Author's Note: Before you go into reading this chapter, there was one thing I forgot to mention about regarding this fic. The setting! The fic is set in New York City. I know I had not mentioned a specific setting from the beginning but I thought I'd let you fellow readers out there know that! In other words, it is implied that this fic is set in New York City. I know I don't really mention anything too specific regarding New York City in this fic, but it will be mentioned in this chapter and so that I don't confuse you guys. But yeah, I thought I'd let you all know that this fic is set in New York City. Either way, now that, that has been mentioned, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! 

Side note: There are segments in this chapter where text messages are exchanged between Kai and the reader. Those segments are where the sentences are bolded. Just thought I'd mention that as well. 

You woke up for work and still had last night fresh on your mind. Kai made out with you and you didn't know how to feel about it. Well, you knew how to feel about the fact that it made you hot and bothered. But you knew that nothing else happened beyond that. Then you remembered why, because you were feeling a little tipsy after having red wine with him last night. That's why. It all made sense now. You were coming to your senses as you got out of bed and felt like you had a bad headache. This is how it always felt when you were hungover though. You couldn't function properly in the morning and needed something to help your hangover. So, you ended up taking some aspirin and drinking a full glass of water. You could only hope that your headache would subside before you went to work. 

As you were getting ready to go, you received a text message from Kai. 

"Had a nice time last night. I'm busy for the entire afternoon because of interviews with the press. But meet me by the fountain in Central Park at 5 and then we'll go get dinner." 

This put a smile on your face and you felt so giddy. You really couldn't believe this was happening, but it's been awhile since you've gone to Central Park. Then again, you wondered, why Central Park? It is such a huge park. It is a wonderful place to go, but you could also get easily lost there too. Then again, you knew your way around New York City. And after you read over his text, you texted him back. 

"I really hope I don't get lost. But just so we're clear, which fountain? There's a few." 

Kai was quite quick in responding back to your text after you asked him that. 

"Bethesda Fountain. The giant one. See you later, dear." 

Then as soon as you saw his text, you sighed in relief and were on your way back to getting ready for the day. You were brushing your hair, fixing your makeup, and packing your camera gear for the next photoshoot you had to attend to for the day. You were supposed to be lending a hand with one of your other coworkers for this photoshoot. It was for an outdoor photoshoot near the Brooklyn Bridge. While you liked Brooklyn as much as anyone, you still preferred Manhattan since your apartment was closer to there. But you knew it was all a part of the job. Traveling was to be expected as a photographer in a busy place like New York. But you hopped onto the subway and were on your way to Brooklyn for the photoshoot to meet with your other coworker. 

As you were sitting on the subway, you were thinking about Kai. There was something so different about him that you couldn't put your finger on it. You knew the two of you were of different caliber, as far as status went since you were not a celebrity and just a photographer that happened to be from New York City. And he was a k-pop star who also modeled around the world. You were in and over your head. You were trying not to overthink this. But you kept asking yourself, how could you end up going out with someone like Kai? It wasn't a bad thing though. If anything he surprised you. You could only wonder what was going on with him at this very moment as you were on the way to the photoshoot for work and he was just living his best life. Well, not his best life, but you knew he had it easier than you since you work to pay the bills and he is just traveling. 

You could only wonder how long Kai would be staying in New York City before he went back to South Korea. Could it possibly be just a short-term relationship? That's why you felt the way you did as you sat on the subway. Then you remembered, this is why you hated sitting in silence, especially for long periods of time such as this one. Maybe you should've put in your headphones and listened to something to brush those thoughts off your mind, but you knew it was too late now. You kept thinking about it now. You kept thinking about Kai and what his true intentions were for the future of your relationship going forward. How would the two of you make it work if he isn't going to be in New York City for much longer? How would that turn out? What could you or him do to see each other? Would he come back to New York City to see you every now and then or would you go to South Korea to visit him? How would your relationship work? You kept asking yourself these questions and then finally snapped out of your thoughts as the subway made it to your stop. You were finally in Brooklyn. 

