Juniper

Min Jun was amazing at taking care of me, yet again. For some reason, I keep having scenarios that make me the damsel in distress with him coming to rescue me. Not that I’m complaining, it's just ironic I thought. He dropped me off at my place so I could get ready for work. I quickly dressed in a pair of slacks, and a nice tank top. I added a striped pullover sweater and I was ready to go. Thank goodness I had eaten at Min Jun’s place, otherwise I would be so hungry. I was still feeling the effects from last night, but I was determined not to miss a day of work after a day of drinking with coworkers. I wasn’t going to be that person or the typical American to call out of work after a hard night out. By the time I made it to work, I still had about 20 minutes to spare. I figured that arriving on time would look great, especially after the late night out with the group. I walked in the office and everyone was dragging. I was glad I wasn’t the only one who felt like shit, but at least I wasn’t the one who didn’t show up for work.

Se-ra was at her desk squinting at her computer. Mike and Elaine were in their offices with the doors closed. I figured they were busy ironing out the details of the contract we landed. Sun Hee and Kong Dae were at their desks doing the best they could considering I left the bar way before they did. I sat down at my desk and it felt as if I had been up for hours. The breakfast Min Jun made for me was delicious and I was feeling the effects. All of us practically worked in silence the entire day, everyone completing their own personal projects. The time flew by and before I knew it, it was time to go home. Se-ra caught me at the door as I was leaving and asked if I would go out with her and Sun Hee to dinner.

“I’m sorry, last night really did me in. I’m tired and I want to go home and get some rest.” I stated.

“I understand. Get some rest. It’s the weekend. I’ll call you tomorrow.” She said. I waved and I was gone. I walked to the train station and waited for the train to arrive.

I checked my phone and there were a few text messages from a few friends back home. I replied and wondered if I would hear from Min Jun. I didn’t expect to, but I would have loved to hear from him. I smiled just thinking about him. I remembered seeing him last night at the bar, sitting across the room. He was staring at me; lord only knows how long. By the time I realized it, he had been watching me for a while. I remember dancing with Se-ra and being in the moment. I had finally let loose, and let my hair down. The train finally came into the station and I found a seat nearest to the window. As I settled down, I replied to my friends back home. The train ride home was fairly quick. I walked up the stairs from the train station and was met with a nice, cool breeze. Thank goodness it was just a short walk to my building. I walked into the building and ran into Jina Kim at the elevator.

“Hi Juniper!” She said excitedly. She’s always happy when I see her.

“Hi Jina, how are you today?”

“I’m good, thank you. How are you?”

“I’m tired but I’m good. I had a long day today. I had a late night last night and had to go to work this morning.”

“Oh, yes you need to rest. Did you have fun last night? I noticed you didn’t come home last night.” She asked. How did she know I didn’t come home last night? I thought.

“Yeah, I had a great time. I went out with my coworkers last night and we went to a few bars.”

“Oh yeah, that is something you will get used to. It is customary to go out with coworkers after work.” She said. Finally the elevator came and we walked in. Jina pushed our floor and the doors closed. I leaned on the back wall of the elevator and closed my eyes as we traveled to the 11th floor.

The doors opened and we both walked down the hallway to our apartments. Jina was laughing and texting with someone. She stopped at her door and continued texting. I went to my door and punched in my keycode.

“Good night Jina.” I said as I opened my door

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“Good night Juniper. Sleep well.” I went in and closed my door. I turned the light on and took off my shoes. I dropped my keys on the stand nearest the door and hung my coat on the coat rack.

As I walked further into the apartment, I turned on the lights and went about my routine. I dropped my bag on the couch and grabbed the tv remote and turned on the tv. I needed noise in the apartment as I went to my bedroom. It was the weekend, so I was ready to relax. I hadn’t picked up anything for dinner, so I decided to order take out. I quickly took my shower and dressed in my cozy pajamas for the night. I was ready to order food and have a lazy night.

Finally my order arrived; I ordered tteokbokki and spicy yangnyeom chicken. I placed my meal on the living room table and I sat on the floor in front of the tv. I was ready to enjoy my meal. I had my phone face down on the table and I watched one of my favorite movies, ‘While You Were Sleeping’ on Netflix. As I watched the movie, I thought about Min Jun and wondered what he was doing. I hadn’t heard from him all day. I felt a little lonely because I had been with him for the past two days. I had to get it together and realize two things; 1. He was not my boyfriend and 2. He had a life before he met me. Just before I chowed down, I needed something to wash my food down so I got a few beers from the fridge. Honestly I didn’t need them as I had enough to drink last night, but nothing tastes better together than chicken and beer.

