a/n: i'm so sorry this took so long ughhh Ω©(Λα£Λ*)Ω i have edited this so many times that i genuinely can't tell if it's good anymore or if i've just stared at it for too long π
Pairings: Sae Itoshi x Fem!Reader
Synopsis: Who knew giving up the last cup of coffee would lead to you being friends with the Sae Itoshi?
Warnings: slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers, university au, library au, fluff, comfort, slice of life, yearning, soft!sae, itoshi sae x reader, blue lock x reader
You looked down at your watch.
Time sure flies when you're reading classic literature.
Before you knew it, you'd been tucked away in the library for nearly three hours. You'd gotten out of class early and decided to spend the afternoon reading, figuring you may as well make the most of being on campus before heading back to your dorm.
You honestly thought you'd be sick of books by now.
After writing three essays and reading ten articles this week, you should've been completely nauseous at the sight of another page. But somehow, reading felt different when it was your choice. Without deadlines or professors looming over your shoulders, it reminded you why you'd fallen in love with literature in the first place.
Truthfully, you didn't spend much time in your room during the day.
Not because you didn't like it, but because it was simply too far away.
The student accommodation sat tucked behind the university, far enough that walking back between classes always felt like more effort than it was worth. If you went home, you'd only have to turn around and make the same trek back again, so instead, you'd fallen into the habit of staying on campus until your day was over.
It helped that there was always somewhere to be.
If you weren't in the library, you were tucked into a quiet corner of a cafΓ©, wandering through a bookstore, or sitting beneath one of the trees with a book in your lap. Campus always seemed to have a gentle buzz about it; conversations drifting through open courtyards, coffee machines humming, students rushing between lectures. It made the hours between classes pass surprisingly quickly.
Besides, your dorm wasn't going anywhere.
You loved your little ensuite. It was cosy, filled with overflowing bookshelves, plants you'd somehow managed to keep alive, and little trinkets you'd collected from holidays and thrift shops over the years.
Most evenings, your friends wandered in and out as if the hallway belonged to all of you. Someone was always knocking on a door to borrow something, invite everyone over for dinner, or convince the others to watch a movie. Your favourite nights were the spontaneous sleepovers that somehow ended with too many snacks, too many blankets, and far too little sleep.
Lately, though, the hall had been quieter than usual.
With the semester break only a week away, most of your friends were either already packing to go home or talking excitedly about family trips. Soon enough, the hallway would be almost empty.
You carefully tucked your bookmark between the pages before slipping the book back into your bag.
It was getting late, and the walk back to your dorm was still a long one.
Fortunately, the campus cafΓ© happened to be on the way.
A warm drink sounded like the perfect companion for the walk home.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
Practice was cancelled today.
Sae sat on his couch, his shoes already on, his things in his bag, and his phone in his hands as he read the message from his coach again.
-Coach-
Practice is cancelled today. Don't come.
π 6 π1 π2
He read it again, then he read his teammates replies.
-Bachira-
THANK YOU COACH I LOVE YOU SO MUCHπππ
-Coach-
Just rest Rin.
π1
-Kunigami-
Understood. I'll use the day well.
-Isagi-
Okay.
Actually, can i get the footage from our last match?
Sae didn't bother replying. He shut his phone and just stared into space. Practice was never cancelled, it'd always either be moved earlier or later, but never cancelled.
Sae didn't know what to do for a while before getting up and changing into more casual clothes. He came back into the living room and sat back down on his couch.
He tried to get comfortable but he couldn't. Truth be told he was almost never home, he never truly sat on his couch and relaxed; he's pretty sure he's actually never even used his TV other than when he was watching football. His apartment was filled with furniture and things he never used, they were all for show, really.
5PM to 8PM on Mondays through Fridays had always been taken up by practice. He never really had this time to himself.
He thought about going to practice by himself anyway.
He immediately stopped himself, he practiced enough already, surely one day of rest couldn't be that bad? Plus, he went to the gym this morning, so he already got his workout in today.
He glanced at his bookcase.
He walked over and grabbed the book he borrowed recently.
He then made his way to his fridge, he opened the fridge door. A few bottles of water sat neatly on the shelf. A carton of milk, some fruit, and containers of food he'd bought days ago but never touched.
Everything was organised, but nothing looked appealing.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually eaten at home, let alone cook.
