Wait: Chapter #2

2 - Complicated

 Marian sat on the edge of Damon’s bed as he packed the small amount of clothes he had arrived with. She thumbed through her phone, praying that a text back from Eun would suddenly appear. 

It had been two days and he had ignored every call and every text from her. She hoped he was okay, but she knew it was likely that he was embarrassed after the way he had left on her birthday. Maybe he thought he had forced himself on her, or that she hadn’t enjoyed it? 

She groaned and tapped her forehead softly with her phone. Maybe she had been horrible at it and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings?

Damon watched as she silently punished herself while he folded his socks. “What’s wrong kid?” Marian had seemed to be bothered by something the last few days, and he loved her but she usually looked terrible. But after her birthday it seemed that her makeup never came off and outfit after outfit was paraded around the house as if they were always expecting company. 

Marian shook her head, “Oh, nothing. I’m just…” She waved her hands by her head to signal her anxiety. She sighed and put down her phone. The daylight faded slowly to dusk in the bedroom window, bringing another day of waiting for Eun-woo to a slow close. She felt disappointment weighing her down. Maybe it was better this way?

Damon tied his bag closed as she sighed again. He knew being apart was hard for his family, and on himself, But he had made a commitment, and he could not deviate from it. That wasn’t who his father would want him to be. 

“I’m sad you’re leaving already.” Marian understood the importance of his job and the sacrifices he made everyday. But she wished he could be selfish, get a safer job and stay home instead of protecting his country. “You just got back.” 

“That’s how leave works, Mari. I come home, and then I leave.” He smiled at her as he made his awful joke.

She fought the laugh he started in her and caught the clean black band t-shirt she had asked him for as he threw it to her. “It’s not funny. You were here for six days.” 

Damon knew, but he wouldn’t stop trying to make her smile.“If you want me to come back for the holidays, then I have to go. Mom and EJ are still here.” He worried for her. Everytime he left after their father had died, she seemed sunken, like the hopes of strengthening their family died every time he went out the door. He knew he could trust Eun to watch out for them while he was gone, but it made each time no easier.

Marian toyed with the shirt as she stood. “Have you heard from him?” 

Damon turned off the closet light and fixed the bag on his shoulder. He shook his head. It was strange, Eun had hardly replied to his messages the past few days. It was very unlike him to not be glued to their home when Damon was in town. “He hasn’t called me back. I’m starting to get worried. It’s been days and it’s not like him not to call.” 

She shut her lips for a moment. Every part of her wanted to spill their secret. She knew why he hadn’t called or responded to any of their messages. “Does he know you leave today?” 

Damon led her from his messy room and down the tan carpeted stairs. “Yeah. I was going to swing by his apartment before I went to the base. Do you want to come?” 

“I don’t think so. I have to study anyway.” She bit her lip as she lied, trying to steady her voice so that he didn’t notice. 

Damon looked at her with a question. He noticed. But as she avoided further eye contact with him he shrugged it away. “Alright, well. I’ll let you know if he’s dead or not.” He wrapped her in a tight hug.

She rolled her eyes, embracing him as the ocean and sand enveloped her in return. She squeezed him tighter. She would miss him and his beachy smell. “Call as soon as you can.” She felt his arms slowly beginning to crush her lungs. She laughed as she hit him, breaking away as the front door opened. She looked past him as Eun came in. 

“Just in time! What happened to you?” Damon excitedly said as they hugged, patting each other on the backs. 

Eun avoided looking directly at her. He could see her smile from his peripheral, her expectant eyes glowing as she waited impatiently for her turn to say hello. “Just grading.” Eun said simply. 

Marian silently stood behind her brother, moving her gaze to the floor as they spoke to each other. “Okay.” She said to herself as she noticed his cold shoulder. Had she embarrassed him that much? She wasn’t worth eye contact? 

Marian turned her back on them as they chatted happily. Eun was drawing a clear boundary. She wished he would have told her so. She began to head up the stairs as the front door opened again. 

