The Foolproof Plan

Chapter 12: PHASE TWO

The following weekend, Minda called me.

"Any plans for Saturday night?" she asked.

"Uh, no."

"Great," she replied. "I'll go over to your place. Let's practice a stay-at-home date. Call it Phase Two. Text me your address."

I smiled to myself. "I think I already know what to do for a stay-at-home date."

"Not if you've been staying at home alone, Mr. Lonely Heart," she said. "Text me your address. I'll see you Saturday at 9."

We ended the call, and I sat for a few minutes pondering whether I should continue with her strange plan. Yet, she did have a point about my being home alone. With a loud sigh, I texted her my address.

I heard the doorbell at 8:55 on Saturday night. I opened the door, and Minda pushed past me without a word. I blinked at her brazenness, but then I closed the door with a smile.

"Well, hello," I said.

She twirled around to face me. "Hello. Nice place. Let's get started." She crooked her finger at me, indicating for me to get closer.

I walked up to her.

"Say hello again, but this time lean in and whisper in my ear," she instructed me.

I did as she asked and was rewarded with a smile. "That was perfect. Look, I got goosebumps!" She held out an arm toward me. "Always be on the offensive. Greet her first. Make the first move. Don't be tentative about anything. Girls like it when guys are assertive. We never admit it, but we all like when a guy just takes over. It's romantic and sexy."

Without speaking, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and steered her to the sofa, pulling her down next to me. I kept my arm draped around her.

"Nice move," she said softly.

I leaned closer to her. "I told you I already know what to do at home." I held her gaze for a few seconds before moving my arm away.

She inhaled. "I see that. So what's your next move? What do you usually do when you're with Bella here at home?"

I thought for a moment. "Usually I either cook for her or make some tea."

Minda stared at me. "And then?"

I squirmed, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "And then...you know."

"Really? Sounds easy."

"Excuse me?" I said sharply.

She flashed a smile. "I didn't mean it like that. It just sounds so, uh, domestic. Where's the excitement and the fire?"

"In the bedroom," I replied with a smirk.

She giggled. "Obviously. But it sounds as if you guys fell into a kind of stale routine."

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"I'm not saying it's bad," she immediately said, "but it's bland routines that often doom a relationship. I think you need to spark it up a bit. No girl wants to feel that her guy has stopped trying to impress her. You need to be romantic again."

"You think I'm...boring her?" I asked, incredulously.

She slapped my arm lightly. "Oh, Seokjin. We all know that any girl will gladly fall into bed with you. I'm not questioning your technique there. But you need to make the journey to your bed a little more exciting and unpredictable. You need to be a little mysterious. Maybe a little harder to get." She paused. "Or maybe more dominating, a little dangerous. Girls enjoy that. We fantasize about being controlled or even roughed up by a guy, especially physically...sexually."

I leaned back on the sofa. "I'm not sure if I can do that. There's a fine line there."

"Then maybe we should practice."