Page 61 of I'll Be the One

HENRY CHO:Um... you didn’t tell me you were coming with friends.

Shoot, I think, feeling instantly guilty. Heat flares up in my cheeks, and I hope Henry can’t see me blush from behind the SUV’s tinted windows.Sorry!I text back.Wait, did you think this was a date or something?

Henry types something. And then stops. I wait for him to continue. He doesn’t. As more time passes, my cheeks get hotter.

“What’s wrong?” Lana asks then. “Why isn’t he coming out? Why are you blushing?”

I start to show Lana my phone when I get a series of rapid-fire texts from Henry.

Wait!

Don’t show her the phone. Too embarrassing.

I’m coming out.

I’m fumbling in my efforts to hide my phone from Lana when the SUV’s back door opens, revealing Henry and his dog, Snowball.

“Oh my gosh!” I scream. “It’s Snowball!”

At the sound of her name, Snowball jumps out of the car. She’s so big that she knocks me over, and I’m a giggling, screaming mess as she licks my face. Lana and Tiffany kneel down to pet her, and soon, Snowball’s bouncing up and down as she tries to lick all of our faces.

“I know how much of a Snowball fan you are,” Henry says. “So I brought her. She isn’t going to the spa with us, unfortunately, for obvious reasons.”

By then, I’ve calmed down enough to notice that Henry’s wearing a “disguise” again, although I’m not sure how much a hoodie and glasses will help him when he needs to change—and strip—in the locker room.

“Hi, Skye!” Portia says from the passenger seat. Steve gives me a friendly wave.

Introductions aren’t as awkward as I thought they would be. After Snowball settles back inside the car, Tiffany and Henry just nod at each other while Lana says, “Soyou’reHenry Cho. You know, I thought you’d be a total jerk. But you brought your dog here for Skye... so I guess you’re all right in my book.”

“Well,” Henry says, “I’m glad I have your approval now.”

He laughs, but it’s the same fake laugh he gave everyone on the first day of the competition. His eyes are guarded ashe looks from Tiffany to Lana, and by now, I know him well enough to know he must be feeling really uncomfortable. Again, I feel guilty for forgetting to tell Henry that it wasn’t going to be just the two of us.

“Oh, so,” he continues, “I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you guys that I’ve never been to a Korean spa before.”

“You’veneverbeen to a jjimjilbang?” Lana asks.

“Nope.” He grimaces. “My family’s always been too well known in Korea to go to public places like this. I always wanted to go, though. The ones in Korean dramas look really fun.”

“Er... are you sure that you want to come inside with us?” Lana asks. “It’s a Saturday, so it’ll probably be really crowded.”

Henry glances at me before responding, “I’ll be fine. I checked the spa website, and people aren’t allowed to take pictures in the locker rooms or the bathing areas. Plus, I’ll have Steve with me.”

As if on cue, Steve opens the driver’s door and steps out. He’s not wearing his usual suit, just a normal black shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Even in casual clothes, though, Steve is so tall and built that he looks intimidating.

“Whoa,” says Lana. “He’s like twice my size.”

Steve gives us a sheepish grin.

“Is Portia coming?” I ask.

“I’m fine, sweetie!” Portia says from inside the car. “I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I’ll just stay here with Snowball. Thanks for asking, though!”

“You guys go ahead,” Henry says. “Steve and I will checkin together afterwards. Don’t want to attract too much attention.”

“All right,” I say. “See you.”

The lobby is pretty crowded with people either lounging about on the sofas or waiting to be checked in to the spa. There are cute jack-o’-lanterns and other Halloween decorations everywhere, but no one is in costume as far as I can tell. Practically everyone is Korean, and as we line up at the front counter, a few people turn around to stare at us. At first, I think they’re staring because Henry changed his mind and followed us inside. But when I look back, he’s nowhere in sight.

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