I watched as he opened the car door. We were a distance away—enough to hear each other, but not enough for my bad eyesight to see his face. With one last look, his eyes turned to mine and I remembered everything that had happened in the past 4 years we've been together. All of the places that we had been to, all the smiles we had shared, all that I had given him. Gone.
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After watching him drive off beyond my sight would let me reach, I felt my legs taking me to the nearest coffee shop with tears in my eyes. I ordered a normal hot chocolate and a brownie. I wasn't in the mood for coffee at a time like this. Picking up my drink, I walked over to a small table for two near the window. I watched as the clouds slowly began to darken and drizzles turned into downpours.
I must have sighed at some point because a cute small boy with messy black hair and a bright smile sat down in the seat in front of me. "Hello."
"Hi," I replied, sipping my hot chocolate.
We sat there staring at each other for a little while. He never ceased to stop smiling at me. "What are you drinking?"
"Hot chocolate. You?" It was slightly tense between us.
"Coffee. It's comforting when you didn't get enough sleep."
"I can relate to that a lot," I laughed. "Why didn't you get enough sleep?" I inquired. I had nothing better to do.
"I like to make music," he told me. "Nights are a lot more sentimental so I work the best then."
I smiled at him. "Wow." Realizing we hadn't actually introduced ourselves, I said, "Sorry, what was your name? I'm Jess."
He laughed. "I'm Jay. It must've surprised you to see some random guy come up to you. You just looked a little sad."
"Thanks," I said simply. "A lot's happened today."
"I'm here to listen if you want." I sighed again, smiling to myself while also remembering what had happened.
"Bad breakup." He nodded in sympathy. "I thought he loved me all those years I was with on him, but I guess not."
I shrugged my shoulders. I'm not sure what was suddenly different about me, but I didn't feel like crying anymore. I felt like living my life and regaining the time I wasted.
Jihoon held my hand. It took me by surprise, but I welcomed it. "Love's a tricky thing," he told me. "Sometimes you think it's there, when really all it is is a single moment of happiness snapshotted and framed all pretty, but that's all it really is—a snapshot. A tableau of something that existed, but was never meant to be anything more than a comforting memory."
"What about the other times?" I asked. If I hadn't really experienced this "love," then I was curious to know what he thought it was.
"Other times, love is a flower in the Garden of Eden. It springs up and keeps growing for all of eternity. It's meant to keep blooming if it's true love."
His poetic essence struck a note in my heart somehow and I grinned at how clever it was. "I suppose I'll just preserve this love, then," I said, standing up to leave. I was already feeling better, thanks to Jay.
"Wait!" He grabbed my wrist. "Can I have your number? We should meet up again sometime. We can talk if you ever need an ear again."
I grinned and grabbed a pen from my bag. I took his hand, to his surprise, and started writing on his hand.
Jess 🖤
XY9-4X6Z
He smiled at the heart next to my name. "I'll be sure to call you, Jess."
"I look forward to it," I smiled and walked out of the coffee shop feeling the best I have in 4 years.
