Kris was excited and eager; finally the day had come where he’ll get to meet Lay once again. He wished he knew more about Lay, maybe then he would have made their date way better, but what he prepared should be enough.

Today’s morning, and for the first time since Kris start working at the firm, he was late for work after he overslept and he could care less about being late. He felt happy, excited and warm all over.

After he had arrived to his office, he had called his assistant to remind her to send the flowers to Lay. He could tell from the look on her face that she wanted to know who his date was, he also was sure that by lunch time the entire company staff would be gossiping about him and betting about who he send the flowers to, he wondered who they’ll come up with, the last rumors had him an affair with some famous actor who he never even met before. They simply had nothing best to do.

The flower shop had assured his assistant that by lunch, Lay would get the bouquet; he had chosen a long stemmed red roses arranged with baby’s breath, with a small and simple note that said:

“Can’t wait to see you tonight Lay, Have a great day.

Kris”

He knew that Lay didn’t have any classes today, and he wasn’t working either, so he was pretty sure that he already got the flowers. But Kris was so worried about Lay’s reaction that he called Chanyeol, just so his friend could help him relax, instead he got teased and ends up hanging up on his stupid friend. Couple minutes later, Lay called him, it wasn’t something unusual, they’ve got used to calling each other at least once a day for the last week, yet he still felt a little surprised. He answered with a simple “Heeey”

“Hey Kris, how are you?”

“I’m great, and you?”

“Good,thanks…I got the flowers…”

He knew that Lay was smiling just from the sound of his voice, and once again he felt the need to be with him right at that moment.

“Yeah? Did you like them? I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be appropriate or something”

“I loved them, they’re so beautiful. Thank you Kris, I appreciate it, you didn’t have to.”

“You’re more than welcome, I’m just glad you liked them. And you’re more beautiful Lay”

“A… Anyway, I just wanted to thank you… Ah, should we meet somewhere or you’ll pick me up tonight?”

Lay was nervous or he wouldn’t ask him that, because they’d already agreed that Kris would pick him up from his place at 6pm. He told Lay exactly that, and they’ve said goodbye. After the call disconnected, Kris texted Chanyeol: “The flowers worked, he was so happy, cant believe u were right”

Seconds later, he received a reply: “Told u so, I may have been cupid in a later life”

He didn’t bother to text him back, if he did, he wouldn’t be able to get rid of him for an hour or so.

He made a note to himself for the future, Lay loves flowers, wonder if he loves chocolate too.

Kris left work early than usual and went back home, he changed his clothes and left in a hurry to pick Lay . He wore tight black jeans and a black silk shirt, open at the collar.

A half hour drive later, Kris parked his car in front of Lay’s building ten minutes early. he was still sitting in his car wondering if he should call or text Lay or just get out from the car and ring his apartment when he noticed the building’s door open and Lay coming out. It was obvious he didn’t saw Kris and that he was waiting for someone.

Kris walked from his car toward Lay who was busy glancing down, checking probably that he looked presentable; he didn’t notice him till Kris spoke:

“You look great.”

Kris was standing a few feet away, a faint smile on his lips as he gaze at Lay. Lay in his breath as he took in the image of Kris.

“You look good too”

Kris’s mouth was suddenly as dry as a desert, Lay looked gorgeous in his tight jeans, crisp white shirt under a v-neck cashmere pullover with his big dark brown eyes, framed by impossibly long lashes, full and kissable lips, chiseled features, flawless skin, and lean frame, the man was as close to perfection as he would ever see. He was beautiful and what made him more so, was the fact that he didn’t seem to realize how good looking he really is.

He forgot himself admiring Lay who was shifting from foot to foot, he was nervous the same as Kris, and maybe even more.

Damn, but how was he suppose to last the entire date without jumping Lay, he looked like he just walked from the cover of a magazine.

Kris was the first one to break the silence, he said, indicating behind him with a flick of his head:

“My car is parked around the corner, shall we go?’”

Lay nodded. They walked slowly toward Kris’s car. The sun had set not long ago, and the heat of the July day was starting to wane. The sky was tinged with pink; it was going to be a lovely evening.

They reached Kris’s car, a little bronze Mazda MX-5. Lay couldn’t hold his smile obviously thinking how the hell Kris manages to fold himself into that thing.

Kris grinned.

“Yeah, we’ll both fit”

Kris unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for Lay, who looked surprised by the gesture. They climbed in and Kris asked Lay to strap himself in.

As Lay clicked the seat belt into place, he shivered.

