For about thirty minutes, I remained parked in front of Mrs. Felicity's front yard. I didn't know when I should go o if Forest was even there. I'm not sure how I will convince Forest to come with me. I don't have a plan at all. I told her we'd go out but I never really told her an exact date.
I gripped onto the wheel tighter anxiously. I've never been so nervous my entire life. My heart was pounding so fast and it haven't even started.
I jumped from my seat from the sudden pang that hit my car. I looked out frantically and saw Forest creasing her brows gesturing me to get out of my car. I stepped out, fingers trembling. I was sure my lips were shaking.
"What the fuck are you doing here?!" She exclaimed.
I gulped. She was sweating so much and she had smudges of dirt all over her face. I wasn't sure what to think of what she was doing before she came out. I took a breath before I smiled. Keep your cool, Mark. Stay cool. "I told you, I'm taking you to a date."
Her brows furrowed deeper. "Since when? Drive off. You're wasting my time." She shove me away but I stopped her by the wrist and she turned back slapping my hands off.
Odd. Didn't she just tell me she liked me before? Is this how she show her affection? Or was it all a dream? It can't be.
"You're a lot creepier now that you know that I like you. What fuck is wrong with you?"
It's not a dream. "Let's go. Now."
"Wh—" She stepped away from me like I had a gun pointing at her direction. "I'm busy fixing my things for the move. Go date your own ass."
I frowned and pulled her back. "Come on." I pointed at myself. "I dressed up today for you."
She raised a brow. "You look the same."
I looked away in shame. "No, I don't. I don't wear denims a lot but I'm wearing it now so I can look cool in front of you. See?" I lifted a piece of the jacket in the air to show her. I don't really know the point of that but I did it anyway.
"It looks hideous." She said and the whole world stopped. I feel like I'm about to vanish in embarrassment. "You looked better in your white shirt."
I blinked and hadn't realized she was already walking back to the house. I looked at myself again and realized I did look hideous. Or maybe it's just how I see it now that she said it. Okay then.
After about fifteen minutes of driving back home, back to Forest, I knocked on the front door this time instead of staying in my car like a coward. Mrs. Felicity opened the door and looked surprised when she saw.
"Mark dear. What brings you here?"
"I'm actually here to pick up Forest."
Mrs. Felicity looked like she wanted to ask but I was glad she didn't because I would've been so flustered I wouldn't be able to answer her questions. "Forest, dear, Mark's here!"
I see Forest running down from the stairs. She was still wearing the same clothes she wore before which was reasonable. Her apron looked dirtier than before though. I guess she was cleaning. She walked up to the door examining me so I smiled brightly.
"Did you—"
"Yes. I drove back home to change into my white shirt like you wanted."
She wheezed, looking away in disbelief. Maybe she didn't expect me to actually come clean about that. "You sure are fucking desperate."
"I am so let's go." I reached out my hand but she just stared at it before she decided to snap them away. That was awkward.
"I told you I'm busy. I still haven't—"
"I'll help you so you can finish packing faster and then we go. How about that?" I suggested.
"No." She immediately declined. She didn't even think about it, I assume. "Get the fuck home." She was about to shut the door on my face but I slipped myself inside the house before she leaves me outside. She glared at me so I grinned. "You're suck a fucking nuisance in my life."
"You like this nuisance though." I teased.
She squinted her eyes at me unamused.
"You're not even denying it. You're going to make my heart explode if you keep staring at me like that."
She rolled her eyes and walked back up to the next floor. I followed her and saw boxes piled outside the hall. She sighed as she walked to a room that was almost emptied out. I looked around amazed. She did a lot for a girl.
"What else do you need to do?" I asked.
"I need to get your ass back to your house."
I turned back to her with a frown. "You don't say that to someone you like."
"You just love rubbing that in my face, don't you?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." I chuckled.
The whole morning, I helped Forest pack things after things after things. She had a lot of things. She said just wanted to leave the room clean before she moved out that's why she's making this much effort – admirable, truly.
