Choco and Matcha

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Sohyun POV

Here we are. My favorite cafe. My usual place to study when the library is very full. The ornaments here are very nice, the atmosphere is calm, the food is also delicious.


"Where do you know this place from?" she asked while looking at the paintings there.

"I just found it" Xinyu could be seen quite impressed with the decorations here.

"Like it?" I asked while pulling a chair for her to sit.

"I really like it. The place is nice. Next time bring me here again, okay??" I just nodded while giving her the menu.

"I'll pay this time" she said while looking at the menu which I quickly pulled from her.

"No. I bring YOU. So I'll pay for everything. Don't worry. Just order what you want"

"But-"

"No buts. It's okay" I assured her that I would pay for everything. Although a little hesitant, she still took the menu.

"You're really weird today. Got someone?" I just chuckled at her rambling.

I just like you

Of course I can't say it. I'm too scared to say it all.

Xinyu showed me the order he wanted to order. She wanted to ask for my opinion because I had been here before. I just explained it to her and didn't give any recommendations because our tastes were a little different. I knew she wanted to try a lot of things, but she was also very specific about her choices. I understood her as if I had known her for a long time.

For some reason, my hand reflexively opened the camera and pointed it at her while she was looking around the cafe. She looked... cute. Very cute. I was confused, how could someone as cute as her can exist?

And why was my heart beating so fast? Am I having a heart attack?

"Hey. Look here" I said while taking a picture of her secretly.

No matter what angle, she looked beautiful.

Did I fall for her?

"Hm?"

Damn my heart can't be controlled.

"Your face is red" she said with some worry in her tone.

"My face?" she nodded while approaching me. Even though she was just standing close, why did my heart feel like it was racing?

"You're not sick again, right?" she said while trying to check my body temperature. Even though it was only her hand, why did I feel so hot?

"I'm okay" I said while taking her hand before she could feel how hot my face was because of it.

"Really?" she pressed, her brows furrowing. Before I could respond, our order arrived—a convenient distraction.

As always, she sampled my dish first. Only this time, her reasoning struck a chord.

"I want to try what you like," she said casually, her words sending a fresh wave of warmth through me.

Calm down, please.

I tried to calm myself down by chatting with her. Even though I tried to talk, she would keep on rambling. I didn't mind. I enjoyed hearing her talk. Let alone talking, just being around her was enough.
Do I like her?

No.

I really like her.

I knew there would come a time when I wouldn't be able to imagine life without her.

Even though I know that Xinyu's birthday is the day she killed her parents, it's still a good idea to celebrate it. So with a classic scene in movies, I asked permission to go to the bathroom which actually ordered the matcha cake that she always wanted. With the help of the staff there, I gave her a surprise.

"Surprise!!" her face looked so stupid. Shocked, confused, emotional, all mixed into one. There is only one thing I hope for her birthday. I hope she doesn't remember all the events when she killed her parents. Even if she does, I hope I don't ruin everything.

"Do you know my birthday?" Of course.

I know almost everything about you.

"Of course. Now make a wish and blow out the candles" she nodded and immediately prayed. I don't know what she prayed for, but I just hope that it can come true.She closed her eyes, her lips moving in silent prayer before she leaned forward to extinguish the flames.

"And lastly, I hope Sohyun and I can become closer" she said before blowing out the candles.

The café erupted with cheers, a chorus of well-wishes and claps filling the air. The staff who had helped me grinned proudly at the success of the surprise, and even strangers joined in, their voices a joyous symphony echoing around us. But amidst the jubilant noise, I heard nothing. Nothing but the deafening silence of my own thoughts.

The world blurred and faded, the laughter, the clinking plates, all dissolving into an indistinct muffle as my focus zeroed in on her.

Xinyu sat there, her expression serene yet touched with a hint of something deeper—a gratitude so raw it shimmered in her eyes. She didn't even need to speak, and yet her presence overwhelmed me, pulling me under like an unforgiving tide.

Her calm gaze found mine, steady and unwavering, and in that moment, I wasn't just looking at her. I was drowning in her.

Drowning in the quiet intensity of her gaze.

Drowning in the weight of her words.

The words that unraveled me completely.

"I hope Sohyun and I can become closer."

My heart thundered, a chaotic, uncontrollable rhythm that left no room for denial. She had no idea what those words did to me, how they tore apart every fragile wall I'd built to keep my feelings hidden.

And in the midst of it all, there was only one thought racing through my mind, loud and desperate, as if screaming against the crashing waves of my emotions:

"Damn it, Xinyu."

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