Jennie
"Who was that, Jennie?" she asks, and her voice is so calm it's slightly chilling.
I swallow and stop in the middle of the living room, facing her. "Um, no one. I mean, he's an ex," I hastily try to explain, "but I haven't seen him in years. We just bumped into one another the other day and apparently, he got the wrong idea."
She raises her eyebrows and nods, her gaze shifting to the floor. "An ex?"
"It was a long time ago."
She seems mad, but I don't understand why. She was going to have sex with that Irene girl for crying out loud! I didn't even do anything wrong.
She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Do I need to leave?" she asks suddenly.
"No!" Her eyes dart to mine in surprise. "I mean, there's really nothing going on with me and Hanbin. It was so long ago. Water under the bridge. I haven't even thought about him in months."
"Were you serious with him?"
God, why are we having this conversation?
I decide to tell the truth. "Yes. For a little while. We were friends at first."
"Do you still like him?"
I look at Lisa, hoping to display the sincerity of my next words. "No. Not anymore." And it's true. I used to like Hanbin, but he blew his opportunity when he left me behind.
I wasn't enough to make him stay, and now he's not enough for me to grant a second chance. Lisa looks appeased by this answer, but before she can respond, there's another knock at the door. We both tense.
"That's probably the Chinese," she says, though her tone holds a bit of a question. I nod and search for my purse, silently praying to every God available that Hanbin hasn't come back.
"Probably. Look, Lisa, I'll buy the food tonight..."
But she's already on her feet. "Don't be ridiculous, Jennie. I told you I was buying dinner." She stands to get the door and, oh thank heavens, it's only the delivery guy.
I return to the kitchen again for drinks. "Do you eat your food straight out of the carton?" I ask her.
"Do you?"
"Yes. But I can bring you a plate if you want one."
"Out of the carton is fine." she pauses. "Are we eating in front of the TV again?" she questions.
Clearly, she still doesn't understand the way things work around here.
"Lisa, my kitchen table has done nothing but hold the mail since I got it. I've never eaten there."
"Then what's the point of having one?"
"That's a good question. My dad bought it for me." I bring our drinks into the living room. Lisa is setting up the food on the coffee table. "It does make a nice mail holder, though," I offer.
"They make those, you know. Mail holders."
"Why would I go buy something new when the kitchen table works just fine?"
She shakes her head and chuckles lightly. "I have no idea, Jennie."
"Exactly, Manoban. Stick with me and you may learn a thing or two about being thrifty."
An old TV show plays in the background, yet neither of us pay much attention. I focus on Lisa perhaps a tad bit more than I should. I'm immensely relieved that she hasn't bolted after the Hanbin fiasco.
We chat about trivial things. She tells me about her first home - an apartment even smaller than mine. She reveals a reckless trip to Vegas that she took with Hae-in after the initial success of her company, followed by the chewing out she received from Marco upon her return. She explains the new design Chitthip is planning for the second family room.
I, in turn, tell her about the first horrid apartment I lived in. I explain how Jisoo and I met and relive the single night of our frightening camping trip with our college friends. I tell her how my dad gave me the drug talk when I was nine, when I didn't even know what "smoking a doobie" meant. I reveal with embarrassment that I had thought my dad was referencing Scooby Doo for nearly four years.
Dinner is complete in no time. Lisa's egg roll remains untouched, and I try to swipe it, but she quickly bats me away.
"I'm eating it!" she says stubbornly.
"You haven't even touched it!"
"I always eat it last."
"You eat it last? Is that like...a rule?"
"Maybe."
"How can you stand for it to sit on your plate the whole meal? It's the best part."
"Ever heard of delayed gratification?" she asks. She peeks at me and I find myself shifting, trying to recover from the seductiveness of her words and expression. Is this intentional?
I clear my throat. "Whoever said that has never tried an egg roll."
"Here, pull this end," she says, and she graciously relents and gives me half.
I soon take a quick bathroom break. I'm surprised to find Louis' entire bowl of food is gone, but the cat is nowhere to be found. I shrug and return to the living room.
Louis is now back on the couch. In Lisa's lap. In Lisa's motherfucking lap.
"What's going on here?" I exclaim. "You saw how much trouble I had to go through to get him to move the first time!"
Didn't Hae-in say Lisa doesn't like cats?
Lisa looks at me in exasperation. "I didn't help him up."
"Who did?"
"He jumped."
"He jumped?" Somehow, I just don't see it happening. "He can barely walk!"
"Well he jumps pretty well," Lisa grumbles.
Louis stares at me as we talk, the same blank, impassive look on his face. He obviously has no intention of moving anytime soon. His massive body takes up Lisa's entire lap.
I scowl at it jealously before taking my seat again.
Lisa doesn't pet him, but he seems content just lying there. She looks very awkward with Louis on top of her.
I imagine the cluster of grey cat hair that will probably stick to her clothes and smile.
"You don't have to look so pleased," Lisa says as she notices my reaction.
I lean over and scratch Louis behind the ears. He looks neither pleased nor offended by my sudden petting. He is strangely disinterested. "What are you talking about? I'm just glad you two are getting along. Louis is such a sweetie, isn't that right? Huh? Isn't that right?" I coo as if I'm talking to a baby. Lisa tries to shift under Louis ' weight and finally gives up.
"What do you feed this thing?" she groans.
"Spaghetti noodles and milk, apparently," I supply.
"You might want to cut back on the carbs."
"I'll pass along the message."
