Crush

"Dio Mio, not again" Eros groaned as his phone blasted Feel Good for the third time. He swatted his nightstand blindly, knocking over last night's ramen before finally turning off the alarm. 8:17, it was 8:17 AM Lecture starts at 8:30 AM, and he's gonna be late for his 8:30 class.

He rolled out of bed, tripped over his guitar, yanked open his closet. grabs his wrinkled hoodie and the least disgusting jeans in his room. As he pulled the hoodie over his head, he sniffs it and says “still good”. On his way to campus, Coffee. No way he’s surviving Professor Kim's lecture without caffeine.

Keys nearly slipped twice before he managed to lock his dorm door. The morning air was crisp enough to see his breath as he jogged down the sidewalk. Up ahead, Cafe KiiiKiii glowed warm against the gray.

Steam curling from the espresso machine visible through fogged-up windows. His stomach twisted not from hunger, but because she'd be working the morning shift.

The bell jingled as Eros pushed inside, warmth hitting him like a blanket. Behind the counter, Jiyu was mid-laugh at something her coworker said, cheeks round with a grin. She hadn't spotted him yet. Eros hesitated just long enough for the guy behind him to mutter "Christ, move" before stepping forward.

"Eros-ssi!" Jiyu's face lit up when she saw him, voice cutting through his morning fog. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear something she always did when flustered and leaned over the counter. "The usual? Extra shot, no sugar?"

"Grazie, Tesoro*," Eros blurted, then immediately wanted to die. The Italian pet name had slipped out, a habit from home he definitely hadn't meant to bring here. Heat crawled up his neck as Jiyu paused mid-reach for the espresso machine, brow quirking. Then she laughed, light and easy. "No clue what that means, but I like it!" she admitted, already preparing his order like a pro.

Eros opened his mouth to explain, to backtrack, something but Jiyu had already turned to the machine, short hair swaying. Steam hissed as she pulled the shots, rich coffee scent filled the space between them. He watched her hands small, quick to adjust the cup perfectly. There was something hypnotic about how she moved, or he’s just that into her.

Eros's fingers tapped nervously on the counter as Jiyu slid his americano toward him. The sleeve had a tiny heart printed on it, something she'd started doing for regulars last month but today it might as well have been a spotlight on his racing pulse. "Thanks," he managed, voice cracking. He swallowed hard. "Actually, uh~"

The café door chimed again, cold air rushing in with a group of chattering students. Jiyu glanced toward the noise, then back at Eros, head tilting. His courage evaporated. "Never mind," he muttered, grabbing his cup. The coffee burned his tongue when he took a quick a sip. Perfect. Now his throat was too scorched to speak even if he wanted to.

Three days later, Eros's unsent text, Wanna check out the new vinyl store? still sat in his kakao talk. He stared at it now, sprawled on his dorm bed with his guitar forgotten on his lap. Thumb hovering over send.

His phone buzzed violently, nearly leaping from his hand. A notification from Cafe KiiiKiii: 50% off iced drinks next hour! Eros snorted. Fate or really aggressive marketing, had decided for him. He hit send before he could overthink it, then locked his phone and shoved it under his pillow like it might explode.

Time skip weekend..

The vinyl store was louder than Eros expected not just from the vintage speakers blasting a jazzy music, but from his own pulse thundering in his ears as Jiyu leaned in to examine a limited edition LP. Her shoulder brushed his arm, sending a jolt through him that had nothing to do with the staticky overhead lights. "You have to hear this" she said, holding the record like it was sacred. Her nails were mint green, he'd never noticed that before.

They'd agreed to use the listening booth, but when Eros handed her a shared headphone, their fingers tangled for a second too long. Jiyu giggled and pulled away first, tucking her hair behind her ear. "S-sorry," Eros stammered, fumbling with the cord. The booth suddenly felt suffocating.

An hour later, they stumbled out of the store, Eros clutching the vinyl like a lifeline, Jiyu humming the chorus under her breath, only to realize neither of them had eaten. The closest spot was a bubble tea stand. Eros panicked when Jiyu ordered one large strawberry milk tea to share ("It's cheaper!" she insisted, cheeks pink), but the real crisis came when she pushed the drink toward him after her first sip. The straw glistened under string lights. Indirect kiss, his brain short circuit a bit.

Jiyu seemed to realize it a second later. Her eyes went wide. Eros, in a heroic act of self-sabotage, took a gulp so aggressive he nearly choked on a tapioca pearl. "Good?" Jiyu asked, voice strangled. "Great," he croaked, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. They both stared at the straw and the two averted their gaze and blushed.

Silence stretched just a beat too long, long enough for Eros to notice the exact shade of pink spreading across Jiyu's nose. She tapped an erratic rhythm against her cup. Eros's brain short-circuited. "So," he blurted, "do you, uh~" Do you what? His train of thought derailed completely when Jiyu suddenly grabbed his wrist and pointed across the street. "Look! A cat!"

It was, in fact, a cat, a scruffy orange tabby sunbathing on a parked scooter. Eros blinked. Jiyu's grip on his wrist was warm, her thumb accidentally brushing his pulse point. He could feel his heartbeat stuttering under her touch. "We should pet it," she declared, already dragging him toward the crosswalk. Eros stumbled after her, bubble tea sloshing dangerously.

The cat bolted the second they got close to it. Jiyu deflated like a popped balloon. "Traitor," she muttered, while pouting in disappointment. Then, as if suddenly realizing she was still holding Eros's hands, she yanked her hand back like she'd been burned. "Sorry! I didn't.. I mean.." Her sentence dissolved into a nervous laugh. Eros missed her touch immediately. He rubbed his wrist where her fingers had been, skin tingling. "It’s okay," he mumbled.

A gust of wind sent Jiyu's hair whipping into her face. Eros reached out instinctively to tuck it behind her ear, then froze, hand hovering mid-air. Too much? But Jiyu, instead of flinching, leaned into his touch just slightly. Eros's breath hitched. His fingers trembled as they brushed her cheeks, feather-light. Jiyu's breath smelled like strawberries.

The strawberry milk tea was sweating onto the table when Eros realized with sudden horror that Jiyu had left a faint pink lip balm smudge on the shared straw. He stared at it like it was a live grenade. Jiyu, mid-sentence about the vinyl liner notes, followed his gaze and made a tiny, choked noise.

"Oh! That's~" She snatched the straw and scrubbed at it furiously with a napkin, plastic squeaking. "Should've gotten two straws, that's so gross"

"No! It's~" Eros's hand shot out to stop her, fingers colliding. Static zipped up his arm. They both froze. Jiyu's pinky was hooked around his. Somewhere behind them, a scooter backfired, and Jiyu jerked like she'd been shocked.

Silence stretched between them, thick as syrup. Eros gulped. "I mean," he tried again, voice cracking, "it's not gross. At all." Jiyu's eyes flicked up finally and Eros immediately regretted speaking. Her gaze was molten, the kind that made his stomach flip.

The moment stretched between them, thin and trembling. Jiyu's fingers twitched against the napkin wrapped straw, lips parted slightly. Eros saw the exact second she registered what he'd said, pupils dilating until her eyes looked almost black in the fading light. Then she blinked, and the spell broke.