Crystal white flakes are falling from the sky for the first time this year, covering everyone and everything in white cold goodness. Couples watched as the snow begins to fly above the smoky sky with a little too flushed cheeks while little kids playfully opens their mouth in an attempt to catch snow in their little tongues.

 

Meanwhile, Tiffany Hwang is neither.

 

She sat in a cafe just beside the glass walls with her mug of hot chocolate pressed against her lips as she looks out of the glass wall, observing the people outside as the first snowfall of the year takes place, fog coming out of her nose as she exhale.

 

First snow.

 

It is widely believed that whoever is with you during the first snowfall of the year would be the one you would share forever with.

 

And like a little child, she waited and waited for the first snow to fall, being a hopeless romantic that she is due to reading too much romance novels, watching too many sappy romantic films, and listening to so much love songs. She even wore a white sweater like what how it's always written on winter love songs. She too, wanted to write her own winter story.

 

But the only thing she wrote so far are countless dear Santas, wishing for something.

 

Someone.

 

But here she is, alone, drinking her favourite hot chocolate in her favourite cafe, waiting for a miracle in December to take place.

 

She sighed, another first snow spent alone. Great.

 

Taking a sip on her hot drink, she diverts her gaze to the interior of the cafe instead.

 

It was a simple yet comfy cafe, perfect for the harsh and unforgiving winter cold. With firm leather seats and mahogany tabletops, it felt homey. The colours used in designing the interior gave off warmth and the choice of music softly playing is heart-warming as well and not to mention, they serve delicious hot chocolate and other drinks. It's no doubt her favourite cafe in town.

 

Even the customers give off a sense of tranquillity. The folks are considerate enough to not talk too loudly thus, producing a soft buzz instead.

 

Oddly, she felt uncomfortable. And no, it's not because of her hot chocolate that started to turn cold nor do the heels that she's been itching to take off since she sat down.

 

But it's because of the certain pair of eyes boring on her from the other side of the cafe.

 

***

 

Crystal white flakes are falling from the sky for the first time this year, covering everyone and everything in white cold goodness. Couples watched as the snow begins to fly above the smoky sky with a little too flushed cheeks while little kids playfully opens their mouth in an attempt to catch snow in their little tongues.

 

Meanwhile, Kim Taeyeon is neither.

 

She made herself comfortable in a firm leather seat with her pencil in her hand and her visual journal beside her untouched mug of hot chocolate. Creepy as it is, she stared at a certain brunette seated at the other side of the cafe while her hand did its own thing with her favourite weapon, her pencil.

 

Every and flick got her knitting her brows in focus as she does her best in duplicating the beautiful image before her in the pages of her visual journal. Every curve and every straight line should be drawn to perfection to give justice to her even more perfect yet ignorant muse who continued to stay still and aesthetically watch the people outside the building under the first snowfall of the year.

 

First snow.

 

It is widely believed that whoever is with you during the first snowfall of the year would be the one you would share forever with.

 

She could only scoff at the groundless belief because she simply doesn't give a damn. How does the first falling of unidentified white flying objects from the sky determine your love life? She simply does not understand for it does not make any sense and, well, foolish.

 

For one's love story to go on forever, one must do something about it and make it happen instead of depending on stupid white ice crystals falling from the sky. The snow won't do anything to their love life and it would make even more sense if they depend on the first drop of super glue instead.

 

She believes that.

 

Yet all she does is write countless dear Santas and wish for the good old man to fulfil her wish. Her wishes of making a certain someone stop looking out of the glass walls and look at her instead.

 

Yet all she does is bite her lip in concentration as she draws every curves and edges of that certain someone onto the pages of her visual journal, which is recently filled with drawings of her and doodles she drew while thinking of her

 

Yet all she does is sitting in her favourite cafe with her untouched favourite drink.

