Ana rose her head looking around trying to find out where he was. She pinpointed a man in a dark blue t-shirt and white shorts that seemed to be coming her way. Fully dressed Hee-Joon did not seem to be that muscled. But now, in bare legs and arms, her eyes got stuck enjoying the sight of the defined lines of muscles covering his limbs. By the time he reached her, she was on her feet, able to disguise her hot cheeks behind a bottle of water. However, the vision of the wet sexy hair, the sweated temples and the strained body muscles now so close to her made her choke. Gasping for air she leaned over her head to the ground, while Hee-Joon gave small taps on her back to help.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes...I’m fine. Thanks.”

“I thought that you would find another place to jogge, closer to your apartment.”

“Well, in truth I love this place so...here I am.”

Why was the conversation so hard and strange between them?

“Do you want to go for some coffee?”

“Yes. That’s good.”

Ok, he said yes now all she had to do was not screw it up.

Sitting down in front of each other with their chosen drinks they were unsure of what to say.

“So, did you manage to tidy all that up?” Hee-Joon broke the ice.

“Yes. Thank you for coming over that day.”

“It’s tradition for friends to bring gifts when you move houses.”

Friends ah? Ana took a sip of her drink.

“I know. But thanks anyway. I still owe you lunch or dinner.” She tossed the coin in the air and hoped to get lucky.

“Yes, you do.”

Oh wait, did he just agree to have a meal with her? They were staring at each other’s eyes trying to read if there was a hidden meaning in their words.

Ana’s phone rang and she picked it up.

“Sim? (yes)..ah...여보세요?(hello?)” She was so out of it, her Portuguese came out first.

“여보세요? (hello?)” The complete silence got her to repeat herself.

Ana looked at the phone screen, frowned her eyebrows and ended the call, putting the phone back on her purse.

“No, I don’t think so. It was Jee-ae시 but the connection wasn’t good.”

________________

“Don’t hang up on me Ana. Never hang up on me.”

The phone was thrown away in anger.

“You should be smiling at me not him. It should be me in front of you not him.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Both hands through a face in despair.

“Soon.”

________________

Ana looked down at the hand resting on top of the table and swallowed again.

“You were saying you owed me dinner.”

There was that teasing smile she saw the first time they met. Ana smiled back.

“Well Hae-Joon시 I don’t like to have debts so, why not let me repay tonight?

“Ana시 you’ve got yourself a date.”

_______________

18:45 pm

Feeling as nervous as if it was her first time going out with a man, Ana looked at her reflexion in the mirror. Was she alright? Was that enough? Was it too much for a simple dinner? It didn’t matter, after changing outfits about three times already she refused to do it again. Her phone rang for the third time and Ana ran to answer hoping it wasn’t him calling her to cancel their date.

Unidentified number. Ana shook at the sight of that.

“There’s no way I’m giving you the pleasure of ruining my evening you freak.”

Angry, she turned off the phone and threw it on top of the bed.

A few moments later, the bell rang and with a heart beating fast out of excitement she went to answer.

“I tried calling you, but your phone is turned off.”

His eyes were trying their best not to roam around her body and stay fixated on her eyes alone. She smiled inside at that, mission accomplished.

Grabbing her purse, she stepped outside the door.

“It’s out of battery, sorry.”

The lie didn’t make her feel guilty. She was not going back to getting anyone play with her life and less drive them away again. There was a feeling that took over her whenever she thought of Hee-Joon. Whenever she saw him, whenever they were together like tonight and she needed to find out what it was because if she didn’t, she was afraid she would regret it deeply. So no, Ana wasn’t feeling guilty at all about that white lie. Walking side by side, he had his hands on the pockets of the black pants, a sweet smile on his lips and even a sort of shy look in his eyes. Mesmerized, Ana could not take her eyes off him nor did she want to. They left the building and headed to his parked car.

“So, where are we going tonight?”

Although the invitation had been hers, Ana asked Hae-Joon to choose the restaurant given her lack of knowledge in that field.

“It’s a surprise Ana 성셍님 (teacher).” He was teasing her again.

“You are not kidnapping are you detective Hee-Joon?”

He laughed.

“Maybe 성셍님 (teacher).”

Inside the car, the atmosphere got a bit tenser. She suddenly realized that it was such a tight space for two people alone. It was like it’s gotten hotter, and she fought the urge to take off her cardigan.

“So, Why did you choose to be a detective?”

The need to get her mind distracted was urgent and she realized that she didn’t really know much about him. The rest of the way was filled by the sound of his soft voice telling her the story of his life. He made her laugh and even made her a bit emotional talking about his family. By the time he parked the car, Ana wished she could stay inside forever just the two of them.

He was a gentleman opening up her door and grabbing her hand as she got out. Maybe that had been just a sweet excuse to hold her hand because he didn’t let it go until they reached the designated table. The restaurant was small, with minimalist decor which made the environment even more inviting. Located inside a traditional Hanok, Ana got the feeling she steps back in time for a moment. Sitting face to face, she was facing the window, looking out to the yard.

The food was chosen and the wine was served between stolen looks and a trivial conversation about food.

“Your turn. Why did you choose to be a teacher and why here in Seoul?”

Ana wished she could tell him something like her profession was a calling like his. But the plain truth was that it was not, it actually had been more like a necessity, that later on had grown into a calling.

As she unveiled the simple facts about her life, she surprised herself by conveying also the emotional wrapping that came with it. Ana was a very reserved person, she did not open up easily to people, not about her personal life and her feelings. But, with him it just happened, unplanned, unthought, unreserved and a little bit scary. She found that talking to him was easy. There was no judgment in his eyes and so false sympathy, he was just listening.

Time went by so fast. To her surprise, before she knew it they were having dessert, laughing about crazy situations they both had experienced in foreign countries.