She kept her own secrets.

                Sooyoung put her hands to her head and rubbed her temples, trying to get rid of the throbbing ache. Suffering from the effects of yet another hangover, she took a deep breath and pretended as if nothing was wrong. She dropped her hands and plastered a big smile on her face, just in time.

                “Hey, you okay there?” Jonghyun asked as he walked up to the outdoor café table where she was sitting, a guitar case strapped onto his back. He was carrying two cups in each hand, one for her and one for him.

                “Mmhm!” she replied, keeping the fake smile on her face. The pain was almost unbearable. She shot her hand out and grabbed the coffee cup. Taking a huge gulp, she hoped that it would allay her pain. When she put the cup down, Sooyoung noticed Jonghyun staring curiously at her from his place across the table. “What?” she asked.

                “Are you sure you’re alright?” His eyes searched her face, and Sooyoung began to get nervous. Her eyes darted back and forth, anywhere but straight at Jonghyun. “You normally put a couple packets of sugar in before you drink your coffee,” he explained the source of his concern.

                “Ah,” she racked her brain for some excuse. “I just wanted to try my coffee black today. It’s not bad, actually.” She lied, looking straight at him now. The coffee, or perhaps her dishonesty, left a bitter taste in . The jaws of guilt began gnawing on the fringes of her heart, but she ignored it.

                “Hey,” Jonghyun said. “We’ve been seeing each other for 3 months now. I think I can tell when something’s wrong.”

                Sooyoung sighed, appearing calm and indifferent on the outside, but her heart rate increased rapidly. She didn’t want to be discovered, not yet. She hoped he couldn’t recognize the red in her eyes, or the lingering hint of alcohol in her breath. Sooyoung her dry lips, and opened to release a half-truth. “I’m just tired, and stressed. I was up all night trying to write a term paper for class and simultaneously handle all my bills.” She didn’t mention the bottles of wine she downed in ‘celebration’ after she finished it. “Nothing was going right, nothing was working the way it was supposed to.” Her voice betrayed the exhaustion she had been trying to hide earlier.

                “Oh,” Jonghyun had been listening while he poured sugar into his already sweetened iced tea. He took a sip from it using a straw, then spoke. “Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to go to college myself, so I don’t think I can really relate. I’m a little too dumb,” he goofily grinned. Sooyoung looked at him curiously; she had never known that he hadn’t continued with his education.

                She assured him, “That’s okay. University isn’t for everyone. Your music is wonderful, anyways,” and gave a weak smile.

                Jonghyun noticed her attempt to make him feel better, and gave a brilliant smile in gratitude. “You know,” he said, “when I usually get stressed out about something, I go for a long drive by myself, just to clear my head and stuff. I find it really works.”

                Sooyoung skeptically stared at him with her attentive brown eyes. “Driving? I don’t know. Usually driving stresses me out even more,” she rejected the idea.

                Jonghyun grinned, accepting the difference between them. “Well, I know what will de-stress you, my beautiful lady.” Sooyoung blushed and bashfully looked down at the compliment. He stood up, took out his guitar and began strumming mellifluous chords, one after the other.

                People walking by began to stop and stare, and Sooyoung became extremely shy. She wouldn’t bring herself to look at the watchful passerby, but kept her eyes only on Jonghyun. His face lit up while he was playing, and his joy was passed on to her. Sooyoung felt herself relax, and her soul felt lighter.

                He began to sing a song she didn’t recognize. She let herself get into Jonghyun’s voice, let the harmony envelop her. Then, Jonghyun looked straight at Sooyoung, stuck his chin out, and sung a line that touched her heart. “Don’t give up, you lonesome flower!”

                She smiled, and her eyes moistened up. Sooyoung felt blessed to have such an amazing person care about her. Jonghyun continued to serenade her until the song ended, then gave her a charming grin. “Don’t give up, you lonesome flower,” he repeated in a gentle voice, the words falling from his lips like poetry. “If you need me, I’ll be there.” His hand reached over to caress her cheek, wiping away a lone tear that spilled from her eye.

                Still standing, he leaned over the table and put his face to hers, his lips brushing her forehead.

                 The gesture was so sweet, so full of attention and care, Sooyoung felt her heart throb. She stood up quickly, smoothing her clothes, acting as if she wasn’t as flustered as she felt. She imagined she heard a few giggles nearby.

                 Jonghyun just looked at her with incredulous eyes. “You’re really going to stand up and ruin the moment. Really?!” He had to crane his neck to look up into the face of his companion.

                 Sooyoung realized why he was annoyed, and cracked up, using both hands to cover her big mouth. Her eyes crinkled up, and her face turned pink from mirth.

                 When she finished her fit of laughter, she looked back at Jonghyun and apologized, traces of a smile still on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t realize that you felt so insecure about it.”

                “About what?” Jonghyun challenged. “About my height? I am the very definition of confidence, okay?” He puffed his chest out and looked at her haughtily.

                She decided to have a bit of fun with him, and playfully . “It’s okay, Jonghyun, you don’t have to get all defensive. I know that even a guy as little as you can have a giant heart.”

                “Who’s little?” He exclaimed, pouting. Sooyoung just laughed and patted him affectionately on the cheek.

                “I’ve got to go now, I need to start preparing for a presentation I’ll have to do in class,” she explained, picking up her bag and her coffee-to-go. She turned and began to walk away.

                “Wait!” Sooyoung heard him call, and turned around to see his face coming straight towards hers. Without giving her any time to react, he planted a sweet kiss on .

                Jonghyun pulled away, a playful look in his eyes. “If I was really little, I wouldn’t have been able to reach.” She stood and stared at him in shock, feeling a mild heat spread from her neck to her face. He smacked his lips a couple times, then them.

                Sooyoung’s already quick heartbeat skipped even faster. It was as if her body anticipated what Jonghyun would say next.

                He had a muddled expression. “You know, for someone who doesn’t drink, you taste a little bit like wine.”

                She held her breath, praying he wouldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together, hoping her eyes wouldn’t betray the truth. Her lips pursed tighter together in a tense smile.

               “Hm. You should wear that flavored lip-gloss more often.” He winked at her, then walked away with a smirk on his face.