As soon as you got off of the subway, you were within walking distance from the Brooklyn Bridge. You could see your coworker setting up for the photoshoot the two of you were working together on. You didn't know much about who would be attending this photoshoot until they showed up. So, it turned out that you had been ordered to do a photoshoot that consisted of multiple female models that needed to be photographed for an upcoming issue of one of the fashion magazines in New York. The girls looked happy to be there and you were not really in the best mood since you still had a headache. But you did what you had did best, you got the girls to pose in different positions and stances until you finally got the pictures that made them stand out the best for the magazine. And then after your photoshoot had wrapped up for the day, it started to rain. You packed the rest of your camera gear as quickly as you could to make sure that nothing got wet and dismissed the models for the day. 

Then you remembered, you still had to meet with Kai in a little while. How would that be possible? It's started to rain much harder now and you started to see lightning strike. As much as you liked the rain, you didn't see things going according to plan with Kai tonight. The thunder started to roar and got louder, and you started to scramble into the subway station to not get wet. You knew you needed to go on the subway now or else you'd be late. As you were waiting in the station, you texted Kai. 

"Kai, I don't think we can meet in Central Park. Look outside." 

A few minutes later you receive a response back from Kai. 

"Meet me at the restaurant with the boats near Central Park instead. I'll be waiting inside for you in a little while. Be safe, dear."

You were happy you didn't have to take a stroll in the heavy rain today. But felt a sense of relief and were still glad you got to see Kai, despite the weather. And then texted him back. 

"I know exactly where that is and will see you soon. Save me a seat?" 

Your phone buzzed and Kai texted you back in an instant. 

"You know I will."

After he texted you that, you smiled and held onto the railing in the subway car until it finally came to a stop. You were within walking distance from the restaurant. It was about a block away from the station you were coming from. You started to run as quickly as you could to keep yourself from getting drenched and also protecting your camera gear. You didn't care if you just got off work and had your camera gear with you, you knew you had to get to the restaurant before there was a downpour. So, you kept running and finally made it to the restaurant. It was one of the nicest restaurants in New York City. Your friends have told you that people who go to this restaurant usually only go if they want to have their wedding reception or engagement there. In other words, this restaurant was out of your price range and you felt a little out of place there. You've never been to it before until now and could only wonder why Kai would choose a restaurant such as this one. 

As soon as you got into the restaurant, a waiter came up to you and asked if you needed a towel to dry off. You didn't notice until now that you were drenched from the rain. Well, your shirt for the most part was drenched and the rest of your clothing was not as wet. So, you said yes to the waiter and accepted the towel. And you then walked to the table that Kai was sitting at. He looked worried and concerned. He got up from his seat and pulled out your chair for you. "Are you okay? I didn't know it was going to rain today. I was really hoping that we could've gone to Central Park." Kai was relieved that you were at least safe and finally out of the rain though. He just thought everything would've gone according to plan. .

You felt embarrassed and were not sure how to ask Kai what the two of you were, since you had a lot to think about earlier. But before you were about to speak, you handed the towel to the waiter and thanked him. "I'm fine. I just really needed to dry off that's all. Anyway, Kai, I know we're still getting to know each other but I just want to know what it is that I am to you. What am I to you? How is this going to work?" You were trying to sound as calm as possible in asking him that so you didn't cry. You just hoped that he wasn't going to break your heart in the end. 

Kai looked at you and put his hand over the top of your palm. "I know that we're still getting to know each other. But I would like to continue being with you, even if I'm away from you. I know that can be hard for some couples. Distance. But you're someone I see spending time with and would hope to be my girlfriend. And I can make it work, if you make it work. I'll come up with a way to visit you." 

You truly felt touched that Kai was unlike the kind of guys you usually went out with. But you could tell now, he really was different from most guys. He wasn't just seeking to be with you for . He was in it for something real. Were you finally going to commit? That's what you were asking yourself. And then you looked at him, "I'll agree to that. But want to know, when can I see you again? And how will I be able to see you if you're not able to come to New York? And how much longer will you be here until you have to go back? Isn't Exo going to be going on tour soon?" 

