Face Time (12 page)

“Well, you can’t go wrong with Jason Bourne. He’s pretty damned kick ass.”

“He is.”

Laura turns the camera around and sits down on her bed. “Okay, your turn. Show me your place.”

“All right. But, be warned, there’s not much here.”

I flip to the other camera, get off the couch and turn around. “It’s a loft type apartment which is typical of these high rises in Seoul. The kitchen and living area all share the same space.” My apartment is all white, white, white, with dark wood and marble floors, and the furniture is either black or glass. “None of the furniture belongs to me. The place came furnished.”

“So did mine, except for my bed. Your kitchen is so white. And the whole apartment is so bright.”

I swing the camera to the floor-to-ceiling windows and my view.

“Wow, but you have an amazing view. What’s that of?” she asks, her face close to the iPad.

“The Han River and the northern part of the city. This area I live in, south of the river, was built up after the Olympics were held here. I live in sort of a fancy part of town.”

“How fancy?”

“I think they call it the Rodeo Drive of Seoul, honestly. All the big designers have stores here. It’s a little rich for my taste, but I’m not the only lawyer in my firm who lives here. Chris and Cori live a few floors down. There’s someone to water my plants while I’m gone.” I tilt the iPad down at my plants bunched up around the edge of each window. This is the only redeemable part of my apartment. I can grow things and not have them die on me because I get so much light.

“You have a green thumb, Lee. Wasn’t expecting that.”

“I have many talents.”

“I bet you do.”

I’m glad she can’t see my face right now because, when she says things like that, the blood in my body rushes straight to my dick, and I can’t control it at all.

“My kitchen…” I move past the table and adjust my pajama pants along the way. “Also does not have much in it, but I did stock up my fridge this week.” I open the door up and show her everything I purchased but compared to her refrigerator, it’s barren. I’m starting to feel ambivalent about this tour. My desolate apartment gives me an air of “bachelor college student,” not a high-powered, highly paid lawyer.

“I hope you go out to eat a lot.” She tilts her head to the side and purses her lips. “Because you don’t look like you’re wasting away, but your fridge says otherwise.”

“I do. It’s easier.”

I show her the bathroom which is a lot like hers except bigger and with less products along the wide stone vanity, and, in the bedroom is just my bed, a dresser, and the closet.

“Wait. Go back,” Laura directs, and I pan back along my bed past the window. “Stop. Walk closer to the mirror.” A huge mirror lines one wall in my bedroom, and standing here, Laura can see everything. It’s possible she can’t see the hard-on she just gave me through these pajama pants, but…

“Just stand there, Lee, and let me get a good look at you.”

I roll my eyes at her in the mirror but obey. I wonder what she sees. I see an average Korean guy who works out and does nothing with his hair. I’m better with clothes and more stylish than I used to be. I don’t buy the cheap t-shirts and underwear anymore. I spend the money on the nicer things. Even my pajama pants are upscale. This is another thing I have in common with Laura, we both like a good wardrobe. But otherwise, I’m average.

“Take a picture, Laura. It’ll last longer.”

“Okay.” From the position of her hands on the iPad, I can tell she’s taking a screenshot. “Fair warning, I’m going to do that a lot.”

I flip back to the front-facing camera and smile at her. “Fine by me.”

“Well, Lee. It certainly is a big and beautiful apartment…” She hesitates and chews on the side of her lip. “But…”

“Go ahead and say it, Laura.” I’ve already heard this a million times from Cori every time she comes over, so I sit myself on my bed, pushing back against the pillows.

“Lee, you’re a charming and sweet guy, and I can tell you have good taste. Why does your apartment feel so empty?”

“Because it is, Laura. I travel so much that I get back here and don’t know where to start. I have some things in the storage area but never bring them up, and really? I don’t feel like they fit in here. I often don’t feel like this is home.”

“Hmmm…” She taps on her mouth and scans her own room. “What about bringing items home from your travels and then placing them around your apartment? You saw my apartment. Half the stuff I own is from traveling. I don’t own much, but I have something. I would buy things and ship them to my mother. She held onto everything for me until I came home.”

