Coffee and Secrets

Stranger

“This is ridiculous.” I managed to mutter as soon as they had placed another round of drinks at the center of the table. “You all are going to be so wasted and I am not going to drag your sorry asses home by myself” I deadpanned as soon as I saw the current state of my companions. Key was barely even able to grab his bottle off the table while Leila had managed to stand on the seat, swaying her hips and whooping like crazy. Shun and Jeremy were now as red as a tomato while laughing like two crazy kids. Max was just quietly sitting beside me though it was obvious that even he had reached his limit. I, on the other hand, have a high tolerance for alcohol something which I may have inherited from my stupid of a father.

I winced at the thought.

So downing my sixth bottle of the night, I sighed yet again. “You guys are ridiculous”

“Hey!” Max hiccupped “Words.” He held a finger up to reprimand me. I rolled my eyes just as he pouted, sitting up straight and pointed at me accusingly “Guys! She is not even drunk!”

I heard Key groan “This girl is inhumane! Leila! What’s plan B?”

What plan B? I thought as I looked at the girl trying to charm a man who was as drunk as her. The tall guy was goofily laughing at every statement her friend made.  She seemed to have found her match and unaware of the little fuss the two had made.

As much as I hated to admit it, the alcohol had started to crawl up in my system and it was making me groggier by the second. “Look, guys, I honestly don’t know what you guys want me to be doing or what it is that you plan but don’t you think we should be going home?  Look! Jeremy’s already as red as a tomato. The kid needs his rest”

At that, Jeremy directed a pout at me “Hey, I am no kid. I’m a man” and I swear, it screams adorable rather than manly.  Shun was just quietly snickering beside him and poking his cheek repeating the words “You’re a kid” to which made the former pout even more.

“Okay! That’s it. We’re leaving. I’m hailing a cab” I decided and took my phone out to book one. After the driver had messaged me signaling that our ride had arrived, I called out to my companions and ushered them out. Leila, however, decided to stay behind with the male she had acquainted with.  Frowning, I asked her if she was sure and she shoved me towards the direction of the exit while grumbling a ‘I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.’ Reluctantly, I walked towards the cab with the other four and hollered a ‘Text me when you get home’ at her.

Managing to push all of the grown men in- with difficulty, of course- I directed the cab towards Max’s house. Remembering the address since we usually hang out his place since it was relatively larger (and neater) than any of ours. After a few minutes of turning corners and streets, we arrived at the front door of Max’s apartment complex. My headache was becoming unbearable as I paid the driver and with much force, helped the males out of the car. They were all too drunk to even comprehend and take notice of the surroundings. Key’s eyes were closed as I tugged him to walk, Max was chirping a ‘Hey, it’s my house! What a nice house’ while Jeremy and Shun kept giggling to themselves.

Heaving a sigh, I waved at the security guard who gave me a sympathetic smile and pushing the button of the elevator for me. Arriving at Max’s pad (and managing to have Max key in his passcode), the lemon scent instantly greeted us. I know I have been to this place a couple of times but its interior never fails to amaze me. Max went for the modern side for his appliance hinting a little bit of renaissance with his decorations; his living room and kitchen was separated by a long marbled island counter which would have made the area looked cramped if not for the huge living space he actually had. He also had three rooms. One room was his while the other two were reserved for when his brothers and parents would visit; oftentimes, it was used by his friends whenever the event rises.

Well, now would be a perfect time to mess those rooms up.

Not in that kind of way, no.

Leading Max towards his room, I ushered the other three towards the other rooms. Pushing Jeremy and Shun in one and almost instantaneously, both of them had snuggled on the bed (which looked adorable, by the way). I decided to put Key in a room alone as he had mentioned back then that he wouldn’t want to share a bed with anyone else since he had a thing for personal space when he was sleeping; he hinted that he thought he was just traumatized by his brother’s shenanigans when they shared a room when they were younger and I honestly didn’t want to know any more details about it.

Just as I was about to turn the knob to the other room, it turned out that it was locked. I tried it a couple of times and it didn’t budge.

Maybe Max’s brother is here. I thought but Max had mentioned a day prior that his brother was in New York for work stuff. He also had mentioned that his parents were having the time of their lives at Maldives. Deciding not to dwell on it further, she opted to coop Key with Max (this will obviously end up with Key wanting to strangle me or anyone near for that matter), who was now curled up on the bed. I wondered for a brief moment if I should change their clothes but deciding against it as it was too scandalous for my liking.  Instead, I opted to make hangover soup that they could heat up when they awake tomorrow.

Thankfully, Max had enough resources for the soup I had in mind. As I fussed around the area, I took the time to take in the neatness of his apartment. Max’s kitchen equipment is too organized that if I hadn’t known who the owner of the house was, I’d have mistaken the place to be a woman’s territory. I had known that he was very keen on cleanliness judging by how he looks after himself at the workplace but being in his house and witnessing the interior, he was impossibly neat with his stuff that put me, a woman, to shame. There was a rare time when Max had hung out at my place together with the others and he ended up tidying my living space and even throwing my garbage for me. It was at that moment I concluded to never allow Max at my place without it being void of dust and clutter.