After that, Forest went to take a bath so I patiently waited for her downstairs. Mrs. Felicity offered a glass of orange juice so I would often take sips from it. I was bothered that Forest would be fresh from the bath and here I am, sweating like a pig from helping her out, showered with dust flakes from cleaning the ceiling. I didn't smell but I looked horrendous.
Forest ran down. She was wearing her usual white tank top tucked over her high-waist black jeans. She also had her black leather jacket on but her hair was tied up. She looked naturally beautiful. "Let's go."
Then I remembered my situation. I still was sweaty and sticky and all gross. I even shuddered from my own self. We both got inside my car and I tried to stay away from her as much as I can. I was too ashamed of my state. I should have brought spare clothes with me. Dang.
"Amusement park?"
I looked away in shame. I didn't really know where to go but here. I mean, couples on television seemed to enjoy having their dates in an amusement park.
"This is your idea of a date?"
"Yes?" I replied unsurely.
She grunted. I watched her crossing her arms with the usual blank look on her face. I cleared my throat to catch her attention but she ignores me and continues spacing out. "Hey," She finally turns to me with a questioning look. I don't know why I feel so scared right now but the way she was acting was fearsome. "Where do you want to go? Is there any place you want to go instead?"
"Let's go kill each other in a field if you want."
I gulped. That's a terrifying thing to say.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Mark. Are you seriously asking me? Aren't you supposed to know? I don't know shit about what two people would do when they date."
I pressed my lips together in shame. What in the world am I doing blowing this chance the odds gave me. I can't even look at her properly because of how embarrassed I am.
"Look at you."
I glanced up to her.
"You're standing like, what, fucking ten metes away from me. What the hell is that about?" She even noticed me standing away from her. I wouldn't think she'd be bothered by that.
I chuckled. "We cleaned and I was drenched in sweat so my skin feels moist and sticky. I didn't want to��"
She suddenly pulled me to her embrace before I could finish my sentence.
My heart went uncontrollably fast. I wasn't even worried that she might feel it beating against my chest with hers but I was so shocked I didn't know how to react when she pulled away – like how she did when she kissed me.
'There. I'm dirty like you now."
I stared at her, my heart still going crazy. It's strange how she does the things I should be doing as the guy. She's a lot more straight-forward than I remembered.
"Stop being so fucking awkward. This isn't why I liked you in the first place."
The moment she uttered those words, I couldn't contain my smile. Everything she says, everything she does, everything about her makes my heart flutter. People say you grow tired of love. I don't understand how that happens to people when every moment I spend with Forest only makes me fall deeper for her.
"Save her!"
Save her?
"What the—" My eyes widened when Forest was dripping wet. She furiously spun around to see who just splashed her water and I was more surprised when I realized they were kids.
"Lady, are you okay?!" The little boy with ear-cut hair, and bangs that fell over his forehead, asked.
Forest stared both of the kids shocked as I am. "What—"
"Your hair was on fire! We had to save you! I'm Spiderman!" The little kid posed similar to the hero he just mentioned making me chuckle.
"On fire? Are you fucking serious?"
I turned to Forest. Did she just—
"Fucking? What's that?"
"It's when you're so angry you just have to say it so you feel less angry." Forest squinted her eyes at the kid.
"I'm fu—"
"Hey." I pulled the little kid towards me to stop what he's about to say. I glanced at Forest in disbelief and she just looked away. "Don't say that again okay? Monsters will hurt you and your family if you say it."
The little kid frowned and stepped back a little. "Monsters aren't real."
Even kids won't bite into monster threats now. The generation has changed indeed. "What's your name, little man?" I asked him with a smile instead.
"William!" He replied excitedly. "And this is Bentley! He's my brother!"
I bobbed my head. "This lady right here," I pointed at Forest. "She's a fire-breathing dragon and she's going to eat all of you and your friends."
