*******************

            I took a deep breath as I stepped into the conference room with a tray of 6 coffee cups.  I quickly glance in Lu Han’s direction.  He still hasn’t looked my way.  I smiled politely as I placed a cup of coffee down next to one of the French representative.  Total S.A. is the largest oil company in France that is now seeking out for Uncle Ching’s oil refinery’s help because one of their largest oil refinery sections had exploded and is currently being rebuilt. 

            They are deciding to outsource the refinery of their oil and it seems like they want a cheaper deal.  However, that wasn’t want Manager Lee and Lu Han expected at all.  The company delivers one of the best services in the field and they should get paid accordingly to the work they give.

            Then, I didn’t understand why they are letting Lu Han run the show.  Yes, he’s smart and witty, but isn’t he too young?  Wouldn’t the representatives, who are 25+ years his senior, would feel offended to have a kid talk to them about business?  Perhaps the company wants to test him, to see if he could really handle being with big people.  I quickly glance around the room to the other representatives to see their facial expressions.  They didn’t seem to be intimidated by the sophisticated baby face at all.  In fact, it seemed like they were intrigued by him.

            The group was taking a break from their quite serious meeting.  Manager Lee was in the room as well.  She looked quite stressed out as I placed the cup on her right.  She has always been the supervisor that overlooked Lu Han’s projects whenever he worked there during the summer.  I never heard him talk much about her, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I assumed that because of the meeting that day, she was timid and bossy. 

            This year he was working in the International Affairs Department as the co-manager with Manager Lee.  During high school, Lu Han explained that he went to work at the processing factory to understand the chemistry, machinery, and labor that is behind oil refinery. 

I turned to place the cup down in front of Lu Han.  He was sitting down as he talked to one of the French representatives about school in English, casually.  And, it didn’t seem like the rep minded either considering how young Lu Han was.  Regardless of how tense and serious the atmosphere was, the baby face was calm and let out a carefree laugh.  His laughter was warm and genuine, making the French rep laugh with him, and breaking the ice.

            Just as I was about to let go of the cup when I set it down, I felt Lu Han’s hand over mine for a brief moment.  I quickly retracted, not wanting others to question his work ethics.  I looked at him as I was about to stand up straight.

            “What are you doing at my workplace?” he whispered, curious. 

            I pursed my lips together.  “I wanted to see you.” I said back, as I stood up straight.  Lu Han flashed me a look as he drank his cup of coffee.  He nodded softly and turned back to the French representative.

            I was having a lunch date with Kris and knew it that we were going to be near Uncle Chung’s headquarters.  So, I dressed up in a cute, office-like outfit.  Thus, that led to Manager Lee thinking that I was the replacement for Lu Han’s assistant. 

            But, what kind of assistant would go to work at 2 PM?, I thought.

            I had an urge to want to roll my eyes, as I exited out of the conference room quietly.  Regardless, I got to see inside Lu Han’s future.  I know that he’s working his way up to become the CEO, showing all that he has.  He’s moving at a rather fast pace though.  What kind of 19 year old gets to be the co-manager for the International Affairs Department in an international oil refinery company?!!  Well, Lu Han does.  And, I felt proud of him for all the hard work he has done and for caring so much about his family business.

            I was busy back at the assistant’s desk in front of Lu Han’s office.  I was entering his schedule onto his work’s Google calendar so he could be reminded on his work email of staff/faculty meetings, deadlines on mini-projects, and more.  I let out a sigh, as I finished.

            There are quite a handful of things for Lu Han to do, I thought.  No wonder he’s been avoiding me for the last 2 weeks.

            The day after we came back from Thailand, Kris asked me out on a date.  Ever since then, we’ve been going out again.  I didn’t understand his sudden interest in me once more.  Yeah, sure, we went out once and it didn’t end smooth…  But, still…  I thought it was strange.  By any means, I know that I was still attracted to him.  He was just as handsome as I remembered him to be…  And, there was some between us.  Perhaps he felt it too?

            I felt someone blew a warm, coffee-scented breath into my face.  I looked up and Lu Han was leaning on the computer monitor.  I in a sharp breath because he scared me.  He flashed me that cute smile of his.

            “What are you doing?  Is the meeting done?  Did it go well?” I asked, as quick as a lightning bolt.

            “Mia.” Lu Han said, softly.

            “Yes?” I asked.

            His smile broadened as he stood up straight.  I quickly got out of my seat, stepping away from the computer.  He let out a chuckle.  “Can I hug you?” he asked, in cautious manner.

            I didn’t understand why he would feel like he needed permission to hug me.  I nodded my head.  Why is he being so stupid?, I thought.  Lu Han quickly stepped behind the desk and gave me a quick, soft squeeze.  And, he’s hugging me kind of weird…  Lu Han doesn’t usually hug like this.  What in the world is going on?  He’s acting so distant…

            “It all went well.” he asked, pulling away. “You look like you’re starving to death.  Want to grab something to eat after work?”

