The SlowRise ringtone from Khuong's phone alarm helped him get out of his deep slumber. Khuong gradually made his way to the kitchen to make a fresh cup of coffee. The sunrise shone through the glass walls of his corner condominium. He sat in his wicker-metal, egg-shaped patio chair that faced the east. After a few sips of coffee, Khuong thought about Dinh's act of kindness.
Usually Khuong kept to himself in his personal life and had a considerably small circle of friends. He was more of an individual who stuck to his routine—meal prepping, commuting to and from Equinox Sports Club, working the same schedule, and reading his favorite Health & Fitness books before going to bed.
As soon as Khuong finished his coffee, his phone received a message notification. He stood up from his favorite egg chair to unlock his phone that was on the charging pad at the coffee table. Khuong noticed the Home Screen glitched for about 2.5 seconds. He sighed an expression that he probably needed to upgrade his phone soon. Upon dropping the notifications tab to open the new message, Khuong heard sirens outside and the neighbor from down the hall on route to walk their dogs. The message was from Dinh. He wanted to meet Khuong soon.
Khuong didn't pay any attention to the fact that the arrival of the message was almost aligned with his reminiscing of Dinh. So, he sent a quick reply and continued his morning routine.
After having planned his entire schedule for the next month, Khuong was on his way to meet Dinh at the desired location. He was prompt. Dinh noticed Khuong from down the block, and Khuong spotted Dinh's silhouette and his sparkling earring. They entered the American Museum of Natural History.
Dinh was really excited to show Khuong the Worlds Beyond Earth exhibit. Khuong was fascinated by the state-of-the-art projections. It actually felt like he was closer to distant planets. At the end of the 25-minute exhibit, Dinh and Khuong explored the other exhibits in the museum.
They dabbled in conversation at the Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs. Khuong expressed his fanaticism for Jurassic Park. Dinh laughed silently, while focusing his attention on Khuong's attractive voice.
The museum was one hour away from closing. Dinh's stomach growled. Khuong heard it, too, and asked if he wanted to grab a bite somewhere or if he wanted him to cook him food at his condo. Dinh was open to the idea of food. In fact, this was one of his favorite hobbies, other than his passion for performing arts and choreography.
At Khuong's condo, Dinh made himself at home. Dinh admired the interior design and the layout of the corner condo. Khuong offered Dinh a glass of cucumber infused water while he began dinner preparations. Dinh noticed a major detail inside of Khuong's place—no television could be found. Khuong explained that he reads books more often. Dinh expressed his curiosity to see his collection.
Khuong guided Dinh to his hidden bookshelf. "I had this part of the condo renovated, so I can access my books whenever I want," said Khuong. Dinh was very impressed at how the system held the books on the bookshelf perfectly and how it was concealed in that portion of the wall.
After wrapping up dinner, Dinh expressed his desire for coffee or something sweet. So, Khuong whipped up some dalgona—a combination of instant coffee, sugar, and hot water—and dolloped it onto milk. He served the coffee in two double-wall insulated glasses. Dinh took a moment to appreciate the coffee's aroma.
Almost having finished their coffees, Khuong noticed that something was different about Dinh, especially since earlier that afternoon. A part of him did not want to pry, so he remained silent. A few moments later, Dinh's pocket began to vibrate subtlety. He paid no attention to it. However, within the next 30 seconds, the source of the vibration grew to a noticeable level. Khuong suggested, "You should probably answer that." Dinh was astonished by Khuong's keen attention and excused himself to the bathroom.
