Café 

I walk into the small café with Ryeowook. It has a homey atmosphere and is a nice place. It's become my favourite restaurant since I first came here. It has the most amazing food ever. Then there's the chef. Yes, the chef. He's really hot. I've brought Ryeowook here because he needs to understand why I can't stop talking about it. Well, he mainly wants to see the guy that I keep preaching on about. 

Ryeowook has black hair that frames his face and is swept to the side. He wears a black t-shirt that shows off his collar with a white suit jacket over top. He has a string necklace with a treble clef resting at his collar and a chain one with a coiled dragon at his chest. He's wearing black jeans and black leather shoes. 

Then there's me. I have short dirty blonde hair with tinges of black in it. The bangs are styled up. I wear a black V-neck shirt with a black over shirt with 3/4 sleeves and a sandy beige silk scarf wrapped around my neck. I have black shades, which I hooked onto my shirt when I walked in. I'm wearing tight dark grey slacks with a dark brown belt looped through it. I have sleek black ankle boots with a bit of a heel on. Also, I'm wearing a watch on my left wrist and black metal bangles on my right. I have two rings on my first two fingers on my right hand; a silver one with three small inlaid diamonds equally spaced around it and a white gold one with the engraving "HYUK" in black. 

"I don't get it, Hyuk." Ryeowook sighs. "Why don't you just ask him out if you like him?" 

"But he's always in the back." I pout. "I haven't had an opportunity to." 

"Ask to see him so you can give him your opinion on his cooking then." Ryeowook says. 

"What am I supposed to say?" I ask. "'Hi, you make the best cooking I've ever had. Do you want to go out with me?'" 

"No, but it's a start." Ryeowook says. 

I say nothing and stare him. Then I sigh and nod. I tell him that sweets are his specialty and pretty much decide what Ryeowook will be having. He gives me an exasperated look but gives in. I grin in satisfaction and wave over a waiter, who's wearing a white long sleeved button up shirt, a black tie, a black waistcoat, black slacks, and dress shoes. I order strawberry-vanilla shortcake for myself and dark molten chocolate cake for Ryeowook. I let Ryeowook order his own drink and we both end up getting green tea. 

Ryeowook looks like he's laughing on the inside as he watches me hop up and down in my seat, excitedly awaiting our dessert. I am so happy I have the money to blow on eating here every day. When our order arrives, I eagerly delve in. Ryeowook kicks me in the shin and I yelp. I frown at him and rub my leg. He gestures pointedly to a nearby waiter, his eyes screaming at me to hurry up and call the chef out here... Right. 

I wave over the waiter again and ask if I can speak to the chef. He gives me a worried look, asking if there is anything wrong. I give him my most charming smile and assure him that I just want to give my compliments to the chef. He looks surprised at my words but quickly pulls himself together and nods. Our waiter asks me to wait a moment and hurries into the kitchen. I watch their faces as they talk. It ends up being highly amusing. I should of done this ages ago. 

The waiter has his back to me so I can't see him through the window but the chef I can see clearly. After being told that I want to see him, he looks worried. Then his expression changes to confusion and he says something to the waiter who only shrugs at him. Then he slowly nods and is pointed over here. I quickly look away and start eating the dessert before I get caught. 

I take a quick glance at Ryeowook and can see him snickering into his hand. He's really enjoying this it seems. Two sets of feet can be heard approaching us. Then a nervous shuffling as he stops in front of us. I look up to see our waiter walking away and the chef nervously fiddling with his coat. Cute. I smile at him and pretend Ryeowook isn't here. 

"Um, I'm the chef. Donghae." Donghae says quietly. "You... wanted to talk to me?" 

"It's a pleasure, Donghae. I'm Eunhyuk." I smile in the way that I've found has girls fawning over me. 

To my great pleasure, he blushes a little. 

"You made this, right?" I ask, continuing before he can answer. "I've been coming here for a while now and the quality of your cooking if superb. I haven't tasted anything better so I just had to tell you that you're an amazing chef." 

Oh. His blush got worse. That's great. This is great. Donghae is so cute and his reaction is so good. I am not disappointed. 

"I, uh... Th-Thank you." Donghae stares at his feet. 

"Don't mention it." I say. 

Donghae awkwardly stands there twiddling his thumbs. With a few more words, Donghae retreats back into the kitchen. Suddenly, I notice everyone in the room is staring at us. Oh, I guess this doesn't happen often. Or ever maybe. Ryeowook stops trying to restrain himself and I hear quiet giggling. Ignoring the onlookers, I turn to him with a frown and give him a "what" face. 

"Oh man, you're really into him huh?" Ryeowook smiles. "I've never seen you turn on your charm so quickly in my life." 

"What? I thought I had to make the most of this." I pout. "I don't know when I'll get a chance to talk to him again. I can't exactly use this as an excuse." 

"Or you could so that he knows what you're really looking to 'eat' is him." Ryeowook smirks. 

"Hey! You're making it sound like all I want is to get into his pants." I protest. 

We bicker with each other as we eat and Ryeowook acknowledges that the food here is really good. I smile proudly and Ryeowook starts laughing again, saying I'm already acting like a proud boyfriend. I try to protest but Ryeowook shoots me down and I quickly shut up. He's making me blush and if this continues it's only going to get worse. 

