#Ltrly the final girl | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

soobnny · 3 years ago

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your name — sim jaeyun. strangers to lovers. university au. coffee shop au. jake just wants to know your name. tooth-rotting fluff. lots of playful flirting.

synopsis. you give a different fake name every time you come into the coffee shop jake works part time in and he just wants to know your real name bc ur cute but here he is scrawling “rainbow dash” into your stupid cup (5.1k words)

note. thank u again to cici for the help with the header T__T i owe u ltrly so much already !! also i’ve been gone for quite a bit so here’s a little thing i wrote for jake <3

The sound of the little bells on the door echoed around you as you and your best friend, Sunoo, entered the coffee shop you had been meaning to visit on your campus. You weren’t much of a coffee drinker, but today Sunoo had suggested that you accompany him to the cafe as your friends had pretty good reviews.

“You’re buying me something though.” You poke at his shoulder upon walking in, taking a couple of minutes to let your eyes wander around the cozy-looking shop.

There was a fairly steady stream of customers, drifting in and out of the shop with their friends. The place smelled of freshly brewed coffee and sweet warm caramel and chocolate mix, and you could see an array of freshly baked cookies and muffins displayed at the side.

The table was made of wood, and the place was lit brightly – so much so that you immediately recognize Yuna from the Veterinary Medicine department in the corner, sipping quietly on what you’d assume was coffee as she breezed through her homework. Beside her was a strict-looking Yeji. You assume the older girl had persuaded Yuna to finally finish her homework by bribing her with free coffee.

You look behind the counter to keep yourself busy, spotting the frothing machine, a few blenders, jugs of milk, and sacks of coffee beans placed neatly beside the coffee grinder. You could already tell Sunoo was going to be a regular patron of this coffee shop, and as his best friend, you’d be dragged along to come too.

“We did not get into that agreement, idiot.” You stop looking around the place when you feel a sting on your arm, Sunoo hitting it before walking forward towards the counter as the customer before you had successfully finished relaying his order and was now trying to find a seat.

“Yeah, well we’re having this agreement now.” The initial playful smile on your face is replaced by a dumbfounded expression the moment you meet eyes with the boy behind the counter.

You’re convinced your heart had done a million summersaults when he smiled at you.

“And suddenly she’s gone quiet. What happened to the agreement?” Mischief was laced in your best friend’s voice. “I’ll have a cappuccino please, and she will tell hers when she finds her voice again.” You feel your best friend tap you on the back as he moves to look for a seat.

“Uh, I’ll just have an iced chocolate, please.” You awkwardly shift around, looking anywhere but the barista who was quite possibly the most attractive person you have ever seen since stepping foot in this campus two years ago.

“Alright, I’ll need a name, please.” His voice was teasing, as if he had already figured out the little crush you had for him. You didn’t know whether to be intimidated or intrigued by the boy. He looked young, maybe around your age, and yet you hadn’t seen him around the campus.

Maybe he was a freshman? A senior?

For some reason, the sight of a smirk on his face has you tuning out everything and averting your eyes to nowhere in particular. You also don’t know why you’re suddenly thinking about the scene in Little Mermaid where Ariel runs a fork through her hair – was it from the babysitting last night?

The boy clears his throat, his smirk growing wider as he leans closer to you, probing you for an answer.

“Little Mermaid?”

You swear that you’ve never heard anything as beautiful as his laugh. You would’ve fallen right then and there if it wasn’t for the immense embarrassment that was bubbling in you. You want to disappear. If you could, you would’ve submerged yourself into the coffee grinder, leaving the coffee shop without drawing attention to yourself.

You wonder if his actions were flirtatious.

“Okay Ariel, I’ll call you when your orders are ready.” He gives you a quick wink before heading out to prepare your drinks.

“Jesus Christ, I can’t take you anywhere. You’re so embarrassing. I don’t wanna be associated with you.” Your best friend’s voice snaps you out of your trance and you immediately walk away from the counter towards the little table he was settled at.