            “Sure. Kris and I were planning to meet later...” I replied.  “But, I wanted to spend some time with you, so I already cancelled it.”

            “Again?” he asked, surprised.  He let out a cheerful laugh.  “You sure got him wrapped around your finger.”  He said with a rather loud voice.

            I quickly looked over at the cubicles at our side as I hit him.  “This is not the time to be playing around!” I hissed, in a whisper.  “People think that I’m your new assistant.”

            Lu Han continued to smile.  “I know.” he said, nodding his head.  “Manager Lee told me that too, but I think it’s time that I give you a formal introduction.”

            “What?!” I asked, loudly. 

            I clasped my hands over my mouth as I looked at the quiet cubicles.  The workers flashed me irritated looks for being rude.  I quickly bowed and apologized, quietly.  I turned to Lu Han and slapped his arm.  He continued to laugh as he grabbed my elbow.  He led me towards Manager Lee’s office, making me nervous. 

            My sense of reality seemed to be off as I slipped out of the bed with pounding headache as I looked for the bathroom.  All I was wearing was a t shirt that was a bit too tight for me, which I thought was strange.  I didn’t realize that I was in Lu Han’s room until I returned back to the bed.  I found him cuddling with the pillow I was sleeping on.

            I blinked slowly, trying to remember what we did the night before.  All I could remember was going to the restaurant after Lu Han’s meeting.  We decided to eat at the bar because the place we decided to go to was too crowded.  Then, we had a few drinks after that since it was convenient.  I frowned.  Those few drinks had to be it.

            Thank God we made it home safely, I thought.

             I got on the bed, worried.  Since I didn’t remember anything, I hoped that Lu Han would remember at least something after the drinks.  As I shook him awake with my left arm, I noticed that my wrist was sore.  I looked down at it and there was something written sideways, along my arm at the base of my wrist. “永远一起.”  The calligraphy was beautiful, but small.  It was still legible at least.

             “Forever Together.” I repeated the words etched onto my skin.

             I continued on and tried to shake Lu Han awake.  He tried to bat me away when I noticed something on his arm as well.  The same writings on the same spot at the base of his wrist…  I gasped as I my finger and tried to wipe off the words.

             Darn Sharpie, I thought.

             That area was extremely sensitive.  It was painful and stinging as I tried to wipe it off.  I stare at the words dumbfounded when I realized that it wouldn’t come off.  I pull it up close to my face to observe the stubborn ink.  Strangely, the skin around the area was swollen and red.  I gasped again as I finally figured out what it was.

             “Oh my FUDGING GOD!!!!” I screamed, as I hold onto my left wrist.  I looked down at Lu Han and really shook him awake this time.  “Lu Han, WAKE UP!!!!!”

             I didn’t care if my head was going to split open.  I needed to tell Lu Han about it.  We always do something stupid and this is not acceptable!

            “Mia, calm you just be quiet!” yelled Lu Han.  “I’m tired.”

            “Lu Han!  We have TATTOOS, you !!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.  “TATTOOS!!  We got matching tattoos while we were drunk last night!!”

            I grabbed his wrist and purposely squeezed that inked area.  He let out a yelp of pain as he sat up in bed.  He glared at me as he observed the tattoos, both mine and his.  Lu Han in a breath.

            “Oh, .” he simply said, as he bolted from the bed.  I watched him as he frantically looked for something.

            “What are you doing?” I asked.

            “Looking for the receipt!” yelled Lu Han, frustrated.  “It has to be in my pants or wallet somewhere!  And, I had to be the one that paid!”

            He eventually found his pants on the ground somewhere.  He found the receipt with a business card stapled onto it.  I let out a breath of relief.  For a moment, I was worried that we went some underground tattoo artist or something…  I did not want to get some kind of disease just because we were being stupid and drunk.

           Lu Han crawled back to bed and looked up at the ceiling.  The whole time, he couldn’t even look in my direction.  “We’re going to take a visit to the dermatologist at the end of this week.” he said.  “And, get it removed.”

           I let out a sigh as I lay down on the bed.  I couldn’t say anything as I turned to my side.  I glanced down at the tattoo.  Didn’t Lu Han make me promise to stay by his side forever?, I thought.  Being inked like this only seals the deal…  Maybe we should keep it after all.

            Kris picked me up from the Chung mansion for a dinner date.  Over dinner, I told him about how Manager Lee had mistaken me as Lu Han’s assistant.  Everyone in that department was quite surprised too.  But, I couldn’t talk about how Lu Han and I got matching tattoos a few days prior...  And, it seemed like he didn’t say anything to Kris either.

            “It was so embarrassing though.” I continued, as I finished my plate.  “Everyone kept on asking when the wedding was going to be or if I’m training myself to become the perfect wife for the CEO in training!  Lu Han was so stupid for doing that.”

            Kris smiled.  He raised his glass of water.  “To you, Mia, Lu Han’s wife.” he teased.

            “Stop that!” I said, as my face flushed.

            “Why are you smiling?” asked Kris.

