Chapter 14
“ S o, when are we getting tennis courts at Kelex?” I playfully ask Lex.
He quirks a sassy eyebrow at me. “Would you like a track field as well?”
“I don’t like running,” I say, scrunching my nose.
“Then you wouldn’t like tennis. A dartboard might be more your speed.”
“Asshole,” I chuckle. “We already have one.”
“Then the best I can do until we add another few million to our yearly revenue is another arcade machine.”
I think about it for a moment and nod. “I’m okay with that.”
Our guide, who walks a few steps ahead of us, turns around. “This is the food court. We have eighty-seven menus, and everything is free. Your visitors’ badges give you access to it.”
Lex bends toward me when our host looks away again to say, “You heard that, my little raccoon? Free food.”
I shove his side with my elbow, utterly helpless against my irrepressible smile. He’s getting a little too comfortable with making fun of my flaws…
We’re about eleven miles east of Seoul, in the Injin Village. It’s a massive complex that might as well be a town of its own where Injin has its factories, research centers, and even hotels, daycare centers, medical facilities, multiple sports fields like soccer, badminton, basketball, baseball, an Olympic swimming pool, and their own transportation network. It’s absolutely insane, and I’m so excited to be shown around such an amazing place.
When we arrived, Mr. Myung welcomed us and began our tour. I met him during our dinner with the Injin people yesterday, and we spent most of the evening talking. He’s about Lex’s age and very dynamic. His English is far, far better than my Korean. Now, he’s guiding us to the building where we’ll meet the small team he has assembled to help us create the best possible phone for our customers.
Once we get there, I’m surprised to see that the “small” team consists of twenty-three developers, designers, and engineers. This is… a lot. Mr. Myung introduces us, and they all stand up to greet us with bows. Lex and I return the gesture, and they go back to work.
As he walks us around the space, Mr. Myung introduces each team member individually. When we arrive at the corner with the developers, he jokes in Korean that they should ask now if they have an issue that needs fixing. “Mr. Coleman and Miss Walker are very talented programmers,” he explains.
“He just told them I’m the brain, and you’re my bodyguard,” I jokingly translate to Lex.
“That’s actually a very good way to put it.”
One of the programmers raises his hand, interrupting my laugh. When Mr. Myung asks him to speak, he timidly explains in English, “I sent an email last week about a compatibility issue with the KOS.”
“Oh, wait!” I suddenly say, remembering an email about the Kelex Operating System malfunctioning. “Are you… Jeong Dong-hyun?” He nods. “I’m in charge of your ticket, but I didn’t have time to handle it before the trip. I think Steven was supposed to take care of it. He didn’t email you back?”
Mr. Jeong shakes his head. “I’m sorry about that. I think I figured out what the problem was. Do you mind if I look now?”
He hesitates, looking at his team leader, Mr. Myung, for approval. The latter gives him a confident nod, and my nerves choose that moment to manifest themselves.
What if I actually didn’t figure out what the issue is and ridicule myself? This is our OS. I’m supposed to know it in and out. As if he can sense my hesitation, Lex rests a hand in the middle of my back and whispers low enough so I’m the only one to hear, “You got this, Walker. Show them how it’s done.”
Mr. Jeong is up from his chair, waiting for me to sit in it, and Lex gives me the gentle push I need. My fingers barely tremble as I navigate through the script. I make the few changes that are needed and correct some mistakes. As I suspected, the problem isn’t on our side but theirs. I have to add minor edits to three other scripts for it to work, and once I’m done, I sit back and look at the screen with pride.
When I gaze up at the Injin employee, who was observing everything the whole time, he gives me a thumbs up and a smile.
“It was a sneaky one,” I explain .
I stand up, give him his chair back, and return to Lex. “We should go before they try to poach you,” he suggests. “I’m not sure Kelex can compete with a life in Seoul and all the amenities here.”
“Oh, Kelex can absolutely compete.”
“But we don’t have tennis courts,” he jokes.
“No, but my favorite—and only—way of doing cardio works there.”
I swear on my life that his cheeks turn pink. I don’t have time to dwell on it because our guide returns from his talk with the developer. “Thank you, Miss Walker. It looks like everything’s good now.”
“Amazing. That’s one less email to answer when we get home,” I humor.
He politely laughs and asks, “Was there anything else you wanted to see? I can show you around more if you want.”
“We have bothered you enough as it is,” Lex intervenes. “We will head to the food court you mentioned and then make our way to the car so we can get to the airport.”
I stifle a sigh, reluctant to leave. It all went so fast that I barely had time to enjoy Seoul, Korean food, the culture… I’ll have to come back, for real this time. And maybe I’ll take my favorite thing about this trip with me, and we’ll share a room instead of a suite.