The fridge was full enough, at least, it should've been enough. But standing alone in his kitchen, staring at the neatly organised shelves, Sae realised he didn't actually want to eat.
He wanted something else.
He just wasn't sure what.
Sae always had something to drink when he was reading. Sometimes coffee, mostly tea, but tonight Sae was craving coffee. He opened his drawers, no coffee. He opened his cupboards, no coffee.
The one time he actually wanted to drink coffee and it was nowhere to be found. He could just make tea, but he really wasn't craving tea at the moment.
He just thinks that coffee would be nice, that's all.
It wasn't like he was going out because he didn't want to sit alone in his apartment right now.
He grabbed his jacket, keys and left out the door. Before coming back in and grabbing his forgotten book. He couldn't really read without his book, could he?
He left his apartment, locked the door behind him and made his way to the cafe near the university. Gripping his book tighter as he walked.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
You had just arrived at the cafe, standing in line while debating between getting a latte or a cup of tea. The cafe was busier than usual, filled with the quiet chatter of students and the occasional sound of cups being placed on the counter. You glanced up at the menu one last time, still unable to decide.
Then the chime above the cafe door rang.
You looked back toward the menu, shrugging to yourself before freezing and doing a double take.
If you had a nickel for every time you saw Sae Itoshi this week, you would have two nickels. It wasn't much, but it was still strange that it happened twice in the same week.
You had gone nearly two years without ever running into him. Now you'd seen him twice, both times in places you regularly went to.
You shook the thought away. Maybe you were reading too much into it. It wasn't unusual to bump into other students on campus. Sure, not many of them happened to be the university's star midfielder, but still. You didn't own the cafe, he was allowed to be here.
Besides, he probably hadn't even noticed you. To him, you were probably just another face in the crowd.
Sae joined the line beside you, waiting patiently for the person in front of him to finish ordering. You glanced over briefly, only to quickly look away again.
The cashier's voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked up and immediately realized there was no one in front of you anymore.
You glanced toward the other register and noticed Sae was already standing at the counter.
Heat rushed to your face as you realized you'd been standing there long enough for the cashier to call you twice. You quickly stepped forward with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry." You mumbled before glancing up at the menu again.
"Can I please get a large latte, to go?"
"One large iced Americano."
They turned to look at each other, their expressions becoming slightly panicked as they glanced toward the coffee machine.
"Umβ¦" Your cashier started.
The other cashier gave an awkward smile. "We only have enough espresso left for one more coffeeβ¦"
You looked over at Sae before giving him a polite smile.
"That's alright," you said, gesturing toward him. "You can have it."
Sae immediately looked over.
"No." He refused. "It's fine. You ordered first."
"Honestly, tea is probably the better choice for me this late anyway." You laughed softly. "I was debating between the two."
Before he could reply, you turned back toward the cashier.
"One Earl Grey tea, please."
The cashier looked relieved as she changed your order.
You turned back toward Sae. "No problem." You gave him another small smile. You and Sae paid your respective orders, saying a soft "thank you" to your cashiers before moving out of the line.
"You really didn't have to." Sae spoke up, standing next to you as you guys moved. "I owe you a coffee."
You laughed lightly and waved him off. "Really, it's fine."
Sae looked unconvinced, but didn't say anything.
The two of you moved toward the pickup counter, waiting for your drinks. You looked around the cafe, taking in the familiar surroundings while you waited. Your eyes wandered over the shelves, the decorations, and the students sitting nearby before eventually landing on the book tucked beneath Sae's arm.
"That's a classic." You gestured towards the book, moving to face him a little bit.
Sae glanced down at the book in his hand.
"Yeah." He agreed, nodding and shifting to face you slightly
You nod your head toward it. "I've read that before."
His eyes shifted toward you. "You have?"
"Yeah." You smiled slightly. "I actually hated it at first."
Sae looked at you, seemingly a little more interested than before.
You laughed softly. "Because everyone told me I was supposed to love it."
Sae stayed quiet, waiting for you to continue.
"Turns out I just didn't like being told what to think." You shrugged. "I think I ended up appreciating it more once I stopped trying to force myself to like it."
A small hum left him. "Fair."
It wasn't much, but it was the first time his response felt less like a simple answer and more like he was actually participating in the conversation.
"What about you? Did you like it?" You asked him.
Sae looked back down at the book. "I actually haven't finished it yet." He paused for a moment. "I'm planning to, soon."
