She stared out of the window beside her pensively, sighing loudly as the rapid water bullets continued to attack from the other side of the glass pane. It was a miserable day, and Sarah was feeling her mood drown, much like the garden outside the window.

Sarah had thought her move to the big city would have brought her more opportunities than the kind she was lacking in her hometown of Geelong. It had been such an important move for her, something she had wanted for years. Melbourne offered so much more variety, the ability to excel in her career, to make new friends and have more of a social life, and especially – to find someone to settle down with. At twenty four, for some she may have seemed young, but watching all her school friends married, with children or having both, made her feel like she hadn’t accomplished a lot with her life. Sarah had no real achievements to show for her twenty four years of existence, and had hoped that moving to Melbourne would have changed that.

Except it was worse. Her office job remained the same old by the day, and it had become harder to make friends, not knowing how to approach people in the places she liked to visit. Sarah was incredibly lonely, and living in her one bedroom flat alone made her realise just how much she missed her parents.

“Why did I think this would start a new lifestyle for me, when I’m still the same old boring Sarah?” she asked out loud, but the walls only encased her with immediate silence, the rain still trying to attack her. Sighing again, she finally moved away from the window and went over to the wall to flick on the lights. However when the switch was down, nothing happened. Looking up at the cluster of light bulbs she frowned. “How could you both blow at the same time?!”

Fruitlessly she flicked the switch up and down a few times before glancing around her flat for other signs of power. It was then that she noticed the electronic clock on the oven in the kitchenette wasn’t on either and she stomped her foot in frustration, feeling all the pressure in her life amounting on her shoulders like great boulders. Sarah turned and grabbed her bag from the small couch, slinging it over her shoulder, and stalked towards the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Instantly she was soaked, her light brown hair turning dark as the rain began to run in small channels down her face and clothing. Instead of turning back inside to get protection from the weather, Sarah started walking away from the flat; in hopes she would walk far enough to escape her problems. She didn’t know where she was heading, and for once she didn’t care. As she walked, she couldn’t figure out if she was crying or not, the endless stream of water running off her forehead was blurring the vision around her eyes anyway.

Eventually her confusing emotions slowed and she was able to feel that she was bitterly cold. Sarah looked around her, not knowing exactly where she was, but when she spotted the Starbucks just across the road, she didn’t even hesitate to head towards it. As soon as she was inside, she shook herself off, water droplets showering the entrance. Her fingers began to burn in the warmth of the building and as she looked around, she noticed a mock fireplace to the right and had every desire to get a hot chocolate and then head towards it.

The clerk behind the counter gave her an odd look and then smiled. “You look freezing. What can I help you with today?”

“Just a ho-hot chocolate,” she stuttered, surprised by how hard it was to speak. The lady nodded once and gestured to the fireplace she had been eying.

“How about you go warm up, I’ll bring it over to you.”

“Thank you,” Sarah mustered, handing over some money and then shivering her way over to the chair closest to the fire. She squelched as she made contact with the fake leather armchair and stuck her hands out in hopes the heat produced from the gas flames would seep into her fingertips and then throughout her body. She coughed once, the action racking through her chest.

The waitress arrived then, giving her another wary expression, before handing her the drink she had purchased. Sarah thanked her once more, pulling the mug up to her lips and scolding them before even taking a sip. Pulling back in frustration from her frozen lips, she blew on the beverage hoping it would magically make it easier to drink. She wanted to feel the warmth of the hot chocolate, the relief that would wash over her cold form. After a couple more blows across the froth, she tested it again, greedily taking more than a sip when she realised she could handle the heat. She smiled genuinely for the first time in ages, and then sighed, wondering how it could be a hot chocolate of all things to make her feel better.

“I need to get out of here,” she said aloud and nodded once, placing her drink down on the little coffee table.

“And where would you go?” a voice asked her. Sarah blinked, squelching in the chair as she moved around to look towards the speaker. When she came into contact with the man, she was slightly stunned; his dark chocolate orbs staring back with curiosity. She took in his slender frame, noting his angular jaw line and caramel coloured skin. He smirked. “What’s wrong with Melbourne?”

“What’s right more like,” she muttered back, his Asian accent lingering in her mind. A chuckle soon left his lips and that soon swirled around in her mind, his foreign looks intriguing her. She cleared a little. “Sorry, how unpatriotic of me.”

