Work Text:
Perhaps going to class without his umbrella wasn’t the wisest decision – even if it had been bright and sunny in the morning – because now, Doyoung was soaked from head to toe. He had just missed the bus and it would take another hour for the next one to arrive. Home was a thirty minute walk from the bus stop, but there was no way in hell he was walking in the heavy downpour.
“Fuck my life,” he grumbled, blinking away the raindrops which were inconveniently settling on his eyelashes.
There wasn’t a place to sit nor a roof above his head, and the large trees nearby did nothing to shield him from the flurry of rain. It would only be a matter of minutes before the water seeped into his bag and wet all his textbooks and assignments, and that was the last thing Doyoung wanted. Even if he was shivering and was positive that he could die of hypothermia. He wrapped his arms around his body in an attempt to keep himself warm, teeth chattering.
Today just couldn’t get any worse. He was running late to his 8am because he stayed up the night before to finish a drawing he had to submit for one of his classes today. Despite half-assing his pattern drafting, Doyoung didn’t really care much at this point. He just hoped he could graduate in time. Afterwards, he had accidentally pricked his finger while sewing up some fabric which was meant to be the sleeve of a blouse that he was working on, which didn’t really seem to be going well either. Lastly, he was held back in his last class by Professor Moon because his lecturer wanted to have a word with him on how he’d been behind in his project, and the deadline was approaching.
And now, thanks to that, Doyoung had missed the bus and the sky had decided to release a torrential downpour. Not to mention that he hated rainfall with a burning passion more than he despised his History of Fashion Design class.
Before Doyoung could start regretting the day he was born, he realised that he could no longer feel the raindrops pattering on his head. He rubbed his eyes. It was still raining, but none of the rain soaked his baby blue hoodie.
That was when he felt a presence next to him, and registered that he was under an umbrella. A rather small one at that.
“Hey,” came a voice from beside him.
When Doyoung turned his head, he was met with a face that could be straight out of a magazine. The boy seemed to be around his age, with fluffy chestnut brown hair that delicately fell over his eyes. He almost looked like a puppy. Doyoung hated how he noticed such little features like how the boy had dimples at the corners of his mouth when he threw Doyoung a smile.
He ignored the way his stomach did a flip. “Hi.”
“Forgot your umbrella?” the boy asked, stepping closer until their shoulders touched so that the both of them could be under the umbrella. It didn’t do much, though, because the umbrella was meant for only one person, and Doyoung noticed that the boy’s left shoulder was starting to dampen with moisture. He also felt bad that the wetness from his own shoulder was seeping into the boy’s white button up as they were pressed closed together.
“Not really,” he replied. “I left it at home because I thought it wouldn’t rain.”
The cute boy hummed in understanding. “The weather’s really unpredictable these days, huh?”
“Yeah,” agreed Doyoung. “You know, you don’t really have to do this,” he said and motioned to the boy’s drenched shoulder.
The boy merely shrugged it off. “Oh, it’s nothing. Plus, it’s you who needs the umbrella more. You could catch a cold.”
Doyoung flushed. He probably looked silly right now; his whole body dripping wet and his jet black locks plastered onto his forehead. He also couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering.
They fell into a comfortable silence, no other words exchanged between them for a moment. Doyoung had finally settled down then and didn’t feel as cold as he did earlier. It was probably thanks to the boy’s body heat radiating off of him. With only the two of them like this in the deserted sidewalk, no other passersby or cars driving on the street, it was almost like Doyoung was on an island with only the both of them. He could also hear the calming rhythm of the boy’s breathing since they were almost huddled together.
It was quite lovely. Doyoung wouldn’t mind staying like this under the rain all day.
He decided that he wanted to hear more of the stranger’s velvety voice. “Are you waiting for the bus?” he asked.
The boy’s gaze landed on him and he smiled, his dimples making an appearance once again. “No, but I suppose that you are. I’ll keep you company until then.”
