Imperfect Desires

"Where are we going?"

Dylan had come to pick up Cali around 3 pm. Before that, he had informed her to dress casually but wear boots as well. She had no idea where he was planning on taking her but she obviously didn't care about that either.

Parking the car at the foot of the hill, he said, "We're going for a hike." Cali gaped at him in disbelief. When did he become such an active person to actually ask her out for hiking? "You love hiking, right?"

"I do, but you don't," replied Cali matter-of-factly.

"Something tells me, I'll love this hike," said Dylan in a mysterious way as he led her out. He took out his backpack that he had already prepared for the day.

They started the hike at about 4 and it took them an hour or so to reach the destination which Dylan had chosen for this picnic date of his. It wasn't somewhere at the very top of the hill as Cali had imagined. There was a big boulder in an inconspicuous place looking over the city while the sun was setting on the horizon. 

The orange hues blending in with the darkness that was threatening to overtake the sky looked so beautiful that Cali couldn't take her eyes away from the scene before her. But that gave Dylan enough time to spread out the picnic mat on the boulder with all the things he had already prepared.

"Oh, what do we have here... Is that sushi?"

"Mm... Kind of. It's actually Korean rice rolls. It's kinda like sushi rolls but it's more of a snack," explained Dylan patiently. 

"Are those eggs rolled up like that?"

"Yes. That's rolled egg omelet," answered Dylan patiently. "Those are dumplings. As you can tell, the ugliest roll and weirdest looking dumpling are made by me." He looked at her face adding, "But you can't complain because I tried my best. But my dear master chef said my food might poison you so I decided to leave it all on her."

Cali laughed at him softly. Not at what he did but how much effort he was putting into all of this. Was this really the same guy she knew? Wasn't having her heart enough? Why was he trying to take her breath away by being such a sweetheart?

Aside from rice rolls, dumplings, and omelet, there were also seasonal fruits; beautifully cut. There was also mixed pickle and steamed rice cake. 

"Try it," he was putting everything before her and eagerly looked at her waiting for her reaction. He really looked like a puppy wagging its tail looking for some pats and praises from its master. "Is it delicious?"

"Hmm... It's delicious, but you didn't make it," replied Cali making his smile vanish. 

He showed his fingers saying, "See! I got this burn because of how excited I was to prepare everything for you." Cali's smile stiffened as she saw the burn mark while he lifted his hair from the side of his forehead and went on, "Also, my Masterchef even punished me by hitting me with a spatula. It's still hurting." He pouted while showing the slightly red spot on his forehead.

Cali felt heartbroken seeing his wounds, "Who told you to do so much?" She touched his forehead softly as she asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Dylan pursed his lips looking at her reaction and forgot that he was supposed to answer. What did she ask though? He didn't even listen. He was lost in looking at her.

'Oh, crap! I'm getting Xiu's disease now,' he said in his head. Because around him, only Xiu was the one who would forget everything whenever she looked at Darren. He always made fun of her but how come now he was experiencing the same thing?

"Dylan..." Cali shook him a little to get back his attention. "I asked if it hurts?" 

"Oh, no. Not at all," said Dylan in a reassuring way. "It doesn't hurt anymore." He smiled handsomely at her saying, "Seeing your smile, I think it was all worth it. Just as I knew this hike will be worth my sweat."

Cali looked at him strangely, "You already have my heart, what are you after now?"

"You," said Dylan without any hesitation at all. "I'm after you now."

"Smooth, Mr. Flower boy," said Cali while taking a bite of the egg rolls.

"Do you know what 'flower boy' means?" asked Dylan.

Cali nodded her head as she replied, "Xiu told me it means playboy."

"Of course, it's Xiu as always," sighed Dylan out. "Why am I not even surprised?"

After that Cali silently enjoyed her early dinner as she looked at the sun that had almost disappeared but since it was a full moon tonight, she could clearly see everything under the star-laden sky. 

She really had to give the props to Dylan for actually managing to find such a beautiful place. Instead of a fancy restaurant, she preferred this simple and yet meaningful date with him. That made her think how exactly did he find this place?

"How did you find this place, Dylan?"

Dylan pursed his lips and seeing the way she looked at him, he gave in, "I'll tell you the truth only if you promise not to laugh at me."

Just hearing that was enough to make Cali laugh but she stopped herself and nodded her head, "I won't laugh."

"You see that top?" Cali nodded following the track of his finger as he went on, "Dazi bought land over there. He even has a house built there." Cali was surprised to hear that but didn't voice it out while he continued, "As you can already guess, I lost my way when I first came here. And I still have no idea which idiot told me there was no road leading up the hill which led me to actually walk and lose my way." Cali really wanted to laugh now at him but she continued to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself. "Well, that's how I found this place."

"How did you find the way back?"

Dylan took a long pause before adding, "After I thoroughly meditated in this beautiful place, my phone rang and I realized that I had my phone with me all along. And the signals are perfect here."

"Pfftt!" Cali couldn't stop herself this time. How could she? It sounded so ridiculous and yet it sounded so much like something he would do. "I can't believe I love you."

"I also can't believe," murmured Dylan as he stared at her face and she stopped laughing abruptly.