Fateful Encounters

            “Do you want to come over for dinner on Saturday?” Yesung asked, over the phone.

            “Really?” Ryeowook asked, perplexed.  “Even with Kyuhyun there?”

            “Kyuhyun is leaving for the night,” Yesung informed him.

            Ryeowook’s heart sank, but this would still be a good opportunity to see glimpses into Kyuhyun’s world.  If Kyuhyun was staying at the apartment, clearly there must be a few things of his lying around the place and Ryeowook had been to Yesung’s place enough to know what was new.  Plus, what if he came home early for some reason?

            “Sure.  I’d love to,” Ryeowook said.  “Do you want me to bring dessert?”

            “That sounds great,” Yesung said. 

            “But we haven’t seen each other in a while.  So why don’t I come a little early and help you cook as well.”

            “Come over at around four then,” he said.

            Kyuhyun was still writing until early in the afternoon, when he finally shut his laptop and began to pack his bag.  He walked out into the kitchen, checking to see if there was any coffee. 

            “Are you still here?” Yesung said, looking up at the clock.  “I thought you were going to a wedding.”

            “I am.  I’m leaving in a few minutes,” he said.

            “I thought you’d be gone long before now!”

            “It’s at five o’clock and then moves straight into dinner and the reception at the same venue,” he explained.  “I have to leave by three-thirty.  Didn’t you make any coffee this morning?”

            “I drank it already,” Yesung answered.

            “I’ll head down to the café then,” Kyuhyun said, pouring himself a glass or water instead.

            “Are you still staying at the hotel tonight?”

            “Yeah.  I didn’t want to drive home that late after drinking,” he said.

            “Great idea,” Yesung said, nodding.

            “You having company over or something?” Kyuhyun asked, noticing that Yesung was prepping food in the kitchen.

            “Ah, yeah, my…um…boyfriend’s coming over,” he said.

            “Well, have fun,” Kyuhyun said, heading back to his bedroom. 

            He changed his clothes quick, fixed his hair, and then headed out the door with his bag, hollering to Yesung as he left.  He took the elevator down and tossed the bag into his trunk, but then he walked the half block down to the nearest café and waited in line to order his coffee.  As he stood there, he looked at the man in front of him and realized that he looked awfully familiar.  This was the guy he’d run into downtown a few days ago and had to keep from getting run over by a bus.  He smiled to himself and decided to mess with him a bit.  Kyuhyun lightly nudged the man and he glanced back at him.  The little man’s brows furrowed in confusion, but when he recognized Kyuhyun, his jaw nearly dropped.

            “Any near-death experiences today?”

            “What a small world!” he said, his high cheeks turning pink.  “No, I’m still alive and well thanks to you!  Have you saved any lives today?”

            “This is the first I’ve been out of the house,” he admitted.  “I work from home.  But you can’t be a hero every day.  Right?”

            “Let me buy your coffee today,” he said, as he approached the counter. 

            “You really don’t have to do that,” Kyuhyun said.  “All I did was grab your arm.”

            “But if you hadn’t grabbed my arm, they’d be having my funeral around now.”

            “Fine then.  If it makes you feel better,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

            “I’ll take a large latte with vanilla,” the little man told the barista.  “What would you like?”

            “My usual,” Kyuhyun told her.

            “Oh, you must live close.”

            “Just up the street,” he admitted.

            “What name should we put on yours,” the woman asked the little man. 

            “Just put Kim,” he said.  “It’s easier.”

            He paid and they both walked over to the other side of the counter.  “Do you live over here?” Kyuhyun asked.

            “No, but my friend does and I’m heading over to his place to visit him,” he said.  “Was the woman you were with the other day your girlfriend?”

            Kyuhyun shook his head.  “No, she’s not.  We kind of work together, actually.”

            The barista handed Kyuhyun his coffee first, as it was less complicated to make, and he smiled at the big letter Q they’d written on the side of the paper cup.  His companion gave it a quizzical look.  “What’s that about?”

            “It’s their nickname for me here,” he said, smirking.  “I’m unfortunately in a hurry.  I worked a little too late at home and now I’m running late.  Thanks for the coffee.  Nice seeing you in one piece again.”

            “Nice seeing you, too,” Ryeowook said, watching him rush out the door.  Was it possible that he’d gotten even more attractive than the last time he’d seen him?  He was dressed for something fancy, that was certain, and probably had something to do with the drool-worthy look.  Ryeowook was going to have trouble not thinking about him throughout the night.

            “Damn hot stuff,” the barista said, whistling as she handed Ryeowook his drink.

            “What?” he asked, startled, as he looked back at her.

            She winked at him.  “Might want to put a sleeve on that, dear, so you don’t burn yourself.”

            Ryeowook walked in a daze to Yesung’s apartment, carrying his boxed cake in his other arm.  He made his way inside and headed up to Yesung’s floor.  Before he knocked on the door, however, he stood outside for a moment and took a few deep breaths.  He could not be this distracted around his friend or he would ask him too many questions and he’d told no one about the bus incident accept Heechul.  It felt private for some reason and he didn’t want to share it with anyone else.  Finally, he knocked on the door and Yesung answered, pleased to see him.

            They had a lot to catch up on since break started, but Yesung never spoke about living with his friend.  From observing only the kitchen, he could see a few changes.  Mostly, there was food sitting around that he knew Yesung did not eat, such as ice cream in the freezer and soda in the fridge.  There were more wine bottles in there as well, which wasn’t something Yesung normally drank.  He even spotted a coffee mug with a Hemingway quote on it and figured that it had to belong to Kyuhyun.  When Yesung caught him staring at it, he simply rolled his eyes.

            Finally, as Yesung was finishing up dishes, Ryeowook excused himself to use the bathroom.  On his way back, he stopped in the living room to explore a little.