Harmless. (boyxboy/sequel to Priceless)

Chapter 4.

JPOV

That’s it, I’m leaving.

I nodded to myself and turned around to leave, only to have my phone ring the moment I tried to walk away. It immediately caught the attention of my date, and naturally, he turned around to look at me.

I, on the other hand, had picked up the phone and was now stuttering in embarrassment, not sure if I could talk in front of the guy so casually.

“W-What’s wrong?” I asked, when I heard that my friend from work, Tom, told me there was something very urgent I needed to see. He didn’t even care I was on medical leave; he was too worried for something else, it seemed.

The man, sitting on the chair, stood up and walked towards me at the same time I was talking on the phone. He was … stunning. A dark-haired brunette with muddy-brown eyes and thick, long eyelashes. He was very tall, taller than Aiden, even. His hands seemed so big compared to mine, and I came to realize that faster than I thought, because he tried to shake hands with mine.

I, on the other hand, acted cold and pointed at the phone with my eyes. He simply nodded, not smiling. That was the second thing I noticed. The man didn’t seem to smile often. In fact, he hadn’t smile once in our sudden meeting.

“When are you free, Joon?” Tom asked, sounding like he was in a hurry.

“I … don’t know. I’m slightly busy now.” I answered. I really didn’t like that staring contest I was having with the stranger, and I had little to no interest in Tom’s stories. I know I would regret not listening to him now, but I somehow feel like there’s time and place for everything.

“Look, remember that manslaughter five years ago? Guess wh –“

“Tom, listen. I really have some business to attend to, and I have to hang up now, so …”

“Dude! Central Park, near the statue of Abraham Lincoln. Meet you there in one hour.”

“W-wait, I can’t—“

Of course, he had to hang up first. I sighed and stuffed the phone in my pockets, looking at the stranger only to meet his gaze. He had been watching me the whole time silently, and this time, he didn’t attempt to shake my hand.

I suppose I already ruined this date …

“If you have any business, you can go.” He finally spoke, and it was the smoothest, most mature voice I had ever heard in my entire life. It was both manly and gentle, and I had no idea how God managed to combine those two in one.

“U-Uh, no, I … It’s probably something silly. Anyway, I’m here because a friend of mine asked me to— … Wait, how do you know it’s me? You are my date, right?” I asked, feeling dumb for not realizing this sooner. The man shouldn’t have been able to recognize me. I barely recognized him, too. If it weren’t for the table number, I would’ve never known where to sit and who am I supposed to meet.

“I could see your reflection on my wine glass, and it just standing behind me. I figured it was you, because you seemed to be contemplating on whether to sit or to leave. Also, they mentioned you were short.” The stranger added, and I felt outraged and angry. Who the hell told him I was short?!

“W-Well, they weren’t lying. Then again, size isn’t everything.” I spat.

“It isn’t.” He calmly agreed and nodded towards me. I saw that as an invitation to sit, and surprisingly enough, I silently obeyed and sat in front of him. He joined me and the waiter came. To my disbelief, everything had been ordered and was already being cooked, so all we had to do was to choose something to drink.