part 1 (1/2)

part 1

the first time they meet, it’s in a café they both frequent – she works there part-time and he’s a regular. it’s her first day there, but it’s his three hundred and sixty-fifth.

he goes to a counter like he does it everyday (technically, it had been everyday, for a year already) and made no hint of hesitation as he whipped out his wallet. “a latte please.”

he shuffled through bills and took one out, only to be met with a loud bang from behind the counter. he looked up, seeing the girl – <i style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:13px;vertical-align:baseline;">a new worker? – massaging her hand after it collided with the cash register’s drawer. she looked at him and smiled awkwardly. “sorry, it’s my first day here.”

he accepted her apology for her clumsiness and shook his head, placing the bill on the table instead of onto her hand. “I’m not in a rush.”

she nodded in courtesy and took the bill, excusing herself to manage the machine. but the moment she turned, she found her co-worker zooming up to the machine instead, asking her to stay at the counter, apprehension audible. she retreated, a little dejected as he could tell.

“they usually get the new workers to familiarize themselves with the counter first,” he tells her. he gives an endearing smile that takes all sort of anxiety and nervousness out of her. she smiles back, grateful for a nice customer like him. it was only nine in the morning, but she was sure he would be the nicest customer today.

the next day – her second, his three hundred and sixty-sixth – the number of lines spoken to each other increases.

he finds out that she’s a college student working part-time in the café every morning so she can fund her tuition, and she attends school at night.

she finds out that he’s a photographer who has an abnormal liking for this café’s latte.

he finds out that she wants to be a writer because she likes to play with words.

she finds out that he doesn’t think the world is beautiful, but only certain little things are, and that’s why he’s a photographer – so he can photograph the beautiful things.

it was on her fifteenth day (his three hundred and seventy-ninth) when she gets asked out on a date. by him.

“hey, I was just wondering, are you free this saturday?”

“are you sure you’re just wondering? because if I said yes, you’ll be asking me out, right?” she responded, a playful edge to her tone.