This wasn't uncommon. Sometimes he would invite her to meet up. That was just how they interacted. They would text each other a little, only ever talk over the phone a few times because that was hell to her, but then they always seemed to meet each other face-to-face. She would've settled for texting, but he was the one to ask her to hang out. It's not like she could just reject the invitation!
Well, she could, but she had the urge to please everyone, to follow their orders or accept their request for favours. It was just in her nature, not counting the fact she always accepted his invitation because she needed friends. Like, really needed them or else she'd probably end up an old lady with a house full of cats or puppies or even birds to quench the loneliness.
Speaking of which, could she even count him as a friend? He wasn't the kind to just genuinely call someone his friend or admit that he's friends with people. Or that's what she's concluded from their interactions.
But right now, she was leaning against the drink machine outside of a building, her finger tracing circles as it slid around the rim of her can. It was out of nervousness, keeping her light shaking in check. Meanwhile, Donald was calmly sipping the bottled drink he got.
"Ha," She sighed as a light breeze passed them.
"It's getting colder. I can already feel it." She commented to lift the tension it seemed only she felt.
"There's only a month left until autumn." Donald Na pointed out.
"I want summer to end quicker," She opened up, "I'm just excited for spring to come! Even if it's more months away than autumn is."
"Not that I don't like autumn," She awkwardly laughed, raising the can in her hand to cover her mouth as her cheeks warmed, "It's very pretty! With all the pretty colours of oranges and yellows! And it gets nice and chilly! And my grandma has lots of yummy produce during that time when we visit her! And winter's nice, too. But, I want spring to come around again."
There she goes. Over-sharing either due to excitement or anxiety. At least it provided material for conversation.
Donald chuckled, "You're fond of spring."
"Yeah! Because the weather is so nice and there are so many pretty colours! The flowers bloom again and everything becomes lively."
"You'd like the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival." He commented.
"I do! It's so beautiful." She sighed happily, "My sense of style hasn't been the same since I went when I was a little girl."
The serene skies mingled with the tender hues of refreshed and new life combined, showing from the many dark branches. And the temperature was just right to view the delicate, fleeting blooms. When there was wind, petals of pinkish-white would rain down, giving a heart-stopping show.
"You got inspired by the flowers?" He questioned.
That was aberrant in a way but he could see something like that influencing her. She was a creative type, that was clear.
"Nope! I saw two women pass by dressed in these really, really cute bouncy dresses in all pink and soft yellows and greens!" Her eyes were almost sparkling, "It was so different than the usual trends! It opened a whole new world for me. I couldn't look at anything else the same! But the flowers are certainly pretty, I might as well have been inspired by them, too. And Yeouido Park! It's so–so–!!"
She paused, expression of glee falling. Oh, right, she was rambling. Sometimes she just gets ahead of herself, talking and talking. It was almost as bad as her anxious over-sharing. She almost expected him to tell her to shut up or that she talked too much. And the expectation of those reactions is the exact reason she felt more comfortable speaking without thought to Haneul because she knew the girl wouldn't act like that. Donald Na was...unpredictable for the most part to her, but he probably hated it.
Did she just take a step back from her accomplishment of getting closer to him or anyone? Maybe. She lost her walls for a second there.
"'So' what?" He waited for her to finish.
"Nothing. Aha, sorry I got ahead of myself." She nervously giggled, gulping down the rest of her drink.
"It was cute. Seems like the name kitten does fit you well." He chuckled, a sly smile appearing.
"Not that again!" She huffed.
She wouldn't admit that it was beginning to grow on her, mainly because now Haneul keeps calling her that, all thanks to him. She was beginning to accept that maybe Lotus— or In-na— was now...freaking Kitten. That was a big loss for her, but she could adapt. Even then she did want to bang her head against the wall a little bit still.
"Yeouido Park, huh?" Na decided to redirect the conversation, leaning towards her, "You seem to love that place."
"It's nice. It's my favourite place to go, not just in Spring. Though...sometimes I just don't want to go because of all the people there." She admitted.
"What...about you?" She hesitantly questioned, bending the tab on her can back and forth.
"I don't have a favourite place," He said.
She puffed her cheeks in faux annoyance, "What about your likes?"
"Nothing from the top of my head." He answered.
Her face dropped and she stared at him with a blank look. "You're not serious..."
"You really want to know about me, huh." He chuckled.
"Wa–Well, yes...a little..." She struggled to say and leaned back to put more space between them.
