Sun He stared at the door in front of him, trying to convince himself for the 50th time to go inside. The sign on the door, "Happiness in a cup", looked like an eyesore to him. He has not been happy in a long time. Ever since he found his boyfriend of five years in bed with another man, happiness seemed to be evading him.
"Excuse me, sir. Will you be going inside?"
The voice behind startled him. Sun He moved aside quickly and stammered through an apology without looking up. He could feel himself blushing out of embarrassment.
"Yes, I am! I apologize." he said before going inside.
The smell of coffee hit him as soon as he stepped inside. The coffee shop had a cozy and romantic atmosphere. Plants and other greenery were placed between each table, creating a private atmosphere. Hanging on the white walls were paintings of various coffee beverages. There were various people in the shop; however, Sun He could barely hear any noise in the shop besides the soft music of the piano.
"Good afternoon, welcome to 'Happiness in a Cup'. Do you have a reservation?"
Sun He turned to the greeter, dressed in white and brown.
"Hello. Reservation for Wang Ling", Sun He smiled reporting his mother's name.
Sun He followed the greeter to a table at the back. He ordered a coffee and stared at the bustling streets while he waited for his blind date. If Sun He said he was not nervous, he would be lying. His mother has been harassing him for months to go on a blind date. Not even a day after Sun He broke up with Fang Cai, she has been trying to set him up with her friends' sons or nephews. Sun He smiled mockingly. Wang Ling has always been a good judge of character, so her actions really proved that she never had any faith in his relationship with Fang Cai.
Sun He remembered that she never expressed any dissatisfaction with Fang Cai besides when they first started dating. Even then, she only asked him if he was sure that dating him was the right choice. Wang Ling was a firm believer of supporting all of her kids' decisions, even if she disagrees with them. That is probably why she was the first one Sun He told about his sexuality.
Sun He recalled that day. Wang Ling had hugged him and told him it was okay while smiling. Later, Sun He could hear her softly crying while talking to his father. Sun He had heard her say to his father that she did not want Sun He to be gay. The world was not kind to homosexuals and she did not want to see Sun He lose his brightness. Father Sun had consoled her telling her that all that they could do was to support Sun He and ensuring he knew he always had a home to come back to. Sun He had spent that night crying for he had such good parents. He has been closer to Wang Ling ever since. Wang Ling was his only family and Sun He knew that she only wanted the best for him. Therefore, Sun He had agreed to this blind date even though he was not sure he was ready for a new relationship.
Fang Cai had been a big part of his life. They had met in high school but did not start dating until their second year in college. Fang Cai and Sun He survived college together. Fang Cai was there for him when he doubted his major choices. He was there when Father Sun passed away two weeks after Sun He graduated from college. He was there when Sun He finally got his first job offer after months of unemployment. He was there through the good and the bad times. Sun He thought they would spend their life together. He loved Fang Cai. However, Fang Cai clearly did not think the same.
Sun He took a sip of his coffee trying in vain to warm his cold heart.
"Have I made you wait for long?"
The voice reminded Sun He of warm honey. It was low and very pleasant to the ears. Sun He looked up and his heart skipped a beat. The man in front of him was very handsome. He was tall and Sun He could vaguely see his toned muscles outlined by his white shirt. He had long hair that curled at the end and a pair of bewitching hazel eyes. Sun He wondered if his pouty lips would taste as good as they look and blushed at the thought.
"No… No… Not at all." Sun He stammered while getting up.
"Gu Liwei"
The man smiled and extended his arm to Sun He.
"Sun He, nice to meet you".
Sun He shook his hand before sitting down. Gu Liwei sat down across from him before turning to the server who Sun He did not realize was following him. Gu Liwei ordered a coffee then looked towards Sun He.
"Would you like to order something else?" He asked turning to Sun He. "I heard their deserts are very popular."
"No, I think I'm good. Thank you!"
Sun He could feel Gu Liwei's eyes examining him so he stared at his coffee trying to calm down his racing heart. By the time he felt calm enough to look up, Gu Liwei's coffee was already in front of him. Sun He wanted to say something but he was not sure how to start the conversation. The last time Sun He went on a date was with Fang Cai and even then, Fang Cai was always the one starting any of their conversations. Not knowing what to say made Sun He even more nervous and he wished that he could just get up and leave. However, Sun He knew he could not just leave. He had promised his mother that he would try, and Gu Liwei was definitely his type visually.
