"Dylan! Keep your eyes on the road" She commands
Forcing me to lose my grip for a second taken aback by her sudden cry, but I obediently nod and laugh it off.
I look at the road ahead and without looking back
"I can't help it, you just too distracting to me"
"How many times have you said that before?"
"Once, right now"
"Really? Somehow I don't believe that?"
" Well I've never met someone who made me want to say it before."
"Hmmm. See when you say things like that.... I just can't trust you"
"Well then you just have to keep me around until you do. Baechu"
"Baechu (cabbage)?"
"Yeah, its my nickname for you. What do you think? Do you like it?"
"Whether I like it or not. How long did it take you to come up with that?"
"Not very long. You are kind of on my mind all the time. Living rent free."
"Since when?" She asks curiously
"Since I first saw you"
The atmosphere in the car, seems to have turned from a spring drama into a romance almost immediately.
But as Einstein's theory of relativity suggests, one night with a beautiful women passes like a second.
We near her house as I finally bring up the topic, I have been avoiding all week.
"Baechu, I called you yesterday but the number you gave me didn't work. What's up with that?"
She embarrassingly blushes, but as if trying to be oblivious try's to play it off.
Yes, that number she gave me thats worth $10 000 dollars was fake!
"Really? Maybe you entered it wrong"
"XX XXX XXXX"
"Huh?"
"That's the number you gave me, I memorized it. xx xxxx xxxx. Is it wrong?"
"Uh yeah"
"And?"
"And... That's my house" She changes the topic, successfully alarming Chae-hyun who wakes up immediately.
The small one hops out of the car almost at the exact moment we come to a stop and proceeds to head inside with tall big panda plushie ,I bought her today. Hurrying inside she runs to tell her parents about how much fun she had today.
Hora seems to idle for a bit before telling me to hand over my phone.
She then types in her real number this time and hands it back.
"Thanks for today, we had a great time"
She gets ready to leave but I stop her.
"Choo-shi , you just can't leave. You gave me a fake number after we agreed a price of $10 000, since you didn't deliver it on time. You owe me interest"
She looks at my teasing expression as if to say that she expected such a response from me.
"What do you want?"
I lean forward.
Edging closer and closer.
"What I want? What I really really really want"
A smirk forms on my face.
Her eyelashes tremble and she closes her eyes in anticipation for whats about to happen.
Our lips draw closer to each other.
I can feel her hot breath on my skin.
Its clearly discernible from the afternoon air.
I grab her closer across the waist and feel her soft velvet like skin in my hands.
Time seems to slow down.
As I gather my courage one last time and take the plunge.
..........
*Smooch*
..........
I release her from my grasp and stand straight, looking at her flustered expression
"That's it?"
She says as she is holding her cheek. To all the people expecting something else. You clearly overestimated my capabilities.
I only gave her a peck on the cheek, you perverts.
With a cheeky expression (pun intended) I look down a her cherry tomato complexion and tease her
"What? Don't tell me you were expecting more?"
She shakes her head fiercely and hits me as hard as she can.
Still holding her tightly.
I lean forward.
"Choo-shi, let's date"
She doesn't answer, it appears that she isn't ready.
I might be rushing it a bit.
But I don't know when another opportunity like this will come again.
She lifts her head slowly as she asks
"So ....do you .....like me?"
Without hesitation, I answer
"Yes"
She takes a moment and tries to compose herself
"I'm not sure if that's the truth yet.." She says softly
"But you aren't saying no outright right?"
She nods her head, "so what does that make us?"
There's a korean expression that describes this type of relationship.
Before like there is certainty and doubt, once doubt is removed all you are left with is like.
So before that certainty its called a "some".
Not yet dating but still interested.
So for purposes of this novel and you dear readers I say,
"Well then , that just means we are in a pre- relationship"