 

It was a simple yet comfy cafe, perfect for the harsh and unforgiving winter cold. With firm leather seats and mahogany tabletops, it felt homey. The colours used in designing the interior gave off warmth and the choice of music softly playing is heart-warming as well, and not to mention, they have a beautiful regular with dark brown hair and beautiful eyes filled with stars which seemed to be, unfortunately, glued outside the glass walls. It's no doubt her favourite cafe in town.

 

She lifted her head and tore her eyes away from her journal to stare at the lady by the glass wall again just to make sure she draws her right.

 

And Santa has fulfilled her wish.

 

That certain someone was no longer looking out of the window and is now staring back at her instead.

 

***

 

"Wait!" she called out but the woman already rushed out of her favourite cafe.

 

Sighing, she tilted her head in wonder. Did she do something wrong?

 

By the time she met the eyes boring on her from the other side of the cafe, she found herself staring at a cute blonde woman wearing a white sweater, staring back at her with her cute eyes widening and cheeks turning pink.

 

Time froze for a while as they exchange gazes, one of curiosity and one of shock, before the woman looked down, her hair covering her face like a blonde curtain and abruptly rushed out of the cafe which caused Tiffany to stand and call out for the blonde to wait.

 

Too bad. She found her a bit cute.

 

Disappointed, she heaved another sigh and is about to sit back down when her eyes caught something from the other side of the cafe, just where the woman was sitting earlier.

 

It's a hardbound book with a navy blue cover, lying alone on the table beside a still full mug of hot chocolate, some of the marshmallows already melted.

 

Curious, Tiffany walks toward the table with anticipation out of pure interest in the blue book's contents.

 

Reaching the table, she gingerly picked up the book and ran her fingers through the sides. Seeing it up-close, it seemed more like a journal than an ordinary book. It would be rude to look through its contents without the owner's permission.

 

Reluctantly, she puts the book back down.

 

But then, a frown came onto her face, seeing the journal lying on the tabletop, unguarded. Anyone else could pick it up. Other than having it in the possession of someone else, she'd rather keep it then return it to the cute blonde woman with wide innocent eyes if they ever meet again.

 

Besides, she knows that the cute blonde woman with wide innocent eyes is a regular in her favourite cafe. Her bright blonde hair is difficult to miss and is too eye catching for anyone not to notice. She would recognize that blonde hair and cute wide eyes anywhere.

 

With a new resolve, she picks up the blue journal again and headed back to her own table to finish her favourite drink.

 

Sitting back down on her table, she places the blue journal on the mahogany tabletop and sipped her now-not-so-hot chocolate while staring at the book.

 

Her hands are itching and curiosity is eating her up and no mug of hot chocolate could dissipate the increasing wonder.

 

Once wouldn't hurt. She would just flip through the pages and look for the owner's name without reading the written entries at all for the sake of privacy. Besides, the cute blonde woman with wide innocent eyes might not come back to her favourite cafe again.

 

And so she gave in to her wants and put her drink down and picked the journal up. Examining the cover, there's no mark of ownership, any name or even abbreviation of a name.

 

With a sigh, she opened the journal to the first page.

 

Her brows shot up in surprise because instead of her expected written entries about daily life, she was met with drawn entries instead. Turns out she was wrong. It isn’t any normal journal but a visual journal. An art diary.

 

With that new information in mind, she lets herself look at the drawings properly, noting the precise and detailed illustration. So far, every entry is beautiful.

 

Most of the pages she scanned through ranged from cute doodles of cartoon character and a black poodle to abstract and cubism. It varied from spring to winter. Sunshine to snow.

 

So far, there is no hint of what the owner's name but below every page, there's only a unique signature that resembles a butterfly.

 

And so far, there is no drawing of a human being--

 

Or there is.

 

The last few pages were filled with drawings of a too familiar woman with dark brown hair.

 

She sat in a cafe just beside the glass walls with her mug of hot chocolate pressed against her lips as she looks out of the glass wall, observing the people outside as the first snowfall of the year takes place, fog coming out of her nose as she exhale.

