Nobody Like You

Snitches Get Stitches

Yeju

"My Ju-Zi!"

Mom's voice thunders from the car speakers, and I know I made a mistake answering her call while driving.

"Hey, Mom, I'll call you back later. I'm driving right now."

I can already imagine her exaggerated pout from that. "You can still talk to me while you drive!"

"You're on speakers and I'm with a friend," I warn, glancing at Lia next to me. She has fallen asleep a while ago, and I hope she stays asleep.

"A friend? Is it the friend you were with over Thanksgiving? The friend you abandoned your dear Mom for?"

"What? You told me it was okay! You were throwing your own party and everything."

"Yes, yes, but now I am regretting it! I didn't get to talk to you all weekend."

"Yeah, well, I'll call you back later, okay?"

Before Mom could protest further, I cancel the call with a button on the steering wheel. I sneak a peek at Lia. She is still asleep. Thank goodness.

Despite the rocky start, the rest of the holiday was peaceful and amicable. Lia apologizes the next morning, and she was back to her cheerful self as if a good night's sleep was enough to wash away her anger. We spent our days binge-watching TV shows, visiting nearby malls for the holiday sales, and staying as far away as possible from Lia's family—especially Romeo, the source of all her ire.

A bitter taste forms in my mouth. No matter how well the rest of the holiday turned out to be, I cannot shake away the uneasiness that was plaguing me throughout. Lia was a completely different person at home: a lot more high-strung and nervous, always jumping to her feet to prove herself.

The family dynamic did not help; her mother looked displeased about everything, and the siblings avoided each other as if they were socially distancing in a pandemic. Meanwhile, Mr. Choi floated around, either unwilling or unable to help. It shouldn't be like this. Even my family that is broken apart is never like this.

I wish I could do something more about this, but as Lia said, this is her problem, not mine.

Her soft voice jolts me out of my thoughts.

"Thanks for coming over, by the way," Lia whispers. "I'm sorry that you couldn't be with your mom instead."

My eyes flutter. "Did the call wake you up?"

"I don't sleep very deeply in the car," she admits. There is a momentary pause before she adds, "You sound super close to your mother. I know you've told me that before, but I didn't really... Well, I didn't realize how close one can be to their mother."

That last sentence pierces my heart. I'm not sure what to say, so I take my right hand off the wheel and extend it towards her.

Her palm, soft and cold, settles on mine. Our fingers entwine.

We are silent for the rest of the drive. By the time I park the car in our apartment's garage, Lia is fast asleep again.

***

The Mondays after the holidays are always the slowest days. And since I have wrapped up all my experiments for my thesis, I expect today to be especially slow. All I need to do is to clean up my lab space, grab some notebooks from my desk, and head back to the apartment to write.

When I get to my office, I find Gabby waiting for me.

"Yeju! You are back!" His already boisterous voice is even louder than usual.