William looked frightened but he tried to stay cool. He pulled his brother, Bentley, to our side and raised his hands over Forest's direction. "L-Lady, stay away from us."
Forest shot me a glare.
I chuckled and leaned closer to William's ear. "But if you touch her, she won't hurt you." I looked back up to Forest with a playful grin. I knew then she already knew I was trying to mess with her.
William ran to Forest and hugs her legs. "Don't hurt us! I'm Spiderman!"
Forest tried to shove the kid away and I stood back up laughing at how cute the two of them were. Soon after, Bentley ran to the other side and copied his brother so now both of them were clinging onto her legs. "Get off me!"
I laughed more.
"Friends! Come here! Let's defeat this dragon!"
Forest's eyes widened when a group of kids swarm over to her and started clinging onto other parts of her body and I watched from aside laughing hard. She glared at me, his jaws clenched up tight and I show her a thumbs up.
The whole afternoon, the kids played with Forest with joy. I knew Forest didn't really kids but she wasn't heartless enough to throw them away like a toy. She just wouldn't do that so she had no choice but to get along with them.
After about two hours of Forest trying her best to not let the kids fall from her body, she sat down the sandbox dusting herself with the back of her hands. She hissed when I sat next to her. "You are such a fucking moron, you know that?"
"The kids liked you."
She rolled her eyes, heaving a frustrated sigh.
"Sorry." I let out a small chuckle. I wasn't really sorry for anything but I said it anyway. "I had fun watching you guys play though."
"What if I accidentally let one of them slip from my hands and they fucking fall? You're so reckless. You always want to do things your way without thinking what it would cause."
I was speechless. I didn't think she thought of the situation that way. Now I felt guilty. "I'm sorry. You're right. I wasn't thinking much when I—"
"Forget it. What's done is done." She cut me off.
I pressed my lips together and examined her reaction. She was as emotionless as before.
"Mr. Man!" William ran towards our direction and stood in front of me so I smiled at him and waited for him to continue talking. "Are you coming back here tomorrow?"
I didn't think these kids were enjoying both our company though I didn't really do much but be entertained by their playtime. "Uhm," I glanced over at Forest who wasn't even looking. "I'm not sure, William."
He pouted and slowly averted his attention to Forest. He walked closer to her and gave her a poke. Forest turned to William with her brows creased.
"What?"
The way she barks at kids like they were our age was refreshing Girls normally like playing with kids but she's just not feeling them.
William handed her a lollipop which Forest just stared before he dropped the candy over her lap. "Thank you for today. My brother and my friends and me had fun with you today! I hope you come back with your husband." At that, he ran back to his dad and waved at us before they finally left.
I turned back to Forest. She was already holding the lollipop in her hand, staring at it, spinning it around with her fingers. "They really liked you."
"Everyone seem to like me a lot these days." Her head turned towards me and flashes a crooked smile.
It was almost dusk and we were still in the park watching the people slowly decrease. Forest seemed to enjoy spacing out more than talking.
"Are you hungry?"
"What do you think?"
"No?" I answered unsurely.
"Of course, I'm fucking hungry. You go play with the fucking kids for the entire afternoon and see if you don't get fucking hungry after all that."
I looked away in shame. She said it as if she's blaming me for what happened. I'm not complaining. I take full responsibility for that. "What would you like for dinner then?"
"You."
M-Me?
"You tell me." She smirked. She seemed to like how shy I always get whenever she tries to make fun of me like this. "This date you say is as fucked up as my life, you know that?"
While we were eating dinner at a local shop near the amusement park, which Forest thankfully didn't mind, an idea popped in my head.
"Excuse me," I stood from the table, leaving Forest there and walked out of the shop, dialing Haechan's number. When he answered, "Haechan!"
"What now?" I can almost imagine him with his saggy eyes.
"Can you tell your dad I'm booking a room at Solaire for tonight and have it named under my father's last name?"