“Unpatriotic?” he repeated hesitantly and diverted his almond shaped eyes to his beverage. “I’m a little weak with my English, could you explain?”

“Oh,” she said lamely with a blush and nodded. “I didn’t welcome you well to Australia when it’s obvious that you’re not from here.”

She wondered which country he was actually from then, trying to remember the differences she had once overheard in a vulgar description of Asians. Whilst she frowned over discrimination, she had to admit that she never thought she would have been this interested in a man not of her own race. Her cheeks flooded with colour at this embarrassing thought and Sarah spun back around, sloshing a little of her hot drink over her lap. Closing her eyes and counting to ten, she only made it to six before she snapped them open, feeling something moving on her thigh. Her eyes connected with the man now in front of her, his napkin dabbing at her accident.

“Don’t worry, if you can’t tell I’m already wet enough,” she stated and he rocked back on his heels, nodding lightly.

“Didn’t your Mother tell you to not leave home without an umbrella in case it’s a rainy day?”

Sarah smiled. “Normally I’m not this foolish.”

“Oh?” He took a seat across from her. “And you still haven’t answered my previous question, so that’s now two you have got me hanging out for.”

“Why are you so interested?” She watched as his dark eyes lit up and danced. She wondered if everyone’s eyes were as captivating as the man’s across from her were. Then again, she wondered if anyone could be quite as attractive in an exotic way in her opinion either.

He leant forward, Sarah edging closer also. “It’s not every day you are met with a girl who is soaking a coffee shop chair and with mascara lines down her face.”

“Oh my god!” she gasped, trying to hide her face. It was now obvious her day could get worse.

He laughed heartily. “I was joking about the makeup, it’s just a little smudged under your eyes, you look fine.”

“That was cruel.”

“So is not answering my questions,” he retorted. He had a point.

“Didn’t your Mother ever teach you not to speak to strangers?”

He sighed, though a smile was playing at the corners of his lips. “No, my Mother never did, though my adoptive Mum said it more times than I can remember.”

“Oh.” Sarah felt bad for the man, her features dropping. She had only been teasing him, flowing along with what was being an incredibly interesting banter.

“You don’t have to pity me, in fact I think everyone in this store is more worried about you,” he assured, causing Sarah to glance around at the other customers, a blush rising for the umpteenth time. “You are easily offended.”

“And you like to play with people’s emotions.”

“I’m merely intrigued,” he said with a casual wave of his hand, taking a gulp of his drink. “And I have all night. I’ll be unable to quench my curiosity if I let you walk out of here without finding out why you are how you are right now.”

Sarah had to admit that he had her wondering things too. She smiled warmly, and delved into her events since moving to Melbourne with the attractive stranger. She knew she’d walk out later thinking of him more than just a foreign visitor to Australia.

“Let’s go Sarah,” Jaejoong, his name she had quickly learnt during their conversation, said after they had exhausted all areas about each other they wished to know. She was experienced with everything that came with the man, from his age to why he was in Australia, and that he was Korean. He had made talking about her troubles in Melbourne easy, and he suggested that she didn’t just pack up in leave. In Jaejoong’s company, Sarah had to admit that was the last thing she wished to do.

“And go where?”

“It’s getting late,” he pointed out, his index finger directed at the night sky now losing the purple and orange hues and falling into darkness. “And we have somewhere to go.”

“We do?” she repeated, barely getting a chance to grab her bag and leave their numerous cups behind on the coffee table they had occupied for hours. Jaejoong brought her out into the night air, and she shivered, despite the heat radiating from his large hand. She then focussed on the soft feeling of his skin, trying to decide if it was a sugar rush from all her hot chocolates, or steady surges of affection that was making her feel so intoxicated. All the same, she allowed the taller boy to lead the way, happily falling into step beside him.

“You know,” he started as they stood at the corner intersection, waiting for the pedestrian lights to turn green. He smirked before continuing. “You really are a girl of small city origins. Why else wouldn’t you look at least a little hesitant to be following some guy you met a few hours ago out into the night life?”

Sarah blinked a couple of times, looking up at Jaejoong. He glanced down at her and she smiled. “I guess I should act more wary.”

“You should,” he confirmed as the lights changed and they began to make their way across, Jaejoong carefully navigating a path through the evening crowds, never letting go of her hand once. Once on the other side, he looked at her beside him again. “But will you?”

