Here I am in the same restaurant from before. Jay is sitting across from me grinning ear to ear. He looks like the Cheshire cat from the animated Alice in Wonderland movie. I am a dog person, yet I seem to have a weird magnetism towards cat-like people. If Wendy is like a domestic house cat, Jay is like a cheetah.

We both ordered our food and now we are accompanied by silence. My uncle wants the details of my current love life and I don’t want to say anything. I grip my sketchbook tight; I think the pages are going to bend. Do I speak up? Do I wait for him to speak up? I am not sure how to conquer this silence. It’s too awkward.

“So…” Jay takes the initiative, “Tell me what sort of love advice you want?”

What sort of love advice? You mean there are different kinds? Oh gosh, what have I gotten myself into? What kind do I want?

“The basic one, I suppose?” I hear uncertainty in my own voice.

Jay hums. “You never had a crush on anyone until now, right?”

I nod. Jay continues, “What do you feel for this girl?”

I place a hand to my heart as I think about Wendy. “I feel an unusual warm feeling that brushes against my heart like someone brushing a feather against my body. Seeing her smile makes me smile. Seeing her vulnerable and sad makes me want to see her smile. When she’s happy, I am happy too. When she’s sad, I am sad. It’s hard to get her out of my mind. I think about her constantly.” I am amazed how much her presence has affected me.

Jay covers his mouth. His eyes narrows and his eyebrows scrunch up. It looks as if he’s going to cry and it makes me worried. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just so happy that little Eugene is falling in love. You’re growing up.” Was it something worth giving such a dramatic reaction? 

“What about you? How did you know when you realized you were in love with Lauren?”

An awkward silence greets us again when the waitress interrupts us with our food. We take a quick break to start eating our food before it gets cold. The spicy chicken ramen is still as good as ever. Jay got the shoyu ramen; like Wendy, he’s also bad with spicy food.

After taking a few bites, our conversation resumes. Jay speaks up. “I first met Lauren in my freshman year in college. We were awkward eighteen year olds that happened to sit next to each other at the time. We were in a required English class. When class had ended, she had forgotten her pencil case. She had left the classroom in a rush, so I rushed out to reach out to her and gave it back. When she thanked me and gave me a bright smile, I knew she was the one for me.”

I found it hard to imagine someone like Lauren giving out an innocent smile. She always seems snooty to me. Maybe the phrase ‘Love is blind’ applies to Jay.

“How could you tell?” I am curious on how someone could know their destined person just from sight alone.

“I could just feel it. Her smile was one of those rare genuine smiles with no malicious intent. I could tell that this person was not a superficial one and I was right. That’s why I plan on making her my wife.”

“How long did it take for you to confess?”

Jay meekly smiles as he answers my question. “It was hard at first. I had a big fat crush on her, but she never had any dating experience before. All I could do was try to be subtle. That took me two years. It was an arduous process.” He takes a large gulp of water and slams the cup onto the table.

“How did you confess?”

“I just said it loud and clear. Lauren had reacted awkwardly, but she quickly accepted my confession after realizing she felt the same way.”

So, if I feel the same way, I should just go for it? I guess that is the most plausible answer. Beating around the bush won’t get me anywhere and making Wendy wait for so long is also disrespectful. I like her too, so I should give her an answer as soon as possible.

“So, when are you going to confess?”

“I don’t know.” What is considered soon? Tomorrow? The day after? Three days? Four days? A week? 

Jay raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean you don’t know? You have to confess soon or you’ll lose her.”

“She already confessed to me, but I told her to wait for my answer.”

Jay smacks his hand to his forehead. Worry comes to me. I can already tell he’s not satisfied with my answer at all.

“Eugene, Eugene, Eugene…never let a lady wait. She’s going to slip out of your hands if you hesitate for too long.”

“What else could I have done? I have never been in a relationship and it felt too soon to jump into one.”

“Okay, you’re in the right…somewhat. Still, you need to hurry up with your answer or she will move on.”

“Said from someone who waited two years for his crush to like him back?”

“Touche.”

We resume eating. After taking a bite, Jay gasps and places his chopsticks down. “That’s right. Eugene, I forgot to tell you this. Eura will be back from her honeymoon tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Has it already been two weeks?”

Time flew by so fast since the wedding. I did not realize two weeks had passed. Maybe I should also ask Eura for advice since she is married. I think if I talk to her, I can gain confidence to give Wendy a concrete answer.