Nobody Like You

Nice To Meet You

Lia

It's the New Year and a new semester. The apartment feels different somehow. I feel different. And as Yeju walks through the door, she looks different too.

Despite the chill January weather, she is wearing her signature outfit—loose sweatpants and a tank top that exposes all of her tattoos. Her hair is now short and blonde, perfectly complementing the vibrant flowers along her arms. The circles under her eyes are darker too, but she is still as pretty as ever. As pretty as I remember.

She walks toward me, one hand holding her bag, the other in her pocket.

"Hey," she says. Her quiet voice sends a small shudder through me.

"H- Hey." I take a few steps forward.

We both stop when we are in front of each other.

I take her in. Her baggy clothes, her shaggy hair. Her searching eyes, her parted lips. Her smell—it reminds me of the mornings after we slept together.

My heartache returns with a crash. I let out a shaky breath.

Damn, I missed Yeju. I really missed her.

"Welcome back," I say.

"Thanks. You too. When did you get back?"

"Yesterday."

The winter break back home was better than I can ever ask for. Being on good terms with my brother again made life in the house so much better. For the first time, I have someone I trust in the place I have always felt so isolated in. I have an ally now.

I wanted Yeju to be the ally, but Ro is the ally I needed.

"So I know I just got back,"—Yeju takes her car keys out of her pocket and jingles them—"but do you wanna go on a drive with me? I've been missing the warm L.A. weather."

I chuckle. And here I am thinking it is cold out. This weather is nothing compared to New Jersey. "Sure. Let me grab a jacket first."

***

The drive is quiet. It has been a while since we've talked—our interactions for the past few weeks have only been random bursts of text messages—so there's an awkward barrier between us now.

I decide to break the silence. "So, how have you been?"

"Exhausted. I barely slept. But I finished my thesis, submitted it, and made my slides." She drums her fingers along the steering wheel. "Now, I just need to practice the presentation for next week."

"Are you ready?"

"I will be. I prepared five years for this." She glances at me. "What about you? How have you been?"

"I've been good. After you left, I, uh, worked something out with Professor Song. I'm helping her with grant writing now." A smile tugs at my lips. Ever since Professor Song gave me this new role, I have been enjoying it a lot. I could work on my favorite parts of research—reading and writing about cool science—and I can do my job whenever and wherever I want. The flexibility gives me more time to hang out with RJ, Yuna, and some of my classmates.

And most importantly, I can stay away from the lab and avoid seeing Yeju's empty desk.

"Wow, Lia, that's so awesome," Yeju says. "I never knew that was an option."

"Me neither."

The glistening ocean appears on the horizon. Oh, Yeju is taking me to a beach.

I recall the photo Yuna showed me, the one where she and Yeju were hugging and smiling. Was it here? Is Yeju taking me to the same place she took her ex-girlfriend?