"Fine, after you go first."
Lotus went silent in search of something before nodding. "I like decoden and decorating! Because they make me happy. I also like cute things! They just make me so happy! And soft tones because they also make me happy. And baby animals!...Because they make me happy!" She stopped and hummed before continuing, "And plushies. I have a lot! And cooking."
"I would hate to see how your room looks." He commented. Take all of those things and put them together and you would have one big light-toned cutesy mess.
"It doesn't look bad. It's very comforting." She defended herself, "I make sure it's all organized, too."
"I'm sure you do," He waved her off.
"I do," She quickly said.
Upon getting rid of their trash, hers in her bag and his in the many trashcans littering the food streets against their fronts respective buildings, they moved on from loitering. She didn't want to be around these many restaurants and the delicious, mouthwatering smell of food that was crying for her to eat! What she would do for some sundubu jjigae!
'Wait...' She thought with a soft pout, 'He's not going to tell me more about himself is he?'
'He tried to distract me from it.'
'Fine, another time then!'
But she'd be okay if he never did. She didn't want to be too rude prying like that every time they talked. That's not to say she wouldn't attempt to pry on a good day, because she would. If they were going to get even a little bit closer, she would have to know at least one more personal thing about him!
Unless he was only around her to pass the time or something, then it would make sense for him to put a distance like that in front of him! Haha, but maybe he was just a person who didn't open up easily! To little Lotus, the latter was what she believed. But she knew that in her heart, not even that deep down, she believed in the former.
As they talked, which wasn't much despite Lotus' attempts at keeping it going, they were able to get away from the streets full of yummy restaurants that had their doors open and storefronts decorated with pictures of food and bright words. Those bright fronts were replaced by less decorated buildings which could be seen as a sign that maybe showy exterior was a more appealing sight.
Even less appealing was the metal walls of some places they were passing which were rusted, leading to the next building with stained walls that were tainted more by a piece of graffiti. Even the cars that were lined in the street, waiting at the light didn't make it look better. This was just a sight that Lotus had gotten used to, and although it wasn't as good looking as other places, it held a place in her heart.
However, something in the normal scenery caused her to stop.
She had gasped causing Donald Na to curiously look down at her. He saw that her dark coloured eyes were staring at something across the street, shown from between the gaps of the vehicles waiting to drive onward. He followed her stare only to see a woman slowly walking a dog. Nothing else, nothing special.
"A puppy," Lotus softly cooed out, grabbing onto Donald's jacket on impulse, "Donald, look, a puppy!"
The dog was so small and round like a little snowball with a cute black nose! She could see its little tail wagging as it walked, looking everywhere. It barked as the cars finally began to move now that the light had changed. The tiny bark reached them, high-pitched enough to sound squeaky.
Once all of the cars that were once stopped were on the move, she finally looked away from the puppy and up at Donald excitedly, flashing a big smile. If she were to get any more excited, she would be jumping up and down. Oddly enough, she was mirroring that energetic dog that kept trying to run to each thing it passed. Maybe 'puppy' fit her better.
Oh, another name to tease her with.
"I see." He nodded as he commented.
"It's so cute!" She turned back to watch the dog and its owner walk down the street, heading the direction the two teens came from and continued to gush, "Oh my goodness! And so tiny and fluffy! Look at him wag his little tiny tail! Awe!~"
The girl had to turn her head to keep sight of it. And even after the woman and her dog disappeared, she continued on as they walked, "He was so adorable! Did you hear him bark? So tiny!"
"It's too bad my dad's allergic to pet fur! I want a cute puppy! No, no, I want that adorable baby!~" She cooed, softly pulling on the jacket that was still in her hand.
Yes, still in her hand.
Her face blanked as she looked at the fabric she gripped. She hadn't noticed that she took hold of...his...jacket...
'Wait...Wait wait wait...' Her face felt warm as she stared at him, 'Oh no!'
Even if it seemed like Donald didn't mind— since he was walking as if nothing happened— she couldn't help but feel as if her heart stopped. Why didn't he tell her that she was still holding his jacket?! Did he want her to suffer?!
She quickly let go and clasped her hands behind her back, forcing on an awkward smile as he slightly turned his head to the side to see what she was doing now. He let out a quick chuckle upon seeing her face. The poor thing was flustered—as always it seemed—and she couldn't even hide it well.
What was that thing he did with Lotus when she was like this? Make it worse.
"Don't be shy, you can hang onto me. Just don't get my jacket dirty." He teased.
