Strawberry milk for my heart

Yooyoung cleared table sixteen slowly. She piled the empty coffee cups and wiped the tablecloth precisely.

She didn't enjoy her job. It was too repetitive.

"Yooyoung! Take this to table four!" a voice called from the kitchen.

Yooyoung sighed, but carried the green tea to a lonely man by the window.

"Thank you," he said, smiling sweetly. "Are you having a good day?"

"Not really. I wasn't cut out to be a waitress."

The man laughed. "My name's Luhan, what's yours?"

"Yooyoung," she said, realising where she knew him from. "Are you from that boy band?"

"Yeah, but I left." Luhan didn't seem to want to talk about it. "Um, have you heard this news?" He showed her the front page of the newspaper.

Yooyoung glanced around. The café was practically empty.

"Yooyoung!" It was the manager.

"Um, I need to go," Yooyoung said nervously. "I did hear the news, ah, very shocking. Bye."

Luhan watched her walk away, her checked dress floating about her thighs.

Suddenly, he felt two strong arms wrap around his waist and pull him into an embrace. "Yifan!" he exclaimed. "You came."

Yifan's lips kissed Luhan's head softly, before he sat in the seat across the table.

Yooyoung was getting told off by her manager, Nara. "You shouldn't spend too long chatting up the customers. Can't you see how busy the café is?"

Yooyoung knew better than to argue. She needed this job until she finished school. "I wasn't chatting him up," she muttered as she cleared table ten.

It was almost closing time when a beautiful woman walked into the café. She recognised Yooyoung instantly and gave her a sweet smile.

Yooyoung watched the woman put her pink bag on the chair next to her, never dropping eye contact. She tucked a strand of long, brown hair behind her ear and cocked an eyebrow.

Yooyoung smirked and walked over to the woman. "What would you like, Ara?" she asked, getting her notepad out.

"Could I have," the woman, Ara, pretended to scan the drinks board, "a str--"

"Strawberry milk?" Yooyoung asked, raising her eyebrows. Ara always ordered strawberry milk.

"That sounds wonderful. But," Ara added as the younger girl turned to leave, "could I have two please?"

"Are you meeting someone? It's nearly closing time."

"We won't stay here," Ara said with a smile.

Yooyoung brought the strawberry milks back to the table. "Five minutes," she warned.

Nara hurried out of the door immediately at seven o'clock, muttering a hasty "you lock up," to Yooyoung, chucking the spare keys to the younger and giving Ara an exasperated look. "Make sure everyone's out when you do," she called.

Yooyoung was sorting coins into the cash machine when she felt arms hug her from behind. Long hair tickling her cheek and she knew that Ara was leaning her head on Yooyoung's shoulder.

"Hello," she whispered playfully. "Will you join me for strawberry milk?"

Yooyoung glanced over to Ara's vacated table. The pink milk was untouched. "Um, I'm not supposed to..."

"Your boss isn't here," Ara continued softly.

Yooyoung gave in and sat with the older girl.

They drank the strawberry milk in silence. Yooyoung put hers down and licked her lips.

"You have a milk moustache," Ara laughed. She wiped across Yooyoung's upper lip with a dainty finger.

"Thank you," Yooyoung giggled.

"I have something to ask you," Ara said, sliding her hand onto her friend's. "Yooyoung...do you like me?" Yooyoung nodded, confused. "Then...maybe..." Ara blushed. "Would you like to go out sometime?"

"As a date?" Yooyoung asked. She paused. "Yes, I'd love to."

"So what does that make us?" Ara nudged the younger girl's shoulder. "Girlfriends?"

"I think so."

"Good. Do you want to go on a date tonight?"

Yooyoung was smiling from ear to ear. "Definitely."