The days following went by slowly as you waited for Tuesday night. You were excited to see Howon. You found yourself liking him more and more as time went by. You hadn’t anticipated liking him so much, but you couldn’t help yourself. When you spent time with him, he made your heart flutter in a way that only Byunghee had been able to do previously.

When Tuesday night finally came, you were devastated when Howon called and canceled a half hour before your date. His schedules were running over time and you understood, but you were still crushed. You plopped down on your couch, tears slipping out before you could stop them. You knew it was silly, he hadn’t stood you up or anything, but you had been so excited for this date.

Just as you reached up to try and wipe your tears away, there was a knock on the door. You jumped up, hoping maybe Howon had been able to get out of his schedule at last minute. You rushed to the door and pulled it open. Byunghee looked up at you, his face instantly changing when he saw you crying.

“Why are you crying?” He asked instantly, his hands reaching for your face to wipe the tears away.

“Why are you here? I thought I told you I had a date with Howon tonight.”

“Why are you crying?” Byunghee repeated, ignoring you.

“He couldn’t come. I was so excited and I got dressed up, I’m just upset. I’ll be fine.” You said while rubbing at your eyes. Byunghee pulled you into his arms and hugged you. His hand came up to your hair as you cried into his chest.

“It’s okay, Oppa is here.” He said softly. You cried there for a few minutes before you pulled back to look up at him.

“I’m going to go change, there is no point in staying in this dress.” You turned to go into your bedroom, but Byunghee grabbed your hand and smiled.

“Go wash your face and redo your makeup. Oppa will take you out.” You stared at him for a moment before responding.

“Really?” Your heart was fluttering again and you couldn’t stop it.

“Really. Go wash up.” He smiled, nodding towards the bathroom and you hurried away.

------------------------------------

Fifteen minutes later you came out, your makeup redone and a bright smile on your face. Byunghee looked up at you and smiled. You walked over to him and spun around for his approval.

“You look beautiful baby girl. Let’s go get dinner, I’m starving!” You nodded in agreement. Byunghee took your hand and led you out of the apartment. He drove you both to your favorite restaurant. You smiled when you saw the sign.

“You remember my favorite?” Byunghee chuckled at your question.

“Of course I do. You might think I’ve never paid attention to you, but that isn’t true.” You turned and found him watching you. You stared at each other for a moment before Byunghee cleared his throat. “Let’s go in.” He helped you out of the car and held the door to the restaurant open for you.

You both sat down and ordered quickly since you knew the best dishes here. Byunghee was good at distracting you so you didn’t think about your failed date at all. Only when you were getting up to leave did you remember why you were out like this with Byunghee. You had almost convinced yourself this was a real date.

“Thank you for taking me out Oppa, this was much better than staying at home all night, even if it was a fake date.” You smiled and lightly bumped his shoulder playfully as you both walked down the hall to your apartment. “Can I ask something though? You knew I was supposed to see Howon tonight, so why were you coming over?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I just knew I wanted to see you, even if was only for a few minutes, or if you were yelling at me to leave before that boy got there. Things have been different with us recently, and I don’t want to lose you.” Byunghee spoke quietly and you knew that meant he was serious. You opened the door to your apartment and turned to smile at him.

“I would invite you in, but that isn’t proper after a first date.” You teased, making Byunghee laugh.

“Then its good this isn’t our first date.” Byunghee suddenly pulled you close to his body, his arms wrapping around you, and his lips connecting with yours. But this kiss wasn’t like the ones he gave you when he was consumed by lust. This kiss was different, there was emotion in it. When he pulled back, Byunghee tucked you in against his chest so you couldn’t look at his face.

“It wasn’t a fake date for me, it was real.” He whispered against your hair before shifting to kiss your forehead. He pulled away quickly and walked away. You were stunned into silence.

You went inside, washing your makeup off and changing into your pajamas. You laid down in bed, staring at your phone. You wanted to talk to Byunghee, but you didn’t know what to say. You finally flipped over and forced yourself to sleep, pushing everything from your mind.