"You should." You smiled, turning to face the counter before turning back to him. "I'm Y/N, by the way" You referred to yourself.
Your drinks were called before the conversation could continue, and both of you stepped forward to grab them. You turned back to him after picking up your tea.
"I know." You said simply.
Sae Looked at you, his face looked a little confused.
You laughed lightly before continuing. "It's kind of impossible not to know you, I mean, you're practically the school's mascot at this point."
"Oh... right." Sae nodded.
"I didn't think you'd read things like that." You added, turning the conversation back to the book. You looked up and made eye contact with him.
You laughed awkwardly. "I don't knowβ¦" You glanced down at your tea. "I guess I just assumed football players didn't spend their free time reading poetry."
"People assume a lot." He said, his mundane voice showed that he was used to it and wasn't particularly upset.
You winced, scolding yourself in your mind for voicing your thoughts out loud. "Sorry."
"It's fine." He dismissed, and somehow that was enough.
The conversation continued naturally. You weren't really sure how, but it did.
At first, Sae's replies were short and polite. He answered your questions, but he didn't offer much more than necessary. However, the longer you talked, the more his responses started to change. A few words became sentences. Simple answers turned into actual opinions.
Before either of you noticed, you had moved past talking about one book and started discussing everything from authors you liked, books you disliked, and stories that had stuck with you long after you finished reading them.
You talked more than he did, but Sae listened. And when he did speak, you found yourself paying attention because every now and then, he would say something that made you realize he had thought about it more than he let on.
At some point, neither of you noticed that you had slowly drifted away from the pickup counter and toward the seating area. You were in the middle of explaining why one of your favorite books had completely changed the way you viewed stories when Sae suddenly stopped.
Without interrupting you, he pulled out one of the chairs at an empty table and gestured toward it.
A small laugh escaped you before you sat down. Sae took the seat across from you, and somehow the conversation continued as if nothing had changed.
"You sure know a lot about books." He said at one point.
"Yeah," you chuckled. "I study literature here."
"Oh, that makes sense." He stated, nodding as if that answered all of his questions. "You looked familiar, I think I saw you in the library the other day." Sae admitted.
You paused, slightly shocked that, one, he noticed you in the library, and two, that he remembered you.
"Really? I saw you too." You agreed, slightly shocked.
He didn't say anything after that, waiting for you to continue the conversation.
"Wow, I'm kind of surprised you remembered me." You smiled sheepishly.
"I'm good with faces." He shrugged. Truthfully, he really wasn't, but you had caught his attention the other day, although he would never admit it to anyone out loud. He can be good with faces, but only if the person piques his interest.
"Is that so?" You grinned slightly. "Wow, with all the people you have to interact with, I find that very hard to believe."
"I actually think it's easier for me to remember faces because I have to interact with so many people." There was some truth to this, he found that his memory regarding other people greatly improved since he's had to socialize so much.
"I suppose..." You looked at him for a beat. He was easier to talk to than you thought. "You are full of surprises, Sae Itoshi. What are you going to tell me next?"
"I cook." He confessed, his lips tugged upwards, just slightly, at the shocked look on your face.
He gave a small nod back at you.
Cooking wasn't something he brought up often. Not because he disliked it, but because most people reacted the same way whenever they found out.
They would ask him to cook for them, and he never really felt too comfortable cooking for other people. He only ever cooked for himself or his loved ones, and even that was pushing it. But he still enjoyed the fact that people were always slightly shocked to learn he could cook.
Though, he hadn't really been cooking much recently.
He knew how. He had learned because he had to, and because his mum said it was an important life skill. Living alone meant taking care of himself, and cooking was just another thing he had to add to the list. Over time, he found himself actually enjoying it.
But somewhere along the way, it had become less of something he enjoyed and more of something he did when he remembered he needed to eat.
"Well, there goes another assumption." You shook your head, leaning back further into your chair.
"People make a lot of them." He repeated his earlier sentiment.
"Guilty." You laughed to yourself. A small smile lingered on your face before you looked back at him. "So... what do you cook?"
You laughed whilst talking. "That tells me absolutely nothing."
Sae thought to himself for a moment. "Pasta. Curry. Soup." He lists.
"Those are proper meals." You looked at him in mock disbelief. "Okay⦠maybe you really can cook."
"Thank you." He said, wholeheartedly. "Do you cook?" He asked you instead.
