The soft tinkle of the bell welcomes him as Yifan pushes the door open. The sweet aroma of freshly baked treats that greets him would tempt even the grouchiest man and yet, Yifan feels horribly out of place amongst all the couples and teenage girls.

Anything for the quiet, Yifan sighs. The library is packed with students cramming for their examinations like him and he has found the quaint little cafe at the end of the street to study in.

He gingerly pulls out the chair to avoid disrupting the peaceful atmosphere with those horrible screeching sounds that chairs make when they scrap across the ground and sets his Economics textbook on the table.

"Hi! May I take your order?" A boy smiles at him cheerfully. Baekhyun, the nametag reads.

"I'll have a, uh," Yifan cringes as he realises he has no idea what he should get. It is his first time in the cafe and he usually isn't one for sweets. "Surprise me." He finally says.

If Baekhyun is caught off guard by his strange request, he didn't show it. "Alright, one surprise order coming right up!"

Yifan nearly forgets his order as he engrosses himself in his Economics text until a plate slides across his table with a voice declaring, "Here you go. One surprise order, specially recommended by the chef!" 

A little cupcake sits on the plate and Yifan almost cringes at the brightly-coloured frosting. Tentatively, he takes a bite of the cupcake and is pleasantly surprised to find that it's sweetness isn't overbearing as he thought it would be. 

Later, as he finishes up his chapter by annotating with a post-it, Yifan doesn't know what compels him to tear off another piece of the post-it but he scribbles Your cupcake was really good! -Y and leaves the note there anyway.



The second time Yifan visits the cafe was a few days later when the library is overcrowded with students yet again. The waiter seems to recognise him as he asks, albeit a little cheekily, "Will you be ordering anything specific today, sir?"

Yifan ponders for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll like to have a surprise again."

This time, when Baekhyun returns with the plate - with a slice of cake this time - it's accompanied by a yellow note. 

Thank you, I'm flattered keke.This blueberry cheesecake is made specially for you. Enjoy! :) -J

A warm feeling fills his chest as Yifan reads the note. He wasn't expecting a reply, especially not a cute one like this.

That day, when Yifan leaves, a pink note sits on the table, waiting to be read. 

It was delicious like last time. Your wife must be one lucky woman. -Y

A third visit turns into the fourth, and the fifth, and Yifan soon finds himself visitng the cafe almost everyday. He never fails to receive a note each visit and in return, he continues to leave his replies on colourful post-its.

Hahaha i'm not that old! :P -J

Well... girlfriend then? -Y

No, i'm free and ready to mingle! ;) -J

The cheesy replies always makes Yifan laugh and he grows steadily curious of the face behind these notes. Finally, Yifan finally decides to ask Baekhyun for a favour.



"Come on, Joonmyeon! You should meet him! Don't you want to talk to him face-to-face? You obviously like him. No one else would keep notes with such atrocious handwriting." Baekhyun prods Joonmyeon incessantly with his finger as they lay in the latter's bed.

Joonmyeon flushes, "I don't know, Baek. What if things become awkward?"

"Don't be ridiculous! He definitely likes you too. I mean look at these notes, they're blatantly flirting with you. Just looking at them makes me want to barf." Baekhyun scoffs as he gestures to the post-its lining Joonmyeon's wall. 

"Alright.. I'll meet him tomorrow then."



Joonmyeon paces around in the kitchen nervously. "Order of XOXO set for table 2!" Someone calls out and Joonmyeon's heart sinks. Table 2 is the one that Yifan frequents and Joonmyeon is shocked that for once, Yifan orders something specific. However, XOXO set is a special set for couples and Joonmyeon can't help but feel disappointed. He tries to back out from meeting Yifan but Baekhyun insists and practically shoves him out of the kitchen door.

He balances the pastries on a tray and shuffles reluctantly to the table, announcing quietly,"One order of XOXO set."

Yifan looks up at the soft voice and Joonmyeon feels the blood rushing to his face. He has seen Yifan from afar before - by peeking through the kitchen windows - but he was so incredibly handsome up close it leaves Joonmyeon a little stunned. He sets the tray down a little unsteadily and smiles,"Hi, I'm Joonmyeon."

Yifan smiles widely at the introduction. "I'm Yifan." 

Joonmyeon shifts uncomfortably and a bitter feeling rises up his throat as he says,"So yeah.. I'll just leave before your girlfriend gets here. It was nice finally getting to meet you."

At that, Yifan's grin splits even wider and he grabs Joonmyeon's wrist. "About that, how would you like to have a meal with me?