“Dad, remember how you like me to tell you when you’re being rude?” Sora warns.
“Sorry. Soju and gravity making me lazy,” he grumbles, thoroughly chastised by his daughter. He rises to his feet, his full frame more burly than I expected. Disguised as a handshake, he tries to pulverize the bones in my hand to ash. “Nice to meet you, Forrest. I’m J.P.—please spare me from the Mr. Cooper nonsense. How about you two join us for dinner?”
Sora, satisfied at the greeting, finally releases my other hand to slide onto the cushion across from her parents. I follow, peeved at the low table that won’t hide my jittery legs. I’ve met plenty of clients’ parents and family members before. Endless weddings, bah mitzvahs, anniversaries, pretending to be in love with a client I barely knew, but this? It’s different. Because I want to give an actual good impression.
And the only thing I’ve done today to prepare for this big moment in Sora’s and my weird relationship is finger-fuck her until she was sated in a dirty paintball equipment shed. Not ideal.
“So, Dad, when did you get into town?” Sora asks nonchalantly.
“Yesterday, actually. I swung by the brownstone to see you today, but there was no answer,” J.P. says so casually.
“You didn’t just go in?” Sora asks, the color slowly draining from her face.
“No, it’s your home now. Why would I do that?”
“Forrest is living with me at the brownstone,” she blurts out in a hurry, abandoning any prior sense of cool. She clasps herhands over her face, like she can cover her guilty confession. “And his little daughter,” she murmurs between split fingers.
We’re momentarily saved by our waitress returning with two small glasses of ice water with lemon. She asks if we want any alcoholic beverages and our answers couldn’t be more different.
“No, thank you,” Sora says, “but a Coke Zero, please?”
“And for you, sir? The same?” the waitress asks me. I catch her eyes, flashing her a pleading look that says:Save me.
“Oh, no. Bring me alcohol, please.”
“What kind?” she asks.
I shrug, evidence of my discomfort visible all over my face. “Doesn’t even matter. Surprise me.”
She laughs and then turns her attention to Sora’s parents. Her mother proceeds to ask about chef specials, and I steal a momentarily private audience with Sora.
“Really? Just jumped in with the admission?” I ask under my breath. “Couldn’t let me warm up the crowd first?”
“Sorry,” she mutters. “My mom is a human lie detector test. It’s better to be up-front.”
“Even so, I think there are some things we need to keep to ourselves tonight, yeah?” I widen my eyes at her.
She nods, visibly shaken.
“Do you mind if I order for the table? J.P. doesn’t know his favorites, but I do,” Ms. Cho says, addressing me and Sora, but her gaze is on me.
“Not at all.”
Ms. Cho starts ordering in fluent Korean, way too much food. The only thing I can understand is when she finishes by requesting a round of apple soju.
“It’s sweet, you’ll like it,” Sora assures me.
There’s pretty much just uncomfortable silence until the waitress returns with the first round of drinks.
“One won’t kill you, Sora,” Ms. Cho urges, grabbing the green glass bottle and pouring the clear liquid into four shot glasses. “Come on, we’re celebrating.”
“Celebrating what, exactly?” Sora asks, pointing between her parents. “Last I heard you weren’t returning Dad’s texts. Now he’s visiting again, and you two are on a date?”
“Right, good assist with that, kiddo,” J.P. mutters.
Sora blushes. “I was going to talk to her for you, Dad. I got distracted.”
J.P. lifts a brow. “Distracted? And here I thought his name was Forrest.” He smirks at his not-that-funny joke. “Anyway, I flew in because we’re celebrating your mom’s recent promotion.” He raises his shot glass and tips it at each of us, before falling into a speech. “This woman is an enigma. Graceful, tender, soft, warm, yet fierce like a knight in the face of battle. Battle being the sexist pigs at her office, determined to keep their glass ceilings in place. Nonetheless, with wit, charm, and the most beautiful soul, she crashes through their crystal walls, every single time. Jennifer—Cho, Min-Ja—cheers to finally getting the recognition that is so long overdue for you, my sweetheart.”