~                ~               ~ 

I take my usual seat and wait for a waiter to come to me. When one does, asking what I will have, I tell him I'll have whatever the chef recommends. At this point, everyone is used to me being here. And they all know I'm interested in the shy chef. The only problem is that the chef himself doesn't appear to see that himself. I'm starting to wonder how I'm going to get to him. This isn't working out very well. 

The waiter smiles at me knowingly and walks away. I watch as he slips into the kitchen and tells Donghae my order. The startled look on his face is easily seen and he looks right at me when the waiter points to me. Instead of looking away and trying to be discreet, I smile and wave at him. I need to be more direct or I'm not going to get anywhere with him. To my surprise and delight, he blushes and quickly looks away. Maybe I am getting somewhere after all. 

I turn away and look out a window after that. There's nothing more for me to see. While I wait, I try to think of some other way I can talk to him. It's so much trouble coming up with excuses to talk to him. Hm... Maybe I'll just come here at different hours every day so that I can figure out when his shift ends and talk to him? …No, that would make me a stalker. Ugh. I should just ask him out. It will be quicker and simpler and it looks like he's into me too. 

Then I'm ripped from my thoughts by my order being placed in front of me. A donut sized and shaped chocolate cake is what lies before me. There's a liquid chocolate layered over top with chocolate sprinkles on top of that. Well... That's a lot of chocolate. It looks good though and I grin, digging in. It takes me a second to notice that Donghae is staring at me from behind the window. 

He blushes when he realizes he's been caught and looks away. When he looks shyly back at me, I smile at him and give him a thumbs up. Donghae blushes again and retreats. He doesn't look back a third time. It's a little disappointing but it's also satisfying. It's good that he cares. More chances of him saying "yes" to me when I ask him out. 

Trying to control my excitement, I take my time eating my dessert. I keep throwing quick glances towards Donghae. It would be really convenient if his break starts soon. I stop eating and stare at the chocolate cake thoughtfully. Do I have enough luck to time finishing this with Donghae's break? I doubt it. I don't even have the faintest idea when it is. I've certainly never seen him on break, start it, or end it. I pout at my food and continue eating. 

Can I just ask for him to come out? It's not like asking him out will take a lot of time so it shouldn't cause any problems. I glance around the restaurant. Unfortunately, it appears to be busy today. Taking him away for five minutes might actually cause some issues. I sigh in a somewhat defeated way. Well, I guess I'll have to deal with this another way. 

I catch the eye of a waiter and wave him over with a smile. He walks over to me and smiles curiously. With a completely straight face I ask, "Could you ask Donghae if he would mind if I come back on his break? Oh and if so, please tell me when that is." I say so seriously. The waiter is giving me an incredulous face. He appears uncertain if he should accept my request. It certainly isn't required of him. Would bribing him work? 

Hm... It couldn't hurt to try. I think. Pulling out my wallet, I look inside. Uh, how much money should I offer him? Fifty... or maybe a hundred? Um, or two? I stare at my wallet and then pull out two one hundred dollar bills and hand them to him with a smile. He stares between me and the money in disbelief. Two hundred dollars isn't anything to me. I won't be stingy about it. Besides, I really want to know when Donghae is on break. 

The waiter hesitantly takes the money and then goes into the kitchen. I my lips and nervously watch them. Will Donghae tell me when his break is? The waiter stops in front of him and Donghae looks up at him curiously. After a few minutes, Donghae's mouth falls open in shock. His head whips over to me. I try to stay casual and smile sweetly at him and wave. This is going to end badly, isn't it? I don't know him and oh god, do I seem like a stalker or something? Jeez, I just want to ask him out. Why does this have to be so difficult? 

Donghae and the waiter have a brief--it's long to me--conversation and then the waiter returns to me with a bewildered expression. I look up at him with a hopeful face and I'm pretty sure my charm is failing me right now. The waiter says that Donghae is fine with it and that his break is at 2:00PM in a daze. My face lights up in a delighted smile. It almost feels like he's agreed to go on a date with me. Ah... If I'm this excited already..... I'm hopeless. 

But that's okay with me. I get to see Donghae later! I nearly jump to my feet and hug the dazed waiter but manage to restrain myself. Feeling overly generous today, I leave a large tip with my bill before skipping out of my favourite restaurant. 2:00... That's an hour and a half away. Oh. Wait... ! I have a meeting at 2:00! I mess up my hair as I pull at it with my hands. No! No, no, no! I tap my arm worriedly. It needs to be pushed back... somehow. Hm... 

I hate to do it but... I have to call Heechul. If anyone can get me an excuse it's him. And if anyone would want to help me so I can ask a cute guy out it would also be him. Taking a deep breath, I pull out my phone and call him. It rings a couple of times and then I here his chipper voice on the other end greeting me. Well, here goes nothing. 

"Heechul, I need your help." I say. 

"Oh? What's the problem?" Heechul asks curiously and then in a serious tone adds, "It better not be anything boring." 

"...I need to get out of my meeting at 2:00." I say. 

