Koon Chai Cafe

Chapter Twenty-Five - The Visitor

Park

I got both.

I had gotten into both Yale and NYU with full scholarships to start in the fall.

And now, I'm panicking.

Through the faint glow of the city lights below, I made out the time two-thirty on the alarm clock by my bed. Everything had been silent in the apartment for hours now. Even the kitchen appliances seemed to respect that business hours were over. All I heard was the steady thumping of my own heart as I restlessly tossed and turned while the hours ticked by.

I didn't plan on lying, I don't even know why I did it.

I read both letters, saw I'd been accepted and was going to celebrate with him. But then, then he announced his acceptance to NYU and I just stopped. Did I not want him to know? Was I so used to keeping secrets now that I had to keep them about everything?

This was supposed to be a good day. I'd worked so hard, for so long and my efforts and sacrifices had finally paid off. I struggled through four horrific years of that school just so I could get to this point, so, what had happened?

Beside me, Kopter turned in his sleep and his arm lazily landed across my chest with a soft 'flump.' His warm breath tickled the side of my arm and caused goosebumps to erupt over them. We sleep together, we eat together, we study together, and since moving in Kopter's never not been by my side.

But what if we couldn't be together?

He's all I have left.

---

"Earth to Park?"

"Park?"

"Yo, Park!"

I jumped in my seat as Darius clapped in front of my face. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around to see Kopter, Dior, Darius, and Krishna all staring with mixed expressions of concern and amusement back at me.

"You alright there, buddy?" Krishna asked, peering into my face for a better look. "Even for you, you've been zoned out and silent more than usual."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. Outside was cloudy and despite it only being lunchtime, the harsh glare of the classroom lights were already on. Dior gave me a searching look, then edged herself closer to me from her perch on the edge of Krishna's desk.

"So as I was saying," Darius continued, "I got rejected from NYU, but I ain't mad. Didn't even wanna go there in the first place, Mom made me apply."

"Oh, so that's why you have three NYU sweatshirts and an NYU teddy bear then?" Krishna scoffed.

"It's UCLA for me," Darius continued, ignoring her remarks. "Sun, surf and hot babes who think I'm a cultured, educated New Yorker."

"Dude, trust me," Kopter interjected through a half stifled laugh. "No matter how New York you are, nobody's gonna be fooled into thinking you're not a dumbass."

"Wow, that really stings coming from you, Mister 'completely oblivious to literally everything going on all the time'. How long did it take you to finally realize you liked Park again?"

Krishna laughed as Kopter went bright red but still laughed all the same. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out while everyone was distracted by Kopter and Darius' argument on who took the title of Himbo in the group.

One new message flashed up on the screen.

Dior: Hey, wanna meet up for coffee?

I looked up to see Dior who stared back at me with raised eyebrows. I nodded and stashed my phone back into my pocket.