29 Dates

by Melissa de la Cruz

  Jisu: Marry each other? Like a good old-fashioned rom-com?

  Sungbaek: What? No, we joke that we’re going to kill each other to end our sad single misery. A joke, of course. Everyone’s so obsessed, not just with getting married, but marrying the right person.

  Jisu: Hmm.

  Sungbaek: Sorry, it’s probably a bad move to even bring up the topic of marriage on a first date.

  Jisu: No, that’s totally fine. Although, to be honest, I don’t think Stella would be so thrilled to meet me, or to meet any of your dates for that matter.

  Sungbaek: Why wouldn’t she? You know, she’s also a client of Ms. Moon’s and goes on seons, too. She signed up right after I did.

  Jisu: Okay, that’s it.

  Sungbaek: What? What’s wrong?

  Jisu: Nothing’s wrong. It’s just probably totally not my place to be saying this, but—

  Sungbaek: But?

  Jisu: Stella’s in love with you. And you’re in love with her.

  Sungbaek: I’m sorry, what?

  Jisu: Childhood best friends, trips to Europe, “she knows me better than I do”—do I really have to spell it out for you?

  Sungbaek: Oh, no, you don’t understand. And you haven’t even met Stella yet! If something were to happen, it would’ve happened ages ago. We’re best friends, but that’s all.

  Jisu: Exactly! The fact that you two are still somehow secretly in love with each other, even though it’s within plain view of a stranger like me, is mind-boggling.

  Sungbaek: Oh...

  Jisu: Have none of your friends brought this up before?

  Sungbaek: No...not that I remember...

  Jisu: Hey, congrats to you, Sungbaek. You and Stella can get out of the seon scene and run off into the sunset.

  Sungbaek: Oh...my god. I think...I think you’re right.

  Jisu: Of course I’m right!

  Sungbaek: I...need to go. Jisu, I’m sorry to cut this so short—

  Jisu: No need to apologize. Go, go! And invite me to the wedding!

  14

  Austin had instructed her to wear something comfortable. His specific words were, “Something loose, baggy and warm. The more you look like a hobo, the better.”

  Whatever he was planning, it was definitely nothing refined or romantic. Not that she wanted either of those things. Jisu had spent a whole summer trying to stay awake through “refined” and “romantic” first dates. But at least those things were clear indicators that you were actually on a date.

  How was she supposed to look like a comfortable hobo and still look cute? Sweatpants and a cropped sweater? Leggings and a sweaterdress? She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, but she cared what he thought. Jisu liked Austin, but she didn’t know if he liked her the same. She couldn’t show up in an outfit that screamed Look at me—and only me! Or maybe she could. Knowing that she would be put back on Ms. Moon’s roster only made Jisu a lot more willing to shoot her shot with Austin. Still, she thought hanging out with him more would make everything easier, just as it would when hanging out with any other friend. But no, the more time Jisu spent alone with Austin, the more significant it felt. And her nerves multiplied each time. The clock was going to strike midnight no matter what—why not have fun at the ball while you were there?

  Jisu checked Kakao. She had sent a mirror selfie of two potential outfits to Euni and Min, but the group chat was silent. The time difference had taken a toll on the girls’ catch-up sessions. Everyone at Daewon was already sending out applications, so time was scarce for them all. Jisu wanted to tell them more about Wick-Helmering and Austin. But she didn’t want to burden them with her stories if they were stressed.

  Here. It was a text from Austin. For such a self-professed “spiritual” guy who liked to wax poetic at lunchtime, he was concise when he texted.

  Jisu was now in outfit number three: black leggings and an oversize cable-knit sweater. Whatever. This will have to do. She grabbed her bag and quickly made her way to the door before Mandy could emerge from her room and interrogate her about her plans for the day.

  “Okay, you have to tell me where we’re going,” Jisu said as she got into Austin’s car.

  “You’ll find out when we get there.” Austin grinned. Was she really not going to find out until they arrived? He was always keeping her on her toes.