“Little Mermaid? Seriously?” He continues to pry, snickering quietly to himself to try and suppress the loud laugh that was threatening to spill out. He fails, his snorts echoing through the sound of the employees calling out orders, through the murmur of voices, through laughter, through spoons clinking against metal.

A few people turn their heads in your direction.

“Shut up, he just caught me off guard!”

You try to defend yourself, running a hand down your face before dropping your head down at the table. Your eyes travel to his lean figure as he walks around the back of the counter. His shoulders were broad, and his shirt fit him perfectly.

You could tell he had a muscular frame from the way his arms were threatening to rip the material of his shirt whenever he moved around. The sight makes you dizzy.

“You’re drooling.”

You tilt your head to give Sunoo a glare before moving back to your original position, admiring him once again. He laughed some more, Sunoo never took your crushes seriously. He knew you were always too much of a coward to act on it. More often than not, he’d make the first move for you – getting their number, pushing you in their direction, or simply just telling them about your interest.

You recall locking Sunoo in the janitor’s room one time in revenge.

“Order for Sunoo and Ariel!” The boy from the counter calls out, Sunoo covering his face out of embarrassment as you approach the counter to get your orders.

“Thank you, uh, Jake?” You took a quick look at his nametag before giving him a little nod and walking back to Sunoo. You hand him his cappuccino before giving your straw a little twirl to make sure that the chocolate mixes well throughout the drink.

You trace the cup with your finger, a habit you realize you do a lot when drinking any beverage. The smell of Sunoo’s drink is strong, roasted coffee beans saturating the air around you as he sips peacefully on his drink. “Oh, this is good.” He mumbles under his breath, taking another sip. You wonder how he could tolerate hot drinks.

Staring down at your drink, you attempt to sneak a glance at the boy behind the counter. A goofy grin was plastered on his face as he made conversation with his co-worker.

There was a hint of playfulness behind his brown-colored eyes like he was telling his friend about something that had happened today. His eyes meet yours for a second, and you decide that the ceiling looked particularly interesting today.

You sigh out, picturing Jake sitting across from you, coffee in hand too. Sunoo stares at your dazed face before giggling to himself — barista boy had unknowingly become the subject to your daydreams.

The antique clock on the walls of the coffee shop reads 5:00 PM. You realize you’d have to leave soon to your dorm. “Okay, take a sip from my coffee before we go.” Sunoo pushes his mug towards your direction and you whine, reminding him you weren’t the biggest fan of hot drinks.

“Come on, just try it, and I can try to promise not to tell our other friends about your mishap today.” You glare at Sunoo before grabbing his mug and bringing it to your lips. The taste of coffee and a tinge of sweetness from the milk greets you. For a moment, you couldn’t exactly tell whether the warmth you felt was from the drink or from meeting Jake.

Sunoo laughs when you push the mug back in his direction, the type of laughter that spread across his face and reached his eyes. Something about you listening and drinking the hot beverage just to avoid letting your other friends know about the embarrassing scene that had taken place is so funny to him. Funny, because he knows he’s telling them anyway.

He drinks the remaining sips of his cappuccino before placing the mug to the side, standing up, and getting ready to leave.

You’re about to throw your cup when you notice more writing under “Ariel”.

“Next time, maybe give me your real name, you’re pretty cute :)”

A smile creeps up on your face upon reading the little message he had left on your cup. You immediately turn the cup away from where your prying best friend could see, throwing it in the bin in panic before folding your hands in front of you.

“You’re acting weird. Why are you staring at your cup like that?”

“I’m not, let’s get back to the dorms.”

Today, your name is Little Mermaid - for the way your voice caught in your throat the first time you laid eyes on Jake.

You go back to the coffee shop the next day to try and redeem yourself. You reason, he was bold enough to leave you a little note, so maybe he was interested too?

When you walk into the place, you immediately recognize the strong aroma of coffee beans and freshly-made pastries. You notice a few students already here too, despite it being so early in the morning. Probably to get their morning coffee.

“Hey, _______.” You turn your head to the source of the voice, one tired-looking Park Sunghoon. “We have our elective in 20 minutes, right?” You nod your head meekly, laughing nervously as you walk into the shop with him. It looks like he’s here to get some coffee too.

