There was a girl I always had my eyes on since my freshman year. Her sweet scent was the first thing I noticed when she passed by me long ago. The combination of cinnamon and vanilla tickled my nose. That made me turned around to look at the source of it. I didn't get to see her face that day but I catch a glimpse of a big guitar case that towering her small built from her back.

I met her again two weeks after that. I was lining up at the cafeteria with Tatsuya and Shigehiro when the latter bumped on her by mistake. She turned around in surprise and with a whiff of her scent, I recognized her right away. I looked at her closely as Shige bowed ruefully over the spilled drink. She was strikingly beautiful, small and looked kind of fragile at the same time.

Shige insisted to buy her another drink but she kindly refused, saying that she was about to get late for her next class. She bid us goodbye and jogged to her friends that waited for her.

I looked down to catch a sight of my brand new white converse that now covered with coffee stains. I groaned slightly, my mind immediately forming evil plan to torture Shige after this but my eye caught something else instead. I bent down to take the paper cup from the famous coffee joints near our uni and I saw a name scribbled on it.

'Kuroko Tetsuna'

Next thing I knew I totally forgot about my coffee stained shoes, my plan to torture Shige and I found myself applied at the same coffee shop for my part time job exactly two days after that.

I have always been a clumsy person.

Being overly tall might be a blessing for some people, but my height appeared to be in issue in my everyday life. Being tall made you feel lanky, clumsy and awkward a lot of time and that was exactly why everyone gave me the look when I announced that I'm going to work at the coffee shop. Only Kiyoshi that was kind enough to pat my back and gave me encouragement words, "You'll do well."

I'm being ridiculous. I have these same thoughts for the entire times of my shift. I might made a mistake by applied here since i never saw her at all. Tough something unexpected happen. It turned out that i have a talent as a Barista even though I still pretty clumsy at times. It hard, but I could manage. The manager grew fond of me because I learnt pretty fast and I brought quite numbers of new customer who are mostly girls every time I have my shifts. As matter of fact, the coffee shop itself already famous to begin with. It was the only coffee joint near the campus so the coffee shop always filled with university students that also why I waved off his praise since I knew, my other co-worker named Moriyama, Miyaji and Nijimura bring a lot customer than I did.

But this Kuroko girl was not among them.

It was Thursday night, my fifth day of working when I have the night shift with Moriyama and Takao. They both are seniors; Moriyama studied Japanese Literature while Takao was my senior in Engineering.

We were talking about our last summer vacation when the bell above the door rings and she stepped into the shop.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked at her smiling to Takao.

"Hey Tetsuna, what will you have today?" he asked with a smile plastered on his face.

She chuckled and leaned over to the counter, "I'll have vanilla Frappuccino please."

Takao nodded and scribbled down her name on the plastic cup while I fidgeted on my spot and cursed slightly in my mind. I wished I had checked myself before. Was my hair looked okay? I turned around to observe my reflection on the glass of the cake display when Takao called me and pull me to his side when I came over, "He is the new worker, Kagami Taiga. Kagami, this is Kuroko Tetsuna. You have to remember her because she came here often." Both of them chuckled while I feel my cheeks heated up when I gave her an awkward smile.

"Ah!" Her face lighted up as she clasped both hands together. "I remember you!" she said to me.

I was a little taken a back. "You do?"

She nodded and smiled at me. "Yes, you was the one from the cafeteria last week right? Where are your friends?" she asked as she looked around and scanned the half empty store.

"They had basketball practices today," I said, hoping that I sound as casual as possible.

"I see." She smiled once again, her eyes formed into half crescents when she did.

While Takao busy to make her order, I can't help but stealing glances now and then. She lingered at the counter and didn't sit on one of the comfy armchairs like other customer would.

Suddenly she tapped her fingers on the glass surface of the cake display and called for Takao, "Takao-kun?"

Takao looked up "Hmm?"

Her eyes met his and she grinned. "Don't forget, put cinnamon on top!"

He nodded and when he was done with her drink, he handed it to her. She took it with a grateful smile and she bid goodbye to both of us.

I kept on staring on her back and when she was nowhere in sight, I released the breath that I unconsciously hold for God knows for how long.

"Who. Was. That?"

Takao looked at me weirdly, "Kuroko Tetsuna. I just introduced you both dude!"

I have no idea how my face looked like at the moment but suddenly Takao tugged the corner of his lips and gave me a knowing smile. "Ahh, I see."

I felt like digging a hole for myself to hide from embarrassment when I thought that Takao will tease me for being too obvious. But he didn't.

"She's a regular here, a senior like me," my eyes widened on this because, like Kuroko, Takao didn't seem any older than me so I wouldn't have thought that both of them were older than me by two years. "She's majoring in Music."

I made a mental note and nodded as I let the information I have just now sink in my head.

Takao shook his head and gave me an amused laugh before he patted my shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"You are too obvious."

