sits on the high stool - that'll be fine, right?

'No!'

'Why not?!'

'Your legs will dangle, you idiot! And then everyone will know you're short!'

Why was his conscience in Chanyeol's voice? Oh, how he wanted to choke him.

'It's not really his fault.'

'Shut up.'

Kyungsoo isn't ashamed of his height, in fact, he wears his short title like a crown. It's easier to run, you're faster and more agile; plus it's easier to hide into small spaces.

Something he might have to do later. She was looking at him again.

Well, at his guitar. Did he cut his nails? Maybe he should have used some of the hand lotion the nice lady in the mall was sampling earlier. But that would be weird. There's no way she can see that his hands were dry all the way from there, could she?

'Snap out of it!'

So. 

He wasn't short - Chanyeol was just abnormally tall. But still, to readjust the mic and the stool made Kyungsoo feel queasy, so he did the one thing he couldn't afford to do: bribe the manager to dim the lights until their performance.

 

-

 

It's his fourth time seeing her in the cafe.

She keeps looking his way.

Kyungsoo still hasn't spoken to her or even wandered in her general direction for that matter.

"You almost peed your pants because she was in front of the bathroom door," Chanyeol says, as he sets up his keyboard. "You have got to get over yourself."

Kyungsoo thinks he's shooting him a glare but he can see his reflection in Chanyeol's obnoxiously large reflective shades and he just looks pathetic.

"Come on," his friend probes, "What's the worst that can happen?"

"I make her uncomfortable and she rejects me?"

"So, you're afraid of rejection?"

Kyungsoo doesn't say anything. 

"You? Really? You've been rejected by all your jobs and you took it like a champ."

"That's different."

"How is it different?"

That was a matter of his skill and intelligence; this is a matter of his heart.

Although now that Kyungsoo thinks about it in that light, the job rejections begin to sting.

"Burn in hell, Chanyeol."

 

-

 

It's been two weeks.

Kyungsoo has sworn off love - he doesn't need companionship.

"What are you going to do when I get married and start a family?" Chanyeol lowers the mic to exactly where Kyungsoo needs it to be. "What if my wife doesn't like you and says you have to move out?"

"You wouldn't marry anyone who doesn't like me."

"Fair enough."

"She keeps looking at you, you know. Ever considered she might like you back?"

Kyungsoo purses his lips. "Seems like a long shot," he says as he looks at her. She's holding a big green coffee mug and laughing with her friends. Her brown hair is curled today. They look pretty.

She always looks pretty.

She looks at him and for a moment, Kyungsoo holds her gaze. She smiles at him and the reality of the situation dawns upon him. Wide-eyed, Kyungsoo whips his head away.

"Yeah," he says. "No way she can like me back."

 

-

 

It's been a month since they were booked by the cafe. For something that started as a desperate gig, Kyungsoo was starting to enjoy himself. The pay was good, the atmosphere was fun, and he loved the crowd. Speaking of crowds…

"I can't see Rose anywhere."

Kyungsoo raises a brow. "Who?"

"The mystery love of your life--"

"She's not the love of my life."

"And at this rate, she never will be," Chanyeol says as he adjusts his guitar strap. 

"What do you want me to do, Chanyeol?"

"Cry."

Kyungsoo raises a fist. "Don’t make me make you."

His friend bows away in defeat and Kyungsoo settles on his stool. She is usually here by the time they start setting up. She always sits in the sofa chairs on the side, near the little antique recorder by the register. Kyungsoo had made it a habit to sneak glances while he was performing, he felt like it gave him just the right motivation to sing well. It also gave him jitters unlike any he'd ever felt before.

That day when the spotlights turn on to focus on Kyungsoo, everything goes black, and all he can see is someone else sitting in her place.

 

-

 

"I've inhaled so much coffee at this point that it's starting to make me sick," Kyungsoo says, rubbing his nose.

"You sure it's coffee and not love?"

Kyungsoo frowns, disgusted. The spot where Rose used to sit is still empty.

"I was thinking we could shake things up for next time," Chanyeol says, setting up a stool next to Kyungsoo's.

