The Solitary Alpha

17 - Travel #2 - Arrival in Seoul*

"So what was that about?"

"What, me blowing off your friend?"

"Not my friend, just an acquaintance."

"I don't like him, plus he tried to touch me."

"Gideon, Gideon, Gideon."

"Toru, Toru, Toru..." a quiet little giggle came from her.

"Your dad wasn't kidding when he said you were a handful."

"No, he wasn't."  Gideon winked at him.

The two enjoyed their meal, paid and made their way to the gate. It was a good thing they had gotten there early.  As Gideon checked-in, they learned there was a mixup with the flights and it would arrive in about 30 minutes. Sanada and Gideon could only look at each other. Thankfully, they left the restaurant when they did, the line for boarding was about to start. While waiting in line, Sanada suddenly panicked. Earlier, Gideon had seen him forget his travel organizer on the empty chair next to him when they left the restaurant and grabbed it.

"Relax, here." She handed it to him as he breathed a sigh of relief. Boarding the plane, the stewardess led them to their seats and the two got comfortable as much as they could. Before take off, Gideon did a final check of the reservations and saw a message from Kenji.

Kenji: Enjoy the trip, please talk to him.
Gigi: I will, I already told him we need to talk.
Kenji: Whoa!

"Everything ok?" Sanada saw she was messaging someone.

"Yes." Gideon put her phone away and prepared for takeoff. She would see if what Kenji said earlier had any truth to it.

"So do you travel often?"

"No. This is actually the first trip I've taken in some time."

"So... Why the change?"

"I have some things I want to look into.  Korea seemed like a good place to do it."

Gideon let it go at that. She didn't want to get too curious, as that would only make him suspicious. The flight was uneventful, and they were both glad they had arrived earlier than planned. Walking through the Incheon terminal, Gideon noticed how Sanada made sure to walk close to her. If another male started getting too close, he was quick to come between them or glare at them. Gathering their luggage from the baggage claim area, the two made their way to the car rental terminal where the vehicle was waiting.

"Are you familiar with Seoul?" Gideon was wondering if she needed to activate her GPS.

"Yes, I lived here for a few years, I know where we're going."

"Good." Gideon was getting quieter, her exhaustion from earlier was catching up with her now that she was starting to relax.  As Sanada drove to the hotel, she enjoyed the view. He glanced over at her since she was being so quiet.

"Tired?"

"Yes, but I'll be fine."

"You should have gotten some sleep."

"If I did, we would have missed the flight."

Sanada looked at her but said nothing. She was right and he knew it. Hopefully she would get some sleep later tonight. Tomorrow was actually the only day he had planned to visit properties. The rest of the time was like a mini vacation for the two to get closer.  Sanada was a little nervous at how receptive Gideon would be to all of it and what she was really wanting to talk about.