“Yeah, but I’m gonna be running late.”

“Same here. I need coffee. If I don’t, this will dictate how the rest of my day is going to be like – horrible.” You smile at Sunghoon, shaking your head. You never quite understood this boy, but he was still fun to talk to anyway.

“You go ahead.” You offer to have him get his orders first. You didn’t want to be rude, but you really didn’t want anyone listening in to your possible conversation with the attractive boy working the counter.

“You sure?” Nodding your head, Sunghoon takes it as his cue to tell his orders. Jay looks effortless as he works the espresso machine, a black apron over his shirt, and a nice pair of jeans. You wonder if he had any classes this morning.

You snap out of your thoughts when Sunghoon receives his cup, bowing down to you politely. “I’ll save you a seat.” You put your hands together in a pleading manner. “Yes, please.”

And then you hear a soft voice calling for the next customer.

When you walk toward the counter, you pretend to go over the menu despite already knowing what you want to get. Jake recognizes you right away, since the moment you walked in with Sunghoon. He didn’t know you knew Sunghoon?

Still, his lips form an instant smile at the sight of you, at knowing that you came back today.

“You’re back. Iced chocolate, right?”

Something warm bubbles up in your stomach when he mentions you being back in the shop as if he had been expecting you to come the whole day – even more when he has your order memorized.

“Yup.” You let out a nervous chuckle as you reach out to the money you had prepared in your pocket, taking it out and straightening the bills. Jake pushes it back in your direction. “This one’s on me.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“I mean..” Your eyes widen in surprise before you slowly nod your head, heat spreading to your cheeks. “Thank you!” He chuckles to himself, asking you to move aside in case any customers walked in before moving to prepare your drink.

How did he look so much prettier today? His eyes seemed to stick out the most, and only now were you really able to look at them in detail. They were beautiful, mesmerizing. In a way, it made him appear rather comforting. The hazel color was particularly brought out under the light from the coffee shop. He resembled a golden retriever.

“And your name?” His eyebrows were lifted up, holding your drink in his hand and testing if you’d finally give up your name to him. Something about the way he was looking at you made you feel a little playful.

“Scooby-Doo.” You settled, smiling mischievously when he lets out a snort at the name.

“Scooby-Doo, as in Scooby-Doo Where Are You?”

“Scooby-Doo, as in Scooby-Doo Where Are You.” Before he can say anything else, the bell rings from the door, bringing his attention to the new customer who had just walked in. “Don’t be a stranger.” A grin graced his face as he handed you your drink.

“Are you a Scooby Snack? Because I would do anything to have you >:)”

A little laugh escapes your lips upon seeing what he had written this time. How was someone referencing a childhood show so endearing to you? You turn back to him and raise your eyebrows with an amusing smile. He responds with a wink.

Scooby-Doo, for the way he reminded you of a really cute dog (you’re not quite sure why Scooby-Doo was the first fictional character to come to mind, but he seemed to play along with it just fine).

The next time you walk into the coffee shop, there was a line waiting before you.

You stand in the back and try to peek behind the counter to see if it was Jake who was working today. Upon seeing his familiar smile, an immediate smile made its way to your lips.

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Why not Twilight Sparkle?” Jake laughs, writing down your name for the day on your cup before preparing your drink.

“Why not Rainbow Dash?”

“Touche. Hey, I’d love to chat, but it’s getting a bit busy. Have a nice day, Rainbow Dash.”

The comment he had written on your cup for the day earns a laugh from you.

“You look like a rainbow, you're so dashing ;) sry i couldn’t think of anything cute”

Checking back on him for the last time, you notice he’s cooped up with working on a couple more orders but you don’t miss the red tint painting his cheeks. You roll your eyes as you trek back to your dorm, holding the cup close to your heart as you take occasional drinks.

You walk in to see Sunoo with Jungwon and Riki who were comfortably sitting on your small couch, watching some dumb show that was playing on your television.

You don’t know when you’d exactly become friends with these juniors (Riki still being in his last year of high school).

