A Chance Encounter Part 1
1587 Words
It was a dull day for Avyanna. She was sitting in a coffee shop across from the university with Huan-Yue and Monica, sipping coffee and chatting about random things. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, blending with the soft laughter of other customers and the rhythmic hum of the espresso machine.
While her two friends were engrossed in conversation, Avyanna suddenly paused. Her gaze drifted towards the counter, where a young man wearing a coffee shop apron caught her attention. There was something about his presence—sharp eyes, an upright posture, and a sense of ease in the way he moved.
Monica noticed Avyanna zoning out and smirked. “Hey, Avyanna, don’t be too obvious,” she whispered teasingly, snapping Avyanna back to reality. Quickly, she turned her gaze down to her coffee cup, taking a sip to play it cool.
Huan-Yue grinned. “Hmm… You’re up to something, aren’t you?” she asked before taking a sip of her drink.
Avyanna shrugged. “Uhmm, Huan-Yue… This is a Chinese coffee shop, right?”
“Of course, why?” Huan-Yue responded with a puzzled expression.
Avyanna nervously drummed her fingers on the table. “I just wanted to ask… Do you know him?” She subtly gestured toward the guy at the counter. “Just wondering, you know.”
Monica almost choked on her drink upon hearing that and immediately leaned in. “OMG. Don’t tell me—you have a crush on him?!”
Avyanna quickly averted her gaze. “I never said that!” she retorted, but the warmth creeping onto her cheeks betrayed her.
Huan-Yue and Monica exchanged mischievous looks before grinning at each other.
“Hmm… Looks like we have a new love story brewing,” Huan-Yue teased.
Avyanna let out a deep sigh. She wasn’t sure whether she should be amused or regretted ever asking.
“Hey! Avyanna, you’re being so flirty! Behave yourself!” Monica joked, laughing.
Avyanna took another glance at the guy. He was still at the counter, busy attending to customers. Considering how many people were coming in and out of the café, it wasn’t surprising that he looked occupied.
Suddenly, Monica grinned. “You’re in luck—I know who he is. I swear, you’re going to be shocked!”
Avyanna raised an eyebrow. “Eyst… Looks like luck is on my side, huh?” she said, her excitement evident in her voice.
Some customers glanced at their table, making Avyanna duck her head in embarrassment. She let out a sharp exhale while her two friends burst into laughter at her reaction.
“Is this your first time seeing him here?” Monica asked, trying to hold back her laughter. “Or is it just now that you’ve finally noticed him? Because, girl, he’s been working here since… February? Right, Huan-Yue?”
“Yeah! He’s been here since February!” Huan-Yue confirmed.
Avyanna’s mouth fell open. He had been working there for a while, yet she had only just noticed him now.
Before she could respond, a sudden warmth spread across her thigh.
“s**t!” she gasped, jumping up from her seat. She had been burned!
Looking up, she saw the same guy she had been staring at earlier—he was holding a tray, and it was clear that a customer had accidentally bumped into him, causing the coffee to spill.
“I’m so sorry! Come with me to the kitchen so you can clean that up,” the guy said seriously, his concern evident.
Avyanna quickly shook her head. “Uhmm… It’s fine. We were about to leave anyway.”
But the guy wasn’t convinced. “No, I insist. This was my fault, and your leg looks really red—you might have burned yourself badly.”
Only then did Avyanna fully register the stinging sensation on her skin. She couldn’t argue any further; the pain was undeniable.
With a quiet sigh, she stole a glance at the guy. Now that she was up close, she could really see how handsome he was. Internally, she wondered what kind of game the universe was playing, bringing them together like this.
Without a word, she followed him into the kitchen, completely unaware of the shocked reactions of her two friends, who were left at the table.
“Sit down,” the guy instructed coldly.
Though confused, Avyanna obeyed. His tone was different from when he was serving customers—it was more serious, almost authoritative.
“Sorry about what happened earlier,” he said sincerely. There was genuine concern on his face, but exhaustion was evident too.
Avyanna smiled reassuringly. “Nah… It’s nothing. I’m okay. You should take a break—you look exhausted.”
