It was only two stops to downtown by subway where he worked at, and his final stop would be close to the usual cafe he had promised earlier to meet James later on.
On the subway, his phone beeped again - another Whatsapp message notification. It was his older brother. Lee smiled and started typing to reply and chat with him.
Lee chuckled to himself. He still couldn't believe their mother had named both Jet and himself after the famous actor specializing in action and martial arts movies(1)(2). He wasn't sure if their father was aware as the man wasn't too much of a movie fan, but even if he did, Lee doubted their father would have any say in it.
He continued his chat with Jet.
-------------------
Walking towards the intersection, he saw James waving at him. The guy was wearing his usual spectacles that he would only wear during workdays. The glasses didn't even have any power, and James had 20/20 perfect eyesight.
"To make me look smarter," He once said when Lee had asked him about it a long time ago.
James Han was a British-born Chinese - 1 year younger than Lee - and was also in the same legal team at the law company they both worked at. They had become best friends over the years working together, with a lot of similar hobbies.
"Lee, the cafe is closed for renovation," James said as soon as Lee safely crossed the road to where he was.
"Ahhh, shit! I really need my coffee," Lee grumbled.
"Wait up!," James took out his phone and typed onto the screen, "There seems to be another cafe just 2 blocks down the road. Figure we should try?"
Lee shrugged while fixing his coat to cover his neck more, "Well I definitely won't survive the day without caffeine. Let's go!"
They walked hurriedly, following James' google map direction. Soon they were greeted with a small shop located at ground level of an old brick building- the cafe simply had a wooden signboard sticking out of the wall, [CafeGood]
Lee couldn't help but roll his eyes at the very non-imaginative name. But the small shop looked awfully busy as there were some people already waiting outside for their coffee. The good thing was, they were all just waiting for their orders, not queuing up.
Lee and James hastily walked towards the opened takeaway counter which was currently being manned by a sole man in glasses - the scrawny looking man was awfully busy making the customers' orders, heating up milk here, pouring coffee there, taking out some cups from the cupboard behind him... . He didn't even look up at Lee and James as both men came up to him and were about to make their orders,
"Espresso, one; Latte, no sugar, one."
"Flat white, soy. Thanks, John." A soft but clear female voice also intersected with his; both voicing their orders at the same time.
Lee did not realize the presence of the woman. He was surprised and was about to apologize to the latter as he turned his head and stilled,
Lee was silent for a split second before smiling at her, "Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't realize you were here first."
The young woman also gave him a wide smile.
A smile that suddenly had made his morning a whole lot warmer,
"Not at all," The young woman shifted her handbag over her shoulders, still smiling at him. She then turned towards the barista, "John, you can make the order for these gents first. I'll sit for a bit. Got some work to do."
John the barista murmured his acknowledgement, still having his head down focusing on his tasks at hand.
She nodded slightly at Lee and James before walking inside the cafe, then she sat at one of the tall chairs by the cafe's bench. Lee could not take his eyes off her.
"I'll pay for her order too," Lee said towards John. The latter snorted, all the while still not looking at his customers' faces,
"Well well well, an admirer of my girl-friend Mia. She has a high standard in men, you know. You will be hard-pressed to meet her requirements..... just give up..."
John finally looked up at Lee, then at James,
"..... or not." He whistled, "HELLO, handsomes!! New faces! Handsome faces! Let John take care of your caffeine boost."
James shifted to behind Lee's back, seeking protection from the hungry eyes of the very flamboyantly talking barista.
"Well you are certainly good looking. Enough for my girl-friend's pretty face there," John gestured with his chin towards the young woman who was now typing on her laptop.
"Mia?" Lee prompted, following John's gesture. The young woman was in deep concentration and had her brows lightly furrowed. Her eyes - framed by a set of thin long eyelashes - were downcast, her pupils were concentrated towards her screen, while her long fingers constantly continued typing. Initially, Lee was only drawn to her smile, but now that she was puffing her cheeks slightly while still in deep thinking, Lee couldn't help but find her so mightily adorable.
"How can someone so adorable exist!" Lee thought.
"Mia Simmons," John grinned at him, noticing Lee's tapered gaze, "She is here on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. You are welcome. Now, you can thank me by giving either your phone number or your friend's there."
James completely hide himself behind Lee's back now.
Lee took out his phone, searched through his contacts, and showed his screen to the barista,
"This." Lee lifted his chin,
"It's his." He stepped sideways so James came in full view again, "His name is James Han."
James groaned. John the barista let out a delighted chuckle, and quickly wrote the number down,
"Well very nice to meet you, Mr. James Han," John grinned widely at Lee, "And you are?"
"Lee Tanaka," Lee offered his hand to John, which the latter accepted to shake, "Thanks, John."
"My absolute pleasure, darlings. If Mia ever breaks your heart, I'm here." he winked at Lee.
Lee laughed. After paying for his order, James', and Mia's, he joined the other waiting customers by the road side for his order to be ready. He was usually always in a hurry, but this time, he didn't mind it at all. His gaze was focused towards the cafe's floor-to-ceiling glass window, where he could see the woman's profile behind it clearly.
Finally their order was ready. Lee took his espresso and John very subtly handed James' latte to the guy while 'coincidentally' brushed his fingers over the other's hand. James almost dropped his coffee.
Throwing a final glance at Mia, Lee walked away. James grumbled,
"I hate you."
Lee laughed. James sipped his coffee, "Traitor. How could you sell your friend for a woman. Yeah, she's a bit pretty, but... ."
"She is the prettiest woman I have ever seen," Lee corrected.
James stopped and looked at his friend,
"Holy shit!! Lee! You are smitten!!"
"Maybe...," Lee thought. He was not in his teens anymore and way past his puberty period. In fact, he had not had interest in relationships with women ever since he started his career. But there was something about this woman that had drawn him from the deepest part of his soul, "Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays. I will return to that shop."
While James finally started to walk again and muttered under his breath, "I may have to change my phone number...," he shuddered as he recalled the barista's playful wink at him before. And his touch... .
"Don't," Lee said, "A lot of our clients already know your personal number. It will be hard for them to get in touch with you if you change it."
"Well you should have thought about that before you sold me out!!" James bellowed.
In Lee's mind, a familiar song played,
[Am I pretty enough for you, my beloved]
"Yes... Yes, you are... ."