Doyoung was about to say something about the boy’s kindness and how grateful he felt but he was cut off by the boy abruptly checking his wristwatch. He watched as the latter’s eyes widened just a fraction.
“Oh shit. I have to get going. Sorry to leave you like this. Take it,” was all he said and shoved the umbrella into Doyoung’s hand before he took off running into the wet weather.
“Hey, you!” Doyoung shouted after him before the boy could get a great distance away from him.
He turned around and looked at Doyoung expectantly. He was completely drenched now, as if he just dived into a pool and climbed out right after. He pushed back his wet brown locks so that he could get a better look at Doyoung. “Yes?”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Jaehyun!”
☂
“You’re soaked through.”
“Hello to you too, Johnny,” he greeted his colleague with a roll of his eyes. Jaehyun closed the door behind him and quickly made his way into the staff room. Getting the floor of the cafe wet really wasn’t ideal, especially if they wanted to ensure the safety of their customers. He tried his best to ignore how some people were already looking at him and murmuring among themselves. Jaehyun really couldn’t afford to have his reputation go down the drain – he was in the running to become barista of the month!
“Where did your umbrella go?” Johnny asked as he entered the staff room as well, most probably ready to make fun of Jaehyun.
“Left it at home,” he replied without much thought. Jaehyun dropped his bag carelessly onto the floor, grimacing at the way rainwater puddled around it soon after. All of his belongings were awfully drenched.
“What, are you aiming for the position of ‘sexiest barista in town’ or something?” Johnny whistled while staring unabashedly at Jaehyun’s nipples. The shirt was rather sheer to begin with, but now the material was no better than a window, putting his washboard abs on display for the world to see.
Jaehyun scowled and turned his back to Johnny. “Stop staring, stupid!”
“I don’t think the manager would be very pleased to know that one of his employees uses foul language.”
“Sicheng is on a business trip in China. He doesn’t have to know,” Jaehyun retorted. “Anyways, do you think you have a spare shirt I could borrow for today?” he moved the topic of the conversation somewhere else to avoid talking about how he ‘forgot’ to bring an umbrella to work in such weather.
“Yeah, I do actually. Just search my bag.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Johnny,” he beamed. Jaehyun knew anyone would be weak for his dimples – if not his body – and he used it to his advantage most times. He quickly made his way to Johnny’s bag that sat at the corner of the room, rummaging through it in search of the spare garment.
Johnny had a smug grin plastered on his face. “I know.”
Jaehyun tied the strings of the black apron around his back after he pulled Johnny’s yellow sweatshirt over his head. It was loose on him – not so much that he drowned in the fabric, but a little oversized nonetheless – however, as long as he had something warm, comfortable, and (most importantly) dry, Jaehyun was thankful.
“Don’t forget to bring your umbrella next time,” Johnny helpfully reminded him before he left the room to return to the front.
“I won’t!” Jaehyun called out after him. He exhaled loudly as he looked at his reflection in the mirror placed in his locker, combing his fingers through his hair to make himself look presentable.
Truth was that Jaehyun didn’t have any more umbrellas to forget, because he gave his only one to the cute stranger he met at the bus stop. Jaehyun may be a stranger to the boy, but the stranger wasn’t exactly a stranger to him. He wondered if he would see the boy again.
☂
“Is that a new umbrella?”
Doyoung followed his friend’s gaze to the small umbrella he held in his hand. “No, Taeyong, it isn’t.”
“Then your brother’s maybe? Did you guys accidentally switch umbrellas or something?”
“Not Jeno’s either.”
They entered the classroom that was slowly starting to be filled up with other students. Doyoung took a seat right next to Taeyong, then searched through his bag to get his laptop and notebook, ready for today’s class. He kept the umbrella in the corner of his bag and leaned back in his chair, letting his head fall back. The reason Doyoung brought it today was in hopes that fate would do its thing and let him bump into the owner of the umbrella again so that he could return it.
Also maybe because deep down Doyoung wanted to see the cute boy again but no one had to know that.
“Then whose is it?”