You made a face, "not unless you call burning toast 'cooking.'"
That got a small chuckle out of Sae.
"You just laughed at me," you smiled. "This whole time, you had kept a straight face, but my cullinary disaster is what gets you?" You scoffed, amused.
He straightens his face, looking back at you with his usual stoic expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."
You laughed at his quick switch-up. "All jokes aside though, I really can't cook." You shook your head. "I love to bake though." You sat up straighter and grinned at him.
You nodded enthusiastically. "Cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls..." You smiled sheepishly. "I have a habit of making too much."
"How much is 'too much'?"
"Enough to feed a small village."
Another quiet laugh escaped Sae despite himself.
"You're laughing at me again." You accused, making a faux pointed look at him.
You narrowed your eyes at him dramatically before smiling and continuing. "I usually end up giving most of it away anyway."
"Friends, classmates..." You shrugged. "Whoever happens to be nearby."
"Some." You smiled. "But I think baked goods taste better when you share them."
Sae paused for a moment, he smiled slightly at the thought. Food really does taste better when you're sharing it with someone you care about. He remembered all the times he had cooked for his family, he'd pretended to be upset when they asked him to cook for them, but he always did it anyway.
The conversation kept flowing from there, you'd told him what book you were currently reading, and how you were planning on finishing it that night, even though you should probably focus on finishing your assignments instead. He'd told you what he thought about the book, having read it before.
Somewhere along the way, you had admitted that you had never really been a fan of football, calling it "overrated" just to try and ruffle his feathers. He stayed calm and explained to you that it was "a game that brought people together," and that it was absolute insanity that you didn't understand the hype. You bantered on the effects of propaganda - mostly sports - the both of you agreeing to disagree.
Neither of you noticed how much time had passed.
Your tea sat untouched in front of you, the warmth long gone. Sae's coffee was the same, the ice having melted and the drink looking much lighter than it did when he first received it.
You were too absorbed in the conversation.
Eventually though, a waitress approached your table with an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry to interrupt... but we're closing."
Both of you looked around the cafe. It was practically empty. The only people left were the two of you and the staff cleaning up around you.
You immediately stood up. "I'm so sorry. We must've lost track of time."
Sae stood as well, glancing around before nodding. "Yeah. We'll leave."
The two of you thanked the staff before stepping outside.
The cold evening air hit you immediately, and you pulled your jacket tighter around yourself, regretting your choice of attire. You glanced down at your watch, surprised by the time.
"Wow⦠we were here for almost two hours." you said in disbelief.
It sure didn't feel like two hours.
You looked down at your tea, your hands wrapped around the cup in search of warmth, even though the drink had already gone cold.
You looked up at Sae. "Anyway, I should probably head back." You'd went to the cafe for a quick drink to-go, and ended up spending two hours talking to Sae instead.
"Oh." Sae paused before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "Your number."
He held his phone out toward you. "So I can pay you back for the coffee next time."
You stared at him for a second before laughing. "You were serious about that?"
He was even more straightforward than you thought he'd be.
"Okay, I guess." you chuckled. You took his phone and typed your number in before handing it back.
"I'll see you around then." You looked up at him. "It was nice meeting you, Sae."
You smiled before waving at him and turning to walk back toward your dorm.
Sae stood there for a moment, watching you leave before finally turning and making his own way back to his apartment.
For some reason, the coffee he'd gone out to get was no longer the thing he remembered most about the evening.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
The apartment was quiet when Sae walked in.
Sae slipped his keys onto the kitchen counter before setting the book he'd borrowed from the library on the coffee table. His coffee cup found its place beside it, still mostly full. Somewhere between discussing books and losing track of time, he'd forgotten to drink it.
He loosened his jacket, sat down on the couch, and let out a slow breath.
His eyes drifted back to the book.
For a while, he simply stared at it.
He'd gone to the cafe intending to spend the evening reading. Instead, he'd spent nearly two hours talking to someone he'd only just met.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Your contact sat near the top of his recent additions. His thumb hovered over your name for a moment before he tapped it.
The empty message box stared back at him.
It shouldn't have been difficult.
He'd texted teammates, coaches, and managers hundreds of times before. This wasn't any different; plus he had just spent two hours talking to you, granted you did most of the talking, but still.
It's Sae, did you get home?
He looked at it for a second before deleting it.
