We drove and drove.

We went on an adventure, our own late, night adventure.

We both took a chance.

Hoya and I had no idea where we were headed. We both silently agreed to enjoy wherever the wind took us. The London night was beautiful. The stars were in the sky, the moon shined brightly, and only the bright lights and streetlights gave us enough guiding light to navigate through the city. Time didn’t seem to matter anymore. We had all night to do whatever they wanted.

“I haven’t gone on a late night drive in ages,” Hoya chuckled, still continuing to safely drive us. As he drove, the streetlights reflected on his face, illuminating his features in the dark. Blues, greens, and purples from lighted street signs danced inside of the car.

“When was the last time?” I asked

“Before my father died,” he replied solemnly.

The seriousness in his voice made me wonder about Hoya. How different was he before? How was he able to carry his family’s business alone? Hoya was just so mysterious. He was always changing, showing me different sides of him. It seemed as the night went on, I’d know more about Hoya than he knew about himself.

Hoya began to slow the car down to a stop. He turned into a local parking garage and paid for a parking space. Once we were parked, Hoya turned off the engine and opened his car door.

“Wait, what are we doing?” I asked, stopping him from getting off.

Hoya smiled, “Traveling by foot is more of an adventure right?”

Stunned at Hoya’s willingness to venture out, I slowly got out of the car, my camera and bag in hand. Hoya was waiting for me, already few cars away, and I ran to him. “Gosh, someone’s so excited that he can’t even wait for me?” I joked.

“Nope, I just thought it’d be more fun to race,” laughed Hoya as he broke out in a sprint. He turned the corner and before he disappeared he gave me a small wave.

“GET BACK HERE!” I yelled with a laugh.

I ran down the street, chasing him and loosing all energy in my body. The sound of Hoya’s light laughs echoed down the street, taunting me to fasten my pace. No matter how hard I sprinted, Hoya was always half a block down. "You are such a !" I yelled with heavy breaths, hoping that it would slow him down. 

It did. He slowed to a stop and waited for me at the end of the street. "," I muttered when I finally caught up to him. Hoya smiled, and pulled me into the shop he was standing next to. The shop we entered was surprisingly open, even with the early morning time. From the second that we entered, the smells of breads and meats flooded my senses. Several people were seated in the restaurant, many drunk off of the exciting nightlife and others totally wasted by straight alcohol. 

"This is my favorite bagel place," Hoya said, "It's been open for thirty years."

Hoya told me to find a seat and he left to get us some bagels. I watched him as he ordered. His strong arms, probably built by the amount of physical labor he had to do on his own, pointed and chose what meats to be put in the bagel. His broad shoulders raised as he laughed at a joke the store owner made. Hoya was a good-looking man, and it blew my mind how foreign women didn't attack him at the hostel. If I wasn't such a conservative, I actually might have. But, Hoya was just a friend, and only a friend. Nothing more. 

"Whatchu thinking about?" Hoya asked as he placed the bagel in front of me. 

"It's a little weird," I stated as I took a bite from the beef filled bagel, "Mhmm, oh my God, Hoya this is amazing!" My taste buds sang in joy as I took another bite. 

"It's delicious right? But, what were you thinking of?" 

I shrugged, "I was just wondering why you haven't been dating. You totally come off as a man that would be a player."

Hoya took a bite of his bagel and then swallowed, "I'm too busy for dating. I used to be a total ladies man. I had girls left and right, calling my name in idolization. Trust me, I used to be a jock. My friends and I pulled girls just by using our sports. And then, everything changed for me. I was dumped with so much responsibility that I had to forget about my social life. Girls were just a thing of the past." 

I nodded. Things must have been so hard when his father died. It made me think about my own mother and how much my life changed after her death. 

"What's wrong with you? All you do is stay at home, locked up in your room, crying! Get up!"

"What happened to the old Hana? The one that knew how to live!"

"If you aren't going to put an effort, how can we stay friends?"

I cried for nights and nights. Emptiness and depression became my best friends. Together, we slept in silence letting my sorrows sink deeper into me. One by one, real friends left my side. They couldn't take the depression. They just didn't understand. And at times, I didn't either. How could I let such a sadness take over my life? I cried thinking about the effect my mother's life had on me. 

"Mom, I miss you."

"Let's go somewhere. We need to continue with out adventure!" Hoya said cheerily. The momentary sadness of his disappeared. Hoya had a great talent of showing me his feelings then hiding them away. 

Hoya pulled me out of the shop. We ran, hand in hand, down the London street. Turn after turn, Hoya knew where we were going. Finally, Hoya stopped at a train entrance. We went down the stairs and waited at the platform for a train to come. We laughed at the emptiness of the stations, exchanging random bursts of yells, just cause we could with no one there. 

A few minutes and spasms of shouts later, a red and yellow train pulled up into the station. The automatic doors slid open, letting us sit down. Just like the train station, no one was riding the train. We rode the train making tons of playful jokes and just talking like close friends. Hoya told me the stories of his past, and I told him of my vacations to foreign countries. We told embarrassing stories and reminisced on the similarities of our childhood. Hoya took my camera and we posed for dozens of photos. We made silly phases, serious ones, and absolutely y ones. All these photos, on just one simple train.

All of this, on a simple train, heading into the middle of London. 

it has always been my fantasy to go out on a late night adventure. When everything in a particular city is subdued and almost lifeless. It seems like fun. hopeyou guys enjoyed this. part two is already written, I just don't want to post it just yet. haha. 

-singingintherain