"What are you thinking?"

"How about you sing in Spanish?"

Kyungsoo pauses for a good few seconds before saying, "I don't speak Spanish. It doesn't make any sense."

"We're both unemployed Korean men, living in New York and singing Justin Bieber covers at a cafe," Chanyeol deadpans. "NONE of this makes any sense."

He made a very good point.

 

-

 

He sees her again after almost a week through the cafe window.

Well, five days and an afternoon, but who's keeping track? Definitely not Kyungsoo.

She looks different. 

Her hair is tied up in a bun with stray locks sticking out in a way that doesn't look intentional. She isn't wearing any makeup, and her baggy grey outfit is the first he's seen her wear. She looks tired. But somehow she's still glowing.

"Chanyeol," Kyungsoo whispers but his friend still continues ahead of him to the cafe door. "Chanyeol!" Why is he whispering? "CHANYEOL!"

It comes out louder than he wanted and he swears Rose looked at the window just then. He'll never know for sure though because he's pulled a very confused Chanyeol down to the ground with him.

“My guitar!”

"She's here!" Kyungsoo urgently whispering again.

"Who's here?!"

"Rose!"

"Rose?!"

"ROSE!"

"Who the fu-- Rose!" Chanyeol gapes. "Let me see!"

"No!" Kyungsoo's tug is a lot more aggressive than he thought and Chanyeol comes crumbling back down. "She can't see us!"

"Why?!”

Kyungsoo blinks. His mouth hangs open but words refuse to come out because they're not good enough. It occurs to him only now that Chanyeol’s most prized possession is clutched to his chest and a new wave of panic runs through him.

Sighing, Chanyeol gets back up on his feet with  Kyungsoo following suit. If Chanyeol wasn’t yelling, it meant his guitar was okay; but now all Kyungsoo could think about was his outfit, and why he didn’t brush his hair before leaving the apartment.

Was romance supposed to make you like this or was Kyungsoo just particularly pathetic?

Gaze trained on his sneakers, Kyungsoo bumped into a halt inside the cafe.

"I'm sorry," Rose says. "I didn't see you there."

Kyungsoo's soul left his body. "Uh…"

Chanyeol is standing behind Rose with red ears and an encouraging smile.

A lock of her brown hair untucks from behind her ear when she tilts her head. "Are you all right?"

No? He shouldn't be talking to her, he wasn't prepared, he hadn't drafted a conversation in his mind yet, primarily because he was sure this day would never come. His vocabulary was running on empty, but Instead of thinking about what he could say, all that ran in Kyungsoo's mind was how desperately he wanted to tuck her hair back.

"Eyes make mistakes," Kyungsoo blurts out. Chanyeol's palm flies to his forehead.

Rose’s face twists in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I forgive you."

Oh, no. Oh, Dear God, please.

Rose's dark eyebrows come together. 

Kyungsoo clears his throat - he had to fix it and he had to do it now. "Um…"

"I don't understand what you meant earlier."

"Maybe because I'm Korean. "

"Eh?"

"No problem. Enjoy the show!"

Kyungsoo goes around her and runs to the platform. He doesn't look back to check where she went, neither does he run to the corner and cry like he wanted to. 

"I screwed up, didn't I?" Kyungsoo asks when Chanyeol comes up behind him.

"It was interesting, to say the least."

"Why can't I just talk to her like a normal person!"

Chanyeol shrugs. "Maybe because you're Korean."

The itch to punch Chanyeol is real but Kyungsoo decides to take that comment with the little grace he had left. When they've finally set up and the lights go down, Kyungsoo trembling fingers wrap around the microphone, ravenous bouts of self-doubt eat away at his confidence.

Under the dim lighting, Rose comes to view. She's moved from her place in the back to the floor near the foot of the stage. The light overhead deepens the dark shadows under her eyes, but her smile is as bright as ever and she's looking right at him. Chanyeol strums his guitar and for the first time, Kyungsoo smiles at her when she can see it.

