one ~ a rainy day
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even when it's rainy
all you ever do is shine
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Park Jimin
The streets below my window glistened in the dim light of the evening. There was a thin layer of water on the ground that reflected the daylight and gave the illusion that the cars were drifting around on ice rather than water. They seemed to glide effortlessly along the roads, much like how the tiny, shining crystals of rain cut gracefully through the air.
Sparkling, molten diamonds obscured my vision through the third storey window I sat in, but I didn't mind. I had always loved the rain.
I loved to sit in my cosy window seat, too. It had become my favourite spot ever since I moved into my apartment with my best friend, Taehyung, just over a year ago. I would stay there for hours, just watching the world below go by, in my own little daydream as I wondered where people were scurrying off to.
Business men and women would rush around with umbrellas, leaping in and out of taxis or sprinting down the street with briefcases in hand. I would just observe them peacefully, lost in my own thoughts.
Several times over our time here, I had awoken to darkness and Tae shaking me because I had fallen asleep in my comfortable position - my knees pulled up to my chest with my arms hugging them, my head resting against the cool glass of the window.
"Chim, wouldn't you rather sleep in your bed? It's almost one in the morning," Taehyung would say. He worried for my back and my neck, saying that I would ache if I didn't go to bed.
He always managed to persuade me to move to my bed, even though I knew I would be fine. I could sit at my little window with my comfortable cushions all day, doodling into my notepad through the lyrics that spilled out of my mouth, singing along to my music and people-watching the day away.
I had a job and things to do too though; I didn't just sit around all day. I was a dance student, studying and learning at the nearby university and I adored it with all of my heart. Dancing was always something I had loved, even from a young age. It was like an addiction that I couldn't shake, but I didn't mind because it was probably the least problematic addiction ever. I had a small job at a nearby supermarket to pull me through university and even though it paid little, it was enough and I liked it.
I had just arrived home after work. It was a Thursday evening at around 6pm and the rain hadn't ceased all day, much to my delight. Before I settled at the living room window seat I got changed out of my work clothes and made some tea, making sure to make enough so that Taehyung could have some when he arrived home too. He wouldn't be long.
I had met Kim Taehyung in my first year of university when we were thrown together as roommates in our first year. Straight away, we hit it off. He was funny, kind, and the type of quirky that everyone needed in their lives. He quickly became my best friend and at the end of our first year of studying, we found an apartment and moved in together. We were now starting our third year and still living in the same apartment together. Tae was like a brother to me and I loved him with all of my heart - even when he would leave his clothes in every room of the place and clutter it up.
My gaze was torn away from a man running for shelter into a taxi down below, by the sound of a key being inserted into a lock.
"Honey, I'm hooooome!" The voice of Kim Taehyung carried through to where I sat and instantly put a smile on my face.
"Hey, Taetae," I called back, "How was class?"
"It was pretty good but I'm so tired. I'm glad I'm not working tonight," he said, relieved.
My brown-haired friend came into view as he walked through to the small living room/kitchen area where I was still sitting in my window seat, my mug of tea in my hands as I curled into a cushion.
"You've assumed the position already, I see," Taehyung remarked, walking over to me and putting his hand on my shoulder as he looked through the window. "Ah damn, mystery man isn't at the cafe yet."
"Hey, give him time!" I whined, "He always arrives at 6:30 and it's only like ten past now."
Tae chuckled at me, amused by my defensive behaviour towards a man I had never met before. I'm not a stalker. I just noticed that a dreamy, tall, toned man with the kindest face shows up at the cafe across the street at the same time every evening. It's not like I wait for him, I just always happen to be sitting at my window at that time every day.
"You're obsessed with that guy, Jimin," Tae smiled fondly at me, "Why don't you just go down there and talk to him one day?"
"No way! Are you mad, Kim Taehyung?" I said, not even considering that an option. I was way too shy to start a conversation with a stranger, let alone one of the most beautiful strangers I had ever seen.
"Nope, not mad. Just fed up of watching you drool over this man as he eats his blueberry muffin, wishing you could be said blueberry muffin," he sighed playfully.
I gasped and laughed, my cheeks reddening as I turned to my roommate and shoved him. Tae stumbled back slightly but came back over to me straight away, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and resting his chin on the top of my head.
"I know you're shy, Chim, but please don't let that get in the way of meeting a guy you might be able to fall for. You deserve love, you've waited long enough," Taehyung said.
My best friend squeezed me tightly, then let go and walked into the kitchen to find some tea of his own, leaving me to ponder his words.
I had never been a confident person, but I actually did like talking to new people. The difficulty for me was gaining the courage to actually strike up a conversation in the first place. Maybe Taehyung was right; maybe I needed to suck it up and start putting myself out there. I was twenty years old and I had never been in a serious relationship before.
Maybe it was time to start making the first move, though just the idea of doing that made me feel sick to my stomach.
I wouldn't be doing it today, anyway. Right now all I wanted to do was relax and unwind, and maybe sneak a look at Blueberry. That was the nickname that Tae and I had come up with for the handsome man because we didn't know his name. He got it because every day, he came to the cafe and ordered the exact same thing - a coffee and a blueberry muffin.
Soon enough, 6:30 rolled around and the man himself strode into the cafe, going straight to the counter to make his order before sitting at his usual table right at the front of the shop. It was by the window, directly across from mine, though the cafe was on the ground floor and my apartment was on the third storey.
The cafe itself was small yet always seemed to have customers in it; not once had I ever seen it empty. It was quaint, with condensation adorning the windows and on the dark, burgundy walls some paint was beginning to peel off. There was a nice feel to it - homely and warm. Taehyung and I often met there for lunch on our breaks because the staff were friendly and their cakes were always delicious. Though, we had never been there at the same time as Blueberry.
The lone man sat there, sipping his coffee from time to time and nibbling on his muffin. He would never write, never type, never bring company. He'd just sit.
And that intrigued me.
This man had piqued my interest more than I'd care to admit and every day, I would find myself watching him and wondering things about him.
Did he have an important job? He always dressed smartly and looked professional so maybe he liked to relax at the little coffee shop. What was his name? I had come up with many over the past months, but none of them seemed to fit him. Did he like any other type of muffin? I was a fan of blueberry muffins myself, but even I would get sick of them after having one every day.
He was one giant mystery to me, and I had become enchanted by him and his handsome face. I didn't know why I was so enthralled by his life. He just seemed infinitely interesting to me and I wanted to learn more about him. He was a book I wasn't able to read, and all I wanted to do was open up the pages and discover more.
But, until then, I was content in sitting at my window seat with my knees pulled up to my chest, the rain pouring and trickling its way down the glass of my window as my adoring eyes watched my mystery man from afar.
One day, I would find the courage to talk to him. One day, Jimin.