My Summer in Seoul

He hung his head, looking genuinely sorry. “I just thought—“

“Clearly, you need to stop thinking,” she snapped. “Go grab some food and stop being an ass, okay?”

“I’m not an ass. I just saw—“

“Stop.” Grace held up her hands. “Be professional here. If you’re still pissed, you can yell at me later, okay?”

“I can?”

“Why are you so happy about that?”

He shrugged and grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Just be careful, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” he said, and then he was gone, walking down the corridor, leaving her there staring at the wall.

I wanted to go to her, but I heard talking behind me and decided to go get out of my costume instead. I’d barely finished pulling on my shirt when a knock sounded, and Siu walked in.

“Good show.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Is everything good?”

“How close are you to Grace?” he asked.

My entire body went numb. “She’s a really good friend. Why?”

“Mmmm, nothing. I just—there was a tip sent to the label that you were dating one of the interns, and she’s pregnant.”

“What?” I roared. “Are you serious?”

“Relax.” He laughed. “We get them all the time from jealous fans; I just wanted to check this one myself since she’s my niece.”

“Right.” I gulped. “Well, you can relax about the pregnancy rumors.”

It was all I could say.

Because everything else?

True.

“Good, good.” He pulled the door open and looked over his shoulder. His salt and pepper hair gave off a shine from the lights in the room. “Thank you for being her friend.” He stepped through the opening.

The door shut.

And I collapsed onto the chair next to me, because yeah, I was her friend, but I was pretty sure the sort of friend I was… wasn’t what he was talking about.

I wanted her naked beneath me.

I wanted her laughing beside me.

I wanted her in my future.

Would he be smiling if I told him that?

I wiped my hands down my face then grabbed a wipe for the eye makeup, shutting the rest of the conversation out of my mind. It wasn’t something I could worry about now. It would just stress Grace out, and that wasn’t fair.

“Let’s go on a date,” I texted Grace later that night. “If Rae can take you to get toothpaste, I can at least say I need a new toothbrush, mouthwash, socks…”

From across the room, I watched for her reaction. She looked down at her phone and laughed.

“Something funny?” Rae asked, looking over her shoulder. The guy was constantly by her side.

“Just a funny text from my mom,” she lied smoothly. “Does anyone need anything at the store? I was going to head out real quick.”

“Actually…” I stood. “I have a list of things I’ve just been too busy to get. Can I go with you?”

“Sure!” She beamed. “Let me just grab the keys to the van.”

Rae looked between us. “Wear a disguise.”

I held up a hat and sunglasses. “I’m good.”

“That’s my hat,” Jay pointed out.

“Exactly,” I said. “So, if I get caught, I’ll just say I was you.”

“That’s smart.” Kai nodded. “And mean.”

“Thank you.” I put the hat on along with the sunglasses just as Grace returned, purse and keys in hand. “You ready?”

“Yup!”

“Don’t stay out late,” Rae seemed compelled to add, his eyes moving from Grace to me and back again. “Just the store, right?”

“I swear.” Grace nodded. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Okay.”

We were the epitome of friends going off to grab some things at the store… until the elevator doors closed.

And then I was all over her.

My mouth on hers.

My hands running down her body.

The elevator doors opened to reveal we hadn’t moved. Kai stood there, smirk in place. “You forgot your wallet.” He held it out.

We were still attached to each other.

“Th-thanks.” I grabbed with a muttered curse.

“Lucky it was me and not Rae…” He laughed. “Carry on.”

I flipped him off as the elevator doors closed, and then after making sure it was actually moving, I drew Grace into my arms, her legs tangled with mine, wrapped around them as the elevator descended.

I forced myself to forget why it wasn’t just about Rae and me, but about so much more that Grace didn’t know.

About his parents.

Mine.

About a past we both refused to discuss even as it was coming full force to the surface.

I drowned in her instead.

It was better that way.

Right?

“Missed,” she said between kisses, “you.”

“So much,” I breathed, cupping her breasts with my hands, squeezing her nipples, my mouth jealous of my fingers. “Damn it.”

She stumbled back as the elevator hit the parking garage level and adjusted her hair.

I was a hot mess.

A glance in the elevator’s mirrored walls revealed my hair was spiked in every direction.

I think she actually stretched my T-shirt out of shape.

And let’s just say that every part of me was straining against my fly in a way that would be super obvious if anyone wanted to snap a picture of us and guess what we’d just been doing.