I went back to reality after what happened. It was a dream after all, having someone to have and to hold and living happily ever after. I guess those only exist in fairytales and other works of fiction. It is not as if my life is a manga to where certain encounters would happen instantly. Wake up, Ruka. It will not help if you continue fantasizing a lot of scenarios that would not even happen in reality. Sad, is it not? Knowing that all you wanted is just fictional and you hope that reality is kind enough to make it a part of your life.

"Sleepyhead." I heard a voice of someone and it was directly hitting me. It was cold, deep and somewhat captivating, I must say.

"Miss, we are closing the coffee shop from 2-5pm."

In front of me is a tall, handsome guy with somewhat cold aura. He was wearing a white, long-sleeved polo and ripped jeans that made him look like an effortless model instantly. He seemed serious and all I can do is stare at his perfection. Allow me to quote Taylor Swift's song right now.

"He's so tall and handsome as hell... He's so bad but he does it so well..."

That voice, it is as if I am sailing at the sea and he is leading me to a soap bubble, lightly floating towards infinity. All those figures of speech, but I was there, captured at the moment.

"Sleepyhead." He repeated what he said at first and stared at me in an intimidating manner. With that, I eventually went back on focus and responded finally to what he is saying.

"I am sorry. That is how good I am in bed, I guess." I chuckled nervously because I ended up sleeping the whole time. My matcha latte is no longer hot and soothing but I drank it anyway to prevent the awkwardness lingering between us.

"I guess." He shrugged and responded to me coldly. There was a tone of rejection in his voice and I could not help but become broken instantly. Imagine me as a shattered glass, allowing him to turn me that way. I remained silent with what he said. Clearly, it seemed like he did not want to converse furthermore with me. Besides, it was almost break time for the coffee shop and I am hindering them after all. How amazing it is that words are the trigger of the gun. Once you pull the trigger, it would directly hit you on the spot. The same goes with tongue and mouth. It does not have dangerous abilities except for the fact that whatever comes out on those two will remain and affect the other party for the rest of his or her life. But how come I am having the urge to continue this conversation with him? I was used to people treating me coldly, and I would do the same thing.

"Peace!" I blurted out in a tactless manner. Almost for the first time in my life, I showed a warm, encouraging smile in front of a stranger which I rarely show to anyone. How come it was so easy for me to do it in front of him? Will you smile back at me? Or will you reject me like what others did and never smile at all?

"Tch." He snorted and looked at me with a blank expression. "Go and arrange your stuff now. We are cleaning." He started to turn around from me, focusing on what he is doing. I thought he was going to ignore me, but I was wrong. I sighed in relief and fixed my stuff, planning to go out of the coffee shop. Unfortunately, I was ascertain of something: I did not know where to go. I do not want to remain alone at home because I will be filled with negative thoughts once again.

"Hurry up, I want to sleep." He spoke once again, enough to make me shiver. How come that it became the other way around? I was used to being the cold person after all. His words were chaining me up, as if I was his instant captive. I wanted to tell him that I am alone and that loneliness is killing me softly. But would he care anyway? He is just a stranger--- no, a beautiful stranger to be exact. Because if he was not, I would not have been captivated instantly.

"Please do not go. I want to... Stay with you." Sudden words came out of my mouth and I instantly became blunt in a short span of time. How am I able to say such words to someone I barely know? I do not understand. But I am not anxious of what I just did because truth be told, I was afraid of his response. It is similar to when we wanted to say we love the person. The inclination of us showing and saying it is actually facile. What makes us scared is the fact that we cannot read the minds of other people and we are agitated with jumbled thoughts of what their response is going to be. At the back of my mind, I am already expecting what he is going to do and say.

"Leave."

"Your life is none of your business so go on your way."

An archetypical response, indeed. And let me guess, a scenario where a woman like me would be pushed away and permanently be scarred because of a beautiful stranger right in front of me. I think this is what you called predictable and cliche, after all.

But alas, I was wrong.

He held my arm carefully and pulled me outside the coffee shop just as when I was finished with my words and my stuff. Where is he taking me? Is he going to be mad at me because of how slow I was that it hindered them from closing at an earlier time?

"If you want to stay with me, then follow me." He said in his deep voice and again, it was enough to make me mesmerized. How about we refer to him as a cold water that can melt a hot-tempered woman like me? Or maybe some guy who can melt my icy and stone-cold heart?

