And there he was, leaning against the wall, sipping from a cup of some strangely blended liquor that was almost completely gone. For the hundredth time that night, his gaze strayed all over the room in the hope of stumbling across anything intriguing to do. His colleagues invited him to join them in the pub for a drink. He didn't want to go in the first place, but there was nothing he could do about it. Even his boss suggested that he stay. To be honest, he was looking forward to getting out of the editorial office for at least an hour. Still, it was becoming increasingly exhausting to remain there. The majority of the people in the area were intoxicated. He couldn't enjoy himself since the music was too loud to genuinely enjoy himself.

As he finished the last drop of his cup, he began walking towards the exit, attempting to make his way through the masses of people. A drunken girl accidentally spilled her cup of wine all over him.

      -"Oh my goodness! Please accept my apologies "- she attempted to wipe it away but just made the situation worse. He softly pulled her hands away from him slowly, with her looking at him in shock. And walked to the restroom, completely ignoring her.

He entered the room and washed his face. He wiped the sweat off his brow and peered in the mirror. He looked like shit. Under his eyes, he had black circles. He had a furrow in the middle of his brows that indicated the level of frustration he was experiencing.

He took his shirt off and scrubbed the area stained by alcohol. Then he noticed that someone had opened the door and made their way towards the sink. He simply didn't care about it. The clothing would not get clean no matter how hard he washed it. The stain would not come off with soap and water.

        -"It's difficult to get rid of wine stains." - He heard a calm voice say, "When you go home, you might probably add some white vinegar and detergent, and it will come off after a few minutes."

Looking up, Jaden was met by the most beautiful human being he had ever witnessed in his life. Possibly due to the booze flowing through his bloodstream, but he swore he saw something in his eyes that shone brightly. They were brownish and small, and his smirk was just captivating enough that he could make any cold-blooded criminal pause and stare at him for a few moments before moving on.

After washing his hands, the unusual yet attractive young man strolled out into the party again. Jaden just stood there staring at him as the stranger stepped out the door before giving him one more glance smiling, not saying anything. As soon as his soul was reunited with his body, he dashed outdoors and began searching for that person, who was nowhere to be seen found. Jaden had lost track of him.

He sighed, exhausted, as he hurriedly rubbed his palm across the side of his face.

Following that, he simply called a taxi and returned to his apartment. It was a lonely place for him. He threw himself into his bed as soon as he arrived and fell asleep almost immediately.

•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•

He had the following day off, but he needed to conduct some research for the column that he was writing. He was exhausted, and he was experiencing a slight migraine. He decided to go to the nearby coffee shop his friend suggested to not feel like he was imprisoned in his apartment for the rest of the day.

As he walked into the establishment, he noticed that it was pleasant and comfortable. It was not a packed or noisy environment. He saw an empty seat, apart from everyone else, and thought, "Perfect." He sat back in his chair and opened his laptop, preparing to begin typing in the next few hours.

      -"Welcome, and good morning. Is there anything I could get you that you don't already have?" - The man from the night before appeared in front of him. His heart stopped pounding for a split second. He had a dry throat and just stood there staring at him for a long time. "mmm, sir, Is there anything I can get for you today?" the man clearly said after clearing his throat a few times.

        Jaden clenched his jaw and shook his head to clear his head  - "I'm sorry, I was just getting sidetracked." - He mumbled, and the man standing in front of him looked at him as if he were crazy- "Is it possible to get a cup of coffee? It's just an ordinary cup of coffee, "- he managed to say in the end.

        After saying, "Of course," he turned around and proceeded to the counter.

       -"He completely forgot," he said to himself lowly. -"Of course, it wasn't that important," he added. He merely kept typing, losing his concentration halfway through. He couldn't write anything since he was too exhausted.

         As he places his coffee cup on the table says, "Here you go. Your regular coffee, anything else?" he tilts his head to the side and some curls more, letting him see his eyes better. 

       -"No, thank you very much. I'm fine". - He replied quickly and without hesitation.

         After that, he puts his palms together and added "Alright, raise your hand up if you need anything, and I will be happy to assist you." - he smiled and walked away behind the counter to help other customers. He seemed to notice Jaden's stare as he looked back at him. What startled the poor man and caused him to awkwardly look down at his cup to avoid his gaze. 

Jaden just sat there staring at his cup before taking a sip of his coffee. He felt his body was more relaxed, and his migraine eased, which he wanted. He did nothing but stare at the stranger from the pub every eight to ten minutes for the next hour. There was something about him that he liked. He had no idea what it was.

After finishing his final sip of coffee, he shut down his laptop and pulled a pack of sticky notes from his briefcase. He scribbled something in cursive letters as he glanced over his shoulder to the server. It said, "I felt something shocked me the moment I saw you. I'm not sure what it is, but I intend to embrace it nonetheless "Then he placed it on the table.

He walked up to the counter, paid for his coffee, and walked out the door with a big smile on his face.