“Eun?” Marian looked to the entrance over her shoulder as she heard an effeminate voice call for him. She came back down the steps, watching in awe as a Korean woman with facial piercings in her nose and lips came in behind him, her red dress tightly wound around her large bust. Her long brown hair fell past her hips. 

The women looked up at Eun as he spared her a look with no emotion behind it. “Uh, yeah. Tracy, this is Damon and Marian, my friends. Guys, this is Tracy, my...” He trailed on, not wanting to  give her a title as Marian glared at him with heated death in her eyes.

“Your girl? It’s nice to finally meet you. He’s talked about you for months!” Damon gave Tracy a deep hug, just as he had given his sister moments before.

Marian felt her throat constrict from anger. She didn’t take her eyes off of Eun as she spoke. “It’s nice to meet you Tracy.” Still, he avoided her eyes, listening as Damon questioned her about her body piercings. 

Tracy smiled brightly as Marian came down the stairs to shake her hand. “You too, he never stops talking about you guys, it’s so cool you all grew up together. Especially you Mari, happy belated birthday by the way! Just one more year and you’ll be able to drink with us.” 

Marian gave her a false smile as Tracy playfully nudged her with her elbow. It would have been easier to swallow if Eun’s girlfriend was cold and rude. But here she stood, perfectly presentable and sweet enough to wish her well. 

Terror struck Marian’s blood cold as realisation hit her. Eun had a girlfriend when they kissed. They had been dating for months, and Marian had unknowingly tried to come between them. “That sounds like fun. Excuse me.” She said as politely as she could, walking into the kitchen, straight to the freezer. 

She took the metal handle in her hand, squeezing it as hard as she could before pulling the door open. She breathed deeply as the cool air moved past her cheeks, feeling the frost on her lips as she looked at the piles of frozen meat and ice cream. She felt her head pounding, no pain circulating, only rampant anger. She counted to five, repeating herself as she wasted the minutes away, hoping when she was done, they would all be gone. 

“You still put your head in the freezer when you’re upset?” 

She groaned in displeasure as her silence was disrupted. She slammed the door, turning around in a whirlwind as she faced him. “Your fucking girlfriend EJ? You don’t think you should have mentioned that?” 

“Lower your voice.” Eun whispered fiercely as he came closer to her. Even in her anger, her glossed pout and the oversized band shirt with shorts looked so beautiful on her. He knew she was upset, but he was happy to see her.

Marian scoffed and chuckled. “I’m sorry,” She shouted louder, “Am I supposed to be keeping that a secret?! How could you-” She squealed into his hand as he attached it to her face, covering her rapidly moving lips. 

“Don’t lose your shit Mari. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He said over her as she stopped talking, her eyes changing from anger to hurt as she slowly stopped struggling. He removed his hand, believing that she would stop trying to draw attention. 

Marian was awestruck. Eun was going to pretend it never happened? Shouldn’t she want that? She thought so, but it didn’t feel the way she believed it would, seeming that he was doing it for his own benefit instead of the good of maintaining their friendship. “You don’t remember?” She said disheartened that he was transforming in front of her. He was lying as well as he could, deceiving her as he shut her out of his life.

“No. I had way too much to drink. I hardly remember getting home.” He hoped the lie would suffice. But as her gaze turned cold, he knew it had been a mistake. 

She felt tears pricking her eyes as she nodded, realising what he was doing. Did he expect her to believe that he had lapsed for the first time in twenty seven years on his responsibilities? He was always the designated driver, always the one to monitor their safety, always the one their parents expected to do the right thing. Was she supposed to believe he had driven drunk? “Must have been something in the water you were sipping all night.” She stated quietly, not giving him a glance as she left him standing alone. 

Marian gave her brother another quick hug before returning upstairs, saying a goodbye in passing to Tracy. She closed her door, allowing the tears to begin flowing as she heard them leave, the front door shutting loudly. Her heart thudded in pain in synchronisation with the slam.

“What happened to her?” Damon asked in the following silence, behind the couple as they walked down the steps. He had seen the look in her eyes, hurt that glimmered ever so often. But not as frequent as it used to be. He looked at Eun as the red colour spread across his face drained slowly, his hair blowing gently in the wind as they walked to his car. 