“I don’t know. I rarely have time to shop when I’m traveling.”

“Where are you off to next?” she asks, before taking a sip of wine.

“I leave on Saturday for two weeks in India. Mumbai and Pune.”

“Oh. Will I still be able to talk to you?” There was a moment on our first date when Laura asked me if I liked dinner and she seemed so much like a little girl in that instant, her eyes wide and seeking my honest opinion. I think I fell in love with her right then. I hesitate to think of myself in love in with her, she’s so far away, but I know I am already.

“Yes, absolutely. Let’s not let it get in the way.”

“Okay. Well, anyway, you’ll be in India. Save some room in your bag and buy something colorful from a street vendor or something. Colorful. You hear me? Your place needs bright and happy objects.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She claps her hands and smiles. “Oops, I left the wine bottle in the other room. When I come back, I want you to tell me about your family.”

She only leaves me “alone” for a minute and comes back with a full glass of wine and the rest of the bottle she puts on the nightstand. I tell her about my older brother, Jin, and his wife, Mimi. He’s six years older than I am and married young. His kids, my two older nephews, Kade and Leland, are already in their early teens. Jin’s an accountant and Mimi is a librarian at the local high school. I get along best with Jin and Mimi of anyone in my family besides my father. Jin watched out for me when I was a kid and his friends were nice and let me tag along for soccer during the summer. My older sister, Nari, and I barely talk. She’s only eleven months older than I am, and we disliked each other growing up. Probably because she was supposed to be the baby and instead I was born. Sandra is one of her best friends, and they’re like two peas in a pod: bossy, stubborn, and drop-dead gorgeous. I shouldn’t have mentioned that.

“Drop-dead gorgeous, huh?” Laura asks, twirling the ends of her hair in her fingers.

“Trust me. Her looks don’t make up for her sour personality. Neither of them.”

Laura pulls back from the iPad, chewing on her lip and running her fingers through her hair before taking a sip of wine. “So, um, you were a mistake baby then? Only eleven months younger than your sister?”

“Yep. In fact, my name is a huge joke. ‘Lee’ and ‘Park’ are two of the most common surnames in Korea, and Lee was my mother’s maiden name, so they just named me that. They hadn’t anticipated a third kid or having to name me.”

She laughs, dropping her hands to her side. “I’ll admit I tried to google you and came up with nothing.”

“Yeah, that’s the only good thing about my name. I’m not on any of the social networks either. I stayed off on purpose, for business reasons.”

“I’m on Facebook, but that’s it.”

“Now I want to be there.”

I bet she has tons of friends and photos in her profile, but she waves her hand at me again and smiles. “Don’t. You get all the good gossip straight from me.”

“So, anyway,” I continue, clearing my throat, “Nari is married to Daniel, and they have one son, Chase. He’s three.”

“And Daniel is?”

“What?”

“Ummm, caucasian?”

“No. He’s Korean too.”

“Oh.” She runs her hands through her hair again, and I wish I were there to do that and to hold her hands because she’s obviously feeling self-conscious. “I’m beginning to feel like the odd duck.”

“Laura, really, it’s okay. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“It may really matter to your family, Lee, especially if this went anywhere between us.”

I stare hard at the iPad in my lap and compare it to the empty space next to me in bed. She should be curled up under the covers next to me, and we should be having this conversation in person, so that I could reassure her of her place.

This is a third date, right? I can be thinking these things on a third date? That she has a place in my life? That I’m falling for her? If we were dating in person, I’m pretty sure I’d be thinking these things by now…

“Not that it has to,” she rushes, and I snap my eyes back to the iPad. She’s covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god, I’m so presumptuous. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, Laura. I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was thinking about how I know my mother would be upset, but my father doesn’t care. I only seek his approval in these things. But let’s not worry about that, okay?”

She uncovers her face, her eyes directed downward.

“Really? I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and thought I am painfully not Korean.”

“Laura, I’ve gone out with all Korean girls in my life but one, and it’s never worked out for me.”

“I’ve gone out with tall, tan, blond men my whole life and that’s never worked out for me either.”

“Like your brother?” I ask, and her eyes un-focus, panic causing her features to flatten. I’ve noticed something about her she wasn’t aware of.

