The Coffee Shop | ✓

Eight: Girl

As I rearranged the books on the shelf, I couldn't help but smile. The reason I had this job was because of Park. Without him, I'd be behind on my rent, jobless and I would have probably given up on my dream. Someone clears their throat interrupting me from my thoughts. I turn around to see Park standing there and my mouth drops open.

I'm sure any other boy would take my flabbergasted expression as a chance to say something like, 'like what you see'.
But not Park. And I was glad. "Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you had work today."

Park sighs and runs his hand through his hair. It was then that I noticed that Park was it smiling. His eyes looked slightly bloodshot and they had dark bags underneath them, his hair was sticking up in all directions like he'd run his hand through it multiple times and his lips were pressed into a grim line. Before he could say anything else, I rushed over to him and tapped my arms around his waist. "What happened?" I asked gently, my words muffled due to his shirt.

"The coffee shop might be closing down..." Park trailed off.

"W-what?" I gasped.

"You know how it is there... hardly no one comes in anymore." Park looks down at me, unhappily.

"You can't just give up, " I exclaim, pulling away from Park. "You're the one who lectured me about not giving up!"

Suddenly, Park's usual grin takes over his face. "Who said anything about giving up?"

I narrowed my eyes accusingly at him. "What are you planning...?" I edged closer to him again.

Park chuckled. "Oh no, sweetheart-" I internally fangirled and restrained myself from jumping up and down, "-it's what we're planning."

Oh no.

***

"How many copies do you need?" I ask as I finish typing the last word.

"Erm... I don't know, maybe five hundred?" Park replied, clearly unsure. I chuckled softly at his cuteness. Cute?!

No, Park is not cute.

Yes he is.

No he's not!

You're right, he's not cute... he's hot!

Ugh!

"What was that?"

I get snapped out of my thoughts by Park's deep voice. "What was what?" I look around as if expecting someone to jump out behind the dusty bookshelves with a knife.

"You said something, didn't you?"

"Did I?"

"Yep."

"Are you sure about that, because I don't remember saying anything."

"I'm sure."

"Positive?"

"Positive."

I narrowed my green eyes at him. I hadn't spoken a word to him, I had been having an argument with my stupid subcon- "You said something like 'no he's not' and then groaned." Parker said with confusion visible in his blue orbs.

I totally said that out loud, didn't I?

Damn it.

I blush and press the button to print out five hundred copies of the poster we made. The poster read:

Come to the re-opening of Joe's Coffee Shop! You won't regret it!
What you'll get out of it:
- Fun and games!
- Good food for an even better price!
- Excellent service!
- A free cupcake!

It had been Park's idea to add the free cupcake bit. "Who doesn't love free food?" He had argued, "especially if it's a free cupcake!"

He did have a point, I'd give him that. If I saw a poster with the words 'free' and 'cupcake' on it, I'd be there without a second thought.

Hhmmm, all this thinking about cupcakes is making me hungry.

As if reading my thoughts, Park spoke an idea that made me blush. "How about we go out for lunch?" He asked with a relaxed smile on his face.

My cheeks were red. "L-like a d-date?"

His smile faltered slightly and he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Erm, s-sure. I mean, erm, o-only if you w-want to." Great, now Park had joined the stuttering-and-blushing club.

At least I wasn't the only one feeling flustered.

"Yes!" I said quickly, exited by the date idea. The smile dropped as I realised how much of an idiot I must of sounded like. "I mean, erm, sure." I tried to play it of cool but by the smirk on Park's face, I wasn't sure it worked.

"You wanna go now?"

I nodded and Park reached his hand out to me, his palm facing upwards.

I took it.

***

"You look hilarious!" I laughed in hysterics. Park had stuffed two chips up his nose, one for each nostril. He looked ridiculous. Park took me to a small but popular diner where I ate frequently on most weekends. Most girls wouldn't class this date as special considering I had been to this place almost as many times as I'd visited the coffee shop. However, it was even more special because before this had been one of my favourites places to eat and hopefully, now it could be mine and Park's place.

People at tables nearby us gave us funny looks, but Park didn't seem to care and neither did I. I took Park looking like a demented creature as the perfect photo opportunity and reached for my phone from my back pocket. I snapped a shot and put my phone back.

"Hey!" Park objected. My loud laughs had now gone down to small giggles. "I'm going to have to get an embarrassing photo of you now too. You know, for leverage." He growled at me. He would of looked deadly if he hadn't gave me a cheeky wink and a slight smirk at the end of his threat.

I simply giggled and stuffed another chip into my mouth. When I looked up Park was staring at me with a small smile on his face. The smile didn't seem like a happy smile Park usually wore, but like a... loving smile. Like he was looking at his most favourite and adored thing in the world. He was looking at me like he loved me.

"Hey, do you believe in love in first sight?" Park numbered gently.

My eyes widened. Why was he asking me that? Was their a deeper meaning to his innocent question? "Erm, I don't know... do you?"

Park looked of in the distance as if in deep thought. After a bit I came to the conclusion that Park wasn't going to answer my question and carried on eating my chips.

And if I would have been listening carefully, I would have heard Park's late reply. "Maybe..."

I am so so sorry for the slow updates. I seriously couldn't think of anything to write and it took me a while to make this chapter even half way decent. I'll try to make updates more frequent now.

- sinfultruth