He sat up straight again and looked Taeyong dead in the eye. “Good question. Say, do you know anyone around campus who goes by the name Jaehyun?”
Taeyong was quiet for a moment, looking for a Jaehyun in his mind and tapped his chin, deep in thought. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“A stranger I met at the bus stop gave me that umbrella yesterday. But he left without another word and just… ran through the rain. He didn’t tell me where he was headed to, though, but he did seem to be in a rush.” Doyoung pouted. “I only got to know his name, and that’s about it.”
“Oh?” Taeyong cocked an eyebrow. “Sounds like a love story to me,” he teased.
“There won’t be any love story if I don’t see him again, Taeyong,” Doyoung deadpanned.
“Aha!” his friend exclaimed. “So you do want it to be a love story.”
Doyoung’s cheeks heated up at this. “I mean… why not? That Jaehyun guy was kind of cute. He had dimples, too.”
☂
“I’m so sorry, Doie! Promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” Taeyong held out his pinky.
Doyoung huffed. “Fine.” He begrudgingly linked his own pinky with Taeyong’s to seal the promise.
“I just really need to finish this project before 6 today.” Doyoung could tell that Taeyong was trying his best at a puppy face, and he had to admit that boy, was it working. “You know how my lecturer can be,” Taeyong continued.
“Your Professor Naka-something–”
“Nakamoto.”
“Yes, him. He seems pretty fine to me.”
“Look, Doyoung, I just don’t want to fail this semester.”
“Ugh, fine,” Doyoung groaned.
“Go ask Jungwoo to hang with you or something.”
“Jungwoo has volleyball practice today!”
Taeyong sighed. “Stop being a baby, Doyoung. You won’t die just because you have to be alone for one day.”
☂
Doyoung was sure he would die of boredom.
Trudging out of the art building and making his way to the bus stop, Doyoung kicked a small stone that was in his path, watching with no actual interest as it flew a few metres before landing on the ground once again. Exasperated, he tilted his head back and inhaled deeply, opening his eyes slowly as he blew the air out of his mouth. The sky was a plethora of tangerine and amber hues as late evening approached.
He didn’t want to head home just yet. Jeno had after school club activities, and Doyoung had no desire to start his assignments. He could pull an all nighter again, no big deal. He always worked well under pressure after all. Today of all days, he felt like getting lost in the winding roads even if Doyoung knew it like the back of his hand. But he just didn’t know where to go.
He snapped his fingers, a lightbulb going off in his head.
“I could go there!” Doyoung smiled to himself, feeling proud. The grin soon disappeared as he furrowed his brows. “But where is that pretty cafe that I went to last time…? I don’t really remember it,” he muttered.
☂
Turned out that his sense of direction wasn’t exactly as shitty as he thought it would be. Doyoung pushed open the glass door and was greeted with the pleasant aroma of coffee. The layout of the cafe hadn’t changed one bit since the last time he visited; plant racks at every corner of the place complemented the soft pastel colour of the green and white tile walls, and the neon signs that hung on it gave the cafe a warm and inviting ambience. In short, Neo Cafe was a nice place.
He made a beeline for the counter which was only tended by one worker who was busy making some drinks.
“Hello,” the worker said without looking back. “What can I– you?!”
Doyoung peeled his eyes off the overhead menu to glance at the person speaking to him. His jaw dropped when he saw who it was. As lame as it sounded, Doyoung felt his heart skip a beat. “Jaehyun? You work here?”
Jaehyun smiled, showcasing his signature dimples. “Full time, yeah. Didn’t think I’d see you again.”
“Me neither,” Doyoung admitted. He suddenly remembered something. “Oh! I have your umbrella in my bag right now.”
“Wait,” Jaehyun stopped him before he could unsling his bag off his shoulders to find the object. “My shift ends in an hour so…” Jaehyun trailed off, pink dusting his cheeks.
“Oh.” Doyoung was no different. He quickly understood what Jaehyun was trying to say and wanted to slap himself for feeling giddy inside. What was he, a highschool student? “Alright, then.”
