Keys to Happiness

16. Key

The next morning, I woke up still feeling groggy from the night before to find Aliah resting comfortably in my arms. Usually I was a wild sleeper, but I guess I had unconsciously wanted to keep her close to me. I was still pretty tired and the satin pillow cases on Aliah's bed were soft and welcoming. Unfortunately, her bed was stiffer than my own and the discomfort was starting to get to me.

Since I couldn't get back to sleep, I decided to get up and make a special breakfast for Aliah in return for the dinner she had made me last night. Pulling myself away from her though, was much harder than I had expected. She was lying in a fetal position in my arms, her hands resting above my own. The morning light had filled up the tiny room and lit her face with an angelic glow.

I was enchanted by the rich color of her skin, smooth as milk chocolate. Her face was completely relaxed, and a small smile teased the corner of her full lips. Her hair was even still in place and the curls that had fascinated me since I'd met her begged to touched. I reached out and lightly pulled one, watching it spring back into place.

I made a point to remember to ask her to wear it all out for me soon; I wanted to play with it at my leisure. She was tempting me to stay in bed longer, but I imagined the look on Aliah's face once she'd see breakfast and decided getting up would be well worth it. I slid carefully out from underneath her and rested her back against the pillows.

Walking around Aliah's apartment made me wonder again just how well she had done in America. A place like this in such a nice area in Seoul would've cost 50,000 dollars in key money as well as a monthly rent. I was more than impressed with her minimalist decorative style as well, but what I liked the most were the homey touches she had added. Pictures of her mother and sister were everywhere and small trinkets that would have looked junky in other people's homes had a specific place and feel to them that said, "Aliah put me here with a purpose." I didn't seem to have the same knack; my own place was filled with souvenirs from all of the places we had been to and were currently thrown haphazardly around wherever I could find space.

Compared to my own kitchen, hers was tiny, but it had all the necessary cookware and appliances. The one thing it was lacking was any food that I could cook for breakfast. As I scoured the cabinets for anything other than the makings of dinner, I remembered that during one of our phone conversations, Aliah had told me she almost never ate breakfast. This will be difficult, KiBum. Better get going. My clothes were back in the bedroom and I realized I'd have to leave in the sweat pants and too tight t-shirt or risk waking Aliah up. I sighed in resignation and walked out of the door, heading for the first convenience store I could find. I hoped Aliah would like a Korean breakfast; I didn't have the guts to walk to a Starbucks looking like this.

"And just what are you doing in my kitchen, sweetie?" A voice said from behind me quietly, causing me to jump about a foot in the air. I had a large knife in my hand and thanked God I hadn't sent it flying as well.

"Aliah, you scared me! And quit staring at me like I have two heads... I'm very capable of cooking food without burning down the house." I looked around behind me and Aliah was standing there, still in her cami and shorts from last nights. My insides stirred again looking at her, but I forcefully brought my thoughts back to the vegetables I was chopping, moving my reluctant eyes away.

"It's not that, it's just weird seeing you in a flower-patterned apron. It seems like it would offend your sense of style." Her words sounded sincere but when I looked up from the cutting board, her smile was wavering into full-on amusement.

"You can stop laughing; it was the only one they had in the store," I grumbled. The apron in question was a bright orange and frilly thing, with large pink flowers all over it. It had been a necessary evil and I didn't appreciate being laughed at; and besides I was totally pulling it off, even if it was ridiculous. I turned back to the rice that I was cooking to just the right stickiness for bibimbap on the stove.