Page 61 of Mother Parker
“Are you enjoying this? Bossing me around?” I asked.
“Oh, one hundred percent, yes,” Hwan replied.
I laughed.
I couldn’t help it. As much as I tried to downplay it and pretend I wasn’t amused by his banter, Hwan made me laugh.
I’d almost forgotten what my laugh sounded like before I got to Mayberry Holm and started my bubble tea residency.
“Don’t you get enough of that at work?”
I put the skillet next to the big pot on the stove and looked to him for directions.
“No. I could never get enough of bossing you around,” he said.
My stomach clenched.
No.
I refused to let my mind wander and interpret that differently than intended.
Simple dinner between friends. That was all it was.
“What next, boba boy?”
He raised an eyebrow and hummed.
“Boba boy, huh? I like it,” he said, and I rolled my eyes in response. “Put it on high heat, please. Oh, and get the box of vegetables from the fridge. I forgot.”
Once again, I followed his instructions and enjoyed it. There was just something so satisfying about following directions. It made everything feel…orderly rather than chaotic like my head was.
“Are you gonna tell me what we’re eating, or is it a surprise?”
“Lol. Is it really a surprise if you can see the food?”
“I can see it, but I have no idea what it is,” I replied.
“Relax. I’m kidding. I thought about making some Italian or, you know, bland European food, but I changed my mind. So I’m making you Korean,” he said. “Bulgogi.”
“Bukkake?” I asked before I could filter my mouth.
“Sure. But after dinner, yeah?” Hwan answered with a wink, and my body stilled.
My throat tightened and I had to cough to get the oxygen back into my lungs.
What the hell had I been thinking making that joke?
“You okay?”
I forced a few more breaths in and leaned over the pot. It was full of water with beef and tofu. It smelled divine.
“So, what are they?” I asked, ignoring his remark.
Dinner between friends. Remember?
“That is soybean soup with beef,” he said, pointing at the pot. “And this is bulgogi.” He lifted the box with the marinade and opened it.
Then one by one, he added the slices of beef to the sizzling skillet, and the room filled with even more heavenly flavors that made my mouth water and my stomach groan with hunger.