 

***

 

Taeyeon cursed under her breath as she walked briskly under the heavy downpour of snow. The weather forecast didn't predict for heavy snow today and she didn't bring her umbrella because of that.

 

And she cursed again, remembering why she was walking towards her favourite cafe under the heavy snow instead of staying at home.

 

Careless, that's what she's been the day before. Oh, and stupid too to leave her precious visual journal behind. It's her fault that she panicked too much when she her eyes met those eyes.

 

And if there's one thing she wouldn't regret in her life, it's no doubt meeting those eyes.

 

Those eyes that's filled with more sparkling stars than the universe itself. Those eyes that used to stare at nowhere but outside the glass walls. Those eyes that held her captive when she saw it's beautiful owner step into the cafe. Those eyes that deprived her lungs of oxygen and demanded her heart to beat twice its normal speed.

 

Passing by the glass walls of the cafe, she took a peek and sighed in relief when she didn't see the beautiful woman with dark brown hair and beautiful eyes filled with stars sitting on her usual seat. In other circumstances, she'd be disappointed but for now, she's just relieved.

 

Now all she would have to do is enter and order a mug of hot chocolate, relax in her favourite spot where she always sits and ask a staff if they chanced upon a certain navy blue book, Easy as one, two, and three.

 

So with head held high, she enters the cafe and is met by the fragrance of warm coffee and chocolate. A scent she had always liked.

 

She's about to approach her usual table but then, she met those beautiful eyes that held the universe again.

 

She abruptly halts her steps and blinked blankly at her beautiful muse who was seated on her usual table, staring back straight into her eyes with a small smile on her face.

 

The beautiful woman with dark brown hair and stars in her eyes had a tint of pink on her cheeks and a pink sweater on her upper torso.

 

Pink.

 

Her favourite colour, Taeyeon guessed, noticing that majority of her muse's things was in colour pink since she had been observing her for the past few days.

 

Pink.

 

Probably the color of Taeyeon's cheeks and tips of her ears as she stands helplessly under the woman's stare.

 

Her heart skipped two beats and her tummy did three somersaults and it's enough for her to know that she's panicking again. She took a step back, ready to run out of the cafe cowardly again but--

 

"Wait," her muse spoke.

 

Her voice sounded like honey. Thick and husky yet sweet. It made her mind blank and she eventually forgot of what she was planning to do.

 

Seeing that she has no plans of running away, the beautiful woman with dark brown hair and beautiful eyes filled with stars smiled, her eyes disappearing into beautiful tiny crescents.

 

Her heart skipped four beats and her stomach did six somersaults and Taeyeon automatically imprinted the precious sight onto her heart and mind, making a mental note of drawing it later on, to make the image permanent on the paper.

 

"Um, please take a seat," her fair lady offered, gesturing to the chair across her. She must've been standing there like an idiot.

 

She blinked in confusion a few times before snapping out of it, and obeyed her muse's request albeit clumsily.

 

After taking a seat, she trained her eyes on the wooden patterns on the mahogany table, refusing to look at the woman in front of her.

 

It still felt like a dream. It was literally yesterday and the days before when she was merely staring at the aesthetic beauty from the other side of the cafe but now she's sitting right in front of the walking art. How fast the night changes.

 

A clear of throat got her attention and she lifted her head, seeing the woman biting her lips in a shy manner and looking down to the table as well.

 

"Um, about yesterday... er," she tripped through her words, fumbling with the hem of her white sweater, "I... you... um..."

 

Suddenly, a navy blue book slid towards on the tabletop and her eyes almost jumped out of its sockets and her heart jump out of her rib-cage and her jaw dropped.

 

She gulped prayed she's wrong as she carefully picks up the familiar book with trembling fingers. It can't be, right? Of all people, why her?

 

But then she's right. It's her visual journal which contains her random drawings but also drawings of a particular woman with dark brown hair and stars in her eyes that also happened to be sitting in front of her now.

