Convergent Love

Chapter 2: How We Met

Hoseok and I met during our senior year of college. We were both in Psychology 401 and ended up in the same group for the final project - not by choice, but by randomly distributed pieces of paper with numbers written on them. I was a little taken aback at first by his bubbliness and excessive attention to detail.

"Hello, I'm Hoseok. Looking forward to working with you."

"Umm, I'm Y/N (Your name). Nice to meet you."

His raven hair was handsomely styled, his wardrobe was impressively well coordinated, and he spoke very enthusiastically and politely to everyone in the group - not something you see every day in a young man. His eyes immediately caught my attention; they were a beautiful shade of brown, and you could see genuine kindness and joy in them. I quickly decided he would be a great working partner in the group and that I needed to get to know him a little better.

Through our group project sessions, I learned he loved dancing, rap music, Snoopy, and hiking. I was amused by his quirk of making little musical sounds while he worked. I quickly realized he made those sounds when whatever he was working on was going well. If he was silent, it meant there was a problem or something he was struggling with. I found myself watching him during our work sessions. He was just so captivating to look at. His jawline was stunning and he had the most beautiful smile - warm like sunshine.

As the days and weeks went on, I discovered I was thinking about him nonstop. What did he do at night, where were his favorite places and restaurants, did he have someone special in his life already? I'd never heard him mention a girlfriend, but then again, he really didn't have a reason to share. I was secretly hoping he was single.

Eventually, just the two of us started meeting to work on our section of the project. We usually met at the library, campus center, courtyard, or other public places, until one day he changed that.

"Are we still on tonight to work on the project?" he asked.

"Yes, I was able to find a few more photos to add to the presentation."

"Can we meet at my apartment tonight instead?" he sweetly requested. "I'll make dinner."

I was quick to reply, "Of course!"

Crap, maybe I answered a bit too quickly and sounded too eager. Why did my heart suddenly beat at a rapid pace? The thought of spending time with him alone at his place was exciting. I agreed to meet him at 7:00pm, then quickly headed to my next class. I was 22 years old, yet felt like a teenager crushing hard over a cute boy. I'd never responded like that before.

I couldn't decide what to wear. We were just getting together to eat and study. However, deep inside I was wishing it would turn into something more. I finally decided on black capri jeans and my dark green cold shoulder top. I knew it was a top he liked because I'd caught him from the corner of my eye looking at my shoulders a couple weeks before. I didn't overdo my makeup, making it look as natural as I could, and I wore my hair down with just a few curls in the front. I remembered that Hoseok loved the smell of freshly baked cookies, so I spritzed on some vanilla body mist. I hoped the sweet smell of vanilla would please him. After one last look in the mirror, I decided I was good to go and headed out to meet the man I couldn't stop thinking about.

His studio apartment was well-organized, stylish, and neat as I knew it would be. The bookshelf beautifully displayed his music collection, family photos, books, and Snoopy figurines. I wondered if it was always like that or if he had majorly cleaned knowing I was coming over. The place was rather large for a studio - able to fit a dining table, sofa, bookshelves, desk, and a full-size bed. It was cozy, but didn't seem cramped. I made a mental note that I'd have to really clean my apartment if he were ever to come over.