Finding Unity

by Ripley Proserpina

  Chapter 28

  Nora

  The next few days passed with so little drama, Nora wondered if she’d imagined Newsline and all the media interest. She worked the weekend and her first shift without Frank, and dove into the coming week. It felt so good to be busy. With Matisse’s help, she’d signed up for her first college class—College Math—which turned out to be a review of what she learned in high school, but she was relieved that she remembered as much as she did. There were times that, even though she was only twenty-one, high school seemed like decades ago.

  When she told Matisse this, he laughed. “Well, chére, you’ve had more action in these years than most people have in a lifetime.”

  Fair enough.

  Seok was just as quiet, and he hadn’t said a word about his father arriving. Nora found herself straightening up as she walked through the house, as if the man might appear at any time to catch them unaware. Not that the guys were messy. Each one of them kept things clean, and if anyone had ever told her that five men could keep a bathroom cleaner than her, she’d never have believed them.

  For the past two nights, Nora climbed the steps to Seok’s bedroom. Something inside her wanted to be close to him. Even though he wasn’t telling her more about his father or his past or whatever made him go quiet and his gaze distant.

  She got into his bed, holding him tightly when he was there, using her body to show him how much she loved him.

  He held her close, burrowed his face in against her neck, and fell asleep. And he kept her that way every night, like she was his personal shield against whatever worries overwhelmed him in the darkness.

  In the mornings, he got up before she did, kissed her cheek, and left. She didn’t know if it was the project he was making for the opera house, or something else at work, but it kept him away most of the day. Still, he met her every evening she worked at Frank’s, and gave her a ride home or walked with her up the hill.

  Those walks were sometimes the best part of her day. Sure, he kept the conversation light, but he held her hand and smiled at her. It wasn’t as if his father’s visit, or her notoriety, could be avoided. It would appear when it appeared.

  Frank’s Comics was busy, even on weekdays, with customers who didn’t seem old enough to be out of school. It wasn’t Nora’s business, but she couldn’t help eyeing the lanky youths and wondering if they were taking advantage of the nice weather and skipping classes.

  There were definitely worse places they could end up.

  It was with that in mind that she brought an idea first to Frank and then to Cai. A group of four kids had appeared after lunch, and had spent the afternoon, sitting next to the racks, back against the shelves, as they read. Frank never discouraged it, and Nora wasn’t about to either. She liked listening to them, eavesdropping on their conversations about manga and cosplay.

  “I’ve noticed a lot of kids at the shop lately,” she told Cai that night. It was an early night for him, so he was home for dinner, which was nice.

  “It’s the nice weather,” he replied, cutting into the chicken she’d grilled. “They don’t like being stuck inside the school. Most of them are ditching. Any of them mine?”

  She loved the way he referred to the kids who went to the youth center as his. Nora suspected they felt that inclusion and that was what kept them coming back to the center.

  “I haven’t recognized any.” She put her fork down. “I was talking to Frank and we were wondering if we could maybe work together, or collaborate, on some programming for the kids. Frank had an idea for some art classes or comic drawing classes, and I thought maybe a comic group, like a book group. But since they’re coming and staying, if there was a way to make it—I don’t know—legitimate.”

  As she spoke, a smile grew on his face, and by the time she’d finished bumbling her explanation, he was nodding. “That’s a great idea.”

  “I don’t know how that works with school, though, if they’re skipping. What kind of outreach do the schools do? Have you ever approached them about having a class downtown? With a real teacher?”

  “I’d have skipped a lot less school if I’d had classes out of the building,” Matisse said. He took her empty glass. “More sweet tea?”

  She shook her head. “I’m going to be bouncing off walls if I drink more. Just water.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “I like the sugary way you taste,” he whispered before he brought her glass to the sink.

  “I never thought of that,” Cai said, getting her back on track. “We definitely collaborate after school. One of our counselors is a school employee, but during the day. That’s a great idea, Nora. I don’t think anyone’s ever brought it up.”

  “This is why she’d be an amazing teacher.” Matisse placed her glass next to her plate and sat.

  It was a small group at the table tonight, just her, Matisse, Cai, and Ryan, but they all smiled hugely at Matisse’s announcement.

  “Teacher?” Ryan asked. “Is that what you’re going to do?”

  The first-year classes were so basic, she hadn’t mentioned to the other guys that was the way she was leaning. Matisse knew just because he’d helped her sign up for some pre-reqs. “I think so.”

  “Perfect.” Ryan’s green eyes twinkled, and he reached across the table for her hand. “Nore. You’re perfect for that.”

  Cai cupped the side of her head, dragging her toward him so he could kiss her. “Nora. I can’t think of anything more suited for you. The way you are with the kids…”

  “It was my expert guidance that led her to the realization.” Matisse crossed his hands behind his head.

  Ryan tossed a balled-up napkin at Matisse’s face, which he swatted away.