Right as Kai was about to answer your questions, the waiter came back to your table. "Are the two of you ready to order?" You felt nervous and blushed, because you forgot to look at your menu since you came in. You hadn't bothered to look at the menu since the two of you were talking instead of wanting to figure out what you wanted to eat for dinner. But Kai smiled at the waiter and ordered for the both of you, "We'll have water and the pasta primavera with some bread on the side." The waiter smiled back at the two of you and took your menus, "Good choice, sir. I'll let the chef know." And then after the waiter walked away, the two of you finally had some time alone again. 

Kai scratched his neck and you could tell he looked nervous. "Okay, so, I will go back on a returning flight back to South Korea tomorrow night. Which isn't the best, if you ask me. I wish I could've stayed in New York City for at least a couple of weeks to explore. You know? Have a nice little vacation? But my company has me working on a strict schedule. And yes, I have to go on tour with my group soon. Although, we're only going on tour through other Asian countries and that's a few months time. From Korea to Japan to Thailand to the Philippines and other Asian countries. What am I trying to say here? Uh..the tour goes on for a few months and ends right after Thanksgiving. So, my plan is to come back to New York and come spend Christmas and New Years with you." 

You were starting to cry now. It was all going by so fast. You were on the brink of starting a serious relationship with Kai and soon found out he will be going back to South Korea in less than 24 hours. And the next time you'd see him is at Christmas. So, you'd be all alone until Christmas. That's how you saw it. You were too upset to touch your food now. And yet you saw Kai sitting there with a look of concern on his face, wondering how you'd process and take all of this in. You knew that you wanted to be with him but wanted to know how it'd work. How would this relationship work with such a great distance apart from each other for months? 

After you thought about it though. You finally wiped up your tears and looked at Kai. "Of course I want to be with you, but I want to know how this will work. How are we going to make it work while you're gone for a few months? Plus, what if there comes a point where I want to come visit you in exchange for you coming to visit me? I would like to leave New York one of these days even if it's for a short amount of time. Kind of like how you feel about wishing you had more time to be able to visit New York. I guess that's one thing we've got in common." 

He smiled at you after you had said that to him. That brought a sense of hope for him and he knew you didn't doubt him now. "How about this? After I come back to New York for the holidays, you come back with me to Korea after New Years and I can show you around? And I know how we can keep in touch while I'm gone for a few months. Texting. Calling. Face-timing. And even sending each other letters or gifts, if you want to of course. I know how expensive international shipping can get. But just know that I'll do anything to keep in touch with you, even if I might not be here until December. Okay?" 

Your tears finally dried up and you felt relieved. Okay, so you thought, this might actually work. You could manage being in a long distance relationship with Kai until he came back in a few months. You knew you just had to get creative with how the two of you would communicate for the time being. "Yes, that's fine. I'll think of ways to keep you entertained both over the phone and face-time. But also, I'd love to take a stroll with you in Central Park before you go back tomorrow. Maybe it'll be dry by then." 

The waiter came back to your table with the bill and Kai left a tip. And then, the two of you walked out of the restaurant together. He held his arm out for you and you linked your arm with his. The rain finally stopped and the two of you got a chance to take a nice stroll home. It was too late to go for a walk in the park, because it had gotten dark out. But you felt as though this was nicer since he was walking you home and you didn't have to worry about the dangers of Central Park after dark. It was silent the entire time the two of you walked to your apartment. And then right as you were about to unlock your door, Kai stopped you for a second. He puts his hand over your palm and pulls you towards him for a kiss. He catches you by surprise and you proceed to put your other hand around his cheek. His body radiated warmth and you couldn't help it but melt in his arms for a moment. And then he pulled you in for an embrace and kissed you one last time, until he whispered, "Come by my place tomorrow before I leave. There's something I need to give you."