"What?!" She almost shouted loudly.
The girl sighed, fortunately for her, there was barely anyone out on the sidewalks on this street.
"You're so mean sometimes."
He lightheartedly retorted, "Am I mean for allowing you to touch me?"
Point taken, Donald Na. Point taken.
Lotus pursed her bottom lip and timidly followed him, having no comeback.
But just a minute after, she fastened her pace to once more be at his side before sneaking a peek at his face. He wouldn't mind, right? He did say she could hold onto him even with that joking tone. With hesitance, she reached out and gripped just enough of his dark jacket between her index finger and thumb. Enough that she was sure he didn't notice.
It was always better to know you had someone physically near you when you're outside of your comfort zone. Holding onto something, or someone, helped her a bit. Although, with so few people outside today, she didn't feel so bad, to begin with.
Now content, she happily looked forwards, missing the glance from red eyes. She was lucky she didn't catch them or else she'd only get more awkward about it.
It was foolish to think he wouldn't notice or that he wouldn't have expected it. Yet the girl didn't know that and it would be kept that way.
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The light faded into the setting sky. It was getting dark fast which meant their little rendezvous was coming to an end. The vehicles that passed them provided more light than the dusking firmament and the streetlights. With the sun gone, the temperature had dropped enough to feel a difference, yet not enough to get them feeling too chilly.
It was a good day for her, she had to admit. She also had to admit that she began to feel antsy as they approached the more lit streets near Yeongdeungpo station. Her hand kept on her bag's strap as her other still held on to Donald's jacket.
It was basically night time and there was almost always a big crowd around Time Square, even as the sky was no longer blue. The thought caused her to shudder. At least Donald was there, that was something. Nevertheless, she took her phone out of her bag to check the time.
Staring down at the white numbers splayed across her lock screen, she murmured, "I don't want to go home."
There was just an hour left before she knew her dad would call her, asking her where she was and why she wasn't home. She usually agreed with the time her parents set for her because being alone on the streets at night with all of those scary people who could quite easily pick her up was something she didn't want. Today was different, today she didn't want to go back with whatever was going on in the kitchen.
"Why not?" The blond questioned.
"Because we're having squid for dinner since it's my aunt's favourite." She answered before quickly adding, "And she's over."
"There's nothing wrong with that."
It was just squid and it tasted good unless cooked the wrong way to where it's a rubbery mess.
"Squid and octopus are yucky. Super duper yucky!" She grimaced at the phantom taste appearing in her mouth.
In all reality, she just had a vendetta against squid and octopus ever since she almost choked to death on a piece of squid when she was younger. Now she hated any food with those 'nasty' chewy creatures. Even so, she did like to see octopuses in aquariums...and living where she couldn't be forced to eat them and risk choking again.
Going back home during the time they usually ate dinner was a no go. She'd just do something else for that time. She began texting her mom about her plans.
"I think I'll just stop by where my brother works instead," She bashfully looked back up at Donald when she sent her mom a message, "Do you want to come, too?"
'Yay for me! One step at a time!' She cheered herself on. This was a big accomplishment for her. She actually asked someone to hang out with her! Even if they were already hanging out? But she could add it to the list like when she asked Kingsley to talk with her!
"Who would I be to leave such a weak kitten by herself?" Na mused.
She pouted at his words. Not that again. Her phone dinged before she could tell him off and she immediately checked it. Ah, of course. She did not like what was written. In fact, it was a whole vibe killer.
'Shouldn't you choose something healthier?! You'll only get fatter. Come home, your father made a healthy meal. You just won't get the squid.' Were those small black words that didn't deserve to have anyone's eye strained to read.
"Oh..." She sighed, "Never mind."
It was stupid to think that her mom would allow her to go to someplace to eat when her aunt was over. Or that she wouldn't stop that image stuff when the woman was there. As always, the day just had to be ruined by something.
Unbeknownst to her, some boy just happened to peer over her at the screen and see that text and chuckled. "Wow, that's a shitty reply." He commented, "We should go get something to eat."
Uh, yeah, no way now!
"I should really get home..." She stated, the spark of energy she had, had completely vanished, "Maybe next time."
Did he have to see that? How embarrassing! Even if she did have the gull to go against her parents, she wouldn't want to stick around for the rest of the day after he saw that.
"Bye!" She quickly chirped before any more icky emotions set in, slightly waving before scurrying away.
ns 15.158.10.207da2
