By: Jason Seol
April 8th, 2017.
It was 4:00 in the afternoon. The time when our cafe was at its busiest was also the best time for me to observe as many people as possible. I could hear people talking about their stress, their phone calls with other businesses, and so much more.
However, among all those people, I’ve especially noticed this girl who looked like she was in her early twenties. She appeared very calm and quiet, always sitting alone and looking out of the window. No matter who or what passed by, she was always at that exact spot, looking out of the window. I’ve realized that nobody went to talk to her. My curiosity was piqued, and I wanted to talk to her.
As I finally made a decision and enthusiastically stopped in front of her, in a very awkward voice, I said: “Hello, my name is Jake, how are you doing?”
At that moment, I knew I shouldn’t have continued speaking until she asked for my name; however, her reaction was different from what I expected. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but instead showed a bright smile. As I observed her more closely, I could tell that she didn’t seem like a person who would reach out to a person in the first place, and that was our first awkward interaction.
The next day, I saw her again at the same table, watching out of the window. I took a deep breath and walked up to her again. I asked for her name this time, but the only thing that came in return was the same bright smile that I saw yesterday. After talking to her for two days in a row, I didn’t really know what her smile meant.
The day after that, everything changed as she finally spoke.
She told me that every time we had our awkward interaction, she always appreciated how I spoke first. She also revealed that she was never the first to talk because she always felt too shy to initiate a conversation.
From that point on, whenever I had my break time, I would sit down in front of her and have a conversation, even if it was short. As our conversation continued for a couple of days, I could see how she really appreciated it and how she wanted to talk to people, but couldn’t.
As Christmas approached, I wanted to buy her a special gift that would be meaningful to her. She once told me that she was a writer, and that’s why I picked out a shiny purple pen, which I thought would suit her.
After I bought her the present, I walked in front of the cafe, planning to wait for her earlier than we had agreed to. Apparently, she was thinking the same thing because as I approached the cafe, I could see her with a wide smile. I could tell she was looking at me more seriously than usual. She told me that she really appreciated how I reached out for her, and she wants to build our friendship into a relationship. That’s why she meant to ask me if I would go out with her.
When I heard those sentences, I responded to her without hesitation, saying, “Yes” with a wide grin.
Now, our relationship has made us more appreciative of each other and what we have.