"Or you can just call your dad?"
"I don't want to contact him though."
I hear him grunt.
"This is the only way. If I don't use my dad's name, the booking won't be as—"
"Okay, okay! You're interrupting my Tower of God marathon for a stupid— I'll text you. Bye."
I know where I'm taking her now. God, I'm an idiot for not thinking this through. It should have been the first thing I thought of when I was trying to think of something for the date.
"Where'd you go?" She asked when I came back in the table.
I shook my head, smiling. "Haechan."
She raised a brow. "Your boyfriend you mean."
I chuckled, bobbing my head in defeat. "If you say so,"
While driving to Solaire Tower, Forest was quietly staring out by the window without questions. It was already dark outside which perfectly fitted my idea. After driving for about half an hour, we reached the building. I parked as close to the entrance so we both won't get too tired. I just hope everything's already set.
We both headed inside, welcomed by staffs with smiles on their faces. I approached the front desk and glanced at Forest who was looking around, observing the painting there were hung on the wall. "I booked a room a few minutes ago online. Can you please check if it's ready?"
"What's the name sir?"
"Choi Minhyung."
"Mr. Choi. A pleasure to have you here at Solaire Tower." The lady smiled so I politely smiled back. "We were told about your sudden arrival but we made sure you get a great suite for tonight."
"Thank you and I apologize for the sudden rush."
"We'll have a staff get you to your room in—"
"Ah, can they just usher us there later. We'll just walk around."
The lady bowed politely. "Of course, Mr. Choi."
I ran to Forest and grabbed her wrist. I dragged her to the elevator, pressing the button the lead to the rooftop. The sun's probably setting right now.
When we reached the top floor, I pulled her up with me to the stairs so we can finally get to the rooftop. I opened the door, the strong breeze of the wind brushes through my hair. I turned to Forest and she was blocking the air with her arms.
"The stars are showing up."
She peeked from the corner of her arms and took them off her face when she saw the moon. I've always seen how Forest looked at the moon. She loved staring at it from our back yard or anywhere she is so maybe she has a thing for it.
She walked closer to the railing and looked up to it earnestly – like she hasn't seen one before. I stared at her in relief. I'm glad she's not complaining. I used my dad's name for this and it better be worth it. "It looks beautiful up close."
I smiled, staring at her in agreement. "It is." I finally brought my gaze up and saw the stars about to shine with the moon. "You seem to really like moons. Your necklace's a crescent too."
"It was Polar's."
Oh…
"Polar really liked the night. She said she felt the strongest during that time because she knows I only go to her at night." She looked down smiling. I didn't want her to remember her sister and feel sad. That's not what I meant. "It's the only time of the day that I get to be free from the pain – from the shadows that follow me in the morning."
I wasn't sure what she meant but I was sure she was still hurting.
She suddenly turned to me, staring deep into my eyes. "I never deserved your attention. I don't know what you see in me, honestly. I'm close to believing you have blind eyes."
I chuckled. "Why are you downgrading yourself so much? You're more beautiful than 90% of the girls I met."
She stared at me emotionlessly.
"The other 10% are girls that I liked before you, of course." I replied as if she needed to hear "Hermione Granger, Annabeth Chase, Katniss Everdeen, Elizabeth Bennet."
"They aren't real, nerd."
I laughed. I'm more surprised that she recognized the character I enumerated. Most people wouldn't know unless you read the books. "You know them, how exactly?"
"I'm not a cavegirl."
I bobbed my head. I expected that. She's smarter and more literate about things like these than most girls I've ever known. "And you?"
"Oh Draco Malfoy, for sure."
"Of course,"
I hear her let out a small chuckle. "Draco's better than what people perceive him as."
"I know."
"Hey Mark," I gazed back at her who was intently looking at the moon. "Thank you," My heart raced. I feel like all my blood was rushing up to my head. I've never heard her this calm. She always spoke with so much aggression and anger in her voice. "For finding me."