Meet-cute
Genre: Fluff, unrequited love, friends-to-lovers
Pairing: Day 6 Jae x Reader
Length: One-Shot
Meet-cute [noun] /ˈmiːtˌkjuːt/:
(in a movie, etc.) a humorous or interesting situation in which two people meet, that leads to them developing a romantic relationship with each other. (Cambridge Dictionary)
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Absolutely Smitten (Dodie Clark)
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•••
Your 12-hour shift at the hospital just ended. The census hasn’t gone down for days and while you’ve gotten so good at convincing yourself that you’re strong and resilient, you can feel the weariness seep in through your bones.
While walking to your apartment, you noticed that the bookstore on the corner of the street has finally opened its doors. A part of you wanted to walk past it, visit another day when you’re not wearing your nurse’s uniform, tired and sweaty. But the urge to scan the book selection was much stronger and so you find yourself pushing its glass doors. The bell chimes welcome you.
The warm lights and the smell of new books were enough to calm your weary soul. The bookstore was smaller compared to the well-known ones located at the malls, but it had the organic and cozy vibe of a library which you’re very much well pleased with. And the fact that it’s not crowded yet means you’ll be able to roam around freely.
You were feeling giddy when you finally reached the non-fiction section. Your eyes scanned each title, looking for any familiar ones that could be in your TBR list.
Finally, you see a white spine, “When Breath Becomes Air.” You grabbed for it hastily which caused the books beside it to topple down.
You bowed down to reach for the books but a hand beat you to it.
“Oh thank you.” You said as you stood upright. The person was really tall that you had to tilt your head a little bit to be able to see their face. You held your breath as you stood face-to-face with a handsome, bespectacled, human being.
“Was just looking for this.” He smiled as he held the book you accidentally dropped—Being Mortal by Atul Gawande.
You pretended to be cool about it like it’s not at all a big deal to meet your ideal guy (superficially speaking) in one of your most favorite places.
“Yeah? Sorry for accidentally pushing it to its death.” It sounded alright in your mind but having said it in words made you internally cringe.
He held the book and scanned it for dents. He shrugged, “Nah, it survived the fall—despite being mortal, oh God, that was so bad.” He let out a hearty laugh which you swore could melt an iceberg. “Anyway, thanks!” He smiles once more before turning his back.
Your heart deflated a little bit. Sharing a joke with a handsome stranger at the bookstore. Isn’t that the perfect recipe for a meet-cute? Except you’ll probably never meet again. Just another statistic of your “could-have-beens”.
Well, he could have asked for your name or YOU could have offered a book suggestion. Except he probably doesn’t find you attractive enough and you don’t have the guts to make the first move on a stranger.
You shrugged the thought away. Too much Kdramas and romcoms do screw your brain a little bit. You looked at your book once more. Right, maybe you should just fill your mind more with philosophies and thought-provoking stuff. Nonetheless, you can’t contain the smile forming on your face. Butterflies should stay in the gardens and not on your guts.
•••
When you said that book guy is just another statistic of a failed meet-cute, you were pleasantly surprised to find yourself wrong.
Two months later, you’re at a coffee shop waiting in line when you spot him sitting near the window.
He was wearing a white uniform, busy typing on the laptop in front of him. Unlike the scattered papers on his table, he looked serene. He adjusts his eyeglasses and you notice how slender and beautiful his fingers are.
“He’s a student.” You thought. Before you knew it, you started computing for your possible age gap. Given it has only been a year since you’ve graduated, 5 years would be the maximum gap if he’s a freshman. You cringed at the thought of dating someone younger. Moreover, you cringed at the thought that you’d actually date someone out of your league.
“Good morning! What’s your order?” The barista’s voice booms as if calling you out back to reality.
“Oh…yeah, uhh..” You proceeded to recite your order and another 5 orders of your co-nurses at SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit).
Waiting for your orders, you purposefully sat on a table that could give you the best vision of him in a very lowkey manner. Whatever that is.
