Page 153 of Force Play
forty-four
Lucia
“Koreatown?”Iask,followingAri down the street as I try to keep up.
He turns around and smiles at me brightly. “K-town is one of my favorite places in the city.”
The Stars have had an incredible start to their season, going 5-1 in their first six games. We’re off today before starting another three-game home series tomorrow.
I suggested that Ari and I get out for a bit since the weather is actually great today. He didn’t tell me what he wanted to do, but I can’t really say I’m surprised we’re here right now.
“I’ve lived in New York for a decade,” I say, finally catching up to him, “and I’ve never actually been to K-town.”
“Am I popping your K-town cherry, Spitfire?”
I practically cackle. “Please don’t ever say that again.”
“Deal,” he chuckles before taking off again down the street.
“So what are we doing here?”
Ari slows down again and waits for me to catch up. “Exploring. K-town isn’t large, but there’s a lot here.”
We turn the corner onto 32nd Street, and everything in front of me is Korean-themed.
Shops. Restaurants. Karaoke bars.
A lot is packed into a small space.
“Wow, look at everything,” I say. “Is Seoul anything like this?”
“You’ll definitely find things like this in Seoul, but the city is huge. Larger population than NYC.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he smiles, but I don’t think it’s so much at my disbelief as it is the fact that I’m here with him right now. Like he’s happy to be sharing this with me. “Over nine million people compared to NYC’s eight million.”
I elbow him playfully. “Eight million people here, and you got stuck with me as a roommate, Casanova.”
The look on his face now is sweet, almost tender. “That’s actually one of the best things that’s happened in my life. Found a pretty great friend.”
“Yeah,” I grin. “It was pretty great for me, too.”
We stand there for a moment, gazes locked on each other with smiles etched on our faces.
Ari looks so good when he smiles.
It crinkles the skin around his somewhat almond-shaped eyes, and every crease it creates feels like a crack on his surface. A crack that lets more of the real Ari shine through, the one that I could see willing to take a leap of faith one day.
For now, that part still remains hidden, but I’m hopeful that I can fully bring it out of him.
I want him to see what’s in front of him.
I want him to seeme.
I never set out to develop feelings for Ari Morgan, but it happened anyway. It’s clear as day to anyone who sees us together.
Whether or not he’ll ever be able to accept that remains to be seen.