"I'm hanging up." Heechul says blandly. 

"Wait! Wait! There's a reason!" I yell into the phone, close to panicking. 

"Good bye, Eunhyuk." Heechul says. 

"A cute guy! Cute guy!" I screech. 

"Ahem... What about a cute guy?" Heechul asks, the interest back in his voice. 

I sigh in relief and suddenly notice all the onlookers. Well, that's embarrassing. But not important right now. 

"There's a cute guy that I want to ask out but I won't get the chance until 2:00." I say. "By the time the meeting is over, he'll be gone." 

"Interesting. Out of curiosity, is he going to be there again tomorrow?" Heechul asks. 

"Er... Yeah." I admit. 

"Eunhyuk! Are you prioritizing a cute guy over work?" Heechul gasps. 

"I-I... W-Well, it's not...! Like... that?" I mumble. 

I didn't realize it before Heechul pointed it out but I totally am. The worst part is I'm okay with it. 

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not upset." Heechul says flamboyantly. 

Is it bad that all I can picture right now is him flicking his hair behind his shoulder in that way of his that says "I am fabulous and you should feel honored to be in my presence"? 

"Actually, I'm quite proud of you Eunhyuk." Heechul says. "I didn't think you had it in you. My brilliance must be rubbing off on you." 

Yeah, I'm sure something about you is rubbing off on me but I don't know that I'd call it brilliance. 

"Uh, yeah... So, are you going to help me?" I ask. 

"I don't like that tone but I'll overlook it this time." Heechul says. "And of course I'm going to help you! It's not every day I get a call from my dongsaeng wanting help for romance." 

"Er... Thanks, Heechul. I'll leave it to you then." I say. 

"Neh, leave everything to your fabulous hyung!" Heechul proclaims before hanging up without another word. 

~               ~               ~ 

My phone goes off on my way to the café. I pull it out and see that it's Heechul. Thank god, I was worried I might just be walking out on a meeting without any excuse. I have faith in Heechul but when there's five minutes until your meeting and there hasn't been any news, it's a bit nerve wracking. I was really taking a risk here. 

Anyway, Heechul has apparently rescheduled it for tomorrow. Thank you, Heechul. You are a life saver! When you want to be. I send a quick thank you message to Heechul and turn my phone off before shoving it into my pocket. I am not letting anything ruin my "meeting" with Donghae. I got Heechul to help and if I got some call from work to call me away or anything to call me away I would be murderous. So, emergencies? You're taking a back door today. 

I walk into the restaurant a couple minutes past 2:00 and scan the crowd. I spot Donghae in the far corner of the restaurant, seated at a table with the window next to him. Alright, Eunhyuk, now is the time. I put on my most charming smile and fix up my clothes--a couple of workers giggle in the background as they watch me--before sauntering over to him. Donghae glances up at me and smiles shyly at me. Cute. 

"Hello, Donghae." I smile and sit across from him. 

"Um, hi." Donghae says quietly. 

"I have a confession." I say. 

"O-Okay?" 

"You've caught my eye. I find myself thinking of you all the time. I've even come up with countless excuses to talk to you. So..." 

"Yes...?" 

"Will you go out with me?" 

The way Donghae is blushing at the end of it is really adorable. He turned the slightest shade of red when I complimented him and started fiddling with the tablecloth. Then he squeaked when he said "yes". It is really cute. Now he won't even look at me and is a dark shade of red. It is really wonderful. I'm really confident that Donghae will say yes. I smile fondly at him and try to rein in my excitement. 

"I-I, um... S-Sure." Donghae squeaks out, clenching the tablecloth nervously. 

Um, actually, why is he so nervous? This isn't something for him to be nervous about, right? Hm... I will have to do my very best so that he will relax around me then and enjoy himself. 

"Fantastic. When do you get off work?" I ask. 

"Ah, um, 7:30." Donghae mumbles. 

"Then I'll be back then." I smile. 

Before Donghae can say anything I rise to my feet to leave and as I'm walking away a thought occurs to me. I pull out one of my business cards and a pen and write my number on the back of it. 

"Oh! Here, my number." I say and place it on the table next to him. 

Donghae picks it up and I walk away. A few seconds later I hear him gasp. I glance back to see him looking between me and the card. Oh, I guess he never realized I'm rich. Well, that's fine. It's not like I scream it to the world or anything. It must be a shocker to find out I'm the Founder and CEO of Quick Silver Co. With a mischievous smile sent his way, I walk out of the restaurant. 

Then, to my great surprise--although I shouldn't be--I find Heechul and Ryeowook standing there. Heechul has long black hair gathered up at the back of his head with his bangs swept to the side. He has a white button up shirt on with several buttons undone and the collar ruffled up. Then he has a black suit jacket and pants. He has a silver watch and black dress shoes. Heechul isn't usually so formal. He probably came straight from work. 

Either way, all I do is stop and blink at them. 

"Hi, guys." I sigh. 

"So, how did it go?" Ryeowook asks. 

"Tell us everything." Heechul says. 

