A Simple Question
Jaywalker
The man behind that voice stepped out from the bathroom.
Park Jaebum stood in front of us. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just pants and a damp towel wrapped over his shoulders. It seemed like he was in the shower, his hair was dripping wet. A particular droplet caught my eye as it fell from his hair and trickled down his neck. I watched it trace the outline of his collarbone, roll down his shoulder, and slide along his body as if following his tattoos. I didn't even realize that I was staring until he spoke to me.
"You like what you see?"
"What....what did you say?"
I look around for Lydia but she has vanished. I'm starting to dislike how she shows up when I don't need her but is nowhere to be found when I do. My eyes darted around the room to avoid looking at Jaebum. I heard a noise and looked up to see him. He was covering his face but I saw his shoulders moving and could tell he was laughing at me. I look for Lydia again, her voice was coming from the bathroom.
"Uhuru! Can't you properly introduce yourself? I won't do everything for you!"
"Hmph...I don't need you to tell me that!"
I say that, but can't look at him. Most girls in this position would be starstruck out of this world but I wasn't sure what I should be doing just then. Surprisingly, he noticed this before I could think of what to do next. "You look like you don't know what to do."
"Exactly."
"Most girls would be surprised or starstruck."
"I don't know how to be starstruck."
Jaebum stood up straight for the first time, "That's weird." He raised an eyebrow as he studied me for a moment. As he stepped forward, I stepped back. He moved forward, I moved backward. This continued until my back hit the giant bed centered in the room. He studied my face again. I tried to shuffle aside but he put his thumb on my forehead, holding me in place. I would swear he was related to Lydia but I was more focused on the fact that he was still staring at me. I twitched under the awkward stare. "What are you doing?"
"I was trying to remember you. But you must be the girl Lydia was talking about, right?" Jaebum steps back and I release I was holding my breath. Exhaling deeply, I nodded in response.
"Yeah... but you shouldn't just stare at people like that. It makes people twitch and such. You almost gave me a heart attack."
He smirked, throwing the damp towel over my head and on the bed. "So you really are starstruck? Or are you just being cute? With some girls it's hard to tell."
"I'm not talking anymore until you put a shirt on." As I said this my hands reached up and covered my face, I was going to lose my damn mind if he stayed like that. For some reason, I wasn't as shocked by him as I was by Lydia. I was thinking about it when two hands grabbed my own and pulled them to my sides.
"Uhuru! Don't be rude!" Lydia was standing in front of me wrapped in a towel. "Why are you so awkward about it? You adjusted to me right away!"
"You were fully dressed! And still, why are you ?" It registered in my mind that she must have taken a shower, so I glanced past her and noticed Jaebum had vanished. I sighed, if its not one of them it's the other. How did I expect to deal with them?
"I was nice enough to bring Jaebum with me... and you don't even talk to him..."
"I don't like talking to people." My comment was blunt and precise. Lydia turned to me with her hands on her hips, "So you wont talk until I put clothes on?"
I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back. It was so soft, I let everything that was happening sink in. This didnt make sense no matter how I thought about it. Lydia discovers me over the internet, my mom sets up a meeting with her, and now I'm laying on a bed that probably costs more than my apartment. I turn over on my side and ignore Lydia's complaints. She gets fed up and puts on clothes. "Are you happy?" She threw the damp towel on my face. "Lydia!"
"You started it. Don't tell me what to do and I won't throw stuff at you." She sits beside me on the bed and starts telling me how much I'm going to love Korea, that I would be able to change things for the better, how everyone would be excited to hear my music. I tried to listen but all the negative thoughts flooded my mind again. She was smiling and waving her hands in the air, imitating the crowds of people she said would cheer for me. I forced myself to hold back what I wanted to say, watching Lydia's exaggerated roleplay
.
"This would make so many people jealous." Following those words I saw the flash of a camera. Jaebum pointed his phone at us and took several pictures. Lydia poked out her lips, "What are you talking about? Who are you trying to impress?"
"Anyone would be jealous of a guy with two women in his bed."
I feel myself twitch after realizing where I was. The biggest shock came when he threw himself on the bed, he fell right between us but his eyes remained transfixed on his phone. I had been interested in Korean culture for years but, if everyone is this touchy, I probably won't survive a week. I move closer to Lydia. "You should say something like 'just kidding' after making comments like that!" She was trying to look serious for my sake but this was obviously a conversation they had before.
"Lydia always say that. You knew I was joking, right?" He looked over at me. I don't understand how these two are so comfortable with me when we just met. They act like I've been around for years, I don't think I could act so casual with them. Honestly, they didn't give off the sense of glamour one would expect from celebrities instead seeming no different from anyone else. But that doesn't change the fact that they are famous. I couldn't shake that thought from my mind. Unfortunately, these two aren't the type of people to be around when you're lost in thought. Lydia reached over and jabbed my cheek with her thumb, Jaebum did the same on the other side of me.
"You need to stay with us, Uhuru! No daydreaming!"
"Don't touch my face! I don't like people touching my face!" I swat at both of their hands, moving their thumbs away from my face. Lydia just starts poking my sides with a teasing smile. "What? Is your face so precious we can't touch it? I thought we were friends Uhuru!"
I hadn't considered that, because we met yesterday, but maybe Lydia had a point? I have been told that I need to be more open and some people went so far as to say my actions seem cold-hearted. Once again, I was lost in thought until Lydia playfully tugged at one of my braids.
