Another weekend on his own and Hoseok was on his way to the Cotswolds. He could have opted for staying in London and hanging out there, but they'd been there a few times and he had already done a good amount of touristing.

This time around he wanted some peace and quiet and he heard this region of England was very picturesque. He looked forward to long strolls, photo opportunities for social media and time on his own to relax and enjoy the countryside.

Their manager had done some research and had booked a room in a manor house in the village of Buckland* for him. Hobi's requirements had only included a quiet place out of town and somewhere where he could have a proper afternoon tea experience.

As the car approached the hotel, he stared out the window marveled by the beautiful architecture and magnificent gardens. Sejin never disappointed and once more he had known exactly what he was looking for with just a few words.

The owner of the hotel insisted on welcoming him and leading him to his room personally, even if he didn't deem it necessary. The Brownsword family had several hotels around the country and they were surely too busy to drop by just for him.

Regardless, he was polite as the man offered some complimentary butter biscuits and showed him the lotions, slippers and fluffy robes that were included in his weekend package's master room.

"Thank you for your warm welcome, Mr. Brownsword" Hobi said with a kind smile, clasping his hands together as he nodded at the man in front of him.

"If you need anything from us or from me, please don't hesitate to let us know, Mr. Jung. I'll be at Buckland Manor the entire weekend."

"Of course" he answered and the owner left him alone to settle in his room.

Hobi spent the afternoon taking pics at the gardens and enjoying some time out in the sun.

In the evening he had his complimentary three course meal and headed to his room for good relaxing bath and an early night.

Now curled up in bed, he listened to some music to drown out his thoughts to get some sleep. The super king size seemed to mock him as he drowned in the sheets.

Hoseok hadn't had an issue indulging in all these luxuries in the beginning of their career. He was excited by the newness of it all, the contrast with his old life, but it had got old fast.

The freedom once felt having such massive spaces all to himself eventually turned encasing and solitary at times.

Being away from the city had sounded like a great idea, as if he could run away from his thoughts by removing himself from his reality.

No matter how beautiful and soothing his surroundings were, he couldn't shake the uneasiness though and it was discouraging.

The following morning he decided he'd walk around town to get some fresh air. Everything was truly charming, almost fairytale like.

Opting to skip lunch in favor of his afternoon tea reservation for later, he headed straight back to his room after a few hours and took his time to get ready.

Buttoning up his black shirt, he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and tried tucking it in his black bermuda shorts. Once he was satisfied with the look, he slid on a belt and walked out onto the room.

By the door his glasses, beret and small LV pouch awaited as he slipped on his shoes to make his way to the gardens outside where his highly anticipated afternoon tea would take place.

A kind old lady lead him to a table near some lush bushes and he sat on the chair across from them as butterflies and bees visited the flowers frequently. He took a picture, but as pretty as it looked, he kept his distance.

Hobi looked around curiously as he awaited his teapot and delicacies when he spotted a woman making her way out of the manor. As the old lady showed her her seat, he couldn't help but observe her from the side.

Her long hair was shiny and slightly curled at the bottom as it fell past her shoulders, covering her face as it framed it.

As she walked he could see her smooth, slender legs on her tall high heels. Her off-the-shoulder dress ended about mid-calf on the back, but the front fell right above the knee.

He loved the design and the floral pattern, it was perfect for spring and reminded him of photos of the royals he had seen online trying to figure out his attire for today.

She looked absolutely stunning.

Hobi looked down at his sad tea for one as the server placed it in front of him and then at the empty chair across from his.

He found himself wishing he had a date like her to share this experience with.

The woman was seated only a couple tables away from him, her English was flawless, but she seemed to be foreign like most guests.

Carefully grabbing a finger sandwich from the top plate of his stand, Hoseok was determined not to let his mood bring him down. He had come all the way here for this and he wasn't about to turn this into a pity party.

Some time later, In the mix of languages spoken, he caught a few familiar words and he looked around curiously. He had seen other Asian guests, but not necessarily from his country.

