The café had closed for the day, the warm glow of its lights spilling onto the quiet streets. I stood by the counter, fidgeting with the coffee stirrers, and tried to calm the storm of thoughts running through my head. Yssa was sitting across from me, sipping her coffee with that calm smile that made my heart skip every few seconds.
“Uh… so,” I began, scratching the back of my neck, “I was thinking… maybe we could go eat somewhere? You know… dinner?”
Yssa tilted her head, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. “Dinner sounds perfect,” she said, lightly teasing, “but do I sense hesitation in your voice, Kai?”
I swallowed hard, trying not to choke on my own words. “Hesitation? Me? Never…” I muttered, though my nervous laughter betrayed me.
Aika’s words from a few days ago popped into my head: “He’s hopeless, just admit it.” I grimaced. Maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong.
We stepped out into the light drizzle, umbrellas barely shielding us from the soft rain. I held hers over her, feeling a strange mix of pride and panic at the thought of being close. Every time I looked at her, I wanted to say something smooth, but all that came out was:
“So… you… uh… like rain?”
Yssa blinked at me, one eyebrow arched. “I like it. Why?”
“Uh… nothing, nothing…” I muttered, my face heating. Smooth, Kai. Smooth.
We found a small, cozy restaurant not far from the café. The place was charming, with dim lights and soft music playing in the background. As we were seated, Yssa chose the booth with her back to the window, giving me the seat facing the street. Perfect. I was trapped in a good kind of panic.
The waiter approached. “Can I get you both something to drink?”
“Uh… water is fine,” I said quickly, trying not to sound like a total fool.
Yssa smiled. “I’ll have the same,” she said softly. And just like that, the ice between us seemed to shatter.
As we waited for our food, Yssa leaned back in her seat. “So… tell me about your café. I saw your posts on social media, but I didn’t realize it was this nice.”
I grinned. “It’s a small business, but it’s kind of… our sanctuary. Me and my friends run it after work, and it’s like… our place to relax. And we help people feel relaxed too, I guess.”
“That’s really… sweet,” she said. Her eyes softened as she looked at me, and I nearly dropped my glass of water.
Trying to regain composure, I coughed. “So… uh… what about you? You mentioned studying abroad… tell me about that.”
Yssa laughed lightly, shaking her head. “Oh, it was… something. I studied business management, but also had a lot of fun, met new people… you know, the usual stuff. But it feels good to be back home, even if I miss my friends abroad.”
I nodded, trying to sound calm while my brain screamed you’re talking to Yssa, don’t mess this up!
The food arrived—a delicious assortment of pasta and breadsticks. I tried to appear casual, but the moment Yssa laughed at a joke she made about a breadstick being “a weapon disguised as food,” I completely lost it. My fork nearly flew out of my hand.
“Careful, Kai,” she said, giggling. “You might actually injure someone with your enthusiasm.”
I turned bright red. “I-I’m fine. Totally fine…”
We ate, laughed, and discovered more little quirks about each other. I learned that she was incredibly competitive—she had a tendency to turn every little game or challenge into a full-on competition. At one point, we played a simple “guess the number” game with our breadsticks.
“Three,” I said confidently.
“Wrong!” Yssa shot back. “It’s five!”
“I… I… how did you know?” I stammered, pretending to be frustrated.
“Because I’m psychic, obviously,” she said with a wink, and I couldn’t help but laugh, though internally I was screaming at how perfect she looked.
After dinner, the rain had stopped, leaving the streets glistening under the streetlights. I offered her my arm—old-fashioned style—and she accepted with a teasing smile. “Are you sure you can be this chivalrous for the whole evening?”
“I’ll try my best,” I said, though inside I was sweating like I had run a marathon.
We walked through the quiet streets, talking about everything and nothing. Somehow, we ended up at a small park, empty except for the faint glow of the street lamps and the soft chirping of crickets.
“Do you come here often?” Yssa asked, kicking a small pebble and watching it roll.
“Not really,” I admitted. “But I like quiet places. Places where I can think… and maybe not embarrass myself too much.”
Yssa laughed softly. “You’re not embarrassing yourself. You’re… being Kai. And I think that’s nice.”
I nearly tripped over my own feet trying not to fall over. “I… uh… thanks.”
We reached a small fountain in the park. The water glowed under the soft lights, reflecting our faces in the rippling surface. I wanted to say something profound, something that would make her understand how I felt—but all that came out was:
“This… is nice.”
Yssa tilted her head and smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Yes, it is. Nice… like this night.”
I felt my heart stutter. Okay, Kai. This is it. Say something smooth.
I opened my mouth… and a loud splash interrupted me. A pigeon had taken flight, startled by our shadows, and flapped directly into my shoulder, sending me stumbling backward.
Yssa burst into laughter. “Oh my god! Are you okay?”
I tried to straighten my jacket and recover my dignity. “I… yes! Totally fine! It was… uh… part of the ambiance.”
She laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach. I couldn’t help but join her, even though internally I was thinking why is she so perfect and funny at the same time?
After calming down, we continued walking, eventually finding a small ice cream shop that was still open. “You know,” Yssa said, “ice cream always makes nights better.”
I nodded eagerly. “Absolutely. And I’m totally fine with dessert being your choice… mostly because I trust your taste.”
We sat on a bench outside, enjoying cones of chocolate and strawberry ice cream. I accidentally got a drip on my sleeve, and she giggled, pointing it out. “Careful, Kai. You’re ruining your perfectly styled makeover already.”
“I… uh… I’ll handle it later,” I said, trying not to smear ice cream on her.
The night went on like this: awkwardly close moments, silly jokes, and endless laughter. We shared stories from our teenage years—embarrassing school moments, misadventures with friends, and the little secrets we had both kept to ourselves. Every time I looked at her, I felt like I could see the little girl who had been my first crush and the grown woman she had become, both shining brightly at once.
At one point, Yssa decided to teach me how to juggle oranges she bought from a small street vendor. I failed miserably. The first orange hit me squarely in the stomach, the second bounced off my shoulder, and the third somehow landed in my lap. She laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.
“Okay, clearly juggling is not your skill,” she teased. “But it’s okay—you have other… talents.”
I tried to respond, but my words faltered as I realized she meant being charming and funny in her own teasing way. My face turned crimson.
Eventually, we walked back toward the café. The early morning glow was beginning to touch the sky, painting the clouds in soft pastels. Neither of us spoke much, just enjoying the shared silence and the comfort of being together.
As we reached the door, I hesitated. “Yssa… um… tonight was… really great. I… I had a lot of fun.”
She smiled at me, a gentle warmth in her gaze. “Me too, Kai. Me too.”
My heart raced. I wanted to ask her out again, make plans for another night like this, but words caught in my throat. Before I could stumble over them, she leaned slightly forward and whispered:
“Thank you for tonight… I really needed this.”
I nodded, words failing me completely. “Y-Yeah… anytime.”
She stepped inside, waved, and left with a soft “See you soon, Kai.”
I leaned against the post outside, knees weakening again, a wide smile plastered on my face. Aika, Kazu, Jan, Henry, and Vance all appeared in the distance, hiding behind the café walls, watching me like hawks.
“She’s perfect,” I whispered to myself, “and I’m… I’m actually going out with her.”
And for the first time in years, my heart felt light, full, and utterly ridiculous—but in the very best way possible.
But then, Yssa suggest to go on some cafe, where no one but us is in there