"It would be best to relax. But I have never met people who are so comfortable with a stranger, I don't think I can be the same way." I look upwards as I say this, unaware of the near silent conversation taking place behind me. Lydia sits up and wraps her arms around me. I hate being touched. It took every ounce of strength in my body to twist away from her, but I fell into Jaebum's arms instead. Perfect. I had no time to react before Lydia hugged me again and he wrapped his arms around both of us. I was going to die. There is no way I can survive living around such touchy people. Lydia pokes me again, "Don't worry! What could possibly go wrong? You have me!"
I attempt to twist myself free, "That's not very comforting..." She leans back and stares at me. "Lydia, how did you manage to lose her trust within two days? That's a new record for you." Apparently, he teases Lydia like this often. But she pokes out her lips and ignores that particular statement. "What do you mean, Uhuru? You don't trust me?"
"To be honest, I believe I can trust you. A first impression can be different from the actual person, which you already proved. So, I don't think I've decided just yet."
"You are so difficult to convince..." She releases me from the hug and rests her chin both hands, I would have felt terrible if she was offended by what I said. Jaebum taps me on the shoulder, shooting a wise glance towards his friend. "That's her way fo trying to convince you, like when kids pout to get what they want-" He probably would have said more if not for Lydia's towel flying over my head and covering his face. She jumps of the bed and turns to me, almost triumphantly, and smiles. "I will prove it! I'm more trustworthy than Jay so this should be easy, right?"
"She just said you proved that frist impressions are different from the actual person. So she didn't trust you at first, but now feels like she can trust you. And you can't force her to trust you, she might get fed up with us."
We shared eye contact for two seconds before Lydia and I realized he had read our minds. I turn slightly to look up at him, but before asking anything I noticed how close our bodies were. I could smell the light scent of the soap from his shower, there were tiny drops of water on my shirt from his hair... and Lydia thought it was hilarious. I sat frozen by the sudden realization of being so close to a man while she leans against the wall laughing. I'm still stunned when she catches her breath and drags me into the bathroom.
"Uhuru... are you... okay?" Her voice is a hoarse whisper as she tries to calm down. She puts a hand on my arm, I think she was trying to comfort me?
"I'm fine. Why would you ask that?" My question just sent her into fits of laughter again. I don't know how long it had been when she stopped laughing and was able to speak.
"Because... because you were... HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"
"STOP LAUGHING!!!!"
"Okay... I'm sorry... but you were so obvious! It was almost cute!" She gently taps my forehead with her thumb, smiling but showing her usual impatience.
"What are you talking about?"
"You were staring at him for so long... I thought you finally got startstruck... but you looked so mesmerized that I had to laugh."
"What are you saying?" My head tilts to the side as I ask, hers does the same.
"You didn't realize it? How innocent, I miss when I was that youthful!"
"What. Are. You. Saying?" Her impatient attitude was infectious as I cross my arms, waiting for a clear explanation. Of course, she begins messing with her hair in the mirror and seemingly changes the subject.
"Jay is handsome, don't you think?"
"Nini (What)?" I was so confused that for a moment, I forgot to speak English.
"Was that a sneeze? Anyway, I said don't you think Jay is handsome?"
"Why?"
"You are so innocent. Just answer the question."
"I don't know."
She tosses her hairbrush at me, "That's a lie."
"Where is this coming from?"
"I was just thinking... most girls, especially Jay's fans, would kill to have been that close to him. You just sat there like he was your boyfriend."
This surprises me, was I really that obvious? It seems like everything they say sends me into deep thought about unrelated topics. I stay focused this time, however, and hear Lydia mutter under her breath. "They would make a cute couple."
"Who?"
"What? Oh, nothing."
"Tell me. I heard you say something."
"I'll tell you if we make a promise. We have to be completely honest with each other from this moment onward." My biggest mistake was not noticing the clever smirk on Lydia's face.
"I promise."
"Okay, I was saying that you and Jay would make a cute couple."
"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT???"
She dodged to the left, avoiding the comb I had thrown at her head. What made her think that? Bull. Immediately, I decided that I wasn't even going to think about it anymore. "Do you think Jay is handsome? Remember, our promise."
I start pulling at my braids, some of the colorful beads were loose enought that they fell and rolled freely across the marble floor of the bathroom. Lydia is clever when she wants to be but I know that if I needed that witty intelligence in the future she would be completely useless.
"He can't hear us... answer me!" Her harsh whisper struck me, if he couldn't hear us... was it okay to answer? I find myself hesitating, not sure if Lydia was setting me up for something. But, we did promise to be honest with each other...... I look over at Lydia as she struggles with untangling her hair from the brush. She looks back and repeates her question again.
"Is it really so hard? Do you think Jay's handsome?"
"Umm....I think so?"
"What kind of answer is that? I want a straightforward answer that lets me know you no longer hesitate to form opinions of people. Everyone isn't the same as people you've met before."
She pokes me defiantly with the end of her brush and waits for my response. It was that moment when I noticed her smile was teasing me. This woman was a walking punchline. But I couldn't argue that, in her own way, she proved a valid point. I figured that people weren't worth trying to understand, maybe that's why I seem so distant? It couldn't hurt to form a simple opinion.....
Am I right?
"If that's the situation... I think he's very handsome."
"Thank You."
I was very wrong.
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