"Gui Gui! Wang Zi! Please, don't get mixed up with the tables again, more customers are waiting impatiently for their free drinks, okay?" Qiao Qiao urged them both to work efficiently as well as speedily in face of more people thronging into the cafe.

"Yes, boss!" The pair responded aloud and rushed about picking up drinks from the bar counter and distributed them like busy bees, even nearly knocking into each other at a few instances.

Watching from her seat by the window, Rainie smiled at such active and easy-going youngsters, delighting her experience of the season. She sipped on her cup of hot latte topped with soft chewy marshmallows, warming her heart, "Throbbing Reflections Cafe...really nice setting...even though it's Christmas all by myself..."

Pulling the door to enter inside, he was surprised by the chalkboard written 'Free Christmas Drink All Day Giveaway!' Smiling he checked his watch and looked all around the crowded cafe, "Phew, not too late either...still another half hour to go before midnight..."

Scanning for a possible seat available, one customer got up from a next-to-window seat, grabbed his tray of leftover sandwich and left to pay the cashier(who was none other than the beaming Qiao Qiao).

Jiro headed over to take that seat with all smiles...

Rainie nodded lightly to express friendly mannerism and moved her drink closer to allow him more space.

"Thanks, Miss," he said in appreciation of her thoughtfulness.

"Sir, you have a choice of free hot beverage on this cold winter night, regardless of whether you are purchasing any food item...Please pick one from this list..." Wang Zi approached and inquired of him.

"Oh, I see...wonderful," he remarked and ran his finger down the long menu of flowery names of each drink. In the end, he decided, "I still prefer marshmallow latte..."

Right opposite him, Rainie tried to suppress a smile...

"Coming right up!" The jolly waiter chanted.

While waiting, he was captivated by the snowy scene outside the window and marvelled, to which Rainie bemusedly observed and followed his gaze as a result.

"Oh dear," he uttered distractingly to himself, but nevertheless within her earshot, after a while of quiet fascination, wondering if he has exceeded the time limit of his street car parking. He stood up immediately and squirming his way from amongst the overwhelming crowd of the cafe, he hurriedly exited the place.

Rainie was puzzled by his abrupt haste, and Gui Gui also came with his cup of latte already, asking her if she has ordered another one.

"Well, I...," she stammered. Glancing out of the window, she happened to notice from the side a little small bag of gift left by him on the chair across from her.

She gave a quick thought and too rose from her seat, taking his thing and the drink from Gui Gui on behalf, mouthed thanks and marched out of the cafe.

Once in the open under the drifting, glistening snow, Rainie sought earnestly for a sight of him...Somehow, gripping tightly onto the things in her hands, she sensed a connection with once-upon-a-time familiarity, an unwavering throbbing of her heart...destined to be encountered anew all over again...

-THE END-