we fell in love. | hwang hyunjin

03

lecture ends, and i'm stuck wondering how the hell i'm going to pass this exam because the professor goes off topic, like okay, no one needs to know about your Britney Spears addiction. they want to know the answers to the exam. my hair's a disheveled mess when i exit the lecture hall, and everything only seems to get slightly better when i spot hyunjin wearing a "Sam's Coffee" work shirt.

cute.

"the usual," i said casually, pretending to be some kind of posh customer at Starbucks Coffee.

hyunjin scoffs and hands me my order. "here's your iced chocolate. what kind of monster are you? why not just buy chocolate milk and pour it over ice? you can't even tell the difference," he complains.

"it makes all the difference when it's made with your love," i tease, taking a sip of my drink. i was a little surprised that hyunjin had prepared my order beforehand. it brings a little flutter to my stomach when he does things like this because it shows that he does think of me.

however, hyunjin's very wrong because there are so many elements to iced chocolate. there's the powder, the milk, and then the blender. many baristas make the mistake of mixing powdered chocolate with hot milk and pour it over ice when you're supposed to combine the milk and powder in the blender and then pour it over ice. it tastes more like a smoothie that way. chocolate milk is just.... inferior.

the tips of hyunjins' ears start to grow red at my comment. "i poisoned it, believe it or not," he chuckles, wiping his damp hands on the apron around his waist.

i wonder how many drinks he made today as i'm drinking the iced chocolate. "must suck to pay rent solo then," i retort calmly. hyunjin's a dance major, he doesn't know anything about poison like the pre-pharms do. "hey, i think i'm gonna stay at the library to study. what time do you head back?"

"like 9PM? don't count on it," hyunjin tells me with a slight pout on his lips. he usually gets carried away in the dance studio with its dim lights, polished floors, and complete silence. it's his solace, and best of all, it's free for dance majors.

"hmm, text me?" i asked with expectant eyes.

"because you hate taking the bus alone at night?" hyunjin smirks and pretends to re-sort the paper coffee cups even though they're perfectly stacked. he sort of likes it when people rely on him, though i rarely do, and he thinks that you should more often because it's nice to have someone there for you when family is so far away. that's what he thinks.

i blushed, and in a rush, i said, "no. i was thinking that you might like the company." really i don't like taking buses alone at night unless i'm at home, in bed, and watching a movie on Netflix.

"we'll see," he teases. hyunjin knows for sure that he's taking the bus with me at night, but he wants to see the exasperated frown on my face for a bit longer after i disrupted his peaceful shower. ugh he's so annoying.

"are you going to order something else?" he continues. then, he leans closer and whispers in my ear. "because you're holding up the line."

it's noon now, and Sam's Coffee gets an awful lot of customers during passing period. with a huff, i take one of the granola bars on the stand and slam two crisp dollar bills on the counter. "i hope you spill coffee on yourself," i spite.

"i hope you fall asleep while studying," hyunjin challenges, failing to keep a straight face.

my entire body groans when he says those words.

hyunjin's probably right because there's nothing more exciting than pages and pages of PDFs to go through. moreover, i'm probably going to end up daydreaming half the time— like what's hyunjin doing at the moment, or what's hyunjin eating for lunch or if he's even eating a proper lunch. he really needs to set some time aside regardless of how busy his schedule is... wow, hyunjin is seriously taking over my thoughts today.