“You hear that sound in the background?” I asked, holding the phone close to his ear.  “That’s not poor video equipment.  That’s the screaming of too many young girls in one area.  That’s also the sound of their dropping.”  I couldn’t resist, I knew it’d send his blush trigger into overdrive and he was just too irresistibly cute when he blushed.  Sure, they’re screaming for all you guys, but I’ll point out the girls I saw in the audience holding signs that say, ‘do me Tae Il’ on them if you’d like.”

            His eyes widened and he stole his phone back, locking it and leaving it on the ground between us.  “There are no signs that say that,” he argued, but clearly seeing the humor in my joke.

            “They say, ‘Tae Il oppa is the best’ and ‘Tae Il oppa I love you.’  What do you think they really mean?” I questioned.  “I don’t understand.  You’re really good looking.  Where did that complex come from?”

            He smirked to himself as his eyes lowered to his lap again.  “Everyone has insecurities.  Except maybe you,” he added playfully.  “You’re beautiful.”  I thought his face may become engulfed in flames.

            I smiled at him.  “I’m no different from anyone else,” I replied.  “I have insecurities, too.  Well, fears.”  He met my eyes for a moment longer than he had any time before.

            “What are you afraid of?”

            “What are you afraid of?” I echoed.

            He scoffed.  “Failure,” he answered after a moment.

            I nodded.  “Dying,” I whispered back.  What the hell was I telling him this for?

            “But everyone dies,” he replied.

            “Everyone fails,” I retorted.  He chuckled and nodded.

            “Ok, good point.  I’m afraid of failing and letting everyone I care about down.”

            “Legit fear.  I’m afraid of dying alone.”

            The look in his eyes when he returned his gaze to mine made me shiver a little.  It was like he could see through me.  Like he could see my secret.

            “Why would you be afraid of that?” he wondered, still looking at me.  I could tell how hard he was trying not to look embarrassed the longer he looked at me.  For lack of a better reaction, I jumped up and looked around.

            “Holy crap!  The sun is rising!” I exclaimed.  It was a real shock to me, it just happened to come a good time.  A good change of subject.  He hopped up, too and laughed.

            “I never did this before.  Stay up all night talking.”

            “I never stayed up all night sober,” I muttered back.  He laughed again.

            His body language turned shy and self-conscious as he crossed his arms over his chest, then behind his back, before he shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.

            “Um, let’s watch the sunrise and then I’ll walk you home,” he said, rocking a little from his heels to his toes.

            Against my better judgment, I nodded.  “Sounds good.”

            Once the sun was full in the sky, we made the long trek backwards toward where my apartment building was located.  He walked me all the way up to my seventh floor apartment.  Outside my door, he was fidgety with nerves.

            “That was the best time I’ve had without my band mates in a long time,” he confessed with a chuckle.

            I giggled and leaned against the wall next to my front door.  “Me, too.”

            He laughed.  “Um, maybe…”  I watched the turmoil unfold in his eyes before he glanced at me and then shake his head.  “Well, goodnight.  Oh, um, good morning.  I mean, have a nice day.”  I could practically see him mentally kick himself in the face.

            “Thanks,” I replied as I typed in the key code to unlock my door. 

            He waved awkwardly as I stepped inside and slowly closed the door.  I leaned against the door and chewed the inside of my cheek.  This was nothing.  Ok, so what if I never talked to a guy for that long before?  So what if he’s really cool?  So what if he does weird things to my stomach?  So what if I already missed him? 

            So now I’m sick and crazy.  I looked down at my feet.  They felt heavy, glued to the floor.  “Move,” I demanded, pointing to my feet.  Nothing.  Instead, I turned and jerked open my door, ready to chase him down.

            But there he was.

            A shriek of surprise escaped.  My hand flung to my chest and I let out a breathless laugh.

            After he processed me standing there, he looked like a deer in headlights.

            “Why’d you open the door?” he asked, frozen solid.  Cheeks red.

            “Why are you still standing here?”

            “I-I-I-I-”  He clamped his mouth shut and sighed.  “I couldn’t leave.”

            “Why?” I asked teasingly with a smirk.

            “Well, I was…um, I wanted to, maybe…my schedule is kind of crazy most of the time, but, well and I know you work full time, but I…we-”

            “Do you stutter when you text?” I asked.  He hung his head.  I giggled.  “I was only asking because, if it would be easier, you could give me your number and we can talk that way.”

            He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Could I call you?  I’d like to…hang out with you again.  It would probably be at night again.  Crazy schedule…”

            Unable to resist, I leaned forward and pulled his phone out of his back pocket before tapping in my number and calling.  I waited until I felt my own phone buzz in my pocket before I ended the call, saved the number, and put his phone back.  Being sure to let my fingers linger in his pocket.  All of the color drained from his face.

            “Later, Singer,” I said.

            “B-bye,” he replied with a stiff wave.  I didn’t close the door right away.  Half way down the hall, he looked back and smiled bashfully.  Then again he turned back when he got to the elevator.  He waved more easily from inside the elevator as the doors were shutting.

            A moment after the elevator doors shut, I went back into my apartment.