the morning shift was moving painfully slow, the steady whir of the espresso machine and the faint clink of silverware barely enough to distract hongjoong from the way his heart was racing. the bakery smelled like vanilla and rising dough, like warmth and home, but none of it settled his nerves. his hands were busy, but his mind was stuck on yesterday.

on the short moment that had folded itself neatly into his chest, refusing to let go.

he wanted to tell yeosang and wooyoung about it, about him. but every time he opened his mouth, the words caught in his throat, like thorns. he was not sure why. maybe because speaking it out loud would make it more real. maybe because he was scared of what might come from it, of what it meant to feel that way again; so suddenly, so sharply.

but when there was a dead moment, the café half-empty and quiet except for the low hum of a song playing through the speakers, hongjoong finally built the courage to speak.

"guys, i ran into someone yesterday," he said, drying his hands on a towel, trying to sound casual.

"who?" wooyoung asked immediately, curiosity lighting up his whole face like a match. yeosang stood quietly, having a feeling he knew who.

"seonghwa," hongjoong responded simply.

wooyoung's jaw dropped. "oh my god! are you serious? how? where? what did you talk about? did you make up? are you getting back together? well you were never really together, but you know what i mean," his words came out like machine gun fire, fast and unfiltered. he practically bounced in place, gripping the edge of the counter like it might steady him.

yeosang, on the other hand, did not say anything.

"yeosang, you don't seem shocked," wooyoung narrowed his eyes.

yeosang glanced at hongjoong, guilty. "i might have been the one who told seonghwa where to find you..." he trailed off.

hongjoong stared at him, wide-eyed. "you what?"

"i knew it would be for the best," yeosang said, raising his hands in surrender. "and i didn't tell him you would be there for sure, just that you typically went to the bookstore sunday mornings. i figured if he really wanted to see you, he'd show up. and if he didn't, then... well, then nothing would change."

"so you set me up," hongjoong muttered, shaking his head, but there was no real anger in his voice. just surprise. maybe even a little something close to gratitude, though he was not quite ready to name it.

"he looked like he missed you," yeosang said softly. "i thought maybe you'd want to see him too."

hongjoong looked down, the towel still clutched in his hand. he felt exposed, like his heart had been peeled open in the middle of the bakery. "i didn't know i did," he whispered. "but then i saw him and..."

he trailed off, unsure how to explain the way his chest had ached just from hearing seonghwa's voice. the way it had felt like the ground had steadied beneath his feet for just a second. how their conversation had not been long, but it had lingered.

"it was short," hongjoong continued. "but sweet. we didn't talk about anything serious. he looked good. he always does. but it just... being around him again made me miss him more than i already did, and i didn't think that was possible."

there was a moment of silence. wooyoung's expression had softened considerably, all his earlier excitement tempered into something more gentle. yeosang was quiet, like he knew hongjoong needed space to work through the words.

"so text him," wooyoung said suddenly.

hongjoong blinked. "what?"

"text him. ask him to hang out. go get coffee or dinner or something. see where it goes."

"no," hongjoong said instantly, backing away like wooyoung had physically nudged him. "i can't. that's... that's too much."

"why?" wooyoung tilted his head, genuinely curious.

"because," hongjoong hesitated, trying to find the right words. "i don't know where we stand. i don't know what he's thinking. what if i text him and it just... ruins everything? what if he doesn't want to see me again?"

"but he did see you again," yeosang pointed out gently. "he made the effort to come find you."

"that doesn't mean he wants to hang out," hongjoong mumbled. "maybe it was closure. maybe he just needed to say hi and move on."

"do you believe that?" yeosang asked.

hongjoong did not answer. he did not want to lie, but the truth felt too big to say out loud.

"look," wooyoung said, hopping up to sit on the counter, flour on his apron, hair slightly messy. "i'm not saying you have to pour your heart out. i'm just saying, send a text. something simple. something safe. it doesn't have to be serious. just see how he's doing. see if he wants to talk again."

hongjoong sighed and leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "i don't know."

they did not push him after that. the rest of the shift passed in a slow rhythm of orders, cleaning and small talk. yeosang hummed whatever song was stuck in his head. wooyoung focused on prep. hongjoong tried to keep his mind on the present, but it kept slipping back.

to the bookstore. to seonghwa's eyes. to the way he had smiled, soft and hesitant, like he was not sure if he was allowed to.

he missed him.

maybe it was not fair to keep pretending like he did not.

by the time their shift ended, the sky had shifted to that hazy golden color that made the sidewalk glow.

"you don't have to decide right now," yeosang said as he turned to face hongjoong.

"but you could," wooyoung added, nudging hongjoong lightly with his elbow.

they said goodbye, splitting off at the corner, and hongjoong walked home alone, hands in his pockets, the spring air clinging to his skin. his phone felt heavy in his pocket, like it knew what he was thinking.

when he got to his apartment, he stood in the doorway for a long moment, staring at nothing. then he kicked his shoes off, dropped his bag, and sank onto his bed.

he pulled out his phone.

opened the messages.

his fingers hovered for a while. he did not know what to say. did not know how to sound casual and vulnerable at the same time.

but then he just typed.

hongjoong
hey. i know our encounter was short, but it was really nice seeing you again. i've been thinking about it a lot, and... i miss you. would you wanna maybe get coffee sometime? just to talk. no pressure.

he stared at the message for what felt like forever.

then he hit send.

oooooo

-vic