It's a date.

He'd definitely said that. It wasn't a dream. It was like none of it had happened, and if I weren't so tired, knowing I hadn't been asleep, I'd half believe it wasn't real. 

Nikki walked past me to refill his coffee server. Some regulars were here, and a couple of new people in a corner talking. They were dressed in black clothes, their hair super straightened and like wigs in appearance. Seemed like the first of the crowd for Zombie Walk had arrived. I was happy to see them, but my mind was elsewhere and had been all day. 

I'd forgotten to separate my egg whites and yolks this morning. I'd had to throw the whole mixture out, but I didn't care. Remembering him watching that movie, his hand over his mouth. Wondering if he was enjoying it. He never said a word, and he hadn't touched the chocolate he'd bought. It made me wonder about him. His life experiences, where he'd been. We'd never had a real conversation like that.

Oh, but now. Maybe we'd get to. He'd definitely said those words last night. It's a date...

I couldn't let myself get lost in this. It was ridiculous to think about. Maybe he meant it a different way. Surely he did. Let's go out as friends. It couldn't possibly meant he was gay. I'd forced him to come out with me. We'd gone to all the places I'd wanted to go. Maybe he felt forced, but he'd willingly agreed for more. And, he'd been waiting for me outside of French Cup in the first place. That, I couldn't explain.

"Earth to Kazu," Nikki laughed, snapping his fingers in front of my face. 

"Uh- huh?" I asked, blinking hard. In front of me was one of the goth kids, smiling at me expectantly. "Oh- uh, welcome to French Cup."

"Thank you. I'm interested in the mille feuille."

I jumped into action, remembering myself. I went to the showcase, and he followed me. He pointed to the strawberries and cream one, and I loyally took it out of the case for him. I grabbed a plate and a paper lace doily. The mille feuille was presented on this, and he was so pleased with it. As I watched him go, it made me wonder about Gyeong-Wan. 

With him buying the chocolates last night at the movie theater, it made me know. He must like chocolate a lot. Maybe it wasn't just my chocolate he liked. However, I could appeal to him. Maybe, if I saved a chocolate mille feuille for him, he'd be happy-

"Did you take payment?" Nikki asked, going past me again, his eyebrows raised.

My hand smacked my forehead. "Oh crap," I sighed. 

"Are you okay?" He chuckled, putting the coffee server on the counter. The back of his hand went to my forehead, which was probably red now from my smack. "Hmm. You aren't warm. Did you get much sleep?" He leaned in a little closer, more intimate. "Do you want to go home and sleep when Yash gets here? It's okay. He'll be here for four hours. You can take a nap. I've been concerned about your sleep lately. You've been looking tired."

As soon as he said that, I had a different and better idea. I nodded to him, accepting his offer. 

"Okay. He'll be here in about an hour."

I made an about-face. I really was tired, but I was determined, and I had to wait an hour to do it. 

"I'll go clean the bathroom," I announced, making to go there and waste time.

Nikki stamped his foot and crossed his arms. "You will not. You handle food all day. How gross. I'll go do it."

I started laughing. He was so refreshing, momentarily taking me away from my thoughts. "What the hell do you do all day, too?"

He smacked his lips, mocking me. "That's different. You get your hands inside everything we sell here. I don't stick my fingers in every cup of coffee, you know."

"Fair, fair," I giggled. 

I patted his shoulder and he smiled at me, finally not joking around. "You're really okay?" He asked, friendly and with less concern. That's how I wanted it.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, you're right."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. There wasn't anything to really talk about. 

At the end of the hour, I was marching up the street. In my hand was a plate, balanced precariously and carefully. It had no protection, open to the air. A chocolate mille feuille sat nestled on a paper lace doily. 

"I'm taking it home," I'd told Nikki and Yash. "I want to eat it before I go to bed." They'd told me to get plenty of rest. I'd agreed, and they'd let me go without any other comment. But, this mille feuille wasn't for me. 

As I rounded the corner, the gray exterior of the hotel was still shocking to me. A pile of concrete among the older types of buildings. But, this time it didn't intimidate me. It was just a building. That was a shocking revelation in itself. 

As I marched onward, someone in a bellhop uniform bowed to me and tried to say a quick greeting, but I was too fast for him. I heard him mutter, "wait..." behind me, but I couldn't wait. I went through the gold lined double doors, my hand smacking it open. 

Inside, I was momentarily stunned. Red, fancy carpeting was under my feet. A tall chandelier was above my head, hanging from a many floors tall atrium. Open floors with barriers were arranged in a circle to the ceiling. Gold splashed here and there, and an enormous aquarium of tropical fish was in front of the seafood restaurant. 

It was much more than I'd expected. Like stepping into an alternate universe. We'd known the hotel was fancy, but this was the next level. It made complete sense now what the hotel guests had expected from us, and how we weren't meeting their expectations.

This was driven home to me when a woman in a black and white uniform dress stepped up to me not seconds after I was inside. The ensemble reminded me of a flight attendant, the tilted matching hat especially.

"Welcome to the Modern, sir! Are you checking in? Please, over there. Shall I show you?" She extended her hand in a cupping gesture towards the place where I'd actually been going. She pointed a clear path to it.

"No, I have a delivery."

"Oh, well, please next time, we do have a side door for deliveries. Shall I show you once you complete it?"

Really? So, this kind of service was only for guests, not visitors. 

"No, I'll be fine."

"Alright, then. Well, as you will. However, I must insist that the side entrance be utilized in the future." She left me, going back to a black and gold podium that I hadn't noticed. 

As I turned in the direction she'd gestured to, I saw him. My smile spread on my face without meaning to.

He stood there, not looking forward. His head was down, and I saw he was flipping through papers, his brow creased in a worry. Two women in the same uniform as the first we standing at attention at either side of him, computer stations in front of them. They seemed like soldiers to me, staring ahead. No, wait, they were more like robots. Soulless. 

I went toward them, my smiling never leaving my face. 

"Oh- Welcome to the Modern!" One of the women chirped up, a nervousness there, like she hadn't been ready. Had she been spacing out? It made sense if she had been. Maybe that explained their twin expressions, like there was nothing behind their eyes. "How may I help-"

"KAZUYA?!" 

The papers were fluttering to the floor in slow paper puddles, the flapping sounds descending like a waterfall. 

"Oh- Park-san! I'll help you!" One of the women gasped, her hand going over her mouth in distress. Both of them went down below the desk, giving me the best opening, better than I could have hoped for. 

I gave him a wink, extending my arm to give him the mille feuille. His already large eyes were so wide, the whites completely surrounding his irises. His mouth was open. It was like a dream. It had to be a dream. He took the plate from me, and I giggled, overwhelmed. He gave a strange smile, like he didn't know what to do. 

In a flash, I was dashing out of there. Past the woman in the identical uniform as the others at the podium, through the gold trimmed doors. The bellhop attempted to talk to me once more, but I was too fast for him again. I made my way down the stairs practically two at a time, making a large jump off the last one. I ran around the corner of the small circular driveway, past the fancy fountain that probably wasn't in service now due to the cold, and ran and ran like I was Tippi Hedren in The Birds. 

My smile was so wide that I must have looked absolutely crazy.