𓆩⚝𓆪

“And?” Sunghoon repeated skeptically. “You don’t think it's annoying? I mean, come on. I’m clearly the more handsome friend.”

Jay finally glanced over, unimpressed. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Sunghoon grinned, unbothered. “The real question is… why don’t you ever find anyone cute? Like, ever? Are you secretly an alien or just ridiculously picky?”

Jay exhaled, setting the cloth down. “I don’t know? I have standards?”

Sunghoon groaned, throwing his arms up.

“Standards? Dude, you’re just making excuses for not being able to pull.” He chuckled, leaning in, eyes narrowing. “What’s it gonna take for someone to actually catch your eye?”

Jay simply shrugged. “Someone I don’t get tired of.”

Sunghoon stared at him before letting out a dramatic sigh. “So basically, a miracle.”

Jay smirked, returning to cleaning. “Something like that.”

It was a slow day at the cafe, nothing but the steady hum of the espresso machine and the occasional rustling of chairs. The quiet was interrupted by the soft chime of the doorbell, signaling a new customer.

Sunghoon glanced up from his place behind the counter and stretched lazily. "Hey, can you handle this one? I need to use the bathroom."

Jay nodded, tossing aside the rag he’d been using to wipe down tables before stepping up to the register.

"Hello, ma’am, what would you like to orde-" His voice faltered mid-sentence as he looked up.

His body went rigid, frozen in place like a deer in headlights.

There you were, standing in front of him with a bright, easygoing smile.

Why did his heart feel like it had been kicked into overdrive?

Something about you was different, almost unreal in the warm afternoon glow streaming through the windows. The soft curve of your lips, the effortless way you carried yourself, the quiet confidence in your gaze, it was disarming.

"Hi, may I get a peach ade with a bacon cheese sandwich?" you asked, completely unaware of the effect you had on him.

Jay blinked. Stared a bit too long.

Shit, stop staring. Stop staring.

Then, realizing he was just standing there like an idiot, he snapped back into reality, fumbling for the register.

"Oh uh- okay, that uhh- would uh be… fifteen total... May I uhm- get your name, please?" he stammered, mentally cursing himself for sounding like a fool.

You tilted your head slightly before chuckling at his flustered state, giving him your name and the money before making your way to a seat by the window.

Jay exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus as he keyed in your order.

What the heck was that Jay

He was praying to the gods above that Sunghoon did not see his fumble.

Too bad the gods were busy today.

Jay barely had a moment to breathe before Sunghoon leaned in, his voice low with amusement.

"What the hell was that? You so find her cute" he whispered, eyes twinkling with mischief.

Jay shot him a sharp look. "Be quiet. And make the bacon cheese."

But Sunghoon wasn’t done. "Oh hoo hoo, someone's a bit defensive. Looks like you have a type, my friend. Cute ones, huh?"

Jay scowled, but his glare only made Sunghoon chuckle as he walked off. "Can’t wait to tell Jake about this" he added teasingly before disappearing into the kitchen.

Left alone, Jay sighed, turning back to prepare your peach ade.

Except now, it was impossible not to glance over at you.

The way your skin glowed under the afternoon light, the effortless way you tucked your hair behind your ear, the soft smile playing on your lips as you scrolled through your phone, it was distracting. Too distracting.

Oh god, she’s so beautiful-

Oh, fuck-

The sound of ice overflowing snapped Jay out of his daze, spilling past the edges of the plastic cup. His eyes widened in panic as he scrambled to fix it, stammering under his breath while dumping the mess and starting over. And to make matters worse his best buddy started laughing by the grill.

Sunghoon was never going to let this go.

Jay had one thought running through his head as he prepared your drink, this has to be perfect.

“Okay, lover boy, try blinking sometime. Your eyes look like they’re gonna pop out from how hard you’re concentrating” he teased, placing the finished sandwich at the pick-up zone.

Jay ignored him, waving him off as he continued making your peach ade, though his focus kept slipping. He risked another glance… just a quick one.

But then you looked up at him.

F-ck.

Jay immediately dropped his gaze, a sharp blush creeping across his cheeks.

Shit- how long have I been staring at her?

Mentally punching himself, he scrambled to finish your drink, shaking off his nerves. He set the cup on the counter, stepping away to grab a tray, he might as well serve it properly.

But when he turned back, Sunghoon was holding the peach ade, inspecting it.

Jay narrowed his eyes. “What? Is there something wrong with it?”

