Ryan had arrived earlier than he planned.
He stood near the café entrance, hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked toward the stone path leading from campus, then back to his phone, even though the screen stayed stubbornly unchanged. No new messages. No missed calls.
Relax, he told himself. It's just coffee.
The thought didn't help.
The café door opened and closed behind him as people came and went, each time making his heart jump for no reason at all. He adjusted his jacket, smoothed his hair back, then immediately stopped himself, annoyed. He wasn't like this. Waiting never bothered him. And yet, standing there now, time felt slower—each minute stretching thin, deliberate.
What if she decided not to come?
The idea slipped in uninvited, tightening his chest. He exhaled, forcing the thought away, and looked up again—
And saw her.
Yuna was walking toward him from the path, unhurried, almost quiet in the way she moved. The afternoon light softened around her, catching on the gentle sway of her skirt and the faint shine of her glasses as she adjusted them. Her long black hair framed her face neatly, and there was something calm in her posture, as if the world never rushed her, no matter how fast it moved around her.
Ryan forgot to breathe.
When she noticed him, her steps slowed just slightly. A small smile appeared—shy, warm, unmistakably hers. She lifted a hand in a modest wave, and in that simple gesture, all the restless noise in Ryan's chest settled into something softer.
She reached him and spoke gently, "Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?"
Ryan shook his head a little too fast, a grin spreading across his face before he could stop it.
"No," he said. "I just got here."
It wasn't true.
But standing there, with Yuna in front of him and the café's warmth at his back, it felt like the kind of lie that didn't matter at all.
Ryan smiled, the words leaving him before he had time to overthink them.
"You look… really beautiful today."
Yuna's steps faltered for the briefest moment. Color rose softly to her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze, fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.
"Thank you," she said, her voice quiet but sincere.
Ryan didn't reply right away. He was still looking at her—at the way her smile appeared and disappeared like something fragile, at the calm warmth she carried without trying. Her beauty wasn't striking or overwhelming; it was gentle, the kind that settled into you slowly and stayed.
Yuna noticed his silence and glanced up, meeting his eyes for a second before looking away again.
"Should we… head inside?" she asked softly.
Ryan blinked, snapping back to reality. "Y-yeah. Yeah, sure."
He stepped forward quickly, reaching the door before her and pulling it open. The warm light from inside spilled out onto the stone path.
He turned and gestured with an awkward little smile.
"After you."
Yuna hesitated, then nodded, a small smile returning to her lips as she stepped past him. For a moment, Ryan caught the faint scent of her perfume—light, clean, almost comforting.
As the door closed behind them, he realized his heart was still beating faster than it should.
And strangely enough, he didn't want it to slow down.
They stepped inside, the warmth of the café settling around them like a familiar embrace. Soft music hummed in the background, low enough to be ignored but present enough to soften the silence between conversations. A few students occupied scattered tables, their voices blending into a comfortable murmur.
Ryan cleared his throat. "Uh… what do you like?"
Yuna looked up at the menu board, adjusting her glasses as she read through it carefully. "I usually go for something simple," she said. "Maybe a latte. Not too sweet."
Ryan nodded a little too enthusiastically. "Latte. Got it. I'll—" he glanced back at the menu, panicked for half a second, "—I'll have the same."
They placed their orders, Ryan paying before Yuna could protest, and moved to an empty table near the window. Sunlight filtered through the glass, catching dust motes in the air and painting the table in soft gold.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Ryan rubbed his palms lightly against his jeans. "So… how have your classes been?"
Yuna smiled, relieved by the easy question. "Busy. But I like them. Some professors talk a lot, though. I end up writing more than listening."
Ryan laughed softly. "Yeah, I know that feeling. Half the time I don't even remember what I wrote down—just that my hand hurt."
She chuckled, covering her mouth slightly. The sound was light, almost surprised, as if she wasn't used to laughing so freely.
They talked about small things at first—classes, favorite spots on campus, how crowded the library had been lately. Ryan found himself relaxing without noticing when it happened. The nervous edge he'd been carrying slowly faded, replaced by something easier, something warm.
When their drinks arrived, steam curled gently from the cups.
Yuna wrapped her hands around hers, sighing softly. "This smells really good."
Ryan watched her for a second, then smiled. "I'm glad you came."
She looked at him over the rim of her cup, eyes steady behind her glasses. "Me too."
They sat like that for a while, sipping their coffee, the silence no longer awkward—just soft, companionable. Outside the window, students passed by in slow streams, sunlight glinting off glass and stone.
Yuna squinted slightly as the light shifted, pushing her glasses up with one finger. "The sun's really bright today," she murmured, half to herself.
Ryan followed her gaze, then looked back at her—at the way the light caught in her hair, at how her expression softened when she wasn't trying to hide behind politeness.
"Yeah," he said without thinking. "It is."
She tilted her head. "You don't sound like you're talking about the weather."
He froze.
Then laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Caught me."
Yuna smiled, curious rather than embarrassed. "What were you thinking, then?"
Ryan hesitated, then decided—just this once—not to overthink it. "You know… you're kind of like sunshine."
She blinked. "Me?"
"Yeah," he said, a little more confident now. "You don't talk loudly. You don't try to stand out. But when you're around, things just feel… warmer. Easier." He shrugged. "I noticed it that day in the hallway. And again today."
For a moment, Yuna didn't speak. Her fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
"That's a little embarrassing," she said softly.
Ryan panicked. "I mean—if that was weird, I'm sorry, I—"
"But," she added quickly, looking up at him, her cheeks faintly pink, "it also makes me happy."
He stopped mid-apology.
She smiled, small and sincere. "No one's ever said something like that to me before."
Ryan felt his chest loosen in a way he hadn't realized was tense. "Then… can I keep calling you that? Just between us."
Yuna thought for a second, then nodded. "Only if you don't say it too often."
He grinned. "Deal."
Sunshine lifted her cup again, hiding her smile behind the steam—while Ryan sat there, quietly amazed at how a single word had made the afternoon feel brighter than it had any right to be.