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“Oh, shush.” She clicks her tongue. “He’s old enough in Korea.”
There’s a loud snort of derision. Everyone freezes, and then all our gazes land on Jenny.
“How dare—?” Sojin bristles, then cuts off.
I realize immediately what Sojin has noticed. Jenny’s sitting close enough to Jaewoo that their shoulders touch. She quickly moves away, but it’s too late. Sojin’s lips peel back in a smirk.
“You go to the Manhattan School of Music?” she asks. It’s an easy deduction to make—the school’s name is emblazoned across the front of Jenny’s hoodie.
“Yes,” Jenny says quietly, her voice unsure. It’s so unlike Jenny that I feel my pulse jump.
“What instrument do you play?” Sojin pries. “I feel like I’ve seen you before. What’s your name?”
Jenny pulls her ball cap lower, hunching her shoulders. Jaewoo’shand curls into a fist on the table, his eyes narrowing, and Iknowhe’s about to say something he shouldn’t.
“What brings you to New York City?” Nathaniel attempts to draw Sojin’s attention back to him, but she’s zeroed in on Jenny, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable she’s making her.
“You know,” she sneers, “girls like you shouldn’t act so brazen, flaunting yourselves. It’s shameless.”
Something snaps within me, like a firecracker popping off. Jeon Sojin, you want to see shameless?
Shifting straight in my chair, I remove my coat, something I’ve avoided doing until this moment so as not to draw too much attention. That’s not the case now. Sojin’s eyes lock on me, or more specifically, on my bodysuit, which clings to my shoulders and chest. Slowly, I glide my hand across the back of Nathaniel’s chair, letting the very edge of my fingers touch his back. As he turns, his eyes widen slightly.
“You haven’t paid any attention to me all night.” I pout, letting more breath into my voice. Though I never studied seriously to be an actor, I did take acting classes as a trainee. I lower my eyelashes before raising my eyes to meet his. “It’s like I’m not even here.”
Nathaniel, for his part, recovers quickly, taking my cue. His dark eyes never break contact with mine as he says, “I could never forget that you’re here.”
My heart stutters, and I almost lose focus. He’sgoodat this.
I try to concentrate, hoping that I’ve read Sojin correctly and that her own insecurities, and jealousy, will flare up with how uncomfortableI’mmakingherfeel.
“I’ve missed you,” I whisper, moving my other hand toward his on the table. He doesn’t hesitate, shifting his palm so that it’s facing up. When I place mine over it, he closes his fingers around me, and I feel the warmth of his hand down to my stomach.
I’m glad that it’s him. Here, with me. There’s no one I trust more to pull this off, no one I’d even feel safe enough to try this with. No matter what we are to each other now, we still make a great team.
“I’ve missed you too,” Nathaniel says, but he’s no longer looking at me.
Abruptly, Sojin stands, knocking over the soju bottle. Nathaniel releases my hand to catch it before it spills over the side of the table. “I forgot I have an important business meeting in the morning.” She won’t meet anyone’s eyes. “I’ll excuse myself first.” Before the others can stand to bow, she’s out the door.
I remove my arm the moment she’s gone, slumping in my chair with relief.
“Did you really just intimidate her into leaving?” Jenny says, her voice filled with awe. “Gi Taek would be so proud.”
I laugh. Our classmate from Seoul Arts Academy, Hong Gi Taek,wouldsupport my pettier side.
“Very cool, Min Sori,” Jaewoo says, and Sun gives me a thumbs up from the corner.
I’m startled by a sliding sound as Nathaniel pushes back his chair. “I think some of that soju got on me,” he says.
No one seems to notice him leaving, Sun and Jaewoo wondering how Jeon Sojin had found them at the restaurant, and Ji Seok apologizing profusely to Jenny.
When Nathaniel returns, the night continues as if we were never interrupted. Afterward, we exit through the back alley in pairs, with Sun and Ji Seok ahead of Jenny and me, and Jaewoo and Nathaniel bringing up the rear. They’re all decked out in large coats, hats, and masks that would be comical if it wasn’t snowing outside.
I’m hugging Jenny goodbye—I don’t know the next time I’ll see her—when I hear Nathaniel call my name from the street. “Sori.”
He’s flagged down a taxi, holding open the back door. I hurry over. There’s black ice on the curb and I take his outstretched hand. I have the brief impression of his fingers lightly squeezing mine and his voice close to my ear—“Text Jenny when you get to the hotel”—before the door’s shutting and there’s a loud thunk as he hits the top of the taxi. As it moves away from the curb, I turn around in my seat to watch him through the blurry window until he’s swallowed by the lights.
Three