“Yeah, alright,” Jaehyun nodded. He placed the previous drinks onto a tray, calling out the names of the customers who ordered them. Then, he returned to Doyoung and cleared his throat. “So, what can I start up for you, good sir?”
Doyoung laughed. “Ah, one large caramel macchiato, please.”
Jaehyun grabbed a plastic cup and a marker pen before turning towards Doyoung again. “And your name?”
“Doyoung,” he said, a small smile tugging on his lips.
“Perfect. Meet me after my shift, Doyoung,” Jaehyun winked.
☂
“Johnny hyung called in sick today?”
“Yup. Funny, though, cus I was the one who ran in the rain yesterday and not him.”
Doyoung quietly sipped on his drink as he watched Jaehyun talk to two boys who seemed younger than him. He figured that they were part time workers coming in for their shift.
“So you opened up the shop and handled customers all by yourself?” another boy with honey-hued skin spoke up.
“Pretty much, Hyuck,” Jaehyun replied, working on the strings of his apron behind his back and handing it to the boy.
“Must’ve been tough. Rest up, hyung, we’ll take over now.”
“Will do, Mark. Good luck with closing tonight. I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.”
“I’ll tell Sicheng hyung to give you a raise when he comes back,” said Hyuck before he bumped fists with Jaehyun.
The three of them burst into laughter and Doyoung went back to reading his notes.
“Hey.” Jaehyun was next to him in seconds, looking just as attractive as he did yesterday. “Did I take too long?”
Doyoung checked the time on his phone. “Hmm, not really. Just one hour like you promised.”
“Do you wanna go somewhere nice with me?” Jaehyun held out a hand.
Doyoung wasted no time in shoving his notebook back into his bag and taking Jaehyun’s hand in his.
☂
“Do you come here often at night?”
To say that the picturesque view was breathtaking was an understatement. Doyoung let his mouth hang open despite Jaehyun teasing him, saying that Doyoung would eat up all the bugs if he didn’t close it soon.
“Not really. Rarely, actually.”
He marveled at the way the Han River reflected off the lights of the city nearby, and the streetlights on the bridge as well, creating miniature constellations within the rippling water. It looked as if it contained a tiny galaxy of its own, and Doyoung wondered if maybe it was possible to step into a parallel universe by using the river as a portal. He had only come here with Jeno for bike rides and picnics in the day, as he never had time to go out at night; he would either be busy gaming, completing his assignments or just simply knocking out. So was the life of a busy college student.
The nights were starting to get chilly these days, so Doyoung preferred to stay in the warmth under the protection of his blanket. But tonight the cold seemed less biting as he held Jaehyun’s hand in his.
“You’re missing out on a lot, then.”
“Do you come here often at night?” It was Doyoung’s turn to question him.
“When I don’t have a closing shift, I do,” answered Jaehyun.
“Then, I sure am missing out on a lot,” Doyoung joked.
Jaehyun grinned at him and intertwined their fingers. Doyoung desperately wished his heart would stop pounding so hard. He sipped his drink and gnawed on the straw anxiously, hoping the other boy wouldn’t hear his heart thumping aggressively on his ribcage.
“Why do you rarely come here at night?” Jaehyun asked once more.
“I’m busy, Jaehyun. I’m always drowning in assignments,” Doyoung moaned. “It’s really stressful. College, that is.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re still studying,” Jaehyun said in realisation.
“And you’re not?”
“Nope,” he replied, popping the ‘p’. “College just wasn’t for me, so I decided to drop out after my first year and work at some places. I used to bartend at a club before working at Neo Cafe.”
“How niiiice,” Doyoung drawled, letting go of Jaehyun’s hand in favour of stretching. His back was starting to ache after a day’s worth of classes and it was obvious as a few bones were heard cracking here and there. He went over to the railings and leaned both of his elbows on it to properly admire the Han River. “I wanna drop out, too.”
Jaehyun laughed, following him suit and mirroring his posture. “Do you really, though? I’m sure you have great friends back in school.”
