Feeling Brew

~29~

"I know I put that pain patch around here somewhere," Taeil groaned. "Ah, found it!"

He peeled the tabs off and lifted up his shirt, wincing as he pressed the pain patch on the small of his back. It was another long, rainy day at the coffee shop, and Taeil was stuck alone behind the counter. Taehyung was apparently working on a business project with the girl he liked.

"Wish I could relate," he sighed as he turned up the volume on the bossa nova playing overhead.

Rain drummed on the roof, adding to the light percussion in the Brazilian jazz. Thunder created a booming bass that rattled the ceiling-to-floor glass panel windows. Anyone in their right mind would be at home tucked under their warm covers on a day like today. But at least he didn't have to interact with customers.

Taeil pulled out his notepad and looked over some new lyrics he had scribbled down at the start of his shift. Now that he was preparing to debut in a boy group, he tried to write a little everyday. The entertainment company had already booked him to record his song "Because of You" that he had written for last year's song project.

He felt a vibration in his back pocket and reached for his phone.

A storm is moving into Busan and will stay for the next couple of days, so take caution when driving and avoid flooded areas.

Taeil didn't mind. Rainy days were his favorite because that meant less interaction with people, even if he had finally cured his off-stage fright. His phone buzzed again, but this time, it was from Johnny.

Mark, Jooheon, Irene, and Mi Ran want to meet up later. You down?

He wished he had the energy to hang out, but the weather was draining him. And, of course, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl he'd never be able to forget. The bossa nova overhead was nice, but right now, there was only one voice he wanted to hear.

Taeil shuffled through his playlist and turned on a Geo song- one of her saddest that complemented the rainy day beyond the front door. Her voice was indescribable. Powerful was an understatement. Isla never looked like a fragile person, but imagining that voice come out from those lungs blew the barista away. He backed up against the counter, letting each word sink in. It seemed like just yesterday she had told him she couldn't sing. Little did he know who she was and how melodic her voice was.

Her laugh, her smile- it was imprinted in his mind, yet he struggled to remember her features. They said only time could heal, but each day hurt just as much as before.

Johnny had tried everything to cheer him up, but Taeil was pretty sure his best friend knew that he was still not over the foreigner. Jooheon had tried to set him up on a blind date, but that went downhill as soon as Taeil got there. His mouth had automatically sealed itself shut, and he couldn't bring himself to say one word, not even a small "hello."

What stung more was seeing everyone around him fall in love. Johnny fell for Mi Ran more and more each day. Jooheon kept denying his feelings for Irene, but Taeil could tell he was crushing hard. And Mark seemed to be talking to someone, as well. That left Taeil on his own, trying to be happy for his friends while struggling to fill the empty space in his heart.

The lyrics on his notepad taunted him. Every song he wrote ended up being about love. Some songs captured the pretty aspects while others noted the rough patches. Love was both beautiful and painful. Before Isla, he hadn't known that feeling of desperation- that someone would do anything to keep the person they loved by their side. His whole concept of love was twisted. All he had seen growing up were his parents arguing and bickering nonstop. After the divorce, what was he supposed to believe in?

But Isla had changed all of that. Love came in different forms. This painful storm raging inside him was also a form of love. Many nights, he had sat down with a cup of chamomile tea with his finger hovering over her contact. Isla was just one call away, but he figured she isolated herself because she didn't want to be bothered. For all he knew, the foreigner could have already moved on and found someone else.

Geo's voice lulled throughout the silence. Her voice dripped with honey, and the vibrato at the end of each word set off goosebumps on his arms. He rolled up his sleeves, examining the damage, quickly switching the song back to the familiar bossa nova that had been playing earlier.

I miss you, he thought as he lay his head face-down on the counter, tangling his fingers in his hair.

The bells on the front door jingled as a new customer entered the coffee shop, and Taeil reluctantly picked himself up and forced a smile on his weary face. Whoever was out in the storm must not be in their right mind.

"What can I get for you?" he asked before meeting her gaze.

Her blonde hair fell pin-drop straight, soaked from the rain. And her piercing green eyes were stormier than the chaos outside. Her pink lips curled into a smile, and Taeil's heart leaped into his throat.

Time seemed to come to a standstill. Neither of them had to say a word to understand the emotions running through their minds. All the words he had wanted to tell her for the past two months got caught in his throat, and he blinked away the tears pooling in his eyes.

Isla stepped forward, placing her small hand over his to convince him that this was all very real. With the bossa nova overhead, the storm outside, and the empty shop, Taeil was swept back to the memory of the first time the two had formally met.

And just like back then, she murmured the same line. "Surprise me."

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Question of the imagine: What's your favorite cup of coffee?  I really like mochas because they're sweet :)