Catch Me if You Can { Lucas Series }

Chapter 3

As Cassy stood in front of her station, she noticed that Lucas had taken a seat on the far side of the room. It was clear that he was avoiding her. She wasn't sure if he was being petty or if he was truly feeling hurt from their last interaction. She looked up to see Kun take a seat at her station.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Qian," said Cassy, trying not to look put off by the sudden change in plans.

"Hello," replied Kun a bit stiffly.

"Um, I'm happy to help you today, but you'll have to fill me in on the make-up colors you have been using," explained Cassy.

"Of course," Kun replied and proceeded to inform her of his make-up preferences.

Cassy worked silently, feeling unsure of how to begin a conversation with Kun. He sat in silence as well, toying with a superfluous zipper on his pantleg.

Finally, Kun broke the silence. "I don't want to make things worse, but I need to tell you that I think you should talk to Lucas."

"Oh," was Cassy's only reply. She busied herself dabbing highlighter on the tops of his cheeks and blending it in with a sponge. The effect was not glittery, but just gave his skin an attractive dewiness.

"I think that looks pretty good," concluded Cassy as she turned him around to check his reflection.

"Yes, that will be fine," said Kun. He took a deep breath, and Cassy knew that there must be more he wanted to say. "Listen, I understand why you would be suspicious of Lucas' motives, but you should know that he really meant no harm. He would kill me if he knew I was telling you this, but he was pretty broken up all weekend over you."

"Oh, I see," responded Cassy, not knowing how to respond to Kun's frankness.

"You don't have to go out with him. I just think you two should talk it out because he needs some closure on it," explained Kun. "He was in pretty bad shape this weekend. As the leader, I feel like his hyung, and I feel responsible for taking care of him."

"Yes, of course, Mr. Qian. I'd be happy to try to clear up any misunderstanding," Cassy responded, shifting her feet nervously.

"OK, good," said Kun, breathing a sigh of relief. "Just remember, he's a good guy with a big heart, even if he might come off as a playboy sometimes."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," said Cassy, hoping to end the awkward conversation as quickly as possible.

With that, Kun stood and bowed slightly as he walked to the foyer to gather with the other boys. They walked out together, leaving Cassy to ponder how to deal with the situation. As much as she dreaded having a face-to-face with Lucas, she knew it was the right thing to do. In her desire to protect herself, she had hurt him. She truly regretted it, but she wasn't sure what she could possibly say to Lucas that would make him feel better. Of course, she found him attractive --- she and millions of other women. But Ms. Park had been clear that there was to be no dating between her staff and the clients. So, Cassy felt torn between a desire to be real with Lucas and the strict standards she was required to uphold.

On her way home, she stopped at a street stand to buy some tteokbokki. By the time she got home and sat down to eat it, she found that her stomach was twisted in too many knots for her to enjoy the spicy rice cakes. She tried to watch TV but was unable to settle on a channel. Finally, she threw down the remote and padded off to bed. As she lay in the darkness, Lucas' eyes invaded her thoughts. She remembered them, playful and inviting, but she also had the image of them red-rimmed and tearful. She rolled over with a loud sigh and wiggled her body, trying to find a comfortable position. She spent the rest of the night in a restless, fitful sleep which left her utterly unrefreshed in the morning.

Upon arriving at work, she mentally rehearsed the conversation. She would need to be firm, but kind. She should apologize for judging him as a playboy, but she was determined to not reveal how attracted she was to him. As it turned out, the conversation would not have to wait long because Lucas walked toward her as soon as he entered the salon.

"Can we talk?" he whispered.

"OK," Cassy responded, trying not to make eye contact. Those eyes would be her ruination. She was sure of it.

"Let's go outside, if that's OK with you," suggested Lucas.

They stepped outside and Lucas led her to a small alley away from the bustling main street. He put his hands in his pockets awkwardly as he searched Cassy's face for any clue of what she might be thinking.

"Look, I'm really sorry about Kun talking to you. I didn't put him up to that. I want you to know that, OK?" he said hurriedly.

"Oh, yeah, I know. He said you wouldn't want him talking to me," Cassy assured him.

"Yeah, I like to deal with things directly, you know?"

"Yeah," said Cassy, staring at an empty Coke can close to her feet.

"I think, maybe, I came off the wrong way with you. Maybe you thought I was just playing with you," ventured Lucas, letting his eyes attempt to catch hers. The attempt was unsuccessful as Cassy continued to scan the ground for candy wrappers and cigarette butts to stare at --- anything that wasn't that smooth baby face that was looking at her with such concern that she felt a lump forming in her throat.

"No, it's fine, really. I think I might have been a little too stern in my response. I just know that you are loved by millions of girls. So, it's kind of hard to believe that you would be terribly interested in someone like me," admitted Cassy.

"Someone like you? You mean someone kind...and sweet...and beautiful...and sexy..." he intoned slowly.

"Um, I don't know about sexy," said Cassy, knowing that her light skin couldn't hide the hot blushing of her face.

"Listen, you said that millions of girls love me. That's not true," Lucas clarified. "Millions of girls adore me, but no one loves me," he said with a slight crack in his voice. "Do you know that I go for weeks at a time without ever being touched by another human being besides co-workers? Everybody thinks that idols have all these girls and live this crazy lifestyle, but it's really just a bunch of guys living in a dorm together and working day and night. It's not very glamorous at all. Mostly, it's just lonely," he concluded.

Cassy didn't know how to respond. He had moved closer to her and bent down so that his face was only inches from hers. She tried to remind herself to breathe, but it didn't work. She finally looked up at him and found herself mesmerized by his lips which were hovering just

above hers. Don't do it! she warned herself severely. Even still, she felt herself leaning in. She felt dizzy and drunk. Her thoughts refused to be lured away from those full lips. When she finally felt them pressed against hers, she was surprised by the jolt of electricity that shot through her body. She found herself leaning in even closer to him and placing her hands on his chest. As his kiss deepened, she grabbed his shirt collar and stood on her tiptoes. When he pulled away, they both looked stunned. Cassy's heart was pounding in her ears and she could see that Lucas' chest was heaving slightly as if he couldn't catch his breath.

Dear God, I'm in so much trouble now! Cassy inwardly conceded.