Hoseok and Hannah sat at a little cafe finishing their dinner as they studied. Hannah had given him a hard essay question to answer. As Hoseok was trying to access the solution in the large file cabinet that was better known as his brain, he pressed his lips together hard, and Hannah noticed two deep dents appear above the spaces on either side of his mouth. She’d never before realized that he had twin dimples! They were huge and darling. His good looks were amplified by those incandescent indentations, lending his face a greater degree of cuteness.
As he searched for his answer, Hobi picked up his can of Sprite and took a long drink. His eyes traveled to her face. Her head was bent as she studied the English book before her on the table. Hobi was privately reflecting on how beautiful this girl was. He hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask her out yet, which was why he was so stoked that she had invited him to study with her. Her dark brown hair was flowing in soft waves around her face to land a few inches below her shoulders. His eyes ventured up to the crown of her bent head.
For some reason he found his eyes tracing the delicate arch of her thick, dark eyebrows. They hovered over two lovely, chocolate brown eyes that always seemed to light up whenever she saw him. That really warmed his heart. He felt both loved and comforted whenever Hannah was near. Her presence always seemed to wrap around him like a warm blanket, cheering his soul even on the darkest of days.
His eyes traveled further down her face, sliding down the long slope of her nose to her heart-shaped mouth. He knew that when she smiled, she revealed two rows of perfect, straight teeth. Right now her red lips were pressed together in concentration as, brow furrowed, she studied something of particular merit in her book.
He grinned to himself. He really wanted to kiss those lips. He was certain they’d feel soft and taste sweet under his own. He’d daydreamed about it enough; he should know by now. He licked some Sprite off his lip, thinking that Hannah would taste sweeter than even his favorite drink. Just then, she glanced up at him, and he felt himself turning crimson as he worried that she could read his thoughts in his expression. He closed his eyes for a moment to block any telepathy she might be attempting to use on him.
What was Hobi doing? He appeared to be sleeping whilst sitting up. Her eyes slid over his relaxed face. Suddenly, she got the sneaking suspicion that he was hiding from her. But that was absurd! Why would Hobi be trying to conceal his thoughts from her? She decided she’d test him.
“Hobi, whatcha thinking about?”
She watched in wonder as he turned bright red. Well, this was fascinating! His eyes popped open, and she could have sworn she saw panic arcing through them. What on earth was he ruminating about?
“Am I even going to pass this test? For the life of me, I cannot think of an answer to this essay question!”
Not that he had tried very hard. He was being greatly distracted by her beauty. Clearly, studying with Hannah wasn’t the best way to prepare for the test. But it was definitely the very best way he could choose to spend his time.
Hobi found that as he stared into her glowing eyes, he cared very little about passing that English test. Couldn’t he just drown in her chocolate brown orbs? Maybe she’d take pity on him and perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation soon in an effort to save him from her mesmerizing effects.
Those eyes narrowed slightly as a look of concern passed over her features in response to the words he’d spoken. Words he’d already forgotten in the wake of her speaking eyes.
“It’s ok, Hobi. I’ll stay with you for as long as you need me to tonight. We’ll work until you’ve got it.”
Oh, those words did even more dangerous things to his thought life! He tore his eyes away from her in an attempt to veil his thoughts from her scrutiny. Why did she have to word her sentence that way? He was already having trouble steering his thoughts in the right direction. Now they were ready to be put to bed for the night!
Why did her offer seem to cause him even more distress? Hannah studied him closely. Was something else going on here? Was Hobi still hiding something from her?
“Hobi, what’s wrong? Really, it’s ok. You can tell me. I really want to be your friend. You can trust me.”
I know that! It’s myself I can’t trust. You shouldn’t trust me either. I’m not sure how well I’d control myself in a room alone with you for even five minutes.
That was it! They’d stay here at the restaurant and camp out all evening. He’d be distracted by cans of Sprite and sweet things – why did he glance at her lips without thinking? – and he would work really hard to concentrate on their English. But first he’d better respond to her comments.
“Hannah,” he smiled, revealing his perfectly straight teeth for her perusal, “I do trust you. You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met.” Which is why my heart sighs whenever I’m around you…
Suddenly, Hobi was transported to a cherry blossom orchard, and Hannah miraculously appeared there next to him. They were walking along, crushing blushing blossoms beneath their feet. Hobi glanced upward as he inhaled their delightful fragrance. Overhead the pink trees bent down to kiss their heads with more rosy blossoms. Today was a perfect day…like a dream come true.
He caught a glimpse of Hannah out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to look fully at her beautiful face. Then his eyes traveled down the length of her left arm, and he reached out his right hand before sliding his palm across hers and intertwining their fingers. He closed his hand until he held hers firmly within his grasp.
She looked up at him in surprise. And something else…Something sweet like the cherry blossoms. It was joy…Maybe elation? Oh! He had it! The look on her face. Euphoria. Perfect ecstasy.
He was feeling it too. He turned towards her as his feet came to a stop. He bent his head, his face approaching her own, and his lips descended to meet hers in a sweet kiss of bliss…
“Hobi? What are you doing?”
Hannah was perplexed. Hobi had moved slightly closer to her, and he was leaning towards her while he puckered his lips. He had a very faraway look in his eyes. She reached up and waved her hand in front of them. Between her words and her hand motion, he traveled all the way back through time, space, and imagination in less than a moment. He blinked.
Uh. Kissing you. Wasn’t it obvious? I mean, how do concentrate on this stuff anyway? When I’m around you, I clearly can’t think straight. Somebody, save me!
Hobi looked around.
Anyone? Someone, come and give me some wisdom. How do I spend time with this girl and keep my thoughts under control? She clearly causes me to spin dreams in her presence. And now I really, really want to kiss her!
That’s how his eyes found her lips again.
Hobi hadn’t responded, and now he seemed to be staring at her mouth. As she continued to gaze at him, she noticed that every few seconds he drew infinitesimally closer to her, his eyes never leaving her lips. Could it be? Was Hobi fantasizing about kissing her? Was that why he wasn’t concentrating well?
She blushed at the thoughts running through her mind now.
Hobi watched in fascination as her cheekbones suddenly flushed. The rosy pink glow of her skin made her even more attractive to him.
Great! Just the encouragement he needed. He was going to have to do something before he lost all his self-restraint and kissed her in front of a crowded restaurant full of people.
“Hey!” He completely changed the subject as he began to stack up his books and papers. “Want to go for a walk?”
A walk? “Well, I guess I can quiz you while we walk along.”