"Dear love, I became addicted to touching you from the beginning. So please understand how much feeling you against me always puts me in a state of peace."

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"I'm going to a wedding B, not a nightclub," Carmen eyed the dress that Bianca was currently holding up, immediately shaking her in disapproval.

"What?! This dress is bomb, are you crazy?" Bianca stared back at Carmen in disbelief. "With a body like yours, you'd kill it wearing this,"

"I'm not saying that it's not cute B. It's just too revealing." Any other time she'd probably wear it, especially for a night out but it just wasn't something tasteful for a wedding reception. She wanted to show up looking good but not desperate.

her teeth, Bianca placed the dress back on the rack and continued to look through the other dresses the shop had to offer. So far every dress that she has offered Carmen, she denied instantly, not even bothering to at least try it on first. Slowly, Bianca was becoming annoyed.

"Don't do that. You're the one who's trying to dress me up as some wannabe Instagram model," Carmen smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "Besides it's an outdoor wedding, I want to be comfortable and not worried about pulling down my dress when I walk."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You want something boujee but tasteful,"

"Exactly," Carmen winked, just as her phone dinged, indicating a new text message.

"You've been on your phone since I picked you up, who are you texting?" Bianca questioned curiously. She hasn't seen Carmen that into her phone in this manner in awhile.

"Just a new friend that I met," Carmen answered, smiling away at her phone as she shot a quick test back to Jongsuk. They have been texting nonstop since they decided to exchange numbers the other night.

It has been so long since she has been so interested in someone until he showed up. Usually, she'd be hesitant to give someone her number, especially if she had just met them but with him, it was different.

She enjoyed talking to him about any and everything, allowing him to get to know her a bit and vice versa.

"Earth to bestie!" Bianca's voice pierced through her thoughts, pulling back to reality. "Give me this," She quickly snatched the phone from Carmen's hand and proceeded to read the messages much to Carmen's dismay.

"Give it back! I swear you're so damn nosy,"

The two women stood in the middle of the store attempting to fight off the other like children. "Jongsuk? I didn't know that you were into Asian men Carmen," Bianca teased, chuckling at their cute exchange.

"It's not even like that. I literally just met him yesterday," Carmen stated, rolling her eyes.

"And yet you two have a long log of nonstop conversation, girl please," Bianca quickly waved her off before handing her back the phone. "You have never been a texter but somehow he's managed to make you do the impossible."

Bianca gave her a look with pursed lips. "What does he look like because that name sounds so familiar to me,"

Shrugging her shoulders, Carmen locked her phone and placed into the back pocket of her jeans. "You know I'm not good at describing people but he's handsome. I'm sure you'd approve."

"You should've asked for a selfie at least,"

"Just google him. He told me that he was an actor back in South Korea. You might find something about him," Carmen suggested. She was going to do it herself last night but thought against it. She wanted him to tell her about him, not the internet.

"Good idea," Quickly pulling out her own phone from her purse, Bianca pulled up the net and went to type, pausing briefly, "Wait, what's his whole name?"

"Lee Jongsuk,"

Typing his name into the search bar, she waited a second for results to pop up, her eyes bulking when millions of displayed on the screen. Scrolling through numerous links, she clicked on a photo of him, closely examining the man who has her friend highly intrigued.

"You're right, I do approve. Damn, he's fine...and he's popular as hell too."

"Really?" Carmen questioned, standing beside her to look at her phone to see for herself. She didn't think much when he told her he acted but to see that he was so well known almost made her nervous.

"You're talking to a whole celebrity Carmen."

Biting her lip, Carmen started to weight out her options. She could just completely stop talking to him and move on, pretend as though they never crossed paths but she realized that would be stupid. He hasn't boasted about his career or his popularity yet, in fact, he probably one of the most down to earth people she has crossed paths with.

To her, he was just another human being like her, one she considered to be extraordinary in her personal opinion.

"I hope you won't let all this change your mind about him," Bianca says, glancing up from her phone to see the distant look on her Carmen's face. "Just get to know him and see where it goes, I mean you never know."

"Knowing you, you're probably already planning our wedding aren't you?"

The mischievous smirk that formed on Bianca's face clarified Carmen's words instantly, "What? I think you two would look good together," She shrugged, turning her attention back to the rack of dresses.

Shaking her head, Carmen stared off into space thinking of her situation. If he didn't mind talking to her, then why should she? The least she could do was to just let things flow naturally and see where things go. For all she knew, they could become great friends. She wasn't going to judge him because he was popular, that wouldn't be fair on her part.

"Oh, this...this is the one right here," Bianca squealed, holding out the dress for Carmen to see. "It's y but classy. Shows just enough skin without revealing too much. This is so you!"

Carmen's eyes snapped towards the short navy blue blazer dress, taking in the details of it. The oversized ring and the flared out long sleeved arms made the dress alone stand out. She didn't mind showing a bit of cleavage that the V shape would provide a sneak peek of. A small smile pulled at her lips as she looked at it.

