Recalling the death of my brother and my parents left me looking glum. I smiled sadly to myself, realizing that I didn't cry retelling the story. I don't even know why I actually told Jackson my story. I've never told anyone. Or, maybe, it's because I never really got to be friends with other people back in college. It was just Ji Yeon and I. Talking to Jackson, perhaps, made me realize how much I have locked away myself from other people, sticking only with my best friend. It honestly feels nice to have a new company.

     I lifted my gaze to his face when I heard a sniff. "Are you actually crying?" I asked in shock, chuckling a bit.

     He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and then fanned himself with his apron that was sitting on his lap. "Oh, God. It's really hot in here. My face is sweating," he mused.

     Seeing him make excuses with a convincing facial expression had me in fits of laughter. I never knew he could be this adorable!

     "I nursed you and this is what I get? You're mean!" he whined.

     So adorable! I stopped myself from laughing again and composed myself. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry, Mr. Sniffles." The smile in his face that spread when I apologized, quickly disappeared upon hearing me call him with a nickname. "Okay, alright. I'm sorry," I apologized again with hands held in the air in surrender, still laughing a little.

~~~~~

     "Oh, God, what happened to you?" Sung Jae rushed toward me when he saw the adhesive bandage on my temple as I entered the Lee family's living room.

     "It's nothing," I told him. I almost forgot that, back then, even a tiny splinter would make him worry to death. "Where's Ji Yeon?" I then asked, in hopes that I would divert him from his question.

     "Are you sure it's nothing to be worried about?" His forehead puckered into deep folds. He held me tenderly by the shoulder and made me sit on the couch he was just sitting at a while ago. He then squatted down in front of me.

     I nodded, with a reassuring smile.

     He exhaled through his nose, maybe realizing that he wasn't getting any answer on where I got the cut, even if he relentlessly insisted. "When I got here, she let me in and then left," he told me.

     "Oh, okay. Do you want anything to drink? OJ?" I offered, standing up.

     "No, thank you," he declined, also rising from his crouching posture. "You ready to go?" His smile was contagious. It hinted that he carefully planned this evening for us. What did he prepare? Whatever it is, we'll have fun for sure.

     "Let me go change first," I said and then went up the stairs in a rush.

     I changed into a black lace halter top that dangled over the waist of my denim pants, that I retained. Raising an elbow to shoulder level would reveal my navel, so, I tucked my hands in my pucket as I descended the stairs. He greeted me with a radiant smile that reached his eyes. A smile spread across my face, my nervousness slowly dissipating.

     Why did I even feel nervous in the first place? It's not like it's the first time we're going to hang out. Well, it is, indeed, our first time to hang out again in years.

     "But before we leave," he picked up a paperbag sitting by the couch and handed it to me, "here. For you."

     I took a peek inside and all my nervousness had disappeared completely, remembering the old times. Inside the paperbag was a huge box of Ferrero Rocher. "What's with these?" I asked.

     "Well, we did have a fight, so it was customary that I had to prepare a peace-offering," he answered.

     The grin I was suppressing broke free. "You didn't have to. We're now grown-ups," I told him. But really, I was touched and I felt relieved that finally, things were really back to the way they used to be.

     He shrugged his shoulders as an answer.

     "Wait a sec. I'll just put these babies in the fridge."

     We then headed out of the house after stuffing my stash of chocolates in an inconspicuous corner inside the fridge. He opened the door to the passenger seat for me and I gladly slid in. The smell of vanilla, just like the scent of his cars before used to have, greeted me.

     "Where are we going?" I asked as he settled in the driver's seat. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear as I waited for his response, unable to contain the excitement any longer.

     He turned to me and flashed a smile, keeping me in suspense. "I'm taking you to a date," he finally said in a way that showcased his boyish charms.

     He, in turn, earned a chuckle from me. I guffawed at his attempt to be cool and charismatic in asking a girl out, making me curl to my stomach in pain as a consequence. I gave him a grin when I learned that he wasn't pleased with my making fun of him.

     "Laugh all you want but you know, yourself, that you can't resist my charms," he replied, sending me into another fits of laughter. But I was put into silence when he leaned closer to my seat, with his face only an inch away from mine. His eyes were dancing, searching my face, and then stared me down. When I wouldn't budge, his gaze traversed down to my lips. He leaned in closer, but not close enough. I yearned for more and more by the second, but he kept me on the edge of my seat. I closed my eyes as I anticipated the action, only to be disappointed when it took him longer than I wanted. I waited and waited, with my eyes still closed. His even breaths on my lips teased me, but I held myself back from closing the gap between our lips that were only a thread's width away. I was about to put the seduction into action when I could no longer take the temptation, when a strip of polyester, that seemed to be the webbing of a seat belt, encased my body. A click, then, reverberated in the car, signaling that I was safe to go for a drive. But I wasn't safe from the teasing and shame that was about to ensue. "There, we're good to go," Sung Jae announced after retracting his body, like nothing happened.

     I looked at him in bewilderment and resentment and it was then his turn to playfully snigger. "You're evil!" I shrieked. But he only laughed his off harder.

     "Wae? Were you that affected and disappointed that I didn't kiss you?" he teased.

     I didn't answer because honestly, even if I wanted to convince myself otherwise, deep inside, I wanted him to do it. I turned to my side and faced the window, and tuned him out. "Just drive!"

     After letting out a victorious cackle, he started the engine and drove off silently, but I could see his grin through his reflection on my window. Meanwhile, I was inwardly seething at my defeat.

