3 Coffee

Wang Jingyuan's mind was blank. Shao Wenbo's eyes, large and unblinking, stared deep into hers. A small smile turned the corners of his lips up. Wang Jingyuan's heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

"Wenbo-ge [1]! When did you get here?" Wang Jingyuan finally managed to squeak out. She felt very flustered, and she hoped that Shao Wenbo did not see her blush.

"Just now. Sorry to keep you waiting; something unexpected came up at the meeting so it ended a little late." Shao Wenbo apologized as he straightened. And not a moment too soon; ten more seconds of being in such close proximity to the boy of her dreams and Wang Jingyuan was sure she was going to swoon. The whiff of pine trees basked in sunlight from him was intoxicating.

"I waved to you through the window and even called out your name when I walked in, but you didn't see or hear me," Shao Wenbo said. He tilted his head a little as he studied Wang Jingyuan's expression. "What were you thinking so deeply about?"

"Um…it wasn't anything important," Wang Jingyuan answered, not quite meeting Shao Wenbo's piercing gaze that seemed to be able to see through everyone. "Just some things about our upcoming competition."

It was a terrible excuse, but Shao Wenbo nodded like he believed her. "That's good; there was something about the competition that I wanted to discuss with you as well. But first, do you want to get something to drink?" Shao Wenbo tilted his head toward the counter, where a couple of people were standing in line.

"Sure." Wang Jingyuan stood up and placed her backpack on her seat to save the table. Shao Wenbo did the same to the chair across from her. The pair made their way to the counter and stood in line. Amidst the carefree chattering of the café, there was a slight awkward silence between Wang Jingyuan and Shao Wenbo as they stood side by side. Wang Jingyuan was racking her brain for a small talk topic when Shao Wenbo turned to her and asked, "What are you getting?"

"Huh?" Wang Jingyuan was caught off guard. When she came here with Du Jiahui, she always got whatever her best friend got because Du Jiahui liked to try out new drinks and they usually turned out really tasty. Wang Jingyuan didn't have her own favorite drink, and she couldn't remember what they had ordered last time. She squinted at the menu on the wall but was only able to guess some of the words from the blurry text. Darn it, Wang Jingyuan cursed in her head. I should've brought my glasses with me.

Yes, she was nearsighted, but she disliked wearing her glasses because she hated the feel of them. Plus, she thought the frames that she picked out when she was thirteen were ugly. She only wore glasses during class when she needed to see what the teacher wrote on the blackboard. Wang Jingyuan was contemplating whether she should run back to her backpack and grab her glasses when Shao Wenbo took off his own silver-framed glasses and offered them to her.

"Here." He held out the glasses towards Wang Jingyuan. "You can use mine."

The considerate gesture made her heart swell with happiness. This wasn't the first time Shao Wenbo let her borrow his glasses because she didn't have hers. He always noticed she was squinting before she even realized herself.

"Thanks." Wang Jingyuan smiled gratefully at Shao Wenbo before taking them and holding them up to her eyes. Ah, how nice the menu looked in ultra HD! Shao Wenbo watched Wang Jingyuan carefully hold the glasses by the temples and use them like they were binoculars so her face didn't touch them. He honestly didn't mind if she actually wore the glasses on her face; in fact, a little part of him was curious as to what Wang Jingyuan would look like if his sleek silver rectangular glasses framed her doe-brown eyes. But knowing how he liked cleanliness and preferred people to not touch his belongings, Wang Jingyuan always made sure to touch as little of the glasses as possible. Her thoughtfulness made Shao Wenbo smile on the inside.

"Um, I guess I'll take the caramel macchiato," Wang Jingyuan finally decided. She handed the glasses back to Shao Wenbo just as the person in front of them finished ordering. Shao Wenbo stepped up to the counter.

"One black coffee without sugar, please." His voice, smooth like velvet, was music to Wang Jingyuan's ears. "And one caramel macchiato."

Wang Jingyuan snapped to attention. "What are you doing? Wenbo-ge, I can order my own drink."

"It's my treat," Shao Wenbo turned to the girl whose eyes were wide with surprise and slight panic. He thought she looked cute with that expression. "I'm sorry for making you wait."

"No, no, it's alright, I wasn't even waiting that long." Wang Jingyuan protested as she fished out her wallet. "I'll pay for my drink—"

Shao Wenbo was faster. He handed the barista his credit card before she could even open her wallet. The barista looked at the pair with a knowing smile. "Just let your boyfriend pay, darling. You were waiting for quite a long time for him."

"I didn't—we're not—" Wang Jingyuan's face flushed as she stumbled over her words. She wanted to explain at the same time that they weren't dating and that she really hadn't waited for that long, but neither came out right. The barista winked at her as he handed Shao Wenbo the receipt and turned away to make the coffees. Wang Jingyuan did not want to meet Shao Wenbo's amused gaze.

"Here, I'll pay you back," she mumbled. "How much was my drink?"

Shao Wenbo crumpled the receipt and tossed it in the trashcan by the door in a move that would for sure make a three-pointer on the basketball court. "I don't know; I didn't look."

"Wenbo-ge!" Wang Jingyuan looked at him exasperatedly. Shao Wenbo was an iceberg, but sometimes he was an annoying iceberg. She had seen some of his antics in Nerd Club. "Fine. Next time, I'll buy you a drink."

"No. I told you, it's my treat because I was late. Even the barista said you waited for me for a long time." Shao Wenbo nodded thanks to the barista as he returned with their drinks. Wang Jingyuan reached out for her macchiato.

"Careful, it's hot," the barista and Shao Wenbo warned at the same time, but Wang Jingyuan had already touched the side of the cup. She hurriedly retracted her hand as heat grazed her fingertips.

Shao Wenbo reached out and took both drinks in his large hands, smartly wrapping his fingers around the cardboard sleeve and not the actual cup.

"Jing-Jing, are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Wang Jingyuan nodded yes. "I'll hold yours for you. Let's go back to our table."

Wang Jingyuan followed Shao Wenbo back, feeling that this confession was not off to a good start. First she had to borrow Shao Wenbo's glasses, then he paid for her drink, and now he was carrying her drink for her because she stupidly burned herself. These were all really nice, considerate gestures that made her love him more, but Wang Jingyuan wanted to be more competent in his eyes. He was the brightest star in the heavens, but she did not want to be the moon that couldn't create her own light and had to reflect his. He was a god, and she wanted to be worthy enough to stand beside him as an equal.

They sat down across from each other, steaming hot drinks in front of them. Outside, the sky had dimmed considerably as dark clouds covered the sun. The wind picked up dry leaves and swirled them across the sidewalk.

"That's weird; it was sunny earlier," Wang Jingyuan commented. "It shouldn't be stormy at this time of the year."

"I agree. I've never seen any spring rain appear like a winter storm." Shao Wenbo said. He blew on his coffee and took a small sip. In the distance, the low rumbling of thunder could be heard. Wang Jingyuan saw a few flashes of lightning in the direction of the school. It looked like a storm was inevitable.

"In your text a few days ago, you said you wanted to talk to me about something." Shao Wenbo placed his coffee on the table and focused on Wang Jingyuan, whose heart began beating irrationally fast again. The nervousness and anxiety from before came rushing back and pooled at the bottom of her stomach. A bolt of lightning cracked in the sky, and the rain came thundering down, roaring like her heart in her ears.

"Jing-Jing, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"