As Owen wrapped up his final patient for the day, he got a message on his phone. He smiled when he saw that it was from Cristina. There were only two words in the message, "Dress casual."

"Well, that should be it for Charlie," Owen told the bichon frise's owner, Matilda Jones. "Just make sure he gets lots of rest and to take the antibiotics. He will be as right as rain in a week's time."

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt," Matilda said. She picked up her dog and went out into the waiting area.

Owen cleaned up the exam room and disposed of his medical waste. He washed his hands in the sink and dried off his hands. He walked out of his office and waved goodbye to Eunice, his receptionist and headed back to his house at the back of the clinic.

As soon as he got in, he jumped in the shower. The warm water felt good against his skin. He was so looking forward to this date – their official second date. Though it could be their third date, he thought, if they counted the time when they both cooked at his house. That could have been their first date because it did end in some really hot kissing. He was so glad that he finally made the move. Cristina was so oblivious to everything. It was a go-big moment for him when he finally kissed her.

He got out of the shower, dried himself and stood naked in front of his closet. What was he going to wear? He knew that she advised him to go casual. Yeah, okay, casual, he thought. He pulled out a clean pair of jeans. He pondered over what shirt to wear. He didn't want to wear a t-shirt. That seemed too everyday. He could wear a polo shirt but that, too, seemed too normal. He wanted to look like he took the time to dress for a date for her. Finally, he got it. He pulled out a pale blue shirt. Everyone always remarked how it brought out his eyes, whenever they saw him wearing it.

He got dressed, quickly, and slapped on some aftershave cologne. He ran a comb through his hair. He was ready. Now, it was just for Cristina to get there. He went down to the kitchen, got Smokey her dinner and waited. As he waited, he thought how strange it was that he was the one waiting. Usually, as soon as he got dressed, he would have been out of there, going to pick his date up. "Come on, Cristina," he said. He never realized how hard it was for girls, waiting for their dates, especially if their date was late. He looked at his watch. She said she would have been there by 7.30 p.m. It was now 7.40 p.m. Then, he heard the doorbell. "Yes!" he shouted.

He nearly tripped over Smokey as he rushed to get the door. He hadn't seen Cristina since Wednesday and was anxious to see her. He opened the door and he just couldn't help but smile. She looked casual but very pretty. She was also in jeans, topped by a pale yellow top and a tan leather jacket.

"Hey, I like that shirt," she said. "It brings out your eyes." It was definitely the right choice, he thought.

"Hey, good to see you," he said. He gave her a light touch on her lips.

"So, are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes, yes," he said. "Let me just grab my jacket." He took out his black leather jacket from the closet and they were on their way.

"I hope you enjoy this," Cristina said, as they started driving away. "You wanted to know more about me. Well, this is what I am going to do. We are going to visit every house that I have lived in and we can go try some food from a restaurant that my family used to go to, when I was a kid. I hope you have a strong stomach because we are going to taste some very diverse ethnic food. So our first visit will be in the Spencer Heights neighborhood."

"So it is going to be a tour of Cristina Yang's life. I like that," he said. They drove to the Spencer Heights neighborhood. It was a working class neighborhood. The houses were modest but there was a sense of family and community.

Cristina pulled up in front of a house – it was small and blue, built in the 1950s, with a porch and a stoop. "Okay, this is 322 72nd Street. I lived here the first six years of my life. My dad and my mom moved here right after graduation from college. They didn't have much money in the beginning, as you can tell from the size of the house. I loved it here. My best friend was Shauna and she lived three houses away from me in that yellow house.

"There were only two bedrooms and I had the bedroom nearer the back of the house. We had a small backyard and I used to play there with Shauna. My dad, Jon, loved all kinds of food, so my mom, Helen and I were treated to different kinds of food every day. So I am going to introduce to the Indian restaurant that we used to go to, when I was a kid. It's just a couple of blocks away."

She drove down the street to a restaurant called Jaipur. There was a young Indian man waiting on the sidewalk with a bag in his hands. Cristina took the bag from him and paid him.