Watching the movie made me miss my hometown of Chicago. I missed the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the rush hour traffic and the rattle of the “L” trains. As I sat watching the movie, I started reminiscing about last night. I thought about the moment when Min Jun had pulled me away from the others to the front of the bar. He touched my hand and we talked softly. I remembered his face, he was so fucking handsome looking lovingly at me. I may have been intoxicated, but I was totally uninhibited. The more I thought about that night, the more I realized how open and honest I was. Ah, shit! I told this man that he was cute and that I was a sucker for dimples. I remembered. I covered my mouth. The more I thought, the more I continued to remember. Oh Shit! I told this man I wouldn’t break his heart! Fuck! I had said way too much. I closed my eyes hard and shook my head.

I hope the reason he didn’t contact me wasn’t because of me being so open. I had an amazing time with him, so much I didn’t want it to end. I can still see his face right in front of me. I was so honest; I hope I didn’t scare him away. I didn’t want to mess this up. I had just found someone who I felt like I could be open and honest with. He wasn’t like Caleb at all. I could understand what he wanted and he didn’t seem like the type of guy who would be dishonest. Even though I’ve only known him for just a few days, it seemed as if we had known each other for a lifetime. Min Jun just made me feel so comfortable around him that I totally let my guard down, too far down to be honest.

It took me a while to be this comfortable around Caleb and I don’t think I was this comfortable around him as I am around Min Jun. I think the fact that Min Jun saw me at one of my most vulnerable moments and he decided to take care of me instead of taking advantage of me, is what did it for me. I felt myself smiling just thinking about our first date at dinner. The way he looked at me made my heart flutter. It made me blush as I sat on the floor, thinking about the moment we had in the car. I know I felt something. It seemed like magic, that moment in time we had a spark for each other. We Zinged! I have never felt this way for anyone, especially so quick; so so quick that it seems crazy. I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the couch and just stayed in the moment. I didn’t feel alone anymore, he made me feel wanted. I thought we were going to kiss when we were in the car. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, just to feel the warmth from his lips to mine. I fantasized the taste of his sweet lips moving over mine. Then I suddenly remembered the pictures we took at the park; I grabbed my phone and pulled them up.

There we were; we looked like an amazing couple. I remembered how he smelled, his cologne smelled so good, I could have eaten him alive. My heart flipped as I zoomed in on his face. He looked really happy, as if he was proud to be with me. I zoomed back out and just scanned the pictures. I got to the picture that made me realize that I had feelings for him and I wanted to acknowledge them. It was a picture of us facing each other and in each other’s arms. I was holding up the ‘finger heart’ in the picture. Just his presence made me forget about Caleb. He made me feel that I was worthy of having someone love me. He made me feel that I was capable of having someone reciprocate my love for them. When we met, I was having a very hard time; I was second guessing my decisions but I didn’t have the answers to prove that I was right in doing what I was doing. Min Jun made me realize that my heartbreak was temporary. Even if this doesn’t work out, he made me feel alive.

Shit, I hoped it’ll work out, not that I wouldn’t be devastated if it didn’t, but I would fault myself. I would be a bit hurt because I feel that I allowed my heart to melt the ice that had grown around it. He melted that ice and warmed me up inside. I inhaled him so hard that he brought life back into my soul. After dealing with Caleb, I felt my soul growing cold to the point that I didn’t care if I was destined to be alone. Min Jun showed me that it didn’t have to be that way. I thought I was at the point of no return but our conversation at the coffee shop made me realize that I had to suck it up and keep it moving. Looking back at our pictures, I was sure I didn’t want this to be a rebound. Rebounds don’t get me anywhere and they don’t last. I was determined to make sure this lasted. I wanted us to have a future, I just needed to play my cards just right; only thing, I didn’t want to show my full hand yet, because even though Min Jun seems perfect, he may just have a spade in his pocket. I needed to be cautious because if I show my hand too soon, he may just have something to trump mine.