The following conversation is long, longer than is reasonable for a ten minute transaction. It's mostly Heechul's fault. I have to tell him every tiny detail. What Donghae does when I say something, how I say something, his response, and so the list goes on. Honestly, it's a real pain in the . Checking the time, I make an excuse to leave them. 

Well, I do actually have to head to the office even if I'm just trying to get away from them. I have a lot of work to get done in a very small amount of time. Ugh, and what am I going to do for a date? Donghae was really shy and uncomfortable. Is he always like that? Either way, I really have to think about what would be an ideal date for him. Or... would it be better if I let him plan our first date and just walk him home? Haa... I'm not sure. 

Once I walk into the office, everyone turns and stares at me. Uh...? I give them all confused looks and then my secretary, in her usual black skirt, white blouse, high heels, and black jacket, runs over to me and tells me Heechul was here. What? Oh. Oh. I ask what he did and the secretary shakes her head. Apparently, he walked into the conference room where all the people I was supposed to meet today where waiting and no one is sure what he said, just that they all became terrified and were all too happy to reschedule for tomorrow. 

Well, that explains why I didn't get a text from him until the last second. Oh wait, my phone is still off. I pull it out and turn it back on. The secretary, Sara, cries out when she sees this. I give her a confused look. What is Sara reacting like that over? As I quickly find out, it is my phone. 

"You had that off?!" Sara cries. "I thought it died and that's why we couldn't get through to you." 

"Oh, um..." I glance down at my phone to see a bunch of notices, missed calls and such. "Sorry." 

I decide now isn't the time to tell her I'll be leaving early either. Smiling sweetly at the girl, I quickly retreat to my office. I hunch down and dig into the stack. People pop in every now and then. Before I know it, my alarm is going off, warning me that it's 7:00. My full proof way to make sure I'm not late for anything because I get absorbed in work. I quickly finish up the phone call, jotting down a few notes and then grab my things. 

Stepping out of the office I look over to my secretary. Sara looks up at me and when she sees my face, she gets a mortified expression. Ah, she's known me for too long. My charm doesn't work on her anymore and she can see right through me. I clear my throat before turning to her completely. 

"I'm calling it a day." I tell her. "I'll see you tomorrow. Take care." 

Before Sara can protest I run for the elevator. And I do mean run. Forget office etiquette, I won't be getting out of here otherwise. I dodge past other workers and hear her yelling in the background for me to "get back here". This isn't exactly a common occurrence but it happens often enough for everyone here to be used to it and so they quickly get out of the way. Thankfully, my employees like me. One has an elevator open and waiting for me while some of the others pile up as obstacles for her to get to me. 

"Thank you everybody!" I call to them as the doors close. "I will bring you all a reward tomorrow!" 

Then I am free. I grin and pull out my phone, calling a catering company and offer them a hefty sum for them if they can arrange a feast for tomorrow. Of course, they will. This is what happens whenever I escape work. They have an order saved on their computers so I don't need to spend eons creating a list with them. As is expected, they agree and that settles that. Hm... They may get more business from me now that I'll be escaping work more often to be with Donghae. 

….I might want to do something about that. I don't mind adding to their business but my little excursions were few and far between so I could afford them. If I start doing this every week. Well... I'll go bankrupt. 

As I step outside, I glance at the time again. I smile, plenty of time. I walk through the parking garage and stop in front of my beloved motorcycle. It's far greater than having someone driving me around all the time. Hm... I might take to it now that I'm dating Donghae though. I will enjoy the quality time with him. A perk to being rich. I can be free to give him all my attention when driving. That's not to say I won't enjoy having him on the back of my motorcycle either. A perfect excuse to be close to him. 

Humming, I hop onto the back of the bulky red death trap and put the helmet on. I start her up and take off. For all the effort I put forth in my image, I ruin it all the instant I get on my motorcycle. I break every law and couldn't care less about the consequences. A rare thing for me. Actually, it surprised me when I realized this. Things far less stupid and dangerous than this scare the crap out of me but it's like a change comes over me as soon as I'm on a motorcycle. 

Oh. But I'll keep myself in check with Donghae. I don't want to scare him or anything. I know I'm crazy on this thing and I don't want anything happening to Donghae. Or for him to not trust me and all that. I pull up to the restaurant and get off, taking my helmet off and slipping it under my arm. Oh wait. Crap. I don't have another one with me. Um, I guess I won't be taking Donghae anywhere. Oh well, maybe that's for the best. He easily could have driven himself here and I can talk to him if we aren't on the motorcycle. 

I put the helmet into the small compartment in the motorcycle--it just fits--and walk into the café. I check the time and look around uncertainly. There's another five minutes, which is fine, but I don't know where to meet up with Donghae after. I bite my lip and pull my phone out. I sit at a random table and stare at my phone worriedly. I didn't get Donghae's number from him. Could he have told me in one of the countless messages on my phone. 

Sighing, I start skimming through all the texts and hoping to find an unfamiliar number. I nearly jump in excitement when I see one. I open it and all it says is "Hi. Donghae". I smile a little and add the number to my contacts, putting his name as "Cute Boyfriend Hae" before texting him. I tell him to meet me at the table from earlier when he's ready to go. A couple of minutes later the kitchen door barges open and he stares right at me in surprise. 