Kris turned his head toward him “Relax, Lay. Remember, it’s just dinner.”

Kris gave Lay a reassuring smile. He managed to sound comforting, while inside, he was struggling to control the panic threatening to overwhelm him at any moment.

Lay nodded, facing forward, fixing his gaze on the road ahead. Wherever it was leading.

Couple minutes later, and after Lay appeared to have gathered his feelings, he asked about their destination.

“Where are we going? I still have no idea where are you taking me mister”

Lay said the last word with a little giggle. How cute, Lay giggle when he’s nervous.

Kris gave him a faint smile and asked him in return.

“Do you trust me?”

“I’ve just known you for the past week, isn’t a little early for trust?”

“Still, do you trust me? What your instincts tell you, to trust me or to be wary of me?”

Kris really wanted to know what Lay thought of him, he must like him as well or he wouldn’t talked to him as much as he did the last week, and plus if he didn’t trust him at least a little bit then he wouldn’t have agreed to date him. Yet he needed to hear the words.

“Do you even need to ask? I’m in your car, you’re the one that’s driving and I have no clue where are we heading, so yeah, you can say I trust you”

For some reason Kris felt relieved although he already knew it.

“We’re going to a show first then dinner”

“Really? A Show… What show?”

Lay apparently didn’t expect that, and when a second later he looked nervous, now he looked exited and full of joy.

“It’s a marionette performance at 63 ArtHall. We’re almost there”

They continued their ride in a comfortable silence after that.

Soon later, they reached the theatre and Kris parked his car close to the entry.

The tickets had cost Kris a fortune, but they were worth it, they guaranteed him to have the best seats where they could enjoy the whole show. Kris had enjoyed watching Lay more than the actual show; Lay was like a little kid in the middle of a candy store. Apparently, he wanted to see this show for a long time now, but he either didn’t have the time or the money. Kris liked the show as well, even though it wasn’t something he’ll want to go to by himself, it was much more than a puppet show. It begins with charming marionette acts, including a love story between one of the puppets and a human young lady whom the puppet falls in love with, and then it switches gears to showcase a set of impressive b-boy dancers who perform to catchy modern music. It was a great show in whole.

After the curtains fell, they left to the restaurant. Kris drove while Lay kept talking nonstop about the show and the dance, and how it wasn’t as difficult as it seem… it was obviously the best idea, and it made Lay’s eyes brighten and at the end that’s what mattered the most.

Kris handed his car keys to the valley when they arrived at Icaria.

Once inside, Kris told the hostess he had a reservation under the name Wu Yifan. She lead them to the bar area while their table got ready.

The bar area was set slightly apart from the main floor of the restaurant, and similar chairs were found grouped in twos and threes around small tables, tiny candles flickering in red flowers sculpted from Venetian glass on each table.

Few minutes later, the hostess come back to lead them to their table. At that moment Lay told Kris: “Hope we have a table by the window”

 “Yes, you do”

The hostess replied them.

They were shown to a table with a grand view of the rest of the restaurant and the filled streets of Seoul, it was a breathtaking view.

“Someone will be right now with you to take your drink order.”

Kris thanked the hostess, and looked back toward Lay. He was silent for a moment, staring down at the people walking through the streets, couple; old and young; holding hands, parents taking their kids for a night out, and few just wandering alone. Somehow, it looked very peaceful.

“It’s very beautiful.”

Kris heard him say with a soft voice, he turned from the view to stare directly at Lay.

“It is”

 And Kris meant Lay more than the view or the restaurant.

“I’ve never been here before, are you used to coming here?” Lay asked him.

“I used to come here regularly, but not for a long time. Icaria is one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in Seoul. The food’s always great and the service is wonderful.” He glanced around the restaurant. Every table was occupied, and the air hummed with the buzz of voices speaking in low tones while soft jazz played unobtrusively in the background. The atmosphere was intimate, romantic.

“They’re not usually this full, though. Normally, I can walk in and get a table right away.”

Kris hardly saw the restaurant. His attention was totally claimed by Lay.

 “Gentlemen,”

Both Lay and Kris were startled by the appearance of their waiter.

“Hello, I’m Hyunsik, and I’ll be your waiter tonight”

Hyunsik said while he placed the menus in their hands

 “I’d like to order a bottle of wine, please.” Kris announced, looking at the wine list.

 “A bottle of the Pinot Grigio, thank you.”

Hyunsik flashed them a friendly smile and fled to the kitchen area.