It's Sae, thanks for today.
He rested his elbow against the arm of the couch, staring at the blank screen with mild annoyance.
Why was he thinking about it so much?
He'd had a conversation with you for longer than he's had one with anyobody in a long time.
Somehow, somewhere between books, baking and banter, he'd even admitted that he cooked.
He rarely told people things like that. Not because it was a secret, but because conversations rarely drifted that far. Most of the people in his life knew him through football, and football had a habit of becoming the only thing anyone wanted to talk to him about.
It had been a while since he'd met someone he could simply... talk to.
He wasn't entirely sure what people texted each other about when it wasn't training schedules, match footage, or reminding someone what time practice started.
His thumb hovered over his phone for a moment.
Maybe his teammates' constant jokes about him having no social life were finally getting to him.
It was just a text. He told himself.
After another minute, he finally typed the same message he'd started with.
It's Sae, did you get home?
He pressed send before he had the chance to change his mind.
The message delivered almost instantly.
Sae set his phone down on the coffee table and reached for his book.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
You had just arrived at your dorm. You set your things down and plopped onto your bed.
You should really get a head start on the assignments your professors had given you for the break. You knew the longer you waited, the more chances you had of accidentally procrastinating and leaving everything for the last minute.
You sat up with a tired groan. The sooner you finished everything, the sooner you could actually enjoy your two weeks off. You were already the only one of your friends staying on campus the next couple of weeks, so the last thing you wanted was to spend it stressing over assignments.
You took off your jacket and changed into more comfortable clothes, and prepared to complete your work. You sat down at your desk and reached for your pen.
Your phone buzzed on the table, you picked it up to check your notification.
You could guess who it was before you even opened it.
-Unknown number-
It's Sae, did you get home?
You smiled before saving his contact and replying.
-You-
Yeah, I did. Did you?
Sae's reply came a few moments after that.
You set your phone back down and went back to work. After about five minutes, your phone buzzed again
-Sae-
What are you doing?
You blinked before replying.
-You-
Trying to get ahead on my assignments before break.
A moment passed before another message came in.
You smiled to yourself. Somehow, his texting style was exactly how you'd imagined it would be.
You ended up asking him what he was doing.
He told you he'd been reading.
You told him he'd have to let you know what he thought once he finished it.
The conversation drifted from there.
Books became authors, authors became favourite genres, and favourite genres somehow became conversations about the kinds of stories that lingered long after the final page.
You found yourself alternating between highlighting your notes and replying to his messages. Neither of you sent particularly long texts, but somehow the conversation kept moving from one topic to another without either of you noticing.
Eventually, Sae circled the conversation back to the coffee.
-Sae-
I still owe you a coffee.
You answered the message before going back to highlighting your notes.
You stared at the message for a second before shaking your head.
You should've known he would be stubborn.
-You-
Fine.
When were you thinking?
A typing bubble appeared almost immediately.
You glanced over at the pile of work on your desk. You suppose you did have time tomorrow after class.
You set your phone back down, turning your attention back to the pile of work waiting for you. With that settled, you picked your pen back up and continued working.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
Sae arrived at the cafe first.
He ordered a coffee for him, and one for you. He'd remembered your order from yesterday. He found a table near the window and waited there for you.
You entered the cafe and immediately spotted him. You waved and made your way over to him, sitting down in the seat across from him.
"Hey, Sae!" You said, placing your bag on the seat next to you. "Did you wait long?"
A waiter made his way to your table and placed down two coffees in front of the two of you. You thanked him and turned to Sae.
"You didn't have to order already." You said appologetically.
"I was here first." He shrugged.
"I said I'd repay you." He stopped you from arguing further.
You smiled at that. "Thanks." You said as you took a sip of the coffee. You sighed into your drink. "I needed this."
Sae didn't reply, he simply looked at you.
"How was class?" He asked after a while.
You groaned, setting your cup down before dragging your hand over your face. "I hate schoolwork! I just wish the holidays would start already."
"Well, you only have a week left," He tried reassuring you. "Then you're home free."
"That's true..." You agreed. The both of you took a sip of your drinks before you spoke up. "Are you going home for the break?" You were curious on if he would be around or not for the holiday, mainly because everyone else you knew was going home.
He shook his head and set his cup down. "No."
"Me neither." You sighed into your coffee.
Sae looked at you for a moment.
"You don't usually go home?"
