Nobody Like You

Don't Break My Neck

Yeju

I hate the summer.

Even with the fan on, even as I lie on the bed clothes-less and blanket-less, I am still sweating through the sheets. The discomfort is stopping me from falling back to sleep, and the disgustingly sunny weather outside is not helping.

Lia pokes her head into the room.

"Oh, good, you're awake! Rise and shine, babe, let's make breakfast. We have to get ready soon!"

"Get ready?" I rub my eyes. "Now?"

"Yeah, the event starts at three, but Yuna wants us to get there by noon and camp there." Lia walks to the closet and tosses a random t-shirt and underwear at me. "So we should eat a very heavy breakfast now and then bring some snacks for the rest of the day."

"Get there by noon?"

My exasperation must have annoyed Lia. She spins around and glares at me, a small pout on her lips.

"Okay, okay," I relent. "I'll get up now."

I put on the clothes Lia grabbed for me and trudge to the bathroom.

Today is the first day of a pride event held in the L.A. state historic park, and Lia has been excited about it for weeks now. It will be her first-ever pride event as a fully out lesbian—or at least out to everyone she cares about. I am excited for her too, but the Southern California heat is killing all my enthusiasm.

As I brush my teeth, Lia curls her hair and rambles, "So RJ said Jon and Adrian arrived last night and are crashing in her apartment in downtown L.A. Have I told you about them? They're RJ and Chloe's friends from high school in Singapore, and they both go to NorCal for school. Jon goes to Stanford and Adrian goes to Berkeley."

I spit out the foam in my mouth. "You've mentioned them."

"They're great. We went to the San Francisco pride event together last year." She beams at me. "And this year, I'll be going with a girlfriend. I can't believe it."

My heart flutters. It has been almost a year now, and the way she says 'girlfriend' is still so full of awe and amazement. And honestly, I feel the same way too.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I plant a kiss on her cheek. "It's me who should be saying that. I can't believe I have a hot girlfriend like you."

"Oh, shut up..." She chuckles. "Let's go make breakfast."

In the kitchen, we move as one. Ever since starting my new job at a local biotech start-up, I have been waking up at the same time as Lia. So now, we have a well-practiced morning breakfast routine.

After almost three decades, I finally have a healthy and regular morning routine.

"Oh, by the way," Lia says as she stirs the scrambled eggs, "remember that journal I wrote to? I heard back from them."

I look up from the sizzling bacon. "What did they say?"

"They don't have spots open for an internship, but they like my pitches and will pay for them if I write for them."

"Wow, that's awesome, Lia!"

"Thank you! I'm excited. It might be my foot in the door, and then maybe I can get the internship next year instead."

"You definitely can." I give her a quick peck on the forehead before we plate the food.

For the past few weeks, Lia has been applying for science writing internships at various scientific journals. Her experience of writing for Victoria has hooked her into it. I love that she's pursuing this path. She's staying at home a lot more now because of it, which is great. And best of all, she's not going to pursue research or get a Ph.D.—a fantastic choice, in my jaded-Ph.D.-graduate opinion.