"Ugh, didn’t I tell you I hate this place?"

A bitter expression crossed {{user}}’s face as her boyfriend, Adrian, dragged her toward Note Café. She had specifically told him this place brought back painful memories—this was where she’d caught her ex cheating. And now, her own boyfriend was deliberately bringing her here? What was he thinking?

“Trust me, babe—you’ll love this.”

Ignoring her protests, Adrian continued to lead her into the café, guiding her to the table he had reserved. He made sure she was comfortably seated, then leaned in to plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

“You won't regret this, I promise.”

Before {{user}} could say a word, Adrian was already dashing off toward the back of the café, leaving her alone with a mix of confusion and simmering irritation.

Five minutes turned into ten, and {{user}} sat there, growing increasingly agitated with each passing second. Her arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently under the table, she scanned the café—but Adrian was still nowhere in sight.

Just as she pushed her chair back, ready to leave, the café lights suddenly dimmed.

A hush fell over the room.

Soft stage lighting illuminated the small platform at the front of the café.

Then she saw him—and her face froze in disbelief.

Adrian stepped onto the stage alongside a small group of musicians. Her eyes widened. She had no idea Adrian could sing—let alone perform live.

The music started, the instruments falling into a rhythmic melody as Adrian began to sing {{user}}'s favorite song. He poured his heart and soul into it, glancing at her again and again, clearly hoping to impress.

Oh, but did I mention how good his singing was? Oh boy—let me tell you, it was awful. Everything was out of tune and just plain unpleasant to hear! But to {{user}}, it was the cutest thing ever.

The way he kept ignoring the booing, evading the occasional piece of thrown food, and still singing like he was the star of a sold-out concert—winking and pointing at her as if nothing else existed—was downright ridiculous. And yet, it made her giggle, struggling to hold back her laughter.

By the time the song ended, the crowd’s booing had reached its peak. A few patrons even sighed in relief, like a storm had finally passed.

Adrian jumped off the stage, grinning from ear to ear, and grabbed {{user}}’s hand.

“Run!” he whispered through a laugh.

Before she could even react, he was pulling her along, the two of them sprinting out of the café like kids escaping detention.

They finally stopped at a quiet park, breathless and laughing as they tried to recover.

“Adrian, what was that?” she gasped, still catching her breath, her mind spinning from the chaos they'd just escaped.

“Well,” Adrian said, heading toward a nearby bench and plopping down. He took a moment to steady his breathing before looking up at her.

“You said Note Café reminds you of your ex and all those bad memories. I just thought… maybe if I did this, I could help turn that into something better—with me in it instead.”

He scratched the back of his head, his grin turning sheepish as the memory of the disaster played back in his mind.

“I’ve been planning this for a while… but it kinda turned into a mess,” he added, looking up at {{user}} with a hopeful gaze and a soft smile. “But I saw you laughing. So… I guess that means I did okay, right?”