“She seemed fine to me.” He added unenthusiastically, refusing to acknowledge the mistakes he was making. Why couldn’t she understand that in any scenario, she would be unhappy? With him, she would lose the support of her brother, distancing herself from her family. But without him, they kept the chance to remain involved, even if it meant never acting on their desires again.

❀

Eun gripped Tracy’s hair as she kissed up his thighs and sat back on his couch as she gave him exaggerated moans. He didn’t know why she did it, maybe he said he had liked it once? He thought he did. But they were nothing like Marian’s. Hers were soft, so peaceful and gentle that he thought he could have imagined them. The only thing making them reality was the soothing touch they gave his ears as her heat surrounded him. 

He looked down at Tracy as she took his semi hard cock into her red lips, her eyes catching him as she began to bob her head. “What’s wrong? You’re usually raging by now.” 

He shrugged his shoulders, withholding his reason. Knowing she deserved better. Someone who would be interested in what she provided. She was beautiful, nothing but sweet and giving, and he was shirking her. “Tracy, we should stop.” He watched as she sat up, her eyes portraying her confusion. He felt his heart clench, it was the same look Marian had given him when they pulled away, one that wanted an easy answer to a difficult problem. “This isn’t working.” 

“What do you mean? I can get you hard. You just have to relax.” She dipped her head back to him, licking his tip before pushing his head into her mouth again. Her dark hair grazed his thighs sweeping the floor back and forth as she gave him her best. Eun kept quiet, allowing her to try again. 

He sat back, closing his eyes as he tried to decide what to do. They had only been together for two months, did he have to tell Marian that they were seeing each other? No, but he should have. He had told Damon, why not her? 

He fell into his mind–where she lived unceasingly. 

Mari.

A sweet dream that he didn’t deserve, and couldn’t have outside of the walls of his mind. He could see her doing nothing out of the ordinary, her body calling to him as she rested in front of him like she had done so many times before; her nipples puckering from the blast of the air conditioning. 

Eun imagined what it would be like to lift her shirt slowly, discovering the peaks he was sure would match her dusted rose lips. His tongue drifted against them as he fondled her small brown breasts. Her hands running through his black hair as she encouraged him to suckle, attempting to produce the nourishment she couldn’t yet give.

Then–her eighteenth birthday, the infuriatingly small yellow bikini she wore to her pool party on her brown body. He groaned as he continued, taking too much pleasure in the thought of her. He had nearly choked when she took off her purple swim cover by the heated pool, her breasts visible from the cold air mixing with her body. 

Eun had tried to stop himself from following her into the laundry room, seeing her perfect globes perched from her stretching. He recalled the moment exactly, how perfect her ass felt pressed against him. She shivered in the cold laundry room, stretching to her tip toes as she tried to reach the top shelf where the towels rested. Her bottoms caught between her cheeks as she stood on the shelf, elevating her even though she was still out of reach. He heard her gasp in his mind as their bodies grazed, his cock perfectly encased between her luscious ass cheeks. His hands aching to glide up her hips and squeeze her small breasts. If only they had had another moment to themselves.

For two years he had kept that feeling, his heart pounding too fast at the thought of touching her. But fantasising was beginning to lose its edge, now that he knew what her lips tasted of. He hoped her pussy would be just as sweet.

He pictured her kneeling in front of him, slowly placing kisses down his body. Her beckoning brown eyes keeping his gaze as his pale cock slipped into her mouth. He kept the fantasy alive, creating a scenario around it, becoming carried away with his dream. Her hair still wet, droplets rolling down her protruding nipples as the bikini strings deteriorated, revealing her body to him. He could feel her tongue tracing him, his precum attaching to her thick wet lips.

He grasped her wet strands, her eyes not shying away from his as she looked up from his pelvis, her lips stretching around his head. He heard her coo his name as she swallowed, her voice surrounding him as his fingers travelled to the surface of her scalp. “Eun…” 

 “Mari…” He called as he came, picturing his sperm landing between her breasts, dripping from her bottom lip, her tongue sweeping out to taste him. His eyes shot open as he realised he had said it out loud.

