It started with a lie

8

He handed me a mask as we approached his neighbourhood. 

"Put this on," he said to me. 

"Oh -" It was to hide my face, thus my identity. So I put it on. 

He also reached out to his duffel bag at the bag seat, stretching out his long arm. I looked at him wondering what he was looking for.. 

From his bag, he pulled out a grey hoodie pullover. He handed it to me. 

"You can put this on too, if you want." 

"Oh -" I took it from him, my fingers lightly brushed across his. I put it on over me, over my work dress. It was so big and long that the sleeves fell out over my hands with so much space to spare, and I suspect it might reach to my knees when I stand up. I could smell a faint vanilla-scent, his scent. My body tingled to have this close contact indirectly. There's something intimate about wearing a guy's clothes. That's why guys like their girlfriends to wear their clothes. 

The car went into his basement carpark and Minjoon stopped the car right by the lift lobby. 

Rowoon grabbed his duffel bag. Then he looked to me. "Are you ready?" 

I looked out of the car's tinted windows. I didn't see anybody. "I don't see anybody.." I commented. 

"They are around," he said, very sure of it. Minjoon nodded as well from the driver's seat as he turned around to look at me. 

"Okay.." 

Minjoon opened my side of the door by remote. And I alighted. Indeed, the pullover fell over my knees. I straightened it out and pushed up the sleeves to let my hands out. I put the hoodie over my head as well. I hope these paparazzi, whoever they were, wherever they were, would not think I'm still a guy under this getup, because they can't see my long hair. 

Rowoon climbed out after me, slinging his duffel bag strap over one shoulder. His bag looks huge, but not on him. He pulled himself to his full height standing beside me, towering over me. "Thanks Minjoon, I'll see you tomorrow," he told Minjoon before he closed the door. 

He adjusted my hoodie, more like a pretense I thought, to act like the boyfriend checking on the girlfriend, a loving gesture, before he took my hand in his. I froze up though my legs followed his lead. 

We didn't say a word until we got into the lift. I still didn't see anybody but I did felt like we've been watched. 

"Are you nervous?" he broke the silence and said with a chuckle.

"Huh?" I looked up to him. 

"Why is your hand so cold?" he looked back to me. 

I blinked, not used to his sudden attention on me. Was this the so-called electrifying eyes Jihye and Dahye talked about? 

"My hands are always cold.." I muttered. "I have cold hands.." 

He wrapped his hand tighter over my hand, as if to warm it. My hand did felt warmer, thanks to his big warm hand. His hand is really huge. It enveloped my entire hand. 

Now that we are in the lift, safely in his block, I wonder why he was still holding my hand.. Was he still expecting some paparazzi hiding somewhere? Perhaps behind the plant pots or riser or stairway or something? 

Even when the lift door opened at his level, he did not let go of my hand. All the way until we reached his door, then he let go of my hand to open his door. He needed his thumb to unlock the print scan. 

Then he held the door for me to enter. 

This was the second time I stepped into his house but first time proper. The last time had been in a daze trying to just get him into bed in his drunk stupor and it was dark and I didn't really pay any attention to the details in his house. This time I was invited as a guest. Once again I noticed he had a lot of shoes.