rent me || nomin au

11

"Hi, what can I get for you?" A boy around Jaemin's age stood at the other side of the cash register. He had brown hair that was slightly tinted orange, and his features Jaemin of a teddy bear just a bit. He had a higher pitched voice and was looking expectantly at the two.

"Can I get... a... caramel frappuccino?" Jeno squinted and tilted his head up to read the items on the menu. "Regular sized," he added.

The cashier blinked blankly at Jeno. It reminded Jaemin of the times Taeyong would malfunction. "Ah right, a grande. And for you?" The boy tapped Jeno's order into the machine and switched his attention to Jaemin. Jaemin looked over at his name tag, reading the cashier's name, Donghyuck.

"For me, a venti iced americano please. No water, just ice. Also no milk or sugar and an additional 4 shots of espresso," Jaemin listed the special instructions of his go-to drink and watched as Donghyuck's brows furrowed in confusion.

He tapped aggressively at the machine, deleting and retyping Jaemin's order. "Could you repeat that? Sorry, I'm pretty new here," Donghyuck scratched the back of his head and Jaemin repeated what he said but a little slower this time.

"That's a lot of caffeine you're putting there. Are you sure? I'm no health expert but 8 shots of caffeine is a little concerning." Jaemin verified that no he was not high and yes his order was correct. Jaemin pulled out his wallet and paid for both drinks after a slight debate with Jeno on who should pay for his drink. In the end they settled with Jaemin since he already owed Jeno money anyway.

As Donghyuck counted the change Jaemin caught a little tune coming from Donghyuck, who was singing lyrics to a song that sounded familiar. Jaemin's inner fanboy awoke, and he couldn't help but blurt, "Are you humming a Troye Sivan song?" Jaemin broke into a smile when he saw the boy's face light up, his question confirmed.

"Yes, I am! It's Troye Sivan's new song called Lucky Strike! I just recently heard it. It's such a good song," Donghyuck raved. "You know it?"

"Of course! I've been a fan for so long," Jaemin was going to ramble about his love for Troye Sivan and his music but saw the confused expression on Jeno's face and held back this time.

"That's so cool, I didn't think I'd come across another fan, especially here at a Starbucks," Donghyuck laughed.

"Here is your change," he said, handing Jaemin a couple coins. He then shouted went over and starting making their coffee with another shorter man Jaemin recognized to be Ten, a man who went to the same dance studio as Taeyong. Jaemin took the receipt and they sat back down at their spot. They sat quietly and Jaemin watched the two employees struggling to understand his order, slightly amused. Jaemin waited silently, counting. He's been judged enough times to know that the wave of questions would come in 3... 2... 1...

"So you really ordered 8 shots of espresso with ice? That shit is darker than my soul." Jeno glanced over to the barista who was pumping espresso into a cup. "I didn't say anything about it when we got drinks from Starbucks yesterday you ordered that same thing but you did it again today. Is your stomach okay?" Jeno seemed so baffled with his eyes comically wide, Jaemin had to hold back a laugh.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. I'm used to the caffeine. And actually I usually have about six cups a day," he said with a shrug.

Jeno's eyes widened more, almost popping out of their sockets. "SIX CUPS!" his jaw was dropped at a loss for words. "How does one drink SIX? Do you get a new drink every hour? Do you eat other foods? And isn't that 48 shots of espresso? How does your body handle all the caffeine? Do you even sleep?"

"Well I have about one every two hours. My diet consists mostly of espresso but of course I still have meals sometimes. I guess I'm just used to it." Jaemin was used to getting attacked by his family members for his coffee addiction, he was barely surprised at the questions.

Suddenly Jeno's eyes softened up and he lowered his voice. "I don't think this is healthy, Jaemin. An average person shouldn't be having this much caffeine in a day, much less every day. Coffee is dehydrating, and it's not good to have on an empty stomach. You've probably heard this before but even though I know next to nothing about coffee, what you're doing seems pretty concerning."

Jaemin felt a pang in his chest, not expecting to see this softer side of Jeno that was concerned for his health. It was such a contrast from the dry and almost emotionless Jeno he met yesterday, and maybe that's what made him give in. "Alright," he sighed, "I guess I can try to cut down on the caffeine. My family tells me the same things too."

Silence fell, and Jaemin chewed anxiously at his bottom lip. The mood had dropped really quick and both boys were feeling a little awkward. Thankfully, their order was called, and they went to get their drinks. Jaemin picked up his, taking a big sip. Jeno poked at the whipped cream on his frappuccino with a straw.

"Damn," Jeno shook his head. "I'll never understand how you can drink that."

Jaemin held his drink in front of Jeno as an offer to taste it. "Wanna try some?" He held back a grin as Jeno cautiously took the drink, eyeing the dark substance. Jeno took a slow sip, wrinkling his nose as he swallowed. He stuck out his tongue in disgust, and was going to say something but went into a coughing fit. Jaemin stood there watching, slightly amused. After a couple seconds Jeno calmed himself and moved the drink as far away from him as he could. "That felt like I was chewing a rubber tire," he croaked. "Why would anyone drink that?"

Jaemin snickered, satisfied with the reaction. He took his drink back, drinking some more, and it occurred to him that Jeno didn't get a new straw when trying his coffee. He froze mid sip, and out of the corner of his eye saw Donghyuck with his arms crossed, who had been watching them. Donghyuck noticed Jaemin watching and smirked, raising an eyebrow and leaving Jaemin flustered.

"Oh right, I have your money," Jaemin almost forgot. He reached into his pocket, ignoring Donghyuck's stare from across the room. "Here," he slapped a five dollar bill on the table and pushed it towards Jeno. "I paid you a little over twelve dollars yesterday and I also paid for today's drinks, so I think this is enough?" He sat back in his seat, redoing the calculations in his head and hoping the amount was right.

Jeno seemed surprised. "Hey, forget about paying me back, it's not much anyway and that Starbucks was hella expensive." He pushed the bill back to Jaemin. "You don't really owe me anything anymore, keep it."

Jaemin wasn't about to start another one of those debates in public where money gets pushed back and forth between people out of courtesy, so he just took the money back and put it in his wallet. "Alright," he said. "I'll keep this, but don't think I won't be trying to buy you other things in the future to make up for it."

"Us? In the future? That sounds nice, I'll look forward to it." Jeno smiled and stared into Jaemin's eyes, and Jaemin could feel his face heat up again. He opened his mouth to respond but no words came out, so he just nodded silently and aggressively sipped his drink. Where was all this panic coming from? Who was this boy in front of Jaemin that had him, the most confident gay, shaken? He had never experienced this before, and didn't know what to think about the feelings that were beginning to bloom in his chest.