Using his navigational superpower, Lex effortlessly guides us to the canteen. While eighty-seven menus sounded like heaven earlier, I realize it’s a nightmare. There’s too much to choose from, and I’m overwhelmed by my options. Plus, almost everything is in Korean, so it takes me forever to decrypt the dishes. After about ten minutes of hesitation, I choose a spicy bibimbap. Once I have it, I spot Lex in the distance, holding his own tray. He sees me, too, and we meet in the middle, settling on an empty table. When I sit down and see what he ordered, I give him a disapproving look.
“A cheeseburger? Really?”
He shrugs. “It was the only thing I recognized in the pictures.”
I shake my head, amused. “This is the reddest flag you’ve ever flown, Lex. And you broke my heart once, remember?”
He grabs his burger and brings it to his grinning mouth. “Eat before your food gets cold,” he orders, unbothered.
“It’s a cold dish,” I mumble as I pick up my chopsticks.
We eat for a moment, and I’ll admit that his french fries look particularly good. When I try to grab one, though, he swats my hand away. “You’re not allowed to eat my American food, you snob.”
He’s been so gentle and devoted lately that I didn’t expect that kind of behavior from him. I’m still stunned by shock and amusement when he picks up a fry and brings it to my gaping mouth. As I chew on it, I realize that this trip has momentously changed our dynamic .
Things flowed easily between us before, but we were lovers—not anything else. But because I’ve removed sex from the equation, because we aren’t even kissing anymore, he’s become more than that. He’s becoming a friend, possibly my best friend, and it changes everything. Knowing we’re this compatible outside of the bedroom is incredible. Somehow, this is proof that when our respective libidos dip after a while, we’ll still be like this, still obsessed with one another. I genuinely like him as a person, and even if we never have sex again, I’d want to keep seeing him, keep spending time with him, and keep joking around.
I still very much want to put slex back on the table, though. That will definitely happen on Saturday, even if he insists there are no expectations on his end.
“So, about that date,” I casually start. “Can we make it Friday instead?”
He chews, swallows, and says, “Impatient, are we?”
“It’s just so it’s over with,” I tease back.
“I’d love to take you out on Friday, but I have dinner plans with Kev and a friend.”
“Oh, I see …”
My disappointment must be evident because he feels compelled to add, “I’d cancel, but she’s just back in town, and—”
“ She ?” I impulsively repeat.
Oh my God, shut the fuck up, you moron…
As if he realizes the moment just got serious, Lex puts his burger down and wipes his mouth with a paper towel. “Evora is an old friend we grew up with and with whom I have practically lost all contact. She lives in LA but is returning to Seattle for a few months to manage some of her family’s assets.”
“Ah, so she’s one of your rich friends…”
“Everyone in my life is rich, Andrea. You’re the only poor person I keep around.”
I frown, mindlessly stirring my bibimbap with my chopsticks. “I’m not poor,” I counter with a pout.
“From my point of view, you are. Now, as I was saying, I’d cancel that dinner, but I can’t. Plus, I’ve already started working on our date plans.”
He definitely knows how to handle me a little too well because I discard everything else and excitedly ask, “You have?”
“Yes.”
I hold back an excited squirm. “And? Where are you taking me?”
“Woman, has no one ever taught you that curiosity killed the cat?”
“Yeah, but I also know satisfaction brought it back. ”
His gray eyes linger on me for a while, clearly enjoying this little banter, until he picks up his burger again. “I’m not telling you, Andrea.”
I sigh, aware I won’t get it out of him. “Can I at least know the kind of clothes I’ll need? Should I dress fancy or casually? Do I need a swimsuit? Are you Pretty Womaning me, and do I need to buy an opera dress?”
That earns me a low chuckle as he swallows his mouthful. “No need to be all fancy. Just come as you are.”
“Are you implying I’m not fancy?”
His judgy eyebrow rises, and his eyes look me up and down. “Who are you trying to deceive here? I’ve seen you in your natural habitat, Andrea.”
I pinch my lips together, holding back a smile so I won’t encourage his teasing. “Fair.”
Although I try, he doesn’t give me an inch, and I still have no idea what he’s planning by the time we leave the canteen. An impulsive idea strikes me as we pass a row of basketball courts on our way to the car. After a quick check around us, I grab his arm and lead him to a court’s gate.
“What’s happening?” he wonders as we step in.
Balls are neatly organized in a rack by the side of the court, so I walk to them. I remove my coat, lay it over the rack, as well as my lanyard with my visitor badge, and grab a ball. “You are wooing me with your basketball skills, baby.”
