~inspired by the song "You've Fallen For Me" by Jung Yong Hwa, from the Heartstrings OST~

You've Fallen For Me

The bell rings and a new customer walks inside the café. I'm pouring some coffee for a one that's been here for already twenty minutes, but I take a glimpse at the newcomer nonetheless.

It's her.

She comes here every day, always alone, always looking down, avoiding all eye contact. She's quite a simple girl; nothing about her is special. From her long brown wavy hair to get fair complexion, which has suffered at the mercy of acne, to her average features and brown eyes. She's a bit overweight and average height. If we walk past each other she would never catch my eye because she doesn't look especial, or my type at all.

Yet she caught my eye long ago.

As a waiter, I normally serve her and she gives me a polite smile, her teeth are straight but they are not white so her smile is not the most beautiful thing about her either. It's an average smile.

Far prettier and hotter girls come to this café, even if it's small and modest, but she's the only one who's intrigued me. And it's not about her looks or her personality because I've never talked to her more than a few words when she orders. But she's a regular now so I just take to her table what she always ask for before she even makes an order. She smiles brighter when I do that.

I don't know if she's witty or boring, if she's bold or coward, if she's selfish or caring. I have no clue whatsoever, but I'd like to know.

As usual, she walks to a table at the corner, whichever is available, the farthest from everyone. Then she takes her mobile and earbuds and connects them. And that's it, that's what caught my eye about her.

When she walks in she looks dead, no emotion whatsoever, completely unapproachable. She looks almost angry but the moment the music starts playing she changes. She changes completely, her face shows every emotion depending on the song. I have no idea what she's listening to, but I would love to sit with her and listen to it, too.

I've seen every emotion in her face. I've seen her concentrating. I've seen her breathing heavily as if she were reading to stand up and destroy something. I've seen her looking nostalgic, almost as if she were collecting old reminiscences of a happier time. I've seen her crying in silence, tears rolling down her cheeks. I've seen her blushing. I've seen her smiling as if she had a secret that no one else knows. I've seen her smiling sadly as she missed something very dear for her but knows it's for the best now. I've seen her grinning widely, completely amused. And every time I see her reacting to a song, I not only want to listen, too, I also want to know why she reacts that way, I want to know the thoughts certain track trigger. I also want to experience what she's feeling.

So for as long as she stays here, drinking a cup of tea and some biscuits, I steal peeks at her. I smile when she smiles, I get worried when I see her crying, I want to comfort her, I want to ask her if she needs something. It's been like two months since I first saw her and her connection to music touched me in a way nothing else has done. Nothing else but music. I might be a waiter here but I have a band and we are trying to get a deal. We play every night at a nightclub and during the day I work here at the café to make ends meet.

I go for her usual order and I make sure it's perfect. Then I head to her table, to her, and my eyes are always watching her. This song makes her grin so wide like she can't hold her happiness, she giggles and her hands cup her own cheeks as if she were watching a cute scene. She looks so radiantly happy that I'm dying to know what song is causing this.

She notices me standing there, watching her and her cheeks blush furiously and her smile flutters, embarrassment replacing it. I want to go back so she can smile like that again.

"Oh, thank you," she says, her cheeks still of a bright rose.

She might be average but I'm not partial anymore, I see her through the eyes of a boy who's been intrigued for two months, who keeps thinking of her and wondering how to get to know her. She's not average to me anymore.

"Must be a good song," I say and she does something she's never done before: she takes her earbuds off. And she does it because this time I actually said something.

"It brings good memories," she replies meeting my eyes with a kind smile on her lips.

"May I know the title?" I dare to ask. "I'm curious seeing how that song makes you smile like this."

She looks around as if searching for something before she offers, "do you wanna listen to it?"

I blink in surprise as I feel my heart racing. I never wanted to bother her, I assumed she kept the earbuds because she didn't want to be disturbed and she was always alone. If I knew it would be this easy I would've talked to her long ago.

I look back searching for the other waiter and signal for him that I'll be taking my break now, and then I sit in front of her. She smiles wider and searches for something in her purse while saying, "the song is not in English but I can tell you what it's about or look for the lyrics if you want." I only nod. "It's titled 'You've Fallen For Me.' It's from a show I watched long ago and I still love it so when I listen to it I remember the show and I feel happy and giddy all over again."

She takes off from her purse another set of earbuds and a splitter that she plunges in to her phone and then she's looking for the song again after handing me a pair.

A song starts to play, an introduction with a guitar and soon a male voice sings, it's kind of raspy yet soft and as soon as she hears him, her smile is back, wide and bright and that's all I see. I have no idea what he's singing about but she's so happy, it's like she's glowing. And she's looking right at me.

"They weren't supposed to fall in love," she tells me, "but despite everything she falls for him… And he falls for her. It's pretty much what the show is about, as well."

"Is it in Japanese?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"Korean," is her reply and I nod.

Then another song starts playing and she doesn't pause it, we listen to it together. This one is in English but I’ve never heard it before.

"This is from a film I really liked it, it's called 'Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home' and it's my favourite from it. Plus Keira Knightly sings it and I adore her," she tells me and I nod, paying attention to the song and the lyrics. But mostly I pay attention to her face, to the different smile on her lips because now it's softer, calmer.

And after that song comes another, and another and she explains why she reacts how she reacts.

Sooner that I'd like, I'm reminded I have to go back to work and leave her. But I don't want to, I want to stay here with her, listening to her playlist.

I smile apologetically and give her back the earbuds. "Thank you," I say with a smile. "I always wanted to know what made you react like that."

She looks at me surprised and she blushes a bit before bowing her head a bit.

"It was fun," she says looking up again and smiling brightly at me.

"See you around," I add and she nod and then I have to leave.

Soon she leaves the café with a last smile for me and I don't see her again. She doesn't come back the next day or the day after and I wait for her, hoping she'll show up and let me listen to music with her, she'll explain to me the meaning behind every song. I want her to come back so I can show her some of the songs I have in my own mobile.

But she doesn't show up.

For two weeks I wait and my head snaps towards the door each time the bell rings, but it's never her. After a month I accept that that was the only time we will ever talk. After two months I completely give up. And the worse part is that I didn't even ask her for her name. I don't know anything about her.

It's six months later, when I don't expect to see her again, when I have completely pushed every memory of her to the darkest places of my mind, that the bell rings and when I look at the door I see her. She stands there, her eyes scanning the café and although there are many tables available, her eyes don't stop on any of those. They stop on me. She smiles shyly, almost scared and I almost drop the teapot I'm holding. She's there, in a summer dress and grabbing her phone against her chest ever so tightly. I walk towards her even if I was supposed to deliver the teapot to some clients.

"H-hi," she says nervously and I keep gaping at her. I can't believe she's here after six months.

"You disappeared…" I say, an accusation.

She looks ashamed and I feel bad because it's none of my business if she doesn't want to ever come back. "Sorry. I work in a cruiser and we are six months on board and two on land."

She was working. She didn't leave because I talked to her. She wasn't avoiding me. It wasn't my fault.

"I was… I've been wondering since that day maybe, if you're not busy or have any other commitment, I could wait until your shift ends and we could… Listen to some music together like that day."

I blink in surprise, slowly processing the information.

"I'd like that very much," I say dumbfounded and she grins at me happily. "Very much," I repeat for emphasis and she chuckles softly.

"May I wait here? With the usual?" I only nod and she bows her head in acknowledgment before walking past me and towards a far away table. I don't move, I keep staring ahead until, little by little, a smile creeps to my lips when I realise what's happened.

I'm full grinning when I go back to work.