Anyways, for those readers who work retail, do you ever imagine what your regular customers are like outside of where you see them?  I have worked several places and I have few people I will never forget, because they were so interesting, even though I never interacted with them more than through a check out stand.)

On the first day Minho had to wear his jacket on his way to work he noticed how the leaves were changing and how it would be a perfect day for breaded pudding.  Even though the significance was gone it was Thursday, and the lingering hope that the magic little berries had once held. He added sliced blueberries to the soupy batter. 

Amber had taken to making cute signs on the chalk board easel outside. 

The warm cups of pudding nearly sold out, and by 4pm Minho was about ready to start pulling them out of the hot case and clean up. The little bell above the door jingled. A thin stylish man with bleached hair and thick rimmed glasses all but bound into the store, a wide smile spread across his face as he looked around adoringly. He said something that Minho recognized as English but didn't understand.  But it didn't matter because on his heels was the familiar chestnut color haired boy.  He wore a large green coat and black jeans that clung to his skinny legs, and a fluffy scarf that covered most of his face, mumbling at the flamboyant man ahead of him.

The relief Minho felt upon seeing his flushed face was more than he had imagined.  Not only was he fine, and healthy looking, but he was back.  Minho smiled and quickly made his way to the front counter as the pair came fully in the entrance.  The man babbling in English was walking around and asking questions as he pointed at parts of the cafe.  Minho only picked up common words here and there, like cute, or coffee. But the one thing Minho listened hard for was what he called the boy. He his heel to yell across the shop as the boy came up to the counter beckoning for the blonde to follow.

“Taemin? Is this the spot? This is the spot you take pictures for your blog right?”

Blog...Picture... “Taemin,” Minho hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

The boy's attention snapped to Minho with a pretty smile, "Yeah, that's my name, sorry about my friend he is a little excited. I hope he doesn't disturb the other patrons," Taemin spoke to him in a hushed Korean and Minho wondered if the excited friend could understand them, or only spoke English.

"No, no it's fine. I'm glad you are back, it's been a while since we've seen you," it was a calm understatement tied up with a pretty bow of a smile.  Minho was ecstatic to see him standing on the other side of the counter.  He watched his friend bounce around the shop and benignly answered questions in English asked by the other man. 

"Um, I guess I'll order for him too, just two mocha and..." he looked into the case and Minho watch the tension in his face spread into a content smile, "two of the blueberry puddings please."

"Of course," Minho answered and went to work preparing the order.

“Key? Key that isn't the table I normally sit at.” He reached for his wallet and gestured to his normal table. “It's that one over there, by the window.” 

Taemin pulled out enough money to cover the charge and Minho saw green money shoved in with the rest. "He seems really excited, like he's never seen a coffee shop. Don’t they have Starbucks and stuff in America?"

Taemin nearly dropped his wallet and Minho saw what he thought was a subtle blush tinge his normally pale cheeks. 

"Uh, they, do, but he is excited that it is this particular coffee shop.  I told him about it, and he saw the pictures."

"Pictures?"

Now it was for sure. Taemin was blushing and not meeting Minho’s eyes as he took his change.

"Yeah, its kind if this thing I do, or I have been doing. You see I write reviews for a food magazine, and it’s pretty standard but I have a side blog where a few people follow things I like personally. And I always post what I get here. I hope that is okay?" The end of his question he peeked beneath his long lashes and made such a cute expression he could have been asking permission to murder some one and Minho would have still said yes.

"Yeah, that's really cool actually, I feel kind of flattered."

"Taemin! Taemin get over here and take a picture of us in the spot."

Taemin motioned for his friend, Key, to quiet down before grabbing the little servings of pudding and muttering another small apology to Minho before scurrying off to appease his excited friend. Minho heard them talking in English while he prepared the hot drinks.  He watched over the top of the steamer and saw the happy expression of his friend teasingly talking to the boy. Taemin kept looking around as if worried what ever Key was saying may be heard or understood by some one else. He cheeks stayed red and he getting more and more shy as Key spoke. 

“That's him isn't it. The baker you mention in your posts.”

“Please stop, I don't think he understands but I really don’t want to talk about it in front of him.”

“Oh, come on Tae, he is super hot, if you don’t make a move on his soon some one else will.”

“What do you  mean?”

“I mean, like this. Watch and learn. I'm going to get his number and prove that love needs no language.”

“Key wait stop.”

Finally Minho moved to go get cups and when he put them at the bar he was met with Key.  The man smiled and thanked Minho in English, but made no move to take the cups.  He cocked his head to the side and Minho saw him even flutter his eyelashes.  Minho felt his heart skip in his chest, language barrier or not it was clear that Key was trying to look cute.

He bit at his bottom lip and flicked his eyes up at the ceiling before asking in horribly broken Korean for Minho's phone number, and said something about drinking later with a group.  Letting his eyes dart over to Taemin he saw the boy slouched in his chair completely ignoring the two of them. 

Minho didn't know why this man wanted his phone number, its not like texting or chatting was going to work, but the idea of using this man as a way to see Taemin later made him scribble the digits of his phone number down on a napkin so fast the first number actually ripped it.  He passed the number to Key and even gave him a playful smile to show he got it.

The blonde giggled and grabbed the two cups of coffee before sauntering back to the little table he shared with Taemin.  Minho tried discreetly to watch as Key flaunted the little napkin to Taemin, but from where Minho stood Taemin’s expression was unreadable.  He didn’t look happy and he only muttered something that Key seemed to ignore.  He sipped at his coffee while Key babbled in English and when they got up to leave Minho waved good bye but only Key looked, and when he went to clean the table he notice only one of the bread puddings had been touched.