Turns out Hoya had experienced his own little adventure before landing at my house. After taking a direct flight to Nepal and staying there for one night, he flew all the way to Punjab and hitched a ride on a truck full of goats and hay.

“Sounds fun,” muttered Woohyun while Hoya and I hugged each other, his clothes smelling of wet dog. He handed me a note which had an address written on it and said, “The truck driver was very kind, he offered to have his brother’s family host me during my stay here!”

I read the address and scowled. “Yah, are you crazy? You’re staying with us, right HERE!” I thought of the double date I had been planning ever since I returned to India and grinned to myself while leading the two back inside the house.

Mama and Papa were thrown off a bit by Hoya’s appearance and he profusely apologized for making such a noisy entrance. Incidentally, Hoya’s mother and Mama had been classmates in middle school.

“Really?” I exclaimed and held onto Hoya’s arm. “So we go a loooooong way back!” Hoya too got excited at this new piece of information and nodded, “Yup. I guess we do. So you’re officially my first best friend!”

“YAH!” Woohyun pouted and glared, the simultaneous mix of expressions making him look comical.

“What?” Hoya said, “It’s not like I’m telling your girlfriend to be mine.” Stepping out of the stupid scenario, I carried Hoya’s bag upstairs and returned to find him dozing on the couch. Woohyun was making some tea with Mama while Papa was just flinching at the sight of my friend.

I smiled and while descending from the staircases, shouted, “COFFEE!” As expected, Hoya jumped up and wiped his mouth, looking at me scornfully.

“Don’t play with me!” he scolded and turned to give my father his Cheshire Cat grin. Papa blinked and grinned back, though his attempt made him look intimidated. Collapsing next to Hoya, I slung my arm on his shoulder and with a sigh, said, “I need to meet Kairi, the poor girl’s been dying to see me.”

Woohyun and Mama sat across us, the tea tray on the table. I was about to tell Hoya that I’d make coffee for him but he surprised me and took a sip. “Hmm… it tastes nice.”

Woohyun snorted and said, “So your tongue can taste something other than caffeine? That’s a relief.”

Before the topic could change, I cleared my throat and texted Kairi to call me. A second later, my phone rang and I answered it. “Oh! Kairi! Why did you call?”

“Have you lost it?” Kairi mumbled. “You only—”

“I missed you too!” I squealed, making Hoya roll his eyes and Woohyun widen his. “What? Where? Oh sure! They have a noraebang too right? Okay then see you there tonight!”

I cut the call with Kairi shouting out curses and smiled at everyone. “Kairi wants to meet all of us tonight at that Korean restaurant near by…what’s it called…K2? They even have karaoke rooms and the food is also pretty good.” I tightened my grip on Hoya’s arm when he muttered, “Why does it sound like your idea rather than Kairi’s?”

“So,” I continued, beaming at Woohyun. “We’ll first let Hoya rest while the both of us go shopping, okay?”

“Yah,” Hoya laughed. “I’m fine, I don’t need a rest—”

“You need a shower,” I interjected, inviting a scowl from him. “Now be a good boy and freshen up once you have your tea. You can settle your clothes in Woohyun’s room and sleep for a while, you’ve had a long journey. Ok? Ok!”

Ruffling his head, I instantly got up from my seat and dragged Woohyun outside. While wearing our shoes, I heard Hoya talk to Mama about the different type of coffees and the importance in their variety.

“They’re getting along like a house on fire,” Woohyun said. “I feel threatened.” I chuckled and shook my head, only to see a serious expression on his face while he looked at the two laughing.

“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered and before he could say something, I pecked him on the lips. “Just when the morning had started well.”

“Are there any shops that are open at this time?” Woohyun questioned. I shook my head and walked with him to the car. “We’re not going shopping.”

Once we sat inside Papa’s Audi, I rubbed my hands together and grinned. “We’re going to meet Kairi.” The response was none other than ‘the woohyun’ as my boyfriend started the engine and murmured, “There is a lot I need to know about you, that’s for sure.”