5 The Date

First stop.

We went to a Korean restaurant downtown. I haven't been here before, actually, I haven't been to a lot of places since I don't go out that often. We were ushered by a waitress to a vacant table.

"Do you like Korean food? I chose this place because I think most women like Korean cuisine." Lance explained.

"I am fine with it. Honestly, I haven't tried any Korean dish yet. I just saw it in dramas and heard about it from my friends."

"This is a perfect place then. I am sure you will like the food here."

The waitress came back with a portable stove in hand. She laid it on the table and gave us chopsticks.

"Do you want to use chopsticks? We can ask for spoon and fork." Lance said.

"I don't know how to use these but I want to learn."

"Wait here. I will get everything we need, okay?"

Then he left to get our food.

The restaurant is quite big with a lot of customers, mostly in groups. On the walls, pictures of the food offered by the place can be seen. It is an eat-all-you-can resto and I am not sure whether I will feel comfortable eating in front of Lance. I am not used to going out on dates and even though he was my childhood friend, I cannot still deny the fact that he was also my childhood crush and I am attracted to him now. Who wouldn't be? He is so handsome, with a good body and he is such a gentleman.

Lance came back with two plates: one has thin long sliced pork which I am sure is Korean bacon and the other with meat marinated in soy sauce.

"Wait. I will get side dishes."

"Let me help you," I said.

"No!" He snapped immediately.

"Let me make it up to all the years we weren’t together. Let me serve you today okay? You are my princess for tonight and I am your slave so you shouldn't do anything."

"Okay." I smiled.

In my mind I was thinking, "Only for tonight? How about the next nights? Next month? Is he not planning to invite me out after this?" No! Stop it. I shouldn't be overthinking. I'm sure he didn't mean it that way. This is our first date together and I am sure there will be more nights for us.

He came back with kimchi, pickled radish, marble potatoes, salad, and other side dishes. He also brought some sauce, the orange one, I forgot how you call it even though he explained. He also prepared a bowl of soy sauce with some vegetables and he said I can dip the cooked meat later in here.

He then started cooking and I can't help myself but to stare at him. I was thinking how many girls he could have brought here. He is a band drummer and with his looks, I'm sure he already met a lot of girls who want to flirt with him. I realized how naïve I am for falling for someone immediately. Yes, he is my childhood best friend but I still haven’t seen him for a long time and  I don’t even know his background now. I have to keep reminding myself that it is only a friendly date but being someone who has no experience in dating makes me jump into conclusions easily.

My imagination was stopped when he started talking.

"So, how is your mother? Does she still have the same job? Financial auditor, right?" He asked.

"Mom got married 3 years after we moved. After that, she didn't work anymore because she got pregnant right after the wedding. I now have two half-sisters but we are not very close. My stepdad is very nice. He tried his best to get along with me well and I appreciate that." I explained. "How about you? How are your parents?"

"They got divorced the same year you left. Actually, they were already not in good terms long time before that and finally they decided to file for a

divorce. My mom remarried, and my stepdad adopted me that's why I'm using Mendez now as my surname. They don't have their own kids. I miss you when you left, you know. I was really depressed that time. I still miss you now, even though you are already in front of me."

I started feeling hot, maybe because of guilt that I didn't send him any letter since I left.

"I'm sorry for not writing to you. I really meant to write but it got complicated. I know it sounded like an excuse but that is true."

"Forget about it. You are here now, that's what's important. We can do many things together now. Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked.

I coughed, surprised and embarrassed with his question.

"Are you okay?" He gave me a napkin immediately.

"I'm okay." I assured him.

"You don't need to answer the question if you don't want to."

"I don't have a boyfriend." I said. "Actually, I never had one."

"Really?" He looks so surprised. "Are men blind? You are so pretty!"

I feel like I'm turning red with what he said so I tried to look at other things and tried to change the subject.

"Do you always come here?" I asked.

"Not often. But I like this place. I like Korean food. That's why I brought you here. I want to share everything I am interested in to you."

He started putting cooked meat on my plate and as we were eating, he was just staring at my face which makes me feel so uncomfortable.

"Anything wrong?" I asked.

"Haha! Nothing. Am I making you feel uncomfortable? Don't mind me. I just want to look at you. I can't believe you are finally in front of me. You are still the same beautiful and innocent Jez I know, and God, I miss you a lot." He explained.

"Why don't you just enjoy your food?" I said. My heart seems like it will burst anytime soon. I feel like a high school student having my first date. But I didn't experience having a date when I was in high school. I feel like if he proposes to me tonight, I may not able to stop myself and just say yes instantly. “Stop overthinking!” I tried to remind myself.

He was very caring the whole time we were eating. He always filled my plate with food. He makes sure that I always have water to drink and asked me what else I want to eat. He also took some pictures of me while I was eating which I find so sweet. Gosh! I think I already fell for him.

After we were done eating, we moved to a café near the Korean restaurant. We didn't need to use the motorcycle since it was a walking distance. While we were walking, he held my hand gently and looked at me with a smile. I couldn't help but feel shy and even though I thought it was quite fast, I didn't complain and also held his hand.

The night ended when he brought me to my place.

"I had fun tonight. Let's do this often okay?" He said.

"I also had fun and yeah, I would love to go out again with you." I answered.

"Good! So take a rest then, you still have to get up early tomorrow."

And before I knew it, he already kissed me in the forehead.

I was left shocked and I couldn't say anything. It was so surreal. Is it really happening?

That night was the happiest day of my life. I couldn't contain my happiness and can't stop reminiscing about the things we did and the things he said. Why did we just meet now? I never thought that going out on a date would be as happy as this.

I went to the bathroom to clean myself up before sleeping and before going to bed, I checked my phone for any message. Lance did send a message!

"I am home. Thanks for tonight sweetie. I can't forget how lovely you are. I hope to see you again so soon." End of message. Time: 12:23 am

I wanted to shout in my room. I feel euphoric.

I replied: "I should be the one thanking you. Can't wait to see you again. <3"

Everything may seem so fast, but I don't care anymore. I am not too young to play games and have a long courtship stage. What I know is I like him, I missed him so much and now that we are together, I won't waste anytime anymore. I have to show him how much I miss him and how much I want to be with him.

Beep. Beep.

Another message from him: "Good night sweetie. See you in my dreams."

"Good night."

I couldn't sleep well that night. I was just thinking about everything and how happy I am. Tomorrow, I will share everything to Annie.

I woke up the next day being greeted by a message from Lance.

"Good morning sweetie. I already miss you. We have a gig tonight. How about dropping in the bar where we will be playing? I would love to see you there?" End of message. Time: 6:23 am.

I can't help but smile. He wants to see me. Is he already my boyfriend? I am not familiar with having a relationship since I never had one yet. Should I play hard-to-get? Nope! I am not young anymore to do that. I won't hide my feelings for someone. And it is Lance anyway, so I am sure I can trust him.