The same cafe, the same song playing on their playlist again, and she was listening to it a hundredth time now.

Yes! She must’ve come here at least a hundred times on a date with him in their two years of relationship. The cafe being the closest to her ex’s working place, was the most visited spot during their dates. 

And she was hardly bothered by the thought of running into him by even a pint of chance today.

She was visiting it after seven months, the first time after their breakup, bcoz she wanted to break the streak of emotions connected to that place. 

Going there without the guy with whom she had made memories there would be like awakening and she wanted to face it finally..   

The same guy who hated this same song she loved so much..

Today she was free to hum it, and no one was gonna start ranting about how old classics were boring & depressing.

She had relaxed, humming to the melody …to her heart’s content… munching on her favorite mint chocolate ice cream waffles, in leisure this time.

He hated her mint-chocolate, he hated the kind of songs she liked, he hated her shyness, and he hated her way of expressing emotions too, the list of differences between them kept increasing as the time went by, and she kept going far from her own identity in that time, trying to like everything what he liked.

She was starting to feel the rage surfacing again suddenly in the middle of all her thoughts occupied by him.

Why did she give up on all the things she liked only to be with this person she thought would love her back for her compromises, who never even saw her enough to notice them…

The first serious relationship of her life was over with an ugly memory and lots of regrets towards herself.

The flavour of mint-chocolate was still lingering on her tongue, her fav song was still playing reaching to its outro now.

But she was happy, she was finally out of the cage of all those prejudices she had built for herself, feeling more free than sad…. She was still reminded of him, while clearing things given by him from her room one by one, or going to the places they went together like this cafe, but she wasn’t disappointed because they parted, she was agonized about how she had forgotten her own self before him…..

Why couldn’t she recognize her heart sooner to walk away at the right time??

The resentment for herself was more than her resentment towards him.

Can she enjoy her old favorites again without hating him, or she will have to forget them too to get over him? 

Because she wanted to….. She wanted to forget this selfless past of hers & separate the experience of finding herself again as an individual from these emptiness for him….

She was trying to conclude her breakup as a better ending than she had expected it to be, when she heard her phone ringing as she reached to get it,

“Naeunah!” it was SoDam, her senior from arts college,

ParkSoDam was the only senior Naeun was in contact with even after graduation, they used to meet often as well, so she knew about Naeun’s breakup too & how much she had suffered through it too. Being like the elder sister Naeun never had in her family, SoDam had only affection for Naeun, and wanted to always help her with her goals in life till now. 

“Would you like me to set you on a blind date?” SoDam asked, taking Naeun by surprise, “Blind date?” 

Naeun was planning to spend some more time by herself, as she was still quite negative about relationships & a blind date would be just completely opposite of her plans.

“Hmm!” 

“It’s Taesun’s younger brother, Taemin” “How about you meet him once?” Sodam added the details quickly through Naeun’s silence.

Before she could tell Sodam about her unsettled mind, her elder friend interrupted again, “It’s just a casual date” “Think of it as meeting a new friend if you want”

Even if she was hoping to distract herself by meeting new people, Naeun was definitely not looking for a casual blind dates this early.

“I’ll send you his picture” Sodam was only excited, to stop talking now, Taesun was her boyfriend, and so of course it was her pure excitement of pairing her two favorite people, when she had the chance now.

“He’s a nice guy” “If you like him, great!” “If not, it’ll be fine to reject too” 

“Even he is not sure about having a relationship right away” “There’s no pressure like that” SoDam was trying to make it as clear as possible.

“There’s no harm in meeting once, right?” she added, making Naeun think for a moment before nodding silently on her own, “Okay!” she whispered in response.

Well, as Sodam said, it would be a good chance to hang out with a new person, and as she wanted, this could also be a good chance to just loosen her mind & try to relax her thoughts about relationships again.

“Good” Sodam’s cheerful voice made Naeun smile on her own, “I’m sending you his picture and number then” she ensured, as Naeun hummed in response then.

They both went on chatting more about a few other things before hanging up then.

Naeun had opened the picture file which Sodam had sent her as soon as the call ended. 

Taemin was a good looking man, considering him as Taesun’s brother, she could have expected that much.

She stared at the picture for a while, and then copied the number below it to add it on her messaging app, as she sent him a text first, telling him about her name & identity as Sodam’s junior, waiting for his reply then, while sipping on her coffee.

All Naeun knew about him was through Sodam’s random mentions of him in their conversations till now, never met him, but probably had seen him in their pictures together, she was not really comfortable texting this not-so stranger asking about a date, but she was trying to follow her instincts for the start, so she picked the courage & texted him first.

His reply came back in next 15 mins & they decided to meet the very next day, her & him both being free for that evening after work, it was the most convenient & quick decision. He suggested the place to meet & she agreed without putting much of her thoughts into it.

