Weekend At Nick’s - Pt. 1

            The next morning you went to the closest pharmacy and picked up some meds. The rest of the morning was spent going over medical terms for three hours before heading to lunch. You took the sheet Nick had given you with you to your usual restaurant. You only cooked when you were in the mood to (which was not often). Hyo Sung greeted you like always. Hyo Sung is a pretty woman who owned the restaurant. Hyo Sung’s beautiful red-brown hair fell perfectly from the roots of her head, past her shoulders, and ran down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were wide and blue (thanks to her contacts of course). Her skin was slightly tan and complimented the color of her hair. The restaurant had only a few customers. The kimbap were phenomenal and so was the soup.

You had known Hyo Sung since high school. She was three years older than you and was always known for her cooking. The joke around school was that she could cook herself out of bad situations and into good ones. She was a bit of a feminist so all but one of her workers was female. You were pretty sure though that the one guy that worked there was gay. His appearance was always polished and stylish. “What book did you bring today?” Hyo Sung asked as she put in your usual order. “Just this actually,” you say holding up the sheet already in your hand. “Who are you and what are you doing in my Da Eun’s body?” Hyo Sung asked incredulously.

            You smile and laugh. “I am actually housesitting for my neighbor. He has to go to Jeju Island and wants me to watch over his cat.” Hyo Sung gives you a sideways glance. “Remember that issue I had with my sink? About it overflowing?” “Yeah,” she says, “but what does this have to do with you playing house sitter.” An excited look suddenly overpowers her face. “You like him? That has to be the reason.” “No! No!” you answer quickly. “My sink overflowed because of some plumbing issues. They said that I would need to leave my apartment so they could fix it.” You could tell that she had already accepted her twisted version as the truth and was coming up with the story in her head. “Is he cute?” “What kind of question is that?” “It is a question that pertains to the physical appearance of your neighbor.” You roll your eyes.

            “Since you did not immediately answer, I can only assume the answer is ‘yes.’ Just be careful,” she says as you hand her your money. “Guys like that are usually cheaters.” You take your change along with the bottle of water you ordered. “Or gay.” The male employee spins his head around with a judgmental look on his face. You laugh. “Sorry,” Hyo Sung mumbles as she hands you your receipt and shoos you away so that she can assist the next customer. You glance outside and notice that it starts to rain. A few minutes later it begins to pour. Many people begin to storm into the restaurant. You take your kimbap and your bag of chips from one of the other employees, Julie. Julie was an aspiring pop star who wanted to be in a group like SNSD. “So how cute is he?” Julie asks wide-eyed. “Do you want me to set you two up?” you ask sarcastically. “Really?” She obviously did not get your sarcasm. “Julie! I need you at the second register!” Hyo Sung called. “Coming!” she called back. You turn to leave but feel yourself being whipped around. You almost dropped your food. “Don’t forget,” Julie warns as she gives you a stern look before taking off to her new position.

            The rain pitted and pattered against the sidewalk and the windows of the small restaurant. You read the notes Nick gave you three times. Everything seemed easy enough. Vanilla needed to take her medicine once a day, once at nine in the morning. The majority of the note went into detail about what food to buy (if needed), where everything was, and what she could clean and organize. Because the surgery was done near her lower abdomen, Nick mentioned that she would not move around much. Maybe you would not have to make any contact with her aside from feeding and cleaning. Even though you grew up on a farm, you did not have any animals in the house. You usually read and helped with household tasks.

            Once you had finished eating, you check the time. You remember that you needed to go by your professor’s office to ask a few questions about the university exam that is coming up in a week. Most of your classmates probably won’t start seeing him until a few days before so you wanted to get a head start. You finish your food, throw it away, wave goodbye to Hyo Sung and head out the door into the cold rain. You pulled the hood of your jacket over your head. You never liked carrying umbrellas because you would always lose them. You tucked the paper into your jacket to protect it from the rain. You are about to push the door open when a young man beats you to it. He pulls the door back and stands to the side. He is smiling at you very hard, as if he knows you. Just as you did at the market, you smile back and mumble a quick “Hi” and “Thank you” as you takes your leave.

            “Wait,” the young man calls. You spin around. The rain is falling lightly on your jacket. The sounds of each drop mimicking that of a small drum. “Are you,” he begins. He clears his throat. “Is your mother Lee Jan Di?” You give him a thoughtful look before you smile. “Yes. She is actually. Do you know her?” “Yes. I’m Mr. Choi’s nephew. My uncle owns-” “the shop that my mother always goes to buy-” “Yep,” he interrupts, “That’s my uncle.” “That’s cool,” you say stepping aside so that a couple can enter the restaurant. “I remember helping out at my uncle’s stand when I was younger. I would always see your mother, sometimes you came with her,” he added. You had wondered how he knew she was your mother. “My uncle always says that she is his best customer.” “Wow. It truly is a small world,” you reply. Before he can say another word your phone rings. “I’m sorry. I have to take this,” you say as you pull your phone out hurriedly to prevent too many raindrops from getting on it. “ I will see you later then,” he says walking into the restaurant. “Later?” you say confused. The sound of your best friend’s voice reminds you that you have your phone up against your ear. “Hello?” You shake yourself back to the present. “What’s up?”