I nodded and let him take my arms gently until we reached a particular place. I was stupefied by how spacious and spotless the place was. It was not a home, but a huge house right in front of me. Sensing a bit of nervousness and questionability, I paused for a moment and lingered to where I was even if it is just from the outside. I wonder if I could say the same when I enter inside. What is he planning to do? Is he going to lure me in his trap?

He noticed me after he took the keys out from his pocket and unlocked the door. Wow, for the moment, I thought that the outside was only a facade. But realistically speaking, how I described the house from the outside is similar to what it is on the inside as well.

"What are you waiting for?" His voice is somewhat monotonous and glacial. "Ah..." He pulled me inside without even hesitations, as if I was someone who he is familiar with. The only thing I can do is to follow through because he was so strong and I am small. I now have the intuition that he is older than me despite my height and childlike physique.

"Why did you brought me here? What if I was a burglar or some spy? Or maybe a murderer?" My cold side had finally awakened. Please refer to me as a person with split personalities. No, I am not making that up.

"Answer me." I continued. This time, I was the one giving off a cold aura. He turned around and faced me all of the sudden, causing my heart to skip a beat due to how horrifying he seems. It is not because he looked like the ones you see in horror movies, but when I looked into his eyes, he instantly became a predator and I was his prey. Moving himself forward caused me to do the opposite until I ended up stumbling on the couch with him on top of me. I was so weak and vulnerable, yet I was lured into his trap, between his arms.

"Shut up." He mumbled huskily and I sighed in defeat. I just learned that this guy is not actually into answering questions. I wonder how he is going to be when he is in an interview. I do not intend to underestimate him, but that crossed my mind. For someone cold, I became the exact opposite of who I am. In fact, my previous self was unleashed by this guy or maybe man. The Ruka Kim back then that was vulnerable, weak, caring, hesitant and all negative adjectives combined returned after I locked it deeply inside me for a very long time.

"Please do not kill me with your coldness." I blurted out of the blue. I could not believe I am capable of being like this in front of a stranger. Damn it, I do not want to be like this. Unable to look at him in the eyes, I ended up closing mine. I have no idea what he is going to do next with our current position. I do not have the guts to ask anymore. Hey, beautiful stranger. Now what? It feels as if I am chained up without a clear reason. All I know is that his stares were enough to make me submit to him.

"Shut up or I will kiss you." He told me with slight exasperation in his voice. I can tell because he seemed authoritative compared to his previous responses. But that did not hindered me from responding questionably.

"Why would you kiss me anyway?" I raised my brow and looked at him in the eye, trying to lure him with how cold I was. I wanted to let him know that I am also capable of being that way despite how innocent I look like to some people. "You are not serious, I am pretty sure." I know guys are smooth talkers and you will end up as a loser if you fall easily for their traps. Sorry, mister. Ruka Kim knows how to play the game.

"What if I was serious?" I focused on his poker face and eyes to determine the truth.

"Okay, so you are serious. But why would you kiss me? You know, you could kill me instead." I smirked and challenged him verbally.

"I am not a murderer, idiot. That is how I am going to shut you up--- by kissing you." He answered back and he stared into my eyes deeply, as if he wanted to explore what is behind those huge, doll-like eyes that I possess. For the moment, I thought he was older than me because he can actually boss me around and like what I have said previously, he is authoritative in a smooth manner.

I bit my lip unconsciously as a response and realized that what he just said can easily be accomplished. I have to be reminded that he can kiss me anytime with this position we are having.

"Stay with me." He said to me. "If you do not want me to go." The lad continued saying. I, on the other hand, wanted to follow him right away. How ironic is it that I kept on shutting people away when right now, I am letting a stranger like him dictate to me whatever I am supposed to do. He patted the space beside the couch and waited for me to come along. I sighed in defeat and went to bed beside him.

There was a huge gap between us since I was hesitant. He might think I am a erted lass after all. In fact, I turned my back on him in a perturbed manner so he would not think of me that way. It is better this way and if he ever plans to do something to me, I am certainly ready to fight. I may look weak and vulnerable on the outside but I am tough on the inside. I wonder what he is thinking or doing?

In some dramas, this is the part wherein the guy would pull the girl close to him and secure her with a hug. But damn, why am I imagining those things to happen? Ruka, you are a stranger to him. So many thoughts, yet all I ever wanted is to break away from all of these. If only I can erase all the worries I have, believe me I would, not that I could.

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