Lifetime

Road Trip

The weeks following Mr. Kim's invitation to accompany him for research, or better yet, to join him on a road trip so that we could learn more about my family legacy, didn't feel like much of a break from school. He was constantly sending emails about our itinerary, having me fill out paperwork for the university's records, and updating me on the intensive research he'd been doing since I told him about the soulmate prophecy. I complained that his long-winded insights and theories were exhausting while Faye insisted that I was already past halfway to being in love with him, her evidence being my checking for any communication at the first opening of my eyes each morning.

He planned the trip almost down to the second, mapping out art galleries and historical sites we would stop at along the way until our final destination to San Antonio, where we'd connect with Valentina Leyva, who was like the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Elvira and ran a small apothecary in the city.

During my dad's visit over the actual holiday we enjoyed sightseeing, his admiration for the intense decor and lighting evident in the pictures he took of me standing next to a giant bulbed reindeer and under sparkling snowflakes. We went ice skating for the first time and when my ankles couldn't handle any more strain, found the perfect seats for people-watching while drinking cocoa.

He spent the trip spoiling me with every item that I indicated even a remote interest in and on Christmas morning he left me with the best gift of all, a small journal of my mom's found tucked under their mattress. It was filled with descriptions of her feelings for him, an attachment depicted in the pages that felt like an unstoppable gravitational pull.

Three days after my dad's departure I woke early, getting comfortable in a pair of sweatpants and shirt for the start of my road trip with Mr. Kim. He met me outside, grabbing my suitcase from me to place in the trunk of his SUV.

"You'll have to let me know if you get car sick. I just got my license this year." He confessed as I buckled my seatbelt, taking note of the two cups of coffee nestled in the holders.

I chuckled, narrowing my eyes at him in wonder. "Aren't you like twenty-five or something?" I asked.

He covered his face with a hand, letting out an embarrassed laugh. "I'm only twenty-two." He could see my questioning in the way I studied him as he pulled out onto the street. "I started university at sixteen and got my master's degree when I was twenty. I've always rode the train or my bike until my fiancé finally convinced me to get my license."

We hadn't been on the road for twenty minutes before he brought her up. I took a sip of my drink, glancing out the window as he merged onto the highway. I listened to him sigh, small talk feeling purposeless when we had more than a seventeen hour drive ahead.

"When you're tired of driving I'll switch with you." I let him know, realizing that the trip would feel extra long with the tension and that distinctive rhythm between us.

I wasn't sure when I fell asleep but when I woke we were stopped in Tuscola. Namjoon wasn't in the car and I rubbed my eyes, peeking out the window to see him pumping gas. I took a minute to get out and stretch my legs, Mr. Kim handing me a bag of snacks as he rejoined me in the car.

"I got chocolate, gummy candy, and chips." He commented while I dug into the bag, pulling out a Take 5 candy bar and splitting it in half. I offered him the still wrapped piece, giggling as he bit into it, a few crumbs of chocolate and pretzel falling onto his shirt.

"Can I ask you something about the prophecy?" He asked between crunching.

I took a drink to wash down the thick mixture of chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter, leaning more onto my side so that I faced him in my seat. "Sure."

"Is it always romantic, with you and your soulmates?" He glanced away from the road momentarily, watching my expression.

I considered my response before speaking. "So far, but with the first we were best friends for most of our lives. When I look back at it now I know that there was always a feeling between us but we were kids. And then there's you."

He sucked in his lips in thought, the divet in his cheek sinking in. "And it's not romantic with me?" His question took me off guard.

"You have a fiance." I recalled, shooting him a look of disapproval for his line of inquiry.

"That's complicated." He countered, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

I reached into my purse, tugging out a magazine I picked up from our mail pile on the way out, spreading the pages open with a little too much force. "A complicated engagement is still an engagement." I replied, part of me wanting to know what he meant but afraid that if I did it'd lure me to giving into the temptation of him.

My response left us in a silence that stretched for nearly an hour. I read through an article on recent celebrity pregnancy announcements and the latest Kardashian family updates, counting down every mile by the markers on the side of the road.

Tired of the quiet, Namjoon reached to turn on the radio, "Take Me to Church," blasting through the speakers. He only made it to the second verse before he was singing along, somehow with much more emphasis than Hozier and the inability to hit the correct note. I laughed at him, peering up from reading the horoscope section of my magazine.

"If we're going to ride to Texas and back together, you should just go ahead and join in." He teased, feeling my gaze on him. I blushed, unable to resist when "Uptown Funk" started to play, singing with him and enjoying the playful side I was getting to know.

We'd torn through every snack, in the middle of a small town with little variety to offer for dinner, Namjoon pulling over to a small bar and grill when my stomach growled for the third time.

"We've got a couple more hours until Memphis and then we'll stop to sleep for the night. I really want you to see this piece at the Brooks Museum of Art that I think you'll like." He said as we took our seats in the restaurant, picking up the menu to look over.

He spiked my curiosity and I leaned forward in question. "What's the name of it?"

"You'll see when we get there." He kept his eyes cast down, a small smile on his lips when I huffed at his response.

There'd been another question on my mind for hours, the need to know seething inside of me despite the risk that it'd draw me closer to wanting him. That was happening regardless. "Tell me why your engagement is complicated." I requested, my inquiry interrupted by the return of our waitress, a notepad and pen pressed into her palm as she awaited our order.