Pairing | Pandara

A piece by Mozart was playing in the newly renovated cafe owned by Lee Seunghyun, but the noise caused by the teenager group that just entered was overpowering it. Sandara, a regular customer, couldn't help but be a bit irritated. She was diligently working on her debut novel when the group entered. Seunghyun, who was leaning on the kitchen's doorway, noticed the irritation in Sandara's facial expression. Her earlier serene face was now sour. He straightened himself up before approaching the youth.

“Excuse me, but if you please, please tone down your voices,” he told the teenagers

“What a lame cafe,” one scoffed, “Let's go you guys.”

Seunghyun shook his head in disdain at their obnoxious behavior. He was about to head to his usual table when he noticed Sandara looking at him, biting her lower lip.

“Is something else bothering you?” he asked

“No. I'm sorry,” she apologized

“What for? And may I?” he asked holding on to the chair across from her

“Oh go ahead,” she allowed him to sit with her, “And I feel like it's my fault you told the kids off,”

“I didn't exactly tell them off. I kindly told them to tone down their voices,” he said as he seated himself

“You didn't have to,” she pursed her lips together, “What if they spread bad news about your cafe?”

“You're my regular customer, it's no big deal. Plus it is written in bold letters there,” he pointed near the counter, “To use soft, calm voices in the cafe to maintain the cafe's atmosphere. And I don't think a bunch of teenagers could ruin my cafe that's target is adults,”

“I am, but that was a big group that could have been your regulars too, and the young ones have their way, you know,”

“Well, you're my favorite customer so I wouldn't want to lose you,” he whispered to her, with one of his hands slightly covering his lips from others' view, “but don't tell anyone,” and then winked

Seunghyun stood up with a smirk plastered on his face, pleased with himself, as he left Sandara to work at her novel. She was left with hot, reddened cheeks and for some reason, a dry throat. She grabbed a hold of her java chip drink to calm herself down.

“That Lee Seunghyun,” she whispered his name.

Sandara has always been an avid fan of cafes. It was her to go to place, to calm down, to focus. When it was announced that a cafe would open only a block from her home, she was thrilled. It was convenient for her since the closest cafe to her home was thirty kilometers away. The moment she laid her eyes on the finished Dreamer's Cafe, she fell in love, but she would have never guessed the owner would also capture her heart.

Seunghyun proceeded to the security room, to check on his good friend, Jiyong. When he entered, he found his orange haired, slim friend in a position one would be in in a hammock, not in a security chair. The male was sitting in an ordinary black chair, had his feet resting on one of the tables, and his hands behind his head.

“You like her,” Jiyong stated

“You were watching,”

“It is my job,”

“She's a regular,”

“Don't give me that,” Jiyong took his feet off the table and sat properly

“It's true,”

“And you dig her,”

“Jiyong,”

“Seunghyun,”

“Okay, I do,”

“You look like you're going to eat her up one of these days,” Jiyong stated as he looked at Dara at one of the screens,

“No, I don't,”

“Man, I see your eyes,”

“What do you mean?”

“You thirsty,” Jiyong laughed menacingly

“Don't be so loud,” Seunghyun punched him on his arm

“Oh, not denying it,” he wiggled his eyebrows, “AND So violent. What would Sandara say?”

Seunghyun threw a deadly glare at him before heading for the door to leave.

“If you don't make a move, I might,” Jiyong's tone was serious, “She's my type.”

Seunghyun didn't respond, but he knew Jiyong was not kidding him. Jiyong never joked around when he was interested in a lady.

**

The grandfather clock's lullaby tune played meaning it was 10PM, the cafe's closing time. As usual, Sandara was the only customer left in the cafe. She was packing up her writing materials when Seunghyun approached her again.

“Need some help?”

“I'm good,” she stuttered.

She hurriedly put the rest of her belongings in her large, brown Herschel bag.

“Let me at least walk you home,” he offered

Sandara was looking at the table, adjusting her glasses when Seunghyun spoke those words. Her whole body stiffened and her eyes darted to his. “Huh?” she blinked several times before realizing everything was real, “Um, sure.”

Sandara swore she was having an anxiety attack that moment. She wasn't even sure of the words coming out of her own lips. Due to the earlier incident, she couldn't keep Seunghyun out of her mind, and her heartbeat at a normal pace. This isn't good, she thought. Am I talking properly? I probably seem like a total awkward mess...Well I am. Who am I kidding?

Sandara walked a few steps ahead of him, but he quickly went ahead of her when they were near the door so he could open it for her. Her heart softened even more at the simple gesture. She doesn't remember the last time anybody held a door open for her, not even a friend or family member. It was usually her keeping the door open for other people. Her tense body also became more at ease with Seunghyun's presence.

“I'm really glad you come to the cafe every day,” he started a new conversation with her

“I'm delighted you think that way,” she said honestly, looking straight ahead

“So sorry you had to go somewhere else while we were renovating the place,” he tried to keep the flow going.

His eyes trailed from her eyes to her lips, waiting for some sort of movement or respond to him, but was also admiring the way her eyes were shaped and how soft her lips appeared.

“I actually didn't go anywhere,” she was biting her lower lip again

She does that a lot, usually when she's embarrassed, Seunghyun realized. Is she shy to tell me this? It's quite flattering, nothing to be shy of.

“You're so loyal,” he commented

“Is it weird?” she finally made eye contact with him

“Not at all. I think it's sweet,” he smiled at her.

There he goes flashing that charming smile. How does he go from serious, dangerously handsome to charming, ray of sunshine in a matter of seconds? Someone please hold me.

“Well, I am your favorite customer,” she managed to bring up

“And clearly, the best.”

The two got caught up in their small talk about cafes, and the best ones around that they almost passed Sandara's building.

“My stop,” she stepped a few feet backwards

“Woops,” laughed Seunghyun, “Got a little carried away,”

“Thank you,” for the third time that day, she was biting on her lower lip.

Seunghyun felt like he was looking at an artwork masterpiece with Sandara's hair in a low, slightly tousled chignon, her lips colored a dark reddish brown, while revealing a bit of her porcelain skin with a black lace off-shoulder blouse and white shorts. He could feel his heart racing the longer he looked at her, and the biting of her lip didn't help.

“You shouldn't do that,” he said aloud

“Thank people?”

He mentally smacked himself and let out a grunt.

“Bite your lower lip,”

“You noticed,” she looked at the pavement, masking her shyness in a different way

“It might get swollen at this rate,” he gently lifted her chin up

Sandara blushed furiously at his touch.

“And it's a little tempting,” he added while his own lips

She was frozen, nervous but ecstatic, waiting for his next move. The lamp post's light began to flicker.

“That might be dangerous,” she said barely

“It's fine,” he brushed it off.

The two stayed rooted at their spot. Seunghyun inched closer to her face, slowly closing his eyes. By instinct, Sandara also started to close hers. The lights went out that second in the whole street, people clamored, children wailed, but all the two could remember was an explosion going off in their bodies and a fire set aflame in their hearts.