The Morning After

You quickly text back your response.

I don’t think I can make it. I, we have class Thursday afternoon.

You look up and see Nick looking expectantly at you. “It’s a friend from class.” “If he is a friend then why is your face red?” “How did you know-” “Your face would not have turned red if the text was from a girl.” You twist your face as if you were swishing mouthwash. “Aren’t you quite the detective?” He smiles and nods. “I’m just not as socially awkward as you,” he teased. You try to stop yourself from laughing at his joke but a smile escapes as you manage to hold in a laugh. “I saw that!” he said still smiling. “Alright. You got me,” you said defeated. Nick puts on a smug face. You turn to go back to your apartment and pull your key out. “I’ll see you later. Maybe I can give you some tips before your big date!” Nick says as he goes back to his apartment. “Wait, how did you-.” Before you can finish, he has already returned to his apartment.

You shrugged it off and opened the door to your own apartment. Just as you set your things down, you phone goes off again. You look down and examine your screen.

Sorry, I forgot! Class is going to be cancelled Thursday. The professor should send everyone an email soon.

You quickly sent a response back and put your phone back down on the counter. You walk over to the refrigerator and pull out some store-bought kimchi. You were not in the mood to eat ramen today. You the television and ate while watching a medical drama. The doctors were very young and the writing seemed centered around the interchangeable relationships of the medical personnel. You were tempted to change the channel but were too lazy to get up and find the remote or change the channel manually. You eventually drug yourself from your seat after you finished eating. You turned off the tv, the lights, and crawled into bed. It is safe to say that you fell asleep immediately. You had an amazing dream but could not remember what you had dreamed about. You were somewhat sad when you woke up and realized it was over.

You walked over to the bathroom. After taking care of your business, you wash your hands with the new bubblegum-scented soap. You are horrified when your eyes drift up and you see what looks like a disaster victim staring back at you. Your hair is sticking up every which way and you see a little drool dried up on the side of your face. You grab a washcloth, wash your face, and tame your hair. A sigh escapes your lips before you leave the bathroom. You change out of the shorts you were wearing and into your long pajama pants. You did not want to freeze in his apartment. You find your key and head over to Nick’s apartment.  

You knocked politely on Nick’s door. You could hear laughter coming from inside. Most of which belonged to Ma Ri. There was a brief silence. The door clicked and Ma Ri stood before you. Her smile faltered a bit yet returned quickly. You could read her thoughts. ‘Why did she have to show up?’ You heard Vanilla. Your eyes zoned in on the furry cat as she skipped over to you. You picked her up and walked inside. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” “It has not even been less than twenty four hours.” Nick yells while standing behind the island, pulling out water bottles and cups and pouring soju into the cups. “In all fairness it feels like ten times that to Vanilla. Right?” you ask. She purrs in agreement. “That is so cute!” Ma Ri interjects. She was probably feeling left out. You two rarely hung out but you knew she was the kind of girl who wanted the spotlight on her all of the time.

“How was your rest?” “Heavenly,” you said a little too passionately. It was the truth though. “Did you have your exam today then unni?” Ma Ri asked. You nod as you snuggle up close to Vanilla in the recliner in the corner. “That is horrible. I hate exams. That is why I had to quit college.” “You quit college?” Nick asks. “Yeah. I ended up getting a great career at a cosmetics company here in Busan. And I thought you had to go to college to be successful.” You could not tell if what Ma Ri said was supposed to be gibberish or an insult to you. Nonetheless, Nick laughs. His laugh is more forced than usual. He brings the food over to the table sitting in the dining room. We all sit, legs crossed, eating. Ma Ri and Nick finish their water bottles quick and move on to the soju. You began to get a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.

After an hour, the two begin rambling. Well, mostly Ma Ri. Nick is simply smiling and nodding. You sipped on your cup of soju. You had never been completely drunk and you were afraid of what you would do. Ma Ri is bragging about her nightly adventures and Nick just nods. He does not say much but looks very relaxed. Vanilla is laying by your leg. “Restroom?” Ma Ri asks as she swings her finger in different directions. Nick points her to it and hiccups. We all laugh. You take your plate and go back up to the island to check for leftovers. You frown as your eyes scan the empty take-out containers. “Sorry.” You turn around and there Nick is smiling wildly at you. “It’s funny. When I went into the restaurant. They asked why you were not with me. The old man seemed mad at me for it. He kept trying to tell me to beg for you to take me back and-” He hiccups again. “And how I should not have let you go.” You roll your eyes at his comment. He must lie when he is drunk. Yet, in the back of your mind, you wonder why Nick says this.

