Traffic is light, and we arrive home quickly. I’m both pleased andanxious about this. A kiss in the car is one thing, but I don’t know what’s going to happen next. My doubts disappear when he gathers me close in the elevator and looks at me with his eyes half-closed and lips red and parted, a severely sultry expression that makes my thighs squeeze together.
Live with your heart, he said. Easier said than done, but for once I’m going to work with it and worry about the consequences in the morning. The elevator dings and we pull back.
I nearly drop the key trying to open the door. Jihoon pushes my hair aside to nuzzle at my neck, one hand on my waist and the other on the doorframe by my head, and we fall into the lamp-lit room. His touch makes it feel like he’s everywhere, and it overwhelms me in the best way. We take a quick break to kick off our shoes, and then I lead him over to the couch. It’s a good intermediary place because couches sayI’m into thiswithout the implicit expectations of the bedroom.
“This okay?” I ask him, sitting down and giving his hand a little pull.
“Very okay.” He runs his fingers through my hair until I bring him close.
When I was kissing my last boyfriend, my mind was usually half on him and half on work. That doesn’t happen with Jihoon. His touch fills my thoughts, but it doesn’t feel strange or awkward. It comes in waves of sensation, his hand on my skin and mine running through his hair, soft despite the black dye.
I push him back until he’s lying on the couch and bend over him, my hair falling around us like a tent, hiding us away from the world. He pulls me down so I can mouth kisses along that stunning jawline. The muscles in his neck tense as he turns his head to give me more access to his throat, and he makes a needy sound that makes me dizzy.
I’m so into him that I don’t register the click in the lock until Hana’s voice rings out a jaunty, “I’m home early!”
Sixteen
I’ve known Hana Choi for ten years.
She’s my best friend and probably the most important person in my life. She knows me better than anyone. We’ve weathered a full spectrum of emotional crises including breakups and work setbacks and her mother and my sister.
I would trust her with my life.
Right now I could also happily shoot her out of a cannon. In my panic, I push away from Jihoon, who rolls off the couch with shocking speed and into the chair beside me in a single fluid motion. Before I can react to his cheetah-like reflexes, he’s got his phone out, pretending to be scrolling. He ghosts me a wink as I rapidly smooth my hair down.
Luckily, Hana is too busy wrangling her bags to notice. Jihoon jumps up to help, and I head to the kitchen and casually shove my face into the fridge to cool my stubble-burned cheeks.
Once Hana’s luggage is in, she beams at me. “I wanted to surprise you! My last training module was postponed, so I’m back a week early to spend some time with my favorite cousin.” With a squeal, she grabs Jihoon in a hug. “Has Ari been treating you well? How’s your dad, Ari?”
Jihoon casts me a doleful look over her shoulder. Now that Hana’s here, whatever could have happened is temporarily consigned to the dumpster. They start talking as I heat some of Mom’s leftovers for Hana.
She has the next few days off work to be Jihoon’s tour guide. I try not to be jealous. After all, it’s not like I could take off work to spend that time with him.
“I know me coming back messes up your plan to stay here,” she says to Jihoon as she digs into the food. “Good news, though. There’s a guy down the hall who does an Airbnb. It’s convenient and way more private than a hotel.”
This has potential. When I glance over, I see Jihoon wiggling his eyebrows at me and have to cover my laugh with a cough.
We agree Hana will sleep with me and Jihoon will keep her room for tonight. He follows me to the kitchen with the empty glasses and waits until Hana’s back is turned to dip and give me a lightning-fast kiss on the cheek, near the corner of my mouth. “You don’t want Hana nuna to know?” he whispers in my ear.
“Not yet.” She’ll give me the third degree about my intentions and what I’m thinking. I’m not ready for that.
“Whatever you want, Ari.” He touches our foreheads together and squeezes my wrist before we go back to the living room to exchange polite good-nights. His touch was featherlight, but the imprint of his fingers stays on my skin as I go to my room.
Hana follows me to bed.
“What a trip.” She yawns. “Thanks again for looking after Jihoon.”
“It was no problem.” I keep my tone neutral.
Hana collapses back on the bed. “How was dinner at your parents’? Was Phoebe there?”
I stretch the tightness from my neck. “It was a mess. Dad and Phoebe fought right in front of Jihoon.”
Her eyebrows rise slightly. “You brought him to dinner?”
The look she’s giving makes me a little squirrelly. “You told me to be a good host.”
“It’s that you never do that,” Hana says. “It took six years before I had dinner with your folks.”
