ARTICLE TITLE: Dinner For Two
DRAFTED TEXT: Oftentimes, I end up eating alone, be it because I arrived home late or because I just didn't want to deal with my family. I don't really mind eating alone; I can watch something or listen to music while eating, with no one to comment on what i'm eating. Regardless, it's nice to share a meal with someone every once in a while.
It was late, but it was Friday, so Y/n had no plans to sleep yet. Better yet, she'd been left home completely alone as her parents had taken a trip with her brothers, whose football team would be playing against another one in a different city. They were kids and it really wasn't that serious, but her parents would never let the two boys go somewhere without them.
She wasn't complaining. She had a whole weekend of peace.
Her laptop was opened as she watched a YouTube video, getting her nailpolish ready for the weekend. She'd picked a soft red — for no reason at all, really — and her lamp was out so she can dry it out. Then she would make a snack, maybe text—
There was a knock on her door.
Her eyes shot to the little corner of her laptop screen, checking the time. Who the fuck could be here past eleven?
She quietly exited her room, grabbing a baseball bat she usually kept near her bed; courtesy of her father, the biological one. Making her way closer to the front door, she flinched as there was another knock.
"Cutie? You in there?"
Her eyes widened. The arms relaxed and fell to her sides, the bat clanking against the ground. Her shoulders sagged. "Soo Ho?"
"Yeah! Open up!"
Y/n let out a relieved sigh, going over to unlock the door, coming face to face with the boy. "Don't you have work?"
Since his arm was still recovering and he couldn't use his mopped, he was stuck working inside the restaurant the whole week. Did he walk all the way from the restaurant? Soo Ho had a smile at his face, then chuckled as his eyes fell to the bat. "Did you think I was going to rob you?"
"Yeah!" she put the bat against the wall, leaning on the door with her arms crossed. "Who the hell comes to someone's house uninvited at eleven in the evening?"
"Your boyfriend." Y/n chuckled at that, then watched as he raised up a bag she hadn't realized he was holding. "I got off earlier and brought you food, since you're alone and all."
Y/n bit the inside of her cheek. "I might consider letting you in now."
"Will you let your boyfriend, who brought you food and company, out here in the cold?" Y/n pursed her lips for a moment — Soo Ho watched as she didn't move, his mouth dropping in shock. "Are you actually thinking about it?"
At that, Y/n couldn't help but laugh and step to the side. "I'm kidding, dumbass. Come in."
Soo Ho clicked his tongue at her and quickly walked in, taking his shoes off and pushing them neatly to the side with his feet. "I got some bibimbap and coke. Hope that's okay."
Y/n took the bag from him and hurried on further in the house. "It's perfect, I'm starving!"Once in the kitchen, Soo Ho left his jacket on one of the chairs as Y/n left the bag on the table and went over to grab dishes.
"Let me help you, cutie." Soo Ho suddenly appeared next to her, taking the two plates and the utensils she'd picked up, moving them over to the table. Y/n grabbed two glasses and followed.
It wasn't long before the two sat on each side of the table, digging into their food, the TV's quiet sounds filling the space. Soo Ho ate his food hungrily — like always, really — as he told her about interesting things that had happened during his shift.
It felt oddly domestic; Y/n never realized sharing a meal with somebody could be this enjoyable. She wanted this to happen more often, if not for the rest of her—
"What were you doing before I got here?" Soo Ho suddenly asked, cutting her train of thoughts.
"Me?" She blinked a few times, trying to remember. "Oh, right. I was about to do my nails." She raised a hand up and wiggled her fingers to point out her bare fingernails.
"Oh, what color?" Soo Ho asked, taking yet another bite.
"Hm, I was thinking red," Y/n said, then her chopsticks dropped. She felt like her stomach was about to burst as she leaned back in her chair. "I can't finish this, I'm sorry."
"Are you sure?" Y/n nodded. "Give it to me, I'll finish it."
Soo Ho did quick work of finishing the small amount left of Y/n's portion, then gathered all the dishes and went over to the sink. "I'll wash them since I just came barging in here, don't worry about it."
Y/n immediately stood up at that, grabbing a small towel from one of their cupboards. "You wash, I'll dry and put away."
"I can do it myself, you don't—"
"Wash the dishes, Soo Ho."
"Okay, cutie."
Soo Ho washed the first plate, handing it to Y/n. There was a moment of silence before Soo Ho spoke. "Why didn't you go with your family? Didn't you say your brothers have a game or something?"
