(Bella) 

The dinner went so much better than I expected. The staff at the restaurant practically fell over themselves to serve us, or I should say to serve Jin, whom they were familiar with. Jin was the perfect host. He asked my parents about their interests and their hobbies, which took up most of the evening. He laughed at my father's corny jokes, even telling some jokes of his own. He ordered the perfect after-dinner wine, a sweet moscato that he said was his favorite. Only toward the end did he very reluctantly answer questions about himself. Both my parents seemed awed that he was pursuing his master's degree. I could tell that my mother was probably in love with him. When my father called for the check, Jin waved the waiter away.

"Oh, don't worry about that, sir," Jin said quickly. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already taken care of it."

"Nonsense," my father said. "I wanted to treat the girls out."

"Sir, please, I insist," Jin said smoothly. "Especially since I was the reason you had to wait so long." He glanced at me with a smile. I looked away guiltily.

My parents dropped the three of us off at the apartment complex before they drove to their hotel.

"Wow! Thanks for bailing me out," I said to Jin. "I guess I'll say good night."

Jin laughed. "Just like that?"

Cindy whirled around. "Oh, no, you don't, Bella. You have to explain everything to him. After all, he just treated us to a wonderful and expensive dinner. The least you could do is fill him in on what happened." She stood in front of our door without opening it. "Of course, explain it at his apartment because I have things to do here." She pushed me toward Jin. "Go on." She leaned close to me. "Thank me later," she whispered with a wink and shut the door.

I was about to protest, but Jin took my arm gently.

"Come on. I really want to hear this story."

I nodded and allowed him to lead me to his apartment across the courtyard.

Once inside his apartment, Jin brought me some tea. This time he sat next to me on the couch. "Okay. What happened? Why did I have to pretend that I was late to an engagement I didn't even know I had?"

I brought the tea cup to my mouth to give myself a few moments to compose myself. His piercing gaze was making me feel shaky. I had to turn away from that perfect face. The cup clattered on its dish as I put it down.

As I told my story, I saw that his expression went from curious to upset to amused by the time I finished.

"So Jimin stood you up," he said.

I looked down. "Yes. I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I don't like that my father might think you're irresponsible because he thought I was waiting for you instead of Jimin. I'm sorry."

He threw his arms along the back of the couch. "It went well, I think. Jimin couldn't possibly compare to my devastatingly handsome face."

I laughed. "Yes, I'm sure no one can." He smiled at me, and I felt breathless. Devastatingly handsome indeed. "Anyway, thank you! How can I ever repay you?"

"Well," he drawled, curling one of his arms around my shoulders and leaning toward me until his face was right in front of mine. "It was the least I could do after you took such good care of me. You can ask anything of me, and I'll say yes. But, there is one thing I've been thinking about from the moment I first saw you, if it's not too much to ask." He seemed a little nervous.

I gulped. So many scenarios ran through my mind in a second, and I immediately felt my face get hot. Oh, God, he was so incredibly handsome! Was he really interested in me? What should I do? Is it too soon? Will he think badly of me? I decided not to think too much. I would just go for it. I placed my hand on his cheek and moved to kiss him. My lips had just grazed his when he pulled away.

"Wow," he softly and moved back to his side of the couch with a dazed look on his face.

"What?" I asked quickly. I felt panic overtaking me. Had I done something wrong? Was I a bad kisser? Was he not attracted to me? Was he angry?

His laugh was both nervous and dorky and for the first time, he seemed like a young, goofy guy instead of a suave, sophisticated man. "I, um, was actually going to ask you if I could paint your portrait. You heard that I paint. I started two years ago--it's supposed to help me relax. I was intrigued by your eyes and thought I might try to capture the different shades of green and brown that I see. "

"You want me to...sit for you? For a painting?" I asked, dumbfounded. I inhaled deeply and turned my face away. "Oh, my God! Oh. My. God. I'm so stupid! I thought you wanted to... I'm so, so sorry!" I scrambled to my feet. "I--I am so sorry. I will go home. Now." I was praying for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I had never felt so embarrassed in all my life.

He also got up. He reached out and grabbed my wrist before I turned away. "No, don't apologize. That's okay. I mean, the kissing was good, too. I guess I could do that instead, but I don't think it will relax me." He laughed his boyish laugh again. "Really, Bella. It's okay." His face turned serious instantly. "Is that what you want?"

I kept my face averted, but he reached out and grasped my chin, turning me to face him.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked softly, his eyes staring into my soul. "Just say the word."

I was sure he could feel my trembling. I was falling into the dark pools of his eyes, drowning. I no longer cared about anything except being close to him. Oh, yes! But my voice failed me.  It was a lifelong problem that I had. My throat always closed up when I was nervous. All I could do was gulp and look down.

He hesitated for an instant before moving away from me. "So I took up painting," he began as if the charged incident between us had not happened. "I read that it helps relieve stress. I don't know if it's working, though." He sat down again.

"I'm sure graduate school is quite stressful. Have you tried yoga? I do that regularly, and it does help with my stress levels." I shrugged and sat down as well. "Worth a shot."

He lifted a slim leg and rested it on the coffee table. "Sure...if you do it with me."

I gulped again as his dark eyes looked into my own. "Uh, yes, of course."  What had I just agreed to do?  I hoped we were still talking about yoga.

He turned toward me and looked at me as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered to him. "Whenever you want." He looked down, took a breath, and looked at me again. "Can I tell you what I want?" He leaned closer.

I was breathing heavily. I could feel my blood running hot through my veins, and I just wanted to feel his skin next to mine. "Yes--" I began, but my phone buzzed loudly from my purse. I shut my eyes, thinking I should ignore it, but I sighed and moved away from Jin. He turned his body away from me while I checked my message.

It was Jimin.

                              Bella, I'm soooo sorry. Was working on a project 

                             for ballet class and I twisted my ankle. Bad. 

                            Had to go to hospital. Can I go over?

"Uh, I'm sorry," I said after a few seconds. "I should probably go home."

Jin turned to face me. He took a couple of deep breaths. "Let me guess. That was Jimin. I'm sure he had a good reason for missing dinner." His voice did not sound annoyed or mocking in any way. He was being polite and understanding.

"Yes," I said quickly. "He got hurt, and he...he--"

"That's okay," Jin said and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry about it. Please tell him I hope he feels better soon. I'm sure he will once he sees you." He walked me to the door. "Good night, my beautiful Bella," I heard him whisper.