After a brief silence with us staring at each other my lips start trembling. I fail to keep my laughter in and start giggling. Why is he so surprised? I did say I was going to be here. Donghae blushes and glances around to see everyone staring at him before retreating back into the kitchen. Cute. I lounge at the table for another five minutes and then he shyly walks up to me. I nearly choke on air and die when I see him. 

His messy hues of brown hair is still the same but the rest isn't. In place of his chef's outfit, which looks really good on him too, is a soft long sleeved white knitted sweater, snug black jeans, multi toned grey sneakers, and a string necklace with a wedding band on it that must have been hidden under what he was wearing earlier. Can someone really just be this coincidentally attractive? I mean, someone won't pick out an outfit like this for any other day normally right? 

I grin at him as I get up. Donghae may do it unconsciously but he certainly knows how to be a real eye candy. Many eyes are on us, mostly his fellow co-workers. Donghae is clearly uncomfortable. I'm sure it's not entirely to do with the staring but I'm sure it isn't helping. I take his hand and bring us outside. Donghae looks down with a light blush. Gyah! He's so cuuute! I nearly skip out of the restaurant. 

Once we're outside I ask if he drove here. Donghae is startled and gives me a worried look as he shakes his head, as though he's done something wrong. I smile in relief. That's good. I don't want us to drive anywhere. I give him a reassuring look and then ask if there's anywhere he wants to go. Donghae shakes his head again and all I can do is smile amusedly at him. Despite him not saying much, his gestures are too cute for it to really bother me. 

I remember that there's a park nearby. That should be fine. Walking to the park is a bit more on the quiet side. I must be more nervous that I'm used to if it's like this. Silence isn't necessarily a bad thing but when you barely know someone it is. Or so I see it anyway. Donghae looks nervous but he's firmly holding my hand so I think things are okay. 

We make it to the park before long and Donghae seems to relax more once there. I notice that he is watching the children here with a small smile on his face. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I only silently watch him. Donghae is such a cute guy. He must really like kids. He glances at me to catch me staring and suddenly gets all embarrassed and blushes. I look around and guide us to an empty bench. 

"You like kids?" I ask. 

Donghae nods. 

"Siblings? Nieces? Nephews?" I prompt. 

"Um, y-yeah. An older brother." Donghae says. 

"Oh? No little rug rats to chase around?" 

"Uh-uh." 

"That's a shame. I have an older sister. She hasn't had any kids either." 

"Oh..." 

An unnatural silence settles over us. Damn. This isn't very easy. But I really like him and I'm not going to give up. Donghae doesn't talk much but he's really expressive. His face and gestures tell you everything. He's so sincere and caring but so, so shy. I want to get to know him. I want him to open up to me. I didn't know it was possible to want something so bad. Especially with someone you hardly know. 

Leaning back into the bench, I try to think of something I can do to get rid of the awkwardness. Staring at all the people, I see someone on her phone. Oh! That's perfect! I jump to my feet with a grin. Donghae gives me a confused look. I pull out my phone and tell him I want to take a picture of him for his contact ID. Donghae looks a little embarrassed and uncomfortable but he nods. 

This is great since I actually want one. Going to the camera function, I aim the lens at Donghae. He shyly smiles up at me, oddly nervous. I focus in on Donghae and take a couple of pictures.Then I go to my contacts as I sit down next to him. Donghae uncertainly peeps at my phone as I scroll to his name. When he sees his name tag, which I completely forgot about, he makes a soft gasping noise and looks away with a blush. Of course, it only proves just how cute he is and I grin at him. 

I click some buttons to edit his contact info and then click on his avatar. It sends me to my gallery and I quickly scroll to the bottom. Then I happily choose his picture and click done. I show Donghae who was probably leaning over because he wanted to see what his picture looks like. Donghae glances at his picture but his eyes flicker to his name again. He blushes again and stares into his lap. Smiling a little amusedly at him, I put my phone away. 

Then, without thinking, I rest my arm on the back of the bench. I nearly panic when I realize what I just did. Donghae is shy so I don't know that this is a good idea. However, before I can do anything about it I feel Donghae lightly pressing into my side. I turn to him in surprise but he isn't looking at me. He's watching the kids again with that soft smile and I relax. I hesitate for a second and then let my arm settle over his shoulders. 

Neither of us are saying anything but things seem to be going well. Donghae is more relaxed now and is content just sitting here. Since that's the case so am I. After a while he even drops his head onto my shoulder! It makes me really happy and giddy. We just sit there and cuddle but my luck runs out within the hour. 

"Eunhyuk!" Someone yells. 

Both Donghae and I jump as my name is called. I recognize the voice easily and jump to my feet. ! ! Noooo! Go away! Of all the times to actually catch me, why did it have to be today?! Everything was going so well too. Uwah! What if Donghae misunderstands this too? What if he thinks she's my ex-girlfriend? No, this cannot be happening! 

"You left! You son of a , you left me there!" Sara glares. 

"I... Um..." I mumble, unsure of how to calm her down. 

"Did you expect me to do your work too?" Sara asks. 

"Of... Of course not. I'll handle everything tomorrow." I say. 

