I waited anxiously for her. I tapped my feet as I listened to music through my ear buds, singing a few lines here and there. It helped calm my nerves to some degree.

 

Looking at my watch, it was quarter to 1 PM. I came about an hour ago to our agreed time -- not that she needs to know that -- because I was too paranoid that something might go wrong along the way and I didn’t want to be late. Especially not on our first date.

 

A few moments later, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to Tiffany standing behind me and smiling brightly.

 

It was blinding.

 

I smiled back of course. Who wouldn't?

 

“Hey,” she greeted. “You’re early.”

 

I shrugged.

 

“Better than to be late,” I said.

 

She looked at her watch.

 

“And here I thought I’d get here first,” she said. “There’s still about 10 minutes until our agreed time.”

 

“Yeah,” I said while slightly scratching my cheek, one of my nervous ticks.

 

“Are you nervous? You look nervous.”

 

I blushed. I nodded slightly, turning my gaze downward.

 

She suddenly grabbed my hand.

 

“Don’t worry. I’m nervous too.”

 

Looking up, I could see she was blushing quite a bit as she shyly smiled at me.

 

I cleared my throat.

 

 

“We should get going then,” I said.

 

She nodded along.

 

Squeezing her hand lightly, I pulled her by the hand as we walked.

 

I berated myself minutes later. I was so excited and nervous at the same time, I just focused on our destination.

 

I only looked back when I felt her grip loosen and her hand was no longer in mine. She was having trouble keeping up because she was trying to evade all the people we met on our way.

 

I immediately stopped and quickly walked back to her. Once I reached her, I immediately apologized.

 

“I should have been more attentive.”

 

“It’s fine, Taeyeon,” she told me.

 

“But I really should have paid more attention. You were having trouble keeping up and I didn’t bother to consider that I might have been walking too fast,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”

 

She sighed.

 

“Listen, Taeyeon. I’m not upset. I mean, there really are a lot of people,” she said while glancing around. “And you seemed very excited about where we’re going.”

 

She noticed, huh.

 

I blushed slightly in embarrassment.

 

“I still want you to accept my apology,” I stubbornly said.

 

She rolled her eyes playfully at me.

 

“I accept your apology,” she told me.

 

She suddenly clung to my arm, pulling us closer together than before. I felt my nose tingle. It was probably due to all the walking we’ve done that the heat emitting from her body made her perfume smell stronger. It was intoxicating how the smell suddenly filled my nose from the abrupt close proximity.

 

“This way we don’t have to worry about getting separated,” she explained.

 

Her face was so close.

 

 

I bobbed my head and had to quickly look away to hide the creeping blush on my cheeks.

 

As we continued on our way, I grew conscious of how my body was currently reacting to her closeness.

 

My heart had been pounding -- no -- booming is more like it. The way she clung close to me, the bounce in her steps as we walked, the way she was smiling ever so brightly, and how all of this was really happening right now.

 

It still felt unreal.

 

I never thought that I’d ever get a chance to be with her like this.

 

The first time I saw her that day, that day she came to the cafe with Jessica, my immediate thought was on how pretty she looked. I doubt anyone could say otherwise. She was easily one of the prettiest people I've ever met.

 

I didn’t get to talk much to her during that time since I’m a bit on the awkward side when it comes to meeting new people. But whenever she’d catch my eye or converse with me, I was always in awe at how beautiful the way she smiled at me.

 

I took it as a sign when I caught myself glancing at her a couple of times. At first, I just thought it was all out of admiration. But, after that first meeting, I started to randomly think of her throughout the day. I’d remember the way that she smiled at me. I’d remember the sound of her bubbly laughter. And I’d remember those few glances we shared.

 

That day, when I saw her with her ex-boyfriend, I could feel the way my heart twinged.

 

But then seeing him suddenly leave like that, I felt my heart twinge even more as my boiling anger coursed through my veins. I wanted to follow him at that time and give him a piece of my mind.

 

How could she just leave such a pretty girl like that? But glancing at her through the window and seeing that expression on her face, I couldn’t just leave.

 

I admit, bringing the bouquet inside might have been stupid of me. It slipped my mind that she was best friends with Jessica.

