Chapter 26: Day Out

                Jiyong drove through a Starbucks before taking you anywhere else. He bought you an extra-large iced coffee and bought himself something slightly smaller. “What’s this for?” you asked as he handed it to you. “Well considering you just ran four miles without stopping, I figured your body might need some caffeine,” he said, giving you a wink before taking you to the next stop.

                He took you all around town, avoiding places he knew you had been with Seungri. He took you to the movies first, letting you pick out the movie. Needless to say, it was a kick- action movie that made Jiyong feel a little afraid. He was worried you might get some ideas and then use them on him if he ever pissed you off. “Where are we going now?” you asked as you linked your arm with his while walking out of the theater.

                “How about lunch? Then we can go play around some more,” he replied, more than a little pleased that you were hanging onto him, but also feeling more than a little guilty about that too. “That sounds good. Where are we going to go to eat?”

                “You’ll see, darling,” he said before pulling you back towards the car. He drove for another ten minutes before pulling up in front of a small café. You walked inside after him and the smell of coffee immediately greeted you. It was almost like walking into a wall of coffee. The place was pretty empty with soft music playing in the background. “Over here,” he said, leading you over to a booth in the back. A waitress handed you the menus before walking back to the kitchen.

                The back side of the menu was all coffees and teas while the front side was a mix of sandwiches, soups, and other American lunch items. You both ordered and you were very happy when the waitress walked back with a pot of tea for you and Jiyong to share. He had ordered the same tea as you, but you both got different sandwiches. He poured for you and you poured for him.

                “So, are you feeling better yet?” he asked, waiting for the tea to cool down a little. You nodded, “Yeah but I’m not going to face him yet.”

                “I wasn’t going to ask you to.”

                “You’re such a good friend,” you mumbled before taking a sip of your tea, burning your tongue slightly, but it was worth it. The tea here was amazing. “Uh huh, but you’re still in trouble.”

                “Wait, for what?”

                “I heard you cursing out Seungri. Women shouldn’t talk like that.”

                “Okay, what do I have to do to make it up to you?” you asked with a small chuckle. “I haven’t decided yet,” he winked just as your food arrived. You were both quiet while you ate, the food being too good to do anything else but eat. “Why isn’t this place packed with people?” you asked, amazed that there were only a few other tables with people. “Because the owner likes it that way. Actually, it gets a lot more people for dinner, but I prefer having lunch here when it’s so quiet.”

                He took you to a batting cage where you won him a stuffed animal before going to a strip mall. You both ran around the place, trying to make the other try on ridiculous outfits. By the time you had finished playing around, it was ten o’clock at night. “Alright, time to take you home,” he said, opening the car door for you again.

                “I don’t want to though,” you said with a sigh. He paused, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel before asking, “Do you want to go to my place then?”

                “Am I allowed to?”

                “As long as you don’t tell anyone, sure,” he said with a small smile before starting up the car. He lived in a small but fashionable flat. You had expected something like Seungri’s home when he had invited you, but you were happily surprised at the place. “My parents bought it for me. They want me to be more independent, so they got me my own place,” he explained.

                “But isn’t that still dependent on them?” He shrugged, “It’s better than staying with them, we argued too much. Now that I’m away, I actually get along with my parents.” You sat down on the couch and smiled, “That makes a lot of sense. I wish my parents would do that for me.”

                “Won’t they though?”

                “What do you mean?”

                “Once you get married, won’t you get your own place? Or are you going to live with Seungri?” he sat down next to you and the TV to a music program. “I don’t know…” you played with your ring and sighed again. “You need to figure it out because no matter what you’re going to get married.”

                “I know.”

                “Are you going to stay here for the night?”

                “I don’t know.”

                “I’ll let you think about it while I take a shower,” he said, messing up your hair playfully before getting up. You nodded and found yourself slowly moving to lie down while watching the music show. As much as you loved Super Junior, you couldn’t help but let your eyes slowly close. You could listen, that wouldn’t be too bad. All too soon, you were fast asleep, drooling slightly on one of the couch’s pillows.

                Jiyong walked out into the living room wearing a pair of sweatpants with his towel around his neck. “So are you going to-” he stopped when he saw you and smiled softly. He grabbed a blanket and draped it over you before gently brushing your bangs out of your face. He leaned in and placed a small kiss on your forehead, “Good night, baby girl.” He moved to sit on the chair when a knock on the door interrupted him.  

                He sighed before getting up, wondering who was knocking on his door so late at night. He had an idea though and wasn’t sure if he should even open it.