  They didn’t talk much on the way to wherever it was they were going. But it didn’t feel awkward. On the radio, contestants called in and answered random trivia questions to win a trip to Hawaii. Jisu and Austin laughed at the same funny moments. Neither of them felt the need to make conversation just to fill up the space between them. They were comfortable with each other’s presence.

  Austin pulled up to an ice rink, and Jisu felt a shot of confidence. All those amateur ice-skating lessons her mom had put her through were not for naught. If they couldn’t catch the eye of a college admissions director, at the very least she could put them to use here and impress Austin.

  “In the summertime, I give surfing lessons. And in the fall and winter, I teach kids how to skate,” Austin explained as he handed Jisu a pair of rental skates. “You know how to skate? Or do you need me to teach you along with the rest of these kids?”

  A table next to the rink was covered with a pink tablecloth and had an arrangement of purple paper plates, cups and napkins. Clusters of large, pastel-colored balloons were tied at both ends of the table. A banner that read HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, GINA! hung above the table. The birthday cake hadn’t been served yet, but candy had been put out and the eight-year-olds were already amped up on sugar. They were screaming and running around like tiny little demons while the parents stood in a corner, looking exhausted.

  “Hi, I’m Gina’s mom.” One of the mothers approached Jisu and Austin. “You can teach them anything you want—leaps, twirls, whatever. You can even just have them skate around the rink. Just make sure they get so exhausted they all pass out when they get home. All the parents would be indebted to you.”

  “Not a problem.” Austin smiled. “My friend Jisu is here to help me, so the kids will really get their energy out.”

  Friend. The word echoed in Jisu’s mind. It would be weird for him to introduce Jisu as his date to this mom they’d just met. At her kid’s party. Which was also his job.

  “Great!” Gina’s mother handed them two glittery party hats and promptly retreated to the parents’ corner.

  Austin stepped onto the rink and glided to the center. “Can everybody gather around?” he said and the children quickly skated toward him. Despite their intense sugar high, even the kids couldn’t resist Austin’s energy.

  The two of them managed to maintain the children’s attention long enough to teach them how to skate sideways, backward and even spin. Austin handled all of them with ease, even the ones who at first were too scared to let go of the rink walls. It was easy for him to gain a kid’s trust. Jisu held hands with the kids, skated in circles and laughed with them. She felt like a little kid again. These hyperactive kids were lucky to have zero menacing thoughts about college hovering over them like a dark cloud.

  “All right, everyone,” Austin yelled over the giggling and shrieking. “Now let’s see who can do the most laps around the rink.”

  The kids took off like a pack of wolves. Or more like a pack of wolf puppies that were still learning how to run properly, some of them toppling over each other. Jisu leaned against the ice-rink boards. She was exhausted. Austin skated up to her.

  “This is the last and easiest part of the job,” he said. “Where you just watch and let them tire themselves out.”

  Austin made silly faces at the kids and gave them an encouraging thumbs-up as they skated by. Something inside of Jisu melted. How did he even end up with these random odd jobs, teaching kids how to surf and skate? It was probably just another off-the-cuff decision. A classic Aus
tin move, going wherever life led him, doing whatever he wanted.

  She was nothing like him. Hitting up Austin to get together had been an impulsive move that was out of character for Jisu, but she was happy to be here with him. Even if they were kicking it with a dozen kids and their parents.

  “Wanna get some real food?” Austin tossed his plate of cake into the trash bin. They had both consumed sweets all afternoon, and Jisu’s head had started to ache.

  “Yes.” Jisu threw away her half-eaten slice of cake, too. “All this sugar is making my head throb.”

  “What are you in the mood for? Have anywhere in mind?”

  “You pick. I’ll go wherever,” Jisu said. And she meant it. She liked it when Austin took the lead. She liked being in the passenger seat when he drove. It was nice to let someone like him take the wheel and just go along for the ride.

  * * *

  They ended up at Tito’s Kitchen. Tito’s was tucked between a sushi restaurant and a UPS shipping store. All of the best restaurants Jisu had been to since she’d arrived were located in the most inconspicuous spots. This was a good sign. The awning was simple, with TITO’S KITCHEN written in all caps in bright blue and red against a white backdrop. A golden yellow sun was painted between the words Tito’s and Kitchen. A green neon light that spelled OPEN glowed in the window. Both sides of a long, verbose menu were taped below the neon sign.

