Intersecting Lines

Chapter 15

"I know." He said and this time it's my turn to look over at him, "how'd you know?" I ask him with suspicion.

"I just do." He sort of whispers and he lets out a laugh. Alex has his way of knowing things about me and I guess that's what I like about him. If he wants to know something, he will make a way to find out about it on his own—without asking the person he wants to know. And I've finally concluded that my relationship with Alex will always be surprising. It's a story with only rising actions—that's the best thing about the story of Alex and me.

"By the way, I forgot to ask you if you called your parents already." Alex reminded me and I did call them this morning. I told them that I didn't go to grandmother's house back in Seoul because it was too late last night and I decided to stay in a hotel here in Anyang.

"I did, I called them. And knowing that we called grandmother last night, I am sure that she told my parents about it. So it's fine, you talked to grandma yourself last night after all." I reassure Alex because he looked worried that my parents would get furious about it.

"Well, that's good. I just want them to trust me and keep on trusting me that all my intentions for you are clear. I don't want to screw us up." He tells me with a hint of relief but he doesn't look at me while he said it. Nevertheless, his statement made me happy. I mean, it's like Alex telling me that he's on the process of trying his best to always meet the norms for me—for us.

"I feel hungry." Alex is now used to my endless eating habit. I haven't eaten breakfast and I don't know where the both of us are headed and the frightening thought of; would there be food in our destination is bothering me. So I was forced to blurt that sentence out of nowhere.

"I know you are. Don't worry, I prepared something to eat for the both of us." He reaches for my hand after he took a left turn and we're almost by his house, "Right in time. We're almost there." He told me and I give his hand a squeeze.

"So your mom and dad are home, right? I should've brought them something." I say and he shook his head in the middle of my statement.

"They're not home." Alex's sentence caught me off guard, "They're out on a date today, somewhere in Seoul." He adds as an explanation.

"No one's at home, then." I mumble my thoughts and Alex chuckles like he's telling me that I'm stating the obvious.

"The house is all ours today." He declares and I laugh at his words. Alex pulls over and he goes out of the car to open the car door for me.

True enough that when we entered the house, no one's inside. Alex told me to sit down on the dining area and he went to the kitchen to get some stuff which I assume is the food he said he prepared – and I'm right. I helped Alex to set up the table so we could begin eating and after all the preparations, we started to dig in.

"Did you cook this yourself?" I ask him and I guess I sounded a bit too doubtful.

"Do you doubt me? Of course I cooked this myself." He defends himself, "I'm a man with skills after all." He slightly brags and I have to pull out an 'I can't believe you face' but I ended up laughing because I've never heard Alex brag about himself like this.

"You must be comfortable with me now. Is my sweet and cautious Alex gone?" I ask him and he swallows a spoonful of bibimbop.

"No, you didn't lose anything. You just keep gaining parts of me. This is the real and raw me. No more filters, this is Alex Kim." He tells me and we go silent for a moment, "Do you still want me?" he silently asks with his mouth full of half chewed bibimbop.