Being together with Kris, together together, or whatever, made my days go by faster. He tells me something new every day. I learned a lot more trivial facts from him. He was always sprouting with knowledge.

            “Did you know that if you can count the layers of branches on a tree, you can guess its age?” He had his head in my lap and was lounging lazily as I drew.

            I brushed the hair off his face and laughed. “At this rate, I can go on Jeopardy and win.”

            Kris grinned at me and took my hand in his. My breath stopped. For the past three months, we haven’t done anything physical and this was as intimate as it got. He sat up and looked at me seriously. “Have you ever wondered about me?”

            I feigned innocence. “Is this your way of asking if I think about you when you’re not here with me?”

            “No, I meant, have you ever thought I was a little strange.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Obviously. All these random facts. You know things no normal college student would ever be able to claim to know.”

            He sat closer to me and I covered my drawing. “I don’t know. I think it may be about time I told you about me.” I was apt with attention. I knew what he was about to say was very important and that if I interrupted him, this chance would be lost.

            Kris leaned back against the bench so that he was no longer looking at me. But his hand still held mine. I crossed my legs and listened. “My father is very prominent in China. He is, was, a great military veteran. Our entire family had been in the same field, each one of us becoming the highest position, minister of war. But my father had one problem. He had a wish to obtain a great treasure. Legend had it that my great grandfather in the times of war had taken a vast amount of money from the Korean banks. His father disapproved. But the victim was my great-great grandfather. And from then, the entire family line has been in disarray.”

            I kept quiet, trying to absorb the enormity of what he was telling me. Kris gave a wan smile. “My father is ambitious. He only has me, his one son. He sent me to Canada to learn English and wanted me to train as his protégé, to take over his mission. He wants me to help him regain the treasure. But I know that it would be cheating the government and a crime. So my mom took me and fled.” He stopped talking and let go of my hand, almost as if pushing me away. “So the person you’re currently talking to right now is a fugitive.”

            “So, those days when you’re out?” I didn’t finish my question. I didn’t have to.

            “My mom gets paranoid. She has to make sure my father doesn’t find me so we have to cover my tracks. She would let me surface in random countries. Last time, we showed up in Switzerland.”

            I took back the hand he had flung away. “So I’m dating a person on the run? How exciting.”

            He looked at me, with almost disgust. “It’s dangerous. I could be putting you in danger. My father has the entire Chinese military under his wing. If he finds out I’m here, he may very well turn Korea inside out and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

            I rolled my eyes. I hated when guys pulled out this trick of protection. My life, my choice. “Kris, the moment you sat next to me, you’ve already chosen for me to stick by you. I don’t particularly believe in love at first sight but I believe in fate and intuition. And currently, I know my gut is telling me that I am ready for this adventure.”

            Kris laughed at my expression and I involuntarily let out a pout. “You’re making fun of me.”

            He stared at me for the longest time. “I’m not,” he whispered. “I’m really not.” And there was a change in the atmosphere. I stared at the pencil still in my other hand and the drawing pad now abandoned next to me. Suddenly, I felt awkward, as if something was off, something had changed.

            I didn’t dare look at him. I don’t think either of us breathed. I concentrated on the faint voices of the other students and the occasional passing of cars. The tree was rustling above, shaking its leaves. A couple fell, already red and orange but a few branches stubbornly held on to their green leaves, not willing to let them go for winter.

            There was a moment, and for a second, I feared the moment had passed but then Kris moved. He leaned forward and tilted my head up. His eyes held all the words that he didn’t say. I could read gratitude in them and some sort of warm, affectionate emotion. I bit my tongue to avoid naming it. I didn’t want to assume.

            When he did speak, his voice was low, and he spoke gently, slowly, as if any sudden words may break me. “Can I do something?” If I weren’t so gripped and enthralled by the look in his eyes, I would have cracked a grin. This was something straight of a drama. But I knew that a smile would be the world’s most inappropriate reaction. I nodded.

            I knew what he was going to do the moment his other hand reached upwards for my elbow. He pulled me closer and slid across the bench to meet me. He bent slightly forward and placed his lips on mine. He tasted sweet, a little dry from all the talking he has done before, but his lips were soft.

            He pulled our entwined hands onto his lap and pressed a little harder. I opened my eyes just a little and pulled away in shock. “You’re looking!”

            It was dumb, and I normally had better social cues than this but his actions had surprised me. I turned bright red. Now he would think I am an immature idiot who couldn’t even handle one kiss.

            But Kris responded in kind. He poked me in the forehead jokingly. “And you peeked.”

            I had unconsciously moved closer to him and took this to my advantage. “Well,” I said as I swung my legs over his. “I had an itch in my eye and had to blink.”

            He snorted and pulled me forward by my legs, pulling me onto his lap. “And I just happened to be blinking at the same time.” His left arm somehow found its way around my waist and he supported me as he kissed me again.

            I tentatively slid my hand into his hair and this time when we parted, our breathing was ragged. I looked up at him shyly. He placed a finger on my lips. “Shh, don’t say anything that’s going to ruin the moment. I don’t regret anything. I really like you. I don’t want you to say anything else.” I closed my mouth and huffed.

            Kris looked at me curiously. “That’s a weird reaction.”

            “Yeah, I was going to tell you how much I liked you too. But if you don’t want to hear it, then I guess I’m going to go home.”

            He laughed and stood up, placing me on the ground. “You’re impossible. I knew I detected a hint of feistiness underneath that shy exterior.”

            I pretended to be offended. “I am shy.”

            Kris held my hand. “Let me walk you home today. It’s getting dark.”

            I threw him a look and thought about my next move. We had only just kissed. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

            He almost looked like he couldn’t believe it. “Yes. Please. My mom has guests over and I’d rather not.” I smiled at him and swung our arms between us. Maybe next time, I’ll ask him why he wants to avoid home so much.