“Yeah, I do,” Doyoung replied absentmindedly, looking into the distance at the Namsan Tower. “This view is really magnificent, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
Jaehyun was already looking at Doyoung when the latter turned to face him. He could see his reflection in Jaehyun’s eyes with how close they were standing, and this time, Doyoung felt his heart drop to his knees when Jaehyun smiled. His gaze fell onto the other boy’s prominent dimples, to his plump lips and Doyoung caught himself staring before shifting his focus back to Jaehyun’s mesmerising eyes.
Only to find Jaehyun staring at his lips, too.
He made eye contact with Doyoung again, as if asking for permission, to which he gave a small nod. Doyoung wasn’t sure if Jaehyun saw it. But what he was sure of, though, was that his heart really was about to jump out of his throat.
Jaehyun’s face inched closer and closer, and Doyoung slowly parted his lips, eyes fluttering close, until–
Drip. Drip drip. Dripdripdripdrip–
“Fuck,” Jaehyun cursed.
It was starting to rain, and they were just having a moment. Great, way to go, wonderful.
“Your umbrella, Jaehyun! In my bag!” Doyoung turned around so Jaehyun could unzip his bag and retrieve the umbrella.
Soon, they found themselves in a familiar place, the same position they were in yesterday. Except this time, Doyoung wasn’t dripping wet from head to toe.
“Jaehyun, come closer. Your left shoulder–”
“It’s fine, really,” Jaehyun simply said. “The rain can soak my left shoulder a little bit more.” He grinned, clearly unbothered.
Before Doyoung could stop himself, he poked Jaehyun’s dimple with his free hand. “Sorry, I really… have always wanted to do that,” he confessed then broke into a fit of giggles.
With no prior warnings, Jaehyun pressed his lips onto Doyoung’s in lieu of a reply which also managed to effectively silence him. Doyoung’s eyes turned into saucers, feeling like his soul had left his body and he stood completely still.
Jaehyun pulled away when he didn’t kiss back. “I’m sorry. Was that not okay?”
He seemed genuinely guilty so Doyoung vehemently shook his head. “Do it again, Jaehyun.”
This time, the other boy gingerly left a peck on Doyoung’s lips, and another, and another, until the latter slotted their lips together.
With their lips moving in sync and their hearts beating as one under this umbrella that only fit one person, in addition to the pattering of raindrops around them, it was like they made their very own love song inside the rain. Doyoung decided that he had come to like the rain and never wanted it to stop.
Doyoung wanted the rain to fall everyday.
☂
“We’re not gonna sleep here for the night, are we? I have class tomorrow, Jaehyun.”
“‘Course not, Doie,” Jaehyun said with a laugh, locking the door behind him. He didn’t wait for the umbrella to dry as he placed it back in its case.
If the empty cafe gave Doyoung warmth from the pouring rain outside, he felt warmer at the nickname that slipped past Jaehyun’s lips.
Jaehyun’s lips that he’d just kiss in the rain.
“We’re just staying here till it stops raining,” Jaehyun added. “Want a cup of hot chocolate?”
“Maybe after you change out of your wet clothes. You’re bound to catch a cold.”
Jaehyun only spared a glance at his drenched shoulder. “I don’t have an extra shirt, though.” He made his way behind the counter, taking out two big mugs and a carton of milk from the fridge.
“I have a jacket,” Doyoung tried again. “Just… get out of that shirt at least.”
Jaehyun whistled, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. “If you wanted to see me shirtless, just say so.” This earned him a leather jacket to the face. He yelped.
“I do not!” Doyoung shrieked and put a hand over his eyes.
Jaehyun swiftly caught the jacket before it could fall to the floor. “Okay, okay! I’m changing,” he said before disappearing into the staff room.
Minutes later, they were sitting face to face with a mug of hot chocolate in their hands, and Doyoung avoided eye contact at all costs despite Jaehyun zipping the jacket up to his neck. He also tried to stop thinking about how damn good the other boy looked in his leather jacket.
