OPTION

How many chances do you have of crossing your first love?

Meeting once is just luck, but twice, wouldn't you think there's something behind it?

That's what Xenia thought when she bumped into Andrew Woo, and it was the real bump her head crashed into his chest like a crash test dummy in front of Fauchon Madelaine four months after leaving Astoria.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry," Xenia said.

"It's okay," the man replied, "Xenia?"

Xenia lifted her gaze, "Andrew, what are you doing here?"

"I've got a personal project on the way, nothing to do with Intech. I mean, I didn't get to tell you the last time with the meeting and all."

Xenia unconsciously touched her hair, "I see. So you'll be in Paris in a while?"

The man grinned, "yes."

"Great," Xenia replied with a similar smile.

The two remained to stare at each other with their idiotic smiles. Andrew was the first to break the silence, "perhaps we could have coffee sometime."

Xenia didn't get a good glimpse of him during their brief encounter in Astoria, but here in the sunlight, Andrew was more handsome than in her memory.

Yes, she had a soft for him. Andrew was her first love and the only man who never deceived her.

"Yeah, sure, we could do that. I'd love that," Xenia bite her lip, realizing how exaggeratingly enthusiastic her answer was.

"Cool, then I can have your number?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, silly me, sure."

Xenia blushed as they exchanged numbers. She was unable to keep a straight face with Andrew. Every time she stared at him, she saw her 19-year-old self.

The man, too, appeared awkward and shy as he spoke, "I was already happy to see you at Astoria, but I'm glad to meet you again."

"Me too."

There they repeated the stupid smiling stance as if it were a woo with a smile like a form of a mating dance.

Andrew continued, not wanting to lose a grip on the flirting momentum, "maybe I can pick you up at Astoria for the coffee, I mean."

Xenia frowned, "eh, I don't work there anymore, I resigned."

"I see," Andrew said with relief.

Neither one seemed to want to leave.

"Eh, I have to go, Andrew."

The man mimicked the motion of holding a phone to his ear, "okay, I'll call you."

"Okay, bye."

Xenia only took a few steps and turned a corner when her phone vibrated. The woman smiled, seeing the caller's name.

"That was quick."

"I said I'd call."

Xenia squealed inside.

"No, seriously, Xenia, I have meetings today, but can we meet like tomorrow?"

Andrew was American, but he had that ppalri ppalri attitude of his Korean ancestors.

"Yeah, sure."

"2 PM is that, okay? At the Coutume Instituuti, I don't if you've been there. I'll send you the address."

"Okay, let's do that," Xenia replied.

"And Xenia, you're gorgeous with your short hair."

"Bye, Andrew."

The man was quick, slick, and he already scratched that match, which set Xenia's heart on fire.

Xenia didn't want to tell anyone, but she needed to confide herself. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number of The faithful, aka Niki.

"Niki."

"XeXe"

"You'll never guess who I bumped into just now."

Niki wanted to try Gregory, but her friend became insane when she heard the man's name.

"Go on, who?"

"Yep, that's the sound; I bumped into Andrew Woo."

"You mean THE ANDREW, the one who was here almost six months ago for the Intech deal; you mean Mr. Numero UNO."

"Yes, that's the one," Xenia said proudly.

"What did he say?"

"He invited me to have coffee."

"When?"

"I met him today, and I'm seeing him tomorrow."

"Wow, that's quick, Xenia."

Niki calculated, it took Xenia almost four years to digest Mark's deception. Here only four months after Gregory's departure. Niki wasn't sure it was a good thing knowing how her friend felt about the Prince of Finance. Also, something told her Xenia's and Gregory's story wasn't right for scraps.

"Why do I hear a tone of disappointment in your voice?" Xenia asked.

"It's justㅡ."

"It's coffee Niki, just coffee."

It was coffee, but the next day Xenia didn't know what to wear. She copied Louise's vintage looks. A denim pencil skirt, message T-shirt I went to college Kitsuné, teddy jacket, Tammy&Benjamin bag, puffed her micro afro and off she went refreshed with her teen spirit.

Xenia was in advance, and she dreaded the idea of appearing eager, not knowing she had nothing to fear on that side.

Andrew already sat typing on his pad and didn't look nervous at all. The emotions Xenia had when she was nineteen floated to the surface.

Stop it, Xenia, your not a college student, but that's how she felt as she clung to her bag strap and walked up to his table.

"Xenia," Andrew said, getting up to give her the four mandatory kisses.

The man smelt good. Shampoo, Gentleman Only by Givenchy sprouted from his neckline. Xenia sat down in a daze.

They smiled stupidly at each other once more; it was becoming their thing.

"You," they both said in unison.

"You first," Andrew said.

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long,"

Andrew looked at his watch, "almost nine years."

"Andrew."

"No, seriously, I thought about you."

"Why didn't you write?" Xenia asked.

"I was a fool. I waited like a dumbass for you to write first."

Xenia thought Andrew didn't correspond with her because she was just a holiday romance for the exchange student. Then she fell into Mark's grasp, and it was over.

"I was butㅡ," she stopped, "can we talk about something else first?" Xenia asked.

"Yeah, sure, I kind of attacked you. Do you want to order? The menu isn't elaborate the coffees good, though."

"Okay, let's do that."

They ordered Finnish snacks and coffee, which lifted the stress.

"So, you're an architect?"

"Yeah, I work on my account; I've got a small office in New York and three collaborators. When you saw me, I was just replacing my brother. James Seon Woo runs Intech, so I can live free. How about you?"

There was no reason for Xenia to beat around the bush.

"Well, I had a baby. She's almost five now."

Andrew frowned and adjusted his posture, "wait, you're married?"

Xenia waved her hands in front of her to protest, "no, I'm not. Her father and I are separated. He's getting married to my ex-best friend, and they're having a baby."

"Ouch."

"You can say that again, and I recently broke up with someone."

"How recently?" Andrew leaned forward to hear.

Xenia's cheekbones rose as she blushed, "you seem interested in my love life."

"I'm interested in you; it's different."

"Have you been listening, Andrew? I have a child; I'm not a Parisian single like a French version of Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex In The City."

"Good, I don't like her."

"Andrew," Xenia laughed.

"So what, your mother, but you are still a woman and an attractive one," Andrew's eyes and lips curving in delight, "apart from that, is there anything else."

"Well, I worked at Astoria for the last four years, but since I quit. I'm back home at my mom's."

"In that room?"

"Not in that room, in the living room."

There was a small silence as images of that winter afternoon came back to both their mind.