25 Days With Mr. Arrogant

CHAPTER 3

As I sat down at the table later that evening, there was an excruciating amount of tension waving heavy through the air. I already had a long day of classes, therefore my agitation only peaked when I had realized that the address scribbled on the piece of paper that Seungcheol dug into my wallet was the address to one of the most elite bistros in the area. Not to mention it was also one of the furthest from my apartment.

When I arrived, Seungcheol was sitting comfortably in his chair, leaning back as he took long drags from his cigarette. I'd brushed past the stiff-looking hostess, who'd given both me and my attire a disgusted glance, and made my way to the table outside in a far corner. Seungcheol didn't notice when I stood in front of the table, and just continued to smoke quietly and stare unfocused ahead at the passing pedestrians and automobiles. I cleared my throat, crossing my arms and my eyebrows furrowed together. He finally locked his eyes on mine.

"You're late," He drawled. Seungcheol turned his head back to where it intitally was as he took another slow inhale from the cigarette between his lips, releasing it as I sat down. I coughed, waving my hand through the air to get rid of the smoke.

"And you're blowing smoke in my face," I retaliated through a sputter of coughs, my eyes watering slightly.

The end of the cigarette turned a soft amber color as his eyes shifted behind me again, unfocused and hooded in indifference. "What's your excuse for your tardiness?"

"Well," I coughed; my head darted out of the path of his fading smoke. "Maybe if you'd stop blowing smoke into my face, I could tell you." His gaze shifted to mine, dull and uninterested and absolutely infuriating. Although he didn't respond, I felt a small jolt of relief as he pressed the end of his bud into the ashtray. "Anyway," I snapped, reaching down for the glass of water in front of me. I took a long sip before setting it back down, "I had to walk all the way here."

"Walk?" Seungcheol repeated, chuckling under his breath. "You walked here?"

"Well, yeah," I glared. "It's a good ten miles."

Seungcheol snorted, shaking his head. "You're an idiot if you walked here. You could have taken a cab or bus."

"And are you gonna spare me some of that 'taken a cab or bus' money?" I snapped, "Whatever. I wish I did because I just wanna get this over with."

He smirked, the corner of his lips curling slightly. He began to bite down on his lip and I found my gaze locked on it for longer than I wanted. "We're going to enjoy our meals first, then we'll talk business."

I let out a short, dry laugh as I looked down at the elaborate menu in front of me. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. I can't even afford a bread crumb here, let alone a whole meal."

"I figured," He muttered, the smirk still evident on his mouth. "Which is why I took the liberty of ordering for you."

I was at a loss of words. My eyes widened slightly and flitted over his features, looking for any sign of sarcasm and malice, but there was none. "Y-You what?"

"Please. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't order my guest something?" He smiled slightly, and for the first time since I'd met him, I felt something settle in my chest that wasn't the usual disgust, confusion, or annoyance. He glanced behind me and his eyes lit up, his head jolting up slightly and nodding in the direction. "Ah, perfect timing."

I looked over my shoulder behind me and saw the waiter approaching with two silver domes resting on his hand. They approached the table briskly and set the first dome in front of Seungcheol, picking up the top and revealing a steaming plate of smoked salmon, doused in some sort of cream sauce with a side of fresh vegetables. The waiter then set a large glass filled with what appeared to be white wine next to him. My excitement could not be contained any longer as I watched his meal being set. The second dome was set down in front of me and the top was lifted. I was absolutely ravenous from the long day I had and here I was having dinner in one of the nicest bistros in the city and-