Dara thought Jiyong would be a no-show for Black Friday’s morning workout, but halfway through her stretches, he came into the tiny gym, his hair adorably disheveled and his eyes blinking at her like he couldn’t quite focus.

“What happened to you? Did you go out again after taking me home?”

“Seunghyun a movie, and I got in. He can somehow work on his laptop and watch TV at the same time. And he likes scary stuff. He’ll sleep fine while I stay awake listening for odd noises and rechecking the door to make sure it’s locked.”

Dara turned away so he wouldn’t see her biting her lip, trying not to laugh. Scaredy cat. She could add that to her list of things she knew about him.

Jiyong sat on the rowing machine and began his focused workout. The return to normal was part relief, part disappointment. But this was what they’d planned on. She did him a favor, it was over, and now they could go back to being gym friends with their occasional small talk between workout reps.

But if she had to keep reassuring herself that this was fine, it definitely wasn’t. What did that mean? Yes, Jiyong was attractive and had turned out to be a pretty great guy. She’d enjoyed yesterday, as weird as it was, but it wasn’t meant to lead to anything. Maybe it had just been too long since her last relationship.

The door squeaked, and she turned to see Jiyong’s brother, Seunghyun, walk in. He was wearing a bow tie. It was all her eyes could focus on. Red, with tiny polka dots. He really did look like a lawyer. He even held a leather briefcase in one hand.

She smiled. “Morning, Seunghyun. Ready for a day at the office?”

“I am. What about you two?” He said it like an accusation, as if they’d ditched out on some important meeting, and he’d been sent to round them up.

Dara glanced at Jiyong. He was still rowing, studiously avoiding Seunghyun’s eyes. Except Seunghyun leaned down until Jiyong had no choice but to look at him.

“Mom called. She’s planning to put the Christmas tree up and pull all the leftovers out for lunch. Dami is out on an all-day shopping marathon with Hanbin and Hayi, and our loving stepdad went golfing again. If you two don’t show up, Soohyuk will kill you.”

Jiyong’s shoulders drooped. “Why are you working on Thanksgiving weekend?”

“I’m a criminal attorney. Holidays are our bread and butter. Do you know how many people got pulled over last night for DUIs? They’ll pay extra not to wait until Monday.”

“Fine. I’ll text Mom and tell her I’ll be there today.”

Seunghyun’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you bringing Dara?”

They both turned to look at her. It was hard to tell what Jiyong was hoping she’d say. She opened and closed , pulling together something in her head that wasn’t quite a hard no but not a yes either. “Well, we were planning on hiking later…”

Seunghyun clapped his hands together. “Cool. Do that. Just stop off at Mom’s, too. I gotta go.” He turned and left, leaving a less than comfortable silence behind him.

Well, that wouldn’t do. Dara picked up her water bottle before sneaking up behind Jiyong. He was still sitting on the rowing machine, but not moving. She lifted up his shirt just a bit and lightly pressed the ice cold water bottle to his back, making him simultaneously jump up and squawk.

“What was that for?” He turned to look at her, and his shocked surprise turned to embarrassed guilt. “You don’t have to go with me. Seunghyun’s not in charge, however much he likes to think he is.”

“But do you want me to? Would that make things less complicated?”

Jiyong rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Nothing will make this less complicated. I didn’t think about Seunghyun seeing us after the Thanksgiving date. We could let him be in on it. Tell him the truth.”

Dara grimaced. “I haven’t known him long, but that seems like a bad idea.”

“Correct.” Jiyong sighed. “He’s not good at keeping secrets, and I’d never hear the end of it.”

She left him to mull the situation over, now that her “icebreaker” had done its job. She grinned. Bad puns were a secret pleasure of hers. Plus, watching Jiyong jolt from the sudden cold against his back had been highly satisfying. Maybe because he wasn’t the type to retaliate.

Most guys she knew would have stolen her water bottle and dumped a little in her hair, just to make things even. It was the macho thing to do, right?

Was that what she wanted in a guy? She’d always thought so. She studied the back of Jiyong’s head as he picked up speed on the rowing machine again. Jiyong was so solid. Not just physically, but in the way he went about things. He was careful about decisions and interactions. The thought of asking her to Thanksgiving dinner had probably torn him up. How long had he considered it before saying something?

He finally slowed and got off the machine. “I have no right to ask you to come again.”

Dara crossed her arms. “Do you want me to come?”

His fists clenched before he let his fingers free and stretched them out. His nod of assertion was almost imperceptible.

“Well, finish your workout. I’ll meet you at your apartment at ten. Does that work?”

He let a small smile slip. “Yeah, that definitely works.”

+++

Dara didn’t seem to mind tagging along again, but this whole thing was getting ridiculous. She and Jiyong’s stubborn middle seatbelt were friends now, and she buckled herself in without any help. Worse, his family was already treating her like an expected guest. Seunghyun had practically ordered her to show up today.

“Does your family get a real Christmas tree or an artificial one?” Dara asked as they drove past a Christmas tree lot.

“Both. My mom usually pulls out the artificial one early, and then gets a real one to display in the entryway in mid-December. She’s really into Christmas. Five bucks says she’s wearing her Santa hat and elf slippers when we get there.”

“I will not take that bet because I totally believe you.” She slapped out a rh