            “Because everything that happened was pathetic, Kris!” I explained.

            He let out a laugh, as he signaled for the check.  I offered to pay, but he insisted as the gentleman he was.  Sometimes, I wonder if we really were on a date because it felt like we were just good friends hanging out together.  Even though we were supposed to be dating each other, we still haven’t kissed yet.

            And, I wasn’t really sure how I would feel about that.  I’ve shared so many kisses with Lu Han that I’ve gotten used to how soft or rough he kisses.  Although I would love the thought of having Kris press his lips up against mine, I wasn’t sure how it would go.  There were moments in these last 2 weeks that I would think back to that crazy makeout session that Lu Han and I had in the janitor’s closet.

            Jonghyun had told me not to completely subject to Lu Han’s charms…  But, at the time, I was ready to give all of me to him.  Lu Han didn’t do anything much too...  It wasn’t like he whispered sweet nothings into my ear.  All he did was kiss me and I was gone.  Was that how Lu Han get girls?  Kissing them like crazy?  Or does he just show them his adorable face and they all fall for him? 

            Kris grabbed my attention by taking my hand in his.  He quickly opened an umbrella as a summer shower came down before we stepped out of the restaurant.  He beeped his car opened and opened the door for me.  I gave him a smile as I stepped in.  I watched him as he walked over to his side of the car.

            Kris smiled at me as he stepped in.  He quickly his car.  We were on the road in a few seconds.  He continued to hold my hand in his, as he drove.  As loving as Kris was, I couldn’t but feel something wrong in my gut.  I felt his thumb caress over my knuckles sending the good shivers down my spine.

            As he pulled up to the Chung mansion, the shower stopped.  Kris stopped in front of the front doors and turned to me.  I smiled at him as I let go of his hand.  He was still holding on.  I turned my body towards him and opened my mouth to say something. 

            Before I knew it Kris was leaning in towards me for a kiss.  I quickly pulled away from him just as he was about to place his other hand on my face.  Kris’s hand fell down onto my lap as I tried to swallow the lump in my throat down.  My eyes started to burn as I cried.

            “I-I’m so sorry.” I choked.

            Kris gave me a sad smile.  “It’s OK.” he said.

            I shook my head.  “No, it’s not.” I said.  “M-Maybe we can give it another try?”  I had to suggest for another try.  I felt bad for pulling away before he could even kiss me.

            “It’s OK.” said Kris, with that smile of his.  “You don’t need to feel bad.” 

            He helped me wiped my tears away, but I couldn’t contain myself as I cried again.  My mind lingered to Lu Han, who was probably somewhere inside his home…  Not knowing what was going on at his doorstep.  It was then and there when I realized that I didn’t want to be with Kris…  No offense to the y, beautiful, and model-like Kris, but…  I realized that I didn’t want to date Lu Han’s friend.  I wanted to date him.  I want Lu Han as my boyfriend, not his friend.

            I couldn’t lie to myself anymore that I didn’t want Lu Han as mine.

            After my tears dried, I turned to Kris.  “I’m sorry.” I apologized.

            He shook his head.  “It’s OK.” he said.  “We were both mutually attracted to each other, but I guess it’s just not meant to be…  We no longer feel the same as we once did when we first met.”

            I swallowed hard, as I nodded my head.  “If things worked out then…” I started.

            “Then, you would be my girlfriend by now.” finished Kris, making me blush.  He shook his head.  “It’s fine the way it is.  A lot has changed since January.”

            I nodded my head.  That’s true, I thought.  So much as changed ever since then…  And, it’s only been only a few months too…  Life is crazy.

            I let out a sigh, unable to find Lu Han.  I thought that he was going to be in his bedroom, but he wasn’t there.  I found a maid and asked where he could be.  The swimming pool.  He was at the swimming pool.  Since I was upstairs anyways, I decided to change into more comfortable clothes: a t shirt and some sweats.  Then, headed down to the pool.  I was glad that by the time I got there, Lu Han was already done swimming and was drying off.

            He saw me walking towards him.  He flashed me his signature smile, but dropped it when he realized that something was wrong.  My eyes were starting to water as I approached him.  I quickly gave him a hug, wanting to be in his embrace.

            All I wanted to do was to be with Lu Han.  It’s about time that I shouldn’t act like all the intimate moments that he and I share do not affect me.  I cherish all of those random, enticing, and electrifying moments with him... 

            And, it’s about time to tell him how I feel.  I quickly sent a prayer to the heavens as I pulled away to look up at Lu Han’s angelic face.  I prayed that he felt the same as I do.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

            Are you guys satisfied?  It’s in MIA’s POV now…  If some things are not answered, then just comment below and I will try to address it in the future.  (Because I tend to forget things…  LOL)

            Hope you guys enjoyed this!   And, I accidently rated this chapter "M" too.  LOL  You guys would have been thrilled, but not yet. 

           And, if any of you know how to read simplified Chinese, please tell me if the translation is right.  I'm worried that Google Translator didn't do a good job.

LOVE,

loveFORyunho