"Okay, this is something my mom and dad loved to eat here," she said. "This is chola tikki. It is a chickpeas patty. Spicy and tasty." She handed Owen a patty in a napkin. He took one bite.

"Ooh, it is spicy," he said. "But good." He finished it and said, "I think I need water." She laughed and pulled out a bottle of water from the bag.

"It's just the seeded green chilis," she said. She watched him gulp down the water.

"So we're moving on to Stoker Place neighborhood," she said. They drove about 10 blocks and then they pulled up in front of a light green Arts and Crafts styled one-storey house. "This is 475 Hillsboro Avenue. As you can tell, it was a larger house. We had three bedrooms this time and two bathrooms. We lived here for four years. My bedroom was at the front this time. I was very shy and used to watch all of the neighborhood kids play dodgeball on the street. I never came out and they used to call me the geeky Asian kid." She laughed.

"The good thing about this neighborhood was that my school was not far away. Just around the corner," she said. She drove around the corner to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. "Except while it was so close to home, I got bullied. Remember I was the geeky Asian kid. Those were not good years for me. I pretty much kept to myself and did well, academically."

"If I had known you then, I would have protected you," Owen declared. "Nobody was going to mess with you."

"Ah, I wish you would have been there, too," Cristina said. "There were many nights I cried. I was so glad to get out of elementary school." They drove away from the school and stopped in front of another restaurant – this time a Thai food place called Thai House. There was another young man, waiting with a bag, which he handed to Cristina.

Cristina opened the bag and handed Owen a salad in a small bowl. "This is a Thai salad with cashews. It's whole cashews with cucumber, red pepper, carrot, Thai herbs and then, tossed with a dressing." As they ate, he asked, "Are we ever going to get out of this car?"

She laughed. "The next place we will." They finished off the salad before they moved on for 15 blocks. The next neighborhood was a lot more upscale. It was a gated neighborhood called Brookstone. She punched in the code for the gate.

"Wow, you still know the code," Owen asked.

"Well, they do change the code every six months but since my parents still live here, I know the code," she said. She gave him a wicked grin.

"What? Are we going to meet your parents?" he asked. He was not ready for this. To be scrutinized by your new girlfriend's parents was one of the worst experiences in the world. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable. His heart started to race a bit.

She pulled up in front of a large contemporary styled house. He did notice that only the security lights were on. "Don't worry. My parents are on an Alaskan cruise, so you can breathe a sigh of relief. My dad got a major promotion and a huge raise with it. This is where I spent the next eight years of my life." She drove into the driveway and reversed back on the street to leave the gated community.

"Some day, I hope we can get here when they are home," Cristina said, grabbing his hand. "I want them to meet you. After all, I have met your parents. Fair is fair. You have to meet mine."

"Yes," Owen said. "Some day." At least it wasn't today, he thought. He needed advanced warning for that.

As they drove out of the community, Cristina said, "Well I switched to private school from then on. The school is just about two miles away." As they drove to the school, Owen could see that the school had a beautiful campus.

"This is Somerset Academy. I was here until I was 18. The best thing about this place was they had a zero-tolerance attitude when it came to bullying. I loved it here," she said. "The teachers loved a geek like me."

They drove off, leaving Somerset Academy behind. She pulled into a parking lot of a Korean restaurant called Seoul Time.

"Of course, this was my father's favorite. Are you ready for some Korean barbecue?" she said.

"Am I? So ready for that," he said, opening the car door. They walked hand in hand to the restaurant. The girl at the front greeted Cristina by name. Clearly, she was a regular and popular customer because they were shown to one of the best tables in the place, next to a large picture window.

The waiter came and asked, "Miss Yang, your order is ready," he said.

"Thank you so much," she replied. "Just bring that and a couple of beers, will you?"

"Certainly," the waiter said. "Will be right back." Cristina grinned across at Owen.