None of them extended the conversation any further…

But it was strange how her mind was occupied by loads of anxiety with a hint of excitement now….

Anxiety she could understand, but the excitement, that was like a feeling she couldn’t remember feeling in a long time. 

She wanted to arrange a proper outfit to wear for work tomorrow now…

She pulled her bag from the chair she was sitting in, as she paid for her order & left the cafe immediately.

Thirty minutes drive to her house, and then spending two hours in her closet already, she recognized that she was 29, but having her first blind date after almost four years since her graduation was immensely nerve-wrecking. She couldn’t pick a relevant outfit.

She had to call her younger sister for appropriate advice so that she could sleep early with less things on her mind, which was quite similar to surrendering her soul to her sister’s overwhelming tease, but as annoying as it could get, she was the only one Naeun could go to at this point. 

—---------------

Taemin was waiting for her, as he had arrived early.

After spending almost three years as a single now, busy & occupied by his unending work, he was not really finding anyone interesting to date again. 

Taemin was adamant about not going on blind dates but eventually, almost forcibly, he was convinced to go on this one by his brother Taesun & Sodam this time…he came to know about this girl being Sodam’s junior from college from the girl itself, when she texted him first.

They both didn’t even bother to discuss it with him this time, probably expecting his rejection or excuse in advance, as the girl seemed to have no idea of their conspiracy so he decided to just go this one time.

So he knew her name was Naeun, and she was pretty, looked mature yet attractive in the pictures Sodam had sent him. Sodam told him that she was just a year younger than him, so he was relieved that at least he can talk comfortably if not for anything else.

Taemin for a long time had been on this determination to not have short relationships because of the burnout he had suffered through during his last one, and hence he wanted to be upright about that decision of his, if he was going on this date anyway.

And although he wanted to do his best as she was a mutual acquaintance, all he could think about was how he could make his intentions clear without hurting in the attempt.. 

Fifteen minutes went by on his own, emptying the iced-americano he had ordered, that he finally saw the girl at the arched gate of green bushy decoration, as she came in through the entrance searching around.

Taemin raised his hand subconsciously till she noticed him to walk in his direction.

A tall girl, probably just an inch lesser than him, was walking closer, with a light gray fluffy sweater on top inside the brown long coat hanging on her body, with the light blue straight jeans below which was totally complimenting her long legs. 

He was only glad that she was dressed warmly for the middle of December. She looked more mature in person with the elegance & grace in her body language.

Her dark-black locks were styled to stay in front as soft curls on one side of her shoulder while the other side carried her white clutch shoulder bag, as she walked in through the cobblestone path carefully because of the heels, holding onto that bag on her side.

She came closer in his direction as her anxious smile was getting prominent, which was cute unexpectedly, making him smile back subconsciously without making much mental effort.

He pressed his smile back, reaching to fix his hoodie in the shyness before she could reach the table.

He was dressed quite casual for a first date, and felt kind of embarrassed now, with a simple white t-shirt under his ordinary black hoodie. 

He was just making it obvious he had been single for so long, sitting there with this effortless outfit & empty mind.

She was almost here, and he could feel his stomach getting tense, his heartbeat was rising in his chest, as his hands started to sweat too, making him fist them under the table….everything he wasn’t prepared for had started happening…

She was indeed pretty, more than anyone could imagine from that still picture of hers, especially when her wide eyes were blinking faster & faster, with constant biting on her lips in those few minutes he could observe her with the increasing proximity.

Her rigid face was also indicating that she wasn’t really an outgoing person. She couldn’t hide much, even when he could see she was really trying her best.

He stood up, taking a breather himself to greet finally, as she was right in front of him now, “Hii”

“Hii” “I’m sorry for making you wait” she replied adding a quick apology, as he walked around pulling the chair for her, “I came really early” 

“And I didn’t wait that long” he reassured, taking his own seat, after she was seated, as she gave him an appreciative blink with a soft smile, much relaxed than before.

“What should we order?” he asked, making her eyes raise on him for a second, pressing her lips together to think while reading the menu written on the green board placed right in front of her “Maybe just a coffee for now?”

She had just arrived, and could hardly run her mind to think about the order immediately now.

“The waffles are tasty here, if you would like to taste them?” he suggested, reading her puzzled face, as she ended up growing more silent in confusion.

“Mint-chocolate ice cream waffles are my favorite one” he added to help her choose, “What do you think?” he sent her a smile watching her surprised face, as Naeun nodded silently recognizing what he was doing, and then ended up giving out a soft snicker, taking a surprised look from him,

“What happened?” “Oh? You don’t like mint-choco?” he asked, curious about her laugh, as her smile widened, “No” she was giggling now, raising his curiosity,

“Waffles are good” “Mint choco is good too” she blushed, giving him a thumbs up to relax him,

As he nodded, getting shy himself now, “Okay!” his voice lowered suddenly, as they both ended up laughing then, embarrassed for being so awkward when they both were adults & definitely not on their first date of life.

