“Really?” I rasp, fighting back my own tears as I catch hers.
“Would I lie to you?” Nori stands and points toward the dock. “Look. My bags are outside. If it’s okay with you, then I’m here to stay. For as long as you’ll have me.”
I take her hand in mine, halting her before she goes too far. “You brought clothes?”
“I brought everything,” Nori whispers. “I quit my job too.”
“You quit?” Somewhere in the back of my mind I know I should say something more eloquent, ask her better questions, but my brain is having a tough time catching up with my emotions.
Nori’s smile is small as she tucks my hair behind my ear, but there’s a lightness in her that has my dragon curiously creeping forward to witness everything.
“Yup. I’m not going back to Cape Easton.”
True hope sparks in my chest and scales ripple under Nori’s touch. “You’re really, really here?”
“I am.”
“Can I hug you?”
“Please.”
I pull Nori into my lap and bury my face in her neck, breathing her in deeply.
Tears roll freely down my face, my back shaking with silent sobs, as I try to process everything while Nori whispers over and over again, “I love you, Shinsu. I love you.”
Slowly I come back to myself, my dragon returning too, though weaker than before. “I’ve always loved you, Nori, and always will.”
Nori presses her forehead to mine. “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”
“I love you,” I whisper again, also never tiring of saying it.
She pulls back and gives me a faux stern look. “Now, go jump in the shower quickly and then let’s get you fed while I explain everything that’s happened. After, we can take your dragon for a swim.”
I do as Nori says, and by the time I get out of the shower, I feel a little more like myself. When I enter the kitchen, there’s a bouquet of bread waiting on the table, one from each of her visits over the last couple of months surrounded by an array of spreads. My stomach grumbles at the sight of my favorite food group and my heart flutters at the thoughtfulness of the gesture.
“You prepared all of this for me?” I ask, already reaching for the cranberry orange sourdough from Nori’s first visit. The aroma of the freshly baked bread fills my nostrils, my body relaxing into a seat at how familiar this feels with Nori here.
“I did,” Nori says brightly from her spot against the counter. “I brought all of your favorites, but there’s a new one I thought we could try. If you want?”
“Please.”
Nori moves to the side and reveals a round container that reminds me of one my grandmother used to have. I sniff the air, my brain slowly placing the sweet scent. Nori bites her bottom lip as she brings it over, waiting for my reaction.
Not even looking down to check, I ask excitedly, “Is this jjinppang?”
“Yes. I’ve been craving them for years and finally found a bakery who has the perfect ratio of sweet red bean filling to steamed dough, just like your grandmother used to make.”
Unable to resist a second longer, I lift the lid and bring the container to my nose, the aroma bringing so many memories from my childhood with it. I bite into the still-warm bread, savoring the sweet taste in my mouth before swallowing it down.
“You remember eating them with me?” I ask around my next mouthful.
Nori’s mouth curls up into soft smile. “I remember everything about you. All our dances, all the snacks under that big old tree in the backyard, the chess games, waiting every year for you to arrive, and dreading the end of summer when you had to say goodbye.”
Guilt rips through me at still not having told her everything. “I remember everything about us too. Can I explain why I didn’t say goodbye that last time?”
Nori shakes her head, but her smile doesn’t move. “Soon. First, I’m going to explain what happened this weekend while you finish eating. When you have your strength back, then you can have a turn to tell me whatever you want.”
I wolf down three of the big steamed buns while Nori talks. She explains why she couldn’t come, apologizes multiple times, tells me about how Lucille gifted her The Dancing Daisy, and finally how Maisie, Tilly, Lucille, and Audrey helped her pack up her belongings to move to Starry Hill to start her new life here.
