Whispers come from a nearby table. A few college-aged boys sneak glances at Celeste, laughing and murmuring among themselves. They’re obviously talking about her, and I stand up from my seat, ready to parkour across the table and fight them if they start catcalling her.

But I worried for nothing, because at that moment, Celeste finishes ordering and fixes them with a steely glare. From where I’m sitting, I can’t hear what she says, but whatever it is, it’s apparently enough to make them all blush and leave the café.

“What did you say to those boys?” I ask Celeste when she sits back down at our table.

“Don’t worry about it,” she replies with a mischievous smile. “Let’s just say they’ll think twice before blatantly staring at a woman like that again.”

I look down at my feet, suddenly embarrassed. Because of course, I was also ogling Celeste. I’m no better than the boys.

“What?” Celeste asks. “Why do you have that weird look on your face?”

I sigh. I’ve always been a bad liar, so I don’t even try. “I was thinking that I’m no better than those boys. Because I was doing the exact same thing. That’s why I wanted to meet you. I can’t help myself around you. No matter how much I try to keep things professional.”

Celeste bites her lip, and my attention immediately flickers to her mouth before going up to her eyes again. She’s staring at me, too, like I’m the only other person in this café.

The café’s cute, calming atmosphere does little to slow down my heartbeat.

“Gem,” she says in a low voice. “You’re definitely better than the boys.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I want you to stare at me. And I don’t think I can keep things professional with you, either. Especially not after New Year’s.” She coughs and looks away. “I actually thought of asking you if you want to ‘officially’ be friends with benefits.”

Before I can even think about how to respond, our food arrives. We awkwardly sit there with everything she said lingering in the air around us as the server sets the plates down on our table.

When he leaves, Celeste continues, “But I know you don’t do casual. So I didn’t.”

I stare down at the food in front of me. Everything looks so delicious, brightly colored and glistening in the warm, yellow light. My bingsu is literally drowning in condensed milk. So good, yet so bad.

“I’m actually not looking for anything serious right now,” I say, meeting Celeste’s eyes. “Don’t get me wrong. I still value relationships. But after what happened with my ex-fiancé, I don’t think I’m in the right place for anything serious. So I’m down to have some fun. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the project.”