“What?!” Tracy shouted as she pulled back, stunned at his slip up. 

“Shit.” He said slowly, seeing the anger beginning to build behind her eyes.

❀

 Marian touched her shoulders, shivering in the frozen section of the grocery store. She watched her mother take her time, opening each large container, white clouds billowing around her as they sought to drain her heat. If she had known they would be grocery shopping, she would have brought a sweater. But that was always how it was with her mother, one errand turned to twenty, into girls night, into exhaustion. She had only agreed because she really needed new highlighters, her old ones becoming faded from use. So far they had been to the supply store, the nail salon, the car wash, a run down pretzel stand in the mall, and now, she was freezing her ass off in Gregory’s Grocery. 

She rolled her eyes to herself, attempting to stop her complaining before it released. She knew to be thankful for every moment they spent together, knowing things could change quickly. But she had three more history chapters to get through, and the Renaissance wasn’t going to review itself. “Mom…” 

“I know, I know. I’m almost done. You know how much your brother eats when he’s here, do you want air for dinner?” She watched her shift uncomfortably in the aisle, knowing she was anxious to return home. But they both needed the time to step away from their cage. “I can’t wait until he has a wife to go home to, then I can stop stocking like the world is ending.” 

Marian sighed as she agreed. It would be nice to see him happy with just one person. Damon was in desperate need of stability. Selfishly, she wanted nieces and nephews, children to dote on  that she could return when she had had enough. 

“At least EJ is close to it.” Marian’s head snapped to her mother as her cruel point disrupted her escape.

“What?” She said as she stopped agreeing, eyeing her mother as she shut the freezer door. 

“Well Tracy was pretty, don’t you think so? They’ve only been together a couple of months, but it has potential.” 

She closed her mouth, not wanting to appear as shocked as she was by her mother’s curiosities. “Sure.” She said as she began walking with her down the aisle, looking past the boxes of sad looking seafood in colourful boxes. 

Vee gave a sly smile, knowing Marian was becoming bothered. “They’ll have gorgeous babies. She has beautiful smokey eyes. Although I don’t know if his parents will approve.” Meeting Hye-Rim and Jin Soo had gone less than smooth. They had seemed shocked by the state of her home, but what could she say in defence? She had two children, three including Eun constantly running around. It was a mess because they lived there. 

“Sure.” She said again, reminded of the hurt in her chest. She had done well enough attempting to forget about his lie, but now it was coming back, tearing at her lungs as she thought of the two together. 

“Although I always thought you both would get together.” 

“What?!” Marian shouted in the empty aisle, the fluorescent lights above flickering as if they sensed her shift in emotional state. “That’s crazy, why would you say that?” 

Vee smiled wider, her daughter was the worst of liars, and it was written in her features. Unlike Damon, she could always see the love behind her eyes as she looked at him. “Because it’s true. I thought you would make a cute couple. And who knows you better than him?” 

She felt her cheeks brightening and looked away from her mother’s firm gaze. “He’s too old mom. And we’re just friends.” 

Vee shifted the contents of the basket in her hands. “Your father was ten years older than me, you’re only seven years apart. Friends make the best lovers.” 

She shook as her mother giggled at her flustered behaviour, wanting to ignore every second that she had spent being embarrassed in front of the dead produce. Had it been so obvious? No, her mother loved to pick at things that did not exist, she was only taking pleasure in her assumptions. There was nothing there. 

“Speak of the devil.” 

She looked up as her mother announced, a small gasp followed by her quiet laughter. “Mom, don’t–” She tried to prevent her as she saw him round the corner, too preoccupied with the ice cream selection to notice them at the other end.

“Eun!” Vee called, causing him to look up, giving them both a small smile and wave as he came to them. 

Was she still upset? She tried to decide as he walked over, wearing a large black hoodie with his black sweatpants. His white and black sneakers looked as if they had never been worn. But she had seen him in them often. It was simply a trait of his to take extra care in his possessions, his pride resting in his securities. His black hair looked wet, ruffled from his fingers. 

