Poolside

1

Back Together

            “Tay!”

            “Cori!”

            Two women embraced each other tightly, not noticing the stares they were getting from passersby, not that they cared. They hadn’t seen each other since their high school graduation three years ago. Of course they kept in contact through emails but it wasn’t the same.

            The taller of the two, Tay, pulled back from the hug to get a better look at her friend. “Geez Cori, why are you still so pretty?”  Cori had long dark brown hair that reached the middle of her back and was currently tied back in a low ponytail. The woman’s lightly tanned skin looked flawless, and her blue-silvery eyes were shining brightly. Cori laughed a little at her friend’s words.

            “Like you’re one to talk. I think you look gorgeous” Cori responded softly.

            Tay scoffed “I don’t think so”. Tay’s real name was Taylynn but she preferred to be called by her nickname. Her skin was much darker that Cori’s but she was African American so it was to be expected. Her skin also appeared to be flawless except for a small mole under her right eye. Her black hair only reached a little past her shoulders and was curled at the ends. Hazel eyes rolled before Tay grabbed Cori’s wrist. “Come on. We can catch up once we get to my place.”

            The shorter girl only smiled as she let herself be dragged out of the airport and towards a ticket gate, making sure she didn’t drop any of her luggage. Once they were out of the building, Cori was met by the sight of train. Confused, she turned her gaze to her friend, silently asking why they were there. Tay just laughed at the expression on her best friend’s face. “This is our first mode of transportation today.” With that, the two women entered the train so they could reach their destination.

~x~

            Fifty minutes later, after switching trains twice and walking through a station, Cori’s eyes widened at the sight before her. There were many people walking the streets, most of which were foreigners but that didn’t matter to Cori. She was more interested by the tall buildings littering the place. They were nothing short of breathtaking.

            The darker skinned girl chuckled as she watched her friend. She placed her hand on the brunette’s shoulder before saying “Welcome to Seoul my friend.”

~x~

            To say that Cori expected to visit South Korea in her early twenties would be a lie. The brunette had always wanted to visit the country ever since she was in middle school. Once she reached college, she met Taylynn, who just so happened to share her love of the Asian country. They got closer to one another when they were partnered up during their Korean class. Both girls, who at the time were 18, quickly got along and discovered that they both were majoring in Korean.

            As they spent more time together, Cori learned that Tay was amazing when it came to speaking and writing Korean and it wasn’t long before Tay received an offer to study in Korea. Tay was hesitant at first. Of course she wanted to go to Korea, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave her friends and family behind just yet.

            It took some time, but Cori was able to convince her best friend to leave. Taylynn promised to keep in contact and would try to visit whenever she could. Cori knew that the possibility of them actually seeing each other again in person was very low but didn’t want to put a damper on her friend’s mood. A few months later, the teens embraced each other with tears in their eyes before Tay left.

            Cori stayed in school and finished her studies. There were times that she thought of quitting, but she loved the language too much to give up on it. That and a certain best friend of hers wouldn’t let her quit even if she wanted to.

            Currently the brunette was in her third year of college and was doing well. She spoke Korean fluently and was even decent when it came to writing. She was also keeping contact with Taylynn, who was also doing well in South Korea. Taylynn hadn’t been able to see Cori since school in the other country was strict and whenever she did fly back home it was during the holidays, which meant spending time with family. However this didn’t deter Cori. The brunette had a feeling that the two would meet soon.   

~x~

            When Cori had received the email from her friend asking her if she wanted to spend her summer break in Korea, she practically peed herself. At first, she played it off as a joke. As if she could go to Korea. She didn’t have enough money to go and she certainly thought that Tay didn’t have the money. She was shocked to find out that Taylynn had been saving her money that she got from family and from her job. The African American had enough money to finally get a ticket for Cori so the brunette could come visit.  Cori’s excitement that day was off the charts.

            That was how the brunette found herself in her best friend’s apartment in the Yongsan District located in Seoul, Korea. “Wow, your place is amazing” Cori said in awe as her eyes took in the interior of Taylynn’s apartment.

            “Thanks, but it’s not anything special” Tay responded as she took off her shoes and stepped into her home, holding one of her friend’s bags on her shoulder. “Feel free to come in and put your stuff down Cori” she said with snicker.

            Cori’s cheeks became a light pink color before she followed the actions of her friend. The taller girl led Cori to the room she would be staying in during her stay there. The room wasn’t too big but it wasn’t too small either. The brunette placed her bags down and stretched before sitting on her bed. A yawn escaped her lips and she rubbed her eyes a little.

            “I imagine you’re tired from the long flight. Feel free to rest okay? We can talk later. I’ll make some food and save for you whenever you wake up.” The African American only received a nod before Cori laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. Tay smiled before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. “This is going to be an awesome summer. I just know it.”