The Kissing Booth: Adult Edition

A Stressful Phone Call

I stumbled through the door with my arms full of groceries. It looked like a lot, but everything was fairly cheap what I got. My backpack was dropped onto the ground and I placed the grocery bag down on the couch. "Hello?! Lee?! I'm home!" I hollered after hearing nothing for a second. To my surprise, this was met with yelling- loud yelling- but not at me.

"I don't care if you booked the tickets a year ago, asshat! You can't just show up unannounced like that!" Lee's voice roared out from his room upstairs. Curious, I came to the staircase at the bottom, glancing upward. "Lee?" I called out, to no avail. He just kept screaming into his phone.

"Yes, I know you told me back at Christmas you were coming to Seoul, but I didn't think you'd barge on in while I was here too! Why do you have to come now, of all times?! Can't you just let me have this one thing?" I tiptoed up the stairs, careful not to disturb Lee now. Standing outside his bedroom, I could hear everything he said loud and clear. His voice lowered a bit this time. "Look, this isn't going to be some kind of reunion thing. I got my own life going on here, and you're not going to ruin that." Who's he talking to? Whoever it is, they're making Lee pretty upset.

"Why can't you understand the words coming out of my mouth?! I don't want you to come to Seoul! I don't care if Mom and Dad booked my plane ticket when you had yours scheduled! I completely forgot about that when I agreed to the dates!" A brief paused ensued. "It's not that I don't want to see you; it's just that I think we should meet up back in America. South Korea is not the place to reconcile! And besides, I'm still mad at you! Seriously, what's your problem, Noah?" Noah! My heart skipped a beat as my eyes grew wide. Noah..... He's talking to Noah.... Who is coming to Seoul?! What?!

"If you want to come to Seoul, fine- whatever. But why does it have to be when I'm in the country?! You're not coming here to see me, are you? No, I didn't think so!" Another short pause. "Then why are you coming now? You had seven years to go aboard! Why now of all times...." Lee let out a scandalized gasp. "Wait... You're not coming cause of Elle, are you?! Dude, she doesn't want to see you! You coming here is the last thing she'd want!" Noah.... My hand rose up to my still-pounding chest. Well, Lee's not exactly wrong.... I had no burning desire to see Noah, and Marco had just re-entered my life..... Lee gave a loud huff.

"Oh, don't give me that! Of course I would think that! Elle and I are in South Korea and you suddenly decide to visit here? What am I supposed to think, dick?!" Another pause. "Yes, I know you booked the flight a year ago! Kinda convenient that was around the same time Elle announced moving for her year aboard, isn't it?" Oh my god, he's right! I felt like I was going to be sick. Noah and I hadn't talked in nearly seven years..... I hadn't seen him since he dumped me when I went to mend things at Harvard in my first year of undergrad. I didn't know he knew I was in Korea, but then I guess Lee or his parents could have told him. Still.... I bit my bottom lip with the upmost unease. In that second, all I could think about was the bandage on my thumb....

Lee huffed again, sounded very tired and done with everything. "You listen to me, Noah. Elle wants nothing to do with you- that part of her life is ancient history. She won't see you while you're here. We can hang out- for a little while- but you can forget about seeing her." Lee, my eyes lowered a tad. He's making the call for me, which I guess he's not wrong in.... but.... Do I want to actually avoid Noah like the plague like this? Do I want to see him again? Oh, who am I kidding?! This is the man who tore your heart out and stomped it into the dirt. Of course I don't want to see him! I don't want to see him.....

"Alright, fine! I'll meet you at the airport, but you better find a place to stay on the other side of town. I'm staying with Elle here, and no, I won't give you the address." Yet another pause. "I know you didn't ask for it! I hope your flight gets cancelled, jackass!" Click! I winced at the sound of Lee tossing his phone across the room. His door swung open and he was alarmed to find me standing there, very shocked myself. His eyes grew in horrific realization.

"Elle!" "Lee....." My eyes wandered over to his dumbfounded face. "When did you....? What did you here?" "Enough... So Noah's coming to Seoul?" Lee looked at me for a long time; then he shut his eyes and sighed gravely. "Looks that way. He booked the flight before my parents bought my ticket for a graduation gift. I have a sneaking suspicion they did this on purpose," his hand rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. I nodded and glanced downwards slightly. Lee saw this and panicked. Both his hands flew up in front of him trying to be reassuring.

"B-But don't worry, Elle! You don't have to see him! I already told Noah not to expect you to visit him or anything. He doesn't know where you live anyway, and I doubt he'll go to the university campus. You won't bump into each other; it's such a big city. Please don't worry about it, Elle." I nibbled my lower lip again nervously. "Did he say why he's coming to Seoul?" "Eh, for a vacation. He's always wanted to travel to Asia, and he has some time off work now. Man, talk about sucky timing....." "Yeah...." My eyes lowered.

Lee watched me for another moment before forcing a smile. I flinched at the sensation of his hand reaching over to rest on my shoulder. My head tilted up and his eyes met mine. "Please don't worry, Elle. Noah knows you two are history. He knows that he's the idiot who broke up with you, and that you're over him now. He's assured me that he's not coming here to see you." "Really?" This perked me up a little. Lee nodded with definiteness. "Really." "Does he know that Marco's here?"

The colour drained from Lee's face a little, but he kept his eyes locked onto mine. "Um... no. But he won't care about that! Why should that make any difference? Marco's here for school; Noah's just coming for a vacation. And besides..." "Besides what?" I prompted when Lee failed to finish his sentence. I felt his hand give my shoulder a squeeze. "No, it's a good thing. You'll be too busy to spend any time with him, anyway, now that you and Marco are friends." Lee! I understood entirely where he was going with this, and while I didn't think it wise I date anyone right now, a part of me was starting to..... My hand reached up to cover Lee's; I rubbed the back of his hand with my bandaged thumb. "Lee, I'm really happy Marco's here. I don't want... It's Marco- it's Marco who I want to see more of now, if that doesn't make me sound too dumb." And Lee's eyes softened onto mine. "No, it makes perfect sense. And who knows?

Marco may be the answer to a question you had long since forgotten asking."