I was apparently too engrossed with the task at hand and with my thoughts that when air hit the back of my neck as if someone was breathing behind me, I had flung the knife that I was holding in panic. Apparently, there is indeed a person behind me. Said person squeaked and backed away to the farther part of the kitchen, eyes widening. “What the f**k is wrong with you? Are you planning on murdering a person?”

Too stunned to speak, I blinked at him and lowered my arm which held the knife. “I-..” Stopping short on my words, I swiftly turned back around when I noticed the water I had heated was boiling. Quickly placing the chopped vegetables from earlier, I closed the lid on it and lowered the heat.

I slowly turned back around and noticed that the man had now visibly relaxed (a little, I could still see him fidgeting) from the earlier events and had one hand inside the pocket of his sweatpants. He was handsome despite his hair messy and downturned eyes that seemed lack of sleep. His lips were glistening, he must have licked it wet. I shook my head to take the thoughts away and prevent myself from ogling further.

“I’m sorry. Y-you kind of surprised me” I managed to squeak out. There was an air of awkward silence after that before he sighed. “I’m sorry too… I didn’t mean to sneak out on you like that. It’s just that … I was wondering why a woman was here in Max’s apartment. I never really knew that he had managed to get a girlfriend”

“Oh- Oh no.. I’m- I’m not his girlfriend. I work with him at the café and I’m his friend. He and a few of my friends went to a club to drink and well, they drank a bottle too many to manage their way home and I guess cramping them in Max’s pad was a better idea than having to leave them out in the streets to fend for themselves.” I reasoned.

The male let out an amused snort. “I see.”

I didn’t know what else I had to do or say so I rubbed my palms on my jeans and turned around to continue cooking. It was only until then that he spoke again. “What are you cooking?”

“Some hangover soup the boys could heat up when they wake up” I seasoned the dish and stirred it up before taking a taste test.

“It smells delicious. Can I have a taste?” I choked on the bit of hot soup that I had sipped, not that it scalded my tongue but because of the proximity the male had managed to close in a short amount of time. He fussed at the event and hastily gave me a glass of water which I had gratefully accepted. “Damn, you’re really jumpy”

“And you’re very stealthy.” With no sense of personal space, I grumbled internally

He shrugged “You must’ve not paid attention”

“I was too focused on saving my tongue from gaining a third degree burn to keep wary of you continually invading my personal space” My tone was calm but deep inside, I was too flustered for words. Speaking of words, that was a lot of them to say to a complete stranger

“That was not enough to gain you a third-degree burn” he started “Also, is that why you were about to commit murder because of my being near you? Are you afraid of men?”

“I’m afraid of strangers breathing on my neck”

I was almost sure that he would have taken offense basing on how the words spat out of my mouth but when I spared a glance at his face, he was sporting an amused grin. It was honestly blinding.

“Kenji. I’m Byun Kenji” He extended a hand out for me to shake. I hesitantly took it. His grip on my hand was firm and unyielding. “I’m… uh… Yumi. Oh Yumi”

“There. We’re not strangers anymore.” He said while still caging my hand with his. “So now I can breathe on your neck”

My jaw dropped and I blinked continuously at him. Did he realize that implications of that said statement?

A few moments later, he must’ve read my thoughts because his face flushed and he immediately waved both of his hands, trying to dismiss the fact that he may have recited an indirect innuendo.

“Oh.. I- no…. that was not what I meant.  I- uh… I just..  umm.. well..  I just meant  that we could be closer now and more at ease with each other”

I could feel my face heating up so I only nodded to his statement, turning back to the job at hand. The situation became even more awkward and the silence grew thick as I transferred the finished product of my dish to a huge bowl. I contemplated on what to say that would brighten the mood.

I was still aware of his presence behind me though I am sure that he had taken a couple of steps back just to make sure that he was a good distance away from me. So I glanced back at him and saw him looking at me expectantly.

 He really wasn’t so bad.

“I’m about to cook something for myself. Do you want me to cook you something as well?”

At that, he beamed- looking like a puppy who had just been granted a walk to the park. “I’ll have what you’re having”

I had managed to prepare bulgogi and sunny side up for us to share and though I had initially thought it would be quiet dining, Kenji managed to give me the impression that he wasn’t the type to shut up. He was talking about how much he missed home cooked food and complimenting my cooking, all while he chewed loudly on the said food. I basically had blocked out most of his blabber when my headache seems to have worsen. It was only until then that I had realized something important that I seemed to have overlooked.

“Wait…. Byun? Aren’t you Max’s brother?”

He shook his head after swallowing. “Oh no.. I’m his childhood friend. We grew up together”

I nodded in acknowledgement. However, realization hit me that I was way too comfortable in his presence and that placed a frown on my face which really didn’t go unnoticed by the male seating across the table.

“What’s wrong? Having doubts?” he piped in, as if reading my thoughts.