Kuroko came to the coffee shop twice a week every Monday morning and Thursday evening. I Found out that she always order anything with vanilla, no matter if it tea, espresso, or Frappuccino. She drank everything as long as it with vanilla and cinnamon on top.

I asked the manager to change my shifts so I work every Monday morning and Thursday evening.

I'd talked with her every time she came and heard the sweet sound of her voice from the other side of the counter. When the store didn't have a lot of customer I'll sit and talk with her. Takao let me to do it as long as i helped him and stayed back to clean the store after. My crush to Kuroko became a public secret there. Unfortunately, days passed into weeks and weeks passed into months, Kuroko still oblivious of my feelings and I still didn't get the courage to ask her out.

It was around August when she came hand in hand with a tall and muscled guy with tanned skin that made him look like a foreigner, or gangguro in that matter.

She glowed in happiness while I could hear the sound of my heart breaking inside.

August passed and autumn came. The weather turned cooler and dryer, but still pleasantly warm and sunny. As the season progresses, the leaves changed colors and harvesting begins.

Thanksgiving came and all of us get some break to celebrate it with our family. I invited all of my coworkers in cafe to come to my family house along with my other friends like Tatsuya, Shigehiro and Kiyoshi. My family and my group of friends gathered to prepare mochi together. The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful. But there wasn't a moment where I stopped thinking about her.

There used to be a lot of snow during winter, that's not the case these days. When it does snow, the white blanket melts either right away or in a few days. She still came to the store and my heart clenched every time I catch a glimpse of her. Everyone questioned my decision for staying there. I told them I need the money but they knew better that with my family background I didn't need to work.

I met Momoi when the weather warms up and other spring flowers begin making their appearance. She was Tatsuya and Kiyoshi's friend. Allegedly, the duo worried sick about me and decided to set me up with their friend. Momoi was a cute and pretty girl. For girl size, her body shape is dreamy, and our friends found us perfect together. It wasn't hard to like her. I found her lovable. But when it felt weird to me when I hug her well toned frame because deep down I wished it was her petite body that I hold in my arms.

Summer came and I skipped my summer break by busying myself and took extra credit from summer classes to rise up my GPA. I regretted it at times because it was too hot outside. It was a torture to get out and dragged my ass out from my comfortable cave to the class.

I accidentally catch sight of her at our university festival. I scoffed at myself, who am I kidding? She attended the same university as me of course she will be there. Apparently her boyfriend's band was the main attraction that night. Even with Momoi by my side I can't help but stealing glances at her who was completely oblivious because she mesmerized by her boyfriend's performance.

I squeezed Momoi's hand and turned my head away.

I changed my shift again the next day.

Autumn came once again and as the summer faded into fallen leaves, my spring went away too.

Momoi went to study abroad, leaving me back to the state where I was a year ago. There were no tears because we both aware this day will come from the beginning.

She gave me a warm hug before she boarded the plane and whispered softly on my ear with a shaky voice "Go get her."

I wish it was that easy

It was a gloomy day, it has been pouring down with rain since two o'clock and after a few hours it didn't seem like stopping anytime soon. I was wiping the empty table when I saw her standing alone under the rain outside the store. I waste no time and take an umbrella before I approached her. I could only recognize her back but aside from her signature scent, I could tell that it was her from her form.

She already drenched when I came closer. I have no idea if it because of the rain or tears but her face was wet, and her red eyes proved that it was the latter.

I quickly ushered her in and wrapped Miyaji's warm blanket that he always kept at the employee room around her. I asked Nijimura to take over my job after I made a cup of hot vanilla with cinnamon on top for her. He nodded without a word and just gave me a knowing smile.

I handed the warm cup to her; she muttered her gratitude in a slight whisper, her eyes shook when she looked at me. I'm aware if I urged her to speak that time, she will break. So I didn't. We didn't share a word after that.

Her tiny shoulders trembled after she placed the mug back on the table and I ignored the doubt in my head. I pulled her into my arms and hug her tightly. Her body stiffened at first but she relaxed not long after and at that day, she let herself cried in my arms.

The news of Aomine Daiki dumped her spread like wild fire on campus. There's no longer Aomine Daiki and the sweetheart Kuroko Tetsuna, the duo light and shadow. They were no longer an item. But no one knew exactly why.

Only a few people know about it, Aomine, Kuroko, that girl and….

Me.

Weeks passed and people's attentions shifted back to Aomine when he publicly came out with other girl. I changed back to my old shifts and everything almost turned back to the way it used to be before Aomine.

The only thing that different was… after what happened I finally found something that I didn't have before.

Courage

I wrote on her cup not long after that

'Would you have a date with me?'

She didn't notice the note until she almost finished her iced vanilla latte. She widened her eyes in surprise when she did.

Kuroko just looked at me from her seat and before turned away with a hint of pink on her cheeks. She left without a word and I could feel my heart sank. With heavy heart, I excused myself to go to restroom, but when I walk passed by her table I spot something written on the napkin.

YES

Call me 0xxx-xxx-xxxx