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Jinie spent the next few weeks in brief contact with Tae.   Occasionally, he’d send her a photo and ask her to critique it.  Sometimes he’d strike up a conversation about how much he loved photography, and they’d talk for a while about their shared love for cameras.  Other times, he’d just text her to see how she was doing.

Weeks turned into months, and one day, Jinie got an unexpected text.

“I’m going to be in Chicago next week.  Do you have time to meet?”

——————–

Jinie walked into the hotel.  This place was huge.  She quickly glanced around, trying to figure out where she should go.  That’s when she saw a guy in a wide-brimmed hat and a white button-up.  He was waving at her.  She squinted.  He had hair that went down to his shoulders.  And she was sure she didn’t recognize him.  But then she got a text.

“I’m the guy with the long hair and the hat.  Come here.”

Jinie laughed before heading in his direction.

“Hi there,” he laughed. “Want to go up to the roof?”

“Yes, please.  I don’t want to get caught.”

“Of course.”

Tae grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the elevator.  Once they were inside, he looked down at her.

“I’ve missed you.”

She looked up at him. “Really?”

He nodded. 

“We barely know each other still,” she laughed.  She was eyeing his hair. “That’s a wig, right?”

“Perhaps,” he winked at her. “Am I not allowed to miss you?” He changed the subject back to what it had originally been.

Jinie played with her fingers. “I mean…I guess you can.” She was turning red now.

He reached out and pinched her cheek. “You’re very cute.”

“Your accent is cute,” she mumbled back.

He grinned. “It is?  I don’t really like it.  My English sounds weird.”

She looked up at him. “What?  No, it doesn’t!  I love how you sound when you speak English!”

She watched as his expression softened.  His eyes were peeking out from over his sunglasses.

“Thanks.” He looked away, his eyes tracing the pattern on the ceiling.  He’d never been this quiet in any of the time she’d known him.

A moment later, the elevator door opened, and Tae grabbed her hand before pulling her out.  It seemed he’d snuck onto the roof before, because he wasted no time in dragging her through a door that led to it.  Once they were out in the dark, he pulled off the hat and sunglasses.  Then he tugged his wig off and shook his hair out.

“You know, I don’t think I’ll ever like wearing wigs.”

Jinie laughed.  She looked down at the city.  She’d grown up here, but never before had she seen it from up this high.

“Oh wow,” she breathed.

“What do you think?” he asked, looking down at her.

“It looks so different from up here.”

“Yeah, it does.” He grabbed a lock of her hair and played with it.

She looked over at him.

“Your hair is soft,” he commented.

She just started up at him.  He was so odd.  First the way he’d dressed, and now this.

“Why did you ask me here?” she asked suddenly.

He looked baffled. “I wanted to see you.”

She stared up at him.  This had to be some kind of practical joke.  Or a dream.  Had she been dreaming the past few months?  She watched as his shoulders dropped and he let go of her hair.  He sat down on the concrete.

“Should I not have invited you?  Did I ruin things between us?”

“I- no, Tae…” she sat down next to him. “That’s not it…” she stared up at the stars.

“What is it, then?” his voice had dropped an octave.  He sounded almost…angry.  Disappointed, maybe?

She swallowed. “I just…don’t want to get my hopes up.”