“Why are you suddenly so shy?”
Doyoung scowled at the boy across him. “Am not!”
“Are too,” Jaehyun argued.
Doyoung rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Fine. I didn’t think I’d kiss a stranger I just met yesterday.” He covered his warm cheeks with his hands so as to not let Jaehyun see how red he was.
Jaehyun feigned sadness and jutted his bottom lip. “Do you not like me, Doie?”
“Well…” Doyoung started. He toyed with the marshmallows in his drink, using his index finger to push them down into the hotness of the liquid, watching as they emerged again, soggier than before. He fixed his gaze on Jaehyun again before saying, “I used to hate the rain, but now I like it.”
Doyoung loved the knowing smile they shared, in this place, just him and Jaehyun. Everything outside was blurry, raindrops sliding down the windows in the cafe. The place was warm and cozy, and also covered them from the crazy wet. Doyoung’s focus, however, was clear as day when Jaehyun stood up from his chair and bent over the table, face mere inches away from his.
Doyoung parted his lips, ready to meet Jaehyun in the middle when his phone started ringing.
He angrily pulled his phone out from the pocket of his jeans. “Who the fuck is– oh, I gotta get this, sorry,” he apologised to Jaehyun before picking up the call. “Jeno, what’s up? Ah, you’re hungry. Can’t you just make some ramen tonight? I’m kinda busy at the moment. Oh, we ran out of that? Fine, fine. I’ll come home as soon as the rain stops, okay, baby? Alright, love you.”
“Your brother?” Jaehyun asked after Doyoung hung up, sliding back into his seat.
Doyoung only smiled at him apologetically. “Yeah, sorry about that.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate.
“No worries,” Jaehyun assured him. “I could pack up some stuff for you and your brother if you want? On me,” he smiled.
Doyoung felt like he ingested butterflies instead of marshmallows with the way his stomach did a thing. “Oh. That’d be very nice, Jaehyun.”
“Also, Doie?” Jaehyun called from the counter. He had a tong in one hand and a paper bag in the other, picking up croissants which were still warm.
“Yeah?”
“Have you tried milk with vanilla syrup before?”
☂
“I didn’t know you owned a car,” Doyoung said as he got into the passenger seat. He held the bag of croissants and the milk Jaehyun had made specially for him close to his chest.
“I don’t,” replied Jaehyun. “This is Johnny’s. He let me borrow it since he’s not coming in today. I need to go pick him up tomorrow morning, though.” He noticed that Doyoung had trouble with fastening his seatbelt due to his hands that were occupied, so Jaehyun leaned over and did it for him, taking a sip of Doyoung’s cold milk in the process before sticking out his tongue playfully. He then fastened his own seatbelt and started driving.
Doyoung was too flustered to scold him. “M-Milk with vanilla syrup is really good, by the way,” he stuttered. “No, actually... I think you’re pretty good at making drinks. How come I’ve never seen you at the cafe before?”
Jaehyun threw him a smile briefly before focusing on the road again. “I used to be a bartender after all. Are you sure you’ve never seen me at the cafe before?”
“What? I’ve only been there once, months ago I think, with–”
“–your friend Woo?”
“Yeah, with Jungwoo. Wait.” Doyoung turned in his seat to face Jaehyun. “How’d you know that?”
“You really don’t remember?”
“Hello, what can I get started up for you?”
“You’re one fine looking barista, aren’t you?”
“Jungwoo, stop flirting with every human being you meet. Jesus, control yourself,” Doyoung hissed and nudged him in the rib.
“What?” Jungwoo whined. “Did I lie, though?”
He turned to the person behind the counter now. “Really sorry for my friend’s behaviour.”
“No,” Jungwoo piped up. “Ignore him. Anyways, it’s our first time here, you see. What drinks would you recommend?”
The barista with midnight blue hair hummed as he contemplated for a moment. “It’s not on the menu but personally, I like milk with three pumps of vanilla syrup.”
