I have no excuses, this has been sitting in my drafts for months but I was so concerned that it wasn't good enough. But now I'll let you guys decide.

Enjoy and sorry for the long absence!


It was the first Saturday after classes when Mei decided to hang out with Lien at her workplace. Unlike the business of the cafe, Lien's role at the bookshop was more subdued. It was one of those small vintage bookshops that smelled like yellowing pages and dust. The walls were lined floor-to-ceiling with dated selections that you wouldn't find in your closest Books-a-Million or Borders. And without the coffee too.

Very rarely did a customer walk in to look through the half-priced books. It was amazing that the owner of the store hadn't gone broke. But Lien had told Mei that the guy was well-off without the store and just ran it as a hobby. And this was odd as well because he was rarely here. He simply gave Lien a list of small tasks to do during her time here and let her be. Mei found it a bit unusual but if the man were to trust anyone Lien would be the best choice. The young women sat behind the register, both with books in hand. Lien was reading some science fiction with a female protagonist on its cover while Mei settled on a book of romance poetry from one of her favorite authors. Both were engrossed in their books until Lien rose from her seat.

"Hey, I'm gonna go use the restroom. I highly doubt that anyone will come in but just say hi."

"No problem!" Mei chirped. "I'll impress them with my beautiful charm." She gave a dramatic hair flip while Lien simply shook her head before disappearing into the back. Mei resumed her reading for a bit before she heard the bell ring over the door. She didn't look up immediately, intent on finishing the last paragraph on the page. But by the time she did, she wished she had done so sooner.

There he was. The guy from the cafe. The guy she had doused in hot, steaming coffee. He was still tall, still blond (with that ridiculous hair style), and still foreign. The only difference was that he had now traded his office clothes for a pair of worn jeans and a plain t-shirt that fit loose over his large, muscular frame. Not that Mei really noticed of course. She was more concerned with him recognizing her. She took a deep breath, summoning her most pleasant tone.

"Hello, welcome to Half-Priced Books."

He looked her over briefly.

"You're not Lien."

"Um, she's in the back, I'm just filling in." He shrugged before removing the messenger bag from his shoulder and placing it on a rack by the door. The blond stranger's eyes flickered over the counter before settling on Mei's book. But he shuffled over to the bookshelf in the far right corner of the store before Mei could question him.

Mei gave a sigh of relief after he had left, glad that he hadn't recognized her from the cafe. Lien returned to her post moments later. She sat down and picked up her book. Only to spot the gray messenger bag hanging from the rack. A look of passive recognition flashed across her face.

"Oh, Tim's here."

The color drained from Mei's face.

"Tim?" He had a name and Lien knew it?

Lien eyed her warily, taking in her slightly anxious expression.

"Yeah, he's a regular." Lien paused to lower her voice even more. "Is something wrong?"

"Lien," Mei began, matching her roommate's hushed tones. "That's the guy. The one from the cafe. That's the guy who I dumped the coffee on."

Lien's eyes widened. But her reply was halted when she saw a moving figure appear in her far off vision. Tim trudged up to the register with a few books in hand, ready to pay. His gaze flickered back and forth between the 2 women with slight confusion. Yet he stayed quiet.

"Hey Tim." Lien said, beginning to ring up his books.

He gave her a nod of greeting before digging in his wallet for money. The total for the 4 books was $4.95, and Tim insisted on counting out all the change. It would have driven Mei crazy but Lien didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. As Tim was packing his books up in his bag, Mei couldn't help but notice that the cover of one of the books looked familiar.

"You like that author too?" The other 2 turned around and looked at her.

The book she had been reading was written by the same person. She didn't take him to be the type who liked romantic poetry. And judging from his current annoyed expression, he could tell what she was thinking.

"Yes, I enjoy her work. Problem with that?"

"No..." Mei said looking away from his glare.

Tim was headed for the door but before he left, he turned around.

"I hope this job works out for you. At least you don't have to worry about dousing people with hot coffee."

Mei felt like she had been punched in the gut. She could feel her face flashing between shock, embarrassment, and irritation. Unlike other circumstances the words to reply didn't come from her lips as the bell signaled Tim's departure from the store.

Once the door slammed closed the silence was immediately replaced by Lien's stifled laughter. Mei turned around to face her roommate with slight betrayal in her eyes. Lien must have realized Mei's disapproval or she felt embarrassed by her behavior and she put a stop to it.

"Sorry." She shrugged.

"How could you?" Mei moaned. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"Sorry. But Tim's always been a bit blunt. It's just his personality."

"Tell me everything you know about that man." Mei blurted out.

"Whoa calm down. I barely know Tim. All I know is that he's originally from the Netherlands and he went to Colombia for engineering like I am now. He's doing an internship now that he's done with school. That's about all I know. "

Barely knew him? She practically knew his whole life story, considering she wasn't a big talker like Mei was.

"You found all this out while he shops here for books?"

"No, he was a TA for one of my courses last year."

Mei's eyes widened. "You guys used to hang out?"

Lien scoffed. "Mei, I wouldn't count him grading my essays as "hanging out". All we ever discussed was engineering stuff in the occasional couple of minutes before and after class."

"Okay, but did you ever want to hang out with him? Do you now?"

"Mei..."

"Just asking." She said, backpedaling. "I mean he's pretty decent looking."

"Then why don't you hang out with him?"

"Psh no. He's way too tall and standoffish for me. I have no interest in him at all."

"And yet you're the one who brought him up. Do me a favor." Lien said, shoving Mei's book back into her hands. "Just be quiet and read okay?"

Mei grinned, taking the book from her hand. "Fine, I will. But this isn't over." She warned, poking a finger in her roommate's shoulder.

Mei tried to shift her focus back to the book but her previous encounter with Tim kept replaying in her mind.

Long after she left the shop with Lien, this Tim guy was still on her mind. It was a waste really. She had plenty of other things to worry about. Like her upcoming project in Textiles. Oh and trying to get the blonde to talk to her in class more. Mei could tell they were nice but still hesitant to speak up. And then there was work of course. Yes, she had plenty of things to do besides think about that smug Dutchman. Starting tomorrow he wouldn't occupy a single piece of space in her mind. It was as easy as that right?

Spoiler alert: It was not as easy as that.


Short chapter, I really hope to increase chapter lengths as I continue writing.