Page 7 of Stay With Me

As Kimchi curls on my lap, sighing contentedly as I pet her, I can’t believe I waited fifteen years since becoming an adult to get a dog.

Elise finishes in the kitchen, coming out to stand by the hall. “I’m off. I should be home by eight-thirty if cleanup and prep goes well.”

“I’ll have something ready for dinner,” I reply. “And don’t forget to put up that ad. You’re still planning on hiring someone, right?”

She smiles at me. “Yes. I’m still going to post for someone. It’s time.”

“Good.”

Taking out my phone as she leaves, I scroll a bit but lose interest. I don’t have to work for close to four hours, my normal wake-up time usually seven or eight, my work day not until nine.

Glancing around my living room and at all my stuff, I think about the boxes Elise has stored in my garage. She really didn’t have too much to pack, which enraged me in a way I wasn’t expecting. She lived in Jake’s house for years, how does she have so little?

“Kimchi, what do you say we make space for Elise’s stuff?” Scratching her head, I gently move her to the couch and stand. She looks at me and turns in a circle a few times before laying down with a huff. Shaking my head, I give her one more scratch. “You rest, I will get the boxes.”

It doesn’t take me long to bring in the boxes that belong in the main part of the house. I know Elise is planning to look for an apartment, but vacancies are always hard to come by in town, and I want her to know she’s welcome to stay for as long as she needs.

Opening the boxes with her books, they definitely take up the most space. Pondering my shelves, I’m grateful for the built-ins I added on either side of my fireplace. I think if I move some of my stuff, I can fit all of her books.

I work quickly trying to remember how she organized her books, but as I step back and examine my handiwork, it just doesn’t look right. Sighing, I grab my cell from the coffee table and call Ari.

“Why are you awake this early?” Her tone is a mixture of worry and suspicion.

“Cliffs notes: Elise moved in after she and Jake broke up and she wakes up at the ass crack of dawn.” I adjust some of the books and still don’t think it looks nice like how she had them. “Anyway, I’m not used to the noise of someone in my house; therefore, I also woke up abhorrently early.”

“Wait, wait, wait. The woman you’ve secretly been in love with for seventeen years is living with you?” She sounds much perkier.

“I’m not in love—”

She cuts me off. “Whatever. Why are you calling this early?”

I massage the bridge of my noise. This was a mistake. Maybe I should just hang up.

“Young Jae!” Her voice is so shrill even Kimchi lifts her head in disgust.

Sighing, I mutter, “I was trying to unpack her books to surprise her, and they don’t look nice like she had them…”

“Say no more.” Ari hangs up.

With a groan, I head to the kitchen to make fresh coffee. I have plenty of time until I need to start my day, I should’ve just kept working at it. The early hour has clearly messed with my brain to make me ask Ari for her help. I love my sister, but she can be so meddlesome.

Our older brother lives a couple hours away, so I bear the brunt of her younger sister quirks.

Kimchi barks as my door swings open, banging into the doorstop.

“Annyeong, Oppa,” she singsongs as she breezes into the house. She freezes when Kimchi rushes up and jumps on her before squealing and dropping to the floor. “I see there’s more than one secret you’ve been keeping.”

“No secrets, I just got her on Sunday. It’s now Tuesday, calm down,” I tease.

Ari rolls her eyes, rubbing Kimchi’s belly as she looks at the bookshelves with Elise’s books added. “Yikes. It’s a good thing you called me.”

She reluctantly gets up and pulls the books I’ve just added off the shelves. “Does she have any knickknacks?”

“Yeah, in the garage.” I go grab the boxes with knickknacks—there’s only two—and bring them in. “The rest of the stuff is her clothes and a few other items she had stored in her bedroom.”

My sister scans the boxes and the stacks of books. “I’m glad she dumped his ass. Although, I’ve already heard rumblings through town that he’s trying to win her back.”

Scoffing, I growl, “Why wouldn’t he? He took advantage of her and now he has to do everything himself.”

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