Page 87 of A World Apart
My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the name on the screen and, trying not to giggle, I held the phone to my ear as Jihoon discreetly backed out of the room.
“BISH YOU BETTER BE DEAD, IT’S BEEN HOURS!”
“Hello to you too,” I pinched my lips together to ensure absolutely no mirth escaped.
“Excuse me! I’ve been literally messaging you for hours! I drop you to a strange house to see a guy you BARELY know, against my best judgment, I might add, and I can’t even get a reply? I was worried, ho!”
“In my defence, I left my bag downstairs.”
There was silence on the line for so long that I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the screen to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.
“Um, hello?” I said, tentatively.
I heard Becka take in a big breath and then puff it out, obviously searching for the strength to calm down.
“So, you’re not dead.”
“No.”
“You’ve not been treated badly?”
“No.”
“Have you at least been ravished yet?”
I choked on my spit, unable to answer as I coughed and spluttered.
“Becka, Jesus Christ,” I wheezed out, eventually.
Becka laughed, and I knew the storm had passed.
“It was a valid question,” she protested, “did you see the things I got you today?”
“Yes,” I hissed, keeping my voice to just above a whisper as I said, “are you serious about those negligees?”
Becka was giggling madly, her words coming out in a gasp. “I thought you might need a little encouragement!” I mean, what do you even say to that?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jihoon walking back into the room, so I said as quietly and quickly as I could, “I’ve got everything under control and I gotta go, bye!”
“The condoms are in the front zipper pocke−” I cut her off, her shouted words seemed to echo in the quiet room. I couldn’t tell if Jihoon had heard them or not though.
“Everything okay?” He asked as he put down a tray with plates and two bottles of beer on the table alongside the food boxes.
“Oh yeah, sure,” I waved the question away with as much cheerful indifference as possible. “She was just worried when I didn’t text her back.”
“She thought I might have lured you here to murder you?” he chuckled, folding his legs underneath him to sit cross legged on the floor alongside the coffee table.
I scooted off the sofa to sit on the floor next to him, the plush, navy-blue rug as good a cushion as any.
“Something like that,” I evaded.
He nodded easily and opened the boxes in front of us, releasing hot wafts of steam that immediately tickled my nose and reminded me just how hungry I was.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, ducking his head, “I ordered for us.”
The pizza box contained a large, cheesy pizza with a variety of toppings; pepperoni, peppers, sweetcorn, Italian sausage and olives. My mouth watered. The other box, however, was even better.
“Dough balls!” I exclaimed, grinning wildly.
