“I am. I wanted to talk to you right away,” I tell him, because I’ve promised to always be honest with him.
Sun switches to video and I can see he’s lying in bed, shirtless, and my first thought is how badly I want to put my mouth onevery bit of exposed skin. He smiles and says, “I was waiting for you. I’m glad you called. How was it?”
Loosening my tie, I try to decide how much to tell him. “I think we may have… come to an understanding,” I say, more cryptic than I intend. “And, just to warn you, I did hold her hand as we left, in case you see pictures.”
“Okay,” he hums, but it’s enough for me to tell he’s unhappy about it. “Only that, though?”
“Only that,” I swear. “Everything else is only for you.”
He trails his fingers along the lines of his neck, down to his collarbone. “If I were to come over now, how much of everything else could I have?”
“All of it,” I answer, starting to unbutton my shirt as he gazes at me through the screen.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he shouts and ends the call as he jumps off the bed.
It only takes thirteen.
TWENTY
KIJA
“Your coffee.”Thwack.
“Those files you wanted.”Thwack.
“Messages from while you were gone.”Thwack.
“Someone sent you lunch.”Thwack.
“Did you see that memo about Blue Who?”Thwack.
“Oh, look, your face is on another magazine cover.”Thwack.
Grace is many things, but subtle is not one of them. Ever since I took her out to lunch a couple weeks ago—away from the company and any over-eager listeners—to explain the situation and what’s going on with Chaeji, she has not missed a single opportunity to express her displeasure. Usually in the form of one of those magazines being slapped onto my desk along with whatever she needs to tell me, said in the fewest words possible. She’s had a lot to say about the situation—and more than a few suggestions for where Chaeji can go and what she can do when she gets there.
Her aggravation was especially palpable when new speculation broke over the state and progress of our “relationship,” and it only increased when one of the guys from around the office started wandering in to see me. So many of them who had never stepped foot into this corner of the building are suddenly very eager to get my opinions on everything from restaurantsand hot spots to clothes and cologne, because clearly I have some secrets if I’m able to date someone like Kwon Chaeji.
But no matter what question they lead with, the last one they always ask is, “So, how is she?”with a wink and a nudge, like they expect me to just divulge all the details of her sexual preferences and proclivities to a near-stranger. Not that I have any experience with them, but even if I did, I wouldn’t be running my mouth about it.
“I’m so tired of your face.”Thwack.
Glancing down at the piece of paper she’s slapped on my desk with her palm, I see it’s a printout from some online gossip site, with pictures from last night’s carefully planned sighting under a salacious headline.
“Honestly,I’mtired of my face, too,” I tell her. I don’t know how Sun does it—how any of them do it. I hope I never have to adjust to my face being so… in my face.
“When are you going to stop this nonsense so I can go back to liking you and appreciating how symmetrical your features are?” Grace asks, moving to sit on the edge of my desk but leaving the stupid article behind.
I wad it up into a ball and toss it toward the trash can, pleased when it sails right in. “You love me anyway,” I argue, but a tiny part of me does worry she’s actually upset about the whole situation. “I know you hate all of this. I promise, I do, too. But if it keeps Sun safe, I’m going to do it. I’ll do what I have to in order to protect him. To protectus.”
“That’s very noble of you. Very sweet,” she sighs, and it has a distinct tone of annoyance. “However, you cannot keep doing this.”
“This is not a long-term solution. I understand that. For the moment, though, it’s working. Her plan at the beginning was terrible; I admit that,” I say, hands raised in surrender because I am extremely aware of how bizarre this all seems. “But I think it’s different now.”
“I don’t care how much you think she’s changed. I know you want to keep eyes off of him, but why would anyone even be looking?” Grace asks. “Aside from her crazy ass, no one has any reason to suspect anything.”
I’m not sure how to explain it. Maybe it’s just paranoia. Taking a deep breath, I lean back in my chair. “I think, because the risk is so high, itfeelslike the chance is always there. Does that make any sense?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Yes, but I don’t like it.”
