Haru Haru 하루 하루 / Day by Day (Donghae Fan Fiction)

Chapter 3

Two weeks have past and life is slowly becoming normal for Tasha. Well, normal for a person still in a foreign place and having only two friends that she can talk to normally.

"Good evening, Tasha. Iced Americano?" Donghwa greeted Tasha, accustomed to seeing her at least twice a day at Haru & One Day for her coffee fix. On most days though, she went to the cafe three times to get her dinner there as well. It was 5pm now and she was later than normal for her 2nd coffee fix.

"Yes, please add 2 extra shots. It's been a long day of final shopping for the office. I am beyond tired and still have emails to reply." Tasha plopped down on the nearest seat to the counter and rested her forehead on her hands that she placed on the table.

Donghwa smiled at her antics. Even though it has only been about two weeks since the first time they met, she has quickly become a good friend to him. They have shared a lot of stories that he felt like he has known her for a long time instead of only two weeks.

"Because I am a nice person, here is the Iced Americano with two extra shots you ordered. It's on the house." Donghwa tried to lighten up the mood but Tasha just looked up, took the cup and whispered a soft thank you. Donghwa understood that she might need to be alone, so he went to clean the tabletops.

A couple hours past and Tasha was still busy typing away on her laptop. Donghwa contemplated collecting the empty plate of chicken wrap that she finished while still doing her work. He didn't want to interrupt her while she was focusing.

Out of the blue, a lightning strike nearby and a loud thunder followed milliseconds later. A soft squeal was heard and Donghwa looked at the direction it came from and saw Tasha with her face in her hands.

"Shit, I really hate lightning. It scares the crap out of me." Tasha muttered in English to no one. In the midst of her focus and replying emails in English, Tasha forgot that she was in Korea. Tasha quickly stood up and started packing her things.

"Where are you going?" Donghwa asked, shocked to see the sudden quick movements.

"I have to ride home. I don't want to be caught in the rain." Tasha said without looking up. Still busy trying to remove the laptop charger from the socket below the table.

"Oh no. You are not going to ride with the weather like this. Stay, maybe the cloud will pass?" Donghwa suggested. He was really worried as he had seen how his brother had met him fully drenched at times. He knows people can fall sick after they were caught in the rain.

"It's already late. What if it rains till you close your cafe? I can't sleep here tonight." Tasha stopped packing and looked at Donghwa with a worried look. She was so mentally exhausted, she was not able to think of a better option.

"I can't leave yet to send you home but my brother said that he wants to visit me here tonight. We haven't seen each other for weeks now. He stays nearby too. He can give you a lift?" Donghwa offered. He knew his brother wouldn't mind.

Tasha sat back down in her seat, fully processing what Donghwa just said. She has not met Donghwa's brother and she was genuinely worried if he would mind. She didn't want to trouble others and appear pitiful as she is alone in a foreign country and didn't own a car as she chose to have a motorcycle instead.

"Don't worry, he really won't mind. I'm sure you guys will hit it off pretty quickly. He is just like me, just a little bit quieter." Donghwa reassured Tasha as he approached her table to collect the empty plate. "Do you want a cake to cheer you up? Our staff makes a mean carrot cake that can cheer you up!"

"It's alright. Do you happen to have a secret menu? I am really craving for a vanilla milkshake right now. It can instantly make me feel better." Tasha looked at Donghwa with what she thought was the cutest puppy dog eyes that she could make.