Thanks to Kayla, I got to eat tasty berry pies for free today.

“Make sure to add that blueberry pie! That’s my favourite among all the berry pies you made today. Alright, I’ll hang up now,” I told Kayla on the other line.

“Misty, you told me that for so many times now,” she said.

“I know. I’m just so excited for you. Your customers will love your berry pies!”

“Okay, okay. The next time you visit my cafe, you’ll see the berry pies on the menu already. You’re gonna have to pay next time!”

“Hey, I’m always paying you.” I laughed, knowing that Kayla was only kidding.

“Anyway, Misty. Gotta go now, my boyfriend is here.”

Kayla hung up the call.

I arrived back at my unit at almost 9:00 pm. After all the tastings earlier, Kayla finally agreed with me to add all the berry pies she worked on because she wanted something new to her menu. She informed me she’d be working on making other smoothies, milkshakes, and coffee flavours on her menu next. If her customers like her new menu, Kayla will probably work on adding fresh pastries as well, especially improving the flavours of her macarons. I requested that she add white chocolate, pistachio, salted caramel, peanut butter, and red velvet-flavoured macarons.

Eventually, Kayla’s cafe needed a little bit of refreshing new pastries to make her place brighter. Her cafe has been in operation for around five years now, and it is still getting better and better. After trials and errors in balancing the flavours, Kayla finally perfected making berry pies today. Kayla is a kind of a perfectionist when it comes to baking. And I could never be great as her when it comes to that profession.

“Ah! The blueberry pie was so delicious! I like it better than the raspberry one,” I exclaimed and stretched my arms up. “I feel so stuffed. I feel like I won’t be able to eat another bite! What a day of”—I suddenly remembered the man from earlier—“embarrassment.”

I slapped my forehead, jumped on the sofa, and covered my face with a pillow.

“It was so embarrassing. What did I even tell him that he was rude and joke that he was flirting with me?”

Well, I was pretty reasonable, though. I was trying to thank that man, but he left abruptly. I don’t mind getting my forehead hit on a glass door, anyway, but still, it was kind of him to save my forehead. After that, however, the man got some attitude. He’s got a little annoying attitude.

“But he was also nice? He could’ve not lent his shirt to me.” Of course, I talked to myself continuously, not waiting for the breezy air coming inside to answer me.

Misty, don’t think about him! He’s not worthy of your time.

I lay on the sofa and stared at the white ceiling for a few minutes.

“Oh, it’s cold,” I uttered to myself, feeling tired.

With tiredness starting to crust me, I closed my eyes for a bit. The man’s clothes smelled good. I ran my hands on the clothes and appreciated how soft they were. Looking at how delicate the fabric is, these clothes must be expensive. I could never buy such expensive clothes.

There was a thought in my mind that I should get this shirt back to him. But there’s no way I could get that done. I didn’t even ask his name. Where else could I locate him? So, although there was no way to get these back to him, I still should wash and carry them inside my bag whenever I go out. Then, perhaps, we’ll bump into each other again.

Ding.

Here we go again, an email notification. “Ms. Rose, please, it’s Sunday!”

And I was right! An email. I opened the notification and instantly saw a long email from Ms. Rose. Did I already mention that she’s our senior developmental editor? But the specific, horrifying one that indeed got my attention was the last part of her message: Submission in three days, Ms. Brooke. Dang! I suddenly remembered I still had 20 pages left to check, review, and edit in the manuscript that I was assigned. I removed my eyeglasses and put them on the table. I then walked into my bathroom to clean myself. When I removed the clothes I was wearing, I remembered him again. Will I be able to see him again and return his clothes? Ah, forget that.

Just forget him, Misty. Why even think of him?

Perhaps, I was too stunned by his aura.

“Uhm, well, his eye smile was kind of cute,” I unknowingly uttered.

What did I say?

“Ah! So cold!” The water woke the hell out of me.

Unfortunately, I forgot to turn on the heater, and it was freezing. I felt like I was a Popsicle inside a freezer that’s only waiting to be devoured by a kid whining his mom to give him a Popsicle. So I showered quickly and went to my bedroom to look for my laptop charger.

“Found you!” I exclaimed when I grabbed my charger.

I rushed back to the living room and started charging my laptop first. Then, since the temperature was colder, I poured myself a cup of hot cinnamon tea and some biscuits, nearing its expiration date. That will do it. Even so, cold weather like this makes me want to tuck in my bed and have a marathon of The Big Bang Theory, or perhaps, old documentaries. Whatever there is that might be perfect for this freezing night. But The Big Bang Theory is my favourite, so I’ll go with that.

“Well, I was wrong. I can perfectly eat more,” I reckoned after taking a bit of the biscuit, realizing I needed some energy to continue working.

I headed back to the living room and scrolled on Twitter for a little bit because my laptop was still charging, anyway. My mind was all over. Add to the fact that my head was abruptly hurting. I’d probably choose to sleep. On times like this, I’d find myself strolling in the hallways of a bookstore, feeling and smelling every bit of the books placed on the shelves—sweet and musky smell that automatically wafts into a book lover’s, well, like me, nose. I like how it would linger in my nose for a moment.

But I’m just so tired and lazy to go; especially there’s a manuscript waiting for me.

“Oh, if only I didn’t meet that man!” I groaned again.

Ultimately, I saw something amusing on Twitter.

“Oh, it’s this article again. The music topic from earlier?” I remarked upon seeing the same topic on Twitter the two ladies at Ahjumma’s Plate were babbling about.

The engagements under the topic seemed to have increased more, and it got me even more confused and interested in the discussion under the topic.

I read the replies under the music topic.

‘OMG! You guys, a new album coming up! How excited are you?’

‘The feeling is nerve-wracking! It’s always like this whenever Evan Park releases an album.”

‘I listen to all his previous albums and even song covers. He’s amazing.’

‘Very amazing! Even my parents like him!’

“Evan Park is so funny. Once, he fell off his chair while eating a pizza. It was so funny that we made fun of him for over a week! No one could move on.”

“Indeed, he is. Nevertheless, he’s so talented and has the nicest personality ever.’

Evan Park.

*****