TIME: Mark Tuan edition

Chapter 6

"So what? What do you have to hide?" He asks leaning his head on his arm.

"Miguel," I stated. "He's too young. I've been able to hide him because they don't know how I look like and I've never spoke about him. All they know is my education, age, hair, eyes, and birthday. I've never shown my face but they can find it out if they wanted too. Luckily I'm not visually famous so I don't have fans waiting for me outside the building rather they wait for me on the forum where I receive their comments and requests."

"Your birthday is coming up." Seriously. Of all I said he chooses to comment on that.

"Yeah I know, so?"

"You'll be twenty-one. Are you doing anything special?" He asks me completely changing the subject.

"No probably not. Does it even matter to you?" I respond remembering he'd be back in Korea by then. I sit at the edge of the bed and grab a pillow to hug while facing him. He shrugs.

"I guess not really but at the same time it does. I mean you're going to be the big twenty-one. That's like the 'coming of age' thing they have in Korea except theirs is when women turn 20 and they do stuff specifically for that day," he tells me puckering his lip as a form of habit he's always had.

"And what's that?" I ask him pulling lint off of his pants.

"Give perfume, a rose, and a kiss." I nod. I didn't know what to say after that. After a good minute I spoke.

"I'm probably just going to stay at home. If my friends come over I guess we can have a little celebration. But I'm not going to do anything special really. It's just another year." I shifted myself and laid on my back with my head on his thigh as he shifts to his side completely. My legs hung at the side of the bed and my head was faced towards him. The way we act around each other is so natural. This, these moments like this I miss. But it didn't seem like there was a gap in our relationship at that moment. It felt as if nothing happened between us. Even before we would fight and all of a sudden it's like nothing happened. Sometimes we don't even have to really resolve the problem with each other rather we learn from it and know each other so well and subconsciously know the fights over and there's nothing more to add on to it. We say what we need to say and that's it.

"What's the time difference between here and Korea?" I stare at him to check if he's serious. Well I kind of knew he was but- Seriously?

"No you won't call me. You need your sleep and don't try to pull anything. Even if you call me at 12:00am my time I won't answer. You guys are busy and you will probably be at a schedule." I shake my head against his leg but he stops me with his hand. He lifts my head a bit and slides a pillow in the space between my neck and the bed.

"I'll find out anyway, I can just search online. And I will call you and if you don't answer I'll leave a message and call again. I'll send you text messages until the very last second of your birthday." He smiles a toothy smile making me smile back and slap his stomach to stop him.

"You don't even have my number. And it will take awhile to send a text overseas so how will you get your timing right?" I challenge him and he bites his lip in thought.

"Download this app. It's a way for people to text overseas. It only uses Internet and stuff. You can call with it too," he tells me. He asks for my phone but I don't give it to him or move to get it. It's not with me. It's in my bag which I left outside. "Give me it, Chris!"

"No!" He starts moving his legs making my head move and mess up my hair and I got annoyed.

"Why?!" He stopped moving.

"I don't have it." I shrugged and he just stared at me.

"Why don't you have your phone?"

"Because it's not with me." I said simply. I knew I was annoying him now and it was fun.