  “You ever hear about this place?” Austin asked.

  “I haven’t. Is that bad?” One of these days, Austin was going to ask her about a local restaurant, the latest indie movie or a B-list American pop star, and she was going to know what he was talking about. But today was not that day. She hadn’t caught up on any of Austin’s pop-culture assignments.

  “I mean, it’s only the first restaurant on the list I gave you of places to eat,” he teased. Austin could list every restaurant in the Bay Area and ramble on about each one. Jisu would listen to all of it.

  “If you ever hear anyone talk shit about Tito’s, you need to tell me so I can set them straight,” he said as he opened the restaurant door for her. Like a real gentleman. “My uncles run this restaurant. It’s literally their kitchen.”

  The smell of garlic and pork hit Jisu as soon as she stepped in. They had arrived just as the dinner rush was ending. Only a handful of patrons were scattered throughout the room, most of them lingering over their last bites and asking for the check. A stout middle-aged man dressed in a button-down shirt, jacket and slacks leaned against the kitchen counter in the back and chatted away with the chef. The chef was taller and his long hair was tied back into a ponytail. They looked alike. You could tell by the way the chef moved around the kitchen that he was younger. The bell tied to the entrance door rang as Austin stepped inside behind Jisu. It was like a Pavlovian effect, the way the older man immediately straightened up and turned around to greet them. A look of recognition flashed in his eyes and he threw his hands up.

  “Look who it is!”

  “Hey, Tito Ron.” Austin gave the man a hug. He looked to the chef in the kitchen. “Hi, Tito Jhun!”

  “And who is this young lady?” Tito Ron asked.

  “This is my friend Jisu. We just got back from teaching kids how to skate at the rink for a birthday party,” Austin said.

  Friend.

  “Jhun!” Ron yelled. “You can whip something up for these two, yeah?”

  “You got it, kuya!” Jhun shouted back.

  “You guys came at the right time.” Ron seated Jisu and Austin at a table by the kitchen. He pulled up a chair and sat next to Austin. “Tito Jhun and I were thinking about doing some karaoke in the back room after closing.”

  “Just the two of you?”

  “We invited some of our buddies who are getting off work soon. But what’s wrong with karaoke with two people anyway?”

  “Nothing!” Austin laughed. “I think our family does karaoke more than the customers. Do people even know there’s a room in the back?”

  “Of course! They go crazy about it all over Yelp!” Ron turned to Jisu. “You ever do karaoke?”

  “I actually used to go a lot with my family and friends back in Korea.”

  “Oh, you’re Korean. You guys can give us a run for our money when it comes to karaoke. But nobody beats Filipinos.” Tito Ron grinned. He and Austin shared the same playful, crooked smile. “After you eat, you two are joining us,” he said definitively, as if they had no choice.

  Of course they didn’t have a choice.

  Jhun soon appeared with heaps of food. Ron described each plate in detail—pancit, lumpias, pork adobo and spam fries—but Jisu was too busy taking bites of everything to pay full attention to the ingredient breakdown of each dish. Chasing hyperactive children around an ice rink all afternoon had left her famished.

  This was her first time eating Filipino food, but there was a familiarity and close comfort in each spoonful of steamy garlic rice and each salty bite of pork.

  Jisu and Austin nearly finished every plate of food, and she was ready to go home and pass out. There was no way she could participate, no less sit through, a round of karaoke. But Ron and Jhun were in the back room and already on their third song. Through the door, she could hear them belting the lyrics to “My Way” with a fervent passion.

  “We can just ditch them,” Austin said. He looked tired, too. “They won’t care.”

  Even though Jisu was beat, a part of her did want to stay. They’d been generous to feed her enough to keep her full through the rest of the weekend. Jisu was also low-key curious to know if Austin could hold a note. She didn’t want today to end just yet.

  “Let’s stay,” she said. “I’m going to record you singing, and it’ll go viral.”