“It’s fine” “My heart is bursting too right now” he murmured softly, “So it’s really fine” he wanted to tell her that she can relax, but his words got her blushing more, as she couldn’t react better than a soft giggle back at him.

But strangely, she was more relaxed than before.

Her heart felt lighter now, as she was either smiling or giggling since she was here.  

Probably laughing together on their silly awkwardness was better than her being the only nervous fool in the room.

The waiter took their order, as they were left alone again, thinking of starting another new conversation.

It was always a stressful experience of blind dates for each of them, talking….. what to start…. Where to start….. Both were equally clueless, as they just exchanged short glances for a minute.

She had started to feel the pressure of initiating a conversation as a few more minutes passed in that awkward silence.

Was she supposed to ask something first, or was she supposed to wait for his question??

What topic would be good if she has to start?? ….she was wondering, when her head held not a single interesting topic to start from. She should’ve prepared for this as well with her clothes yesterday. No wonder her sister warned her anyway to be more active in conversations & not held herself back too much.

But she was stuck in the silence to think of something that could initiate the conversation.

“How much noona told you about me?” he asked the question first, breaking the chain of her loaded thoughts, as she was lost a bit to answer immediately. 

He caught her flustered expression to chuckle, as he could read from her face how she was still on edge, “You weren’t forced to come here right?" he added with a curious gaze, as she shook her head, finally giggling again, “No” “Why would they force me?” she was laughing, as he smiled watching her relaxed face again, “No” “Because it was kind of a surprise for me” he smirked to himself, taking a shocked expression from her, “Huh?”

He read her stunned face, recognizing that she had no idea what he was talking about as he scrunched his nose cutely to laugh it off, “It’s just that I knew you as noona’s friend but didn’t know they will set us up like this someday” he tried wrapping it up with a sincere comment, without letting her know the conspiracy, anyway she wasn’t involved there to know about it.

“Uhmm…” she hummed, taking his answer, acknowledging it herself, “Me too” “She suddenly called me to ask about it” 

“And why did you say yes for the date?” He was curious about it as he asked the same, but she was taken aback to stare at him blankly for a moment, thinking hard now.

“Because eonni assured me that you’re a nice guy and if I want to reject-” she was hesitating to speak further, suddenly noticing his gaze on her change slowly. She just wanted to be genuine about her intentions from the very start but he looked offended to hear it more. 

“So you came bcoz of the freedom for rejection?” he had got her nerve and he just wanted to keep that control over this conversation now. He was a bit offended first but that disappeared the moment he remembered his own intention.

Naeun was flustered to speak ahead, as he was staring back at her now with a questioning look.

She looked cute with that dumbfounded face, as he ended up giving in, laughing too soon than he wanted to, “It’s okay” “It’s good to have freedom of rejection than pressure of expectation”

And his words had got her like an arrow, her wall was disturbed with those words, as she continued staring at him silently.

She felt understood for the first time.

“But you can only reject me if you don’t like me” he added, making her lips grow into a smirk, as she looked down, her hands playing on the glass of water on the table, as her mind was baffled now.

“I hope I-” she heard his voice to look back at him, “You sure about having waffles right?” he was just re-confirming because she was getting awkward again, as she ended up laughing at his innocent consideration.

“You should have what you like, I was only suggesting the best one” his gestures were talking for him now, as he relaxed his tone to soften the conversation again.

“Yeah I’m sure!” she giggled at his, “I love waffles” “And mint-choco too” “I sincerely do” she reassured with better words this time, finally bringing back his smile, as he relaxed back on his chair finally, “That’s a relief then”

“Am I talking too much?” he had left that plan of being lowkey on this date somewhere on the lane of making her comfortable now, where were all these words coming from… he wasn’t nervous at all, but rather leading the conversation unlike the dates he had before.

“I’m probably talking less?” she answered with another question, as he scoffed, “Is it so?” 

Taemin noticed her cute frown, as she shrugged, making him adore that reaction of hers to give back his smile quickly.

“How much Taesun oppa has told you about me?” she asked this time, after deciding what to ask now, as she had him thinking this time.

He had a list of things to mention in his answer. 

“Uhmm ... .That you’re noona’s junior from college” 

"And you’ll probably be really shy so not to expect you to talk much at the first meet” he raised his eyes on her, as she chuckled in response, hearing all the information her friends had passed on.

“And the very important one!”

“That you love mint choco” he added, taking an amazed look from her, as he bursted into a giggle, “No” “They didn’t tell me that” 

“Yeah I don’t think they remember that” She scoffed, taken by surprise by his joke. 