The guy remained silent for a moment before nodding and turning around to grab something from the kitchen.
Not wanting to linger, Avyanna stood up. “I have to go. Thanks for the help; I feel much better now.” She flashed him a quick smile before heading out.
The moment she stepped out, she was met with the wide-eyed, expectant faces of Monica and Huan-Yue. She rolled her eyes before sitting back down.
“Did you get his name?” Huan-Yue asked eagerly.
“Not yet. Let’s just go—I want to head home.”
As they walked toward their condo, Avyanna received a message from Monica.
📩 From: Monica
Name: Kairus Chu
Accounts:
WeChat: 120835793097
Instagram: @kc0998
Weibo: @ks0998
Avyanna frowned as she read the message on her phone. It seemed like her connection with Kristof Chu wasn’t over yet. Deep down, she felt an odd pull—a curiosity urging her to learn more about him.
She looked up at Huan-Yue, who was busy adjusting her bag strap. “Huan-Yue, what are WeChat and Weibo? Do you have accounts on them?”
Huan-Yue glanced at her and nodded. “Yeah… I do. Why?”
Avyanna hesitated before speaking again. “Can you teach me how to make an account?”
“It’s easy,” Huan-Yue said confidently. “I’ll help you… but tomorrow. I have a blind date later. See you!” she added before walking off.
Avyanna let out a long sigh as she watched her friend leave. “Ugh, great,” she muttered before continuing toward her condo.
The moment she got inside, she flopped onto the sofa and grabbed her phone. Instead of waiting for Huan-Yue, she went ahead and downloaded WeChat and Weibo herself. It wasn’t as difficult to use as she had thought.
“Tsk, this is actually pretty easy,” she muttered while tapping on the screen.
As she explored the app, she decided to call Huan-Yue to ask for her Weibo username. But before she could tap the call button, an email popped up with a QR code attached.
She scanned the code, and within seconds, Huan-Yue’s profile appeared on her screen.
“Nice!” she exclaimed, but her excitement quickly faded when she saw the feed. The entire page was filled with Mandarin characters.
“Damn it! How am I supposed to read this?!” she grumbled, trying to decipher the posts.
She then turned to the search bar and typed in "Kairus Chu." Within seconds, countless profiles appeared.
“Ugh, so many Kairus Chu’s!” she groaned before setting her phone down. Instead of continuing the search, she decided to take a shower.
After showering, she found herself in the kitchen. She had unknowingly finished preparing a meal.
“I thought I wasn’t in the mood to cook,” she mumbled as she set the food on the table.
While eating, she thought about the tasks she had to finish.
“I should buy coffee. I need to finish my project before I get busy tomorrow.”
She arrived at the coffee shop, only to see the sign being flipped from "OPEN" to "CLOSED."
“Wait… This is a 24/7 coffee shop. Why is it closing at 7 PM?”
Disappointed, she turned to leave when a familiar voice spoke from behind her.
“Hi, good evening.”
She turned around—and there he was. Kairus.
But this time, his voice wasn’t cold like before. It was warm.
“Good evening,” she replied hesitantly.
Kairusx smiled. “Want some coffee? Come in—I’ll make you one.”
After saying that, he reopened the coffee shop door and stepped inside. Avyanna hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she followed him in and took a seat near the counter.
"Iced Americano, two cups," she said.
Kristof silently prepared the coffee, but as he was doing so, he suddenly spoke.
"I was actually about to close since it's already pretty late," he explained. "Yeah, this coffee shop is open 24/7, but there’s no other staff coming in tonight, and I need to rest too. But when I saw you standing outside looking disappointed… I thought I’d make it up to you, especially since I owe you an apology earlier."
Avyanna smiled, slightly surprised by what he said.
"Really? You actually noticed me?" she joked. "Haha… But it’s fine if you close early. It’s obvious that you’re tired too."
Kristof glanced at her as he placed ice into the cups, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"By the way," he said, "what’s your name?"
She paused for a moment, but she couldn’t deny the little thrill his question gave her.
"I'm just curious…" Kairus added. "Because you seem really kind."
- Writer
