Doctor Kim

Chapter 17

The sun was glaring, and my palms were sweaty as I thumbed out the message on my phone.

Hanni: Are you on your way?

The sidewalk outside the Bridgestone Arena was full of people streaming up the concrete steps into the main entrance. The crowd was jovial, and the fans were a wide range of ages. Occasionally, some guy would give me a second glance, as if wondering about the girl waiting in the shadow of the tall, silver building while constantly checking her phone.

My feet hurt, and I shifted uncomfortably on the heels I'd let Danielle talk me into wearing.

When I'd climbed into the Uber and headed for the concert, I'd felt awesome. My skinny black pants fit perfectly, and no tan lines were showing in my blue sleeveless top. My hair was cooperating too, letting me curl my brown locks into soft waves with volume, instead of the flat, stick-straight way I normally wore it. I'd watched YouTube tutorials on 'date night makeup' and followed painstakingly along, so I was confident my makeup didn't look like it'd been applied by a drunken clown.

But the Uber had dropped me off at the Nissan gate outside the arena more than thirty minutes ago, and I wasn't feeling awesome now. Minji and I were supposed to meet here at six thirty, and the opening act of the concert had started at seven. I'd hung out in a state of annoyance for the last ten minutes, but as the clock continued to tick along, my irritation turned.

I looked back at the texts I'd sent her over the last thirty-five minutes.

Hanni: I'm here!

Hanni: Nissan gate. Standing next to the Jack Daniel's sign.

Hanni: We said 6:30, right?

Something was wrong. Why wasn't she responding? She wasn't on-call with the hospital, so that couldn't be the problem.

A sensation of cold shivered through me, despite the July heat and humidity. Had she forgotten, or had she changed her mind? I abruptly felt like a fool, standing on the sidewalk in the most sexed-up outfit I owned, waiting for a woman who clearly wasn't going to show.

How much longer should I wait, and . . . did I really want to go into the concert by myself, now that my evening had been ruined? I stared up at the series of doors, debating what to do. Danielle would say "fuck her," go inside, and have the time of her life. I wasn't angry at her, but mad at the situation. If she'd gone with me, I'd never have invited Minji and—

My phone vibrated.

Minji: I'm so, so sorry. Was on a post-op phone call that would NOT end. Ordering my Uber now.

She was still at home? It was all the way on the other side of town. I squeezed the phone so tightly in my hand, I worried I'd break it. If I was being reasonable, I knew it wasn't her fault, but it was hard to be reasonable when I was hot, had aching feet and a stomach that had been churning with anger for the last twenty minutes.

Minji: Where are you? Still waiting outside?

I stabbed the screen with my fingers.

Hanni: Yup.

Minji: Go on in, don't wait for me. I'll be there in 15.

Hanni: I have your ticket.

The dots blinked across the screen, then vanished, and finally . . .

Minji: Shit. You want to meet at the lounge by the entrance? You won't have to wait outside.

I glared up at the large windows opposite me, and my irritation burned hotter as I watched the people inside the air-conditioned building, laughing and sipping on drinks. I didn't want to have to remind her, but she'd obviously forgotten.