“Hey,” he said, and just the sound of his voice struck me dumb.
I swallowed and nodded.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Everything all right?” Then he frowned. “Is it okay that I sit here? Am I making you nervous?”
Yes, but in a good way. “Oh, no, it’s fine, I just…didn’t expect, uh, you.”
He laughed and pushed up his glasses on his nose. “Well, my work sometimes runs a little late, like tonight. According to Lisa, you do this all the time, though, huh?” His smile was devastating and I could feel my body respond, which hadn’t happened in a long, long time.
I wasn’t blushing. I wasn’t. “Yeah.” Lindsey was talking to me. Willingly, and not forced to do it by my mother or out of pity for my own bumbling attempts. It was enough to make me lightheaded.
“Korean, right?” he asked, and I nodded. “Lisa and I grew up in a very mixed neighborhood. We hated moving, but it was cheaper over here, and it hurt less…the memories, you know?”