 

-

 

"That's your fourth cup of coffee," Chanyeol says. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kyungsoo gives a vigorous nod. "Just getting rid of nerves."

"By bursting them?"

Wordless, Kyungsoo takes another sip.

"Kyungsoo, your heart is going to explode." Chanyeol takes the cup away from his jittery friend.

The unimaginable had happened today - Kyungsoo got a call back for a second interview tomorrow.

"You'll be fine," Chanyeol says. "You have a Master's, you have excellent credentials, you meet eight out of the ten criteria they require; you just need to believe in yourself."

Kyungsoo did. Up until two months ago, he was bursting with confidence, convincing himself that he was just biding his time and when the job that was meant to be his would arrive, he'd get it.

Now?

Kyungsoo tried to reach for his coffee when Chanyeol took it off the table. "I'm going to throw this away. You are going to come home with me and you are going to sleep. Head empty."

"I have half a liter of coffee in me, Chanyeol," Kyungsoo deadpans. There's a slur of unreasonableness mixed in his tone which Kyungsoo didn't intend for. "Shouldn't you be getting to your guitar lessons? You shouldn't keep her waiting."

"I'll just text her that I'll be late."

"No!" Kyungsoo holds himself to the table. "Don't do that. Just go."

"Kyungsoo--"

"I know you like her." Kyungsoo doesn't remember the last time Chanyeol shut up like this. Or turned red like this.

"No, I don't.”

Kyungsoo falls into a fit of caffeine-induced giggles. "Just go, man. I'm 26, I can take care of myself."

"Okay," Chanyeol says as he gathers his things. "But go home early and don't drink more coffee. And run all the way home to work off all that energy.”

Chanyeol leaves with his guitar slung over his shoulder and Kyungsoo stares at the empty space he had left for so long that his eyes lose focus. It was oddly satisfying - all his thoughts are running in the background, and on the forefront is only the distant silence. He registers everything and nothing, and it's when his brain decides to wake up that he realizes he's been staring at random people this whole time.

Well, not people, a person.

And not random.

He's staring at Rose.

And he's pretty sure he's freaked her out. Because when the figure focuses on a vision she's looking back at him with a frown. Is that an angry wrinkle on her forehead?

Kyungsoo's reflexes swing into action and he's on his feet to amend the situation even though his brain is screaming at him to run the other way.

Rose sits up straight when he gets to her table, not looking too pleased.

Kyungsoo’s ears are burning. "I didn't mean to stare at you," he says. "I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable. I just zoned out. I would never look at you.”

Her face tells him he’s made it worse. He’s not sure how.

"I mean, I would look at you. I do. All the time. You’re very pretty. But just back then I--" Kyungsoo slaps his hand to his mouth because, please, shut up. 

Rose looks back, blank. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, and despite the logic stating that he should get the hell out of there, he removes the barricade on his mouth for one last, hopefully, collected, justification.

"I'm coked up."

Excellent. 

"On caffeine! I shouldn't have paused there. I've had a lot of coffee," he amends. "Three cups and a half. I don't usually have that many. I'm just nervous about this thing I have tomorrow. I think it's messing with my brain. So, I'm sorry. For making you uncomfortable. I will leave now."

What was he the captain of the debate team for? Nothing. How did he give all his presentations in college? Kyungsoo gnawed at those thoughts as he turned around to leave. Guess Rose knows better than to steer clear of this weirdo.

"Have some water."

Or not.

Kyungsoo turns around immediately, his heart beating in his ears.

Rose holds up a full bottle of Evian from her seat, the wrinkles in her expressions now ironed out.

"Pardon?"

"Drink some water, it'll help."

"Oh." Kyungsoo focuses on making sure he's not wide-eyed as he goes to her. He twists the seal and chugs down a good couple of gulps before putting it back on the table.

"You can keep it," she says. 

Of course. Why would she want a bottle used by a stranger? Kyungsoo just wants to grab the damn thing and run. Get the hell out of there before another string of unfiltered abomination spills out of his mouth and repels her even more. 

“You perform here every night,” she says, just as he’s wrapped his fingers around the bottle. “You’re the performer.”