I shook my head, unable to formulate words. If what he said is right, how could he have entered Max’s place? It’s either he knew the passcode to the place or he broke in.

“I know the passcode.” He sufficed and I almost choked on my saliva. s**t! Did I say my thoughts out loud?

“Wh-what? Huh?” I tried to feign innocence and took a sip of water.

“Well, you looked like you were really thinking thoughtfully on the situation” he said as he popped another mouthful of the food, chewing on it before continuing. “I come often especially when I have spare time from all the hectic schedule. You could say this place is my safe place and he gladly opened his doors for me knowing what I have to handle on a daily basis”

Taking each and every statement he had uttered, I nodded. Trusting and not fully trusting him at the same time.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what do you work as?” My curiosity as to why he had to escape from his daily routine conquered the number of queries I had in mind.

He averted his gaze and looked down at his food, clearing his throat “Oh you know…  some desk job”

“Some… desk job….” I repeated “It’s a rather broad term”

“That gives you a lot to think about then.” He shrugged, the playfulness in his tone evident.

“It’ll hurt my head”

“I can buy you painkillers”

“That won’t work well with my kidneys or liver”

“A health freak, are you?”

“No. I’m just overly cautious of killing my own body slowly with what I intake.”

“A health freak.”

At his conclusion, I huffed. There was something about the term “freak” that kind of irked me. Maybe because it was a term my high school classmates used when they decided that I would be a fun thing to pass time with. Shrugging the thought off, I looked down at my half-finished plate. The food suddenly tasted bitter and I wondered if I had seasoned it right.

“You alright?” He asked and almost immediately, I nodded.

A brief pause before he cleared his throat and muttered “Did I say something wrong?”

There was something about his tone that made her look up at him and meet his eyes, he sported the puppy eyes effortlessly and it had somehow tugged her honesty right out of her system. It made her want to spill every single detail of her life to him – which didn’t happen every so often.

“Well…. Being called freak isn’t really something I’m fond of hearing”

An expression of guilt passed his handsome features and he immediately ducked his head for a deep bow which ended to him knocking his forehead on the edge of the table, letting a loud thud resound through the corners of the area. I sprang up in worry, almost knocking the food off the table and scurried to his side. He was clutching his forehead with both hands and hissing. I instantaneously pulled away his hands from his forehead and saw the redness and the bump that was slowly forming.

“Oh f**k. Wait” Hurrying towards the refrigerator, I grabbed the piece of raw meat that I could find before planting it firmly on his forehead. He had replaced my hand that was holding the meat and fussed over him asking if he was alright. Panic was still evident in my voice and I wondered what else I could do in this kind of situation.

“A-are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy?”

“Kind of” he whimpered, which was kind of cute. I remembered that the first thing you should assess when there are bumps to the head was the person’s orientation to the place, person, time and recent memory.

“Do you know where you are?” I asked immediately and while he was still wincing in pain, he looked at me dumbly and didn’t answer.

Oh f**k.

“Do you remember your name? How about my name? Do you know what time is it?” I was panicking even more now. My voice strained with worry.  f**k. What am I gonna do?

“s**t… do you even remember anything? Are you okay? Kenji! Answer me!”

After the little outburst of questions, Kenji finally smiled and asked “Are you an angel?”

Oh s**t. f**k f**k f**k!!!!

“Kenji! Listen to me. Shit.. f**k… what to do… oh my gosh. Shit.” I was losing my s**t and my thoughts were going haywire.  I stood up and placed a palm on my forehead, the dull ache on my head from the alcohol on my system was resurfacing and I could feel the contents of my stomach threatening to rise. Shit.. what to do?

“What’s going on here?” A groggy voice caused me to whirl around and saw a drowsy Max making his way towards the kitchen. “Max! Thank goodness, you’re awake! Kenji bumped his head on the table so hard and I think he may have a concussion. He doesn’t remember his name and mine and oh my god, Max. What if he’s bleeding internally?” I was rambling my wits out. Gulping down the bile that rose in my throat.

“Wait.. What?  Kenji?” Max frowned and caught sight of the said main, crouching on the chair “Baek! What happened? Hey Baek!” Max was shaking him and Kenji looked up with a grin plastered on his face, hand still pressing the cold meat on his swollen forehead. “Yumi’s so cute”

Oh f**k! “See?! Should we take him to the hospital? Oh gosh…”

“Relax, Yumi. I’m fine. I remember my name and where I am. I also know that it’s dawn but this s**t really hurts” He narrated calmly, adding a little hiss for effect. I looked at him, wide eyed before letting out a loud exhale of relief. “Oh f**k, thank goodness. Don’t scare me like that” I leaned against the table with a hand on my forehead.

I was very much unaware of Max’s raised brow at my reaction and the way he had not-so-gently hit Kenji’s head. “You shithead” he hissed which caused the other to either laugh or groan at the action

With the banter insinuating just a couple of spaces away from me, my world decided it was the best time to spin and I ultimately blacked out, faintly feeling something hot on my chest.