You’re sure you’d made friends with Jungwon through Student Council matters. He had been the representative for his year, as you were in yours, so you had to work a lot together. Naturally, he’d fit right into the puzzle with him in the middle of you and Sunoo. The both of them got along quite well too, claiming to have never had an argument since they met.

As for Riki, you have no idea how that came to be. You think, Sunoo knows him from his neighborhood -- that must’ve been how it started. You remember helping him with college applications just a few months ago so he could get into this university, and now he was freely visiting your dorm as it was already break for him in high school.

You hoped to see him around more. He really did seem to want to pass this university, so you only wished him the best (even offering your dorm for him to stay at - it wasn’t like he wasn’t already making it his own home).

"Now someone explain how these two ended up here while I was gone. Mind explaining yourselves?" You stand in front of them, hands on your hips with joking anger on your face.

"No," Riki answers, grabbing onto your arm to sit you down beside him so he could continue watching the show. Wordlessly, he tugs onto your arm, hugging onto it and resting his chin on your shoulder as he keeps watching his show. You smile fondly at the tall boy beside you. He might act like he didn’t care much about you, but you knew you were the closest thing he had to a sister figure.

"How was coffee shop boy? I mean, how was your visit to the coffee shop?" Jungwon inquires which earns Sunoo a well-deserved hit.

"You told them about him?"

"Yeah, I couldn't be alone witnessing you embarrass yourself. It makes for good comedic relief. Our lives are too boring, so you're adding a little spice into it, you know?"

“I actually hate all of you.”

“Why am I included?” Jungwon defensively replies back at you, pouting as he stops watering the plants in your dorm. “Keep that up, and your plants are going to die without me.”

“Because you’re stealing my snacks.” You grab the bag of chips that he was previously chewing on, discarded on the table as he decided it was time to take care of the plants in your dorm.

“Chew with your mouth closed,” Riki says, eyes still trained on the television as you roll your eyes before mockingly leaning towards Riki, chewing a bit louder than usual.

You meet the floor.

“Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?” You heard Riki snicker under his breath, head snapping to the direction of Sunoo who was staring at the empty cup of iced chocolate.

“Shut up!” You stick your tongue out at them, yanking the cup away from Sunoo.

“He’s definitely flirting with you. Is he cute?” Jungwon shoots his eyebrows up and down, trying to get some details from you. He’s seated beside Riki now, taking your previous spot, with his arms wrapped around a throw pillow on your couch as he faces in your direction. He leans closer to hopefully hear all the details about your latest crush.

“Sit, sit.” It’s clear Jungwon’s excited about the gossip, patting the seat next to him. Riki pushes him a bit though, tapping rather aggressively on the now empty spot beside him (in between him and Jungwon). You take a seat and Riki resumes to his previous position,

“Yeah, he was definitely cute and he keeps writing on her cup even with her dumb ass names, so he must really like you.” Sunoo rolls his eyes, plopping himself forcefully in between you and Jungwon, grabbing a handful of chips from your hands.

“Sunoo, I hope you slip from mop water in McDonalds.”

Rainbow Dash, for no particular reason. It was the first name to come to head.

It was a Thursday morning when you found yourself wandering inside the coffee shop. Today was different though, schoolwork had drained you and you were experiencing an overwhelming feeling of sadness, you couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was that failed test you had studied so hard for?

You were just tired.

Simply tired that you lived in a world that was so exhausting sometimes. You were tired of uncertainties. Tired of investing so much time into something that turned out to be a failing grade anyway.

Upon seeing you, Jake was quick to fix up your usual drink. It was particularly early so no one else was in the coffee shop except for another co-worker who was tending things in the back.

“And your name for today is?”

“I’ll go with Eeyore.”

Jake immediately notices the shift in the air around the both of you. Being highly observant and intuitive really had its perks, plus your choice of name concerned him.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Just tired.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” You shake your head and he immediately understood. Jake was being incredibly mindful of your current mood, and he didn’t want to drag you out to do something that you didn’t want to.