You shook your head. "It's too far for just a couple of week." You shrugged. You missed your family but you certainly did not miss the trip. "I'd spend half the break travelling."
He gave a small nod. "Makes sense."
"What about you?" you asked. "Just football?"
"It must keep you busy." You never really paid much attention when your friends talked about the football team, but from what you've seen, it seems like some of them practice even during the holidays.
You laughed softly. "I don't know how you manage football and university at the same time." You knew if you were a star of the uni's football team you would certainly be overwhelmed.
"You get used to it." He shrugged.
"I don't think I ever could." You smiled before taking another sip of your coffee. "I'm struggling with just my assignments."
Sae's gaze flickered toward your bag resting beside you.
You nodded dramatically before unzipping your bag and pulling out a stack of notebooks and readings.
"I was planning on doing some after this."
He looked down at the pile. "...That's a lot."
"Tell me about it." You sighed. "My professors apparently think a couple weeks off means they can assign double the work."
A quiet, amused scoff escaped him.
"I'm glad you find my suffering amusing." You groaned.
He looked at you with a blank face. "You'll survive."
You let out a dramatic sigh. "Forunately."
The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, each taking another sip of your coffee. The background noise of the cafe filling the silence between you.
Sae looked at you over the rim of his cup. "Did you make much progress?"
You let out another small groan, the reminder of your failure to finish your work yesterday flooding into your head. "A little."
He waited for you to keep talking.
"Not as much as I wanted to. though." You admitted. "I got distracted halfway through."
You looked down at your coffee.
"So there was this video..." You started, leaning closer on the table. "This girl had baked the most perfect soft cookies!" You beamed. "It had the perfect texture and colour and everything! So... I started going through her account and saving every recipe she had." You sighed.
"What makes you like baking so much?" Sae asked, genuinely curious.
You stopped and thought for a second. "I guess because my family loved sweet treats? I was never really a fan of sweets until recently, but I was apparently really good at baking it, so I used to bake for them. A lot."
"Yeah." You shrugged. "Oh! and also because, one time, I saw this recipe book in the library, and it was really cute and it had such pretty illustrations, I guess that's when I started baking." You smiled, looking back at Sae. "A good book could motivate me to do anything."
"I can see that." He nods. "Speaking of, did you finish the book you were planning to read?" He brought up what you said last night.
You nodded enthusiatcially. "Yeah! I did! You were right, it was amazing!" You leaned on the table. "What about you?" you asked. "Did you finish the one you were reading?"
"I did." He simply stated.
"It was good." He shrugged.
You stared at him. "...That's your review?" You made a face as if to say 'really?'
He looked back at you. "You wanted more?"
"I wanted at least a few more words." You laughed at his straight-forwardness.
He considered it for a second. "The ending was stronger than the beginning. The writing was alright compared to the author's other works, but other than that, it was okay."
"There we go." You pointed at him triumphantly. "See? That wasn't so hard."
He ignored the comment and instead asked you a question.
"What did you think of yours?"
"I loved it." You beamed. "The pacing dragged a little in the middle, but the ending completely made up for it."
He listened as you explained why, occasionally asking a question or offering a short opinion of his own.
You grinned at him slightly. "You actually have good taste."
"Of course," he scoffed, "did you think I have bad taste?" He joked, with his face still stoic, but there was a hint of teasing in his voice. Sae never made jokes, but for some reason, he found himself comfortable enough to joke with you.
Before long, the conversation drifted toward recommendations.
"You have to read this one." You pulled out your phone and searched for the title. "It's one of my favourites." You showed him your phone. You had always recommended this book to everyone, it was one of your favourites and it never disapoints.
Sae glanced at your screen before taking out his own phone.
You paused. "...Are you writing it down?"
"So I don't forget." he said, still typing on his phone.
A sense of pride filled you, as it always did when someone took your recommendations seriously. You placed a hand over your heart dramatically. "Aw, I'm honoured."
He looked up from his phone. "Why?"
"You actually took my recommendation."
"You recommended it." He shrugged, and slipped his phone back into his pocket.
You smiled and leaned on the table. "Your turn."
He made a questioning look.
You rolled your eyes and explained. "Recommend me something, it's only fair."
He named a novel you'd never heard of.
You immediately typed it into your own reading list.
His gaze flickered to your phone for a brief second before returning to his coffee.
You locked your phone and tucked it back into your bag.