“Ah, yes. That’s me.”

“You sing with another guy, right? Chanyeol?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I follow him on SoundCloud. He’s very talented.”

For a second, the thought of her being interested in Chanyeol flashes through his mind and Kyungsoo is slightly disappointed. “Mhmm.”

“Where is he?” 

“He gives guitar lessons down in Brooklyn.”

“Brooklyn?” Her eyes widened. “That’s far.”

Kyungsoo shrugs.

“What about you? Do you give any singing lessons?” She takes a sip from her coffee.

“I...don’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not a professional singer. I wouldn't know where to start.”

“You have an amazing voice, though. Have you ever considered pursuing it professionally?”

“Thank you,” he says with a sheepish smile. “I haven’t. Singing is just a hobby for me.”

“That’s a shame.” She pouts. “You don’t even put your covers up anywhere?”

“I’ve never really thought about it, to be honest.”

“It would be amazing if you did. I don’t mean to sound like a creep, but every time Chanyeol drops a track, I secretly wish that you’ve featured in it. There are times when the cafe is too crowded and I can’t find a seat so I miss your songs. They’re the only highlight of my days recently,” she says with a small smile. She isn't looking at him, and her face is turning red so fast Kyungsoo can see it even under the crappy cafe lights.

Kyungsoo’s burning brain fires a thought so obnoxious he can’t even think it again in completion.

Is she--

Does she--

This was it - Kyungsoo’s big moment to shoot his shot.

“Ah. That’s too bad.”

If Chanyeol were here, he would've picked Kyungsoo up from his hoodie, spun him around, and then thrown him in the dumpster in the back alley.

“But I can do the next best thing,” he adds immediately before the blow of what he had just said settled. 

Her eyes still shine when she looks at him and Kyungsoo knows he hasn't lost his chance.

“What is that?” she asks.

“Every night, I will save you the best seat in the cafe. That way you won’t be able to miss anything. But only if you’re comfortable with that.”

The wide smile that curls her face explodes fireworks in his brain. He made that happen.

“On the sofa in the center.” She raises a brow. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

 

-

 

His job interview went great, but it’s when Kyungsoo tells Chanyeol about Rose that his friend’s jaw almost hits the carpet.

“Wow,” Chanyeol says as he sets up his keyboard. “Then what happened?”

“Nothing much, really,” Kyungsoo says. “We just talked for a bit and then she had to leave because she had deadlines to prepare for.”

“Dude,” was all Chanyeol could say for a while, his back slumped as he sat in front of his instrument. “Is that why you didn't do the dishes last night? Because you were high from the conversation?”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo’s lying - he had forgotten. But Chanyeol doesn't have to know that. 

“I get that.” Chanyeol nods. “You can do them tonight. So, what’s her name?”

Kyungsoo pulls the guitar strap over his neck just as the fact hits him. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?”

“I was drunk on coffee and I kept referring to her as Rose in my brain so it never occurred to me to ask.”

“Did you at least get her number?”

Kyungsoo purses his lips.

“Damn it, Kyungsoo!”

He flinches but doesn’t object to his friend’s very justified outburst. He could always ask her the next time he saw her - right?

 

-

 

“Have you considered asking her out for coffee?” Kyungsoo asks Chanyeol over a muffin.

“I am not taking dating advice from a guy who had to overdose on coffee just to have a conversation with his crush.”

“First of all, it wasn't an intentional overdose.”

Chanyeol waits. “Second of all?”

“That’s it.”

Chanyeol leans his head back in his chair and groans. Kyungsoo couldn’t remember a single time when his friend had agonized over anything. Chanyeol always seemed to have everything figured out and Kyungsoo admired that about his roommate more than anything else. Chanyeol was spontaneous and reckless, but always calculated in his risks - Kyungsoo had never seen him hit a dead-end over anything, especially not when it came to girls.

But for some reason, with this girl, his friend was at a loss. He was fumbling and mumbling so bad it put even Kyungsoo to shame.