You tried your best to be nonchalant but your eyes would subtly glance at him.
Oh wow, is that a great view from the window? You thought as you glide your eyes to where he was. To your surprise, he was looking at you too.
You dropped your gaze for a few seconds and looked up at him once again. He was smiling and your heart starts to palpitate.
Did he recognize you?
You watch him raise his hand, waving.
Entranced, you almost waved back but a person walks past you, her white skirt blocking your view of him. You watched her sit right in front of the book guy. Your book guy. She was wearing the same uniform as him. A classmate. A really pretty classmate.
You clenched your hand. You felt embarrassed, angry even. Angry at yourself for always expecting that someone would actually look at you. And stupid for thinking that meeting your soulmate would eventually be as exciting and memorable as the Kdramas.
The barista calls your name and you get up. You picked your orders and left without turning back.
•••
The thing about reality and romance is that not every encounter will be explosive. No, it won’t be as fast as love at first sight. Sometimes, love would come in the most mundane and gradual way possible.
A week later, you’d see book guy at your workplace. He’s one of the two med students on their clerkship assigned in your unit. He’d introduce himself as “Jae” and before you could do the same, he’d utter your name and everyone would be curious to know how you knew each other.
You’d dread the fact that he’d recognize your embarrassing moment at the coffee shop but he’d say that he actually recalls meeting you at the book store. And that he just read your name from your name tag.
Days, weeks passed.
Coincidence or not, your schedule would almost be the same and so you’d spend most of your shifts with Jae. You’d almost feel tired answering his seemingly endless questions.
You’d give him a heads up on what to expect on his first observation in the OR and he’d let you borrow a book in return.
You’d still catch yourself sneaking a glance at him but work would eventually drown his presence.
You’d sometimes spend your lunch together and you’d learn that you share the same taste of music and that he plays an instrument too.
You never seemed to run out of things to talk to and sometimes—a lot of times, you’d entertain that idea that he could actually like you.
But you knew that expectations lead to disappointments so you’d eventually settle your heart that whatever you had is just purely platonic friendship and you’d convince yourself that you are totally fine with that.
You thought that once he leaves your unit, whatever connection you had will mellow down. But then he asks for your number and his first text would be “Started benign in the morning, now I just assisted in delivering a baby. Is it normal to feel like crying?”
He’d send you memes about cats and your fave shows and soon you’d develop your inside jokes.
You tried your best to keep cool and ignore the butterflies but then something actually happens.
1 year later, he’d confess to you in the same coffee shop.
"I like you. I really like you." He said.
You’d be left speechless and be teary-eyed.
“How…? When?” You’d ask.
He said he could not forget how he was amused at your facial expression when you were picking your book at the bookstore. He said he would have stricken a longer conversation if not for his dad waiting on his car who was his ride at that time.
At the coffee shop, he noticed you while you recited the lengthy orders of your workmates and he was impressed.
He did smile at you but his classmate and partner in a school activity coincidentally arrived.
And no, he did not read your name tag. He knew about it when he heard the barista called you and he remembered.
When he saw the hospital he was interning at, he wondered if you’d be there. When he saw you at the unit he was first assigned at, his heart felt like it could jump out of his chest. He thought it was “fate” and it felt like fate because your schedules would usually coincide. He said knowing you more each day excites him and gives him joy. You were his kindred spirit and confidant. You just clicked.
And just like that, your unrequited-love streak comes to an end.
"Thank you." You answered and Jae's eyes started to quiver. He opens his mouth but no words came out.
Realizing your mistake you started to say sorry which made everything worse.
Jae forced himself to smile but you can see the pain in his eyes. He thought he was being rejected!
You took his right hand on the table and held it firmly. "I like you too, Jae."
His eyes widened and he started laughing.
"Oh God, I can't believe I'm capable of having 5 different kinds of emotions in less than 10 seconds."
"Cute," you muttered.
"Did you just call me cute!?"
You shook your head and smiled. "I mean... I guess you're my meet-cute after all."
-END-
