Vanilla || Kim Namjoon One Shot

Vanilla

They say that one day, you'll wake up, and you'll be over it. The pain will be gone, and you'll have moved on.

It's not that easy.

As Namjoon rolled over to slam a hand on the snooze button, he still couldn't get used to the empty chill beside him, where you used to lie. No matter how he had tried to fill the vacancy, whether that be with pillows, giant teddy bears, or even one night stands, it was never the same -- it was missing the vanilla scent he'd grown so fond of. And every morning, he opened his eyes, still expecting your face hugged close to his chest, his nose inhaling the heavenly vanilla smell that haunted his dreams.

But every time, he'd only be greeted by the screeching of his alarm. He longed to chuck the damned thing out the window, for his dreams of you were his drug, and the alarm was the policeman, forcing him into the jail that he knew as "reality".

"Why?" Namjoon whispered. Why must he wake up alone? Why did he lose you? Why must he feel so much pain?

Grudgingly, he dragged himself out of bed to pull back the curtains. Somehow, his lean figure had thinned even more, probably from a lack of appetite. Expecting a burst of sunlight, he was surprised when he was instead met with rain. Noting how the weather matched his mood, he decided that perhaps, this meant getting back into his old routine of going down to his favorite cafe.

The coffee trip had been a part of his normal daily routine for as long as he could remember. He'd walk down and order the same bittersweet white mocha.

As Namjoon closed his umbrella and pushed open the door, a small bell tinkling his arrival.

"Namjoon!" the familiar cashier called. He'd never bothered to learn her name. "The usual white mocha?" He nodded numbly before pulling some money out of his wallet. "I haven't seen you in months," the cashier said, passing him his drink. "Where's the girl you normally come with? Y/N?"

Namjoon choked on the hot coffee. Y/N... He hadn't heard your name said out loud since your breakup.

|| two years prior ||
"Annyeong?"

"Omo! Annyeong!"

"Aish!!"

Suddenly, Namjoon was shoved roughly, immediately ripped from his slumber.

"Ne?" he mumbled groggily, turning to the side. He lifted his head from the library table, taking in the paper scattered in front of him. "Oh... Mianhae... What time is it? I should go home..." He rubbed his eyes sleepily. You chuckled.

"It's 8 AM in the morning... I convinced the head librarian to let you stay overnight. I was working a late shift and you passed out cold," you explained.

"Oh. Gamsahamnida [thank you]." He straightened up, looking at you properly for the first time. He was immediately captivated by your shining eyes that would make even the brightest stars jealous. "But let me treat you to some coffee as a thank you?"

You smiled, accepting his offer, and stood up to help him clean up, before remembering: "I know a great cafe we can go to!"

*     *     *

"This is officially the best coffee in all of Seoul!" Namjoon exclaimed, downing the last of his drink. He held it up to the sky, like the Lion King. Other people in the cafe looked at him strangely, but neither of you cared. "Thank you for introducing me to heaven," he smiled at you, showing off his killer dimples.

"Thank you for paying for my coffee," you smiled back in return. He waved it off nonchalantly, but in reality, your smile had melted his heart. You embraced him in a hug. His nose caught a whiff of your vanilla shampoo, a scent he would soon become addicted to.