I growled as the morning light hit my eyes, waking me. I stirred and heard a small grumble of protest at my movement. Opening my eyes, I found Troubles still fast asleep on my chest. Smiling, I reached over and scratched the cat's head. At that, Troubles opened her eyes and yawned. Her warm fish breath hitting me like a ton of bricks. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and turned away. The cat then lazily got up and stretched, sinking her claws into the soft flesh of my s. I yelped, suddenly and immediately awake.

Quickly, I grabbed the cat and pulled her from my chest, setting her onto the mattress. She only looked up at me, her eyes slits, appearing self-satisfied. It was as if she was saying, “Yup. That's right human. That's what you get for waking me up.” Narrowing my eyes at the feline, I made my way down the stairs into the kitchen. As I put the kettle on, I poured out a bowl of kibble for Troubles. The cat rushed over and immediately started devouring her breakfast with gusto. Stupid cat.

While I waited for the water to boil, I heard Yan get up from the couch. Sleepily, she padded over to join me. We grunted in greeting at each other, sounding more cavemen than women. What can I say? We just weren't morning people. We were night owls. I mean seriously, everything about waking up in the morning . sunrise and flowers and birds chirping.

After making our coffees, we sipped on it quietly, allowing the caffeine to flood our systems. “So you're heading out with Ji Hyo later, right? How was your night man? Sleepless? You look tired.” Yan asked, appearing concerned for me.

Bingo! I had indeed laid awake last night, pondering what fresh hell tomorrow would bring me. My special skills had included: binge-watching terrible TV shows, fantasizing about the Korean and basically mind-ing myself. Needless to say, I was totally, completely and utterly useless this morning and would probably require a gallon of coffee to get through the day. But it was all worth it for my hours of peace and quiet solace in the dark. Hidden away from the world and all of its insufferable diurnal people. (No, this doesn't sound like some weird anti-social behaviour at all.)

“Yeah.” I mumbled, looking into my cup. Not wanting to get into a discussion, I quickly came up with the excuse that I needed to get changed and made a hasty exit.

It didn't take long for me to get ready. Glancing down at my watch, I saw that Ji Hyo would soon be here to pick me up. As the minutes ticked by, my nerves started acting up and I began pacing round my tiny apartment.

“Dude! Chill! You're giving me a headache just watching you.” Yan grumbled.

“Chill?! Who needs to chill? I'm not nervous. There's nothing for me to be nervous about.” I countered. My voice sounded higher than usual to me, piercing through the quiet of the small apartment. Yan shot me a withering stare and I sighed. “Alright. Fine. I am a teeny weeny bit nervous.”

I heard Yan muttering under her breath that that was the understatement of the year and all of a sudden, I flipped. “What am I going to do? I'm not mature enough for this!” I exclaimed. “I mean if I wasn't so madly in love with that woman and she didn't have me eating out of the palm of her hand, I wouldn't be panicking!” I yelled. Yan stared back, a disinterested expression on her face. Walking over, she slapped me, hard enough to rattle my teeth. “Thanks.” I quipped. 

Putting an end to my nervous pacing, I plopped onto the couch, sighing loudly. Yan sat next to me, she threw a toned arm over my shoulder companionably. “Hey. It's going to be ok. Besides, it's not the first time you're hanging out with her one-on-one right? I mean you guys have your language exchange every week.” She said, and I nodded in response. “This isn't going to any different. Don't overthink things.” She added, punching me lightly on the arm. “Just two people going to a theme park, having ice cream and screaming while taking rides. No biggie. Nothing at all like a date.”

At that, I looked up to catch the smirk Yan had on her face. I bit back a retort as my phone rang. It was Ji Hyo, texting me to inform me that she had arrived and to meet her at the carpark. Grabbing a hoodie, I threw it on and prepared to leave the apartment.

Yan clapped me on the back. “Don't worry! It'll be fine. Go have fun.” She encouraged. I grumbled in response. Just before the door shut, I heard her call out, “Go get'em, Tiger!”

Rolling my eyes, I made my way down to where Ji Hyo was parked.

“Yay! Go! Go!” Ji Hyo cheered as I got into the car with her. I couldn't help a grin from forming at the actress's excitement. Her enthusiasm was infectious and I found my earlier nerves fading away. It was fun being with her. She had an easy-going air and her spontaneity appealed to me.

“That excited, eh?” I asked, turning to study her. She was wearing a white cotton button-down shirt and her face was free from any makeup. But she was still beautiful. Perhaps more so. To finish her outfit, she had on a cap and a pair of glasses. I chuckled softly. She looked over at me, cocking her head to a side, her expression curious. “Is that how you're going to remain incognito? Glasses and a cap? How original.” I remarked teasingly. For my efforts, I received a slap to the back of my head. “Heeey! Clark Kent! What was that for? I speak only the truth.” I whined, pouting and rubbing the spot where the actress had smacked

She giggled. “I see someone's not being their usual grumpy self today. See? I told you going to the amusement park is a good idea.” She said.

While it was true that I was in high spirits, I wasn't going to let her win so easily. Sinking into my seat, I pretended to sulk. Seeing through my act, the actress hit me playfully on the arm. “Oh, s