It’s not that she was the picky, perfectionist type.

No, it definitely wasn’t anything like that. This was just an important routine. She didn’t even have time to worry about it, of course, with what her hectic class schedule and other matters she had to attend to. In fact, almost anyone who’d known her personally would concur that she looks to be quite a level-headed person, but...

It was her favorite coffee shop, for goodness sake! No college student could function at full processing speed without a nice, hot beverage to start off the day! What else was she supposed to do, but to improvise?

Her favorite coffee shop closed, and there was no grave issue here; she could live. She could brew a normal cup of coffee, quietly sit down for a few minutes and look over her reports for the hundredth time, and there would be no real problem. The real issue was finding the time to do so.

Miki practically jogs her way to the more popular side of town—it wasn’t exactly ideal for her tastes because it was too crowded and rambunctious. But then again, she didn’t really have much of a choice. Miki takes a deep breath before entering Yakuoji, a small café in the midst of Tokyo. She immediately inhales a sweet aroma that fills the air. And, as expected, the small café was jam-packed with teenagers taking pictures of their orders and middle-aged women who wore yoga pants. Miki simply rolls her eyes at the scene.

The barista, with the name Yuki stitched on the left side of his shirt, notices Miki making her way towards the counter and hurries to prepare the cash register.

“Good morning, miss. Welcome to Yakuoji! What can I get you?”

Well, she’s a sight for sore eyes, Yuki thought. He stares at Miki as if he’s trying to memorize her every feature. Yuki is aware of the fact that it’s a pointless gesture, considering this will probably be the only time he’ll ever see her. He breaks his gaze as soon as he heard her dulcet tones.

“Can I get one caramel macchiato?” Miki asks as she holds her card out.

“Sure! It’ll be ready in just a moment,” Yuki states, conveying a warm smile.

Miki watches Yuki saunter back into the kitchen and swiftly turns away from the counter right after his figure disappears. Her brown orbs scans the area, attempting to find the perfect place to sit; she ends up finding a vacant table fit for two people near the window. Miki rushes off to that spot and promptly sits down. She then rests her beautiful face against a closed hand as she looks out the window, her eyes facing the sky. A soft smile finds its way onto her lips as she watches the sudden raindrops falling from the clouds; Miki loves rainy weather.

As she continues to admire the scenery that was set before her, Miki slowly wanders off into her thoughts, but she quickly snaps out of it as she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She looks up, only to see the ravishingly handsome barista behind the counter earlier; a sheepish grin is plastered on his face.

“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that. Did I startle you?” He asks, lowering his hands.

Miki suppresses a growing beam and shakes her head.

“That’s a relief. Well, you left your wallet on the counter,” the man with the child-like features states while handing the leather case to the younger woman.

“Ah, I’m so forgetful. Thank you for returning it to me!” She says, genuine gratuity lacing her voice.

“No problem and here’s your order. Enjoy!” He says, gently placing the coffee cup on the mahogany table. In return, Miki bowed in thankfulness.

She reaches for her caramel macchiato and quietly sips the bittersweet drink. Miki glances at the watch her mother gave to her—class begins in fifteen minutes! Her small eyes widen in surprise. Wow, time does fly by fast, she thought. Miki gathers her things and dashes towards the exit. She takes a second look at the table, not wanting to leave any of her belongings behind.

“Miki, where’ve you been? Class is going to start in two minutes. I thought you weren’t going to make it,” Maika, Miki’s best friend, says.

Miki gasps for air and rapidly shakes her head. “B-but, I made it,” she states in between breaths. “I was in the coffee shop and I didn’t pay attention to the time. I should wake up earlier from now on.”

Maika emits a light laugh as she gently combs Miki’s mussed up strands of hair down with her hand. “You’re a mess, Miki. Where’s your coffee? Don’t tell me you spilled it on the way here.”

“I did no such thing, my delicious drink is right here,” the brunette replies, placing the beverage on her desk.

Maika notices the writing on the back of Miki’s coffee cup, which led her to examine it closely. She draws her head back momentarily and proceeds to look at her friend with a quizzical look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Miki questions, “Do I have something on my face?”

The taller woman crosses her arms. “Don’t play dumb with me! Who’s your admirer? Come on, spill it.”

“I don’t have an admirer. You’re talking nonsense again, Maika – chan!” Miki says in a singsong voice before letting out an awkward chuckle. Maika, however, remained silent with a solemn look on her face. Miki draws out a long sigh and slumps her shoulder, clearly oblivious to the whole situation. Maika rolls her eyes, reaches for the cup and holds it in front of Miki’s face. “Read what it says.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, but I just wanted to let you know that you’re absolutely beautiful,” Miki reads. After those words left her lips, a light flush color her cheeks, she attempts to conceal the blush upon her features with the back of her hand. That’s probably one of the sweetest things she has ever read. Miki could not help but display a genuine smile as she tenderly says his name, “Thank you, Yuki.”

hello there, fellow earthlings! o / first of all, i would like to thank all of my subscribers and upvoters - you guys are the best, honestly. second of all, i don't even know where i was going with this. one day, i just suddenly lost all of my inspiration to write this oneshot. but a certain someone /coughsautumncoughsthreatened to spam me if i didn't write it, so here's the oneshot you guys have been waiting for! c: yeah, it probably didn't live up to your expectations but i had to finish this somehow. i know, the ending is like a cliffhanger and i'm really sorry! i at fluff. again, i apologize for the long wait! i finally got around to it. reading your comments made my day. anyway, thank you so much for reading & have a beautiful day, lovelies! xoxo, jade. ♡