"You ditch your meeting, come in for a couple of hours and tell me you're leaving early today." Sara snaps. "Are you crazy?!" 

"Well, I'm... Uh..." I bite my lip. 

. So, that's pretty bad of me but... 

"U-Uh, Eu-Eunhyuk?" Donghae says. 

Then Sara suddenly turns to him with a dark look and an "eep" escapes his lips. Her expression changes immediately after seeing him. She looks confused and looks between the two of us and then where we are. Then she's way too close and leaning into my ear, covering as if she's going to tell me a secret. 

"Are you on a date?" Sara whispers conspiratorially. 

Sara makes it sound like I never go out on dates. Well... I guess that is kind of true. I've only ever dated two people in my life but still. 

"Um, maybe?" I say. 

"Eeee! This is great!" Sara claps her hands excitedly. "I'll forgive you this time then. Oooh, I have to tell everyone." 

"What? No, you don't. You really, really don't." I say. 

"Of course I do!" Sara waves at me as though I'm speaking nonsense. "Oh, Sora will be so happy to hear about this!" 

"You don't need to tell my sister!" I say worriedly. "I just went through this with Heechul. I don't need a repeat with Sora!" 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Eunhyuk!" Sara waves as she runs off. 

...Damn it. Sora's going to be at my place when I get home now. 

"U-Uh, who was she?" Donghae asks hesitantly. 

"Sara? She's my secretary." I say. "She's also Sora's best friend." 

"O-Oh... Okay." Donghae says. 

We decide to take Donghae home. Well, it's more that we agreed to leave and I decided I'm walking Donghae home. As we're leaving, we see a group of kids playing soccer. Donghae watches them with interest. I look between them. It doesn't look like his fondness of children. Besides, these guys are teenagers. I doubt the fondness of watching a little kid playing in his or her innocence is the same as watching teenagers. 

"Do you like soccer?" I ask. 

Donghae nods and looks up at me. I smile at him. That's perfect. I know what I'll be doing for our first--second?--date. Donghae leads the way. While we walk, I try to get him to open up to me a little. I ask why he became a chef and he only shrugs, telling me that he loves to cook. In the end, I have him telling me all about it. The schooling, what he can make, his job, his favourite food and things to make. 

It makes me smile. I'm happy Donghae opened up to me. That he's telling me about himself. Then he surprises me by taking my hand. This must be a sign he's getting more comfortable with me. That's good. That's really good. By the time we reach his place, we're laughing and talking about food and my habit of showing up at the café every day. 

We stop in front of his door and the conversation comes to an unnatural end. An awkward air comes over us. The goodbye step in a date, I'm not sure what to do. Things went really well in the end but Donghae is really shy. Should I give him a goodbye kiss? I want to but maybe I should hold off for now. Donghae is staring at me uncertainly, shuffling on his feet. I guess he's waiting for my decision too. 

"Um... Um... Thanks." Donghae says. 

"Huh? For what?" I ask. 

Donghae suddenly blushes and looks down. 

"I mean, it was fun." Donghae mumbles. 

I blink at him in surprise. So... He's thanking me for the date going well? That's cute. I smile at him. 

"That's good. I would be upset with myself if you didn't have fun." I say. 

Donghae looks up at me with wide, innocent eyes and blushes again. Grinning at him, I lean in and kiss him on the cheek. 

"I had fun too." I murmur before pulling away. 

Donghae is still blushing but he timidly smiles at me. 

"I'll be seeing you." I say. 

Making a phone with my hand and pressing it to my ear I say, "Call me." Donghae looks embarrassed but nods. I grin at him and wave as I head back the way we came. Donghae watches me go. Once I get back to the café, I hop onto my motorcycle and drive home. When I walk in the door, I'm immediately assailed by Sora, who is wearing purple pajamas with little flowers all over them. I know it's late but, um, it's kind of weird to be interrogated by her in her pajamas. 

"What's his name? What's he like? How did you meet? What--" Sora throws me a volley of questions. 

"Whoa, hold on, Sora!" I cry. "One question at a time!" 

Sora quietens and nods eagerly, "So, what's his name?" 

"Donghae." 

"What's he like?" 

"Shy. Cute." 

"Oooh! This is so great!" 

Sora bounces on the balls of her feet excitedly and so the conversation goes. It's a long day and I don't make it to bed before midnight. 

~               ~               ~ 

After my meeting I return to my office. Sara is quick to bombard me with questions about Donghae. I give her a professional smile and tell her to get the details from Sora. Then I enter my office without another word. Sara gasps in disbelief and follows me into my office. Of course she isn't going to make things so easy for me. I run a hand through my hair and turn to her. I lean against my desk and she stands across from me with her arms crossed over her chest. 

Sara tries to convince me to give her the story. Apparently, she needs it from "the source". When it gets to the point that she isn't going to listen to me, I ignore her. It frustrates her even more but that's fine. I sit at my desk and check the time. The "banquette" will arrive in a few hours for my co-workers. Now, I need to work like a madman to catch up in all my work so I can work on making some personal arrangements. 

