✏︎NO GOING BACK THIS TIME:
The little metallic band seems brighter than it should be. Every time he moves his hand a bit the light reflects on it. When he takes a sip of wine, it clings on the glass. When he cuts his meat, it rubs against the cutlery. Finally, when he talks about our university days, he plays with it.
"Don't you think it's weird?" I blur out not even paying attention to what he was telling me before.
"What?"
"I don't know. I feel like out of everyone you know or knew, you could have chosen someone else besides me?"
"Well, I'm just the most comfortable with you. You were my best friend through the four years of uni and—" Once again, his words become background noises. For some reason, I couldn't concentrate at all. My eyes start to wonder around the room.
There is only happy couples around us and because they didn't know what our situation is, they could think the same of us. Maybe, other couples in this room were in this situation too. Actually, no way, that was just too weird. I look back at him he's still talking. Trying to explain his way out of this one. Sure I had feelings for him, when I was in college, when I didn't want a boyfriend. I always said that we met at the wrong time. He always muttered that I didn't give him a chance. But if I said that back then was the wrong time, now it definitely is.
Seonghwa is engaged, and he contacted me after years to ask me out on a date. Him and his fiancé made a weird deal. They allowed one another to go on a date with a random person to see if they were really ready to engage themselves into a marriage. So here I am, on a date with an engaged man that used to be my best friend in college, and occasionally something more.
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Honestly? Not really no.. I don't know. This is weird. It's like giving me false hope."
"False hope?"
"It's a fake date Seonghwa. It's basically rubbing it in that I've been single forever." I sigh wanting to lay back in my chair but I feel like the restaurant is too fancy for that. Since when could he afford this kind of place.
"Well I mean.." He looks around embarrassed, and then I don't know if it's my pride or just wanting to be an asshole to him as a revenge, but I decided to take on his challenge. Tonight, Park Seonghwa, you're gonna fall in love with me all over again.
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I was always a bit wild. College years were actually my peak. I had been arrested a few times and Seonghwa was never far behind me. Even though he was the calm type, always having good grades, never missing class. I guess there was something about me that pushed him to do the irresponsible things I loved doing.
"How do uni students dress these days?" I say looking through clothes at a local thrift shop.
"I don't know.." He says looking around nervously.
"Here!" I take an over sized t-shirt and some ripped up baggy pants. "That's how I'm gonna dress !! Wait do they have bucket hats?" I go the hat section and find a white bucket hat. "Your turn!" I turn to him.
"No way, we're not going to a frat party."
"Seonghwa, it's Friday night! The parties are booming right now. Let's just go have some fun like the old days. Here wear this." I find him a pair of skinny black jeans that had a chain and a white t-shirt. "Just tuck in that white t-shirt and you're gonna look... Oh! So sexy~" I go up to him taking his nice tie in my hand to pull him to me. "All the girls are gonna want you~" I almost whisper to him and he can't help himself but to smile back shyly. I was getting to him slowly but surely.
