Chapter 2 : Almost is Us

She heard the knob on the door turn. Her eyes flew open immediately. She sent a few words of thanks to the higher ups. She made the right decision in having her back turn towards the door. She hoped he did not notice the tension formed across her shoulders. Out of reflex, she quickly shut her eyes again.

He is back.

She is asleep.

He loosened the necktie around his neck and proceeded to uncuff the links around his wrist. His watch came off next. Off came his shirt. Clad in a white under shirt, he almost stole four glances at her sleeping form. Once for each time he removed something from him.

His luggage was left outside their room for he was almost expecting her to be asleep.

But what is this feeling?

But what is this feeling?

Chae Young almost lost control of her closed eyelids. She was almost asleep when she felt the left side of the bed sink. A certain weight was resting on the bed -- that side of the bed she was currently facing. If her eyelids had suddenly have a mind of their own, she would have almost caught him stealing his almost sixth glance at her.

He shouldn't be here.

She shouldn't be here.

Jin Young almost stopped in his track when he found her sitting cross legged on the couch. Her brows were knitted together in concentration. The newspaper was neatly splayed across her lap. He almost wondered what had happened to intrigue her that much.

"Good morning." He deemed this the most appropriate response. He almost went with Hi-- which he was glad he did not or else he would have mentally murder himself over and over again -- if she didn't do it herself already.

Chae Young almost jumped from her seat. It was eight in the morning and she wasn't expecting him to be awake. At least that was what she thought startled her. His being awake after 4 hours of sleep seemed a little inhumane to her. She totally forgot about herself.

"Breakfast?" She smiled brightly.

He did not like it. He did not believe it. What exactly did he not like? What exactly did he not believe? The answer almost came to him but it stopped short of somewhere.

He returned her smile with an equal megawatt smile to match. The sunlight was piercing through the windows. The blinds were not lifted down. He could not see her clearly. He shook his head in response to her question.

She did not like it. She did not believe it. With her smile intact, she folded the newspaper together and shook her head. From her position, she could see him clearly. His jet black hair was properly in place without a single strand out of place.

"Thirty minutes. I will get your coffee done and your eggs—is scrambled alright with you?"

"Over easy. I like it over easy.” He had responded too fast. “I can have the housekeeper to do it actually."

She had stood up and quickened her pace to head towards the kitchen. He finally saw her. Her rose gold coloured hair bounced together with her steps. She seemed almost nervous. Her hair was unkempt. With that, she was gone from the room. Their short exchange lasted for exactly sixty seconds.

True to her words, his breakfast platter was delivered to him in thirty minutes. He had assessed the assortment of ingredients place on the dish. The mushrooms were quartered and there were two over easy eggs lay on top of two perfectly toasted bread accompanied by roasted potatoes, mini sausages and a side of a fruit salad. She had given him three glasses, one with water, one with coffee and the last with orange juice. He did not know what to say so he smiled and gave thanks before digging in.

She was clearing the table when he mentioned almost casually, “Let’s go house hunting today.”

She almost dropped the knife.

**

He brought her to a quaint little white house, complete with lush greenery, a garden of roses and a white swing set. It was the complete opposite of the house they were currently living in with his parents. This feels more like home to him. They toured the house together.

She had casually passed a remark on how cosy the place felt. She mentioned on the pretty pastels used to colour the walls of the home. Gliding her fingers across the kitchen counter top, she expressed how beautiful the marble top was. She liked how his study was separated from hers. Then it dawned on her. Two study rooms in a three bedroom townhouse could only mean one thing. They will still be sharing a bedroom together. At last they came into the final room of the tour –the bedroom.

She was nervous definitely uneasy. It was not gigantic like the one they lived in now. This translates into the selection of the bed size. It was downgraded from their existing king sized bed to a queen sized one. She felt a sudden threat—to what she is unsure of.

“About the bed…”

“What about it?” He paused, as if challenging her to speak her mind. She resisted his bait.

“Do you like it here?”

“It’s okay.”

“Great. We will be moving in tomorrow then.”

She had responded too fast.

He caught on and was definitely cashing in on it. He was closing in on her fast.

It is about time for him to make up lost time.

In hindsight, he should have slowed down. He should not have moved too fast with her, should not have meddled with the timing of things.

In hindsight, he wished he had led them both at a slower pace. Perhaps, he would not have found out about the secret she hid behind her eyes, deeply engraved in her smile and stitched to her demeanour.

He would not have so quickly discovered the reason why he did not like and trust her smile from before.