“Hi sweetie, what are you doing here?” Vee asked as they hugged. She gave him her usual look of admiration, unbelieving that all of her children had grown so much. Rick would have loved to be here to see them. She couldn’t stop herself from repeating what she knew in her heart.

Eun took the basket from her mother’s hands as they pulled away, holding it for her as they began to speak. “Just buying a few things I shouldn’t. Damon ate all my double chocolate ice cream when he stayed over.” He looked over at Marian, her eyes not meeting his as he called to her. “Hello, Marian.” 

“Hey, Eun.” She grumbled as she continued to look away. 

He recognized the attitude she gave, knowing her pout was far less damaging than the hurt he had seen the week before. “Are you done shopping Mrs. Vee?” 

Noticing the awkward tension between them, she nodded, curiosity again getting the better of her. “Yes, we are. I actually grabbed your ice cream Eun, why don’t we go check out?” 

Marian walked a few paces behind them as they spoke together, laughing at memories as the cashier began to ring them out. She looked at them both, secretly enjoying their closeness. Did she have nothing to worry about? Even if he found someone else, wouldn’t he always be a part of their family? 

“Marian Coupley?”

She looked at the cashier, hearing him say her name. “Yes?” She said patiently, trying to place where she had seen him before. His sandy brown hair was longer now, his cheeks nowhere near as dotted with the reddened pimples he had carried with him in high school. His blue eyes sparkling more than they had then. “Robert Maseky?” She said excitedly as she recognized him. Was it awful to say he was beyond attractive now?

“Yeah, it’s me. It’s so good to see you, you look amazing.” He said with effort as he checked her out slowly, unaware that the tall asian man and her mother were watching them both. He remembered how cute and shy she was in debate club, always hiding her gorgeous body in large clothing. But her pool party had opened his eyes. He had almost skipped it, but there were numerous girls he wanted to see with water shimmering on their bodies; he hadn’t thought she would be one of them. But that bikini had opened his eyes. 

“Thank you…” She said sheepishly as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, looking down at the grey t-shirt dress that hugged her body, touching the tops of her thighs. 

Eun stopped looking between them, focusing on the other man as he openly scoped her body. “Here.” He said cautiously as he called his attention to his debit card, breaking him from his feast. He narrowed his eyes slightly as the cashier cut his eyes back to her. 

“No, Eun baby, I can pay for it.” Her mother tried to interrupt the stare down.

“It’s alright, Mrs. Vee.” He said as he held it out further, forcing Robert to take it.

“Sorry.” He said in a small cough as he swiped it at his register, silence permeating between them. He gave her a wink as she giggled quietly, biting her gorgeous lip as her beauty mark graced her smile. As the receipt printed, he took a pen to it and wrote his number on it. He held it out to her, only to have Eun snatch it from his hands and walk away as he shoved it in his pocket.

Marian sucked her teeth at him as they began to walk away. “I’m sorry about that Robert-”

“Robbie.” He corrected her as he printed more paper and wrote it down again. 

“Robbie…” She said quietly to him as he smiled with his white teeth. 

He handed it to her, touching her hand in passing. He let his gaze linger, his thumb connecting to the back of her hand as she gave him a smile. “Call me okay?” 

“Okay.” She said as she walked away, looking over her shoulder to see him continuing to eye her body. She squealed as she exited the store, feeling incredible. Maybe this was her chance if Eun had already found someone to make him happy, why shouldn’t she?

She saw her mother and Eun waiting for her. “A friend from school Mari?” her mother asked as she nodded her head. 

“We were in Debate Club together.” 

“Oh.” Vee said as she looked at Eun lighting a cigarette in the night, the ends burning as he took a drag. “Well, Jennifer from spin class wants to meet up for dinner, so… EJ, can you take her home please? Jen lives opposite of our house, it would take me too long to make the trip.” 

