Wild One | Bbangsaz

Chapter 3

Hanni's

I'm nervous.

Despite it being a Wednesday night, all the spots along Twenty-Ninth Street are taken. But I don't mind parking around the corner and walking a block. The early October evening is crisp, with just a hint of a breeze, and the chatter of the dinnertime crowd sounds light and friendly. I could use a moment to compose myself. My stomach is tied in knots at the thought of having dinner with Minji.

Well, not just dinner, if I'm being honest. It's her comment about putting a baby inside me the "old-fashioned way" that has left me on edge for the past two days.

I take a deep breath and click the button on my key fob to lock my car, and focus on the sound of my high-heeled boots clicking along the pavement. I was unsure what to wear to the restaurant-it's the first date I've been on in a long time. A simple oatmeal-colored tunic with leggings and tousled hair was the look I settled on after trying on half my closet in an anxious fit.

I stopped looking for Mr. Right altogether at some point last year. Some well-meaning friends told me that love would find me once I stopped looking. They lied. Fuckers.

But none of that matters right now. I've promised myself that no matter what happens, I'm the one in control. If I don't like Minji (or the things she has to say), I can just march my behind (and my uterus) right back to the clinic.

I expected Minji to wait inside the restaurant. Instead, I spot her standing on the sidewalk as I approach, her hands in the pockets of her slate-gray sport coat, the very picture of a cultured, confident big shot.

Damn, she's even more attractive than I remember. I half hoped to see her in her business suit again, but this five-o'clock-shadowed casual look is just as appealing. More appealing, maybe. She must have gone home to spruce up after work before coming here, and I appreciate the effort almost as much as the view. The woman is hot.

Minji smiles and my eyes snap up to meet her. Oops. Hopefully she didn't catch me checking out the goods. I'm here to decide whether I want her sperm sample, not to grab her ass. Not to take her home with me. Not to let her fuck the living daylights out of me ...

Well, at least, not yet.

My stomach flips and I yank the plug out of my imagination. "Uh, hi," I say, giving her a lame wave.

"Hello, Hanni," she says, sounding genuinely glad to see me. I feel the weight of her gaze as it travels over me, making me warm. "You didn't wear the lipstick."

For a moment, I'm baffled, and then I recall our elevator conversation. The color I told her was my favorite and that I generally saved for dates.

"It's not a real date." Is it?

"Right, of course." Minij nods. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

"No, I just hit a little traffic. Sorry I'm late." It's been a long time since I had a date, and I suddenly feel rusty.

She shrugs. "Only by five minutes, no big deal. Do you want to sit outside?"

"Sure, the weather's nice." I let her escort me to the door, through the bustling restaurant and back out to the patio. Her hand sits on the small of my back the entire way.

When the waiter comes to our table, we order two bottles of Victoria beer and half a dozen carne asada tacos, and she quickly returns with our drinks. I sip my frosty brew, admiring the sunset in one direction and the traditional-style decor in the other, all adobe and turquoise. "I can't believe I've never heard of this place before."

"Just wait until our food arrives-I'm convinced they make the best tacos in the city. I come here all the time after a long day." She winks. "Or a late night."