Ring. Ring. Ring. Orion woke up to the incessant ringing of his doorbell. Ring. Ring. Ring.
Go away. Groaning, he buried his head in the pillow and gathered the sides up to block the sound. But it was no use… Ring. Ring. Ring.
He turned bleary eyes to his bedside clock. It said seven a.m. Usually, he’d be up by now but last night he’d worked overtime to make up for the fact that he’d be spending his day with Vina. Ring. Ring. Ring.
“Fine. Fine. Fine, I’m coming,” he grumbled under his breath. He shoved the covers away, pulled on a t-shirt and shorts then stumbled to the door. When he glanced at the intercom’s screen and saw who was at his doorstep, he seriously considered just pretending that he wasn’t around.
“Why are you here?” he glared at his mother when he opened the door.
“Good morning to you too.” Yoon-ah shoved him aside so she could get into the house.
“Do you know what time it is?” Orion complained as he followed her to the living room. “Normal mothers don’t pop into their son’s house this early.”
“But I’m not normal, as you always remind me,” Yoon-ah retorted cheekily as she made her way to the adjoining kitchen. “You know if you just gave me my own key, I wouldn’t have to wake you up. I could just get in and out without disturbing you.”
“That’s not happening.” Orion snorted. “Why are you in my house?”
“I’m here to do my motherly du-” Her breath hitched as she hauled the bag she was carrying onto the kitchen counter. “-motherly duty.”
“What?”
“Your date with Vina is today, right?” From the bag, she pulled out groceries one by one. Out came cucumbers, a pineapple, tomatoes, bread…
Orion eyed the bounty of food distrustfully. “What does my date with Vina have to do with your motherly duty and all this food?”
Yoon-ah ignored his question and instead asked her own. “What were you planning for the date?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I assume that is code for you haven’t even planned it yet.” Unaffected by her son’s impolite attitude, Yoon-ah tore open a bag that held several packs of lunch meat. “Well, you’re lucky to have a mother like me because I’ve already decided what you’ll do. You two are going to have a picnic.”
“We’re not going on a picnic.” Orion strode over to the counter and started to stuff the groceries back into their bag. “And I can plan my own dates.”
His mother took the groceries right out again. “The weathergirl on CBS said that today is going to be sunny – a perfect day for a picnic. She’s often wrong but even a broken clock is right twice a day. Also, my hairstylist says that there’s an open-air indie performance at Luther Park. A picnic plus nice music – that’s the perfect date. Very romantic.”
“No, thanks,” Orion said. “And Vina isn’t the kind of girl who’d like this romancy stuff anyway.” He could still remember her wince when he’d handed her the flowers.
“Nonsense, every woman likes a little romance. You’re going to thank me for planning this date for you when you see her reaction,” Yoon-ah said as she opened a drawer after drawer. “Where’s your cutting board?”
“Eomma, I really don’t need you to plan my date for me,” he tried again. “I can do it myself.”
“Found it.” With a triumphant grin, Yoon-ah pulled out the cutting board. “Go back to bed. I’ll wake you when I’m done.”
“I said-”
“I heard you.” She turned to meet his hers. “And I’m not listening. You know why?” When Orion only glared at her, she answered her own question. “Because I know you. You’re awful at this. Remember that time when you took that girl to that art gallery?”
“Art galleries are a perfectly good date,” he protested.
“They’re boring dates that’s why she never called you back,” his mother retorted. “Who wants to go and stare at bad drawings and ugly rocks.”
“Actually, I’m the one who didn’t call her back,” he countered, his tone tight with irritation. “And it’s paintings and sculptures, not bad drawings and ugly rocks.”
“Whatever.” Yoon-ah snorted. “I’m not letting you ruin this date. Do you know how hard it is to find Tigers in this town? We’re going to woo this one and keep her even if it kills both of us.”
Orion barely held back from rolling his eyes. His mother could be so dramatic at times. He reminded her, “Vina is a person not an object that we’re trying to buy.”
“I know. I know.” Waving her hand dismissively, Yoon-ah ordered, “Now go sleep, or shower, or whatever…”
“Mrs. Hong!” Orion glared at her, but she took no notice.