He tapped the lit cigarette as he pulled it from his lips. “Sure.” He said as he calmed down, his gaze on the emptying parking lot. 'Fucking kid wrote his number on my receipt.' He thought to himself as he tried to stay calm.

“Mom…” Marian pleaded as Vee gave her a kiss on the cheek and scurried away quickly. 

“Eun honey please make sure she puts my vegetables in the crisper!” Vee called behind her as she got in her car and peeled away.

Marian stood silently next to him as the smoke swirled around her, beginning to make her feel sick. “Can I have your keys?” 

“Why?” He said gruffly as he blew another cloud. 

“Because second hand smoke kills.” She recalled his last attempt to teach her to drive. Was he worried she would abandon him to sulk on his own? “I only want to wait in it.”

“Jesus Mari, can you give the anti-tobacco p.s.a a rest for a minute?” He heard himself raise his voice, aggression directed at her that she didn’t deserve.

She scoffed as he pulled his keys from his pocket and dropped them into her hands. “Fine. Kill yourself slowly, I don’t give a shit.” She said as she walked away, melting the asphalt with her heated steps. She clicked the remote, unlocking his black four door, and slammed it behind her as she sat down. She covered her face, screaming into the silence of the car as she tried to unwind.

What the hell was his problem? He could quite literally date other people but she wasn't allowed to even be asked out? Had Eun always been so irritatingly judgemental?

Eun stepped on the cigarette butte as he walked away, following the path she had taken minutes before. He took a deep breath before he opened his car door, taking the keys from the centre console where she left them. He started his car, as she looked only out of the window. ‘Fuck me.’ He said to himself, disappointing himself more than anything by the mess he had caused. 

When did so much anger grow between them? She kept quiet as they drove, and held to the fury that sat heavily in their shared space. 

❀

As Eun’s neighbourhood came into sight, she looked to him. “I thought you were taking me home?” 

He was. But more important matters were at hand. “I have ice cream. It has to go in the freezer first.” 

“Why don’t you just put it in our freezer?” She suggested, hoping it would force him to come by more in Damon’s absence. Even if it wasn’t to be with her.

He parked at the bottom of the well-lit structure.“Because you’ll eat it. You and your brother have absolutely no impulse control.” He said in protest to her idea, not hearing how humourous it was until she stifled an abrupt laugh.

Marian tried to stop herself from laughing as he parked the car, a smile contagiously inflaming his cheeks. He was right. They did have the tendency to act without thinking. 

She heard Eun begin to chuckle along with her as his hands fell from the wheel. As their laughter died, he pulled the keys out of the ignition. She sat quietly beside him, an apology on the tip of her tongue. 

Before she could speak, he got out of the car and opened the back door to retrieve the pint. She toyed with her phone in her hands, looking out of the windshield as he shuffled with the bags in the back.

“Are you coming?” 

She looked over her shoulder to him. “How long do you think you’ll be?” As he shrugged his shoulders, she knew what that meant. If left to his own devices he would not return, possibly forgetting her all together. She groaned as she took off her seatbelt, sliding out as he held the door open for her. 

She followed him to the elevator, watching him put in the code as it opened. He allowed her to step in first, pressing the button for the third floor as the door began to close. “Hold it!” They heard someone call as they ran to the elevator. 

Recognizing his landlord, Eun placed his arm in the door, allowing him to cart in the dolly filled with succulents. Eun backed against the wall and pulled Marian closer to him to give him space. 

She tensed as Eun held her hip, drawing her closer to him and the wall, the space becoming suddenly tight. She felt her heart beating out of her chest and touched a hand to her breast. She took a calming breath.

“Thank you.” the landlord said breathlessly as he gave the couple an acknowledging nod.

Eun gave him a nod in return. 

She touched the ends of her hair as his hand remained on her hip, steadying her as the elevator began to ascend. She kept her gaze on the metal doors as the chimes sounded off, each floor taking longer the last. She felt his gaze on her neck, his body slightly restless behind her as she shuffled. She felt him spread his feet so that she could rest further between his legs. She closed her eyes and backed closer into him. She bit back a smile as his thumb caressed her hip in acknowledgement. 