“I don’t think I could, even if I tried.”

“You’re too naïve.”

“You’re too blunt,” she bit back and he chuckled, his laughter being a sound that she had grown accustomed to in the afternoon. It was a big, unusual laugh and she wished to hear it all the time.

“My time with you is dangerous.”

Sarah frowned. “Why?”

“I think you know too many of my secrets now,” he told her and she smiled, trying not to let it stretch into a grin.

“How is that bad, Kim Jaejoong?”

He looked at her seriously then, and then took her inside a shop. She was distracted from getting his response when she noticed it was a clothing store, her eyes falling over the designer garments in awe. She had always wanted to wear such pretty clothing, but knowing how much it cost, she felt odd being inside the store. Her eyes fell on a tag of an aubergine dress and she gasped, noting it would take an entire week’s pay to buy it.

Jaejoong looked at her shocked expression and leant down to her ear. “But you don’t know all my secrets just yet. Shall we get someone to help us?”

“We-we shouldn’t be in here, it’s all so expensive,” she breathed and Jaejoong let go of her hand to press lightly on the middle of her back, prodding her forward. “I can’t afford anything in this store.”

“Isn’t it a good thing I can?”

He didn’t allow her to argue back, browsing the racks and ing things at her. Sarah was disorientated, trying to decipher if she was in some sort of delirium and imagining her surroundings. She reached out to touch Jaejoong’s lower arm lightly, her hand not going through, like it would if he were not really there in front of her. She assumed she looked very stunned, as Jaejoong’s expression softened. He smiled.

“You’re soaked through, please let me be a gentleman?”

“I,” she said and then closed . She tried to speak again but nothing formed so she merely nodded, caving in and going to the dressing rooms. A personal assistant was there and Jaejoong signalled her to attend to Sarah. A whirlwind of events then occurred, getting dried with a towel that appeared out of nowhere, and then trying on several outfits until Jaejoong’s eyes bulged in his head and he simply nodded. She felt like a Princess in a movie, though she couldn’t figure out when reality was going to come crashing back down on her.

“Don’t change out of that,” he insisted as she went to go back and take the clothes off. Sarah nodded numbly, too enthralled in her mind to fight out of him buying the outfit. The tags were cut off and they went to the counter to pay, Sarah pretending not to hear how much the clothes she was wearing cost. She worried that if she actually paid attention, she’d snap out of her reverie and demand her wet clothes back immediately. And even though she was still confused by his outlandish generosity, she was also incredibly thankful to be out of her sopping jeans and jersey, and feeling the warmth of dry clothes against her body. Even if it was costing her the morals she believed in.

They left the store and Sarah finally worked up the courage to ask Jaejoong why. He glanced at her and smirked, something she could tell was becoming his trademark. “Think of it being a good deed done for the day.”

“You went and brought me clothes.”

“Isn’t that a kind thing?” he mentioned and she nodded.

“You brought me designer clothes. There is a K-Mart nearby I believe, it would have been better to go there. It was no doubt a lot of money to take away from your holiday here.”

He smiled. “You didn’t listen to how much?”

“I was afraid if I did I would have fainted, or taken them off immediately.”

“Well then,” he said with a grin and then chuckled. “I suppose I’ll not tell you and just hold it above your head all night long.”

“All night?” she asked and he nodded firmly, looking ahead and then pointing at an Italian restaurant. “We’re going there?”

“Of course. I couldn’t have taken you in there in your wet clothes. It’s a good thing it stopped raining, because I’m not sure my umbrella would be able to protect both of us well.”

Sarah merely stared; wondering exactly was on the agenda for the rest of the evening.

He unlocked the door later that evening and Sarah was feeling quite nervous. When Jaejoong had suggested after dessert that she accompanied him back to his hotel room, she didn’t know if she could complete the request. She had an amazing dinner with him, and had felt incredibly comfortable. It was like she had known him far longer than half a day, and wondered how it could be so easy to feel such strong attraction to the man. But with one look in his eyes every time she doubted herself, she realised there was something there too, if he could be treating her like a complete princess for the entire evening.

Though she couldn’t bring herself to sleep with him. She didn’t want to be someone’s holiday fling, or brought like one of the girls from St Kilda who flaunted themselves in a manner she could never imagine doing herself. She was hardly experienced in the area of ual interaction, and it made her feel awkward, holding onto her body as if to protect it.

