Page 49 of A World Apart (Between Worlds #1)

M orning came sooner than either of us wanted, the shrill alarm of Jihoon’s phone was an unwelcome interruption to what had to have been one of the most peaceful night’s sleep I’d ever had.

As I had only my rucksack and the bag Becka packed for me, I was done before Jihoon and headed downstairs to make sure we had tidied up as much as necessary before vacating, but once that distraction was over, I had to come to terms with the fact that our time was up.

Jihoon came downstairs just as the doorbell rang, startling me so much that he came over to ask if I was okay.

“Just on edge, I guess,” I mumbled, hiding behind my hair as I looked down .

Jihoon gently pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear before nudging my chin up with his fingers and kissing me softly, but briefly.

Moving over to the door, he opened it to reveal the same driver that had been there that day we visited Santa Monica, five months ago.

He bowed to Jihoon, “Annyeonghaseyo, Baek Jihoon-nim,” and turning to me he nodded his head and said, “Good morning, Kaiya-ssi.”

I returned his polite greeting and, turning back to Jihoon, “Are you ready?” He nodded, and together we walked out the door to the black SUV waiting in the driveway.

At this time in the morning, it didn’t take long to drive back to Glendale. Jihoon had assured me he’d factored this detour into the commute time to LAX for his red-eye, from which he was flying commercial ? but still in first class, of course ? back to Incheon airport.

We were silent the whole ride there, just quietly sitting with our thoughts, hands entwined, until we pulled up outside my apartment building.

I knew I wouldn’t cry this time, I knew better what we were to each other and though the future remained as uncertain as it had back in the spring… well, I’d take what I could, for now.

I leaned towards Jihoon and kissed him softly, not wanting a long goodbye. I didn’t want to act like this was the last time we’d see each other, so instead I pulled a smile onto my face and told him, “I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll call you when I land,” he assured me, and I slid out of the car, clutching my backpacks to stand on the pavement and watch him drive away from me again.

Becka had been asleep when I got in, of course, it being not even 6:00am on a Sunday morning. I tiptoed in and debated going back to bed, but decided against it when I saw my laptop on the coffee table in the living area.

So, instead, I made a coffee, opened my laptop, and went online to read.

“Oh, fucking crap-on-a-cracker!”

“Well, good morning to you too,” I smiled at Becka from over the rim of my mug. She had her hand pressed to her chest, dramatically leaning against her bedroom door post for support .

“When did you get home?” She pushed away from the door and stumbled into the kitchenette to pour herself a cup of coffee from the pot I’d brewed earlier. I looked at the clock on my laptop.

“Couple hours ago.”

“I didn’t expect to see you today,” she said, taking a fortifying sip of coffee, “I thought you’d be sequestered in your love nest until at least tonight.”

“Sequestered?” I rolled my eyes at her.

“It means-”

“I know what it means.” I sighed. “Jihoon had to fly out early this morning, he dropped me off on the way to the airport.”

Becka scrunched her nose. “That sucks, but at least you got to have this impromptu weekend together.”

“No arguments here.” I nodded and put my laptop back on the coffee table. “And hey ? couldn’t have done it without you,” I said, turning round from my seat and pointing at her. “Number one secret-squirrel! How long were you keeping that from me?”

Becka chuckled and pushed off the counter, coming round to plop down on the sofa.

“Literally the night before. He called to tell me he was getting on a plane to come see you, and could I help him out?”

“How did he even get your number?” I wondered aloud.

“Hell if I know,” she shrugged. “I dropped the phone when I realised who it was.

“Anyway, he asked me to make sure you had a change of clothes, and gave me the address for the Uber ? which he paid for, by the way.”

“The Uber?”

“Everything,” Becka nodded, “the Uber, the clothes, everything.”

“Wow,” I murmured.

“Yeah, ‘wow,’” Becka agreed. “Rich sonofabish.”

After a moment of contemplative silence, Becka prodded me with one manicured nail.

“Ow!” I protested.

“Do I have to yank it out of you? Spill!”

“Which part?” I grumbled, rubbing my arm .

“Literally the whole fucking thing, what do you think?” Becka rolled her eyes.

I sighed a long-suffering sigh, but it only hid the gleeful smirk. So, I told her. I started at the beginning, how it had just been so stunning to see him I couldn’t let him go, to frolicking in the swimming pool (the PG version), pizza and a movie, to sharing a bed that first night-

“Hold up, hold up, hold UP!” Becka held up a hand, halting me in my tracks.

“Did you,” Becka glanced around theatrically, before holding her hand up to her mouth and stage whispering, “do the deed?”

