The Business Trip

Chapter 2

Pete POV

I tried to keep my distance from Ae, but he kept coming close to me. I can't tell if it is because we are sharing a pool stick or if it is because he likes me. No. No. No. I'm not getting my hopes up. I know that he is most likely not gay. With my luck, he is definitely not gay.

As the games go on, I found out that Ae and his friends live around here, and they usually come to this restaurant on the weekend. I also found out that Ae is a professional golfer and that his friends work in the local factory. Well, that was a little different than I expected. I never dreamt that Ae was a golf pro, not that I would know what one is supposed to look like. But when I look at him, I don't get the impression that he is a big golfer.

As we watch Pond taking his turn, I nonchalantly ask, "So, what does a golf pro actually do?"

Ae smiles and chimes, "Well, mainly I teach people how to play golf and then when I can, I go play in golf tournaments."

I just can't leave it alone. I'm just too curious. "Is there any money in that?"

Ae softly chuckles and I think I'm in heaven. His eyes sparkle as he replies, "Well, that is why I'm giving lessons. I'm not that good to finish too high up in the golf tournaments, so I usually don't make a lot of money.  I rely heavily on my teaching fees to pay my bills."

I nod and walk towards the pool table. It is my turn and I need to focus in on what shot I'm going to take. With my eyes still focused on the balls, I take the chalk and rub it on the tip of my pool stick. I slowly set the chalk back down on the pool table and gently blow off the excess as I walk to where I need to stand for my next shot.

My mind has only one thought running through it and that is how I'm going to make this shot. I lean over the table and I place my hand down to get just the right angle. I steady my breath and I slowly pull the pool stick back. With my mind totally focused, I confidently take the shot. As I stand back upright, I happily watch as the balls move and my ball falls in the pocket.

Well, it looks like Ae and I will be winning another game. I really don't know why they were even wanting to play a game of pool with me. Ae and I have won every game so far.

As I walk around the table and try to find what shot I'm going to take next, Ae asks, "Would you want to go to another bar soon? They are going to be wanting to close the restaurant up soon."

Oh, I haven't been paying attention to the time. Is it that late already? I take my eyes off of the pool table and I pull my phone out of my pocket. I'm surprised when I see that it is nearly 9 pm. Where did the time go? It feels like we just started to play, and I really don't want the night to end. It has been like a dream to spend some time with Ae and I'm not afraid to say that I don't want it to end anytime soon.

I put my phone away and chime, "Sure. Where do you want to go? Oh, you are going to have to give me instructions on how to get there. I don't know the area since this is the first time that I've been here."

Ae smiles. "Why don't you ride with me? My friends can meet us there."

I smile back. "Okay."

I put the pool stick back into the rack and I follow Ae out of the restaurant. As his friends walk to their car, they call out, "We'll try to save you a parking spot when we get there."

Ae yells back, "Okay."

As Ae unlocks his car, he quickly rushes to the passenger side and opens the door. As he leans into the car, he quickly mumbles, "Hold on, let me clean this side so you can sit down."