Sara wastes a few hours ing to me while I work. She eventually leaves and I smile. For the following week, I call in favors and make sure to get my way. Donghae contacts me during his breaks. At first he would only text me but by the end of the week he is calling me. I arrange my schedule so I can come down for at least one of his breaks every day. I arrive a little before his starts and pay for whatever he makes for us. 

Once my arrangements pull through I tell him to take the weekend off. Donghae gives me a confused look when I tell him this. I wink at him and tell him I have a surprise for him. Although still confused, Donghae nods and books the weekend off for me. He looks uncomfortable when I pick him up on Friday in a limo. I only smile at me and pull him inside with me. 

After the awkward hour or so ride, we arrive at one of the largest soccer stadiums in Korea. Donghae is still confused but I only grin at him when he turns questioning eyes on me. I take his hand, telling him to "follow me" and drag him inside. We walk through the stadium and end up on the field. The lights are all and in the center of the field is a soccer ball. 

Donghae's eyes widen in surprise. He looks between me and the soccer ball and it finally hits him. He gives me an excited face and runs to the center of the field, pulling me along with him. Once we reach it, Donghae picks up the ball and looks around the huge stadium with child-like glee. Then he turns those elated eyes on me, drops the ball, and tackles me to the ground in a bear hug. 

It surprises me but I instantly hug him back. We both start laughing and roll around on the ground while clinging to each other. I'm really happy right now but if he's this happy from just this then how will he react when he sees the second part of his surprise. 

"You didn't have to bring me here." Donghae mumbles into my chest. "I would have been just as happy to play soccer with you anywhere." 

"I'll pull all the stops for you, Hae." I grin. 

"Yah! Stop being a rich flirt, Hyukkie!" Donghae smacks me. 

"Aish! I'm being serious." I laugh. 

"Ani, Hyukkie is just being a rich flirt." Donghae whispers and nuzzles my chest. 

I chuckle at him and run my fingers through his hair. We end up just cuddling on the grass for a while. It certainly isn't something I planned to happen but I'm not complaining. Donghae eventually gets up and offers me his hand. I smile at him and take it. He pulls me to my feet and then retrieves the soccer ball. Donghae and I play around with the ball, not being able to have a game with just the two of us. 

We waste the day away at the stadium, just kicking the ball around. Donghae shows off to me, doing a bunch of tricks with the ball. It's so clear on his face that he's enjoying himself. It makes me happy to see him like this. I'm really glad I did all of this. When it's getting dark out, we're lying side by side on the grass again and Donghae tells me that this used to be his dream. He says he originally was going to pursue this. 

"I almost made it too. I would have..." Donghae gets a sad look in his eyes. 

I roll onto my side facing him and shuffle closer. Then I take his hand, interlacing our fingers together and gently squeeze it. Donghae squeezes back and presses into me. I throw an arm and leg over him and nuzzle his hair. 

"What happened?" I ask softly. 

"There was an accident." Donghae whispers and fingers his necklace. "My dad and I were in a car crash. A drunk driver hit us. My dad didn't make it. I had to get a metal rod in my leg. I would never be able to play soccer at that level after this." 

"Donghae... I'm sorry." I murmur. 

Donghae is clenching onto my hand now and crying. I hold on just as tight and gently kiss his cheek. I wipe the tears from his eyes but his lips are quivering and the tears keep coming. I coax Donghae into letting go of my hand for a second. Then I lie on my back and pull Donghae into my arms. He curls up against me with his head on my chest. I take his hand again, interlacing our fingers, and hold it next to my head. 

He silently cries and I run my fingers through his hair. When he calms down a little, he rolls on top of me and buries his face in my neck. I press my cheek against his head and rub his back. Eventually, Donghae starts making soft sniffling noises. After a while, he sits in up in my lap, straddling my hips. There is a kind of sad vulnerability in his eyes. He lets go of my hand and both of his rest on my stomach. 

We silently stare at each other for a while. Then I sit up and his hands travel up to my chest, settling there. I press our foreheads together. Nuzzle his nose. He closes his eyes. His lips quiver again. I caress his cheek. Slowly drop my hands, gliding down his neck. Take both his hands in mine and squeeze. I slowly lean in. Our lips are almost brushing. Donghae starts to lean in. My heart is pounding. Then... 

"No, I can't. I won't." I pull away. 

"Hyukkie?" Donghae looks up at me uncertainly. 

"I know you're hurting right now but I don't think you'd be okay with me kissing you otherwise." I say. "I won't take advantage of you. I don't want to screw things up with you." 

"Hyukkie..." Donghae mumbles softly. 

He looks like he's going to cry again. 

"I'm still here for you." I say. "If you need me, I'm here. I'll hold you. I'll take care of you. Whatever you need, I'll give it to you. Okay?" 

Donghae nods and hugs me. I squeeze him in my arms and we stay like that for a while. When he pulls away, he smiles at me. The smile is so dazzling, so sincere, it takes my breath away. He looks so happy, like I've just given him the world. I swallow thickly and smile back at him. I didn't know it was possible to care so much for someone so quickly. I'm never going to let him go. 

"You okay now?" I ask, caressing his cheek. 

"Mm'hm." Donghae nods. 

