But First, Coffee

SHORT MACCHIATO

"The powers of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks." -Sir James Mackintosh

When the coffee cup was placed on his table Jungkook muttered a barely audible "thank you" without really looking. He was clicking away, editing something, completely in his zone as usual. It was that time of the afternoon when almost nobody was at the coffee shop, except for him. He liked it that way too, almost felt like he had the whole shop just for himself. The soft tunes of instrumental piano music were playing on the background, loud enough to be appreciated if you paid attention, but not too loud that it would disturb somebody trying to focus, like Jungkook was, or a conversation.

The interior design of Coffee Belters was a mix of traditional and industrial. Spacious yet cozy, with a homey feel. The furniture was mostly made of dark wood, probably Rosewood, and all the cushions and sofas were in warm colors going from oranges and yellows to bold reds. It was clear whoever had decorated knew what they were doing. It was harmonious. There was lettering hanging on the some of the walls, with clever phrases that had to do with coffee like "I can't espresso how much you bean to me", some other walls showcased paintings of coffee plantations or people harvesting coffee beans. The theme was everywhere, Jungkook had thought at first that it was a bit obsessive but it wasn't really overdone. It was just as if the owner had wanted to shout coffee was his life and he was proud of it.

Jimin was staring at the Espresso customer from behind the counter, half hidden behind a pastry exhibitor, eager to see his reaction. His hands balled up in fists, he was barely keeping still, when Jungkook raised the cup to his lips. Jimin bit his lower lip in anticipation, Jungkook took a big gulp without tearing his eyes from his computer screen. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed and then his eyes went a bit bigger and flew to the coffee cup he was holding. His brow furrowed. When he raised his look towards the counter he could've sworn he saw a blur of black running to the back of the store. He shook it off and raised his hand trying to catch the attention of Sam or the cashier girl whose name he didn't remember. In the back room.of the store a not so serious owner was dissolving in a fit of giggles.

"This is not what I ordered", Jungkook told Sam once the boy approached him. Sam looked young, but he was probably older than Jungkook.

The waiter cast a side glance towards the counter and suppressed a smile. "I'm terribly sorry, the barista must have gotten your order confused...", he apologized. Jungkook could tell it was not a sincere apology. "Should I take this back and make you another cup?", Sam asked.

"No, it's fine, I'll keep it," Jungkook answered quickly, changing his mind about it in a split second. His eyes were searching for a certain black-haired man. "What's his name? The owner I mean", he asked just as Sam was turning around to leave.

"Mr. Park," he answered. "Park Jimin."

That was not the last day Park Jimin messed with Jungkook's coffee. The next two days he got his Espresso just the way he liked it, but on the third day, again, there sat a different cup. Jungkook didn't even know what it was called, he just knew it had some milk in it, he could taste the strong Espresso flavor being slightly lessened, it was sweeter and pleasant to his palate. And the coffee foam had a design in it, a Rosetta. His eyes went in search of Jimin. He was conversing with the cashier girl and she must've said something funny because he exploded in laughter. How could someone look so merry? He couldn't help but think laughter had been made to fit that man, it was hypnotic... he had to shake himself out of it, but before he could look away, the barista found him staring. Their eyes met and Jimin, still with laughter in his eyes, nodded in acknowledgement, a small smile playing at his lips. Jungkook could not respond, he turned away quickly and willed himself to focus on his work while he drank from his cup.