 

"I... uh... you left it yesterday,"

 

Taeyeon looked at her with dread in her eyes.

 

"Did you..?" she asked her first ever words to her muse.

 

She turned pink on the cheeks and nodded. Along with every nod of her head is Taeyeon's falling heart.

 

She saw. Her muse saw. The drawings of her... If Taeyeon was the one finding out that some weird stranger has been drawing her, she'd freak out like hell. That would be creepy. Stalkerish creepy.

 

"S-Sorr--"

 

"Sorry." the woman in front of her beat her into it, "I'm sorry I looked through your journal but I was only looking for the owner's name but... yeah. I saw the drawings."

 

Taeyeon's shoulders slumped and her head hung lower, feeling guilty and sorry. Why isn't she freaking out and running away?

 

"And I must say that you draw really well,"

 

Taken aback, Taeyeon lifted her head and saw the mind numbing, life changing smile back on the brunette's face.

 

"You drew me well too," she added, pink creeping to her already pink cheeks, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

 

Taeyeon tilts her head, confused, "You're... You're not creeped out?"

 

Soft laughter filled her ears and it made warm waves rush through her whole being.

 

"Should I be?" the brunette asks, a playful smile lingering on her lips.

 

"Well... I would if I were you." she answers.

 

"But you're not. And maybe I would only be creeped out if it's an inappropriate drawing of me but you drew me well and there's nothing to be creeped out about that." 

 

The compliment made blood shoot up to her cheeks and the tips of her ears. She never knew hearing those words from her muse would feel that good that she couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

 

"Tiffany Hwang,"

 

Taeyeon blinks in confusion for the nth time that day, "Huh?"

 

"My name." 'Tiffany' replies with a smile, "Now you would have a name to write instead of writing down 'beautiful woman with dark brown hair and beautiful eyes filled with stars'"

 

***

 

Tiffany didn't regret going back to her favourite cafe that day despite the heavy downpour of snow plus, a bad day at office.

 

Seeing the cute blondie walking into the cafe all wrapped up in a fluffy white sweater and blue muffler made up with all the misfortunes she had that day.

 

Seeing those cute eyes widen in shock upon laying on her, the pink tint on her cheeks and the tips of her ears that was definitely not because of the cold made everything worth it.

 

If not for that day, she wouldn't know that the cute petite woman with blonde hair and wide innocent eyes was named Taeyeon.

 

If not for that day, she wouldn't have a cute companion for her next visits in her favourite cafe.

 

If not for that day, there won't be arms wrapped around her as she sits in front of the fire place.

 

If not for that day, she wouldn't be with someone during the first snowfall of the next year.

 

Tiffany definitely didn't regret.

 

Because if not for that day, she wouldn't have met Taeyeon, the one whom she would spend forever with.

 

And if not for that day, she wouldn't have a cute blonde woman with wide innocent eyes to call, 'mine'.

 

***

 

Taeyeon didn't regret being stupid and jittery enough to leave her journal behind which caused her to go through the heavy downpour of snow that day.

 

Seeing the beautiful woman with dark brown hair and beautiful eyes filled with stars clad in a pink sweater was more than enough to make up with her idiocy.

 

Seeing that smile that is brighter than any prestigious jewel and even the sun itself was more than enough to complete her day.

 

If not for that day, she wouldn't know that the beautiful woman with dark brown hair and beautiful eyes filled with stars was named Tiffany.

 

If not for that day, she would continue to stare at her beautiful muse from the other side of the cafe.

 

If not for that day, she won't be sitting in front of a fire place with a gorgeous brunette in her arms.

 

If not for that day, she wouldn't have a reason to believe in the nonsense that is the first snow.

 

Taeyeon definitely didn't regret.

 

Because if not for that day, she wouldn't have met Tiffany, the one who brought colours into her sketched world of black and white.

 

And if not for that day, she wouldn't have a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and eyes filled with stars to call, 'mine'.