The next few days, she had been a regular waitress of Luhan’s café house. One time, during my shift, I talked to Luhan.

“Hey, do you have any plans for the upcoming big day?” I asked after serving a customer.

Luhan arched an eyebrow, “Big day? What do you mean?”

“You founded this shop and you are asking me about it? Are you even aware that this house is already a year old the next day?” I chuckled.

“Oh, I forgot! I’m sorry for being busy,” Luhan replied sarcastically.

“So how about we prepare?” I asked.

“So we take a day off tomorrow so we can prepare?” Luhan asked.

“Yeah, it’s not like you will go bankrupt if you don’t open for a day,” I chuckled and moved to attend to the customer who just got inside.

The very next day, I informed Hee Ra that we will not open the shop for that day. Instead of having a free day, I gathered our other staffs or our group of friends and even Luhan to buy some things we will need in decorating the café house for its birthday tomorrow. 

“So what are we going to do after celebrating?” Luhan asked as we all line up on the counters to pay for our goods.

“I have something to do other than celebrating, but of course I will do it right after the celebration,” I smiled and joined the others in stuffing the goods on the counter.

By afternoon, after having our lunch, we headed back to do the preparations. We redecorated the whole place. We even placed a mini stage where a live band will be playing tomorrow. Speakers and amplifiers were mounted on each corner. We blew up some balloons and left it scattered on the floor. Behind the stage, we hung up a banner indicating the anniversary of the place. We covered the tables and even the chairs to give off that expensive taste. We even placed small flower vases on each table which were not part of the original set up of the everyday look of the café house.

“So what is it that you will do tomorrow that you are creating suspense?” Luhan asked as we are going out of the café house right after closing it.

“You are suddenly curious eh?” I laughed, “I will just surprise you,” and then I went over my bike and left him gaping at me.

***************

The very next day, I am not surprised by the pour of customers after we open up the café house. We invited few bands and some groups to render the customers throughout the day. It was very tiring for real, even if we posted the sign ‘CLOSE’ outside, some insisted for some take outs or short orders. I cannot blame them because we had a discount for some lucky customers.

Luhan raised his glass of champagne, “Let’s have a toast for the success of our celebration and for the continuing progress of this café house.”

All of us raised our glasses and cheered, “Cheers!”

“So this is not just actually what we will be celebrating for this day. I am actually curious of what is Xiumin had been keeping that he will not enlighten me but rather have all of us gather,” Luhan gave me a smirk.

All eyes suddenly moved to stop at me. Even Hee Ra turned her eyes on me. Now I am feeling sweaty and nervous. I slowly placed down my glass.

“We’ll actually I had been tossing over and over in my bed last night to find ways to tell this to you,” I turned to Hee Ra.

“Me?” she pointed to herself.

“We’ll you see, I lied something about regarding my love life. My love life is not actually a blank page. I had been in love,” I smiled at the bitter memory.

“Really?” Hee Ra asked, her eyes widening at my confession.

The others blinked back at me, prompting me to continue, but Luhan graced me with a warm smile because he knows what I will be telling. After all, we are not best friends and childhood friends for nothing right? 

“Just like you, I had been in an arranged marriage. I –“

“Really? Where is your ring?” she reached to look for any ring on my hand.

“Excited much to know things?” I chuckled as she retrieves her hand and blushes furiously. The others chuckled at her gestures.

“I had been in an arranged marriage with a beautiful girl. At first I was not into it but when Mom showed me a picture of her, I felt like the sky opened up and the angels sang. The picture had me breathless. We were required to attend the family dinners but then I never attended any of it. I was scared,” I breathed.

I had to chuckle upon witnessing their eager faces, especially Hee Ra.

“I think you can breathe now,” I chuckled as they groaned and protested to let me continue.

“I was scared, scared that I might not meet the girl’s expectations. I never attended those dinners because of that reason. But then, our parents were so persistent to have the wedding. During the wedding day, I felt my first heart break. We waited there, till everyone started to leave, till it gets dark and I was left to just sit at the altar and wait for a miracle that my bride will come. But she never did,” I sighed, feeling the heavy emotion settling in again.

That was when Luhan decided to but in. “He had been so isolated for months. He would not leave his room and always lock himself up and would not talk to anyone. When we put up this café house, it’s the only option we had to let him be free of that pain. I decided to let him work in here so he will not lock himself up again, and it is good to know that he had finally recovered.”

I reached for a hard folded paper on my apron’s pocket and handed it to her. “Written in there is the name of the girl and the date of the wedding,” I said as she slowly reach for it, her eyes b with emotions. She slowly unfolded it and gasped after reading it.

You are highly invited on the wedding ceremony of

Hee Ra and Min Seok

To be solemnized by 10 o’clock on the 29^th of September at the Imperial Hotel

“I thought I would not get to meet her, but I guess fate made it easier for me. I guess before was not our time to be together, so how about marrying me for real this time?” I smiled at her tear streaked face. She sniffed, “I am so sorry,” she sobbed.

“Don’t be. Everything happens for a reason, so what do you say? Will you marry me again?” I moved to hold her hand.

She wiped off the tears in her face and moved to hug me which taken me by surprise. She kept on mumbling the word sorry. I hugged back, letting her cry out everything.

When she parted, I fished for the ring on my pocket, “So will you finally wear this ring?” I asked.

“Ring? What do you mean?” she blinked again.

“This was supposed to be our wedding ring, so what do you say?”

She gave a nod as I slowly slip the ring on her finger. She admired the silver band on her finger as the others cheered.

“So I guess this is the second celebration, should we have a toast?” Luhan smiled, gesturing over the glasses.

We shared another toast and started to enjoy the meal I prepared. I felt her grip my hand and squeeze it. I returned the gesture, bending down to kiss her on the forehead.