“Are you sure you want to do this?” your mother asked, for the tenth time.

All you did was nod again. You were very nervous. And she could feel it. She could see it. Your aura was vibrating and your wings were shaking.

“Ok. I need you to focus with me. This will be painful but if you really want it, it’ll be less painful. Hold my hands and close your eyes.”

You did as you were told.

“When you open your eyes you will not be able to see me or hear me. Your human senses will be incapable of doing what you could do as an angel. Once you’re a human you’re on your own.”

You swallowed hard as your nervousness grew intense.

“Changing back is not difficult. From now on all you have to do is concentrate and you will be back to your original form. Do it again and you’re back to being a human.” She was silent for a second and then she said, “Promise me to take care of yourself.”

“I promise.” She kissed you one last time before she held your hands tight.

A few seconds later you could feel heat building up inside of you. A sharp pain passed across your back to where your wings sprang from. You could feel your new limbs as you started to lose the feeling of your mother’s hands holding yours.

A few more minutes passed before you opened your eyes. The first thing you noticed was that your mother was no longer there. You looked around the empty space around you and you found no trace of her. “You’re on your own.” Her voice echoed in your head.

You looked at your hands, and then at your legs. The human form was beautiful. You were given an average girl’s form, but you still thought it was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. But as much as you wanted to keep looking at it, you had to try changing a couple of times before you could feel confident enough leaving home as a human.

Once you changed back into an angel your mother hugged you tight. She was there the whole time, observing your fascination with your new body.

“Did it hurt a lot?” she sounded very concerned.

“It was bearable. I am fine, don’t worry about me.” You smiled reassuringly.

 She patted your back and then said, “as for clothes and other tangible objects, all you have to do it focus on anything you want and once you change you’ll have it already.”

You thanked her as you hugged her one last time. “I’ll go now. But I will be back at night.”

She nodded and waved goodbye to you as you flew down to earth. You spent most of your time among humans, but this time felt very different. You were very nervous but once you arrived at the café you remembered that it was all worth it.

Taekwoon was sitting at one of the tables with a latte in front of him and a book in his hand. Ever since his sisters decided to give him a break from serving customers, he spent his afternoon reading in the café to be closer to them and give them a hand when the café is packed.

Pride and Prejudice. His favorite book.

You can’t recall the number of times you’ve seen him read this book over and over again. You can’t recall the number of times you read the book over his shoulders. You know the book by heart now, as much as he did.

You decided to sneak into the toilets of the shopping mall across the street to change into a human and come back to the café.

You were dressed in a rosy dress with a matching purse and shoes you saw at one of the stores as you entered the mall. You looked at yourself in the mirror and were taken aback by your new beautiful form. You noticed the lady next to you staring at you and wondered how long have you been looking at your reflection. You grabbed your purse, nodded in her direction and left the mall heading to the café.

When you were back, Taekwoon was still reading the book. You were too eager to try his caramel macchiato but you weren’t sure if he will be able to make it since he’s on a break.

You went in. Your heart was beating fast but you did your best to calm down. You didn’t want to look weird or anything. You approached the counter while eyeing Taekwoon calmly turning the pages of his book.

One of his sisters greeted you with a smile.

“What would you like to drink?”

That’s when her phone started ringing. “Eh.. excuse me. Taekwoonah~, can you please take care of this lady? I have to answer the phone.”   

Heavens answered your prayers.

He grabbed his latte and his book and moved behind the counter. He looked at you and asked, “What would you like to drink?”

You prepared yourself for this exact moment. You had the whole scenario ready in your head, “I’d like to try your special caramel macchiato. I heard a lot about it and I came here especially to try it.”

But right now Taekwoon was looking into your eyes.. INTO YOUR EYES.. not looking through you but at you. You lost your ability to speak.

“I heard a lot about the caramel and I came here to try you.”

He looked at you confused at the nonsense you just said. “Excuse me?”

“I..I’m sorry. I meant.. I.. One caramel macchiato please.” Your face was burning and you could no longer look at him.

You wanted to disappear. For a second you thought about changing forms but that would make him freak out probably. You’re not just a weird girl, but a ghost. No. You had to deal with this.

You said as you watched him prepare your drink, “I.. I heard a lot about the macchiato you make..” you stopped talking when he looked at you. “I came here especially to try it.”

He smiled and lowered his head, what he usually does when he’s shy. “Thank you.” He whispered.

You smiled at his cute shyness. It was something you always enjoyed. The serious barista turned into a cute little boy whenever he received compliments from the customers.

He gave you your drink and you sat at a table close to the one he was sitting on. You knew it was his favorite spot so you wished that he’d go back to it once his sister was done talking on the phone.

You took the first sip of your macchiato and soon you were out of this world. It was the sweetest, most delicious thing one could ever drink. You could feel Taekwoon’s sincerity in making it. It wasn’t too sweet. It had a perfect taste. Just the right amount of coffee, the right amount of caramel and the right amount of milk.

You looked in his direction to find him looking at you. He smiled when he saw your expression after the first sip. You could tell that he was proud of himself. He was happy that his work is up to your expectations, if not even better. You gave him a thumps up and he got shy again. You giggled at his expression as you went back to enjoying your heavenly drink.

His sister came back a few minutes later. She patted his back, “thank you dear, you can go back to your break now.”

Your heart was beating fast again as he was getting closer to your table. He sat on his table, right next to yours and opened his book again.

You decided to take a step forward. You hesitated for a second. You were afraid that you’re taking things too fast. But, Taekwoon was right there next to you, the awkwardness is somehow broken by the little conversation you had a few minutes ago. It was not a proper conversation but you thought it was a starting point. So you decided to approach him.

You stood up, your drink in your hand, and moved closer to his table.

“We are all fools in love.” You recited a line from the book.

He looked at you, surprised. “Did you read this book before?” He asked.

“I know it by heart.” You answered. “Is it ok if I sit with you?”

He stared at you for a second and then said “yes sure. Please have a seat.”  

You sat down on the chair facing him. You pointed at your drink, “this is seriously the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

His ears were turning red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to..”

“It’s ok. I just get flattered when people compliment me. I make coffee because I enjoy it but I feel burdened by people’s compliments.”

“Ah~ I know.”

“What?” he looked confused.

“I.. I mean I could tell by the way you looked shy when I told you I came here especially for this.” You were cursing yourself by now.

“Ah~ Yes.”

You tried to change the subject, “Do you like other books by Austen?”

“Not really. I love this book because it was a gift from my teacher. It carries a special meaning to me, that’s why I enjoy reading it all the time.”

He asked, “What about you?”

You smiled and said, “It’s a special book to someone I care about. So I guess you can say that it holds a special meaning to me too.”

“A boyfriend?”

You shook your head, “Just someone special.”

“I am sorry if that’s too personal.” He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. 

“Not at all.”

A group of students entered the café as Taekwoon stood up. “I guess I have to go back to work. I don’t think my sisters will be able to handle all these people. I am sorry..”

“It’s ok. I have to go too. Thank you for the coffee.” You smiled at him.

He nodded as you waved goodbye to him and left the place.

You felt the need to fly, to jump, to scream, to laugh, to do so many things at the same time. You didn’t believe you just had your first conversation with Taekwoon. It was a dream come true. He was nice to you like you always imagined he would. You could see how things would progress between the two of you and you were already drawing pictures and scenarios of all the things you’d do together. You were deeply happy and his words were everything you thought about for the whole night.