It had been a while and he noticed the lady was still sitting on her own just like he was. Although she was now on the phone talking in Korean to his surprise.

Was that accent from Busan? He listened closely trying to tune out the other voices to figure it out. He felt strangely at home with someone else from South Korea nearby.

Was she a business woman that she was by herself? Hoseok hadn't doubted for a minute that she was only temporarily on her own awaiting a plus one.

The woman's back was to him and now he really wanted to see her face, he was intrigued. He decided to get up to go to the restroom and use that as an excuse to discreetly look at her.

It didn't really go as planned, for when he turned his head to her as he walked past her table, she was looking at him right in the eye. His jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Hoseok-ah, what are you doing here!" you exclaimed with a bright smile and his heart picked up the pace at the sight. Your make up had him really taking in your features, which he had never looked at as carefully.

"I, uh...oo-ah! What a coincidence!" he answered with the first thing that came to his head, but he was too busy trying to process the whole thing.

He wasn't expecting it would be you given that you had always spoken to him with a Seoul accent.

It suddenly hit him that you had asked him a question he had yet to answer.

"Oh, I just wanted to spend my weekend somewhere quiet and get my famous tea experience at last. I was going to do it with Seokjin hyung, but..." but now he was doing it with his girlfriend and he didn't want to intrude knowing how little time they had together.

"Are you on your own?" you asked looking up at him excited to see a familiar face.

"Are you? Would you like to join me? Since we are both without company" he placed his hand on his chest as if that would make his heartbeats slow down a bit. Hoseok was sure he sounded like an idiot right now.

He forgot all about his plan and immediately headed back to his table leading the way when you agreed. You were pleased and more than happy not to be alone. You did come across as a loner but you hated it.

Hobi pulled the chair for you to sit before he did and you bashfully nodded thanking him for that. He promptly ordered another hot teapot and let the waitress know that you'd joined him so they brought your food over.

You sat there as he took care of everything feeling something you couldn't quiet place. It was a nice warm sensation in your chest, he was such a gentleman. This kind of treatment wasn't the usual when you hung out with men in general.

Granted the purpose of those was completely different to this. Maybe by choice, in a sense, though it didn't feel like it. It was more like you felt forced to keep it that way regardless of how nice this could be.

"I love your style, I haven't had a chance to say it, but it's so unique" you had been too quiet and you didn't want to make this uncomfortable after his kind invitation.

"You do? Well, thank you" he grinned and with the light being caught by the highlights in his hair and the soft warm breeze blowing, your neighbor looked like a radiant mirage you couldn't take your eyes off of.

"You look gorgeous in that dress" Hobi motioned trying not to stare for too long as he admired you. He thought you deserved to know, he'd look at details like those.

"What are you trying, Hoseok-ssi?" you said with a quirk of your eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood and hide your surprise. But even if playfully, you addressed him formally.

"Can't I simply give a lady a compliment? I wouldn't say it if it weren't true. I didn't mean it in any sort of way..." he looked a little embarrassed as he trailed off with a nervous chuckle. His cheeks lightly flushed as he thought you were trying to put distance with the honorific.

Your gawking at him speechless worried him. Had he been too straightforward? Hoseok didn't think the compliment was out of place, yet it looked like you'd taken it the wrong way. He was starting to go in a little internal panic at the thought.

"No, of course you can" you hurried to answer feeling both flattered and flustered, "thank you, I'm glad you like it."

You offered a grateful smile as you crossed one leg over the other and rested your hands on your knees. Both hands clasped together a little nervously, suddenly you forgot how to act.

It had been so long since you had had this kind of company, he had just caught you off-guard and for once you didn't know what to say.

You hadn't been short of compliments, but being called hot or sexy in the heat of the moment didn't compare to a man's heartfelt appreciative words. It wasn't induced by carnal desire or lust.

Seemingly having the same idea, you both picked up your teacups and took a long awkward sip avoiding eye contact. You each wondered how to get past this uncomfortable moment.

"So, um, did you stay for the weekend?" Hobi asked after clearing his throat. Trying to go back to the friendly chatter of the beginning.