"So you've had your appetizer and your salad, this is now the main course. And of course, it had to be Korean," she said. "My dad brought us here often. That's why they know my name. We still come here sometimes for family dinners."

"So what are we having?" he asked. She didn't get chance to answer as the waiter placed the bulgogi beef in front of them with side dishes of steamed rice, kimchi and stir-fried mushrooms.

"Ah, this looks really good," he said.

"It is really good. Why do you think we came here all of the time?" she said. "Dig in, son. It's going to be a great night."

As they ate and chatted, Owen looked around the other diners – it was a mixed crowd of people of all races. Clearly, the reputation of this place had definitely spilled over from the Korean community. He liked the place. It wasn't a fancy restaurant but a casual place where families could come and have good Korean food.

At the end of it, he was so stuffed. He had cleared everything away from his plate. He could barely move.

"We're not getting dessert at this place, are we?" he asked. "I don't know if I have room."

"Oh, we will get dessert but not here," Cristina said. "I just have my last place to show you." She paid the bill and they slowly made their way out of the restaurant. Owen groaned as he slumped in the passenger seat.

"Oh, God," he said. "I am too full. I am not sure I have space for anything else."

"By the time we get there, you will be okay," she said. They drove for a while until they got to a familiar campus.

"Hey, I know this place – this is where I went to college," he said. "I got my veterinary degree here."

"I went to school here, too. But I guess we were different years and weren't here at the same time," she said. "You know, given that you're in your 30s and I am still in my 20s." She snickered.

"I don't like the sound of that snicker," he said, shaking his head. They drove past the campus until they got to an apartment complex. It was a rather nondescript façade but a lively building because most of the tenants were college students.

"Okay, I lived here for four years on the third floor of this building. Apartment 311. I had a roommate named Sylvie, who had the most boyfriends of anyone I have ever met in the four years we lived together," Cristina said.

Owen laughed. "So what about you? Surely, you had a couple of guys coming to visit you at 311."

"Well, there were two guys that I dated during college but that was a long time ago," Cristina admitted. "First, there was Oscar who was an economics major and then there was Rodger, who was an engineering student. I have not heard from either of them in years. Living here was okay. At least, I didn't have my parents breathing down my neck all of the time and asking me questions."

She parked the car in the building's parking lot. "So aren't you occupying someone's space here?" he asked.

"Yup but we won't be long. Most of these kids are out, anyway for the night so they won't be back, now," she said. "I have got to get you walking so we can go to our dessert place."

"I know where you're going," he said. "It's Mike's Ice Cream shop, where they have the best homemade ice cream. I haven't had that since I was in school."

"Yep, Mike's is an institution around here," she said. They walked to the ice cream shop and ordered two small cups of fudge vanilla ice cream. That was all the room they had left in their stomach. They walked around the streets, reminiscing about the times they had there when they went there as students.

When the ice cream was all done, they walked back to the car, satiated by all what they had eaten. She drove back to her townhouse complex and stopped at the front.

"Well, this is me, now. I have lived here ever since I graduated from college. My dad paid the downpayment and I have kept up with the mortgage ever since," she said.

"Aren't you going in?" he asked.

"Well, I stopped because I am going to give you a choice. Do you want me to take you home now or do you want to come in and have a cup of coffee to settle your stomach? Whatever you want to do," she told him.

"Of course, I am going to come in for some coffee," he said. He didn't want the night to end. He had learnt so much about Cristina and her life. She drove in and parked in front of her townhouse. They got out and when she opened her door, they found Taz curled up in a ball in the foyer.

"Oh, Taz," she said. She picked up her pup and carried him to the kitchen. "I keep telling you that you don't have to wait up for me." She placed him in his bed, where the pup continued to sleep.

Cristina made two cups of coffee for herself and Owen and they both sat quietly at the kitchen table, just sipping their coffee. When he had finished his coffee, he looked across at her. He really didn't want the night to end. He made up his mind to ask.

"Cristina," he said. She looked up from her coffee. "Can I stay?"


A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you leave your feedback.