Nick returns to his apartment at 9:32 at night. You weren’t counting the minutes or hours until he returned though. You were going through your medical dictionary and heard a knock. You just happened to look at your microwave clock before you answered the door (You lie to yourself). He was wearing glasses again and very casual, loose clothing as he stood at your door holding a small suitcase. The sound of thunder makes you jump. “I guess it is still raining outside,” you mumble. “Yeah, it’s only drizzling though,” Nick smiles, “I haven’t seen it rain like this in a while. It has been pretty hot the last few days.” You nod. “So,” Nick begins, “Vanilla is ready to go if you are. When are the repair guys coming?” “Noon tomorrow,” you answer. “I guess I should introduce you Vanilla before I leave.” He leaves his bag and you follow him into his apartment. “Also,” he hands you a key, “this is the key to my apartment. Guard it with your life.” You assume that he is joking by the smile on his face. “I will do my best.”

Nick walks over to the cage, takes off the towel over it, and pulls out a fairly large white cat (I don’t know what species). Her eyes were a green-ish hazel and she had a long tail. “This is Vanilla,” Nick says as he walks back to you. “Hi there,” you say giving a friendly smile. “She is a bit grumpy so she probably won’t be very affectionate.” “That’s okay,” you reply as you the top of her head. Her purr sounds as if she was groggy, as she had just woken up. “She probably does not like the cage,” Nick says looking around. He searches the apartment for a spot to lay her and settles for the chair closest to the island in the kitchen. It was cushioned and large which pleased her fancy. “Well,” Nick says taking a glance at his watch,  “I’ll see you. I left my cell on the counter if you need me.” “Okay,” you reply giving him your biggest smile. You wanted to reassure him that everything would be okay. Even though his eyes were carefree, something about his eyebrows and his body language suggested there was some tension or worry.

Vanilla's eyes had not left you since Nick left. You bought the strongest allergy medicine the local pharmacy had. You stared right back at her. You had read that animals could get very territorial so you wanted to prove to her that you were in charge. Her grey eyes had an intensity that made you uncomfortable. Her purr was low and cold. “Look, Vanilla,” you said sternly. “We need to help each other. I won’t cause you any trouble so you better not give me any.” Her expression does not change. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m actually here to help.” Her eyes seemed to cut at you. You walk over to her and hold your palm out facing her. You wait for her to your hand or show some form of understanding or consideration but receive nothing. “This is going to be a long weekend.” You spin around and stand up, head down. You walk over to the kitchen area and prepare Vanilla’s dinner.

Your jaw dropped when you opened the can and saw its contents. You had expected the mushy, nasty-looking cat food you usually saw in commercials. This can had chunks of tuna and other vegetables mixed inside in a visually pleasing manner. “Nick spoils you.  No wonder you are high maintenance.” You grabbed Vanilla’s dish and poured the feast into it. You scoot the dish towards her. She doesn’t move. “Come on, Vanilla. I know you are hungry,” you say sweetly as you scoot the bowl even closer. She still sits staring at you. You let out a deep breath. “Well I can’t force you.” You walk over to the couch and pull out your comprehensive medical dictionary. You were starting the ‘e’s.’  After reading the definition for ‘Eczema,’ you heard the sound of Vanilla’s claws scratching lightly on the floor. You look and see that she is eating. You continued to reading.

After a few hours your head began to drop. You pulled your head up each time. You could barely stay awake and you were only on the ‘g’s.’ You should not have covered yourself with a blanket and snuggled up in the chair. You looked up with heavy eyes and saw Vanilla shaking slightly. “Are you cold, Vanilla?” you asked as you set your book aside and wrap your blanket around yourself and over your head.. You walk over to Vanilla and try to pick her up. She resists a little. “Come on, Vanilla. I know you are hungry.” You sneeze. “I guess the medicine is wearing off. You wipe your nose and try again to pick her up. This time she lets you. You walk over to the chair and turn on the television. Vanilla’s ears perk up when she hears the cheers coming from the television. She almost fell out of your arms trying to position her so she could see the television. “Do you like this show?” you ask as you run your hand down from her head to the middle of her back.

She purrs. You assume that means ‘yes’ so you leave the remote on the table. Vanilla wiggles closer to you and starts to purr softly. “I see you can be pretty friendly once you are watching your favorite show.” Her purrs have a sense of warmth about them. You begin to her until you lose track of who you are and what you are doing. The sounds coming from the television prevents you from falling asleep too deeply. You were happy that you had begun swaying Vanilla in your favor. Hopefully by the end of your time here you two could be acquaintances at the very least. She continues to purr and you start to drift into deep sleep. Just before your mind shuts down you hear a choking noise. You jump and look down horrified at Vanilla who is coughing. “Vanilla! Vanilla what’s wrong?!” You lift her up and she turns her head. You hold her close to you hoping she will stop soon. You feel something wet roll down your arm. You cringe. You look down on the floor and see a hairball. A wave of relief hits you.

“This is going to be a long weekend."

[CHAPTER 7 TEASER]

AN///

I think I outdid myself as far as length. I spell checked this chapter and it came up to FIVE pages! I wanted to add some non-Nick stuff to the mix. I hope you like it. This chapter should leave you feeling many things. Embarrassment for being "caught" by the landlady. Anticipation for what will come next. Who is that guy from the coffee shop? I know. You guys will have to wait though. The only clue I will give you is that I love triangles and that there will be a few in this story. I hope this chapter did not disappoint. If it did, hold on. The story gets better with each chapter. If you were pleased yet not entirely satisfied then I have done my job. I have decided to post the teaser with the completed chapter just for your sanity and mine. As always, please subscribe. It makes me happy and you will get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside too. Any cover art for the story is welcomed. Story ideas are also welcome. I’m pretty much all over the board when it comes to what I will do next so leave any suggestions in the comments. I enjoy reading interactive fanfics so those are the only kind I will write. Still looking for cover art for the story. Thanks for reading and please vote below!