Sunghoon’s smirk was downright criminal as he hastily set the cup back down. “No, no, nothing’s wrong” he said, far too innocently.

Jay rolled his eyes, placing the sandwich and drink onto the tray before finally heading toward you, willing himself to stay calm.

Let’s see how long that lasts.

Jay approached your table carefully, placing the tray down with practiced ease. "Hello, here’s your order, ma’am" he greeted softly.

You looked up, smiling. “Thank you…” Your eyes flickered down, scanning the name tag pinned to his chest.

“… Jay.”

His heart stopped.

God dammit, Jongseong, snap out of it.

Jay barely managed to stammer out, "I uh- your welcome" before making a hasty exit, not before nearly tripping over a nearby table. He scurried behind the counter, face burning with embarrassment as Sunghoon broke into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Nice one, rizzler" Sunghoon mocks, snorting between gasps for air.

"Whatever" Jay grumbled, turning on the sink to wash his hands. "Just leave it be. It’s not like I’ll see her again."

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow, twirling a pen between his fingers. "Are you sure about that?"

Jay paused, slowly turning to him in an exaggeratedly comical way, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing" Sunghoon said, faking his innocence. "Just being the best hecking wingman on earth." His proud smirk made Jay’s stomach sink.

Immediately, Jay turned back toward you.

You were holding the cup, inspecting something closely, your fingers brushing over the writing. His chest tightened as he audibly gasped.

"What did you put on the cup?" Jay hissed, already feeling the panic rise.

"Did you make me look like a weirdo? a creep??" He grabbed Sunghoon by the shoulders, shaking him with newfound urgency.

Before Sunghoon could answer, the cafe bell rang.

Jay stilled. You were at the counter, waiting.

Sunghoon chuckled, nudging Jay forward. "Better go find out for yourself.”

Jay swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep his voice steady.

"Hi uh-, how can I help you?"

You smiled softly, handing him your peach ade and half-eaten sandwich. "I was just wondering if I could get these to go?"

Ah, shit.

Jay stiffened. You were leaving.

Did she think I was a creep? Or worse, did Sunghoon's dumbass message on the cup scare her off?

"Oh, yeah, of course" he replied quickly, taking your items to fix them up for takeout. He walked into the back room to grab a bag, only to find Sunghoon waiting for him, arms crossed.

"Thanks a lot, hoon. You made her leave. She probably thinks I’m a creep" Jay grumbled.

Sunghoon scoffed. "What? I literally just put a ‘ur cute’… Welp, nice try, dude. Maybe you’re just not her type."

Jay rolled his eyes dramatically. "Ouch."

Still feeling weirdly defeated, Jay finished packing your order, stepping back out to the counter.

He tried to keep his composure, pretending this was just another normal customer exchange, but the sting of rejection lingered.

Oh well.

He handed you the bag, managing a small smile. "Here’s your takeout."

"Thank you." You reached for the bag, and for a fleeting second, Jay noticed a soft shade of pink rising onto your cheeks.

Odd.

He didn’t question it, until you hesitated, glancing at the counter.

"Uh… can you throw this out for me?" You placed a slightly crumpled napkin on the surface, offering him a quick smile before hurriedly making your way out of the cafe.

Jay raised an eyebrow, confused.

Then, he looked down at the napkin.

His eyes widened.

"SHE GAVE ME HER NUMBER" he exclaimed, voice borderline frantic.

Jay stared at the napkin in utter disbelief, his grip tightening around the flimsy paper like it was some kind of sacred relic. His pulse hammered in his ears.

From the back room, Sunghoon’s head popped out, eyes wide. "SHE DID?!"

Jay had never felt this much excitement, his face breaking into the goofiest grin imaginable. He barely registered Sunghoon stepping closer, eyeing the napkin with intrigue.

"Dude, close your mouth, you’re gonna catch a fly" Sunghoon teased, glancing down at the messy scribble of numbers on the paper.

Jay didn’t hear him. His eyes darted toward the cafe window, spotting you disappearing down the street.

I should text her. Definitely should text her… later.

He just leaned against the counter, exhaling a breathless chuckle.

"Wow…" he muttered, still dazed. "This is the kind of junk that would get a standing ovation in a landfill."

A beat of silence.

Sunghoon scoffed. "Genuinely, remind me never to assist you in anything ever again. I fear enabling whatever this is."

Jay rolled his eyes, finally snapping out of it, folding the napkin neatly and then placing it in his pocket safely.

Looks like miracles do happen after all.