This most certainly wasn’t his fifth cup of coffee in the day, and it most definitely was not only two in the afternoon. He took a sip, looking around surreptitiously, and then put the coffee cup on the table.

            “You know, Himchan, we really need to do something about your caffeine addiction.”

            “Addiction?” He looked indignant. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned around to see his girlfriend glaring at him, with both fists on her hips.

            “I’ve been tabs on you all day and I made a tally chart for your caffeine consumption this entire week. If it’s not morning wake up call, it’s in between practice, and then it’s to boost your energy. At this rate, I’d much rather you took energy shots. At least those last longer.”

            Himchan looked disgruntled. “I know. I’ve been trying to cut down.”

            “I don’t see you trying particularly hard,” she grumbled.

            He stood up straight and saluted her. “Okay, what do you propose?”

            She tapped her finger on her chin. “How about we try weaning you off a little first? We go from eight cups a day to five. Starting from today. So you better enjoy that last sip of yours. This is cup number five.”

            Himchan stood defeated. He took a mini sip from the cup in his hands and tried to give her a doleful look. Maybe if she saw how sad he was, she would relent. Unfortunately, for the rest of practice, even when he lingered near the coffee machines, she would point at her eyes and mouth, “I’m watching you.”

            It was sheer torture. To be so close and yet so far from his object of desire killed him. Every time he felt thirsty and would normally reach for a refreshing iced Americano, he had to be content with the water bottle she shoved into his hand.

            Water was nice. It was an effective thirst quencher, but it didn’t stop the craving. When his tongue expected something bitter, something cocoa, all it got was nothingness. When he wanted the kick of sugar at the end, he only got more nothingness. The craving was killing him inside.

            “Babe,” he whined softly, hoping that maybe if he tried harder…

            “Absolutely not. We won’t even have coffee cake for dessert. You’re going to get that taste out of mouth, out of mind.”

            He pouted. “Hmmph, I dated you because I thought you would be good for me.”

            “I am good for you. Coffee isn’t.”

            No matter how stealthy he was, she always caught him. When he sent Jongup on a mission to grab a cup and hand it to him in the bathroom, that too was confiscated. When he woke up in the morning and went downstairs for a cup, she was standing by the machine, watching him like a hawk.

            “Hey, I’m allowed at least this one cup in the morning, right?”

            She looked at him appraisingly. “I’m debating whether to cut this to tea instead.”

            Himchan’s heart lurched in horror. “You cannot.”

            “I’ll spare you for now,” was all she said.

            To make what could be his final morning coffee more treasured, he took his time drinking even though his throat and his taste buds were screaming “More! More!”

            Eight cups went to five, and now two months later, he only had one cup a day. His hands stopped shaking, much to her satisfaction, and she even awarded Himchan with a kiss in front of s. “Good job. Now, if we can get this down to controlled intake, I believe I’ve done what I wanted to accomplish.”

            The thirst for coffee has subsided, he admitted. He no longer eyed the brewer with hunger but was able to stop and think just how much did he want that rush. The addiction was slowly fading. Soon, the strict regime could stop. Himchan was proud of himself. Who knew? A promise he had made to Babyz was to control his intake, and it seems to be well on its way to fruition.

            The day finally came when she stopped hovering around the coffee machine. He woke up, tired, but grabbed a cup of orange juice instead. “No coffee?” she asked not-so-casually.

            Himchan shook his head. “Nah. I think I’ll skip today or save it for after rehearsal.”

            She gave him a back hug. “I’m so proud of you.”  

            He pouted a little. “Is that all it takes? I just need to stop consuming coffee and then you’re proud?”

            “No,” she said, a bit taken aback. “I’m just happy you were able to have some control, but I’d still love you if you drank coffee. I’d be concerned for your health, but you’d still be my Himchannie.”

            “Are you sure about that?”

            She tiptoed and kissed him, clearly still in the rewarding mood. “Of course.”

            As her arms went around his neck, Himchan decided that now wasn’t exactly the best time to tell her about his new endorsement for Starbucks. 

this is for MusicChibi

hehe I liked this one 

I'm going on break now so I'll be updating early just so people would know in case of time zone differences

Happy Holidays all!