Donghae begged for Hyukjae to drive Boa home from their double date so that he could be alone with Nam Jihyun but there was no need to even ask, he would have volunteered in a heartbeat.  And Boa seemed pleased not to have to ride with Donghae again, feeling like a third wheel. 

            When they arrived at her apartment, she asked him if he’d like to come upstairs for some coffee and they’d certainly known each other long enough for it to be acceptable in his mind and followed her up where they easily fell into conversation about the places they’d been recently and the people they’d seen.  Hyukjae talked about brushing up on Mandarin and touring with Super Junior M and she told him about some of the songs she was thinking about singing.  He’d even told her about a song that he’d written with Donghae recently that she might want to look at, since it wasn’t really appropriate for a group to sing but a solo artist would sing it well.

            Before they knew it, it was getting to be past midnight and Hyukjae thought it would be impolite to stay longer.  If he stayed much later, he didn’t want her to feel that he was going to make a move on her or anything.

            “Wow!” he said, pointing to the clock.  “I can’t believe it’s this late already.”

            “Oh,” she said, sounding disappointed.  “Time goes by so quickly when we start talking, doesn’t it?”

            “It does,” he said, getting up and taking his cup into the kitchen before walking back out and putting on his jacket.

            “I had a really good time,” Boa said.  “I don’t get out very often with my busy schedule.”

            “Neither do I,” he said, heading for the door.  “We should do this again sometime.”

            “I’d really like that,” she said, holding the door as he walked out.  He turned to face her one more time and, unable to figure out what else to say, simply nodded to her before walking away.

            The whole way down the elevator he cursed his nervousness, wondering what she would have done if he’d kissed her good-bye instead.  But he was too scared.  They’d known each other a long time but that didn’t mean that she felt anything more for him than friendship and he didn’t want to do anything to sabotage that.

            Hyukjae walked to his car and got inside.  He put the key in the ignition but the moment he tried to turn the key, nothing happened.  After trying over and over again, he pulled out his phone and dialed Donghae’s number, assuming that he’d still be up, but it rang and rang until it finally went to his voicemail.  He left a message and then put his phone back in his pocket.  It was too late to call any of his other friends without inconveniencing them, so he walked back to the apartment and buzzed Boa’s room.  As he exited the elevator, he saw her standing at her door, a worried look on her face.

            “Ah, don’t worry,” he said as he neared.  “My car just won’t start.  It’s probably the cold weather.”

            “Do you want to stay here tonight and find someone to help you fix it in the morning?”

            “You don’t mind?” he asked as she shut the door behind him.

            “No,” she said, taking his coat from him and hanging it up. 

            “I feel bad though,” he said, leaning against the wall next to the front closet.  “And I don’t want anyone to see me and get the wrong idea or start spreading rumors about you.”

            Boa nodded.  “I get it now,” she said, exhaling a long breath and looking down at her feet.  “You don’t like me like that, do you?”

            “Like you like what?” Hyukjae asked, suddenly tensing up.

            “I mean,” she said, stopping to think about her words.  “I mean, you aren’t interested in me.  You would have said something by now, right?  I’m just silly to keep hoping…”

            Her voice began to break and she sniffled, trying to hold back her emotions.

            “Boa!” he said, his own emotions running wild within him, shocked by her words.

            Boa looked at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears, and waited for him to say more.  Hyukjae was standing in front of her in two strides.

            “No, don’t cry!” he said, panicking.  “You’ve got it all wrong.  I’m just an idiot and I thought that it was you who wasn’t interested in me, so I’ve never told you how I felt.”

            “How do you feel?”

            Hyukjae took a deep breath and then let it all out.  “I think you’re the kindest, most sincere and beautiful woman I’ve ever met.  You have a gorgeous voice and I love the way you dance and laugh and tease and how you put up with talking to someone dorky like me all the time,” he said, fumbling with his thoughts and just saying whatever came to him.  “I’ve loved you since the moment I first met you…and I’ve never told you because I didn’t want to scare you away.”

            “You love me?” she asked, looking up at him.

            He smiled wide and nodded, too shy to say anymore.

            “You love me,” she softly repeated to herself in disbelief.

            Hyukjae lightly wrapped his arms around her and bent his head down too look into her face, watching her.  She rested her hands against his chest, her cheeks turning pink as she gripped his shirt. 

            “I feel so nervous now,” she stammered, resting her forehead against him.

            Hyukjae kissed her cheek and gently tightened his hold on her.  “You don’t need to be nervous; I’m still sleeping on the couch.”

            She looked at him in surprise.

            “I’m a little more old-fashioned than I appear, which probably went out of style a hundred years ago, but I’d rather take my time.  I really feel that things happen when they’re meant to.  Maybe my car was meant to break down today, perhaps it was divine intervention, so that we would have the chance to tell each other what we feel about one another,” he suggested.

            Boa rose up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against Hyukjae’s before burying her head in his shoulder in embarrassment.  “I love you too,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.  He held her close, content enough to know that she was his.