Today was a horrible day. I finally got permission to go out by myself and not even half an hour later, I was hopelessly lost and on top of that, it started raining like hell.
I sighed loudly and pulled the sleeves of my black hoodie over my hands and the hood over my head.
I noticed a warm little bookshop café across the street and contemplated whether I should risk getting completely soaked and run all the way there. In the end, my need for warmth and my rumbling stomach won. I braced myself and ran as fast as I could with my hands in my hoodie pockets and unceremoniously burst into the café.
I earned a few head turns due to my dramatic entrance but there weren't many people there, which I was grateful for.
I ordered a cup of hot chocolate and some pastries and went to sit by a window booth.
That's when I noticed her. My palms started sweating and I grew even colder than I initially was. All because of her.
There, sitting a few booths across from me was Park Chaeyoung. The most popular girl in school and the one I had a hopeless crush on.
She suddenly turned her head in my direction and I immediately hid my face with the face mask I always had on me and thanked god my hood was over my face. I didn't want anyone, let alone Rosé, to see me looking so hideous. I bet I looked like a soaked rat at the moment.
After a while of me playing with my fingers and hyperventilating, my order arrived and I almost forgot about Roseanne Park. Almost.
As soon as I realized I would have to take the mask off to eat, I started panicking again. After a while of risking quick glances in Rosé's direction, I deemed it okay to take off my face mask since she was engrossed in a book. I smiled slightly because her face was scrunched up and she looked adorable with her oversized sweater and chubby rosy cheeks.
I snapped out of my daze when she made to look up from the book and I stopped staring at her like a creep.
I started devouring my pastries and practically inhaled my hot chocolate, almost burning my tongue in the process. I wanted to eat fast so that I could cover my face as quick as I can.
After eating like I've been starved for years, I got up to get a good book to read since the rain showed no signs of letting down any time soon. In fact, it seemed to have gotten even worse during the time I spent eating and having mini meltdowns.
I finally found a book I loved, Harry Potter, and sat down in my seat and began reading. No matter how many times I re-read Harry Potter, it never failed to make me feel at home and safe.
"Hey, I love that book." A voice interrupted my reading and I froze up because I recognized that voice and I absolutely could not believe it was in any way interacting with me.
I looked up and was met with mesmerizingly warm brown eyes and an equally warm smile that instantly made me give her a genuine smile of my own. Thank god for my face mask, I was a bit less nervous since I knew my identity was still safe. I was just another random customer in a café.
"Oh, sorry if I disturbed you. I just couldn't help but notice that you were sitting here all alone and I was also alone so I figured we could like, be alone together or something. Which, now that I say it out loud, sounds pretty stupid since you probably want to be alone and enjoy that great book and oh gosh I'm talking so much I'm so sorry--" She cut off her own rambling when I started laughing quietly and motioned for her to sit down.
"Its alright. I don't mind some company. Especially from a fellow Harry Potter enthusiast." I said to her.
"Breathe." I chuckled again because she looked really out of breath.
