The first time he saw you, it was at a mall in America. He’d always told himself that if he ever truly fell in love, it would be like in the movies—songs would start playing in his head.

And somehow, they did.

Maybe it was just whatever happened to be playing through his headphones, but it wasn’t his usual playlist. He wasn’t the type to listen to soft, romantic songs on his own. That could only mean one thing that there was something about you—something different.

You looked like a goddess walking among mortals, and for a split second, he imagined himself as a prince. You, his princess. The world faded into a blur, and suddenly, the thought of running away, being reckless for once, didn’t sound so bad. He knew he wouldn’t do it—he had no place to go except back to his parents in Japan—but still… the idea of dropping everything and chasing after something real, something like you, lingered in his mind longer than it should have.

He knew he could never approach you. Not because he didn’t want to—but because he literally couldn’t. He didn’t know how to speak English, and you looked like the kind of girl who only knew English. That alone made you feel unreachable.

But you weren’t like most Americans, either. He could tell just by looking at you—you were definitely Asian, but from where exactly, he couldn’t tell. It made him even more curious.

Caught up in his silent observation, he didn’t notice Jake watching him until he spoke up with a teasing grin. “Did you suddenly develop a staring problem?”

Riki’s face flushed as he quickly looked away, flustered. “Shut up,” he mumbled, trying to act cool—but Jake could see right through him.

“You know, if you’re into her, you should talk to her.” Jake’s tone wasn’t pushy—it was encouraging, like a friend giving just the right nudge at the right time.

Riki scoffed under his breath, eyes flicking back toward you for a split second. “No way, bro. With my English? She’ll be running in the opposite direction.”

Jake rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. “Your English isn’t that bad. Come on, just give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Riki didn’t answer—mostly because he was too busy imagining about fifty different ways the conversation could go wrong.

Jake grabbed Riki’s hand without warning and dragged him toward your table, ignoring his friend’s quiet protests the whole way. Before Riki could escape, they were both sitting across from you.

You looked up, pulling out one earbud and pausing your music, an eyebrow raised at the sudden intrusion. Your gaze shifted between the two boys—your confusion obvious.

Jake nudged Riki under the table, urging him to speak. The silence stretched awkwardly, and Riki was certain this was a disaster. The look on your face wasn’t helping; you looked completely baffled, and every second made him want to disappear into the floor.

What Riki didn’t know was that you weren’t confused because you were annoyed—you were confused because you had no idea why two ridiculously good-looking guys were suddenly sitting in front of you. And as for the silver-haired one? He had no business being that attractive. You never liked that hair color on anyone… until now.

“Hi, I’m Jake, and this is my friend Riki,” Jake said, offering a friendly wave and an awkward scratch to the back of his neck.

“Hey…” Riki added quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. It was probably the only English word he felt safe using.

You couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped your lips, and when you did, Riki laughed too—nervously mirroring you.

“My English… isn’t that good,” he said, voice soft and apologetic.

And in that moment, to you, he was the most adorable person you’d ever seen.