"I'm sure they'll have it at my favourite bookstore." You smiled, leaning your elbows on the table
"You have a favourite bookstore?"
"Oh, don't get me started."
"Please," he said, "I would definitely like to hear all about your favourite bookstore."
You gave him a slightly suspicious look. "...You sure?"
He gestured his hand towards you, as if to say 'go on.'
Your face instantly brightened, you scooched to the edge of your seat, smiling excitedly up at Sae. "Well basically, it's a bookstore, in an old cinema."
"It's a really well kept secret, and not many people know of the place." You thought for a second. "Well, really only literature students know about it, so you don't see many people there." You sighed happily before continuing. "It's so beautiful, and every week, they host movie nights."
"Yup. It's really the most amazing place, they have so many books there!" You gleamed. "We should go! During the break. It would be fun!"
Sae blinked, he looked at your smiling face, then smiled slightly himself.
"Great!" You smiled to yourself at the thought of going to the bookstore, you hadn't gone there in over a week, which was a long time for you. "To be honest, I'm kind of glad to have something planned over break. I really didn't want to just stay at my dorm." You admitted sheepishly.
"Why not?" Sae asked, his face as indifferent as ever, but his voice showed that he was actually interested in your answer.
"All my friends have gone home for the break, and everyone on my floor is leaving as soon as break starts, so i'm pretty much going to be alone." You slumped in your seat, just the reminder that you were going to be alone for two weeks already bringing you down.
Sae watched as your expression changed, a slight frown on your lips. You looked up at him, to find that he was already looking at you, you sat up instantly, making excuses. "I'm fine though, " you smiled, "what about you? do you have many plans for the break?"
He looked at you for a bit longer before replying. "Not really, we have practice sometimes but that's really it."
"Oh? Is everyone on the team staying?"
"Yeah, no one usually goes home during breaks, we still have our regular practice and stuff." He shrugs. "We all actually live in the same apartment building too."
He nodded. "The club organised it."
"That's actually really nice." You giggled. "You all get to see each other even outside of practice."
"Sometimes a little too much."
You laughed softly. "Must be great for the team bonding, huh?" You teased, and Sae rolled his eyes. "Still..." You looked down at your coffee, your laughter subsiding. "It must be nice having people around."
A quiet silence settled between the two of you.
Sae watched you for a moment before speaking again. "...Campus won't be completely empty."
You looked back up at him.
"There'll still be people around." He added.
You gave a small nod. "I guess."
He paused, as if thinking through his next words. "...And we're both staying."
It was such a simple statement that it took you a second to understand what he meant.
Then you smiled. "I guess we are."
"Besides," he said matter-of-factly, "you wanted to go to the bookstore."
A grin immediately spread across your face.
You laughed, feeling strangely warm inside.
"Yeah." You nodded. "We will."
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
You found yourself smiling on your walk back to your dorm. When you arrived on your floor, you walked past your friend, Mae, packing her things with her door open.
"Hey!" You greeted her, a bright smile on your face.
"Hey." She looked up at you from where she was, crouched over her bag on the floor. She looked at your face, "you seem to be in a good mood."
"Yup." You popped the 'p', swaying slightly on your toes, you were too happy to be staying still. The fact that you actually had plans for the break was brightening your mood up significantly.
"And why is that?" She asked, smirking up at you, amused, as she shoved something in her bag and stood up. She looked at you up and down, still swaying on your toes. You didn't answer her for a moment, you just smiled. "Seriously, what's up? I thought you were devastated that you were going to be alone for the break."
You sighed happily. "Well, I won't be totally alone after all. I just made plans with someone."
She smirked even wider. "And who might that be?"
"A new friend I made." Your friend raised her eyebrows at you, clearly asking for more. You laughed as you looked at her face, "it doesn't matter, I'm just happy I have a friend to hang out with." You hummed, turning around and walking to your room with a slight spring in your step, your friend stood standing at her doorway, watching you walk away, a smile still on her face as she shook her head slightly.
"As long as your happy..." She smiled, going back to packing her things.
You closed the door behind you and practically collapsed onto your bed. You stared up at the ceiling, a smile slowly spreading across your face.
Maybe spending break on campus wouldn't be so bad after all.
You were just happy to have someone to share the quiet days with.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
It was only supposed to be a cup of coffee.
It became something neither of you wanted to end.
ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββ
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