“Good morning.” I smiled back. “I’m looking for Kira Park.”
Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, “Oh! She found you.”
Huh?
Well, technically, she did find me. Kira and her keen eyes spotted me before I saw her across the street last week. The pathetic part of me took that as a thread of hope. Even after all these years, we were still drawn to each other like magnets.
“Yeah,” I said slowly. “She did find me.”
I wasn’t sure what Kira’s and my relationship had to do with this older woman, but she seemed so happy to see me.
“This is great news.” The woman patted me on the shoulder, like a kind grandmother thanking you for mowing the lawn. “Let me show you to the classroom.”
Classroom?
I needed to repair this misunderstanding, which was difficult, considering I had no idea what was going on. “Actually, I was hoping to meet Kira out here.”
She glanced at her watch. “She’ll be here in a few minutes. She’ll join you in the classroom, and I’m sure she’ll show you all the ropes. I’m happy to give you a quick tour of the CCC first.”
Scratch that. I loved misunderstandings.
I couldn’t help the grin that appeared on my face when I said, “I would love that. Thank you.”
The woman, who introduced herself as Mary, showed me the major facilities of the CCC. From the tour, I learned that 75 percent of the center’s resources went to programs for children for things like after-school care, tutoring, and creativity classes on the weekends. The other 25 percent went to adult classes for skills like résumé writing, interviewing, and GED courses.
The center and all of its employees were amazing. They did a lot of important work for the community.
Mary printed my badge and pinned it to my blue T-shirt. I knew this was just a badge for volunteers, but I felt a little like I was receiving an award.
She glanced over my shoulders—a feat, considering I was a head taller than her—and said, “Good work, Kira! Only you could find an amazing volunteer in one week.”
I held my breath, counted to three, and turned around. Kira’s eyes met mine and her jaw dropped for half a second before she frantically pulled it up.
Kira’s anger, albeit rare, was a sight to behold. It emphasized every beautiful part of her: her cheeks grew rosy, her brows lifted, and she shook her head enough that her high ponytail swung in circles. “What?”
“Landon seems like the perfect fit to volunteer with you in the art classroom,” said Mary, gleefully unaware she was only egging Kira along. “I’m glad you were able to find him.”
And just like that, the jig was up. Kira would correct Mary, and she would revoke my badge. A shame, considering it had just warmed against my chest.
“No, I didn’t—” Something hit Kira then, freezing her in place. Her face resettled, and she said, “I didn’t know he would be here so early. Thanks for showing him around.”
The words sounded painful for her to say, but Mary didn’tnotice. “Of course, dear. You two best head along before the kids are sent in.”
Mary patted my shoulder once more before disappearing with her clipboard, leaving me and Kira alone. Tension snaked between us, so tangible I felt its tightening around my chest. I ached to wrap a hand around it and yank it from my insides.
Kira grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me into the nearest classroom. Her five-foot-five stature shouldn’t be this capable of dragging my six-foot mess like that, but here we were.
She shut the door behind us, leaning against it as she crossed her arms. “What the hell are you doing here? Why are you here? How are you here?” She breathed out each question so fast, then turned, making a point to bang her head against the door.
A few words in Korean escaped her. I had no idea what they meant, but I assumed from her tone they weren’t compliments.
It suddenly occurred to me that I should have prepared a speech. Some note cards, at the very least. All I had with me was honesty, and I didn’t know how much that meant to Kira anymore.
My words died on my tongue when she turned back and I saw her expression. How exasperated andtiredshe looked. Nothing like the tiredness she felt after pulling an all-nighter before a big exam. No, this was bone-deep exhaustion.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She snorted. “Please refer to all the questions I just asked you.”