“Ah, sadly, I’m not a fan of sweet things and my friend here is lactose intolerant–”
“No, Jungwoo, that’s Tae–”
“So, I’d like a venti iced americano on the rocks with four extra espresso shots,” Jungwoo continued, ignoring Doyoung completely.
“My God, Woo, are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Hush, Doie. I need it, okay?” Jungwoo then faced the barista who was a bit wide eyed at his request. “And give my friend here a large caramel macchiato.”
The worker furrowed his brows. “But there’s still milk in–”
“Yes, that would be all, thanks…” Jungwoo searched for a nametag on the barista’s apron. “Jaehyun.”
Jaehyun only smiled. He uncapped the black marker he produced from the pocket of his apron. In his other hand was a plastic cup. “And your names…?”
“Just write ‘Dowoo’ on both of them,” said Jungwoo, waving a hand dismissively. He then dragged his friend away to find a place for them to sit in the cafe, but not before Doyoung mouthed Jaehyun a regretful ‘sorry’.
Soon after, he was too preoccupied with Jungwoo’s antics, laughing at the jokes his friend made to notice the longing look Jaehyun had on him the whole time he was there. Jaehyun tried to not get distracted as he made the drinks, wiping the condensation forming on the cups with a cloth once he was done before he handed them to Johnny. He watched as his coworker read the names he had written.
“Dowoo?” Johnny called out.
When Doyoung stood up from his seat, Jaehyun quickly pretended to be busy by arranging the neat stack of cups next to the counter that didn’t need arranging.
“Four shots… that’s eight in total and very unhealthy, Dowoo,” he heard Johnny say. Jaehyun took a curious glance towards them.
“Actually, this is my friend’s and my name is Doyoung.” He grabbed the beverages on the tray. “Could I get some tissues as well, please?”
Jaehyun’s body moved on its own accord before his brain could process what he was doing. “Here!!” he thrusted a handful of tissues in front of Doyoung before Johnny could beat him to it.
Both Doyoung and Johnny were surprised.
“Sorry. I mean, here you go,” he said sheepishly.
“Okaaaay...” was all Johnny said before he went away.
Doyoung looked at the tissues in Jaehyun’s hand, then at Jaehyun, and back to the tissues. “Wow, that’s a lot of tissues.” He took it nevertheless. “Thanks.”
Jaehyun had never seen such a cute bunny-like smile.
“Hold on…” Doyoung felt the gears in his head turning. “Were you that barista with the very dark blue hair? And the many tissues?”
“That was me,” Jaehyun confirmed. “About the tissues… that was kind of embarrassing. I don’t know why I did that.” He frowned as he recalled the memory. “I also thought your friend was rather interesting,” he said before laughing.
“Jungwoo… yeah, he’s a weird guy,” Doyoung agreed. “I didn’t think you’d remember me, though.”
“Oh but I did, because I thought you were cute. Like a bunny.”
“Like a what?!”
“Like a bunny,” Jaehyun repeated. “I also waited for you to come again, but you never did. Only until today.”
Doyoung couldn’t really believe his ears. “You did?”
“Yeah.”
There was the weird feeling in his stomach again, and he just wished the butterflies would stop. “Sorry that I took so long to come back,” Doyoung said softly.
“It’s fine. I’m just really glad you did.”
He sank further into his seat out of embarrassment. Doyoung couldn’t tell if his heart was racing because Jaehyun knew just exactly what to say, or it was just because of the caffeine. He took a swig of his milk to take his mind off of it.
“Left turn, right?” Jaehyun spoke up.
“Mhm.”
Soon, the familiar street came into view, and so did his house. His heart dropped. Doyoung wished his house was an hour away, heck, two even. He wanted to be with Jaehyun a little bit longer, hear his soothing voice a little bit more, and admire his cute dimples to his heart’s content.
“So…” Jaehyun said once he turned the engine off.
“So…” Doyoung echoed.
