“LA-vegan?”
“You know, the food isn’t trying to be an imitation of anything else. The chef just makes the menu based on what’s in season and what each ingredient is at its core.”
“That’s intense. It’s also the kind of nonsense a dedicated vegan would say.” Julia slammed her hand to her mouth. “Sorry. Ugh, I’m trying to be less straightforward in the things I say. I’ve been told it hurts people. Please don’t cry.”
Tae laughed. “Oh, well, you can say whatever you want around me. I’m not that fragile. Plus, I’m not offended since I’m not vegan.”
Julia’s mouth twisted. “You’re not vegan but you brought us to a vegan restaurant?” In Julia’s mind, the vegan ally was the worst kind of nonvegan.
“Well, you’re still a vegetarian, right?”
“Wait, how did you know that?” Julia asked.
“I remember when you made the switch. I think you were seventeen? You made the PowerPoint presentation to show your parents why this was an important choice for you,” Tae reminded her.
“I can’t believe you remember that,” Julia said.
Tae shrugged. “I remember everything.”
Julia tried to ignore the way those words made her feel. Howdidthey make her feel? What was with the racing heartbeat, the boulder lodged in her throat, the flutter in her belly...
“Anyways, I wanted to make sure you’d have something to eat that wasn’t just a side garden salad, like at most restaurants,” Tae said.
Julia looked up at Tae in shock. Damn, but that was the most considerate thing anyone had ever said or done. “That’s truer in Orange County. In LA, you can usually find a few good options on every menu, even at hamburger places. Like In-N-Out? They have the best grilled cheese.” Julia’s mouth watered at the thought. And her stomach decided now was the perfect time to chime in. The growl was loud and angry. Julia grabbed her stomach, mortified.
“Well, trust me that the food here is good, no matter what you order.”
They walked up to the counter, and Julia looked over the menu on the wall. She ordered the vegan risotto and Tae the farmer’s eggplant sandwich. They took their number and found a table. Since it was later in the afternoon, they were one of the few occupied tables in the restaurant. Julia found that she could breathe freely since there wasn’t a line or a crowd. She didn’t like being around large groups of people or busy places. If she wasn’t out with her besties, she’d usually be alone. And it always felt like people looked and wondered and made judgments. She was too sensitive about it, she knew. Still, it made her anxious, especially eating out alone.
But today, she was with Tae.
“So what brings you up to LA today?” Julia asked.
“I had to pick up some parts to fix Mrs. Sun’s kimchi refrigerator. She has an older model, and this place in K-town is the only shop where I could find this part.”
“You couldn’t find it online?”
Tae shrugged. “Mrs. Sun was a bit anxious not having access to her kimchi fridge for more than a day. So I wanted to get it fixed by tomorrow if possible.”
Sonia was right. Tae was such a good guy.
“Plus, it gave me an excuse to see you. How’ve you been?”
“I just saw you a week ago,” she responded.
Tae smiled and nodded. “Sure, but I figured a lot could have happened in that week, considering your situation.”
Julia hadn’t talked to Tae in years, and now he was curious about a week out of her life. Maybe that should have felt creepy. But something about it was nice. The easy smile on Tae’s face made Julia’s feel something in her gut. Hunger, hunger pains, nothing else.
“Well, now that we’re talking about it, I’ll admit that I’m slightly mortified. Setups are bad enough. Admitting to being bad at dating and then asking you to coach me? Let me crawl under this table right now.” Julia actually looked down to see if there was room enough for her to hide there.
“Why? That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’ve been busy building an empire. I can’t imagine dating was a priority for you the last few years. Why wouldn’t you want some practice?”
“Oh no, I’ve been on dates, not many, but a few. They’ve just all been catastrophes.” She shook her head. “How desperate does someone have to be to need help for such a basic human interaction as dating? It’s like going to a dating hagwan because my grades aren’t good enough.” Julia moaned. She could feel the heat in her neck and knew it was getting splotchy like it always did when she was embarrassed.
“I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself. Anyways, I’m not really working, so I have the time. And it’ll be fun.”
“Oh, really? I hear you’re actually quite busy working helping everyone these days,” Julia responded.