Y/n shrugged as she took the clean plate from Soo Ho and started drying it. "I didn't really want to hang out with my mom and step-dad. I'd rather stay here."
There was another moment of silence. "Do you . . . like your family?" His voice was laced with hesitance.
Y/n's hand stopped wiping the dish, her eyes stuck on the soap on the side of the sink. She didn't speak, stunned by the question.
"I'm sorry for asking about that. You don't have to tell me, it's okay," Soo Ho immediately said, starting to put the dish down and turn off the sink, presumably to reassure her further.
Soo Ho had told her about his living situation. Didn't he deserve to know hers, too? If not him, who else? Coming back to her senses, Y/n quickly continued wiping. "No, it's— it's okay. I don't hate them. It's just that I don't really feel like part of the family, you know?" She put the plate back in its plate, not looking at Soo Ho. "They're nice people, but ever since my mother married my step-father, I kind of fell in the background for her. I never really had anything more than a formal relationship with my step-dad. My brothers, they're okay, too, but our age difference is quite big. There's two of them and one of me, so it's easier for them to just hang out with each other, you know?"
She finally managed to look at Soo Ho, whose eyes were soft as he looked back at her. "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for." She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I have a roof over my head and enough to get by. I'm not exactly complaining. True, I don't really like coming home sometimes, but it could be worse." She paused again, leaning her head on Soo Ho's shoulder for a moment. It felt like something had been lifted off her shoulders, off her heart, in a way. "You know, I've never really told anyone this before."
A pair of lips landed on the top of her head and she felt herself crack a smile. "I'm glad you can trust me like that. And you know you have me, right?"
She looked up at him, unable to contain the adoration she harbored for that boy. "I know." She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, Soo Ho."
"Man, I love it when you say my name."
Y/n hit his shoulder jokingly. She two finished with the dishes, then moved to Y/n's room. Y/n sat on her desk, looking up at Soo Ho. "Entertain yourself while I do my nails, okay?"
Soo Ho's form of entertainment was to snoop around her room, which she didn't really mind. He put back everything he touched and was careful with her things. Once she was done with painting her non-dominant hand, she looked back at Soo Ho.
He was sat on her bed while holding two of her plushies, making them fight each other. Y/n laughed. "The hell are you doing?"
Soo Ho looked up, the plushies' fight stopping mid-air. "Entertaining myself."
Y/n snorted. "How good are you at painting nails?"
Soo Ho put back the two plushies and stood up. "I'm the best at it."
He brought himself a chair from the kitchen and put it down next to Y/n, taking her hand. His eyes flew between the nail polish and her nails a few times, then looked at her. "Okay, what do I do?"
After Y/n's explanation, Soo Ho actually did a pretty decent job at painting her nails in the soft red color. When he was done, Y/n looked over her manicure. "I'm gonna need you to come do my nails every Friday."
"Don't tempt me because I would," Soo Ho said and stood up, stretching his arms. He then looked down at his watch. "I think I overstayed my welcome, cutie. It's nearing one in the morning, I should probably go."
"What?" Y/n looked down at her phone, realizing he was right. She stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's too late to be going home now. Would your grandmother mind if you stay here?"
Soo Ho's eyes widened as his hands moved to her waist. "Stay here? Are you sure, cutie?"
"Mhm." She leaned in and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Please?"
Soo Ho looked at her, his eyes scanning hers for a few moments. Y/n thought he would disagree, that maybe she'd overstepped a boundary, but then a smile broke onto his face. "Do you have a spare toothbrush?"
Not even thirty minutes later, the two were laying in Y/n's bed — it had taken some convincing to get Soo Ho to join her, insisting he should sleep on the couch or the floor; Y/n wouldn't have it, not when they were dating and she could cuddle him all night long without a care — and he finally relented. He was sleeping in some bigger clothes Y/n had found in her wardrobe, his arms around her as he ran his fingers through her hair.
Y/n couldn't believe how bold she'd become in the time she'd gotten to know Soo Ho. Or maybe she just felt comfortable enough with him to do stuff like that; she never would've thought she would be lying in bed with her boyfriend after he'd done her nails and brought her dinner. Is this real life? I won't wake up and find out it was all a dream, right?
And she didn't. When she woke up the next morning, Soo Ho was still there, lying on his back as one of his arms held her tightly and light snores escaped past his slightly-parted lips. And in that moment, as she watched the morning sun rays illuminate his face and messy hair, she realized she'd never slept better.
I want this to be the norm.