warm hearts by revelwrittenscenes on tumblr
It was cold outside. Yet, here you were, sitting on a bench in the park a couple of blocks from your house. But there was a reason for that.
You and your father had gotten into an argument. Once again, he had tried to convince you to intern at his law office, to "follow in his footsteps", but he wanted different things for you than what you wanted for yourself. It was stupid, really.
You wrapped your arms around yourself, shivering against the cold breeze. In your haste to leave the house, you had thrown on the first jacket you had picked up. You wished you had brought a heavier one.
Suddenly, you hear footsteps and you can tell you're not alone.
Looking up, you see a girl coming your way. She looks to be around your age. She is also wearing a quite warm-looking jacket, which you envy.
As this girl approaches, you see she's holding two cups in her hands. Coffee maybe?
Standing right in front of you, the girl holds out one of the cups for you to take.
"Here, take this. You look like you could use it." You don't immediately take the cup from her hands, because, like everybody else, you're a bit hesitant to receive stuff from complete strangers. Even pretty strangers.
She scoffs.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned." She says. "It's just coffee."
Well, she does look harmless...and you're practically freezing...
You decide you'll take it.
"Um..." you hesitate. "Thanks, uh..."
"Yerim, but most people call me Yeri." She takes a seat next to you, taking a sip from her own cup of coffee. She turns to look at you curiously. "What are you doing out here in the cold by yourself?"
"Were you watching me?" You ask, half joking, half serious.
"Kind of. Do you see that house over there? The one with the all the lights on?" She points to a red-painted house across the street. "I live there. I could see you through the window."
"Huh." At least she wasn't some crazy stalker. You shrugged, and took a sip of the warm, dark drink. To your cold, shivering body, it was heavenly.
"So, why are you out here in the cold?" She asks again. "Are you trying to get sick?"
Not wanting to talk about it, you answer curtly. "Just family stuff."
"Family stuff...?" She coaxes. You sigh.
"Look, I'm grateful for the coffee, but I don't really want to discuss it right now." You say, not wanting to sound rude. "Plus, I don't know you. And you don't know me."
Yeri goes back to her coffee. "I see."
You sigh again. The subtle disappointment in her voice makes you feel guilty. She did go out of her way to bring you coffee. And company.
What's the harm in telling her?
"If you really want to know, I got into an argument with my dad. He wants me to be a lawyer, but I don't want to be a lawyer."
"So, what do you want to be?" Yeri asks curiously. Ah, the million-dollar question.
"See, I don't really know. I just," you say, looking up at the night sky. "I just haven't figured it out yet. I need more time."
So much for not wanting to talk about it.
Sensing the frustration in your voice, Yeri doesn't ask anything else. Instead, she pats your arm.
"You know, I don't know what I want to do, either." You look back at her.
"Yeah?"
"Yup, no clue." She chirps. That makes you laugh. She smiles widely, as if proud of herself for accomplishing such a difficult task.
You decide you like this girl, Yerim.
"Listen, if you want you could come over to my house to watch some movies, get your mind off things." She offers. "My brother's bought a couple of new ones. And we'd get to drink more coffee!"
Her excitement warms your heart, surprisingly even more so than the coffee.
Why not?
"How can I say no to coffee?"