  “He’s not wrong.” Nora leaned over to give him a kiss on his cheek. He stopped her before she could pull away and gently touched his lips to hers.

  “Bah.” He moved back. “That was all you, my beautiful genius.” His words were tinged with humor, but the way he held her gaze made her realize he wasn’t joking.

  Quick as a wink, she darted forward and kissed him again. “Takes one to know one.”

  He laughed, easing back into his chair. The rest of dinner was spent talking about both her idea for the youth center and comic shop, and the path she’d need to take to become a teacher. Each of the guys were animated, excited, and soon she was giddy. Her dinner was forgotten, all she could think about was the future, and it seemed right at her fingertips.

  Old Nora would have said something like, you’ll pay for this happiness. But new Nora was focused on the positive. So when the phone rang the next day at Frank’s, and it was Serena from Newsline, she had to assure herself, over and over, that this wasn’t payment for her happiness.

  “Things went in a bit of a different direction,” Serena told her, and her blood froze. “So we want to give you a chance to look at what we have and respond before you outright refuse to do an interview.”

  She didn’t know what to say. It went in a different direction? Did she really want to be blindsided by whatever they’d put together on camera?

  “I really don’t know,” she answered honestly.

  “Look.” Serena’s voice went quiet, as if she were trying not to be overheard. “I don’t usually have any qualms about putting these stories together and letting the chips fall where they may, but I think you should see this. Consider it. I’d even be willing to let you watch the tape without cameras, first. If you’ll just think about it.”

  That seemed like a fair offer. God. It took so much effort to give people the benefit of the doubt and not expect the worst from them. Her instincts were to curl into a ball, grow spikes, and protect herself, but what if she didn’t need to?

  “I’ll think about it, Serena.”

  The woman let out a breath. “Good.”

  “Can I have until tonight?” She’d like to talk to the guys about it over dinner. She was sure they’d agree with her, but because she was second-guessing herself now, she needed
them to weigh in.

  “That’s fine.”

  “Okay.” The door chimed and the same four kids from yesterday came into the shop. “Thank you.”

  Nora hung up the phone and waved to the kids. “Let me know if I can help you with anything.”

  They glanced at each other, making their way to the space she’d decided was their hang spot. They settled in, backpacks against the shelves like the back of a chair, and leaned back. Soon, the conversation picked up and drifted to her.

  Every so often she glanced at them, checked in to see if they needed anything, and went back to work. She liked having their voices as the soundtrack to her day. She’d tune it out, dust the merchandise, and move on.

  Given that this was the third day they’d appeared in a row, she decided she could introduce herself. While they basically ignored her, if she wanted to make a go of her idea to partner with the youth center, she needed to reach out.

  Grabbing some comics she needed to shelve, she approached them. “Hi.”

  All four were dressed similarly in ripped jeans and baggy sweatshirts. It surprised her given how warm it was outside and how most of the people on Congregation Street had opted for the bare amount of clothing. From the way they peeked at her, gaze landing only for moments before skittering away, she had the sense they were trying to hide.

  Afraid she would scare them out of the store, she turned her back on them to shelve the comics. “We have some comics in back, if you’re looking for a series or specific author.” Keeping her back to them, she called over her shoulder, “Just ask. My name is Nora.”

  A high light voice followed her a second later. “I know who you are. We used to go to Twilight. You were my sub in PE once.”

  And here she’d been thinking they were nervous because they should be in school, when actually, they were probably scared of her.

  Sidestepping, she glanced over her shoulder. Blue eyes in a delicate face met hers. “Ella. This is Jax, Mav, and Cece. You probably don’t remember us.”

  She wished she did. “I’ll remember you now.” For some reason, she found herself lowering her voice and talking slower. Clearing her throat, she smiled at each of them. “Nice to meet you,” and went back to the counter.

  The store was quiet after that, like she’d sucked the life right out of it, which hadn’t been her intention at all.

  She went about distracting herself—filling online orders, checking inventory in back—but every so often she’d stop, trying to remember their faces in a classroom.

  Someone cleared their throat and she jumped, slapping her hand over her heart.

  “Sorry.” It was Ella.

  Nora pasted a smile on her lips. She started to ask What can I do for you or Can I help you? but what came out was, “Help?” Wincing, she tried again, “What can I help you with?” Ugh. Not better.

  Ella’s friends stood, backpacks over their shoulders and waited at the door. “Are you coming?” Jax asked.

  “In a minute,” she replied, waving them away.

  They left, leaving the two of them. Ella stared at the counter, fingers gripping the edges. Nora glanced down as well, noticing that her nails were chipped and bitten. Not that different from hers, actually. When she first met the guys, she chewed her nails to the quick.

  “I just wanted to tell you that it wasn’t your fault. What your foster brother did. And I think that doctor guy who messed with you both was a dick.” Her face blushed deeper as she spoke. “That’s it.”

  Struck dumb, Nora watched her leave and join her friends. Ella didn’t glance back, but her friends did. Lifting her hand, she waved and tried to smile, and to her astonishment, before they left, they waved back.