"You are definitely much cuter in person than in the pictures my mother showed me". Sun He heard Gu Liwei say.
Sun He blushed and chose to ignore the "cute" comment "Oh yeah? I would say the same but I had no idea who I was meeting today."
"Forced into coming?"
"Basically" Sun He joked. "It was either that or be disowned. How about you?"
"I was a little reluctant until I saw your pictures." Gu Liwei leaned forward and winked at Sun He.
"You are very… straightforward." Sun He blushed.
"Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"No, I am just not used to… this." Sun He said while playing with his fingers.
Gu Liwei took a sip of his coffee, his eyes fixed on Sun He. The young man in front of him was clearly nervous, he thought. Gu Liwei was not lying when he said that he only accepted this blind date after seeing Sun He's pictures. Gu Liwei's parents have been very worried about his dating life, or his lack thereof. Gu Liwei cannot count how many times he had had pictures of man of all ages forced on him. He had always refused but when he saw Sun He's picture, he had wanted to meet him. The young man in the picture was smiling towards the camera and stars seemed to be reflecting in his eyes. There was just something about the way he smiled that attracted Gu Liwei. Gu Liwei had been looking forward to this date all day, but now that he was in front of Sun He, he was unsure of what to say or do. Sun He was very different from his pictures. He was playing with his fingers while softly smiling at Gu Liwei but the smile did not reach his beautiful eyes.
"Are you referring to dating or my flirting?"
"Both. This is my first date in two years, so I am a little apprehensive." Sun He confessed.
"It's okay to be nervous" Gu Liwei smiled. "Believe it or not, I am nervous too."
"You really don't look it."
Gu Liwei pointed to Sun He's fingers and said, "I just hide it better than you do. My mother said that you were a designer?"
Hearing the question, Sun He felt more comfortable. He could talk about his work all day. Sun He was a graphic designer for Qin Jian Media, a well-known medium sized advertising agency. While he mostly worked on team, Sun He had independently created some advertisements and built a small clientele. He also did a lot of freelance work to supplement his income. Gu Liwei was mesmerized by the way Sun He looked. The rays of sunlight formed a halo on his head and as Sun He talked about his job and all the designs that he worked on, his eyes lit up. He had a smile stuck on his face and he was very animated, even using his hands to describe what he was saying. He told Gu Liwei some funny anecdotes about the clients that he had to deal with and looked full of vitality the whole time. That is how he should always look, Gu Liwei thought to himself.
"… Weirdest advertisement I had to create was for this perfume company. The client wanted to use an apple with legs and wanted us to make it look sexy but elegant." Sun He laughed. "I wanted to tell him so bad that was impossible, but the client is king."
"It sounds like you love your job."
"Yes, I do. It gets stressful sometimes but I really do love it. What about you? What do you do?" Sun He laughed and said, "I apologize. My mother just gave me the date and time and told me to show up here."
"Auntie Wang told me that the less information she gave you, the more likely you would attend the date." Gu Liwei smiled.
"You have met my mother?"
"Auntie Wang and my mother met square dancing and usually go shopping together so I have had the pleasure to meet her. She is a very strong woman." Gu Liwei described to Sun He the first time he had met Sun He's mother. Gu Liwei had to pick up his mother from the plaza and came right as Wang Ling and his mother were beating a young man that had tried to steal Wang Ling's purse. Throughout the whole time, Wang Ling was telling the thief he needed to start adhering to all of the Confucian virtues.
Sun He grimaced and he had a feeling that Gu Liwei's definition of strong differed from his. "Yes, she is."
Gu Liwei chuckled then elegantly change the subject. "To answer your question, I am a freelance photographer. I mainly work in the fashion industry so most of the time I have to travel for work." Gu Liwei looked towards his watch. "I actually have to leave tonight to go to City B for a few days."
"Then, I guess dinner with you will have to wait another day."
Gu Liwei looked up at the blushing Sun He. From the first time they met, Gu Liwei perceived Sun He as being shy. Only when Sun He was talking about his work did he seem more confident. Therefore, hearing those words from Sun He surprised Gu Liwei. However, Gu Liwei was happy, because he did enjoy his time with Sun He.
"Yes, unfortunately, dinner would have to wait." Gu Liwei took out his phone, unlocked it before pushing it towards Sun He. "While I will probably be busy in the next few days, I am receptive to calls and messages. Especially if they will be from you".