32: I Can Show You the City

Surprisingly, Inho felt ok the next day. He had, however, slept until 1 pm, so maybe he’d missed the hangover completely. He didn’t mention what he’d witnessed in the kitchen to the others, but when they’d woken him up for lunch the next day, he had to remind himself not to ask where Nathan had slept in the small apartment.

The feeling of relief about his breakup persisted, and he felt refreshed for the days that followed. He texted Stephen, apologizing, and since it turned out that Nathan was closing the restaurant Monday night for renovations, they scheduled another date.

Stephen hadn’t seemed mad about the drama with Jamie and had offered again to show Inho the city. So, Inho left the planning up to him. Long hours disappeared quickly into his bike delivery work and restaurant shifts, and before he knew it, he was walking out of dinner with Stephen on Monday night.

“It’s a shame we could only meet after work,” Stephen said as they walked out of a cozy ramen shop – the best in the city, according to Stephen. “There’s so much to see. If you had a full day, we could go on a hike in the mountains, or go kayaking, or… Hmmm, have you ever been skiing?”

Inho hadn’t seen Stephen so enthusiastic before. He was walking backward as they drifted down the street so he could face Inho directly while he chatted. He seemed to be the type of person that especially liked sharing all of his favorite things. It was sort of...cute?

Inho smiled at him and shook his head no. It was their first time together without alcohol lubricating their talk and he had been worried that it might be awkward, but Stephen was an excellent conversationalist. Charming and funny, he made Inho feel relaxed and bold enough to make jokes in return. They had been laughing all through dinner, and Inho was enjoying the sparks and the desire to impress that happens at the start of new relationships. He didn’t even feel compelled to fight it anymore.

“Well let’s go to the seawall at least,” Stephen suggested. “We can probably catch the sunset if we walk fast.”

They strode together through busy streets and picked up gelato cones just before they reached the beach. It was an unexpectedly warm night for late October, and when they reached the sand, Inho immediately stripped off his sneakers and socks and ran to stand in the ocean. Stephen stopped in consternation, before slowly bending to untie his own polished dress shoes one-handed, juggling his gelato with the other.

He reached Inho’s side just as he’d had his fill of the water, “Holy shit! It’s freezing!” Inho declared, stomping his feet in the sand to get feeling back.

“Well, of course. I can’t fathom why you wanted to do that,” Stephen snorted in reply.

“Who goes to the ocean and doesn’t put their feet in?” Inho demanded. “It’s pretty much mandatory.” He pointed at the ocean, “Go ahead!”

Stephen gave Inho a stern look; he was cast in shadow against the periwinkle blue of the sky starting to break with streaks of orange and red.

“Ha. Nope,” Stephen rejected the idea outright. “I’ve humored you with bare feet on the sand, that’s enough.”

“Oh come on,” Inho nagged, then grabbed the sleeve of his coat with one hand to tug him towards the water, “I did it, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Well since you’re selling it so well,” Stephen replied coyly. “I’m still not gonna.” He dug his heels in the sand, resisting Inho’s pulling. “But we can find a place to sit if you like.”

Inho released Stephen’s arm, took two steps, and plopped down onto a huge beached log. Stephen eyed the ancient driftwood, specifically inspecting the bird poop and seaweed on the top. Then he gingerly sat down, smoothing his coat over his hips so the log wouldn’t touch his suit pants.

Inho turned to grin at him, licking his lavender gelato cheerily. “You were right,” he announced, “this sunset is beautiful, and it’s so peaceful by the ocean.”

The two sat to watch the sky fully catch fire, chatting and laughing until the sunset burned to blackness. Some jerk was loudly playing Wonderwall on a guitar nearby, and they moved closer together under the pretense of needing to hear each other better.

After a while, Stephen stood up, and stretched his arms above his head, “I’m getting stiff,” he said. “Shall walk on the seawall trail for a bit?”

“Sure,” Inho agreed. They dusted their sandy feet and put on their shoes to stroll towards the oceanside forest that the path wandered through. The route was well lit, and there were many other people out to enjoy one of the last clear nights of the year before the Fall rain and cold set in forever.

They walked slowly, admiring the ocean view, and Inho’s sense of time drifted away as he focused hard on Stephen. After a while, he noticed they were the only ones on the path. He had been too engrossed in their conversation to notice. It was getting late now and was fully dark. Ahead of them, through the trees, he saw a glowing light.

“What’s up there?” Inho pointed.

“It’s an outdoor pool,” Stephen said, and as they rounded the bend, they could see it clearly. “I’m surprised it’s still full though, it must be heated if it’s still open.”

“Heated pool?” Inho asked in an innocent tone, as a devilish smile spread across his face. “You were kind of a baby about the cold ocean water earlier,” he challenged. “But, if it’s heated you won’t complain right?”

Stephen arched a judgmental eyebrow. “It’s closed,” he replied firmly.

“Closed is just a social construct,” Inho quipped, “Look, the fence isn’t even high.” He commented as he scrambled deftly up and over the iron bars.

“Inho, what are you doing?!” Stephen hissed, glancing around for witnesses before rushing to confront him through the fence.

“Aw come join me. Let’s just put our feet in for a sec.”

Inho turned his back on Stephen’s protests and strolled over to the pool’s edge. It wasn’t cold enough for clouds of steam, but there was definitely a humid neon blue glow hovering above it in the darkness. Inho was entranced.

“Jesus Christ...” Stephen muttered, hesitating before he hurried over the gate himself. “What are you doing now, you manic pixie dream girl?”

“You what?” Inho laughed back as he shed his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head. His pale chest shone in the weak moonlight and Stephen stared at him. Inho started unbuckling his pants, “Let’s get in for a bit.”