SeungHyun's POV

"I think you should go to bed." I said in a strict tone, "You need rest."

Dr. Lee was right.  Hilary was no good patient.  There she was with her temperature gone down and got a little of her energy back, she refused to rest and suggested we talk.

"I'm not sleepy.  I slept the whole day."  Hilary had her legs up on the sofa and wrapped herself with her LV blanket.  We faced each other while we sat on each end of the sofa.

I rolled my eyes and said, "We can talk anytime but you really need to rest.  I don't want your temperature to go up again."

She pouted and said, "You really are no fun!"

I looked at her and didn't know what to say.  Was there an understatement in that comment on me?

She blinked a few times and asked softly, "I'm just teasing you.  Are you mad?"

I shook my head and squeezed a smile to assure her that I was not mad at her.  But I seemed to fail the attempt.

"I'm sorry.  I'll go to bed."  She pulled away her blanket from her lap and slid off the sofa.

She looked like a child being scolded and had her head down to her chest.  I couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright!  30 minutes.  An hour top."  She turned to look at me with twinkles of joy in her eyes as she jumped back onto the sofa.  Her silk chemise waved up a bit and flashed her thighs at me.  I quickly looked away and gulped unconsciously.

"Why are you blushing again?" Hilary asked.

I looked at her and said, "I'm not."   She placed her blanket on her lap and smirked, "You so are.  Your ears are all red now."

I immediately covered my ears with both hands and said, "It's hot!"

"What is hot?  The room or ME?"

I looked at her with my eyes wide-opened while she burst out laughing, "I'm just teasing you.  Take off your jacket if you are hot.  I can't let you turn the air-conditioning up since I am a little cold."  She hugged her legs to her chest under her blanket.

"You are cold?  I'll go get your quilt."

"No.  I'm fine now.  So, what should we talk about?  Where should we start?"  She put her chin on her knees and smiled.  That beautiful smile again.  The smile melted me a year ago in Milan.

I took off my jacket and put my left arm on the back of the sofa, "Anything you want to talk about."

"Anything?" She challenged with a smirk.  I nodded with a smile.

She tilted her head up a little and thought for a second, "When is the last time you go on a date?"  She looked me in the eyes and added, "Don't lie.  I'll know."  She smirked at me and looked quite anticipated my answer.

I chuckled and said, "If you count last Saturday, then last Saturday it is."  She blushed instantly.  I teased, "And you are blushing!"

She pouted and threw me a childlike glare, "Last Saturday doesn't count.  Re-answer."

I laughed softly and answered as commanded, "Well, probably a few years ago."

Her jaw dropped.  A second later, she asked, "Are you serious?"

"You said don't lie."

She looked at me in disbelief, "Are you gay?"  I burst out laughing at the same second she said the word.   "Are you?"  She repeated.

"No.  I am not gay.  I very much like women."  I said.

"Oh!  So, why aren't you dating?  There are a lot of beautiful women in the circle.  It shouldn't be too difficult to find one or two."

"Will you believe me if I said I am too busy at work and don't have the time and energy to work on a relationship at the same time?" I looked her in the eyes and asked.

She looked at me back, "Is that the real reason?  or just a model answer for the business magazines?"

I laughed softly, "Both.  I am a man of my words."

"The only reason?"  She looked at me suspiciously as if she didn't really buy what I said.

"So eager to know about my love life, huh?  I wonder why."  I smirked.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, I wasn't when I asked the question.  It just popped into my mind.  But now that you said you haven't dated for a few years, I'm suddenly curious.  I mean, even if you don't go chase after women, women would still come to you.  I mean, with your status and look.  Not a date at all?  I don't quite believe you."

I shrugged, "I didn't say anything about not being hit on by women.  It's just that I never did meet someone I wanted to invest the time."

"Why?  None of them your cup of tea?"

I chuckled, "What's my cup of tea?"

She shrugged, "I don't know.  Earl Grey?"  She chuckled at her own words.  I smiled at her wittiness.

"How about you?  Since when you last go on a date?"  I redirected the question to her.

"Hmm....  Not last Saturday."  She clenched her lips to keep herself from laughing out loud.  I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm not les but I don't go on serious dates."

"And why's that?"

She shrugged, "Since when things get serious, I'll have to tell more about myself and I don't want them to know who I am.  Because once they know, all they see is my family background.  And I hate that.  But I still go out with them, if they can find a way to communicate with me.  Social interaction."

I couldn't help but feel a little sad about what she said.  It seemed that she also had these little baggages tagged along with her just like everyone of us in the circle and didn't exactly live a free life, even in Paris.

I teased again, "So, last Saturday was also social interaction?"  I nodded her head without hesitation.  I couldn't help but laughed out loud, "Meaning I manage to find a way to communicate with you?  That's reassuring!"

She nodded, "Yes, Mr. Choi.  You do.  We somehow happen to have a few things in common."  Few things in common.  We did have a few things in common.  We both liked to paintings.  We both liked Gerbera Daisies.  We both liked to sit at the side-walk terrace to enjoy our coffee.  And not to mention that we happened to be arranged marriage partners which we both hated the concept of it.

"So, you don't plan on going on a real serious date whatsoever?" I asked.  She raised her eyebrows and smirked, "Why?  You plan to go on a real serious date with me?"  She was really good at this.  Teasing me by answering my questions with her questions.

But I managed to keep a cool face this time, "Will you, if I said yes?"

"I don't know.  Maybe or maybe not."  She shrugged and said casually.

Maybe or maybe not.  I didn't know if I should be happy about the answer.  But at least she didn't simply say no.

"You know my mother didn't seem to be too pleased to see you here this morning."

I looked up at her instantly and before I could say anything, she said, "I can never read her mind.  Just when I was worried she would go crazily happy to see you here with me and get all excited about planning for a wedding or something, she scolded me instead for letting you in especially when I was in my sleepwear.  I wonder how'd she react if she finds out you saw me ."  She burst out laughing as if me seeing her was no big deal at all.

I blushed as flashbacks of her body swept across my mind.  She drew here brows together as she pointed her finger at me, "I know what you are thinking."

I gasped and mouth opened but no words came out.  She narrowed her eyes and said, "Erase it from your head!"  I blushed crimson and looked away embarrassedly.  She leaned forward and crawled towards me.  I backed away consciously and somehow didn't know where to put my eyes since her blanket fell off and the neckline of her chemise was a... little... low.  She moved closer and closer, "You really need to go out more with women.  You blush so easily.  It's not a good thing if it becomes a habit for a businessman like you, you know?"  She smirked as she backed away but she accidently slipped her hand off the sofa and almost fell.  I reached out immediately to catch her.  I pulled her up and our faces were inches apart.  She blushed this time.  I believed I blushed as well.  We stared at each other for a few in that position until she playfully bumped her forehead into mine.  I snapped back and couldn't help but realize something.  I pulled her back to myself and placed my palm on her forehead, "Geez...  Your temperature is up again."

She put her hand on her cheek and said, "A little only."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her up on her feet, "You need to go to bed.  I shouldn't have given in to you.  You should be in bed an hour ago."  I frowned.  She pouted and followed me into the bedroom.

*  *  *

Hilary's temperature has gone up to 101 degree celsius again.  I tucked her in bed and tried to help her lower her temperature with the damped towel