Nobody Like You

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

Yeju

"One last kiss before we are banned from it all weekend," Lia announces with a cheeky smile.

I let her pull me into one, smiling against her lips. We are parked in the driveway outside Lia's house; the neighborhood is a quaint suburb, charming and quiet.

"Not being able to kiss you is the worst," I grumble.

But as much as I am complaining, I know this Thanksgiving break is going to be a blast. It already started with a bang. Darren's thesis defense was superb and awe-inspiring, and the party that followed his defense was wild. He popped five champagne bottles for the lab—one bottle for every year in his Ph.D.—and a giant cake with the first page of his thesis written on it as decoration. I had to drive so I didn't drink, but Lia drank one glass and that was enough for her face to redden.

After Darren's party, we drove to her parents' house, and Lia sang her lungs out throughout the car ride. I didn't even care if I hated some songs—she made them a million times better.

Thankfully, the alcohol in her system has worn off now.

Her parents greet us at the door, and I introduce myself as Lia's apartment mate. Mr. Choi seems rather sweet; he flashes me an amicable smile of acknowledgment before helping Lia with her bags. Mrs. Choi, however, is a little more standoffish. Her lips press together into a strained smile as she guides me away from the other two.

"Nice to meet you, Yeju. We prepared a guest room for you. Downstairs."

A guest room? I exchange a nervous glance with Lia; she is as shocked as I am. She told me that there was no guest room and that all her previous guests had roomed with her.

I follow Mrs. Choi down the stairs to what appears to be a repurposed storage room. Setting my bags on the floor, I scan the room I will sleep in for the next few days. A twin bed sits in the middle of three walls of shelves, looking very out of place. There is a single slit window, but what little natural light it could've brought is blocked by a pile of books.

"We're making kimchi-jjigae and mandu for dinner. You can take spicy?"

"Yeah, I can," I say, trying not to let my disappointment show on my face. "Thank you, Mrs. Choi."

She leaves, and I notice Lia lingering at the stairs. She waits till her mother is out of earshot before muttering, "Sorry, Yeju. They didn't use to have a guest room. I think they prepared it after finding out that I'm, well..." She folds her arms as she trails off.

My heart sinks. I rush to her and scoop her into a hug. "Hey, don't worry. I don't care where they put me. I won't complain about free housing."

She sighs. "But I wanted to be with you. That's the whole point..."

"I know, I know. But it's okay, we will be together most of the day. Should we go up to the living room? Maybe we can help out with the food prep?"

That seems to cheer Lia up. "Yeah, my mother will appreciate that. Let's go."

We leave the gloomy cupboard-under-the-stairs room and find Lia's parents in the kitchen. Without even a glance at us, Mrs. Choi assigns us the task of peeling and dicing potatoes.

I know Lia mentioned that their relationship is not great, but I was not expecting such indifference. It's as if Mrs. Choi wanted as little to do with Lia as possible. Despite that treatment, Lia is still the adorable ball of energy that she always is, hopping over to the potatoes, already eager to help.

And my heart aches even more from that.

We sit next to each other on the dining table as we peel the potatoes.