safe place || k.v.m

one

"babe."

there's a hum, though rather clearly not much of an attentive one.

"please, drop your phone already."

this time, there's a groan, "what do you want?"

it doesn't sound particularly negative but it's for sure loud enough to drag the attention of nearby customers towards it; nari can't help but shoot the guy seated by the other side of the table a slight glare, cheeks burning in embarrassment, mouth letting out a deep sigh. he doesn't seem the slightest bit bothered by it though as he mindlessly keeps his elbow propped on the table, chin resting in one hand, the other holding onto the device he's currently browsing social medias on.

nari glances back and forth between her boyfriend and his phone and even though she can't see what's shown on the screen, an undeniable sense of concern fills her upon noticing how he scrolls, double taps, scrolls, double taps, repeat - an action she's pretty certain comes from liking instagram posts. as the thought sinks down on her, she starts feeling the said concern slowly but surely mix with annoyance. "seriously, daehwan, we haven't spent time together in forever, what's so important that you can't let your phone down for just one minute?"

there's another groan and much to her surprise, daehwan momentarily places his phone down on the table to look at her. only momentarily. "what's wrong, why're you being so damn possessive today?"

"I'm possessive?" the word rings in her head, sounding almost as irritating as a never-ending cuckoo clock; the adjective isn't one nari prefers to be described as, not when she has taken the rare treasure called free time to get ready for a date, physically as well as emotionally, dressed up perhaps a bit more than usual, hair done with a tad more care than most days. on top of that, as much as she tries to forget it, the thought that she could've been studying for stressful and upcoming exams at this very moment is stuck in her mind like something caught in spider web.

all that for a date which, truthfully, looks more like two strangers who were forced to share table just because the rest of the coffee shop was crowded - which it really isn't, for that matter. all that, only to be called possessive.

that said, as frustrating as it may be and as much as nari wants to throw that cursed phone out the window next to the couple, she doesn't, knowing better than both pushing her boyfriend's wrong button and starting a commotion in the otherwise calm, warm coffee shop. instead, she takes a deep breath, speaking as she exhales, "listen, the only thing I'm aski-"

"a pumkin latte with extra whipped cream and a plain coffee!"

at the voice chiming next to them, nari turns to look at the barista who had previously taken their orders, smiling at him as he places the hot drinks in front of the two. "thank you!"

she watches as the barista slightly bows before watching him disappear, but when daehwan suddenly scoffs and she shifts her gaze back at him, she's met by an arched eyebrow, "what was that?"

"what was what?"

he nods towards the direction the barista had gone off to, "what were you looking at him like that for?"

nari is the one to let out a scoff now, one of disbelief, "it's called manners, dae." even though she manages keeping her voice down, her patience has grown thin at this point and thus can't stop herself from adding, "something you obviously don't have."

daehwan slams his phone against the table, hard enough for her to wonder if he could possibly have broken its screen for a short second. she notes how the impact sends vibrations up their mugs and spills some of the contents onto the wooden surface. just as fast though, she looks back at him when he mumbles, bitterness lacing his voice,

"did you say something?"

nari blinks at him, staying quiet for a few seconds in sheer disbelief. in the end, a deep sigh of clear exhausts emits from her,

"let's just go home, I've got some stuff to do anyway."

she watches how daehwan gets up from his seat with close to no hesitation. while he turns around, she takes a moment to glance at the steaming hot drinks on the table and can't help but feel guilty over just leaving them there; shaking her head, she makes sure to leave an extra tip next to the mugs before catching up with her boyfriend.

disappointment staining her features, nari thinks for herself,

"now, wasn't that one hell of a date?"