♫ : dream - suzy, baekhyun

Jake wasn't in any rush - his workday was ordinary, nothing too stressful, and the cold air was refreshing after spending hours indoors. His steps slowed as he came close to the familiar café and a smile tugged at his lips.

Her café.

Jake had been wanting to stop by for days now, but his schedule kept getting in the way. Tonight, he thought, was the perfect time to stop by, if it was still open. He glanced at his watch, the hands pointing to a little past 8 PM.

When he reached the café, the windows were dark, the chairs inside neatly stacked, and the 'closed' sign hung in the doorway. Jake let out a soft breath, the white cloud visible in the air.

Well, so much for that plan.

He was about to keep walking when the sound of a key turning in a lock caught his attention. Jake looked up and froze.

There she was, stepping out of the café, her back to him as she locked the doors. Her movements were slower than usual, and even from a distance, Jake could tell something was wrong. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, weighed down by something he couldn't see.

Jake's chest tightened.

She wasn't just tired, he could tell the difference. He thought about calling out to her, asking if she was okay, but instinct told him she wouldn't want that.

She'd just smile and say she was fine, even if she wasn't.

Jake hesitated for a moment, watching as she put the keys into her coat pocket and turned to leave. Then, an idea struck him.

He crouched down, scooping up a handful of snow and packing it into a ball. His gloves were stuffed into his jacket earlier, but he didn't care about the cold stinging his fingers.

He had to double-check. What if it wasn't her? What if he was about to hit a stranger with snow and embarrass himself?

Jake leaned to the side slightly, catching a clearer view of her face as she adjusted her scarf. It was her.

Without another thought, he stood up and tossed the snowball. It hit her squarely on the back, and Jake grinned as she stopped in her tracks.

She turned around, her eyes narrowing, her expression filled with the kind of irritation that told him she probably had a terrible day.

For a second, Jake almost regretted it.

But then her gaze landed on him, and her anger melted faster than snow on a sunny day. Jake couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously?" she said, her voice sharp but without real heat.

"You looked like you needed a pick-me-up," Jake teased, gathering another handful of snow. His voice came out light, the way it always did when he was around her. "Thought I'd help."

Fortunately, a small smile tugged at her lips. She scooped up some snow and threw it at him, and Jake ducked.

"You're impossible," she called out, already preparing her next attack.

The snowball fight was chaos. Jake hadn't felt this alive in weeks, maybe months. Her laughter rang into the night, mixed with his own.

For a while, nothing else mattered. Not the cold air flowing into his jacket. Not the wet patches forming on his jeans. Not the fact that they probably looked ridiculous to anyone passing by.

All that mattered was the way her eyes sparkled, the way her cheeks flushed from the cold, the way the snowball fight chased away whatever storm that was inside her.

Jake didn't know how long they spent throwing snow at each other, but eventually, they both stopped, panting and breathless. She was crouched down, trying to catch her breath, and Jake took a moment to really look at her.

Her hair was slightly messy from the wind, her scarf loose around her neck. Her hands were red from the cold, much like his, but she didn't seem to care. She looked... happy.

And he wanted her to stay that way.

"Come on," he said after a moment, shaking snow off his jacket. "We should head back before we both freeze out here."

"Yeah," She nodded, and they started walking together, side by side.

The dumpling stand was lit up as usual. Jake glanced at the girl beside him, wondering if she'd say something about the snowball fight earlier, but she seemed lost in her thoughts, her gaze fixed on the ground.

The vendor greeted them with a smile, her eyes flicking between the two of them with interest.

"Ah, you're here with someone today," she said, her tone teasing. "Is this your boyfriend?"

Jake's heart stopped.

He instinctively glanced at her, and she was silent, her expression unreadable. But there was a hint of something in her eyes. Shock? Confusion?

But it wasn't happiness.

In that split second, Jake's mind raced.

She doesn't like you.

It was as if someone poured a bucket of ice water on him, drenching him from head to toe. It made sense, didn't it? If she did, wouldn't she have smiled, laughed off the old woman's comment, maybe even teased him about it?

Instead, she looked caught off guard, like the idea hadn't even crossed her mind before.

Jake's chest ached but he pushed the feeling aside. He couldn't ruin this, what they had now.

"No, no, we're just friends," he said quickly, laughing to ease the tension. The words came out almost carelessly, and he hoped they sounded natural.

The vendor didn't seem convinced, but she didn't press the matter. Jake handed over the money for the dumplings, careful not to look at her for too long.

As they walked back toward their apartment building, Jake kept the conversation light, joking about the snowball fight and complaining about how cold his hands were. She laughed at his comments, but her smile felt smaller, somehow.

Jake tried to shake off the heaviness in his chest.

It didn't matter if she didn't feel the same way. As long as he could make her smile, even if it's just for a moment, that was enough for him.

For now.