It wasn't something that she would usually do, but she spent at least 3 hours this morning fussing over how she looked.

 

At that very moment, she suddenly cared about how to fix the strange kinks in her hair. About how her fashion sense was unintentionally subpar compared to most girls her age. About how her makeup was supposed to make her face more proportional, and not as if she had just been hit in the face by a clown car. These things, along with many more, which were suddenly of utmost importance to her.

 

Of course, her cousins had assured her that what she was feeling now, this sense of anxiousness, couldn't be more normal for her first date, although Jean would scorn at how much trouble was put in just for a boy.

 

Jessica wasn't exactly sure how she had gotten here in the first place. It seemed only yesterday that she had met the ever mysterious stranger Sehun on Tinder, yet here she was now, waiting outside of the fanciest restaurant in town for him.

 

Actually, it wasn't really her first date, just the first time that she took one seriously.

 

Before Sehun, she would use Tinder for other purposes, responding to less than refined messages, 'u dtf?' being a common one, as well as the usual lame pick up lines. She had certainly gotten a lot of one night stands from Tinder, but never anything really meaningful.

 

She glanced up occasionally, surveying the streets for any sign of her date.

 

She knew nothing about this Sehun, but she really had felt a strong connection to him during their conversations.

 

His first impression had been good, beginning the conversation with something that wasn't just a dumb pick up line.

 

After that, she was much more willing to open up to him, and ended up learning a lot about who he was. He was very nice, knew how to crack a joke and just seemed like a genuinely nice person that was seemingly as interested in her as she was in him.

 

This was what defined him from the rest of the crowd, and let her know that he wasn't just another boy looking for quick .

 

Of course, she knew that there was a huge risk in meeting up with random strangers just for love, especially if their only source of interaction came from Tinder. She didn't know whether Sehun was a creep in reality, or whether the things that he's said during their chats was true.

 

As she waited, she glanced around, but there was still no sign of Sehun. Perhaps he wasn't showing up after all, and he had forgotten all about her or thought that she just wasn't worth the time to go see. Or maybe, he was already lurking around, watching her afar and waiting to pounce out at her.

 

Those were the thoughts that forced her to look around warily. It did pay to be careful.

 

Her cousins had warned her about that danger, though none of them had actually experienced it before.

 

"Are you Jessica?" A voice dragged her out of her thoughts. She quickly tilted her head up to glance at the speaker, tensing as she prepared for a possibly unwanted sight.

 

She met the hazel eyes of a blond man. Though he wasn't the hottest person alive because he kind of looked like a girl, his flaws seemed make him more approachable.

 

She had seen him before, in the images on his Tinder profile.

 

Sehun. Her date.

 

"Um yes." She said quickly, flashing a quick smile at him. She straighten up and looked him straight in the eyes, attempting to at least stare him down if he was actually a creep. "I am Jessica. Are you Sehun?"

 

The man nodded and smiled warmly back. He handed the bouquet of flowers in his hand to her, which she received with a hint of grateful surprise.

 

"Pleased to meet you, Jessica." He reached out to shake her hand, before realising that she was fumbling with the flowers. He waited as she laid the flowers on the sidewalk gingerly, and out a hand to shake Sehun's.

 

"You're looking beautiful today." He commented, stepping back slightly to admire her.

 

"Thank you." She smiled at this, as a flush of relief and embarassment ran through her. It was nice to know that all that effort she had put into her

looks this morning had at least counted for something.

 

There was just something about him that she found irresistable. He was charming and charismatic, yet at the same time, he was slightly hesitant in the way he spoke, as if he was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

 

Everything, from the way he spoke to the way he looked and acted, was slightly awkward. And it was absolutely adorable in her opinion.

 

She felt his hand uncertainly wrapping around her fingers, which she took by entwining her fingers with his. Jessica looked up to see Sehun shooting a grin at her, which she returned.

 

They went into the restaurant together, their hands linked.

 

~~~~~

 

The first thing Jessica noticed was the impossibly high ceiling of the building. Several large chandeliers hung off the ceiling, casting a warm white glow over the room. Tables were arranged tastefully across the huge red-carpeted hall, and on the balconies that overlooked the main hall.

 

A prod from Sehun snapped her out of her thoughts, with her next sight being Sehun talking with the receptionist.

 

"I do hope you are here for a reason, sir." The receptionist said rather dryly, looking at Sehun as if he was a particularly ugly bug.

 

"As a matter of fact, I am here for a reason." Sehun told her, pulling Jessica closer to him as if to gesture that they were together. He shot her a smug look. "I've made a reservation for 2 under the name 'Oh Sehun'."

 

The receptionist only raised an eyebrow at this, before flipping through a thick book for Sehun's reservation.

 

"Table 42, in the East wing." The receptionist gave him a rather forced  smile, before turning to the waiter beside her. "You will be escorted there immediately."

 

The waiter quickly ushered them up the massive staircase, and lead them up to an upper floor. At last, they came to a table that was beside the huge ceiling-high glass windows.

 

Jessica glanced around at the fancy furnishings and the exotic-looking tapestries and paintings that hung on the walls. If she looked outside, she could see the million-dollar view outside, which overlooked the sea and wharf.

 

"This place must be expensive." She said offhandedly, wanting to make some conversation. "Especially with these seats and with this view."

 

Sehun nodded. "I guess I just wanted to make a good first impression." He glanced around for a second, before leaning in with a grin on his face. "I purposefully bought these seats to get better service. They treat everyone that eats at a cheaper table like trash. No one should deal with that type of service on their first date."

 

Jessica blushed at this. It was so nice of him to be so thoughtful and spend so much money on her. She thought back to the slightly robotic waiters and waitresses, and admitted that she didn't really want be served by them.

 

After ordering, Sehun and Jessica sat at the table together, looking at each other silently.

 

"So... What do you do for a living?" Sehun asked, as they waited for their dishes to arrive.

 

"I work at McDonald's." Jessica said, deciding to leave out the details, especially those about how much she hated her boss. "You?"

 

Sehun paused, thinking. "I guess you could say I'm a performer. I enjoy singing and play a few instruments, but at the moment, I only perform at bars and taverns. I hope that I can be a professional K pop star in the future."

 

Jessica nodded as she listened. The way he spoke was so passionate, it was hard to not be drawn to his words.

 

"Order to Table 42." came the voice of a waiter, as he lay the dishes on table, a fake smile plastered upon his face.

Sehun exchanged a knowing glance with Jessica, before he grinned. "Shall we eat?"