Modern Pen Pals

일곱 'ilgob'

The bakery is calm when the little bell on top of the door rings. My eyesight moves to the entrance where Jeremiah is passing by, and my body tenses.

'Hi Jer. Hmm...take a seat and I'll be right there,' I say, receiving the payment from the only clients in the shop.

When they leave, I walk to the door and hang a sign saying, I'll be back in a bit, so we don't get interrupted.

I don't know if I can do this. The urge to run out the door is overwhelming.

'So...' I turn around to sit in front of him, exhaling the breath I hadn't noticed I've been holding.

I straighten my back and wobble a little in the chair, trying to find the position to make me look as natural as possible in this unnatural situation. I've never even had a serious conversation with Jeremiah before, other than when we talk about business.

Suck it up, Delilah.

'You remember what you told me the other night, don't you?' I ask, ripping the band-aid off.

He nods. 'Yeah...I didn't at first, but throughout the day my memory came back.'

'Oh, I see.' My gaze moves down at the table between us, and I fiddle with my fingers. 'I'm sorry. I had no idea you felt that way about me.'

'I thought I was being blatant, but you still never saw it. I've liked you since the day you entered our restaurant with a basket of cupcakes and cookies,' he says, looking out the window.

'The day I opened Sweet Delilah...' I match his glance.

'I have seen my fair share of beautiful women. I mean, they are all around us, but when I saw you—' He rubs the nape of his neck. 'When I saw you...I saw more than a beautiful woman. Your aura differed from anything I'd ever seen. You just lit up the whole place and your smile honed my day instantly. That's why I keep trying to make you smile, even if you don't do it often.'

'I-I'm really sorry. I just...I never saw you like that.' I search my mind for a better answer, but it never comes.

'I know, and I was okay, but then I got drunk and had to do something stupid and tell you.' He sighs. 'I wish I never told you.'

'Why?'

'Because that way I could keep making you smile, even if it was as a friend,' the man in front of me says. This mature side of Jeremiah is one that has always gone unnoticed by me, but I'm glad I'm finally seeing it.

The rays of sun make his red hair glow like copper and his freckles more visible.

'I would like that. To keep being your friend.' My eyes smile. In my mind, I've always seen him as an acquaintance, never a friend, but I might reconsider that now.

'Really?' There it is. The smile that was missing from his face in the last few days.

I stand up, and he follows, approaching me.

'Can I...Can I hug you?' Jer asks, and after looking at the hopeful sparkle in his green eyes, I nod.

After this brief moment, he goes back to work and I do the same.

I was so terrified of what our conversation would be like—solemnly the thought of it would make my hands tremble—but it went a lot better than I ever imagined. Maybe I should start being less scared of the unknown.

I'll add that to the list of things to learn how to do. I laugh at the thought.

'Why are you smiling so much?' Elisa asks. I didn't even notice her entering the shop.