~~~~~

     "Okay. That ," I announced as soon as the credits started to roll in.

     "No, it didn't," he denied.

     I looked around his garden as he switched on the lights that dangled from the trees. I lied to my side to face him, the leather couch making a crackling sound. "I like what you did here, though. Watching a movie projected on a giant white screen plus candles plus a bunch of food? Very romantic," I commended. "Although, it would have been better if the movie wasn't '50 First Dates.'"

     "What are you talking about? That movie is like the best!" he argued.

     "Oh, yeah? 50 First Dates? That wasn't just 50! More like, 5000 First Dates," I shot back.

     "You're nuts! Don't judge a movie by its title!"

     "But the title can ruin the entire movie."

     "Did it? Did it?"

     "Yuh-huh!"

     Well, the movie was great. I just wanted to argue with Sung Jae until he loses his sanity. He told me that it's his favorite movie, so, I took upon myself to ruin it for him. Although I wanted to make fun of him about his favorite movie being a chickflick, I couldn't do it because he would just tease me again about what happened in his car a while ago.

     I grabbed the tub of half-eaten ice cream from the cooler in frustration. I offered him a spoonful but retracted it when he opened his mouth, garnering a scary glare.

     "You're just jealous because she's pretty and she's loved dearly," he blurted.

     "And what, I'm not?" I challenged, folding my arms to my chest.

     He scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. "Well, you are but-"

     "There you go."

     He could only roll his eyes as his way of acknowledging his defeat. He extended his arm on the backrest with an open palm as an invitation. I reluctantly scooted closer to him and he pulled me into his embrace to close the gap. I leaned the side of my head against his shoulder as he brushed my hair with his hand. My heart was racing but I couldn't bring myself to ask for a label.

     So what if there's no label for this? It doesn't matter right now. What matter is, we both want this. We may not be vocal about it but we have an understanding. An understanding that doesn't have to be put into words right away. Wait, did he mean it when he joked about asking me out in his car a while ago? But again, I don't have to know right now.

     Enjoy now, ask later. I stuffed my face another spoonful of Ube ice cream.

~~~~~

     "Good morning!" I greeted Jackson as I plopped myself down on the chair nearest to him in The Chill Cafe.

     The Chill Cafe is the name for the cozy side of the coffee shop where the bookshelves are located. The other part, on the other hand, is called The Fast Serve. And the counter is called, well, The Bar. Apparently, these are the codenames to locate the customers easily. But I didn't need to know those because, well, I'd just be inside, baking stuff.

     I knew I freaked him out when the book he was reading, that was up on his face that caused him not to see me coming, dropped on the table with a thud and his eyes almost popped out of his head.

     "Why," he checked the time on his wristwatch, "are you here so early? It's only five. The others are not even here yet."

     "Don't be so surprised. I have always been an early bird," I answered with a smile. But the truth is, I couldn't sleep at all last night. Sung Jae and I just cuddled up without uttering a word. It was like we were both waiting for the other to fall asleep so it wouldn't be awkward when we needed to break free for some reason, i.e. to go to work.

     "Yeah. Like you weren't just bargaining to come an hour later yesterday," Jackson replied with sarcasm. He picked up the book and put it back to the empty space where it belonged. "And why are you so cheerful so early in the morning?" he asked with a teasing tone. "Did something good happen?"

     "What makes you think so?" I asked, curious as to how he could catch on to it so fast.

     "If you were a guy, I would have already joked that you got laid last night," he replied matter-of-factly.

     "Excuse me!?"

     "Hey, don't get so defensive," he teased, his hands in surrender.

     "Oh, you're dead, young man," I warned before attacking him. But he had good reflex so he was able to avoid it easily. 

     "Only if you catch me," he challenged back.

     We acted like siblings that always fight, playing cat and mouse at The Chill Cafe. It was hard to catch him because of those freaking couches. Then suddenly, I had a deja vu. I saw a glimpse of In Soo and I, doing the same thing years ago.

-----