“This is where we part ways for the night, I guess,” Jaehyun said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. It made Doyoung happy to know that Jaehyun was just as bummed as he was about saying goodbye. “You know where to find me if you want to see me again,” he smiled and flashed his dimples. “You do have a reason to see me again, though, because…” he gestured to the leather jacket.
“Oh. Actually, I thought I’d let you keep it,” Doyoung said honestly. “You look really good in it.”
Jaehyun had both eyebrows raised. “You think so? Thanks, really, but I was saying that I hope to see you again, silly.”
“Oh,” Doyoung said again. He felt his cheeks burn up. “I hope to see you again too, Jaehyun.”
He helped Doyoung unfasten his seatbelt before saying, “I’ll get the door.”
Doyoung watched as Jaehyun jogged around the car to open the door for him, and once the door was open, he carefully stepped out of the car so that he didn’t drop the food and his drink. “Thanks.” Doyoung searched for more words as an excuse to spend more time with Jaehyun, not wanting to go in just yet. “I really enjoyed your company today.”
“Me too. See me again tomorrow? I finish work at 6.”
“I sure will.”
“Then…” he squeezed Doyoung’s shoulder, “I look forward to it.”
Doyoung dragged his sneakers on the wet asphalt. He thought it almost resembled a movie scene under the streetlights. “Jaehyun?”
“Yes, Doie?”
“Thank you. For yesterday, I mean.” Doyoung cast his gaze downwards once more, feeling shy. “You gave me your umbrella and ran in the rain. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. It meant a lot to me – the way you cared for me despite me being a stranger. I’m sorry that you had to run in the rain, though.”
Jaehyun broke into a smile, his dimples reappearing. “You don’t have to be sorry. I wanted to do that. How could I leave someone under the heavy rain?”
“Yeah, but–”
“Plus, I don’t have to be under the rain for long if I just run fast enough, which I did. But you, on the other hand, had to wait an hour for the bus. It was nothing, really.”
Jaehyun had a point. “I guess you’re right,” Doyoung said, lifting his head, a bright smile now on his face. With a heavy heart, he took a step backwards, eyes never leaving the other boy. “Goodnight, Jaehyun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night, Doie. Oh, one more thing.”
“Hm?”
Jaehyun walked around the car and opened the door to the driver’s seat. “Don’t forget to check under your milk.”
The car drove out of sight, leaving a very confused Doyoung behind. He looked under his cup as Jaehyun had instructed him to and found digits.
A phone number, he realised.
“That sly bastard,” Doyoung scoffed. He slowly made his way up the driveway, mind filled with Jaehyun and Jaehyun only, smiling happily to himself.
Maybe fate had done its thing after all. It brought Doyoung back to a place he thought he’d forgotten. A place where the owner of the umbrella that he wanted to return to worked at. The very cute owner whose dimples were just as cute. Doyoung loved the promise of tomorrow.
And maybe, just maybe… this could be his love story.
“I’m back!” Doyoung called out into the empty living room, locking the door behind him. He heard heavy footsteps from upstairs which gradually grew louder as his brother descended the stairs excitedly.
“Doyoungie hyuuung!!”
“Careful, Jeno.”
Jeno had stopped running then, jumping onto the landing and proceeded to take big strides across the room to give him a hug. He gasped when he saw the bag in Doyoung’s hand before snatching it. “You brought food!”
“Can’t let my baby starve to death now, can I?” Doyoung ruffled his brother’s dark locks.
Jeno stuffed a whole croissant into his mouth and chewed on it, humming in delight. Doyoung only looked on fondly as his brother’s eyes disappeared, turning into crescents. It was when Jeno’s eyes landed on Doyoung’s face that his munching stopped. He stood on the tip of his toes and grabbed his brother’s face to get a closer look.
Doyoung felt nervous as Jeno’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. It always meant that his brother was about to ask difficult questions – questions that Doyoung didn’t know the answers to, or questions that he simply never wanted to answer.
Jeno opened his mouth again to speak, pieces of croissant still yet to be swallowed as he finally asked. “Hyung, why do you look like you’re in love?”