"Go try it on," Bianca shooed her to the dressing room after handing her the dress.

Laughing, Carmen made the small walk towards the back where the dressing rooms were, choosing an empty stall to change in. Closing and locking the door behind her, she placed her purse on the seating bench before slipping off her sandals. Swiftly taking off her top, she pulled down her jeans next, letting them pool at her feet as she stepped out of them.

She was thankful that the dress slipped over her frame easily. Only fumbling with the ring belt a bit, she smoothed out the material, making sure it fit her nicely...and boy did it.

"Damn," She whispered, eyeing herself in the full-length mirror.

"Hurry up and let me see, or do you need my help because you know how clumsy you are," Bianca said from the other side of the door.

"Shut up," Carmen mumbled, unlocking the door and stepping out to show Bianca the dress.

"I mean you could've lost the bra but other than that, you look so beautiful in this dress Carmen. I don't care, it was made specifically for you." She clapped excitedly, motioning for Carmen to turn around. "Elijah is going to lose his mind when he sees you, mark my words."

"You really think so? I mean, it isn't too much is it?"

"Too much? , it's just right if you ask me. Which is why I'm getting it for you," Bianca declared, leaving no room for debate. "Now we just need to find the right heels and accessories to complete our look." She added, tapping her chin lightly.

"You don't have to, I can handle the cost myself."

"The dress is only fifty-five dollars, Carmen, relax."

"I'm not talking about the dress, I'm talking about the overly priced designer shoes I know you plan on buying." Carmen chided, already knowing that was exactly what she was going to do.

"It seems to me that you're just jealous that I have nice taste,"

Fixing to speak, her words were cut short at the sound of her phone going off. Stepping back in the dressing room, she reached for her jeans, retrieving the phone from the pocket. Seeing who it was calling, she quickly answered placing the phone to her ear.

"Hey," She breathed out, turning to face Bianca who was silently asking who was it.

"Hey, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" At the sound of his relaxed yet husky voice caused her to bite her lip. Even over the phone he sounded good.

"No, I was just doing a little shopping with a friend. What's up?" She asked, leaning against the door frame, purposely ignoring the faces that Bianca was making.

"I was wondering if I could take you out to lunch? Your friend could join us also." He suggested. Since he had time to do whatever he wanted today, all he wanted to do was spend some time with her. Even if it would be only for an hour.

Carmen glanced up, raising her eyebrow at Bianca in question. "Of course, I would love that. Where do you want to meet up?"

"Does Melba's on 114th street in 30 minutes sound good?"

"Of course."

Smiling, he nodded his head to his manager, indicating his suggestion had worked. "Great, I'll you both soon."

As soon as Carmen said goodbye to Jongsuk, Bianca gave her a look. "I know you're not making me the third wheel?" She complained, tapping her sandal-covered feet on the blue carpet.

"You playing like you don't want to meet him but I know better."

Crossing her arms, Bianca rolled her eyes knowing that she was right."Fine, then where are we suppose to meet him?"

"Your second favorite restaurant in all of New York."

Hearing this, Bianca smiled widely. "Melbas?! Well what you waiting for, hurry and change so we can go. I can smell the chicken and waffles already."

Chuckling, Carmen entered the dressing room to change. In a way, she was happy that Jongsuk kind enough to include Bianca. She needed her best friend there to keep her at ease because she knew that being in his presence did something to her mentally.

As well as her body.

"Lord, please don't let her embarrass me while out on this lunch meet up,"

", you know I can hear you right?"

____

"Can you stop fidgeting? It's getting on my nerves." Bianca fussed, forcing Carmen to stay still by grabbing her arm. "We've only been standing here for less than a minute, he'll be here, so relax."

"I'm trying," Carmen whispered, looking down at her phone for any text or phone call from Jongsuk.

"Why are you so nervous anyway?" Bianca questioned, checking her appearance in her portable mirror. She had to remind herself to get her eyebrows done before their day was over with.

"Now that I know he's famous, I don't want him getting caught." Carmen expressed.

Bianca scoffed at that. "Didn't you say that he grabbed you out in public when you two first met? And didn't he show up to your restaurant himself? Was he wearing any type of face covering during either time besides sunglasses?" She questioned, turning to face her.

"...bu-"

"No buts. If he doesn't care about being seen out in public, why should you?... Or is it something else?" She raised an eyebrow eyeing Carmen knowingly.

Tearing her gaze away from Bianca's accusing eyes, she focused on the people walking by instead of answering her question. "Did he mention anything about your ethnicity Carmen?" She asked, folding her arms,

Carmen silently shook her head no.

"Then don't worry about it. Besides, do you see anybody with a camera out here?"

Carmen looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, just people going on about their respective day. "Ok, I get it, I need to chill."

Maybe she was overthinking things, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't worried about her image but more so his. However, what Bianca said was true, if Jongsuk didn't care, why should she?