Humming under her breath, she pottered around the kitchen. From her demeanor, it was obvious that nothing he said was going to dissuade her from butting into his life. Oh well, if she wanted to make food then fine by him.
Her time… her energy.
Unfortunately, there was no way he could go to sleep with Yoon-ah in the house. She had a habit of snooping around if he didn’t keep an eye on her. Sighing tiredly, he headed into the shower. When he came back to the kitchen twenty minutes later, he was dressed for the day, and his mother was almost done preparing for her date.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” His mother made a face as she took in his grey t-shirt and black jeans combo. “It’s so dull. Why don’t you wear that green t-shirt I bought you last week.”
“No.” Orion strode to the fridge and poured himself a glass of juice.
“Then wear that red and grey checkered, short-sleeved shirt,” his mother advised as she sliced a sandwich into half then arranged it into a lunch-box. “It shows off your muscles.”
“No.” Orion sidled next to her and reached out to pick a sandwich. His mother immediately slapped his hand away. He yelped, “Ow.”
“These are for Vina.”
“You don’t even know her,” Orion complained. “Maybe she’s a vegetarian.”
That gave his mother pause. “Is she?”
“I don’t know,” Orion shrugged.
“Hey!” His mother slapped his shoulders. “These are things you should know by now. No wonder you’re not married.” She sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to make some non-meat sandwiches too. Cucumber sandwiches?”
While his mother was debating her next step of action, Orion stole a sandwich then headed to the living room to watch TV. When Yoon-ah was done preparing the meal for the picnic, she packed it all up into a picnic basket that Orion didn’t even know he owned and ordered him to carry it to his car. Since that was the only way to get her to leave, he obeyed her. However, he wasn’t surprised when Vina’s reaction to the picnic basket was less than enthusiastic.
“That’s my punishment? A picnic? Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Vina shook her head. She’d taken his advice to dress casual; green t-shirt, dark-wash jeans and kitten heels. And yet, she still looked sexy as ever. His heart bumped in his ribcage when she smiled teasingly. “I expected better from you, Mr. Lee.”
“Don’t worry. I only brought this to pacify my mother,” he said. “Our date has nothing to do with picnics.”
“Oh?” Vina narrowed her eyes. “Then what are you going to make me do?”
Grinning, Orion opened the passenger door for her. “Get in.” Adding an ominous note to his voice, he added, “If you dare.”
Vina studied him for a long moment before scoffing. “You don’t scare me.”
Actually, Orion wasn’t really planning to torture her, but he was taking a page out of her book. She’d said that they should use their dates to do the things they really wanted to do, and this was something he wanted to do. Forty minutes later, they turned into the driveway of a brick, Tuscan-style, two-story mansion. Several cars were already parked in the driveway, and quite a few people were outside unloading construction materials.
“What is this?” Vina leaned slightly forward as she took in the house. “One of the houses you’re working on?”
“Not quite.” Orion brought his car to a stop beside a large truck. “It’s a friend’s house.”
“We’re meeting your friends?” Vina looked a little nervous.
“Not exactly.” After unbuckling his seatbelt, he turned slightly to face her. “How are you with your hands?”
“Depends.” Her eyebrows shot up. “Will they have to do something kinky?”
He laughed. “No, they won’t. My business partner, Eric, is remodeling his parents’ living room and kitchen as a thirtieth anniversary gift. He asked for my help, and I thought why not? Since we’re supposed to be on a date today, I thought that maybe you wouldn’t mind helping out too.” When Vina didn’t answer, he quickly added, “You won’t have to do any hard labor. Eric’s hired some guys but I thought you might like to hang out with my friends and-”
“This is your idea of punishment?” Vina chuckled. “Oh Orion, Orion, Orion. You should come to me for a few lessons.”
Thrown by her amusement, he asked, “So you’re okay with it?”
“I’m okay with it.” She nodded. Her eyes glittering with mirth, she added, “You just fulfilled one of my dreams. I’ve always wanted to be part of a reno-crew.”