“Invite her to the cafe?” Kyungsoo suggested. “Tell her you want her to attend our performance so she can see how to play a tune or something. I don’t know, make something up like that.”

Chanyeol groans again. “I don’t see why I have to even pursue this.”

“I do. Ask her to come and woo her with a solo.”

“Woo her? Seriously?”

“What? People still say that.”

“Ahan? You’re rich in advice, Romeo. What about wooing your Juliet?”

Kyungsoo goes silent. Rose has come the next few nights, sitting in the seat Kyungsoo had promised to save for her. He’d be singing on the stage and she’d be mouthing along to the words; both of them smiling at each other the whole time. 

But that was it.

The first few days she came, Kyungsoo didn’t know how to proceed. He’d waved at her after his performance was over, and by the time he was done helping Chanyeol set up for his solo, Rose would have left. He barely caught her at the door once and she only stayed for pleasantries. The next few days, she’d leave immediately after they were done. The rush of her urgency made Kyungsoo stumble, and on the day when he had decided to finally go up to her again for a proper conversation, she hadn’t come. Kyungsoo assumed she’d be back eventually, just like she had been before - maybe she got caught up with deadlines?

But more than two weeks had passed and there was still no sign of her.

“Rose has been MIA.” He shrugs.

“She probably has a good reason.”

Kyungsoo snorts. “Yeah. She realized how basic I was? Lost interest? If she even had any, to begin with, that is.”

“What basic- studies Baking Science and Technology?” Chanyeol gapes. “None. Wanna know why? Because they’re too basic to know it exists.”

“That’s a terrible argument.”

“Look, I see the way she used to look at you on stage. Like you were some star in the sky.”

“Forget it,” Kyungsoo says with a wave. “I’ll get over it.” 

“Maybe she thinks you’re not interested in her? Ever considered that?”

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to sit up. “What do you mean?”

“She always smiles at you while you’ve been too afraid to let her know you have feelings. She always came up to you first, and from what I understand of what you’ve told me, she worked a lot harder on that conversation than you did.” Chanyeol picks a blueberry from his muffin and pops it in his mouth. “Girls don’t put in that much effort unless they like you. So what if she thinks that she’s jumping through hoops for nothing since you haven’t been enthusiastic in your approach.”

“But I try to be enthusiastic in my approach!”

“By doing what? Staring at her from afar like a weirdo?”

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say.

“Give it one more shot at least,” Chanyeol says before taking a mouthful of his muffin.

“How?” Kyungsoo turns to him. “I don’t know her name or number.”

It’s in the first few minutes of their brainstorming that an idea suddenly presents itself to Kyungsoo and the boy wonders how it hadn’t occurred to him sooner.

 

-

 

The solo track Chanyeol had posted had over two thousand streams and Kyungsoo wondered if one of them was Rose. Being in Chanyeol’s studio had been nerve-wracking, but an experience unlike any Kyungsoo had had before. He didn’t realize how snug Chanyeol’s small space was - no wonder he spent hours in there.

“Wanna do something different today?” Kyungsoo suggests as he helps Chanyeol with the spotlights.

“You’ll finally sing in Spanish?”

“No,” Kyungsoo deadpans. “That’s never on the table.”

“You’re not even going to consider it?”

“If you want to show off your guitar skills then do it on your own time because all I know are three lyrics to Despacito and I am not embarrassing myself out here.”

“Not after the incident at the talent show?”

“Especially not after the incident at the talent show. I have a reputation here, I’d like to maintain it. Who knows how long I’ll be here before I land a steady job.”

Chanyeol raises a brow. “You wanted to switch things up?”

“Oh, right! I was wondering if you could sing the solo you posted last night?”

Chanyeol’s face blanked. “Excuse me?”

“We sing covers all the time,” Kyungsoo says. “How about we do something original? You’ve got some good songs up your sleeve. You’ll be able to promote your tracks this way, too.”

It takes only a little boost to get Chanyeol on board with the idea. Kyungsoo read his writing, he knew Chanyeol was good, but the best part was that so did he. 

