Takeout

I looked up at the sign in disbelief. I’m only three minutes late. THREE. FUCK. I looked down the road in vain, hoping the bus was running late. I waited there until long after my breathing had returned to normal after my mad dash to get here. It’s official. I’ve missed the last bus back into town.

I threw myself onto the bench under the bus shelter with a dramatic sigh. I need to learn how to drive. Then these types of situations would stop happening to me. I pulled out my phone and noticed with panic that my battery only had two percent left. I quickly scrolled through my contacts until I found Hoseok’s number. I quickly hit the call button and prayed that he would answer.

When he did, I barely gave him the chance to say ‘hello’. “Hoseok, it’s me! Look I came out for the midnight release of this book and now I’m stranded, can you come and get me? Hello? Hoseok? Hoseok?!” I looked down at my phone in despair. I can’t believe my battery died before I could even tell Hoseok where I am. Fuck! I threw my phone back into my bag and crossed my arms over my chest.

Why did I have to miss the bus? I checked the road once again, hoping the bus would magically appear. I suppose I’ll have to walk until I find a taxi… if there’s even any taxis out here. Why the hell did they decide to have the midnight launch at such an out of the way place?! And why can’t I remember anyone’s phone numbers? I thought as I spotted a rather beat up looking public phone. I looked at all of the posters and stickers that had been stuck onto the bus shelter. I was suddenly struck by an idea.

I saw an advertisement for a takeout restaurant that I knew wasn’t too far away from my apartment. I wonder… I rummaged through my purse and found a few coins. I carefully ripped off the phone number of the takeout and took it up to the public phone. I put in my coins and was rewarded with a dialling tone. I quickly placed an order and told them to deliver to the block of flats behind me.

I smiled to myself as I returned to my spot at the bus shelter, proud of myself for my quick thinking. I pulled out my new book and started reading. It quickly became apparent that sitting motionless in this weather was not my wisest move. My face and fingers were frozen within ten minutes. I stuffed the book back into my bag and stood up. Rubbing my hands together to try and get the feeling back into them. I paced the length of the bus shelter what felt like a million times before I finally heard a vehicle approaching.

I smiled as I saw a guy drive up on a moped. He looked up at the apartments behind me, and moved to take out the food. I rushed up to him, probably scaring the crap out of him in the process. “Hey, are you making a delivery for Emma?” he nodded at me, giving me an uncertain look. “Right, this is probably going to sound crazy but, I made that order. I was wondering if you could do me a favour though. I kinda got stranded here and was wondering if you could give me a ride?” he opened his mouth, probably to protest but I kept on going.

“I’ll pay for the order! And extra as well, just please. I have no battery on my phone so I can’t call a friend for help and I missed the last bus and literally not one taxi has went by here the whole time I’ve been waiting.” The delivery guy gave me an incredulous look. “If you’ve got no battery to call a friend to pick you up, how on earth did you manage to call for a delivery?”

I felt a blush covering my cheeks, my previous smugness at my plan melting away at the cute delivery guys look. “Well, there’s a public phone just down there and I can’t remember any of my friend’s numbers then I saw the flyer for the restaurant and it’s only like a block away from my apartment…” I tailed off, my gaze dropping to the ground. Much to my surprise the delivery guy burst out laughing. He reached up and unclipped his helmet, he took it off and ruffled his hair. He offered me the helmet, “What kind a gentleman would I be if I abandoned you out here?” he said with a grin which had my heart skipping a beat.

“You mean you’ll give me a ride?” I asked hopefully. “Yeah.” He said as he pressed the helmet into my hands, “But you gotta wear this, ok?” I looked down at the helmet and realised he didn’t have a spare. “What about you?” I asked. He shot me another grin, “I’ll be fine. The name’s Namjoon by the way.” He said as he helped me adjust the straps on the helmet. “Emma.” I said, a little flustered at him being so close.

He swung his leg over the moped and indicated to me to get on. I slid on the back of the moped, never more thankful that I’m not really a skirt wearer. “You better hold on.” He said as he started up the moped. I gingerly gripped onto the back of his jacket. I heard him chuckle. He reached back and grabbed my wrists. He pulled my hands around his body, forcing my hands to interlink at his stomach. “Don’t fall off!” he said with another chuckle as he sped off down the street.

I’ve driven mopeds before but I’ve never been on the back of one before and it’s terrifying! Namjoon is a good driver, but being directly behind his strong frame means I can’t see a damn thing and it’s so disconcerting. By now I was gripping the front of Namjoon’s jacket tightly, my head pressed against his warm back, and my legs pressing against his. The ride back to the restaurant was both long and short. Long because of the silence that had descended over us, the wind making it impossible to talk to each other. And too short because when he pulled up outside the restaurant, I had to let go.

He slipped off of the moped and helped me off. My legs stiff from the cold. He helped me unclip the helmet and took it off, casually hanging it over the mirror. I ruffled my hair, trying to make it look a little more normal. “Thanks.” I said, shooting him a grin. “You really saved my ass.” He chuckled, making my heart skip a beat again. “Glad to be of service.”

“So, how much do I owe you?” I said pulling out my purse. “You actually want the food?” he asked as he cocked his head to the side. I shrugged, “Might as well, shouldn’t waste it.” He pulled the receipt from his pocket and handed it to me. “I feel guilty for making you travel all the way out there and then bring me back. At least let me cover the cost of that as well.” I said trying to offer him more money but he just shook his head. “You made an order and I delivered. I didn’t need to bring you back with me, you didn’t make me take you out of my way, so don’t worry about it.” He said pushing the extra money back into my hand.

“But…” my protests were cut off. “If you really want to thank me, then take this.” He said as he pulled a small business card for the restaurant out of his pocket and scribbled something on it before handing it to me. I took a look at it and noticed he’d written a phone number. I looked up at him with a questioning gaze. “It’s my phone number. If you ever get stranded again, or if you’re in the mood for a coffee, give me a call.” He said, a grin on his face. I couldn’t help but grin back as he handed me my food. I carefully put the card into my purse and gave him a warm smile. “Thanks again.”

“Anytime. Will you be able to get home alright?” he asked. I nodded, “Yeah, I promise I won’t get stranded this time.” I said as I slowly started walking backwards. I gave him a wave which he returned before someone shouted his name from inside the restaurant. He disappeared inside and I turned around, walking forwards towards my apartment. I smiled to myself as I walked. Looks like I just found my new favourite takeout place.

Notes