He wasn’t there. It was almost as if by bringing him one step closer, I was pushing away again. To say that I was disappointed is an understatement. It hurt that he wasn’t there. It hurt that he was once more disappearing from my life when I thought he would always be so close.

            I kept my head down the entire lecture, not wanting to see the weird looks people were giving. Even after a few months, Kris still elicited attention from everyone. I made sure to walk by them and just continue on my way because I didn’t want to deal with questions. They knew now that I was approachable and would ask questions. Too late.

            Someone grabbed my arm and I recognized her as my partner in art. “Hey, where’s Kris?”

            Even though it was a simple question, it ticked me off. He wasn’t an object, a figure whose every whereabouts was obligated for the public to know. I stared at her. “He’s not at school.”

            She gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “I think I can see that. But what’s up with that kid? He’s always disappearing once in a while. Come on, Jo. Don’t pretend that you don’t’ know.”

            “I really don’t. Just because we talk doesn’t mean he tells me everything. Why are you so interested anyway?”

            She shrugged. “He’s fascinating.” I grit my teeth and decided that she wasn’t worth getting into a fight with.

            “Well, sorry to disappoint. I honestly have no idea and I highly doubt I’ll know any time soon.” But inside, she had sparked a sense of curiosity. I wanted to know where he was, and why he didn’t come to school.

            From the little that he has disclosed to me, I know that it was probably his mother who pulled him out of school again. I wondered if he was traveling again but I doubted it. He just left a while ago. Unless there was more danger. And the thought made me freeze. I was visiting him today after school. If he weren’t there, then I’d know he was safe.

            I walked to his house. He had shown it to me once and I had memorized it, liking the fact that he would let me in to his life. I hoarded every tidbit of information that he gave out and he didn’t give them freely.

            I knocked tentatively on the door when I got to the house. There was a slight movement by the curtains and I held my breath. The figure was tall and I thought it would be Kris. But then there was nothing. I knocked again. One more try and then I would leave. I had seen some evidence that he was home.

            The doors flew open and I was face to face with a very attractive woman. She was glaring at me angrily and I knew I must have done something wrong. Time and time again, Kris had warned me about safety and caution and I blatantly ignored it.

            “Who are you and why are you here?” She hissed at me. The entire house was dark as if under siege. I stared at her and stammered a reply.

            “I’m sorry. I may have been mistaken,” I tried to think of a way out but that was lame and I knew she saw right through my attempts to lie.

            She grabbed my wrist. “You are to never come here again, and if you can, stay away from my son.”

            Then Kris was next to her and he was furious. “You are not to ever interfere with my life. You already have uprooted me enough. Do not dictate who my friends are.” He then switched to rapid Chinese and I was lost. I stared at him and the two of them argued back and forth and I wanted to slink away but she still held onto my wrist.

            “Let go of her,” he said in Korean for my sake.

            His mother glared at me and I felt bad. I knew I made a mistake. Kris was breathing heavily and he smiled at me, the corners of his mouth tight with tension. “I’m sorry. My mom was under the impression that I was in danger. I’ll be back in school tomorrow.”

            Then he walked out of the house, a feat that made her give a sharp intake of breath. He bent down quickly and kissed my cheek. “Get home safe. I’ll be in school tomorrow.”

            His mother was still giving me an evil look and I shrunk under her gaze. He gave her a cold stare back. “We can go in now.”

            She slammed the door and I saw him wave from the curtains and I breathed a small sigh of relief. I may have messed up in the family department but what mattered now was that he was safe. I held my hand to my cheek and felt the warmth of his breath still on my skin. My heart was hammering and it was with a tinge of excitement that I realized I may have fallen for him harder than I expected to.