Chapter 17: A date with Noona?
I quickly shoved the panel's information to the back of my mind. This wasn't the time. The real, hurting woman was right in front of me.
'I can't just leave her like this.' i though to myself. My Noona, the woman who had been a refuge my whole life, was practically crumbling from pain and stress right in front of me. It would be the height of selfishness to just stand here, lost in my own problems.
I took a tentative step closer. "Noona," I said softly. "I'm… I'm sure she didn't mean any of what she said."
" It's Ophelia were talking about. I believe my sudden arrival… must have just pushed her over the edge. She's just been told to live in a new city, not to mention going to a new school. I'm sure that's a lot for her to digest in this short amount of time."
" Please just try to give her the benefit of the doubt this time around, alright?"
Sarah let out a soft, watery chuckle that was more sad than amused. She finally looked at me, her eyes shimmering. "Even now, after that… you're still trying to make excuses for her." She shook her head, a light, fond smile touching her lips despite everything. "You really haven't changed at all, have you, Julian?"
I managed a small smile of my own. "I think the real question here is, have you?"
"What?" Sarah blinked, looking genuinely confused, the CEO and the stressed mother momentarily replaced by the woman who used to puzzle over my teenage logic.
"I mean," I continued, gesturing vaguely at the closed door and then at her, "after this… I think you might need some proper TLC more than I need a place to stay. I did happen to see a cafe on the corner when I was coming in. I know I'm not exactly rolling in cash right now," I admitted with a wince, "but I can still scrape together enough to treat a pretty lady to a coffee and a pastry."
" Think of it as a peace offering since it is true that I hadn't checked up on you all this time." I met her eyes, trying to project a calm I didn't feel. "So, what do you say? Are you going to take me up on that offer? Let me be the one to help for a change."
Sarah stared at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, the tension in her shoulders began to ease. A real, if weary, smile graced her lips.
"Oh?" she said, her voice regaining a hint of its familiar playful tone. She took a step closer, reaching out to gently lift my chin with a cool finger, her eyes searching mine with a teasing glint. "Treating your own Noona to a date now, are we? My, my. Someone's clearly gotten bolder while I wasn't looking."
" D-Date?" I stiffened, my entire body locking up as if she'd just shouted 'Fire!' A hot flush crept up my neck and burned my ears. I must have looked like a startled deer caught in the headlights of her teasing. "I didn't mean it like that!"
My voice came out a panicked squeak, betraying the internal chaos her words had ignited. Because in the secret, shameful recesses of my mind, a traitorous thought had immediately followed my denial.
'But…' My eyes, against my will, made a subtle, flickering glance over her. The elegant line of her jaw, the gentle curve of her smile, the intelligent warmth in her eyes. The professional pantsuit couldn't hide the familiar, comforting curves beneath.
'With a personality like hers, so steady and kind, and with her stunning, timeless appearance… I wouldn't mind risking it. At all..., after all , I've always had a crush on Noona... But I'm not sure if Noona feels the same way.'
'NO—what am I saying?!' I hurriedly rebuked myself, the mental shout almost loud enough to be audible. A sharp doused of guilt doused the sudden, inappropriate heat.
'i can't be thinking of this now right after Noona and Ophelia fought now can I?'
The question hung there, tinged with a confusing mixture of adolescent leftover crush and adult appreciation.
It was a messy, uncomfortable feeling I immediately decided to bury under six feet of concrete.
"Relax, silly boy, I was just kidding." Noona chuckled softly, the sound like wind chimes, breaking the tense silence.
The mischievous glint in her eyes softened into simple affection. She reached down, her cool fingers brushing against mine as she took hold of the luggages handle. " To think you'd be so flustered about it." She chuckled, her eyes briefly darting at our hands that brushed against each other before looking back at me.
" How about we get you unpacked and settled in first, before we go on your proposed rendezvous?"
The fact that she'd dropped it made me feel a tad relieved.
"Then allow me," I insisted, my voice firmer now, reclaiming the handle. Our hands touched again, her soft, supple, always-cool fingers against my warmer, slightly calloused ones. A simple contact that sent a jolt through me, making me feel confused whether this feeling came from familiar childhood comfort or perhaps something else.
"Oh please," she teased, not letting go, a gentle tug-of-war over my luggage. "I thought it was always 'ladies first.'"
"Well, in this specific case," I said, gently prying her fingers loose and pulling the luggage to my side, with what I hoped looked like chivalrous strength, "you're not just a lady. You're my life-saving goddess who's offering a shipwrecked sailor a port in a storm. So, the least the sailor can do is carry his own sorry sack of rags. Let me have this one dignity."
Noona's eyes widened, then crinkled at the corners. She clasped her hands demurely over her lips, but her shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Alright, alright! Anything to stop you from using any more of your disastrously cheesy remarks. You'll scare away all the nice girls in the city talking like a rejected romance no
vel." She swatted my arm playfully, then turned, her key in hand.