I can't believe I'm doing this.

I should have known not to go along with one of Seulong's "get laid" antics. As much as I love my big brother, he's a ing idiot. And now, because of said idiot, I'm sitting in a really nice local diner looking "casual" in a booth by myself. By "casual" of course, I mean I look like I'm casually trying to impress a girl. Although that doesn't seem to be working out for me very well, since the girl I'm supposed to be meeting is fourty-five minutes late. This is why I don't do blind dates. Everyone becomes too fickle. Hell, I haven't even seen the girl yet and I'm about to reject her just for tardiness. Absence rather, since I'm not all that sure she'll even show up.

After another half hour of bitterness and worried glances from the staff, I finally pick up a menu that sat on the side of the table as a sign of defeat. It was one page, back to front, lamenated and edged with some fabric imitating leather. Cute, bouncy letters danced around as they told me the selection. I have to hand one thing to my hyung, he does know good local eateries better than I ever will and he didn't dissapoint. This place was nice. It was fairly sized, plenty of tables for rush hours, and painted walls whose colors gave you fuzzy feeling of home. The cream colors and light browns made a decorative mural on a large wall, swirls of pink joining the mix, the image reminisant of well made coffee and a mother's love. Just as I let myself get lost in such a pleasant setting, forgetting past tensions, something large blocked my view. Rather, someone large. He was huge to look at from my seat: muscular arms, broad shoulders, broad chest, thick legs that could kill a toothpick like me. He was almost intimidating.

I say almost, because the glasses-wearing man had a warm and pleasant smile on his face, kind eyes, and a strong jawline filling the rest.

"Hey, I noticed you were alone. Would you mind if I sit here?" He said politely in a voice with oaky tones that could melt a candle stick.

"Um," It took me a second to go through my thoughts. Why would he want to sit here? It's not like there aren't plenty of empty booths or tables. I'd hate to be rude though. "Sure. Knock yourself out." I finished. It's not like I'd be getting any company soon so why not.

His smile widened as he took the other menu on the table as he slide into the booth, sitting across the table from me. A minute or two passed of me staring at my menu, far too concentrated on picking out my order in a means to avoid eye contact, before the waitress came. The same waitress who, for the past hour and twenty minutes or so, waited on me; coming back and forth until I told her I was waiting on someone and not to come back until they were here.

Oh.

Oh god. This looks like what I think it looks like doesn't it. .

"Rather late aren't we?" She directed at the larger male. He made a face and looked to her as if he was about to ask what she meant. God damn it. I frantically tried to silently gesture him to just to ignore it, waving my hands back and forth from just above the surface of the table. Ineffectively so, since he didn't notice, but the waitress did.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Oh nothing." She smiled pleasantly at me, probably thinking she was doing me a favor. Probably thinking she spared my pride by not telling him that I spent almost an hour and a half "waiting for him". I don't even know how to fix this without looking ridiculously stupid. "So what can I get you two?"

The other man eyed her skeptically before telling her his order, his skeptism increasing tenfold after I stumble out my own. After she left he turned his gaze back to me. "What was all that about?"

I shook my head defeatedly. "She thinks we're, you know," I wave my hand off to the side,"together."

"Oh." He says shortly. "Is that so bad?"

"Huh?" What's that supposed to mean? How the hell am I supposed to answer that?

He laughed softly. "Don't worry I'm just kidding. I'm Lee Changmin by the way."

"Ah," I nodded in understanding, "I'm Jo Kwon."

Changmin-sshi grinned, showing off his big teeth. They were awkward and kind of stuck out but I guess it made sense since he was big too. It suited him.

"So Kwon-sshi, how old are you?" I blinked. Well I suppose that's not too weird of a conversation starter.

"I'm 21." He raised a brow. 

"I guess that makes me your hyung, hm?"

Something about that sentence rubbed me the wrong way but I let it slide, "Oh you are?" I'm probably just being paranoid.

"Yeah, I'm 23. I'm going to the university here for my graduate." I sat up. 

"Really? Jin University?"

"That's the one." There he goes grinning again.

"What are you majoring in? Are you going to start in the summer semester or the fall?" He laughs, amused by my sudden interest.

 "Biochemistry. I'm going to start in the fall since I still have to settle in. Besides, I'm pretty sure that the summer semester registration is already closed."

