Nobody Like You

A Room Full Of Queers

Lia

My Friday classes end in the late afternoon, so by the time I reach the lab, Yeju is already knee deep in her experiments.

Dropping my bag onto my table—I now have an official space to sit in the office, right next to Yeju—, I sit down and watch her fly across the lab. A graduate student approaches her to ask a question, and she answers without even stopping her task. This woman is a mess in the apartment but a goddess of multitasking in the lab.

I wanted to tell Yeju about an idea I had after reading some extra research papers yesterday, but I guess that will have to wait. For now, maybe I'll get some studying done—the office is empty and perfectly quiet for it.

As I take out my notebooks, my eyes dart back over to the lab. Yeju is writing something down for that graduate student, her brows slightly furrowed in that usual expression she has on whenever she teaches. I like that expression. It's calm and serious, a stark contrast to her personality outside of work.

After she stopped being angry at me for no reason, the last few days have been great. She has been helpful in the apartment and patient in the lab. She still snaps at me occasionally, but she will follow up with an apology immediately after. I don't mind it; I love the research, and I like being mentored by her.

I like 'teacher-mode' Yeju.

A knock on the door snaps me away from my trance. I spin around to see three people grinning widely at me. There's a tall, blond man leaning against the door frame, a petite woman with short brown curls, and a pink-haired woman who's exactly in between the other two's heights.

"Lia?" the pink-haired woman asks.

I blink. Why does she know me? She does look vaguely familiar... And then it hits me.

"You're Yuna!" I exclaim. I've only ever seen her Facebook profile picture, but that pink hair is enough to help me identify her.

"Yes! Oh my god, it's so nice to finally meet you in person! I'm a second-year grad student, and I work in Mike Strasbourg's lab two floors up, in the same building!" She gestures to the other two behind her. "These two are in my year and working in Victoria's lab just like you."

The tall man, still leaning against the door, gives me a two-finger salute. "Heya, I'm Gabby. He, him."

"I'm Harvey," the other person says. "They, them."

"Oh." I feel embarrassed for calling them a woman in my head. "H- Hello. I'm Lia, uh, she, her?"

"So, Lia." Yuna slides into the chair next to me—Yeju's chair. Gabby and Harvey follow suit, each grabbing an empty chair. Suddenly, I am surrounded by three unfamiliar graduate students, staring at me with a strange eagerness.

"Tell me," Yuna says, her round eyes sparkling with curiosity, "how has it been living with Yeju and, from what I hear, working with her?"

"Uh..." I shift in my seat. "It's been great, actually."

Their smiles falter as they glance at one another.

"Lia." Yuna lowers her voice. "You can be honest with us. I know she gave you a very hard time the day you moved in."

I remember the distressed text messages I sent her, and I chuckle. "Oh, yeah, she did. The first few days were rough. But it's much better now. She's much nicer now. It's been great."

Yuna's giant smile returns. "I'm so glad to hear that. You know, I bet it's because I scolded her. She finally decided to listen to me."

Harvey snorts. "Most definitely not. It's probably because of Victoria."