“Speaking of, when do you want to record the track we finalized yesterday?” Chanyeol asks, getting comfortable on the stool.

“I don’t know. Should we even do it?”

“Don’t you dare.” Chanyeol gives him a stern look, but Kyungsoo is already stepping away. “We’ll talk more about this later.”

Kyungsoo fades to the back once they’ve set up, and he’s standing in front of the giant window when he sees a girl whom he’d only heard of so far enter the cafe. 

Chanyeol’s Juliet.

The way Chanyeol’s shoulders stiffen, Kyungsoo knows he’s seen her too. Chanyeol gives Kyungsoo a look, to which he responds with equal confusion.

“Did you invite her?” Kyungsoo asks in a loud whisper.

“No!”

Kyungsoo gives his friend two thumbs up, because really, what else could he do? He can see Chanyeol’s feet shift, he’s getting ready to get up, but the lights go down and Kyungsoo knows he’s stuck.

But it’s okay - it’s Chanyeol. He can do this - he’s always been able to pull through.

A knock rings next to Kyungsoo’s head and he whips around to see Rose behind the window. She smiling at him, her nose red under the cold. Kyungsoo almost slips on the rug he’s standing on.

The grin that breaks on his face is a bit too enthusiastic but Kyungsoo’s a little too late for it to matter. Rose gestures for him to come out, and Kyungsoo’s got his balance back. He asks her to wait and she points behind herself.

When he’s about to leave, he notices the silence, and it hits him that Chanyeol has still not started playing.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo calls. Chanyeol’s forehead shines in the bright light. His fingers are on the strings but they’re unmoving. Kyungsoo looks back to the window and Rose is no longer there. He can catch up to her if he leaves now.

 Murmurs are going around the cafe, people are looking at each other with questions hovering between them. Juliet’s frowning at Chanyeol in a way Kyungsoo can’t quite read.

Kyungsoo grabs his guitar from near the window and hops on stage. His knees are a little weak but he strums the way Chanyeol had in the studio the other night, he taps his foot to the rhythm he had heard him play. When Chanyeol doesn’t respond, Kyungsoo leans toward the mic and sings, his big eyes urging his friend to follow. Chanyeol’s ears glow red in the spotlight. He’s glaring at him, and when Kyungsoo makes a subtle mistake in the pitch, Chanyeol takes over.

Right at the chorus - exactly when Kyungsoo wanted him to.

They finish the song together to a clapping crowd.

“You almost bungled it,” Chanyeol says as they get off the little platform.

“Juliet seemed to like it.” Kyungsoo nods toward Chanyeol’s black-haired apprentice in the crowd. 

“That’s not her name,” Chanyeol says, trying to sound unpleased but his wide smile betraying him.

“It is now.”

“Rose was Juliet.”

“No. Rose is Rose-- ROSE!”

Kyungsoo pushes past Chanyeol so fast that the other almost stumble over. Too bad Kyungsoo was too frantic to care. He jumps over chords and slides through couples until he’s pushing past the entrance and standing outside. Thick fog smokes out of his mouth as he pants, searching in every direction around the street to catch the glimpse of a familiar face. He walks up and down the cold Manhattan street, but there are only strangers there to greet him. Rose is nowhere to find. By the time Chanyeol gets to him with his coat, Kyungsoo’s neck is freezing with sweat and his body is an uncomfortable mix of hot and cold. The sun is setting behind the tall brick buildings, taking its colors and Kyungsoo’s expectations with it.

 

-

 

“You know what I hate about cooperate jobs?” Kyungsoo says.

“That they won’t hire you?”

Kyungsoo ignores him. “It’s that no matter what you do, you’re stuck in a 9 to 5 cycle for the rest of your life.”

“Exactly why I can never work in an office.”

“Neither can I.”

“Is this what you tell yourself to feel better about your life?”

“Shut up.” Kyungsoo stirs his latte. “I’m serious, though. I didn’t feel very disappointed when I didn’t get that last job. Weirdly, I’m enjoying this better.”

“‘This’ meaning the financial instability or ‘this’ meaning the singing?”