He was under the impression you had become closer, more like friends than coworkers and he didn't expect your reaction.

Your flirting had usually been fun and he would just laugh it off most of the time and move on. He didn't think you'd be any different than usual if he complimented you for once.

Hoseok had naturally complimented other co-workers on their looks before. He'd tell any close person he knew if he liked their outfit. Why was this different?

When you admired his own fashion choices, it felt like an appropriate response.

"I actually came for the day, just for afternoon tea package" you said lifting your cup once more with a small smile to make your point.

You fell back into your usual routine soon enough. Just talking about anything and everything like you usually did when you had a minute, were close to each other and by yourselves.

While he had never asked their manager not to place you close to him like his hyung had suggested, he had later asked him for rooms with balconies when possible.

He wouldn't admit it was hoping he'd see you outside more often, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.

Hobi invited you to come on his walk around the gardens, not wanting to let you go now that he had someone to hang out with.

Conversation flowed, it was never just small talk with you. You made him rethink things, contemplate them and always gave him food for thought.

It was intellectually stimulating and he really enjoyed your exchanges, he couldn't deny he liked women of conviction. Hobi got easily bored when there was no substance to his dates.

That word made an alarm go off in his head and he looked over at you taking in the scent of some flowers. He smiled to himself at the cute scene and blushed at his thought.

You were his coworker. It was silly of him to think that for a second.

"Would you like to join me for dinner?" Hoseok blurted out before he had time to continue to overthink his actions. This was about company, it was not meant to be anything more than a friendly offer, he reassured himself.

You were friends these days, right?

There was nothing wrong with the question, yet it felt extremely inappropriate. You were neighbors before you worked together and he would eat with staff members all the time anyway.

You straightened up and looked over at him again not knowing how to answer after the confusing exchange from earlier in the afternoon.

"I'm sorry, I have to head back to the city in a bit" you replied softly. You had previously arranged for someone to pick you up in the evening.

Hobi smiled sadly and nodded at your answer without a word. He looked disappointed and you felt bad for some reason.

You could push the pick-up back if you really wanted to, but you didn't feel right doing this for some reason*². There had been plenty of times when you had hung out together in groups and keeping each other company this afternoon had been lovely.

Yet accepting this specific invitation didn't feel right. You were nothing but professional and serious about your work, you refrained from entertaining anything beyond that with your clients.

Wherever you went, you didn't even try anything with anyone else as your focus was on the task at hand. It didn't feel appropriate to mix your personal life with your work trips.

You couldn't tell if Hoseok was just trying to be nice or intentionally flirting. You didn't flirt with everyone, but it was usually you who helplessly initiated it and he never responded.

He was your coworker, but he was the attractive guy down the hall at home too and you didn't know what to think. So all you could do was dismiss the whole thing. It didn't sound like a good idea to accept.

Hoseok wasn't the type to hook up, he had made it clear that he was not into that kind of thing, so his intentions were unknown. You didn't even know if he was interested, but your thoughts were running wild.

Doing anything like that with a client was out of the question either way. Why were you even reading so much into this?

As you excused yourself and left him on his own a little bit later, your heart clenched. You didn't want to give him the wrong idea and hurt him.

The dinner invitation could be considered a date with it being just the two of you. You were not the conventional type, but some people would look at you funny for that if they learned about it.

Hobi watched you walk back to the manor and felt inadequate and stupid. It had sounded wrong, but he had liked your company and was hoping you'd join him not to be alone at dinner once again.

Now he felt worse than he would have if he had never asked and just dealt with it.

What had he been thinking anyway? Bumping into each other wasn't the same as outright asking you to stay with him this evening. It was only meant to be for a nice meal though, nothing else.

Suddenly he didn't know what he wanted anymore, his feelings were jumbled. He wasn't sure if it was because he had felt lonely or if it was because you were a familiar face, but he wanted to spend more time with you.

-

* https://www.bucklandmanor.co.uk/

*² In many Asian countries it is not customary for male and female friends to hang out out one on one unless something is going on between them.