Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Eomeo,” Lee squeaks. Lifting my other hand in the air, I give Mason the middle finger while I try not to laugh, but when I hear the guys cracking up behind me, I almost snort as the laughter explodes from me.
“Aww… this is such a proud moment for the family,” Kinglsey says to our left, and instead of me holding Lee, she has to place an arm around my back to keep me from sinking to the floor.
We somehow make it inside the building, and once we’re in the elevator, I manage to catch my breath enough to calm down.
When I look at Lee, and I see her covering her cheeks with her hands, I step closer.
“It feels like my cheeks are on fire,” she admits.
“Yeah?” I nudge her hands away and frame her face with mine. “How’s that?”
“U-wa, so much better,” she sighs, her eyes closing for a moment.
When the elevator opens, I steal a quick kiss and then dart away from her so I can catch the doors before they begin to close again.
“Now they’re hot again,” she mumbles under her breath as she walks past me and down the hallway.
When we step into her suite, I shut the door behind me. I notice her glance around as I sit down on the couch.
“Are you looking for something?”
She shakes her head, then sits down on one of the cushions, which makes me move down to the floor as well.
“I don’t have anything to offer you to drink,” she says. “It feels rude.”
Unable to stop touching her, I reach over and brush some hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not thirsty.”
There’s a moment’s silence, then I say, “How about we ask questions. That way, we get to know each other a bit better.”
She nods, and a grin forms around her mouth. “You start.”
I sit back against the couch, and drinking in her delicate features, I ask, “Which do you like most, mountains or the ocean?”
“Can’t I answer both?” She scrunches her nose. “Jeju has both. We have a volcano in the middle of the island, and it has a big lake in the dome.”
“Volcano?” It’s the only word that sticks. “Like an actual active volcano that spews fire and stuff?”
She begins to laugh and shaking her head, she replies, “It hasn’t erupted in thousands of years.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, I mumble, “That’s good to hear.”
“Which do you like most?”
“Not a volcano, that’s for sure,” I joke. “I love the ocean. I can spend the whole day out there surfing.”
“What’s it like?”
I smile because my plan worked much better than I thought it would. Lee relaxes, and crossing her legs, she places her elbows on her knees and rests her face in her palms.
I straighten my legs to the side and cross them at the ankles while I try to think of the best way to explain surfing to her. “When you paddle out past the waves, and you sit on your board watching the sun come up over the water,” I pause as I let the calm feeling wash over me, “It’s so peaceful. Nothing but you and the ocean. It’s a humbling experience.”
Lee tilts her head, her eyes focused on me. “What makes it humbling for you?”
“Out there… it feels like the ocean accepts me even though I’m nothing in comparison to its power.”
And I get the same feeling with you.
Chapter 14
Lee
Monday I keep watching the time, and the second it’s twelve O’clock, I press dial on the phone.
Worry builds in my stomach, and I begin to chew on my thumbnail when the phone just keeps ringing.
Eomma, why aren’t you answering?
I try again and again.
Eomma.
Fear slithers through me, and it coils around my heart, squeezing until it’s weakened me and a tear spills over my cheek.
I press dial again, and with every ring, my fear grows stronger.
Suddenly the ringing stops, and my breath hitches when I hear, “Yeoboseyo?”
At first, I’m so relieved I can’t get a word out.
“Yeoboseyo?”
But then I recognize the voice of the Ajjuma next door, and it makes the fear give way to dread.
“Park Lee-ann?”
Hearing the urgency in her voice, I close my eyes, and I begin to pray a hopeless prayer.
“Yeoboseyo?”
“Ajjuma,” I whisper, not prepared for what she will tell me.
Lake
Mason, Falcon and I met with my father and his contact at the DA’s office. Mason handed over all the evidence, and the DA said he’d do his best to get Serena the harshest sentence.
Now we have to wait for them to open the case against her and once the court date is set, we’ll have a front-row seat.
As we drive back to the Academy, my phone starts to ring. Seeing it’s Kingsley, I frown. “Mason, is your phone switched off?”
“No, why?”
“Then why is Kingsley calling me?” I swipe up. “Hey, what’s up?”