“It’d be nice to have some company though.” Your voice was meek and Jake was quick to step out of the counter to sit you down on a table. It went on like that for a few minutes, and the peaceful trance was broken when he heard a quiet sniffle. His eyes were laced with concern as he sat a bit closer to you, offering his shoulder for you to cry on which you unknowingly accepted.

“I’m sorry, everything’s just been so tiring, and I shouldn’t be taking this out on the cute barista I really enjoy seeing. He might think I’m a weirdo.” Jake laughs a little. Even in this mood, you could still goof around.

“Giving up sounds so good right now.” You pull away from his shoulder, trying to wipe at the wet spot that was on his shirt. “I’m sorry about your shirt.”

“It’s alright, I have a lot more shirts back in the dorm.” He smiles fondly as you keep trying to rub at the spot you had cried on. “And, you know, I advise you to give whatever it is another try, go a little slower even, just don’t stop. You’re probably exhausted for all the right reasons, hell, you’re tired because you’re growing and because you’re trying.”

You nod your head at him, sniffling and wiping at your already dry eyes. Jake is so warm and gentle with his actions and words, maybe even unknowingly comfort personified. “Who would’ve thought you had a way with words when all you could use to write is that I looked like a rainbow, and I was so dashing.”

A loud boisterous laugh echoes inside the small coffee shop, and you find yourself smiling.

No pick-up line today, just his words repeating in your head over and over again. Go a little slower, just don’t stop.

Eeyore, for the way you keep on going despite being so exhausted with the world.

You walk in with a little more pep in your step the next week and seeing you brings an instant smile on Jake’s face.

“I was starting to miss you.” Jake sends you a smirk which you roll your eyes to. “I’m doing it. I’m going slowly.”

“I’m glad to hear that, although you do owe me your name after crying all over my shoulder.”

“Ha! Nice try, but you offered so I don’t owe you anything…. except maybe my deepest gratitude for hearing me out and implanting a new reminder I repeat to myself every time I feel like giving up.”

“It’s all good, seeing you around is enough. It’s a small highlight of my day.”

“Stop that.” You were trying to fight the smile that was threatening to show.

“I don’t think so. I like seeing the effect I have on you. You should be aware you have the same on me right? Oh, and name?” The smirk never once left his face as he peered down at you. You were sure he knew what he was doing to you, and you were frustrated at how he could just play that off so casually. How was flirting so easy for him?

“Wendy Darling.”

“Hm, a little different today, but I like it.”

He scribbled something down on your cup before stopping halfway when his name was called by the coworker who always seemed to just be working in the back.

“Duty calls. See you around?”

“See you around.”

That day, your cup read “Then I’ll be your Peter Pan, and you would be my happy thought so I’ll be able to fly.”

Wendy Darling, for the way he made you feel like a kid again.

The next time you see him, it isn’t in the coffee shop.

You coincidentally meet each other on the campus as you’re walking home from the Student Center. You had just eaten an early dinner so you can focus on your homework when you get home. Jake sees you rushing out of the center, and he bites back a smile.

“I’m gonna have to go guys. Early night for me.” He’s quick to drink the remaining sips of his water bottle before he’s putting a hoodie on, patting Jay and Sunghoon in the back before skipping to follow after you.

Jake has his hands in his pockets as he speeds up his pace to catch up with you. “Hey!”

You look back at the person calling at you, eyes widening at the recognition of the face. You immediately stop in your tracks, feeling your breath hitch before sending him a small wave. This is the first time you’re seeing him outside the coffee shop, and fuck, he looked brilliant.

“Wendy Darling?”

“I think today I’ll go for Tinky Winky.”

“Telletubies, really?” He laughs, and it makes you swoon. You cannot fathom that the boy walking next to you, the pretty, genuine, nice, golden Jake by your side, is actually real.

“I’ve never seen you on campus before, from all my two years of being here.” You comment, rubbing your hands together and blowing softly to keep them warm, eyes trained on the ground. “I don’t think we share any class together. I’m in the Engineering Department.” He quips, staring at your attempt to warm yourself before looking straight ahead.

“I was starting to think you weren’t from the campus! How’d you find me here anyway?” Jake chuckles nervously, cheeks warming as he looks at you. “Saw you leaving the Student Center, I couldn’t not talk to you.”