“Really?” “Yeah!” he says as he stands up and stretches. “Ouch!” You turn back around and watch him rub his shoulder blades. “Are you okay?” you ask as you make your way back. “It hurts,” he says in the voice of a toddler. “Ma Ri offered to give me a backrub when I told her my shoulders hurt. I guess I shouldn’t have refused.” He grinned foolishly at you. Nick is adorable when he is absolutely wasted. “You’re right. You shouldn’t have refused her offer. She is probably a pro at it,” you reply. “It sounds like someone is jealous,” Nick teases. You blush. “See,” he says pointing directly at you. “I work out a lot but I notice that my body is always aching. My doctor’s starting to worry,” He began pulling on his shirt, revealing a fair amount of skin.

Just then, the lock to the bathroom door begins to slowly open. You dash back to the table and wolf down the contents of the soju glass before you. “What are you two doing?” Ma Ri managed to stumble out of the bathroom. You chugg another shot of soju down your throat. Neither you nor Nick answered. Ma Ri let out a huff. “Oh my god!” she yelled. Both you and Nick jerked your heads in her direction. “I have to work tomorrow,” she whined as she gathered her bag and dragged herself in a beeline over to the door. “Awwww,” Nick whined back. “Don’t go.” You could feel your face becoming red and warm from the smooth taste of the soju. “Yeah,” you whined as well. “I know. I know,” Ma Ri slurred. “We will definitely do this again,” you heard her say before saying goodbye and leaving.

You ended up staying an hour after that yet you do not remember what was said or done. You did remember one thing. You definitely drank way too much. You woke up the next morning with a small headache that made your temples sensitive to touch. The sound of the doorbell going off made your headache feel worse. You rolled around in bed hoping that the sound was just a figment of your imagination. The doorbell continued to ring and ring. “Ughh,” you groaned as you pulled yourself up from bed. Your hair was still in the sloppy samurai bun that you had the night before. You also did not bother to change clothes. “Aigoo,” you groaned as you slunk down the stairs to the floor of your apartment. The ringing just kept going and going. You eventually made it to the door. You started wiping the crust from your eyes as you opened the door. “Why..”

“Morning! Are you ready?” Nick asked. He was beaming.


[CHAPTER 11 TEASER]

“Like this?” You checked Nick’s posture. His body seemed very tense. “Relax more,” you repeated for the third time. “You are too wound up. Pretend you are a zombie. Let your shoulders and chest drop.” “Zombie?” Nick scoffed. “Don’t critique my examples. It works. You watch zombie movies right?” “Occasionally.” “My mother loves watching thrillers,” you began. “I hated them. She would make me watch them with her.” “Like this?” he asked again. “Better,” you replied. You walked over to him and, with all of your strength, pushed his shoulders down. Your heart skipped a beat as soon as your hands came in contact with his shoulders. Your heart quickly returned to its normal rate soon after. “Ouch. You are a rough teacher.” “You woke me up. I consider this payback.” Nick chuckled. “For a funny guy, you sure are stiff.” Nick straightened up and gave you a disapproving look. “What now?” “You think I’m funny,” he said and a smile crept on his face. You laugh lightheartedly.

Eventually, you were able to get Nick into three different poses. After the third pose, you noticed sweat starting to form on Nick’s forehead. “Let’s take a break.” You were tired as well. Nick was a big guy compared to yourself and moving and twisting him into the the different positions was hard, especially the centering step and the bow stance. You had to move his knees and feet but you managed to stay calm. At least you thought you did. His sense of balance was horrible. His body was probably being affected by last night’s drinking. Fortunately you did not have to move him too much. The fact that he was wearing a long sleeve shirt made it more comfortable for you to move him. (He also wearing workout pants. So you never came in contact with his skin.) You went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water for him. You felt like fixing some hot tea. Nick took the bottle but his eyes followed you as you reached for a mug and  pour hot water from a kettle into it. “What are you drinking?” “Tea.” “What kind?” You looked back at him.

He had the most adorable, curious look on his face. You had to catch yourself to prevent your cheeks from turning red. You scoffed but in a good-natured way. “What?” “You look like a six year old.” “I’ll take that as a compliment.” You slipped a teabag in and came back to the island where Nick sat. “It’s Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea. Want some?” His head nods vigorously. You burst into laughter. “It has become easier to make you laugh,” Nick remarks. “That is because it is early in the morning,” you replied as you fixed him a cup as well.  “Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings good for you?” Nick asks. You pause to think. “That’s fine. Let’s do this at ten. Eight thirty is too early.” Nick smirks. “Sorry. I woke up sometime after eight and I could not fall back asleep.” “It’s okay,” you replied before taking a sip of your tea.

AN// Hey guys! Sorry about the ending. This chapter is kind of short.  I wanted to post more but I ended up doing more today than I wanted to. The ending is so-so. I decided to tease you with the long sleeve shirt and pants. I don’t want every chapter to get you guys all hot and bothered XD. Next chapter you will find out what really happened the night before.  I will start school soon. I opened this morning, at work, and ended up taking a three hour nap since I could not sleep the night before. Hopefully that won’t happen again. For anyone who is reading my Zelo story, I will update Tuesday or Wednesday. If something happens and I don’t post anything then expect something over the weekend. I will update this story when I can. Love you all for reading!