“Glad I could fulfill your fantasy.” He smiled, incredibly relieved that she was okay with his choice of ‘date’. He teased, “Let me know if you’ve got other fantasies and I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
“I don’t know you like that,” she teased, her eyes glittering with amusement. A while later, she looked down at her shoes, “I don’t think these will work for a reno though.”
“Don’t worry. I got you a pair of sneakers.” He gestured to the shopping bag in the backseat.
“But you don’t even know my size.”
“I made a guess.” He reached backwards, grabbed the bag and handed it to her. Honestly, he was a little nervous as he watched her take the shoebox out of the bag then open it to reveal the black and purple sneakers inside. Would she like them? Would she hate them? Would they fit?
“They fit perfectly.” Gasping, Vina turned her feet to and fro. “And they are so cute.”
Relief pulsed through him and he smiled. “Glad you like them.”
“Your taste is spot on.” Still checking out her new shoes, she asked, “Exactly how many women have you bought shoes for?”
“Just you and my mother. I don’t do this for every woman.” He tapped her nose teasingly. “You should be flattered.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll try to be.”
He laughed. “Come on, let’s head inside.”
They exited the car and headed into the house. The living room had been cleared of everything but the supplies needed to revamp it. However, there were several people milling around the room and the rest of the house, most of them Eric’s friends and relatives. Orion and Vina went around greeting them before they finally found Eric in the backyard, mixing paint with the help of his girlfriend, Tina.”
“I knew you’d be late!” Eric exclaimed the moment he sighted Orion. Straightening to standing position, he said, “You do remember that we only have a two days to work on this, right?”
“Two days is plenty,” Orion soothed before turning to Eric’s girlfriend. “And I knew Tina would be here to keep you guys on track.”
“Hello to you too, Orion.” Tina smiled as she came towards them. The reason Orion was so confident that nothing could go wrong while the tall, voluptuous, African-American was here was because he’d worked with her enough times to know that she was a pro. Tina was one of the premier interior designers and real estate experts around. She turned to Vina with a smile. “Hi, I’m Christina.”
“Alvina.” Vina responded with a smile of her own.
“Ah, I forgot to introduce you,” Orion piped in. After some quick introductions, the four wandered into the kitchen to assess it and decide where to start. Soon, the official renovation began.
Orion assumed that it would take time for Vina to get comfortable with his friends and the rest of the crew but, once more, she surprised him. She fit right in with them, and jumped straight into the dirty work like she was meant to be on a construction crew.
He couldn’t help watching her as she worked. He’d never brought any other woman to one of his sights, but instinctively he knew that none of the women he’d dated in the past would be as comfortable here as Vina was. She was different – and it was that difference that made her so attractive.
VINA WAS ENJOYING herself immensely. She loved working with her hands and construction was right up her alley. Even better, this was turning out to be an unexpected learning experience. Now, she knew why the boards in their kitchen kept rising – something about water damage.
“If I ever buy or renovate a house, I’ll definitely be better informed,” Vina said as she took the can of soda that Orion offered her.
Eric, had prepared a lunchtime barbecue for everyone who was helping out with the renovation, and they were currently in the backyard having their lunch.
“Just hire me instead.” Orion settled on the bench beside her. “I’ll give you a friend discount.”
“How much?”
“One percent.”
She laughed. “Wow. I’m touched.”
“You should be. I don’t break out my discount to everyone.” He gestured for her to hand him her soda. “Let me do that for you.”
When she handed him the soda, he popped it open then gave it back to her. Impressed by his instinctive gentlemanliness, Vina smiled.
Seeing her smile, he asked, “What?”
“Nothing.” She looked away from him to glance at Eric who was laughing and chatting with some of his cousins. “Your friends are very nice.”
“Glad you like them because they like you too.” Orion smiled. “Something about you being a hardworker.”
“I didn’t work that hard,”
“Didn’t work hard? Huh!” Orion scoffed even as his eyes remained glued on her. “Who knew such a tiny woman could pack so much energy.”
“I’m not tiny.” Vina bumped her shoulder against his arm. “I’m just vertically challenged.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” He laughed. “Anyway thank you so much for helping out today.”
“You’re welcome,” she said then bit into her burger.
They ate in silence for while before Orion piped up. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, do you have a Korean name?”
“I do.” She nodded. “Im-na. Song Im-na.”
“Im-na.” He smiled. “I like it. It suits you.”
“What about you?”
“Ri-On. Lee Ri-on.”
“Ah, so that’s why your name is Orion.” She guessed, “They pulled it from Ri-on.”
“Actually, it’s the other way round.” He explained, “My parents gave me my English name first then Koreanized it to Ri-on. Orion was my mother’s nickname for my dad.”
“After the constellation?”
“Yeah.” Orion nodded. “My dad used to travel a lot for shoots, and they would sometimes go for days without seeing each other. Before he left, he’d tell my mother to look for him in the stars because he was always there. So she called him Orion because it’s the easiest constellation to see in the winter and it can be seen from every corner of the earth.”
Vina pulled in a deep breath. “That’s so romantic.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Orion’s face softened into a smile.
Studying him, she asked, “They must have really loved each other. Your dad and your mom.”
“They did,” Orion took a sip of his soda. “Makes you think that marriage might be worth it, huh?”
The muscles in Vina’s stomach instinctively tightened at the mention of marriage. She offered Orion a non-committal, “Mm.”
Of course there were good marriages out there; she just didn’t think that there were as many as people pretended. As far as she could tell, many married people put on a ‘we’re so happy’ façade for the rest of the world while on the inside they were dying to hire an assassin to get rid of their partner.
“Mm? Is that your way of saying it’s not worth it?” Orion studied her. She shrugged. His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Too much hassle, too much pretending, too much chance of failure,” she summarized. “It’s just not my thing.”
“So you’re planning to live alone for the rest of your life?”
When he put it like that, it sounded as appealing as a slice of moldy bread. But compared to having to live as someone’s mute slave, it still was a better choice. She nodded. “I am.” She eyed him. “I suppose you’re planning to get married.”
“Not now, but eventually.” He turned slightly on the bench. “Can I ask you a question?”
“If I say no, will you not ask?” she countered cheekily.
He chuckled then asked, “Do you date?”
“Odd question, but yes. Sometimes.” One-night dates that led to one-night stands still counted as dates, right?
He frowned. “Why?” At her questioning look, he clarified, “Why date when you don’t plan to marry?”
She grinned. “Let me tell you a secret.” She gestured with her fingers for him to come closer. “It’s going to blow your mind.” When he leaned towards her obediently, she whispered in his ear, “Sometimes people just date for… gasp… sex.”
Looking momentarily shocked, Orion pulled back. He studied her for a long uncomfortable moment before his lips quirked into a grin. “You and I should really date.”
Vina chuckled. “You’re so stupid.”
The renovations lasted for the whole day. By the time the crew were done, the living room and kitchen looked like completely new and brighter spaces. Orion’s construction expertise and Tina’s interior design know-how had ended up creating rooms worthy of appearing as the centerfold in any home and living magazine. It left Vina aching for her own place just so she could watch them work their magic again.
One by one everyone left. Orion and Vina were among the last to leave and by the time they did darkness had already set in.
“Sorry for keeping you so late,” Orion apologized as he guided her towards his car with a hand on her back. “When Eric starts talking, he doesn’t stop.”
“It’s okay. I really had a great time.” Vina waited for him to open the door for her, but just as she clambered in, she realized that she’d forgotten to get Tina’s number. She turned, “I need to get-”
She must have turned too abruptly or Orion must’ve moved closer because the next thing she knew, her head bumped into his rock hard chest.
“Ow,” she groaned as she rubbed her forehead. Looking up to his face, she started, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
Her words faded when her eyes met his. There was something about the way he was staring at her that left her wordless, breathless. Her whole body finally registered just how close he was to her. He was so close that when he touched her chin and tipped her face higher up, her lips were mere inches away from his. Their breath mingled and the air grew hot and heavy.
Vina saw the kiss coming and she knew that she needed to step back. Yet every cell in her body refused to move, remained stock-still, waited for him. With painful slowness he lowered his head and closed those few inches between their lips.