 

When I got back from my delivery, I was really surprised because I didn’t think she’d actually wait for me. I was so happy. But then my smile immediately fell when I saw how upset she looked. The hurt in her eyes.

 

And her smile, the one I would always think about. Gone.

 

I tried my best to cheer her up. You have no idea how happy I was when she started smiling and laughing. I was even more glad I succeeded in making her eat. Drinking all that wine with an empty stomach would have been bad.

 

I still think the guy’s an for leaving her like that. I mean, he could have at least lessen the blow over some food. And it was on damn Valentine’s Day too.

 

The whole time we were eating, I kept thinking how I would have treated her better. How much I could do better.

 

I felt accomplished when she had her smile back by the time we parted that night.

 

What I never expected to happen was her confronting me that day in the kitchen. I get that as Jessica’s best friend, she’d be suspicious and curious why I would be giving her a bouquet.

 

I never thought that she’d just kiss me out of nowhere.

 

Okay. That's a lie. I may have thought about it once...okay twice...fine...a few times about kissing her. But never her kissing me.

 

And that she’d say she likes me.

 

And that she’d be interested in me.

 

Or that I’d actually ever have a chance with her.

 

But here we are.

 

On a date.

 

She must have sensed that I kept looking at her so she turned her head to face me.

 

“What is it?” she asked.

 

“Ummm...I just think you look beautiful today,” I said.

 

“Just today? So I don’t look beautiful on other days?”

 

“A-ani...I-I mean, yes. NO! I meant, you look beautiful now and on other days too,” I scrambled with my words.

 

I groaned to myself.

 

“What I mean to say is that you always look beautiful,” I mumbled.

 

I felt her body shake from her laughter.

 

“You’re just so cute sometimes,” she told me. “I'm just teasing,” she says with a smirk.

 

“Oh.”

 

Suddenly, I felt soft lips on my cheek.

 

My eyes widened.

 

When she pulled away, she said, “Thank you for the compliment.”

 

A full-fledged grin appeared on my face. I didn't bother to hide it because I couldn't even if I wanted to.

 

---

 

Both of them had been running around the amusement park, going to as many rides as they could. They didn’t mind the lines or the people. Neither complained since both of them were having so much fun.

 

They were currently lining up for the roller coaster. Tiffany was shaking with so much excitement that Taeyeon had to calm her down.

 

“It’s been so long since the last time I went to the amusement park,” Tiffany said. “The last time would be,” she paused, thinking for a moment. “Some time last year when I visited my family.”

 

“Oh? Does your family live here in Korea?” Taeyeon asked.

 

Tiffany shook my head.

 

“They live in the States.”

 

“So you’re here alone? How’d that happen?” Taeyeon asked.

 

 

“Let’s see…,” Tiffany paused, trying to recollect how she ended up here. “As you already know, I was born in the States. When I was younger, my family would come on trips here to visit relatives. I remember how excited I’d get whenever we’d plan to come here. It was different from the sunny Cali I know. I loved the things I saw here and…”

 

She paused.

 

Taeyeon waited for her to continue.

 

“I...I didn’t feel out of place. I didn’t have to suffer from racist comments or the bullying from my classmates anymore,” Tiffany sighed. “Kids can be cruel, you know? One day, I told my dad I wanted to move here.”

 

Taeyeon couldn’t help imagine a younger Tiffany crying. Her heart twinged at that thought.

 

“He must have been shocked,” she commented

 

Tiffany laughed, nodding her head along.

 

“He couldn’t just move us all the way across the world just because I wanted to. So I begged him to let me study here. I begged everyday and he’d always say no. Seeing that begging didn’t work, I stopped talking to my dad. A week after, he finally caved in and let me go.”

 

“Wow. He must really love you to let you come all the way here,” Taeyeon said. “What age were you then?”

 

“I was 15 at that time, I think.”

 

“Heol.”

 

Taeyeon was so shocked.

 

Tiffany laughed again. She thought to herself that she’d probably have the same reaction if it came from someone else. Thinking about it now, a girl aged 15 coming to a foreign land and barely speaking the language sounds so reckless.