"I didn't keep you ladies waiting long did I?" A voice spoke up, turning Carmen's attention to who she knew it belonged to.

Sporting a pair of black jeans and shirt, with a checkered button-up and sunglasses covering his eyes, Jungsuk looked laidback but so damn fine.

Feeling Bianca tugged at her arm, Carmen quickly realized that she was bluntly gawking at him. "Oh, no, we weren't waiting long at all." She rushed out, making Bianca giggle beside her.

"Jongsuk," He introduced himself, holding out his hand for Bianca to shake, which she did immediately.

"Bianca, best friend of this nerd here," She joked, earning a small laugh from him.

"It's nice to meet you, Bianca," He smiled gently, still shaking Bianca's hand, who was too busy staring at him to realize what she was doing.

Noticing it herself, Carmen stepped in, lightly squeezing her shoulder. "Shall we head inside," She offered, side-eyeing Bianca before shaking her head.

"After you," He says, opening the door for them to walk in first.

Carmen could feel goosebumps grace her skin when she felt Jongsuks hand on her lower back. A simple touch had her heart racing like crazy inside of her chest.

"Good afternoon, will it just be a table for three?" The smiling hostess asked, pulling out three menus.

"Yes, thank you," Bianca answered, glancing over her shoulder to look at Carmen. She had no idea that smile of hers has been glued to her face since Jongsuk arrived.

"Follow me,"

The trio walked behind the hostess as she led them to a table with a nice view of the street but not directly in front of the windows. "Will this be fine?"

Both Carmen and Bianca looked towards Jongusk for confirmation since he was the celebrity. "It's perfect,"

"Great. Your waiter will be with you in a moment." The hostess tells them, handing them their menus once they were seated, with Jongsuk pulling out the chairs for both women. Taking up the seat next to Carmen of course.

"I appreciate you so much for considering to go to this restaurant Jongsuk," Bianca grinned once they were left alone.

Removing his sunglasses, he hooked the inside of his shirt, chuckling softly. "I haven't really had food like this before, and I figured since Carmen was from the south, this place would be nice," He tells them, opening up his menu.

"Oh really? So did you like her cajun shrimp linguine last night?" Bianca asked, looking at Carmen who has been silent the whole time.

"I more than liked it, I loved it." Jongsuk has had the dish before but none have even come close to the way Carmen's tasted.

"Did you hear that Carmen, he said he loved your cooking?" Bianca teased, putting emphasis on the word loved. "Maybe you two should arrange a date where she could cook for you at her restaurant,"

Carmen rolled her eyes, happy when their waitress arrived. "Hi, I'm Tiffany, I'll be your waitress..." She began, slowly trailing off once her eyes landed on Jungsuk who simply sat there smiling at her.

Bianca rolled her lips into to stop herself from laughing at the young girl's reaction. Clearly, she knew who he was. "W-w-what can I g-get y-you guys to...to drink?" She stuttered causing Carmen to turn her face in an attempt to hold in her laughter as well.

"Water with lemon," Jongsuk ordered casually, remaining polite even though Tiffany was starstruck. "Ladies..." He turned his attention to Bianca and Carmen, who tried to sit up straight and act accordingly.

"Sweet tea for the both of us, thank you," Carmen told her, finding Tiffany's red cheeks to be adorable.

Nodding her head, Tiffany turned to leave only to pause at the last second. "Do you guys already know what you want to order?" She questioned, seeming to take a deep breath, tearing her gaze from Jongsuk.

"Do you have any suggestions for me?" He asked, leaning his elbows on the table as he placed his chin on top of his locked hands, staring her dead in the eyes.

Tiffany froze on the spot, opening and closing for a few seconds. "Umm, can you just excuse me for a minute?" She squeaked as she walked backward and immediately started to power walk in the other direction towards the kitchen area.

Bianca and Carmen went into a fit of laughter right as she disappeared. "Why did you do her like that?" Carmen questioned through her giggles that were cut short once his eyes met hers.

his lips, he smirked playfully. "I like to tease from time to time," He tells her, placing his arm around the back of her chair, letting his fingers lightly brush against her exposed shoulders.

It was the little subtle gestures like that caused her body to react so easily. And the way he was looking at her made it no better. All Carmen wanted to do was shyly pull away, not because she didn't like it but because he made her feel some type of way.

A way she hasn't ever felt before.

Bianca sat back in her chair, watching the two stare at each other, finding this moment to be cute as hell.

"I apologize for Tiffany's abrupt exit but I'll be happy to fill in until she feels better." Another waiter states, quickly placing their drinks on the table and writing down their desired orders before leaving once again.

"Jongsuk, I have a question to ask you..." Bianca says, watching as his eyebrows lifted at her words.

Bianca glanced at Carmen with a knowing smile gracing her face, indicating exactly what she was about to ask while ignoring her friend's panicked eyes.

"Are you free next Saturday?"

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