“What?”

“You know, do the deed, the ‘horizontal mambo,’ ‘bump uglies,’ ‘ride the bony pony.’

“For the love of all that is pure in this world, please stop,” I choked out.

“The ‘bony pony’? Good grief, Becka, have a word with yourself!” I covered my face with my hands as my shoulders heaved with embarrassed laughter.

“Okay, okay, calm down Prudence.” Becka waved her hand dismissively. “But did you, though?”

“NO!” I cried out, trying very hard to be done with this conversation.

“Aw, come on!” Becka jumped up from the sofa, “did you even wear the lingerie I got you? That was good stuff!”

“Yes, because you neglected to put any normal pyjamas in my bag!”

“Well, either Jihoon is a complete saint, or he’s blind, because those babydolls would have tempted an angel to fall off his fluffy cloud.” Becka slumped back down onto the sofa, pouting.

I gave her a sideways glance before saying, “I didn’t say they had no effect.”

Becka jolted back upright as if a bolt of electricity had shocked her in the arse.

“Bish, don’t you play with me!” she cried, pointing a finger at me, “I only just came round to this relationship. I deserve a pay off!”

I rolled my eyes. And then obliged her, but only with the very minimum of information, but seemingly enough that she grabbed my laptop and pretended to fan herself with it.

“Give that back here, you tech savage.” I wrestled my laptop back from her, tucking it protectively under my arm. “This costs more than your annual Sephora spend.”

“Pfft, it does not.” And I silently conceded that point.

I was just stroking my closed laptop, when Becka suddenly shrieked, again pointing her finger at me, but this time her eyes were fixed on the hand comforting my laptop.

“Whatthefuckisthat?” she garbled at me.

“What?” I said innocently.

“Youfuckingknowwhat!”

“Use your big girl words,” I crooned, standing up and taking my laptop with me ? just in case. I walked towards my bedroom, but Becka jumped up and hounded my heels like a yappy dog, following me inside my room as I put my laptop safely on my bed.

Becka raised her hands in a placating manner and took a deep, sonorous breath in a visible effort to chill the eff out as I folded myself to sit on the bed.

“I’m only going to ask you this once,” she said, still holding those hands up, but now looking more like the dog whisperer. “Are you, or are you not, engaged to the idol?”

I laughed. I laughed long, I laughed hard, and then I giggled, tears running down my face all the while Becka stood there, frozen like a supplicating statue.

“Babes,” I got out in between giggles, “calm the fuck down. We’ve only known each other five months.”

“You’re wearing a ring!” she hissed at me.

“Yeah,” I said in the same tone as one might say, ‘duh,’ “but it’s a couple’s ring. Don’t you know anything about Korean culture?” The joke being, of course, I myself had not until Jihoon had told me.

“Bish,” Becka said with forced calmness, “I will end you.” Which only started another round of giggles.

“Yeah, yeah,” I waved my hand at her dismissively. “So, apparently it really is a thing for Korean couples to give each other rings, kind of like promise rings, I guess?”

Becka put her hands on her hips, mulling over this information. “Does he have to wear one, too?”

“I don’t think he has to do anything,” I pushed back, “but he did get one for himself, yes, ”

“Isn’t that going to be a little… obvious to anyone who sees it then?” Becka frowned. She had a point, but I replied, a little uneasily.

“Well, I mean, he can take it off whenever he wants.”

“Hmm.” Becka quirked her lips, but otherwise kept her silence.

“Okay,” I finally relented, “out, I’m going to have a nap, I’m hella tired.

Becka made a harrumphing noise as she turned and walked out the door, saying over her shoulder loud enough for me to hear, “I’d be tired too, if I’d had the task of pleasing an international superstar.”

“Oh my god,” I groaned, throwing a pillow at the door and slamming it closed.

Because I was feeling lazy, I hadn’t bothered unpacking my bags immediately, which is why I hadn’t found the strip of photos straight away.

Setting down the bikini I’d been about to put away, I picked up the two photos and looked at them, my eyes beginning to mist. Jihoon must have slipped these into my bag this morning when I wasn’t looking.

It was half of the strip ? he must have kept the other two.

The photos in my hand were the only physical pictures I had of us, and they felt like our rings: a quiet confirmation that we were real.

Carefully, I tucked them into the corner of my mirror, where I could see them whenever I wanted .

Suddenly remembering the other thing I’d stashed in my bag, I unzipped the side pocket and pulled out the card from Albert’s tattoo package. I read over the note the curmudgeonly old man had written: