Feeling Brew

~9~

She waved the storm of dust aside as she pulled her old scrapbook out from under her bed. The glitter on the cover was starting to fade, but she still smiled seeing it. Her name was scrawled on the front in what she had thought was perfect cursive back then. Her eyes followed the title, and a blush took over her cheeks.

My First Love by Bae Mi Ran

When she opened the cover, she saw her class pictures from 3rd through 12th grade. He had started off cute, but throughout the years, he had matured into an attractive boy whom she slowly started falling for more and more. Had they ever talked? No. Did he know she existed? Of course, but there were times he seemed to purposely ignore her presence. Despite her image, she was the type to watch from afar. She was scared to act on her feelings, especially after being compared to Irene all her life.

Irene was tall, confident, beautiful without makeup, and a literal genius. Mi Ran, on the other hand, had to stock up on concealer to hide her insecurities. Her hair always looked like a bird's nest when she woke up, so she tried to be awake before the sun to curl it. She spent up to thirty minutes the night before picking out clothes to wear the next day whereas her twin could effortlessly throw on anything and look perfect. Mi Ran was only fearless on the outside. The person living behind that confident walk and talk was pathetic and miserable.

She looked at their 12th grade class photo and sighed. His jawline was prominent, and he smiled shyly next to her. Her eyes slid down to his name printed at the bottom.

"Moon Taeil," she whispered, "how come you won't notice me?"

~~~

Isla hesitated before pulling the door open. The familiar jingle of bells greeted her, and she gulped when she saw Taeil standing in his barista's apron at the counter. He looked pretty absorbed as he took orders and rushed to fill them.

She slid into a seat by the window, waiting for Irene. Isla made the mistake of glancing over at the counter, and she locked eyes with the boy. He promptly coughed and peeled his eyes away as if he'd seen something he wasn't supposed to.

Wow, so he's really gonna be like this, huh? Isla was jarred from her thoughts when Irene drummed her fingers on the table to get her attention.

"Ready to order?" she asked.

Isla nodded, but she knew ordering meant she'd have to talk to him.

They slowly walked up to the counter, and Irene smiled at the names of the drinks on the menu. They were quirky and different, but that's what made Feeling Brew so unique.

"I'll take The Revolution. What about you, Isla?"

Isla sighed. "Gimme an Explanation."

Taeil froze. "Come again?"

"An Explanation? The chocolate mocha?" Isla pointed to it on the menu, and Taeil went beet red.

"Oh." Taeil scurried to prepare the drinks, ignoring the irony of the situation. She probably had misunderstood everything. Getting counseling wasn't wrong. It was just... that man. The barista had desperately avoided him for years, but now the man felt really close. Was he being watched? Had he found him again?

"Here you are. The Revolution and an Explanation." Taeil pushed their drinks towards them, and Irene smirked.

"He thinks he's too good to talk to us, huh? Let's sit. We have a lot to talk about."

They snagged a seat in the corner away from Taeil's line of view, which Isla was thankful for. She knew he was secretly judging her for getting help.