Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Take it Slow
After an enjoyable lunch, Jesse walked Miyeon to the train station. He was reluctant to part with her and his hesitation to bid farewell was clearly visible on his face. So, the two attractive individuals stood at the station entrance staring at each other for a few minutes. Miyeon is someone used to silence; however, their presence was already drawing some unwanted attention as passersby began to gossip.
- Wow, that foreigner is so good looking!
- The girl beside him is gorgeous, is that his girlfriend?
- Are they filming a show? They must be celebrities!
So Miyeon creased her brows slightly and spoke first, "Thanks for lunch Jesse. I'll see you around alright?" Miyeon made a gesture with her hand to wave goodbye when Jesse suddenly reached out to grab her hand causing Miyeon to regard the man in front of her with a questioning look on her face.
"Irene...That.. It's been a while so could I have a hug instead?" Jesse shyly voiced his request.
Miyeon gave a soft laugh at Jesse's seemingly childish request. She managed to take two steps forward before she was enveloped in a bear hug. Miyeon lay in Jesse's warm embrace for several seconds before pulling away.
"I need to catch my train," she said apologetically.
Jesse nodded dumbly before "Won't you let me cook for you next time?"
"You'll be cooking me Chinese food?" Miyeon asked with a smile.
"Yeah. I..uhh.. I've been practicing," Jesse admitted looking abashed.
"Pfft… Jesse Evans, you never fail to surprise me," Miyeon responded covering her mouth as she laughed.
"Well, I try." Jesse said as his lips lifted to an uncontrollable smile.
"Alright." (Miyeon)
"It's a promise." (Jesse)
Miyeon simply nodded with a laugh unaware of the heart flutters Jesse is experiencing as a result of her smile.
Finally, Miyeon gave Jesse a wave as she turned and walked to the station. And per habit, Jesse's eyes never left Miyeon's retreating back until her silhouette is no longer visible through the sliding glass doors.
...........................…..
Y City, District 1 @ The LoFt
Rich was sitting at the counter of their penthouse apartment having cereals and milk for lunch when he saw Jesse saunter in with a silly smile on his face. Rich shook his head at his best friend's dopey look. 'Is this the same person that shot the luxury watch billboard ad for Patek Phillippe?' Rich wondered with a slightly disgusted look.
"Mate, you gotta fix your face. You're looking like SpongeBob right now." (Rich)
Jesse on the other hand did not pay attention to his friend's sarcastic comments; today he was in an exceptionally good mood. He walked over to the fridge to grab a drink and proceeded to pour himself a glass of OJ (orange juice). Jesse was still grinning by the time he sat beside his friend by the kitchen countertop.
"You planning to keep me in suspense for calling you SpongeBob?" (Rich)
"You ate all the Fruit Loops again." Jesse said as he shook the empty cereal box on the table.
"Sponge, don't change the subject. Did you ask her out or nah?" (Rich)
"..." (Jesse)
"Christ! Mate! You still haven't?!" (Rich)
"That's not it. I've thought about it and I think it's best that I take it slow with Irene." Jesse admitted truthfully.
"How much slower? It's been 7 years." Rich asked, dismayed.
"Yeah. But she doesn't know that. I want her to see me as a man and slowly be able to accept my feelings." (Jesse)
"..." (Rich)
"For now, at least I've told her that I have someone I am interested in." (Jesse)
"But you didn't tell her that someone is HER." Rich insisted.
"I told you. I'm planning to approach her slowly with my feelings. I don't want to scare her off." (Jesse)
"Bloody Hell, mate! I hope you know what you're doing." Rich finally said after seeing Jesse's solemn countenance.
..............................
Y City, District 4
After a 45 minute train ride, Miyeon arrived back in her apartment in good spirits. It's always fun catching up with him.
Before her mood could worsen, Miyeon decided to get on 52Jobs.com, a popular job search website in C Country. She flagged several consulting jobs that match her specialty as well as a couple of job postings that appeared interesting but with which she had no experience. Afterwards, Miyeon updated her resume and proceeded to draft a generic cover letter that she would revise to cater to specific job openings. When she had finished the process of application submissions, an hour or so had passed by and Miyeon felt like drinking some coffee.
As she pondered over whether to have a snack along with her drink, she received a text from her best friend Shu Li.
**text message**
[TheStar_Stella]: Miyeon-ah~~ I just got off work. Wanna grab a bite?
[IamIrene]: Sure. What do you have in mind?
[TheStar_Stella]: I'm feeling sushi. ~(˘▾˘~)
[IamIrene]: Alright. ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
[TheStar_Stella]: 'Kay! Sit tight I'll drive over. Make sure you dress pretty. (◔◡◔)
[IamIrene]: Why do I have to dress pretty for a light meal? ಠ_ಠ
[TheStar_Stella]: Just trust me! I'll be there in 20. (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
[IamIrene]: …
[IamIrene]: Park outside of the compound and let me know when you've arrived. I'll walk to you.
Miyeon decided on a blue denim minidress and paired with a short fluffy sweater and white heels. She scrunched up her locks in loose beachy waves. After briefly lining her eyebrows and putting on red lipstick, she took a look at herself in the mirror.
'It's just hanging out with Shu Li. This much should be good enough." Miyeon said with a nod.
[TheStar_Stella]: Here! Come down. ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪
[IamIrene]: Okay
It was only when Miyeon walked towards a familiar Porsche Taycan, that she understood what Shu Li meant by dress pretty. In the passenger side of the driver's seat sat a widely grinning Rich Taylor, while in the back seat sat a sheepish looking Jesse Evans.
"Irene..uh... sorry. I told Stella we had lunch earlier. So uh..she wanted to hangout together… um tonight.." Jesse tried to explain inarticulately.
"Baby girl, what are you waiting for? Hop in!" Rich gestured over to the back seat and muffled a laugh at Jesse's awkward explanation.
"We are kidnapping you." Shu Li said with a cheeky smile.
Miyeon could only give a helpless laugh as she got into Shu Li's white Porsche. 'It's going to be a long night.' she thought.
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