Once the door was closed, Jaejoong flicked on the lights and stepped around her, heading over to the couch and shifting the cushions around on it. He then went over to a cupboard, Sarah becoming confused as he yanked out an extra blanket. He spun around and looked at her, his laughter soon erupting around the room. He dumped the blanket on the couch and approached her. “You meek little kitten.”

“What?”

“You look like you’re waiting for me to attack you, to finish the night off.”

Sarah blushed, trying to hide it behind her hands. He gently pried them away from her face, his smile captivating her. “I may like you Sarah, but I’m not about to ruin my chances by taking you to bed with me now. You said you had no power, I couldn’t let you freeze back in your little flat.”

“Oh,” she said flatly, feeling incredibly stupid. The tears stung the back of her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She felt arms suddenly wrap around her and she held her breath, before sinking right into the embrace, slipping her own arms around his waist. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat erratically in his chest.

“I’ve given a thousand hugs, if not more, in my lifetime. Being who I am means I have to welcome everyone into my arms. But this is the first time I’ve hugged someone who’s made me feel this weak,” he murmured into her ear and she shivered at the intimate expression. “Ever since I saw you this afternoon, I had to follow my instincts. I knew the look upon your face well. I felt as lost as you looked. But now, I don’t feel so bad.”

“You’re suffering?” she asked softly, lifting a hand to his jaw and cupping his face lightly. He seemed to appreciate the gesture, leaning into her. “But you’re on holiday. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I tried to take a break from who I am,” he replied and she merely frowned. “Except I can’t not be myself. You taught me that today. You tried to move here to escape yourself, but the reality is that you’re only ever going to follow yourself everywhere.”

She nodded, she had to agree there. But that didn’t quite solve everything. She still didn’t know why Jaejoong wasn’t happy. She knew despite her barely knowing the man that she had to help him be happy again.

“Don’t worry, today was the day I needed. And I’m sure when we wake up in the morning; the sun will be shining and showing us a new way to approach our lives.”

With that he kissed her lips for the first time and then pointed at the couch before heading to bed, Sarah left reeling over everything that happened.

Jaejoong had been right, the following day had been bright and sunny, and they spent all their time together. Time shifted quickly and Jaejoong had to leave Melbourne, fare-welling her with a final kiss and his email address. She vowed she would keep in good contact with the man, although her work began to fill the hours of her day quickly. Months passed and although she kept in contact, the times were few and far between, but always incredibly special.  It was a six months after meeting Jaejoong that she actually sat down to think over their time together, and why he was still someone she couldn’t shake away from her heart.

She sat in front of her computer at home, staring at his words to one of his emails until she had to blink out of the reverie her mind had shifted into. She found her fingers soon typed in the name she loved so dearly on Google, and sat stunned, wondering why she hadn’t thought to do this sooner. In front of her laid the answer to his erratic responses, and his generous ways. He was a singer. And as she delved more into details, she realised his troubles came from a lengthy lawsuit with his ex-managing company. Sarah spent the next hour learning all she could, and even watched a couple of videos on youtube of Jaejoong.

After awhile she grew restless at her desk and got up, moving to her bed and lying down. She stared at the ceiling that became the projection screen for her memories, smiling to herself over the tender mannerisms Jaejoong possessed. And ever since she had met him, her life had changed. She had gained the opportunities she had been searching for, not out good luck, but her confidence growing and the hard work she put in. She had met a couple of girls that soon became her best friends, and ironically had a love for Asian cultures. She laughed out loud then, wondering how she had been able to get so enveloped with Korean culture without finding Jaejoong was a member of Dong Bang Shin Ki, one of the most popular KPOP idol groups.

“It was a sweet fate that I met him,” she murmured to the room, and smiled brightly. “A sweet fate that changed my life for the better. I finally found myself.”

Getting back up, she went over to her computer and sat down to write a reply back to Jaejoong avidly, getting everything out of her head and into the email before pressing send.

Sarah smiled fondly again before getting up from the chair and grabbing her bag and mobile phone. As she headed out to meet up with her friends, she wondered what Jaejoong was doing on the other side of the world. She hoped he would get her email soon. She would leave the rest to fate, and perhaps another rainy day.

The End.