 

“He had his conditions though. My grades had to be at a C average at least or else he’d come and literally drag me back home.”

 

“A C average?”

 

Tiffany snorted.

 

“I don’t hold it against him for thinking I’d have trouble with my studies. I barely spoke Korean back then.”

 

“But where did you stay? With your relatives?”

 

“Actually, I lived in the dorms. I mean being a foreigner and all, it would have been troublesome for my relatives. It was hard to communicate and I didn’t want to be a burden. But I would visit them often.”

 

She scrunched her brows at me.

 

“You barely spoke Korean but you came to school here?” she questioned.

 

“I attended an international school.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“But half of the things were in Korean so I had a hard time at first. I had to get tutors.”

 

“Next!”

 

They snapped our attention to the front. It was finally their turn.

 

Tiffany ran excitedly to the front most seat. Looking back at Taeyeon, she noticed her just staring down at the empty seat beside her.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Y-Yes,” Taeyeon stammered.

 

“This isn’t your first time, is it?”

 

“No. Just not in the front most seat,” she informed her.

 

“You’re scared,” Tiffany stated.

 

“I-I’m not!” Taeyeon quickly denied.

 

Tiffany gave her a soft smile.

 

“It’ll be okay. They’re made to be safe,” she said as she offered her hand, giving her a reassuring smile.

Taeyeon hesitantly accepted her hand and slowly sat beside her. Once they pulled down the safety bars, Tiffany reached for her hand again, intertwining our fingers. When the ride started moving, Tiffany felt Taeyeon squeeze her hand. Tiffany squeezed back.

 

“It’s going to be fine.”

 

Taeyeon forced a smile towards her. Once they reached the top of the high slope, Taeyeon squeezed her eyes shut. Tiffany looked at her sympathetically. The only thing she knew she could do to help was to keep holding her hand for reassurance.

 

The next few minutes were spent with the bothof them screaming, Taeyeon’s from agony.

 

---

 

“Are you okay?” I asked.

 

After getting off the rollercoaster, we both sat on the nearest bench. Taeyeon had her face buried in her palm and her other hand was clutching her chest.

 

“I’m fine,” she replied weakly.

 

I stifled a laugh.

 

She looks the opposite of that.

 

Looking around, I spotted a food truck nearby.

 

“I’ll go get you some water. Okay?” I said.

 

She shot me a small smile.

 

“Okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

 

I stood up immediately and walked towards the food truck. While I was waiting in line, I suddenly felt someone tap my shoulder.

 

I turned around, expecting it to be Taeyeon.

 

It wasn’t.

 

“Umm. Excuse me,” he said.

 

He didn’t seem to be dangerous or anything. If anything, he seems harmless. But there was something about the way he was looking at me that raised a red flag.

 

“What is it?”

 

He raised his hand which was holding the string end of a red heart-shaped balloon.

 

“I think you dropped this,” he said.

 

I glanced down at his hand holding the string.

 

Is he stupid?

 

“It’s not mine,” I said monotonously. “And I’m not exactly sure how someone could possibly drop a helium balloon.”

 

I saw his whole face turn red in embarrassment.

 

“Umm I...could I have-”

 

“Not interested,” I cut him off.

 

I quickly turned around, not waiting for him to speak.

 

I heard the guy groan behind me. I felt his hand on my shoulder which greatly annoyed me. I was about to give him a stern talking to but I suddenly found myself getting pulled aside.

 

I was shocked to see Taeyeon. She had wrapped her arm around my waist. Looking at her, she had a blank expression on but her eyes were glaring at the guy.

 

“Sorry to interrupt but we’re on a date,” she told him. “Let’s go, Fany-ah.”

 

My brows shot up.

 

Fany-ah?

 

She unwrapped her arm around my waist, grabbing hold of my hand instead and whisked me away. Once we were a considerable distance away, she stopped walking.

 

She turned to face me, a concerned expression on her face.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked me.

 

I nodded.

 

“Why are you grinning like that?”

 

She gave me a weird look.

 

I touched my cheek.

 

Ah. She’s right.

 

Realizing I haven’t answered her yet, I quickly said, “I like it.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“You called me Fany.” I said it in her Korean accent.