Kris turned his attention back to Lay who was glancing around, taking in the tables for two with candles flickering on each one and the unobtrusive music. The whole atmosphere was geared toward intimacy, and there were a few couples sitting around the tables. He and Lay were the only same- couple there, but no one seemed to notice. Lay sat opposite him, and Kris knew without looking he was watching him.

Their waiter come back and pours them the wine, and took their order.

Kris ordered for them both, considering he was the more experience in Italian food.

 “What did you order for me?’’

“Try it and see, you’ll love it, trust me”

“I loved everything you did for me since the beginning of the night, I’m sure the dinner won’t be any different”

The waiter come back soon with their food and in two short minutes later their table was filled with all kind of plates. Lay’s eyes widened: “Seriously, are we supposed to eat all this? Isn’t too much?”

“You said you like to try new things, here is your chance”

Kris smiled at the surprised look on Lay’s face.

The meal had been perfect, although Lay was already regretting the wine, he got tipsy easily but the wine had one positive effect—it loosened Lay up a little. It had, however, made for a more relaxed conversation. They’d discussed films, music, books. Kris told Lay about his work, his best friend and his family, and they shared few crazy stories from when they were kids. Lay also talked about his two best friends, Kai and Luhan, one was a singer and the other a dancer just like Lay. From the way Lay talked about them and the smile he had, it was clear that he cares about them and was proud of them.

Soon later, it was time to leave. They walked in the street, chatting and laughing. The restaurant was close to Lay’s place so Kris left his car parked there and walked Lay home.

 Kris was in the middle of telling Lay a story when he was nine years old and got lost, when he felt a hand reach and hold his own, he hold it back tightly. He turned to his side and watched Lay staring at their entwined fingers. They fit; hands, minds; souls and hearts. They finished their walk simply holding hands; they didn’t need to say anything more. They belong together.

As soon as they were in front of Lay’s building, Kris felt cold. He didn’t want to let go of Lay’s hand, he didn’t want to leave and go back to his empty apartment, and mostly he didn’t want to spend another night lonely. He hated those feelings, the coldness and loneliness that no one except Lay seems able to chase away. They stood in front each other, and Kris looked straight at Lay’s eyes; eyes so dark, so intense looked back at him.

“I had a lot of fun Kris, thank you for dinner and everything. Wish I could ask you to come up and see my apartment, but it’s already late, and the guys would be asleep. I don’t want to wake them up”

“No, its okay, I understand. I had fun too. Maybe next time we can go hiking or you can chose our next date? That of course if you want... you don’t have to, but if you want to you can…”

Kris was stuttering and repeating himself, yet the second those words left his mouth, Lay smiled and looked so pleased and happy that Kris would want to have a second date with him. Kris couldn’t fathom how could Lay doubt that fact? Doesn’t he realize how gorgeous he is, and that anyone would be happy just to have a second of his time?

“I would love that; you can meet my friends and I can meet yours. We can all go dancing?”

Kris flinched, but if Lay wanted to see him dance then the least he should do is warn the guy.

“It’s a date then. But I gotta warn, I at dancing”

He said with a serious face. Lay smiled while saying: “Come on, you can’t possibly be that bad”

“Oh no, I am. I just wanted to warn you”

“Well, if you’re a bad dancer then I am a good teacher. We’ll have fun”

“You’ll have fun laughing at me bumping in people while supposedly trying to dance”

That got him a laugh. He could honestly spend the rest of his life trying to make Lay laugh and smile and have fun, and he won’t get bored ever.

“I like you Kris”

Lay told him for the first time. And he didn’t stop there.

“You were honest with me about your feelings from the beginning, and I own it to you to tell you how I feel toward. So I thought you should know, I like you”

Could Kris get anymore lucky? Lay like him, and Kris feels like screaming from joy.

“I like you too, Lay. But that’s no big news, you already knew it. Good night I guess, I’ll text you when I get home”

Lay didn’t answer him; instead he stood there waiting for Kris.

Then slowly, gently, Kris’s hands were on Lay’s face as he leaned in for the kiss. Lay lifted his chins to meet him and he felt Lay’s hand caressing his cheek while he felt the tips of his fingers slide over Lay’s jaw.

“Lay”

Kris breathed against Lay’s mouth, his own lips hovering over Lay’s.

Lay made a sound, a whimper, deep in his throat.

 Their first kiss was tender and gentle, but it ended as soon as it began.

They said good night once more and each went his way, Lay up to his place and Kris to the parking lot at the restaurant.

That night, Kris dreamt of a beautiful and exotic angel, one that warmed his life and saved him from the loneliness.