He closes an eye and leans into my touch. My smile widens a little. 

"Then, are you ready for the second part of your surprise?" I ask. 

"Second part?" Donghae tilts his head in confusion. 

"Yeah." I say. 

Donghae nods. 

"Okay." I grin. 

We get to our feet and I pull out my phone. It went off a little while ago to tell me everything is ready when I am. I reply to the text to tell them to come out. Then I tell Donghae to close his eyes and he reluctantly does. Grinning at him, I wrap my arm around his waist and Donghae shuffles closer to me. I grin at him and walk over to the entrance with him. 

When they start to come out I kiss his temple and murmur, "You can open your eyes now." He immediately does and gasps as he sees the Red Devils slowly pouring into the stadium. Donghae looks at me like I've grown two heads, a tail, and breath fire. I smile at him and push him towards them. Donghae shyly approaches them and I follow behind him. 

All the members introduce themselves to Donghae. It's cute how Donghae gets all quiet like when we first met. I forgot what it was like before. Donghae ends up hiding behind me like a little kid with his parent. I smile amusedly at him. He wraps his arm around my waist and drops his head onto my shoulder. The other members give each other amused looks. 

Ironically, Donghae gets more relaxed afterwards and talks more freely. The Red Devils talk to him from over my shoulder. It takes me a while but I manage to worm myself out of him. Donghae gets nervous again and I feel a little exasperated. He was getting along just fine with them a second ago. I shake my head a little and smile at him. Then I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around him. 

It works. Donghae relaxes again. I almost laugh and drop my head onto his shoulder. One of Donghae's hands rest over mine and play with my fingers. A glance tells me he's blushing a little. I smirk a little and turn my face into his neck. Donghae presses back into me but I'm sure he's even more embarrassed now. I'm tempted to embarrass him further but I restrain myself. 

I listen to them all talking with each other and simply stay snuggled into his back. It takes a while to get around to it but the planned game is finally brought up. Donghae's eyes light up and he gets really excited. I'm really happy I decided to do this. I didn't know when I planned all this but I'm sure it has more meaning to Donghae than I realized because of what happened to his leg. 

"Hyukkie has to be on my team!" Donghae demands. 

"Of course." I chuckle and the team also laughs. 

Donghae pouts and crosses his arms. We are split into teams and Donghae drags me to our side of the field. To be honest, I would rather watch. I'm not half as good as Donghae and the rest of them and I'm tired from playing it with him all day but I can't bring myself to say it. Donghae is so excited and keeps smiling at me with his adorable eyes that say everything. It's so obvious he wants to share this with me so I have to be here. I'll give it my all for him. 

As we play the game I can tell that they're going easy on me. It's a bit... obvious but I appreciate it. There isn't anyone keeping score--originally I was going to do that--so we're just having fun kicking the ball around and trying to score on each other. It must be around midnight when we're done. I'm exhausted. My bed has never sounded so appealing in my life. 

I watch a little away as the Red Devils and Donghae say goodbye to each other. They wave to me before leaving so I wave back, nodding to them in thanks. When they're gone Donghae turns and runs at me. It momentarily surprises me but I know what to expect so I brace myself. Donghae throws himself at me and I catch him. When I prevent us from falling down he locks his legs around my waist. 

Donghae has his arms around my neck and is grinning at me. I smile back at him, securing my arms around him. I hold him against me and carry him out of the stadium to where our limo is waiting for us. It is difficult getting into the limo because Donghae won't let me go. Somehow I manage though. We lie on the seats and I spoon him. On the ride back I fall asleep. 

The next thing I know I'm being shaken awake. When my eyes focus, Donghae is leaning over me. He smiles fondly at me and I make a tired acknowledging noise. He tells me that we've arrived at his place so I slowly sit up. I smile at him, telling him good night. Donghae nods and takes my hands and fiddles with them. He looks really nervous. 

His eyes flicker from me to anywhere else. Then he leans in and presses our foreheads together. Donghae keeps glancing at me nervously and I'm pretty sure he wants me to take the lead. The only problem with that is I don't know with what. Or well, I can't be sure with it. I hesitate and slowly lean forward. I stare at Donghae, looking for any signs that I'm wrong. 

Donghae blushes and squeezes my hands but he doesn't pull away. He leans in a little and his eyes constantly flicker to my lips now. As our lips are about to touch we close our eyes and then we kiss. It's a simple kiss with just our lips pressing together but my heart is still hammering in my chest. When we pull away Donghae hides his face in embarrassment. 

"Thanks Hyukkie, today really made me happy." Donghae mumbles. 

"Mm. That's good." I yawn. 

"But, um, why did I have to take the weekend off for this?" Donghae asks. 

"Oh? Because I want to steal you for the weekend." I smirk. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'll see you then, Hae." 

"I'll be waiting, Hyukkie." Donghae smiles before he climbs out of the car. 

I have the window rolled down and call out to him, "Not for long!" 

Donghae turns around to me and giggles. We smile at each other and Donghae heads inside. Then I'm off. The future is looking bright. A future with him. With Donghae. I can see it. I want it. And I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen. I smile as I stare out the window. It all starts now.