Lex looks unimpressed and a little skeptical. But when I send him the ball, he grabs it with a trained hand. After a short moment of reflection, he walks to the rack to remove his suit jacket, folds it in half, and lays it next to my coat. He also undoes his tie and opens a button before returning with the ball.
“Come on, Coleman. Get in offense position.”
He silently complies, rolling his dark blue sleeves over his thick forearms. The arrogance with which he looks down at me tells me he doesn’t expect me to be any good at this. But I used to play with Rafael, with a hoop on the side of the house. My mission was always to annoy the shit out of him so he’d work on his faints. I’m terrible at scoring points, but I can be really annoying when I try.
“Are you ready?” I wonder.
“I should be the one asking that.”
I snort, unimpressed by his confidence.
As if he wants to make me swallow back my brattiness, he moves into action. Rapid like lightning, he dribbles the ball past me and throws a perfect basket before I can even process what’ s happening. Incredulous, I turn around just in time to see the ball pass through without even touching the backboard. Damn, he’s good.
“Pick up your jaw, Walker,” he teases as he returns with the ball.
“Okay, I didn’t know what to expect, but consider me warned.” He comes between me and the basket and throws me the ball. “Oh, no. I don’t do that part. I’m way too bad at it.”
“Humor me, then. I promise I’ll be gentle.”
Sighing, I take a few steps back to think of a strategy. When I launch myself with determination, his swift hand easily steals the ball away from me. I watch as he dribbles out of the markings and easily scores a three-pointer.
“That wasn’t gentle,” I disappointedly mumble.
“Alright, I’ll tone it down even more.”
We play for a moment, and I’m a little better at defense than on our first attempt, stealing the ball a few times and even scoring once. As for the offense, I can tell how much he’s holding back, allowing me to attempt a few shots despite his obvious superiority.
I’m still getting crushed, though, so I switch tactics. “Oh, my God! What is that?!” I shout, pointing behind him.
Like the fool he is, he turns around, and I hurriedly dribble forward. To my dismay, he reacts too fast and grabs me by the waist, lifting me off the ground to stop my enterprise. His hurried motion makes me spin halfway around as I squeal.
“I didn’t know you were a cheater,” he mutters in my ear as he puts me down, his front plastered to my back.
“You left me no choice. I was desperate.”
With his muscular body flush against mine, I forget all about the game. A look around tells me we’re still alone, so I twist, with his arm keeping me close.
When I look up into his mesmerizing eyes, I see that he also forgot about the game and is thinking of this, of our closeness, of how easy it would be to kiss. The hunger in his gaze weakens my knees, and my lips part with the need to taste his. We’re stranded in time, wrapped in a bubble that doesn’t go any further than this embrace. His arm moves away from my back so his hand can rest on my hip instead.
“Ask me,” he whispers.
And I want to. God, I want to ask for a kiss. But we’re on a work trip, and there might be cameras, and this is incriminating enough.
“Lex,” I start, my voice uneven.
I’m still distractedly holding the ball, and it makes me think of an escape with potential benefits. I stretch up just a little, and when he lowers, convinced we’re about to kiss, I rip myself away from him .
Adrenaline rushes through me as I dribble to the basket and throw the ball with a small prayer. It bounces off the backboard, rolls on the edge, and, to my delight, tilts inside.
When I proudly turn around, Lex is exactly where I left him, slight shock lingering on his handsome face. “Pick up your jaw, Coleman. In basketball and in war, there are no rules.”
Humor lights up in his stormy eyes, and he catches the ball I throw at him. “Actually, there are very specific rules, but I’ll let it slide.”
Of course, he scores on his last turn, bringing us to a pathetic eleven to four.
“You’re really good at this,” I concede as we return the ball to its rack.
“Thank you. I started as part of my physical therapy and kept playing because I enjoyed it.”
“You had to do physical therapy?”
He nods as he slips on his jacket and shoves his tie in his pocket. “I had issues with hand-eye coordination, along with poor motor skills. I saw a physical therapist, who advised me to try a ball sport to help. I wasn’t into team sports, so I asked Kev to help me, and we started our one-on-ones.”
“I see …”
For some reason, I always thought he won the genetic lottery, but I’m starting to understand he had to work hard to reach this level of perfection. And in a way, it makes it even better. Life didn’t hand him everything; he fought for it.
Once we’re back on our way to the car, surrounded by people, the reality of our departure hits me once more. I don’t want to return to reality. Not because I’ll miss Seoul, but because I’ll miss him.
Since we left Seattle, we’ve spent almost every waking minute together, and I’m not looking forward to only seeing him a few hours a week. But however short our trip was, I know I’ve made memories that’ll last me a lifetime.
No matter what happens once we get home, no matter what the future holds for us, we’ll always have this.
We’ll always have Seoul.