You opened the door barefoot and in your pink satin camiknicker, your hair in disarray with a huge mug of black coffee in one hand and a glazed donut on the other.

It has been a couple of mornings since you met Junho again and though you expected some kind of contact from him, you never expected that you would now see him standing on the other side of your door.  He completely froze as he stared at you with his mouth slightly open.  “Wow!”  He barely got the word out.  “Good morning Sleeping Beauty.”  He smiled as he watched you a little more with focused eyes that seem to memorize your every curve.

You gazed at him sleepy-eyed over the rim of your cup and inhaled deeply.  “Morning.”  You watched him in his white undershirt and blue checkered pajamas staring at you for a few seconds before you finally asked, “Do you need something?”

“Ah right.”  Junho shook his erted dreams away and remembered that the purpose of coming to your door this early in the morning was more than just to gawk at you.  “Well… I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner tonight.”

“I kinda have plans for tonight.”  You took another swallow of your coffee.

“Really?”  Junho rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned against the doorway.  “Can’t you move your plans tonight and just spend it with me?”  He blinks repeatedly as he smiled cutely.  “We haven’t…I mean…I’ve been away for quite some time and my schedule is packed for the coming days…I kind of…well…I’m only free tonight….and I really, really missed you.”  He brushed his fingers down your arm hoping to reestablish the intimacy you once enjoyed for a brief moment together.  “I’d really love to catch up with you.”

“And that’s my problem how?”  You shrugged his arm away casually as you rubbed at your eyes with the back of your other hand holding a third of a donut.

His brows flew together in a confused v as every muscle in his torso tightened.  You were being difficult again and he knows you are doing it on purpose.  “Well, aren’t we starting over?”  He backed up half a step.

You shook your head and wandered off inside, your face buried in your mug as he stared at you swaying your hips a bit from side to side.  “Not that kind of starting over.”  You reached your table and took a seat on one of the chairs as Junho followed you inside.

Junho sat beside you and helped himself with a donut, taking a big bite and leaving some crumbs around his mouth.  “So what kind of plans do you have tonight?”  He chewed as he spoke.

“I’m having dinner with someone.”  You carefully set your mug down to hand him a paper towel, gesturing him to wipe the corners of his mouth.

Junho his lips instead and you shook your head in disapproval though a faint blush tinted your cheeks.  “Someone who?”  He jutted his chin forward as he asked.

“Do you remember Mrs. Chung?  The old lady you keep helping in the elevator?”  You cocked your head to the side and ran a hand through your hair.

Junho laughed, his tongue caught between his teeth.  But his laughter was more of a sigh of relief that it wasn’t some man you are having plans with.  “You have a dinner date with an old lady and you can’t move it for me?”

But you did not think it was nearly as funny.  “No, I have plans with his doctor grandson.  The grandson she’s been visiting in this building.  He helped me when I was bleeding and –“

“You were bleeding?”  Junho looked at you surprised.  “In places you weren’t supposed to?”

“Of course in places I wasn’t supposed to!”  You scowled.  “You think I would ask for a doctor’s help if I’m just having my period?  Anyway, I’m all better now.”  You showed him your hand that you have cut while cooking.  “Anyway, he called me yesterday and asked me out for dinner.”

“Wait – he called you?”  His smile faded as he snapped back to the conversation, putting his half-eaten donut down as he narrowed his beautiful eyes at you.  “You gave him your number?”

“Uhm.”  You nodded as the tip of your tongue traced along your top teeth and then you smiled.

“You gave him your real number?”  He enunciated every word as he stole the mug from your hand and drank your coffee.  Something you weren’t so pleased about.  “Ugh!  What is this?”  He looked inside the mug as he found the coffee too bitter for his taste.

“Coffee and yes.”  You looked at him strangely as you grabbed the mug back, rolling your eyes at him.  “It usually works better that way.”

Junho placed his hands on your shoulders and turned you slightly so that you were facing him.  “Why?”  He made sure to stay focused on your face.  Your pink satin top maybe showing a bit of delectable cleavage, but he would not be distracted or so he tells himself as he tried his best to stay concentrated above your neck.

“So he can call me.”  You explained as if to a particularly dull boy.  You had no idea what the fuss on giving out your number was all about, but he was certainly making a big deal out of it.

His jaw twisted to the side as he ran a hand down his chest, smoothing over the growing temper that is about to explode in him.  “Why do you want him to call you?”

“Why wouldn’t I want him to call me?”  Your lips tightened into a thin line, a line that curved down the slightest degree at each side.

“Because you have me.”  Junho leaned in so he was only a few inches away from your face.  He carefully tucked a strand of your hair back behind your ear and while he caught a glimpse of you stiffen at his touch, he felt relieved that you didn’t move away from the sudden contact. 

Your mouth fell open the tiniest bit as you blinked at his unexpected response.  The feelings that you thought had faded away in his absence and deceit dusted themselves off and stood at attention.  “Junho, I’m tired of these games.”  You frowned, refusing to be caught in his gaze you looked down to your thighs.  “I’m tired of these games that we always play.  It’s been one game after another with you.”  You sighed.  “I don’t want to play anymore.  If you want to be a friend then be my friend, but please don’t flirt with me like this.  It feels like a joke that I’m not in on whenever you do this.”

“But I’m not playing.”  He took your hand, carefully loosening the deathly grip of your fingers around your mug and held it in his.  “I never played with you.  Not even when I took that stupid bet.”  He leaned closer to you so you could feel his warm breath against your cheek as he murmured.  “And I don’t … I mean … I wouldn’t want to be just a friend to you.”

Your next breath came out as a shudder as you look up at him through your lashes.  “Then what do you want me to be to you exactly?  Because I hate assuming things and I don’t like second guessing.”  You blinked several times before you lifted your head up to look directly at him.  “Are you asking me to be in a relationship with you?  Be like girlfriend-boyfriend or something?”  You said softly.

“Or something – yeah.”  Junho stuttered.

Your heart sank at his insincere response.  It was like getting the air knocked out of your lungs as he had thrown cold water on you.  You touched his cheek with a hand as you tried with your best effort to smile at him, hiding the hurt that was slowly building up inside of you.  He wants you, but is unsure how he wants you exactly.  “Yeah…or something.”  You repeated.  “I have a feeling you and I will make great friends.”  You stood up.  “Let me get you a cup of coffee you could actually drink.  I think mine is a little strong for you.”

Junho held your hand in his stopping you from leaving.  “I like you.  Or as you would put it, I liiiiiiike you.  We have a connection.  You can deny it if you want, but we do.”  You turned back to him and he held your hand tightly.  “We have something, but a relationship right now –“

“I know.”  You pulled your hand free and crossed your arms over your chest, rubbing your skin as if you have suddenly felt so cold.  “I never really expected to have one with you.”

“I don’t want that answer.”

“It’s the only answer I have right now.”  You wanted to throw something at him, but forced yourself to stay calm and maintain that smile.  “I’m not asking for anything Junho.  We can still hang out together.  We can be around each other.  But let’s not pretend we can have anything more than that.  It makes me want things I already know I can’t have.”

You stared at each other over the invisible wall between you knowing that you were in a situation with no possible progress.