April nineteenth was the day that Hyun Ryu told me he loved me. He had saved me from an unknown fate at the hands of the hacker, held me with trembling arms on the floor of his apartment, and kissed me with only the hope that I would kiss him back.
One year later, he stood behind me in front of the mirror in his bedroom, taking in the sight of both of us as I finished my makeup. His slender white fingers tapped on the glittering lace of my short dress sleeve, sliding to my waist as he brought his lips down to the top of my head.
"You look beautiful, MC." He murmured, tickling the tip of my ear with his warm breath. I did my best to ignore the shiver that threatened my shoulders, but he caught it, chuckling from his diaphragm. I could feel his proud laughter reverberate into my shoulders as his arms tighten around me.
"I already called the taxi," He said. "We have about ten minutes." I nodded with the lip gloss applique stuck to my lower lip, my hand wavering for a moment as the sound of scratching at the bedroom door startled both of us. Zen stopped the absentminded massage on my ribcage just long enough to open the door as the little Shih Tzu bounded in.
"Ack!" He yelped, jumping back in surprise. Our neighbor's dog immediately slid under the bed, her favorite place to go whenever we watched her.
"When are they coming back from their trip?" He asked with a sigh as he kneeled down and snapped his fingers, cajoling the little dog out from her hiding place.
"They said they'd be back by Saturday," I replied, fluffing my hair over my shoulders. "Want me to get her?" I asked.
"I'll manage." He replied. "I don't want her running around while we're gone, but luckily Min left the crate with us."
"You think she'll be okay in there?" I asked, picking up my clutch purse. I shook my head slowly watching the little battle between boyfriend and dog, clicking my tongue in amusement.
"Don't taunt me, little lady…" He murmured, as his long arm reached further into space under the bed. "Can you go wait for the taxi, Jagi?" His muffled voice asked as he inched himself further under the bed.
"Of course," I said. My high heels clicked along the hardwood floor, their sounds softened when I stepped on one of the little rugs Zen placed by the couch and the front door. Outside, the warm day was quickly cooling into a brisk evening, and I almost regretted the spring dress I chose for our dinner, but the confidence it gave me overshadowed my chilly arms and bare legs. It was my favorite option of all the dresses I tried on, and the way Zen's scarlet eyes widened and the comical way his mouth fell open was all the proof I needed to know he liked it too.
I hopped from one delicate heel to the other to keep myself warm while I waited, noticing how surprisingly empty the road was for a spring evening. A tenant from the apartment building nodded politely at me as he entered, brushing past me to get inside, and the headlights of an oncoming vehicle became brighter as it slowed down. I waved over as I noticed it was the taxi we were waiting for. As the car came to a stop, I clicked my way over, the window rolled down, and a friendly faced driver tipped his hat.
"Taxi for Ryu Hyun?" He asked. I nodded my head, opening the back door.
"He'll be out in a moment." I said.
"Going somewhere nice?" The driver asked in an attempt at making light conversation. I nodded, about to explain our anniversary and the romantic dinner Zen had planned for us. But I stopped just before the words came tumbling out.
Don't let people know when the house will be empty. The warning from my first few days in Zen's apartment echoed in my head. Especially for a half basement level unit, it's easy to break into.
"My boyfriend will be right out," I said. "He's just letting my mother know we were leaving."
"How sweet," The driver said. "Is she visiting you?"
"Yes." I lied with a smile. "She's such a sweetie." I kept myself from rolling my eyes as the driver became sentimental, using the wait to reach for his phone and scroll through the camera feature and pulling up a picture for me to see.
"Those are my girls," He said. "Hearing you talk about your parent reminded me of them."
"How adorable," I sighed. It was true that the girls were adorable, they looked so much alike with gray eyes and black hair cut into bob styles. The only difference between them were the color of their dresses and the little clips in their hair.
I handed the driver back his phone when Zen finally emerged. his long silvery hair was frazzled and wildly flying from his ponytail. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were almost crazed. He slipped into the back of the car, wrapping an arm over my shoulders and pulling me close to his side.
"Sorry it took so long," he said with a grin. "The little brat refused to come out from under the bed. I had to poke her with a coat hanger and she bit me! " I froze as he spoke, realizing the horror that was about to unfold. A sudden laughed cut off as I choked it back. The driver stared at us through the review mirror. The shock on his face was clear as day. "It's too cold to lock her outside, so I had to put her in the crate, I really don't want her peeing on the rug again." He wrapped his arm around me and nuzzled his nose into my hair. My heart raced as his lips pressed against the edge of my ear, a normal response to his coy teasing, but tonight my heart pounded for a different reason.
"I'm hoping she doesn't cry the whole time we're gone," He murmured into my ear. "I don't need the other neighbors complaining," The driver started down the side road, eyes glued ahead of him, and the tips of his ears glowed a radioactive red. "I know you really like her, but this Saturday you're back to being all mine, Jagi." He whispered.
I knew at that moment, Zen would never live this down.