“Holy shit.” She turns in her bed and grabs the photo of her brother from the nightstand. “Lee, I’ve spent the last ten years trying to figure out why I pick these guys because they’ve all been different except that
they look like my brother
. How come no one noticed this before you? How come I never noticed?”

“Maybe they did and just never said anything.”

She smiles, looking from the photo of her brother to me and back. “This is really comforting, Lee.”

“Phew.” I let out a deep breath. “I was afraid for a moment there.”

“I just…” She squeezes the photo frame to her chest and closes her eyes before putting it back beside the bed. “I loved my brother so much. He was a good person, kind and sweet. A lot like you, actually. You just look nothing alike.”

She laughs again. “Thanks, Lee. I wish I could kiss you right now. Your kiss is addictive. I’ve thought of almost nothing else since you left.”

Whoa. I can read Laura, understand her, and unlock these hidden places inside her. I’ve never had this kind of a connection with a woman before. I’ve always floundered my way through relationships, guessing what my girlfriend wanted and getting it wrong.

“It’s addictive for a good reason. That’s how I hook you and reel you in.” Life is going to be hard until I can get to New York again.

“I’m hooked, for sure.”

My phone buzzes next to me with a text from Cori.

Cori Winslow

Ready to go soon? The palace, shopping, and tea await us.

Lee Park

I’m almost done talking to Laura. I’ll get dressed and head down in 10 min.

Cori Winslow

Oh. Take your time. I don’t want to interrupt.

Lee Park

It’s fine. We’re almost done.

“Everything okay?” Laura asks, leaning into the iPad, her empty wine glass in her hand.

“Yeah, but I promised Cori and Evie I’d take them to the Gyeongbukgung Palace and then shopping in Samcheong-dong, plus tea and lunch. Chris is in Europe again.”

“I understand… sort of. Korean names make my head spin,” she says, her eyes crossing and rolling around. No jealousy I can detect when I talk about Cori, but she immediately tenses when Sandra’s name is mentioned, so I’ll have to be careful from now on. “Go out and enjoy your day. I’m going to watch some TV before I turn in.”

“Laura? Can you talk to me again on your Tuesday night?”

“Yes. Good. Don’t make me wait a whole week again. That was just ridiculous.”

I laugh at her honesty, one of her more alluring qualities. So far, I know where I stand with her. “It was ridiculous. I’ll see you then.”

We both wave at each other before ending the call, and my apartment swallows up the silence, more empty than the day I moved in.

I practically skip into the office Monday, Tuesday, and especially Wednesday morning, I’ve never been so happy. Lee and I kept the conversation going over text the last two days. He sent me photos of the palace while I was sleeping, and Cori and Evie eating lunch at a tea house right down the street. Then he sent a photo of a cute shop filled with handmade designer goods, a blackboard outside scrawled in Korean with colored chalk. He followed it with,
“I love this place. They have something for everyone.”

“So, was that date a few weeks back the real thing?” Mary asks as I deliver a late afternoon coffee to her desk and sit down across from her.

“It was. I like him a lot. There’s just one tiny little problem. Itty bitty little problem.”

“What’s that?” Her eyes are on her moleskine, flipping through her notes from today’s meetings.

“He lives in Seoul. Our last few dates have been over FaceTime.” I cringe waiting for her response as she slowly lifts her head.

“Laura…” Mary sighs and rubs her eyes. “You’re a beautiful and talented woman. Is it really that hard to meet someone locally?”

“I know. I know. And yes, it is that hard to meet someone locally. Remember the last guy I dated before I gave up?” I clear my throat, prepared to mock his voice. “‘I don’t have time to date. If you want to go out, I have Tuesday nights free and that’s it.’” I raise my hand in a mock karate chop. “Jesus, what a loser.”

She laughs, rolling her eyes. Mary has been privy to all of my dating failures.

“I had a FaceTime date with Lee last night that was perfect. He talked about his time at Berkeley, and I talked about my time at NYU. We compared favorite foods and drinks and what sports we watch. We like English soccer but don’t have a team to root for so I chose Manchester United…”