JAE

I pulled up to Cafe Cerise, and left the heat on while I checked myself in the mirror above me. As my eyes wandered to the entrance of the place, it suddenly became clear to me that I had to breathe in and out. My body didn’t seem ready to go in yet, and I still had a few minutes to spare. 

When I re-read the texts on my phone, I was reminded that Harley would be taking the train here, and I couldn’t help but look for her after that. The decision between waiting until I spotted her in my car or waiting outside felt like it would determine the course of the date. 

After a minute of deep contemplation, I felt set on waiting in the car until I realised how close I was to the entrance. 

“What if she sees me watching her…?”

I couldn’t help but check my watch as the crisp air grazed my cheeks. It should’ve only been a few more minutes until she arrived, but the chill was getting to me. Right as I turned to escape the cold, I heard heavy steps coming towards me. 

“Hey,” Harley exclaimed with a smile on her face. Her voice was slightly muffled behind her thick grey infinity scarf. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in contrast to the cloudy winter sky; or maybe that was just from my view. My eyes went to her lips, and noticed how her top lip contrasted the bottom one with a darker colour. Harley’s cheeks seemed flush, and each curl of her hair seemed to be placed with care. 

“Hi,” I breathed out, before I sucked in as much air as I could manage. “You look amazing.”

Her eyes, now as wide as I’d ever seen them, met mine, before they found a safe spot on the ground between us. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a small smile, “thank you.”  

Without another word, I pulled the door open and gestured for her to walk in ahead of me. The heat from inside hit us like a gust of wind, immediately making my face and hands tingle as they warmed up. I scanned the menu above the counter quickly before I looked around for a table. The place was relatively slow aside from a few people working on their laptops and reading a book or newspaper. 

I turned to Harley and asked, “should I save us a table, or did you wanna order first?”

She looked up at me, and her mouth fell open slightly before she looked around the cafe. After a few taps of her foot she met my eyes again.

“Let’s order together, then we can get a table,” Harley decided.

We stepped in line behind a couple who looked to be in their late 20s. Though their conversation was slightly hushed, their physical connection was obvious. The man slid his hands in the back pocket of the woman’s jeans. I cleared my throat as I averted my eyes, which Harley seemed to notice when she glanced over at me. 

Instinctively, I asked, “what?”

She shook her head, looked away, and I wondered if I’d come off harsher than intended. I wanted to apologize, and as I considered doing so she looked right back at me. 

“What are you getting,” she asked me. 

It was only then, as I stood there surprised, that I realized I’d been too busy watching her to look at the menu. I felt my face flush as I looked up in a hurry. My eyes scanned the menu and I landed on something that I’d tried before. 

“Maybe,” I started, “the Thai Tea?”

“Is that good? I’ve never had it before.”

My eyes couldn’t help but pop out of their sockets, “you’ve never tried Thai Tea?! I thought you liked boba?”

Harley scoffed, but the smirk that played on her lips let me know she didn’t mind a little teasing. 

“It just looks so simple, so I haven’t been interested,” she defended herself. 

“Okay,” I smiled, “what are you thinking of getting?”

Her lips pushed out and she squinted her eyes as she looked just past me into the distance. When her eyes met mine, I fought the amusement I felt, and the urge to call her cute after her face had gone back to normal. 

“Taro with extra tapioca and mango jelly,” she admitted. 

I laughed, “that’s like half-topping!”

“See,” Harley shook her head, “I knew you’d judge me.”

Just as I was about to respond, the guy behind the counter called us over. Harley stepped up first, ordered, then reached for her wallet. 

“I got it,” I told her. 

She let out a nervous laugh, “I can’t let you do that.”

I shrugged, “I want to, but not if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Harley glanced at me, then at the cashier. It took a little while, but she eventually shrugged, which I took as an ‘okay.’ I placed my order, and we made small talk until our drinks came out. 

The cafe was still pretty quiet when we went to find a table, and we were lucky enough to snag a booth in a corner of the café. I waited for Harley to pick a side, which turned out to be the right, before I sat across from her.