Flowers on the Moon ; jinyoung-centric

Chapter 2: caramel macchiato

Yugyeom was right; this cafe really does look like something straight out from a fairytale. 

When Bambam went inside the coffee shop one late afternoon after school, there were only two people there except the barista and himself — a girl who looked to be around his age and a man who appeared to be an employee of some company, both busy on their laptops and cups of coffees resting on their tables. 

"Good afternoon! What would you like to order?" 

He didn't even realize he was already standing beside the counter until the barista's cheery voice broke him out of his trance. Yugyeom wasn't lying when he said the barista here was cute. His smile was like a ray of sunshine amidst the dim lighting of the cafe, eyes practically shining with joy as he adjusted his apron. 

"Good afternoon," he greets back, taking the menu with a smile when the other hands it to him. He scans it quickly, amazed at the food and drinks selection for a cafe that was run by only one person. It seemed like he was the one who was doing everything here, from baking, making coffee, taking and serving orders, and keeping the cafe tidy. 

How one person could do all that everyday, he didn't know. He just hoped the barista — his name's Jinyoung, he remembers Yugyeom telling him last night — would be able to keep up with all the daily tasks he had to do without pushing himself to his limits. 

"Just one caramel macchiato and a chocolate chip cookie." He smiles, handing the menu back. Jinyoung just nods and takes it, and Bambam gets his wallet to quickly pay for it. Eventually, the other went over to the shelves at the back to get what he guessed was the espresso. He sits down on one of the chairs, his small smile breaking out into an amused and fond grin as Jinyoung reaches a hand out for the top shelf, leaning against the counter and slightly tip-toeing to reach what he was looking for. 

He must've chuckled out loud because the next second, Jinyoung turned around with a glare, face slightly flushed red. "Stop watching me." 

Bambam laughs, shaking his head. "You're cute." 

Jinyoung only blushed even more, finally reaching the container of espresso and walking over the counter to brew it. "W-whatever." He grumbles, not meeting Bambam's eyes. 

It only makes warmth spread through Bambam's heart even more, and as their quick banter dissolved away into silence, he found himself gazing at Jinyoung fondly as he continued going around the counters looking for ingredients for the coffee. He never knew he would adore a person he barely knew this much. 

Jinyoung returns with a cup of caramel macchiato and a plate of cookies and places it onto the table. Bambam smiles gratefully and takes a sip of the coffee. It was perfect for a rainy, cloudy afternoon like today. 

As Jinyoung moves to the side to wash the dishes, Bambam couldn't help asking, "Do you do everything here by yourself?" 

Jinyoung pauses and looks up to meet his gaze. "Yeah. It's not easy, but I really do like this job, so I'd say it's still worth it." He smiles that adorable eye smile, then goes back to the dishes. 

Bambam furrows an eyebrow, taking another sip of the coffee. "Do you not have anyone to help you around here?"

Jinyoung shakes his head, smiling sheepishly. "My parents and siblings already supported me a lot in opening this cafe, I couldn't ask for more from them. Besides, they've got their own lives to live." 

Bambam sits there for a while, contemplating. He'd only heard about Jinyoung through Yugyeom, but now that he was actually here face to face with him, he now understood what Yugyeom meant when he said that Jinyoung was genuine and passionate about his career. He could tell he was such a sweet and kind person, despite only having met him once. 

"Anyway, what about you?" Jinyoung asks, drying his hand on a towel and turning off the sink. 

"What about me?" 

The other chuckles, leaning against the counter. "I mean, are you a student? At the school around here?" 

"Oh! Yeah, I am." Bambam replies, putting the cup down. "I'm Bambam. Actually, I'm one of Yugyeom's friends. The one who went here yesterday." 

Jinyoung's eyes widened. "Really?" He smiles, albeit shyly. "Ah, so he really did tell you and his other friends, I assume, to go visit here. I'm Jinyoung, by the way, but you probably already know that."

He smiles fondly at the other, chuckling. "You'll probably see the other guys come here for the next few days or so. Or maybe until we graduate, since I'm pretty sure all of us will be hanging around here often." 

"Well, I'll be happy to make coffee for you guys, then." Jinyoung smiles, then raises a brow afterwards. "Wait. How many did you say you guys were again?" 

"There's six of us," he answers, mindlessly tapping his fingers against the cup. "We all go to the same university and we're living together in a dorm on the next street."

"Oh, wow, you have a lot of friends," Jinyoung glances away for a moment, and when he looks back at Bambam, the smile on his face appears just a little bit sadder. "It must be nice." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well...my closest friend moved to live in their province, and it's been a while since I last saw him in person." 

"Do you not have other friends here? Wait, no, sorry if that was rude," he quickly adds. 

Jinyoung shakes his head. "It's okay. And no, I don't have other friends here. Well, I did, but we kind of just fell apart after...an incident." 

"I'm sorry," he says sympathetically. He didn't know what exactly happened, but Jinyoung's expression and the way he talked about it told him that whatever occurred between his friend group, it had affected the latter negatively. 

"No, no, it's okay." Jinyoung shakes a hand, smiling. "It was a long time ago, anyway." 

"Well, I know we've only met, but you can always talk to me if you need. I'm here to listen." He offers, taking another drink from the cup. 

"Thank you," the other replies, showing that adorable eye smile again. "I really appreciate it." 

Bambam smiles warmly at him, and soon, queitness falls between them again. The faint sounds of the rain was soothing amidst the cozy atmosphere of the cafe and the aroma of coffee wafting through the room. The afternoon continues on, a comfortable silence among them as they went on with what they were doing, Bambam opening his phone and Jinyoung organizing the containers and jars on the shelves. 

He wouldn't mind going here more often.