  “That.” Austin took Jisu’s hand and led her to the back. “That is not going to happen.”

  The room was lit in a deep shade of pink. A mini disco ball hung from the ceiling and flashed brightly as it spun around. A huge TV displayed the lyrics against an old Filipino music video.

  “I’ve lived a life that’s full,” they sang, as Ron loosened up his tie and Jhun crumpled up his white apron and tossed it aside. The two brothers each held a mic and swayed back and forth with the music. Ron pulled Austin to his side and wrapped his arm tightly around him. He was singing with such fervent passion that it looked like he had his nephew in a headlock. Ron handed Austin the mic as the song swelled into the chorus. Austin turned back to Jisu, looking slightly embarrassed.

  “Go, Austin!” Jisu smiled and cheered him on.

  He was always so confident that he commanded the attention of any room he walked into. But this reserved version of him was new.

  “I did it my way,” Austin crooned. He wasn’t a bad singer, but his uncles overpowered and outperformed him. He kept turning around between verses and looking at Jisu as if to say, These guys are so crazy! And then he’d turn back, harmonize with his uncles and sing all the backup singer parts. He was being a good sport. Who else got to see this side of him? Jisu cheered them all on. She wanted Austin to know that she was happy to be here with him. It was rare to spend a whole day with someone and not grow sick of that person. Even with Euni, Min or Hiba, Jisu needed her space after spending an entire afternoon with them, working at the library or getting lunch and watching a movie.

  But she had been with Austin from the morning well into the evening, and she could’ve stayed in that karaoke room for several more hours. Jisu wondered if he felt the same way. If he didn’t, they would’ve parted ways and gone home a long time ago, right?

  * * *

  Ron and Jhun kept them in the karaoke room for four more songs, until their friends finally showed up. It was nearly midnight, and Jisu’s eyelids felt heavy as they finally got into the car.

  “Thanks for hanging out with me today,” Austin said as he turned the engine on. “You’re the chillest girl I’ve eve
r met. I feel like everyone at Wick is way too uptight and freaked out about senior year and college, but you...” Austin ran his hand through Jisu’s hair. The tiny hairs on her neck stood up.

  Relax, Jisu thought to herself. Relax.

  The heat from his hand warmed the back of her neck. His brown eyes stared into hers. She could pass out from the mix of nerves, excitement and anxiety that bubbled inside her.

  “You just go with the flow, like you’ve got things figured out,” he said. But Jisu felt paralyzed. The more cavalier and smooth Austin was, the more Jisu felt tense with nervous excitement.

  Be cool. Be the cool girl he thinks you are. You are a cool girl. You’ve gone on how many seons with how many dudes? And turned them all down? Shoot. The seons. Was that something she should tell him about? No. Why ruin the moment? Live in it. She was just going with the flow.

  “Austin,” Jisu said. He interlocked his fingers with hers. His hand was warm and reassuring. Jisu wondered if he could sense how quick her pulse was. She didn’t want him to know that she was essentially a tangled bundle of nerves about to fall apart at any moment. “I really like you,” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

  Austin pulled her in. He let go of her hand and held her face. He kissed her. The million nervous thoughts that were racing through her mind disappeared. She kissed him back. Jisu had kissed boys before. Those were sweet, shy, vanilla, one-note. But it had never felt like this. This was different. This was a shot through her heart. A megawatt jolt of energy. A million adrenaline explosions. A taste of something she wanted more of.

  Austin ran his hand down her back and held Jisu by the waist. He pulled her over to his side of the car. Jisu was hyperaware of every moving joint, muscle and limb in her body. She was quickly approaching a place she hadn’t gone before, and she was nervous and enthralled to approach the line in the sand. But she was here, in a new place, with a new person, and she was ready to do what she wanted. She felt light as a feather, the way he so easily moved her over to him. He kept kissing her, and she didn’t want him to stop. It was wonderful to be there on top of him in the driver’s seat and make out with him until her lips went numb. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair, because that’s what she noticed girls did in movies. And because Austin had beautiful, shiny black locks. How could she not touch them?