“Both of them were just warning me to be good to you” his lips were pursed into a soft pout while watching her, as his voice changed to a sulky tone naturally, and she couldn’t help herself from laughing then, “Do I look like a person who treats people badly?” he sulked, making her laugh out loud, “Probably that’s why they gave me the freedom of rejection?” she added, relaxing back on her chair, trying to hold back her laughter, as he was speechless now, stumped by her response..

The waiter had arrived with their order, as he placed it on the table, and Naeun could see the ice cream melting over the warm waffle with the hot chocolate trickled on it topped with sprinkles and nuts, and she was only feeling more hungry, as she digged into her own plate, cutting a bite to put it in ,

“Uhhmmm!!!!” she exclaimed instantly as her first bite disappeared into , with Taemin’s smile starting to grow again, observing her the ice cream from her lips to take another bite.

He dug into his own plate, as she was busy eating, and probably forgot that they were on some date, she was quite invested in finishing her dessert now.

He took a few glances at her, but she was focused on devouring the ice cream, and he couldn’t help but watch this childish love of her for mint-choco.

“You really do like mint chocolate” he noted, making her finally look at him again, as she nodded with a grateful smile now, “The taste is really good” she sent him a thumbs up again, making his smile bigger. 

“What about Christmas then?” he had noticed the beautifully decorated christmas tree in the corner of the cafe.

Christmas was just a week away now, so there were Christmas trees everywhere, and he asked because he was thinking about Christmas then.

“Huh?” she was confused, 

“Do you like Christmas too?” he asked, as she was staring at him sipping on her coffee quietly.

But her face had turned pale, as if she was reminded of some bad memory suddenly.

The promise from last Chritsmas popped up, and even if she hadn’t thought of her past all day, the sudden memory of his words filled with affection a year ago in that tiny moment felt excruciating, now that she looked back on it again..

“Why?” he was surprised to see her dull reaction, he was expecting the opposite, but she was sad out of nowhere.

She couldn’t utter a word, caught in the moment, but noticed his face changing too, “I should start loving it again” she answered before he could react further, remembering the promise she had made to herself.

And his quick-witted brain could read in her silence that it was probably about some painful experience from her past connected to Christmas

“Are you free on Christmas eve, do you want to hang out again?” he asked completely in the flow, making her choke on her sip of coffee, clearing then to answer, as he himself was wondering if it was too direct or instead a leading question.

He just wanted to comfort her knowing that she was distressed, but he ended up suggesting another date, and was nervous about her answer now, realizing that he would be interested in her saying yes to it.

“Just hanging out or another date?” she dropped her own bomb, making him close his eyes, smiling then, “Are you planning to reject me finally?” He wanted to keep a straight face but ended up blushing instead, his cheeks rising on their own, as she bursted into laughter watching him now, “Tell me what you want so I can reject the right one” she had a different tone of voice, as he had to admit her sarcasm was no joke, but it was only adding charm to her persona.

He was getting serious as he spoke, “If we go on another date, I may most probably like you more” He was getting to the point directly, expecting the progress there.

She couldn’t help but blush, holding back her smile, “How are you sure?” she murmured her question softly, taking his attention as he leaned in on the table, failing to hear her words, “How are you so sure about liking me more?” she repeated a bit clearer this time, “We’ve met just today, an hour ago?”   

“Because I can see in you-” he paused to think as she was nervous to hear him further now, “I can see the kind of person I’m capable of loving” he was being too straightforward but that was just him.

She was choked with heaviness up to , why she won’t know, he was suddenly talking about seeing her as a person he can like further, and she didn’t know how exactly she would look through his eyes, but she felt connected.

Somehow she was thinking the same thing. She could see the person he was for the very short time they spent, and she had so many things she could end up liking more about him.

The day like today, was when she was only either laughing or enjoying her food, and all she could remember from the whole day was her relaxed self, without the thought of what she was doing to please the person sitting in front of her. 

She could feel her old self returning back to her in that time. Her old language, her old favorites, her old manners, her gestures, everything from her lost life was coming back to her, like a warm hug..

“Would you like to go out on another date with me?” he asked, more serious this time, making her stare at him for a whole minute, as he was smiling at her cute thoughtful face, 

She nodded, ending up bursting into a giggle, “Sure” 

“Can I suggest the place then?” she asked, making him just smile foolishly now, as he couldn’t think of words but nod in return.

Taemin had acknowledged that he could find no reason to dismiss the date here, and forget about it, as he kind of recognized that he won’t forget this date, so if he ended up showing courage once he had to take it to its goal thereafter.

—-------------

A/N:

As Christmas is near, I'll be writing few stories with the Christmas theme, so please look forward to them!!

This one wasn't really Christmas-themed but I added a hint of it at the end ^^....

Hope you liked it & Thank you for reading & leaving your warm comments. Means a lot to me!! Enjoy!!