She wasn't sure why it hurt, having him follow her. Yeosang was someone she wasn't close with yet, so it shouldn't feel personal. Yet it did. She knew it was probably Wooyoung who had sent him, and that pissed her off. Maybe she wasn't in the best state to be making decisions, but after leaving the mall in a hurry, she stumbled across a small coffee shop just a few blocks from the mall. The butterfly sticker on the door was calling her.
«Good morning, miss!» a beautiful young man said, making her somewhat annoyed. How dare he be so peppy! She took a deep breath to get a better hold of herself and mustered up a smile.
«One butterfly latte, please.»
The way his eyebrows raised made her think she had made a mistake, but then he smiled even wider.
«Coming right up,» he said. «Is this your first, second, or...»
«Second stop,» she quickly said, another customer was entering the shop.
«Right,» he nodded. «Take a seat, I'll be right over with your coffee.»
He nodded towards a booth in the back, where you wouldn't be seen from the outside. That was perfect. Aelia went to sit down while keeping an eye on who entered the shop. Not much happened while she waited for her coffee, and she anxiously bit her nail.
«Stop biting your nails, Aelia,» the barista said as he put the coffee down in front of her.
Aelia looked up at him terrified.
«How do you know my name?» she said, fear very evident in her voice. He could tell she was about ready to run out of there.
«I'm sorry, you don't remember?»
He didn't say «me», he just said «remember». A very general way of asking. He understood.
«No, I don't remember anything yet,» she said, her voice slightly shaking. She shouldn't be telling a stranger this, but maybe he wasn't a stranger?
«Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry for scaring you! I just thought you were that good an actor. I didn't realize that you actually don't recognize me. But... And... You really don't remember? And yet this is the coffee shop you chose?»
He was rambling, and Aelia just stared at him. He finally got it.
«I'm sorry. I'm Seungmin.»
«We know each other?»
«Yes, we do,» he said. The warmth of his voice was soothing, but she didn't trust him. She couldn't trust him, or anyone else. «It's okay, it'll come back to you eventually. Just relax. I've called your contact and he'll be here pretty soon. He's been waiting for this.»
Aelia understood very little of what this all meant, but she said nothing. Seungmin left her alone and she drank her latte. It was excellent. As if he knew how she liked it; double espresso, skimmed milk, and no sugar... Maybe he did? This place did feel familiar. Like she had been here before? But that wasn't likely, was it?
Aelia nearly let out a scream when a man jumped into the booth and sat down on the other side of the table. She saw Seungmin running over, and for a second Aelia felt terrified.
«Hyunjin!» Seungmin hissed. «Don't scare her!»
The most beautiful man on the planet looked toward Aelia with a confused look in his eyes. He brushed his long hair back and turned to Seungmin.
«She doesn't remember yet,» Seungmin whisper-yelled.
«Come on,» Hyunjin chuckled. «You're just playing with us. I'm so glad to see you this soon, babe.» He would have bumped her shoulder or put her in a headlock or something if they'd been sitting next to each other. Luckily they weren't. Aelia had to take a deep breath.
YOU ARE READING
Take Me Home // Ateez // Stray Kids
FanficAfter an unexpected escape from the Mansion, Aelia finds herself in a Safe House. Who is a friend and who has alternate motives? And what do the butterflies have to do with it? As a former slave, life looks empty. Aelia has to find her way in life...