She looked into the reflection of the metal dolly to see him. Every move and touch he gave felt so natural. Did he know how nervous he made her?

He cursed himself, not having thought the placement through as she shifted her weight. Why was he still holding her waist? He told himself it was for her safety, not knowing if she would lose balance at the sudden stop that he was so used to. He tried to remind himself of his promise to her brother as she pressed closer, her body stimulating his erection as she rubbed against it. 

As they reached his floor, the elevator stopped far more abruptly than she thought, causing her to stumble, his hand tightening on her hip as he pressed her further into his chest. She looked up into his face briefly as his arm cradled her body. As he lifted a black brow to her, she hid her face, watching as his landlord stepped out first, pushing the dolly in the opposite direction of Eun’s apartment. 

He removed his hand, following behind her as they made their way to his door. She stepped to the side, allowing him to unlock it. “Where’s your key?” 

She looked up at him. If she had known she was running around town she would have grabbed her key ring, but she hadn’t planned to be here with him. When he had moved away they had all printed keys out for their homes, trading them so that no matter where they were, they had some place nearby to go. “I thought I was going to be gone for twenty minutes.” 

“With your mother?” He said pointedly, the door opening in front of them. 

“I realise my mistake, don’t…” 

“Don’t what?” He sighed as he let her walk in first, wishing she would listen to him much more frequently. Anything could happen. There was a reason why they all had spares.

“You know what. You’re going to lecture me.” She turned on his lights, seeing him put the ice cream in the freezer, his keys settling on his counter. “Be more careful Mari, you never know when an emergency can happen.” she imitated his deep voice.

He choked on a chuckle, shaking his head. He watched her as she touched his granite counter, leaning over it as she spoke to him. “Don’t ever do that again. And I don’t sound like that.” 

“Oh, but you do. Except you puff your chest out too.” 

“Do I?” She saw him cross his arms, his freckles stretching with his smile. She laughed as he exaggerated his chest, flexing his arms in his sweater. She heard her stomach grumble, breaking up their laughter. 

“It’s nine o’clock Mari, why haven’t you eaten?” He shook his head again, criticising her for being careless. He tried to teach his students that while their studies were important, their lives wouldn’t be beneficial without balance. While Marian was a student at the community college, not the state school where he taught, he still wished she would heed his words. He had seen many of his friends almost work themselves to death. He didn’t doubt that she had studied all day.

She huffed, listening to him talk under his breath. “You’re worse than Damon. I was just so busy today. And I still haven’t finished.” 

He pulled things out of the refrigerator. “But you’re ahead, aren’t you?” He asked, not turning around to see that he was right. She was always an overachiever. The only reason she hadn’t been accepted was because she had slipped around her father’s death, hardly coming out of her room for weeks. She had been the strongest contender for a full ride scholarship, but life had its own plans.

“Maybe…” She said lowly as she walked to his living room, hearing screams and shouts coming from the t.v. that he had left on. Recognizing the actress in the movie, she spoke excitedly to him behind her. “Hey, a Suspicious marathon is on.” 

“Those movies are really long, don’t get too sucked in.” He warned as she took a seat on the couch, resting her feet on the grey ottoman. 

As ten minutes turned to twenty too quickly, she sat up, seeing him bring grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and tomatoes to her, ketchup already dolloped on her plate. He knew how she liked it. She touched her stomach, not aware of how hungry she was. “Thank you.” She said as she took the plate sitting back as they ate together, watching the second movie in the series. “You would think after running from it for an hour she would realise he’s not human.” 

Eun chimed back, “Common sense doesn’t belong in paranormal movies. They would only be thirty minutes long.” 

“Yeah, but how do you look at a stack of satanic rocks and go, ‘These would definitely look amazing next to my Hibiscus?’”

“I hear Satan is actually featured in Home Weekly now. Apparently he’s an interior designer when he’s not King of the Damned.” 

She covered her mouth, not being able to take another bite as they laughed loudly; the actresses screaming as she continued to hide in plain sight. 

 

To be continued...