“The singing, Chanyeol.”

“Then just do this,” his friend says as if it was the most convenient outcome in the world.

“I have only a few months of savings left. I can’t really afford it.”

Chanyeol hums. “Well, then. Let’s hope we become overnight sensations and earn in millions.”

Kyungsoo crosses his fingers and the duo shares a brief moment of laughter. It was during those rare odd hours when the cafe was quiet and Kyungsoo was calm. He hadn’t experienced a pause like this ever since they came to New York. It was always one thing after another, either he was chasing a job or an internship, sometimes even Chanyeol when his gigs had gotten too much to handle. And then he had chased Rose, albeit, he’d admit he didn’t do a very good job at it. Maybe she’d like him if he was more confident, more upfront with his words and actions like Chanyeol always is. Or if he’d pursued her more ardently, she’d see he was sincere.

But that’s okay.

After last night, Kyungsoo had selfishly decided that he was going to stop everything. After months of mindless chasing, he was finally going to take things easy, even if it was just for a little while.

In the calm reverie, Kyungsoo was sailing. Chanyeol splashes in with a whistle.

“I uploaded the song you recorded last night, and,” he says, holding the phone out to Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s hands are shaking, his eyes are as wide as his mouth is open. “Twenty thousand streams in one night!”

“What!” Kyungsoo sits up. The grey numbers are indeed true and Kyungsoo can’t believe it - Chanyeol’s writing was getting recognized; twenty thousand people were listening to Kyungsoo’s voice. Comments were pouring in but Kyungsoo couldn’t bring himself to read any.

“Do you think she heard it?” Chanyeol asks.

Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat. He shrugs in response.

“Guess we’ll find out tonight, huh?” Chanyeol is beaming, but Kyungsoo is a little less optimistic.

 

-

 

The cafe is buzzing with energy, or maybe that’s just Kyungsoo. There’s a knot in his stomach; every time he looks at someone in the audience he can’t help but wonder what they’re thinking about. Are they amongst the now fifty thousand people who had heard their song? Were they looking at him and wondering how he could sing something like that? Most of the people here probably had even heard it, but what if they had?

He didn’t know why, but it excited him a little bit. 

He finally understood what Chanyeol meant whenever he referred to situations as ‘main character moments’.

This was Kyungsoo’s main character moment.

There’s an empty seat on the sofa in the middle of the cafe - it’s been difficult to keep vacant but Chanyeol has proven very useful in yet another way. 

Kyungsoo made extra effort today - his dark hair are pushed back and his green button-up is just the perfect shade of green. He even used moisturizer and Chanyeol’s expensive cologne.

When it’s time for their performance, Kyungsoo takes one last look around to find Rose.

But she isn’t there.

He tells himself that it’s okay. This was his special moment.

But it would’ve been complete with her.

When Kyungsoo starts strumming for his first-ever solo, the door to the cafe opens, and despite himself, he looks.

Her hair is in her face and her clothes are a little wet, but she’s there.

She’s here.

The toothy white grin that breaks onto Kyungsoo’s face hurts his cheeks. He watches as she makes way through the crowd, as Chanyeol gives her a formal bow when she reaches her designated seat.

He watches her as she smiles at him with flushed cheeks. And then he starts strumming again, livelier, happier. There’s so much adrenaline in him that he feels like he might die.

He sings from his heart, loud and clear; he sings what he wants to tell her, and he sings of the feelings he so desperately wants her to hear.

She mouths every word he sings and Kyungsoo knows this is it.

When the song is over and the audience begins to applaud, Kyungsoo gets off of his stool in the grand ‘main character’ manner he had immersed himself in goes up to Rose.

“So, will you give me a chance?” he says, his breath heavy from the excitement as he pulls out the rose Chanyeol had given him earlier out his back pocket.

She’s laughing and Kyungsoo could swear it’s the most beautiful sound he has ever heard.

She takes the rose and the next thing Kyungsoo knows, he’s been wrapped in a hug.

“Will you really bring me more roses?” She asks as she pulls away.

“Every day.”

 

THE END