Bibimbap for Two

Characters: Irina Spasky and Alastair Oh

Irina's POV

Disclaimer: Although I thoroughly enjoy using these amazing characters, I don't own the rights to any of The 39 Clues books. I also don't own the book six quote that I used as my summary.

A/N: I apologize if Irina and Alastair seem a little OOC- this is my first 39 Clues fic after all. I'm sure they'll get better as I write more.

For those of you who are agents on the website, my agent code is P33NHHKTXP (I'm a Lucian)

Enjoy =]

~Nellie

PS: Bibimbap is a Korean dish. It has white rice, sautéed vegetables, chili pepper, egg, and beef. (You'll see why I mentioned that in a moment)

Summary: But there was that one night in Seoul when he let down his guard and I let down mine, and we shared a bowl of bibimbap. Every time I clinked against his spoon by accident he would accuse me of flirting with him. Finally, he got me to laugh...
Page 198 of In Too Deep (Book Six)

January 20- International Hug Day

I could have sworn that someone was following me but there was no one there whenever I glanced behind me. The weather was horrid. All the torrential downpours had left me soaked to the bone. I sighed in aggravation and stepped into a small restaurant on the side of the road.

"Nervous Irina?" A voice drawled out from behind me. I turned on my heel and found Alastair Oh gazing intently at me. Why didn't I see him? I wondered.

Just keep your mouth shut. Maybe he will go away. I glared at Alastair and slowly looked around. He has no back up... This could be an easy escape.

"Would you two like a table?" A teenaged waitress asked in heavily accented English.

Shoot! There goes my escape plan!

"Yes please." Alastair replied before I could open my mouth.

I rolled my eyes and gave him the glare that I normally saved for Isabel Kabra. Instead of cringing in fear, he grinned. I stared in shock. No one had ever smiled in response to that glare.

"Come with me." The waitress said. She led Alastair and me to a table in the back corner of the restaurant. Two chairs sat beside a tiny table. The room was dimly lit and a vase of roses was placed in the center of the table. I groaned wondering how I had gotten myself into this predicament.

It was then that the romantic piano music began to play. Alastair took a seat and left me with no choice but to sit across from him. The waitress handed us a menu, asked about our beverage choice, and left us to browse the menu.

I picked up the menu and opened it. A bunch of symbols stared up from the page. No pictures to be found. I failed to recognize any of the symbols. They definitely weren't Russian. I sighed, closed the menu, and flung it at Alastair.

"What do you recommend?" I asked as I attempted to hide the anger in my voice.

Alastair stared at the menu for a minute.

"Bibimbap." He stated when he finally looked up.

"Are you mocking me?" I contorted my face in shock.

"What? No! Bibimbap is the only food that I recognized. It's a white rice dish that has sautéed vegetables, chili pepper, eggs, and beef."

"What if I'm a vegetarian?" I pondered.

"Then I'll order yours without beef."

"Get the beef. That was a rhetorical question. You didn't need to answer it. Just get the beef." I grumbled.

"Alright then…" An awkward silence ensued.

"Are you two ready to order?" The waitress had returned with our drinks. She saved us from having to start a new conversation.

"Yes we are." Alastair answered. I nodded my head in agreement. "Two bowls of bibimbap please."

"Bowl for two of bibimbap coming right up." She left our table and headed towards the kitchen.

"Did she just say bowl for two?" I groaned as I watched the waitress leave.

"I think she did." Alastair laughed.

"Oh no." I moaned. "I don't see any humor in this!" I felt my face turn red in embarrassment. "Isabel will kill me if she finds out about this…" I slowly put my head down on the table. I didn't realize that my actions would cause Alastair to laugh harder.

I finally lifted my head up and noticed that Alastair's chair was very close to me.

"Alastair?" I asked. He nodded slowly, closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I felt him move his head against my shoulder every few seconds. "Why are you hugging me?" No answer.

One minute into the hug, I was greatly disgusted. The next minute, I contemplated jabbing Alastair with one of the needles on the end of my fingernails. Unfortunately, I never got the chance.

"Aww!" The moment was interrupted by our wonderful waitress. "You two are adorable!"

I made a gagging noise and Alastair finally let go of me.

"I'm sorry; I'm not interrupting your date am I?" She set down our bowl as she spoke.

"N-n-no." I stuttered. What are you doing? Irina Spasky never stutters! "No, not at all."

She left us alone after that. Teenagers are so rude!

"A date? She thinks we're on a date?" I asked in an angry tone. The hug was all forgotten now.

"It appears so." Alastair said. I watched him pick up his spoon. He slowly placed the spoon in the bowl and picked up a few pieces of rice.

Oh what the heck? This is probably the only thing I'll get to eat tonight. I mimicked his actions and brought the spoon to my mouth. This isn't too bad… The meal, I mean.

We ate in silence until my spoon clinked against Alastair's spoon. My finger touched his hand.

"Irina are you flirting with me?" Alastair asked.

"Why would I?" I answered.

We went back to eating in silence.

Clink!

"Irina?" He looked at me. I blushed and didn't respond.

The silence continued.

Clink!

"Irina, stop flirting with me." Alastair grinned. I decided that not responding would work best.

We continued to eat in silence.

Clink! The clinking of silverware would haunt me forever.

"Now really Irina, this is ridiculous!" This time, Alastair looked at me with a rather goofy grin. I laughed. I couldn't help it though.

"This entire thing is ridiculous!" I chuckled.

We were both in hysterics when the waitress came back with the check. I took a deep breath and attempted to compose myself.

"Here's your bill." She said and handed the check to Alastair.

"I'll pay." Alastair whispered in my ear.

"You don't have to do that." I said.

"I know, but I want to."

"Bu-" Alastair lifted up a finger and pressed it against my lips.

"Shhh… It's no problem." He murmured and moved his hand away. Alastair pulled out a check book and filled out a check. The waitress returned to take the check.

"Keep the change." Alastair told the waitress. She looked down and gasped.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." The waitress walked away in a daze.

"How much did you pay her?" I asked.

"I gave her an extra twenty-five dollars."

"You're to kind Alastair. That will be your downfall."

He shrugged in response and stood up. We both left the table and gazed outside.

"It looks like the rain let up." I mumbled.

"Yes it does." Alastair approached the door and held it open for me. We both walked out onto the sidewalk.

"Remind me why you were following me?" I asked. Alastair gave me a mysterious smirk and hugged me. I accepted the hug. He winked at me after we separated.

"Happy International Hug Day." He said and walked away.

I never found out his true motives for tailing me that day.

~Fin~

A/N: Reviews make me a better writer.