 

“Oh. Yeah,” she said with a rather sheepish smile.

 

“I like it,” I said.

 

“Really? It just came out. And it’s shorter to say.”

 

“I like it really,” I assured her. Suddenly, I remembered. “Your water. I haven’t bought it.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m feeling better now,” she told me. “But, I wouldn’t mind buying some snacks though.”

 

We went around, here and there, buying ourselves food. I chuckled to myself as I watched Taeyeon munching on her waffle.

 

“What?” she asked me, still full with food.

 

“It’s just,” I paused glancing down at the food she bought. “I didn’t think I was on a date with a kid.”

 

She really went all out with the sweets.

 

Let’s see.

 

There’s cotton candy, an assortment of jellies, chocolate covered churros, and marshmallows. I’m not surprised if she has other sweets hidden in her pockets.

 

She just stuck out her tongue at me then continued to munch on her waffle.

 

I shook my head.

 

I resumed eating my strawberry ice cream.

 

As we strolled around, my eyes kept glancing around, looking at the various games and rides, thinking where we should go next.

 

Suddenly, I saw this pink fluffy stuffed pony.

 

“You want that?” Taeyeon suddenly asked. “I can get that for you.”

 

I smiled at the offer.

 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

 

“I want to,” she said smiling up at me.

 

I watched as she walked straight to the owner.

 

I quickly followed.

 

“Okay, miss. You see that target over there?” the owner asked pointing at the piece of paper hanging about 4 meters away. “Each ring corresponds to certain points. You have 5 shots.”

 

“How many points for that, ajusshi?” Taeyeon said pointing at the pink pony.

 

“You need 500 points at least for that, miss. You think you can do it?” he challenged.

 

“You underestimate me, ajusshi,” Taeyeon replied confidently. She then turned to me. “Umm do you mind if you hold onto these for a minute?”

 

She gestured to the snacks he had in hand.

 

“Sure,” I said as I took them from her.

 

After paying the owner, he gave Taeyeon a shooting rifle loaded with pellets. Taeyeon seemed to be comfortably handling the rifle as she quickly positioned herself. She leaned down against the counter. She shut one eye and aimed for the target.

 

She drew a breath.

 

 

And then pulled the trigger.

 

I was shocked when her first shot hit the second innermost ring. I watched in awe as her next three shots hit either the second or third most inner rings.

 

“Just 125 points more, Tae. You’re so close!” I cheered gleefully.

 

But that would mean she has to shoot the bullseye. She’s been close so far

 

I watched in anticipation as Taeyeon bit down on her bottom lip in concentration. She made a deep breath and exhaled.

 

She pulled the trigger.

 

Oh my god.

 

“You shot the bullseye!” I exclaimed.

 

She had a smug grin on her face as she looked back at me.

 

That win must have sparked something in Taeyeon as she pulled me along on a gaming spree. We went from stall to stall playing game after game.

 

One thing I learned from this experience is that Taeyeon’s really good at games.

 

Somewhere along the way, we started competing with each other. I actually enjoyed the petty banters and bickering while we played. I was so happy I got to see a more playful side of Taeyeon.

 

And she brought out my playful side as well.

 

 

My first impression of her was…

 

Quiet and shy.

 

To me, anyways. She talked a lot when it came to her friends. I figured, since we were just acquainted that’s why she was acting all shy.

 

However, the next few times Jess and I hung out with them, she still behaved quiet around me. I actually felt jealous because she talked a lot more with Jess. When I tried to talk to her, she would give me short answers. It annoyed me to some degree. I reasoned that it was probably because they felt some form of camaraderie with their social awkwardness.

 

“I think we’ve won enough prizes for today,” I said.

 

“Afraid you’ll lose to me again?” she told me.

 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her.

 

“Sure if you agree to carry all of these around,” I replied. “And then I’ll happily kick your in the next game.”

 

Our hands were both full with plushies and toys.

 

“Okay. You have a point. I mean not about kicking my because I’d be the one kicking your .”

 

I gave snort.

 

“So where to next?” I asked.

 

I watched endearingly as I saw her face light up, dragging me away to wherever.