5: Lunchtime Arguments and Clingy People

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They walked the rest of the way in silence; there was no point in talking anyway. Besides, they were nearly to the café and had the common thought of not wanting to start anything. With stomachs rumbling and limbs aching, they finally made it inside. The strong scent of coffee beans nearly wiped out Jimin's taste buds, his mouth watering to no end even though he'd had some before.

Searching for a head of vibrant blue hair, Jimin stood on the tips of his toes, looking over the heads of some much taller people, barely able to see over their hair. Sometimes, he wished he were taller.

Much to his demise, Jimin didn't spot Ryujin amongst the crowd of students or behind the counter, even looking one last time to see if she would turn up. She must have left just before they had arrived, which he found to be rather disappointing. He had wanted to see her again before she left that day, but it didn't work out. 

Afterward, he turned to Jeongguk, who was busy studying the menu.

"What do you recommend?" he asked, following Jeongguk's gaze up to where it was lingering. 

Eventually, he found it settled on the cashier, a man named Kim Seokjin. He worked part-time at Shin's Coffee and Tea and had always been kind to Jimin and Jeongguk whenever they visited.

Jimin and Jin weren't exactly friends, but they were just acquaintances to the point where they knew each other's names, but not anything more. Thinking about it, Jimin didn't really know anything about Seokjin. All he knew was that sometimes, the man liked to call himself "worldwide handsome", a name at which he had a good laugh. 

Other than that, the two simply recognized each other as students attending the same university.

"Uh," Jimin paused, looking up at the menu. "Just thinking about it, I haven't really eaten here before."

"Oh, I have," Jeongguk said, turning away from him. 

There was the quiet sound of people chattering in the background for the moments in between their small talk, filling in the air bubbles that lingered in the awkward silence that they shared. Jimin didn't know what happened to it feeling comfortable, but he just guessed that he was feeling tense because of what had happened. 

"Maybe we should just get that?" he asked, pointing up to the board. 

"I didn't even know they had that here," Jimin squinted his eyes, staring hard at the menu. "We'll just get two, right?"

"Yeah," Jeongguk replied. "I'll go find a table."

"Okay," Jimin sighed, though it was more to himself as he watched the line shorten one person. 

He then spotted Jeongguk walk to a table at the far side of the room in the corner, plopping down in the seat and taking out his phone. He let a small smile make its way onto his face when Jeongguk's face turned crimson at something he'd read, which made his smile grow. The boy really was cute, and he didn't have to have the best eyes to see it. 

It felt like he had been waiting forever until he got to the front of the line. Perhaps the day was just going by slow, but he was pretty sure that the orders were unusually slow. His stomach gurgled, and he struggled to keep it in as he greeted Seokjin with a polite smile.

"Hello," he chirped, watching the older's face light up when he stepped forward.

Jin cleared the screen on his register, the previous person's order disappearing. "Hi, Jimin! How are you?"

"I'm just fine, thank you," Jimin returned his smile and brushed the hair out of his face, waiting for him to be ready to take his order.

"You can call me Jin, I don't normally go by Seokjin," the older boy chuckled. "What would you like to order today?"

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