The Reason we Broke Up

09.

"You finally invited me here."
Mina entered Lisa's home, her hands full of plastic bags. She knew that Lisa had moved here a few weeks ago, but because she had been so busy, they had held off on her visit. And now, it was the end of the year, and Mina was seeing the place for the first time.

"Sorry for coming so late."
Mina apologized, and Lisa shook her head.

"Not at all. Thanks for coming. Why did you buy so much stuff?"
"You usually need a lot of things when you're freshly moved in. I was only planning on buying a few things here and there, but it ended up being all this in the end. Wow, your place is pretty."
Mina's eyes sparkled as she looked around. Lisa's office apartment had a good view and was clean.

Lisa was tidy by nature, and the floor seemed to reflect that. There was no speck of dust in sight. She was also the type of person who had to keep busy if she was going through something difficult, so that may have been the reason as well.

"Shall we order some food for delivery?"
Mina asked Lisa.

"No. You like pasta. I've already prepared everything. I'll make some for you."

"Wow, you're going to make it for me? It's too much of a bother. There's no need to go that far."

"It's okay."

"Well, better for me, I guess."
Mina dramatically gestured with her body to express her joy. Lisa grinned as she watched Mina. Mina was very busy at the end of the year. Unlike Lisa, she had many friends, and she always made sure to take care of her family, so she had many people to meet.
Despite all this, Mina still used Lisa's new apartment as a reason to meet up with her. This was because she was still worried about Lisa and how she was feeling after her break-up.
Lisa recognized Mina's intentions, but she pretended not to. Instead, she cooked Mina her favorite food.

Al dente noodles, cheese, tomato spaghetti. White wine. Kimchi risotto. Lisa even made a simple salad. The table was filled with food.

"Wow. There's so much food. I'm sure you're busy, but you still took the time to make all this. Thanks!"

Mina, who loved Lisa's cooking, shouted out in glee.
"I hope you like it."

They sat across from each other and picked up their forks. As they ate their meal, Mina continued to make a fuss. After eating their fill, they emptied a bottle of white wine. Lisa pulled out the two beers she had prepared beforehand and handed one to Mina.

They talked about various things, and the two cans of beer were consumed in no time.
"Your tolerance for liquor has gone up."
Mina stared at the empty beer can next to Lisa.

"A little bit."

"You must be drinking quite often these days."

"A little."
Lisa smiled bashfully. One of her eyes winced.

"Have things gotten a bit better lately?"
Having finished her own can, Mina asked in a slightly shaky voice. Lisa picked up her beer and slowly nodded her head.

"Yeah. A lot of time has passed, so... And I've been busy with work. As I continued on, I felt that everything was becoming okay."
Lisa smiled.

Sometimes, she'd step on a shard of glass she hadn't picked up, and she'd be filled with pain. The amount of times she'd catch herself staring blankly out the window had also increased. On days like that, she'd naturally reach for some liquor. However, Lisa didn't say any of this.
"Thank goodness."

"Yeah."
Lisa slowly nodded.

"Thank goodness. You don't seem like you're suffering as much as I expected. Of course, you might not feel the same way on the inside."
"I'm really okay. Don't worry about me."