“Didn’t know you were so interested in me.” You lift your eyebrows at him teasingly, laughing as you cross your arms over your chest. He scratches the back of his head, mumbling under his breath. “Maybe I am.”

“What did you say?”

“Hm?”

“You said something just now.”

He shakes his head. “You know, I don’t think I did.”

Jake has a sweet smile on his face as the two of you continue walking back to your dorms together, him letting you take the lead so he can walk you back to yours first before he goes back to his. He notices you rub your hands together again.

“Your hands cold?”

You chuckle, nodding your head. “Just a little.”

He looks at your hands before hesitantly taking them in his, placing your intertwined hands in the pocket of his hoodies in the excuse of keeping them warm for you. You’re too flustered to pull your hands away (not that you really want to).

“I was hoping you’d come back in my shifts the first day I met you. I’m glad you stuck around. I’m guessing it had something to do with the free drink?” You shake your head, laughing with your body as you look at the boy walking with you. “No! I came for the ambiance, not the free drinks.”

“Oh… not even for the cute boy working behind the counter?”

“Maybe, I mean – I don’t know.” You prod teasingly, and you feel a light squeeze on your hand. “Alright, alright, maybe a little.”

You make eye contact and immediately laugh. And time passes by so quickly together that you don’t notice you reach your dorm building. “This is my stop.” You frown, almost disappointed that the time you have with Jake’s been cut off.

“It was nice talking to you outside the coffee shop.” He smiles softly at you, bowing down before sending you a small wave. “See you tomorrow at the coffee shop?”

“I’ll see you.”

“And then some?”

“And then some.” You roll your eyes playfully, your mind immediately blanking when he flashes you another boyish smile. “Goodnight, Tinky Winky. Don’t be a stranger!” He repeats the same words to you, and he waves once more as you walk into the building of your dorm.

When you look out the window, you see him standing still with a bright smile on his face, looking down at his hands before pumping out a small fist in the air in accomplishment.

Your hands feel cold again, yet why did it feel so overwhelmingly warm in your heart?

Today, you’re greeted by the sweetest smile on Jake’s face once he realized the person walking into the coffee shop, was you. You feel your chest tighten again, the same way it did last night as you were trying to get some sleep.

The atmosphere felt different.

“You came back.”

“I told you I would.”

“And then some, right?” You nod your head in confirmation, to reassure him that you’d be seeing each other a lot in this shop.

He smiles at you, punching in your order. “Alright, iced chocolate on your way, with an extra twirl of the straw. Hm, as if you’re mocking the way I make it. Do you not trust me?” Your cheeks heat up at the way he notices your little mannerism every time you received the drink from him. You don’t expect him to be that observant.

You place your hands on your cheeks in a poor attempt to cool them down.

“It’s not like that! Just a little habit.” You fold your arms over your chest, leaning against the counter with your tongue stuck out.

“I know, I was kidding. Plus I find it cute.”

“Only you would find someone twirling a straw cute, but it’s endearing really.”

“You’ve gotten a lot bolder than the first day we met, what was it again, Little Mermaid?”

“Shut up, that never happened.” Both of your laughs subside at the sound of the shop’s bell-ringing which brought him back to his responsibilities.

“And your name for today?”

“__________.”

“Interesting. I’ve never heard of that one before. From which movie or book is it from?”

“It’s my name.”

Jake almost drops the pen he’s holding. Funny how someone’s name could elicit such a reaction from him. “_______...” He allows your name to linger across his lips. He likes the taste of your name, he likes the way it slips so easily like he had been meant to know you.

He immediately write on the cup as quickly as he could as to not delay the customer who was waiting in line. You grab it from him, a shy smile on your face before bowing gratefully for the drink.

You never really knew how the day you finally said your name would play out.

Today, the cup reads “Go on a date with me?”

You turn back to see Jake expectedly waiting for a response as he makes the next customer’s order, eyes never leaving you. You nod your head before walking out, not missing the small fist he pushes in the air in celebration of his small victory.

_________, to finally taking the next step with Sim Jake.

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