You hadn’t really planned it. It just… happened.

After weeks of debating, running your fingers through your long locks, and wondering if you'd regret it—something inside you finally whispered: Do it. So you did.

The salon chair, the snip of scissors, the soft locks falling around you—it all felt like a quiet kind of freedom. And now, standing outside the café where you and Rewon always met after class, you could feel your heart racing like crazy.

Your hair, once long enough for him to braid, tug, and hide behind during cuddles, now barely brushed your shoulders. Soft, wispy layers framed your face, and the air felt cooler on your neck. It was new. Bold. Different.

You stepped inside, and the familiar jingle of the bell above the door rang out.

Rewon was at your usual booth, leaning back, one arm stretched along the backrest, lazily sipping his drink, earbuds in. He didn’t see you right away.

You cleared your throat. “Hey.”

He looked up.

And froze.

The straw slipped from his mouth. His eyes went cartoon-wide. His entire body jolted like someone had zapped him. He blinked once. Twice.

“...WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.” he practically shouted, standing up so quickly he bumped the edge of the table.

The entire café turned to look. You winced, flushing. “Shhh! Rewon—!”

He took a step back like he was physically stunned. “Wait—wait, I’m not ready. I’m not emotionally prepared. What is this?! Who—who gave you permission to be this gorgeous?!”

You blinked, a little flustered. “I just… felt like a change.”

He slowly approached you like you were a literal celebrity. “A change? Babe, you look like a rom-com main character who just realized she’s in love.”

You snorted. “What does that even mean?”

He circled you, hands dramatically in his hair. “This is a lot. This is like—season finale plot twist levels. My girlfriend, who’s had long hair since forever, just walks in looking like she’s about to steal my heart again?!”

“Rewon—stop being dramatic,” you giggled, biting your lip as he finally came closer and reached out, fingers barely grazing the ends of your short hair.

“I’m being honest,” he said softly now, eyes locked on yours. “You look… beautiful. Like, stupidly beautiful. And I didn’t think I could love your face more—but here I am, about to cry in a coffee shop.”

You laughed and lightly smacked his arm. “You’re such a baby.”

“A baby in love,” he grinned proudly, then gently cradled your face in his hands, his thumbs brushing your new bangs away. “I’m serious. You look confident. Free. Like you just leveled up.”

Your chest warmed at his words.

“You really think it suits me?”

“I think it was made for you,” he whispered, forehead resting against yours. “But just know—short hair or long, you’ll always be the prettiest girl in any room.”

You smiled against his lips as he kissed you softly.

And later, as he walked beside you with his arm slung around your shoulder and a dramatic sigh every five minutes about how "hot" you looked, you realized something:

You didn’t just feel like a new version of you.

You felt like the real one. And Rewon? He was still falling in love—with all of it.