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Taehyung bites his lip and lowers his gaze, as a wave of embarrassment washes over him.
The waitress, Sana, comes back over to the booth he is seated in. “Are you ready to order now, honey?” she asks, a sympathetic smile adorning her face.
Feeling as if cotton is stuck in his throat, Taehyung is unable to formulate words at this point. Scared that if he tries to speak it will unleash a stream of tears that will only serve to embarrass him further.
He settles on responding with a slight shake of his head.
With a soft pat on his shoulder, Sana leaves to attend to the other customers in the busy diner.
This was the fourth time she had come over to ask Taehyung if he was ready to order. The first three times, he had told her, “please wait a bit, my boyfriend is on his way”.
Each time he gave her the same sorry excuse, his beautiful boxy smiled dimmed until there wasn’t a smile left.
Inhaling deeply, he takes pity on the salt shaker that he was staring at for the past fifteen minutes to look up at his surroundings.
The family-friendly diner looks much more lively than it had been when he came in almost two hours ago.
Some construction workers sit at the counter, drinking the diner’s awful coffee after a long day of work.
A group of young people who look like they are high school students, sit in a booth similar to his as they furiously write in their notebooks while trying to shove heaps of food into their mouths.
Families that have no more than three little ones, laugh joyously as they eat their pancakes or sip on their creamy milkshakes.
It’s a pleasant sight but it doesn’t make Taehyung feel any happier or lighter than it usually would.
Because as he looked around the familiar diner, all his mind could register were the apologetic looks directed his way from some of the older patrons.
They know. They know he was stood up. And now they feel sorry for him.
His lower lip trembles, while he squeezes his eyes shut, trying so hard to will away the traitorous tears that threaten to fall.
Gathering his stuff, he moves to leave when someone slides into the booth across from him.
“Sorry I’m late baby, traffic was a nightmare.”
Taehyung gasps.
The stranger is really handsome, with his broad shoulders and wavy black hair.
The man has a small (beautiful) smile on his face, his doe eyes focussed only on Taehyung.
Taehyung just stares, completely at a loss for words. Trying to understand the situation.
The man lowers his head and whispers, “Just go with it, okay? Whoever stood you up is a jerk. By the way, I’m Jeongguk.” He finishes with a grin. It reminds Taehyung of a bunny.
And surprisingly, Taehyung does go for it. He lets the kind (and cute) and somewhat clumsy stranger lift his mood as he rambles on about his day and the story his neighbour had told him this morning.
Taehyung goes for it when after another two hours spent in the diner, their time together filled with laughs and silly stories and amazing burgers, he gives Jeongguk his number when he asks for it.
Taehyung goes for it when he breaks up with his boyfriend the very next day. Jeongguk calls him that night and listens while Taehyung sobs for his broken heart.
Taehyung goes for it when a month later, he decides to see Jeonguk again. This time they catch a movie and grab dinner. As friends, of course.
Taehyung goes for it when two years later, he finally works up the courage to ask Jeongguk out on a date. The smile Jeongguk gives him before he says yes, is a sight that Taehyung will never forget.
And when sometime later, Jeongguk proposes to him at the very same diner they met...
Well, let’s just say that Taehyung definitely goes for it.