"Yeah, I think it is." I have no clue why I'm speaking so openly like this with a stranger. I like to think that, I'm very quiet and keep to myself unless I'm with friends. But Changmin-sshi is just so...appealing, I suppose. His smiles are too inviting and his voice and frame are so relaxed, its contagious.

We talk for a while, laughing at each others dumb jokes and I tell him about the ridiculous things some of the people at our school have done. "What are you majoring in then?" He asked as the waitress handed us our food with a smile. I take a bite out of my fruit salad. "Fashion and dance."

A deep rumbling softly escaped him, a sort of chuckle. Listening to it elicted an interesting response from me. It made me feel small. But, not in a bad way at all. I felt vunerable but I didn't feel in danger. It's a very contradictory feeling."I had a feeling. You seemed like you bend your body better than most. And your sense of style is not one to ignore."

A satisfied smile grew on his face and I suddenly realised it was because I was blushing. My ears and cheeks are hot and I already know I've gone red over his comment. I'm feeling small again. My heart is pounding a bit loudly in my ears and I start to shrink into myself when suddenly, Changmin-sshi looks at the table and sighs before looking back up at me with a grin and unbelievably intense eyes. "You're really cute. You know that?"

I can't speak, instead I'm fumbling for words when there are none, my mind frazzled by him. He's amused by my inability to respond and I'm almost offended, until he sits back with his easy smile and sips at his coffee. "You know, it was just this morning that I was wondering why I even came to this city. Thank you for giving me a good reason."

'Stop acting so stupid, Kwon!' I scream in my head, while trying to breathe evenly so he wouldn't notice and calm down. A few minutes pass and when my fruit salad is done and his coffee's less than lukewarm, the pounding in my chest has given up and my face no longer feels like its been feuled with hot coals. It's then that I respond. "I thought you were here for school." I say timidly, responding to his previous statement.

"There are other schools in the country. I'm not fond this city, but the university was the best of the ones I was accepted to." He replied evenly. Looking out at the window he sighed. "I knew it'd rain today."

I turn to find the glass of the window being pelted by heavy rain. The sun is also setting and I have to wonder how long I've been here. My phone tells me its five o'clock, and I groan audibly. Seulong was supposed to be my ride home, but hyung would've left for work by now. My neighborhood is a bit of a way away from here and I just might have to walk. 

"What's wrong?" I'm suddenly aware that Changmin-sshi is here as well as the check. 

"My brother is supposed to pick me up but he's probably gone for work and I don't have an umbrella."

Changmin-sshi nods in understanding. "Well where do you live?" I tell him and I notice him pull out his wallet and I realise I should do the same. He sees me get my things and motions for me to put it away. "Don't bother, I'm paying." He says like its the most obvious thing in the world.

"But I had the more expensive food, shouldn't I pay my share? Besides, I don't want you wasting money on me." I protest but he calls the waitress quickly and hands her his card, turning to me with a playful smile. "Too late."

In my agitation, I sigh. "Then at least let me pay you back."

"Fine." He says, getting his card back from the waitress and signing the receipt. "I don't want it in cash though."

I furrow my brows. What, should I wire it to him? "I expect payment in two things." Changmin-sshi holds up his fingers in case I didn't know what two was."Let me drive you home and give me your number."

I almost scoff. "You're really something you know that? I'd rather just pay you." He looks a little hurt for a second, his whole aloof and playful personality faltering completly. He looks nervous and timid, like he didn't think this far ahead in this situation and his confidence fails him. But only for a second. He recovers with an almost forced smile and with a small whine that contridicts with his deep voice he asks, "Please?"

Now I'm conflicted. My pride wants to tell him no, but I can't find another reason not to. It's not like I don't want to go home dry and warm. Besides, I kind of like being around him. He's nice to talk to and the more I think about it, I don't think I'd mind giving him my number. "Fine."

I hold my hand out for his phone and put mine on the table. Changmin-sshi grins and gives me his phone and takes mine to punch in his number into his contact information and I do the same. Phones are re exchanged and we both get up and grab our things. He tells me he ended up having to park his car a block or two away so we'd have to walk a bit to get there.

I remind him I don't have an umbrella and as we walk out the diner, he pulls out a large umbrella and pulls me closer to him by my waist. Our chests are almost touching and our faces are only inches apart so I can feel his warm coffee scented breathe when he says to me, 

"Let me worry about that."