good morning|pjy ✔️

XXXVII. vanilla latte

Morning light filtered through the curtains and bathed Junghee's face. It felt almost like Christmas morning, when you would wake up earlier than normal to do something better than normal; except for Junghee, it would be finally meeting Jinyoung. She sprang out of bed and speed walked to her bathroom to get ready. A mild wave of dizziness passed over her, but she ignored it and hopped in the shower.  Junghee quickly rushed through her morning routine and practically swallowed a banana whole before standing in front of her closet.  What would be appropriate for the occasion?  Should she dress up?  Or would it be better to look casual? Junghee sighed and reminded herself to calm down. This was neither a date nor a formal occasion.

In order to rebel against the part of her that wanted to dress up for Jinyoung, Junghee decided on just wearing skinny jeans and a sweater. Despite the sun being out, a Junghee felt a chill in the air and didn't want to be caught outside in the rain without something warm. Junghee checked the time on her phone as she finished her makeup— it was only 10:43.  She grabbed her laptop bag and decided to just pass the time at the café by writing the book she'd been working on. 

The drive to the café was rather mundane, but Junghee found herself smiling anyways.  Jinyoung had become one of her best friends over the course of the year.  Sunlight beat down on her as she stepped out of the car, but it wasn't nearly warm enough to burn away the cool air.  When Junghee entered the café, the air was pleasantly warm and smelled of coffee.  Junghee inhaled the scent and smiled to herself. 

Junghee found a table to sit at and removed her laptop from her bag.  Before she could actually begin writing, the waitress approached with a bright smile and a menu.  "Can I start you off with something to drink?" she asked softly, a shy blush rising on her cheeks.

How cute.  Junghee smiled back and said the first thing that came to mind.  "A vanilla latte would be lovely.  And I'll be joining someone later so I won't need to order anything else until then."

The waitress wrote her order down then told her that she would be back with her drink in a few minutes.  Junghee took the moment to sit back in her seat and just enjoy the atmosphere.  One of the things she'd always loved about coffee shops and cafés was the cozy, curl-up-with-a-good-book feeling they embodied.  Several couples were seated at booths, quietly sharing a conversation.  There was only two other people at the café alone and they were both middle aged men with important looking documents spread out before them.  The waitress who had served Junghee appeared to be one of two serving staff.  Junghee felt empathetic and hoped that they wouldn't be alone during the lunch rush— she knew how stressful that could be.

Junghee was shaken from her thoughts when the waitress, who's name tag read "Ahmin", returned with her vanilla latte.  There was a flower design on the surface, which Junghee thought was cute.  After thanking Ahmin, Junghee turned to her work.  She wondered internally how much she could get done before Jinyoung arrived.  "We shall see," Junghee said to herself, stretching her fingers and beginning to write.

***

The time in the corner of Junghee's screen read 12:05 pm. Sighing, Junghee shifted and told herself Jinyoung was probably just a little late.  She continued writing, forcing herself not to check the time every ten seconds.  Every time the bell rang, Junghee would glance over her shoulder, hoping for a glimpse of someone who could resemble her friend. 

By the time 1 o'clock rolled around Junghee could no longer deny that Jinyoung was standing her up.  A lump developed in her throat, but Junghee swallowed it down and determined that this wasn't a big deal, or at least she tried to.

Junghee ^^: you're not here

After sending the text, Junghee wasn't really sure what she meant by it, nor was she sure how she even wanted Jinyoung to respond.  The text wasn't a question, but not fully a statement either.  Junghee tapped her fingers on the table and glanced around the café for the millionth time.  Part of her wondered if Jinyoung was already there and he was just too nervous to approach her.  Ahmin offered her a small smile as she passed her table.  Noticing her empty cup, she turned and reached across the table for it.  "Would you like a refill?"

"Please," Junghee said through a forced grin.

Junghee waited for another hour and a half, but Jinyoung never came.  That afternoon, Junghee went home with an empty stomach and an empty heart. 

Junghee ^^: I waited for you.

-

okay I know this is short, I'm sorry! but at least it's an update, eh? back to studying, now. pls kill me.

thanks for 3k reads ily