The Rule About Coffee

People always talk about big moments.

Confessions.

First dates.

First fights.

But nobody talks about the small things.

The habits.

The routines.

The moments that become invisible because they happen too often.

And then one day—

someone leaves—

and suddenly those invisible moments become the things you miss the most.

Three days passed.

Not dramatically.

Nobody counted.

Nobody admitted anything.

Life continued normally.

Which was exactly why Yuna became irritated.

Because somehow—

without discussion—

without planning—

without even acknowledging it—

meeting Adrian had quietly entered her routine.

Not every day.

Just…

sometimes.

After class.

Near the convenience store.

Near the park.

Short conversations.

Nothing important.

Which made it worse.

Because important things were easy to notice.

Small things weren't.

That afternoon Yuna left class carrying enough books to qualify as manual labor.

Her professor had announced another presentation and acted like students didn't require sleep to survive.

Yuna walked out dramatically suffering.

Her friend Mina looked at her.

“You look dead.”

Yuna nodded.

“I've transcended stress.”

Mina stared.

“…What?”

Yuna sighed.

“Nothing.”

They walked together until Mina suddenly stopped.

“Oh right—I have plans. Bye.”

Yuna nodded absentmindedly.

Then froze.

Mina narrowed her eyes.

“…Why are you looking over there?”

Yuna blinked.

“What?”

Mina slowly followed her gaze.

Across the road.

Convenience store.

Mina looked back.

Suspicious.

“…Do you know someone there?”

Yuna immediately answered—

“No.”

Too fast.

Mina squinted.

Then smiled dangerously.

“Oh.”

Yuna frowned.

“What?”

Mina smiled wider.

“Nothing.”

Then she walked away.

Yuna stood still.

Looked across the street.

Paused.

Then sighed.

Five minutes later—

she was buying coffee.

Again.

This time—

one cup.

She checked twice.

Growth.

Walking outside—

she looked around casually.

Not searching.

Just observing.

Totally normal.

Nothing.

No black hoodie.

No sky watcher.

She frowned slightly.

Then immediately frowned harder.

Why disappointed?

That's weird.

She started walking.

Then—

someone passed beside her.

Calm voice.

“You checked.”

She froze.

Turned.

Adrian.

Holding a bookstore bag again.

She stared.

Then narrowed her eyes.

“…You scared me.”

He looked calm.

“You looked disappointed.”

She blinked.

Too direct.

She recovered immediately.

“I wasn't.”

He nodded.

“Okay.”

Pause.

“…You checked though.”

She stared.

He looked away.

She hated how calm he looked.

She pointed at him.

“You're annoying.”

His face remained neutral.

“…Okay.”

Which somehow made her laugh.

They started walking.

Not because anyone suggested it.

They just did.

Yuna looked at him.

“You go to bookstores a lot.”

He nodded.

She asked—

“Why buy books when phones exist?”

He thought.

Then said—

“Books don't send notifications.”

She looked impressed.

That was unexpectedly good.

She smiled.

“That sounded cooler in your head, didn't it?”

He looked at her.

“…Maybe.”

She laughed.

After a while—

they reached the park.

Same bench.

Adrian sat.

Yuna automatically sat too.

Then realized.

Wait.

Since when?

She looked suspiciously at the bench.

He noticed.

“What?”

She immediately denied.

“Nothing.”

He looked unconvinced.

Then looked upward.

Silence settled.

Yuna drank coffee.

Then suddenly remembered.

She looked at him.

“Wait.”

He looked.

She narrowed her eyes.

“You still never told me your major year.”

He blinked once.

“Third.”

She stared.

“…You're older?”

He nodded.

She gasped dramatically.

“You act younger.”

He stared.

“…Thank you.”

She laughed.

Then she asked—

“What did you think my major was?”

He thought.

Looked at her.

Then said—

“Elementary school.”

Silence.

Her jaw dropped.

He looked calm.

She pointed dramatically.

“That was intentional.”

He nodded.

“Yes.”

Her eyes widened.

“You joke now?”

He looked forward.

“No.”

She burst out laughing.

People passed.

The sun lowered.

The sky slowly changed color.

Then—

unexpectedly—

Adrian asked—

“Why literature?”

She blinked.

Because—

he never asked things.

She thought.

Then smiled slightly.

“When I was little… I thought stories were unfair.”

He looked at her.

She continued quietly—

“In stories people always explain. They say what they feel.”

Her smile weakened slightly.

“Real people don't.”

Silence.

Then she laughed lightly.

“So I started liking stories.”

Adrian stayed quiet.

Then asked—

“…And?”

She looked confused.

“And?”

He looked at her.

“Did they become fair?”

She blinked.

Then smiled.

“No.”

A small pause.

“But at least stories tell you why people leave.”

Silence.

Something changed for one second.

Not atmosphere.

Not mood.

Just—

something.

Adrian looked away.

Then quietly said—

“…Maybe real people don't know either.”

Yuna looked at him.

Then smiled.

“…That sounded wise again.”

He sighed.

“Unfortunate.”

She laughed.

The sun disappeared.

Lights turned on.

Yuna stood.

She looked at her empty cup.

Then looked at him.

She smiled.

“Okay.”

He looked.

She pointed seriously.

“New rule.”

He waited.

“If I ever buy two coffees again—”

He looked interested.

She continued—

“You're automatically responsible.”

He thought.

Then nodded.

“…Okay.”

She blinked.

“That easy?”

He shrugged.

“You'll probably forget anyway.”

She stared.

Then laughed.

“You're unbelievable.”

She turned.

Started walking.

After a few steps—

her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

Message:

Rule accepted.

Then another.

Don't forget your books.

She stopped.

Looked down.

One of her notebooks—

still on the bench.

Her eyes widened.

She turned.

Adrian was holding it.

Looking completely unsurprised.

She laughed.

Because somehow—

for the first time—

she realized—

someone had started expecting her to come back.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***