  Something about the chance Ella had taken to talk to her had Nora thinking about taking a chance on Serena and Newsline. The two weren’t connected in an obvious way, but Ella’s statement about the shooting not being her fault struck her to her core. It would be so easy for other people to blame her, just because of her association with Reid, for what had happened.

  But Ella had kept an open mind.

  Maybe that was what kept nagging at her. Serena said the story had gone in a different direction—what did that mean?

  By the time Seok arrived, Nora was a ball of nerves. She closed and locked the door. Seok was dressed more conservatively than she was used to seeing him, in dress slacks and a button-down.

  “How was work?” she asked after kissing him.

  He shrugged. “Lots of meetings with committees. I had lunch at a country club.” He shuddered as if he’d been through a haunted house and not a lunch.

  “That bad?”

  He took her hand, threading his fingers between hers, and began to walk toward the parking garage. “No. It just reminds me too much of the work I did for my family. There’s an American word I like that sums it up perfectly. Schmoozing. Kissing ass. I hate it.”

  Yeah. Seok had never struck her as the sort of man who would be friendly just to get something from someone.

  “What did you have to do?” she asked. “What did your father expect?”

  He squeezed her hand. “I would meet up with business associates. Laugh at their jokes. Compliment them. Do whatever I had to do to keep their business, or get them to do what we needed to do. I went to plays, bars, restaurants I hated, and the entire time I kept a smile on my fucking face because it was what my family expected.”

  Pulling him to a stop, she studied him a little closer, looking for signs of the Seok she knew in this button-downed version of him.

  It was subtle, when she finally noticed it. “Your shoes.”

  She hadn’t even looked past the slim black pants, but there they were. Seok dipped down, giving her a lingering kiss. “Do you like them? They’re called smoking shoes.”

  They were snakeskin, and definitely more rock n’ roll than businessman. “I love them. They’re you.”

  “I never would have gotten away with this with my father. Even when I was in Montreal, making sure permits went through, there was always someone watching. Always someone to let my father know when I failed to deliver, or live up to his notion of what his son should do. Whenever I do things like this, I think about my brother, and I wonder if Baek’s over-the-top behavior was not selfishness and egotism, but rebellion.” He kissed her again, hand solid at her lower back. Someone whistled, but Seok ignored them and so did she. He needed her, that hand kept her anchored. Anyone who had a problem with their affection could go to hell.

  Pulling away with a soft smack, he opened his eyes. “Actually, I know it was. I just don’t like to admit it, because then I have to admit that I should have been more understanding to him and the pressure he was under. I don’t think I ever realized how suffocating it was until I lived it. And now that I’m free, the thought of going down that road again scares the hell out of me.”

  She pushed his hair off his forehead. “Do you have to?” she asked. “If it’s not what you want?”

  His gaze jumped from her forehead to her lips then back to her eyes. “No. I don’t. And I don’t want it. I want you. I want the life we’ve made and the one that’s ahead of us. Not the one my father has laid out for me. That’s a path I have no interest in taking.”

  She’d never felt the kind of family pressure Seok—or even Matisse for that matter—lived with, so she couldn’t console him by saying his choice would be easy. But she’d support him. If it meant he lost everything and she had to work at Frank’s or shoveling shit, she’d make sure the only life Seok lived was the one he wanted.

  Chapter 29

  Seok

  Nora got a fierce look in her eyes and suddenly stood on her toes, gripped the back of his neck, and pulled him down to her. Her kiss was hard and bruising. “You tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”

  “Be with me.” Stay by his side and be his partner. That was what he needed. Her support. Her smile. Her body wrapped around his. When he had those things, he was unstoppable. If she were with hi
m, he could say no when the word really mattered.

  She kissed him again, this time softer. “Done.”

  God. She settled him. All day long, he’d felt this nagging worry. Part of it was the type of day he had, putting on a show for the benefactors of the opera house, and the other part was this sense of feeling like an imposter. With just one glance, Nora had seen him. The true him. She saw how he kept himself from being a sellout when he had to smile at jokes or pretend that it didn’t bother him when people asked where he was from even before he opened his mouth and revealed his accent.

  “Go on a date with me.” He wanted more time with her, alone. Now that he’d started to unburden himself, he wanted to tell her everything. More than the version he’d told her last week. All the ugly, devastating details that kept him up some nights.

  She studied him as if she could read those stories in his face. “Okay. Will you let the other guys know?”

  Relief filled him. “Yes.” Stepping away, he sent a quick text and then shoved the phone in his pocket. He wanted his hands on her again, even if it was just to feel her palm against his.

  “Where should we go?” she asked.

  Someplace special. They didn’t go out to dinner often—unless they were helping Cai. On the corner of Congregation Street was a little bistro. It had opened a few weeks ago with a small menu and outdoor seating. Taking her hand, he led her down the cobblestones. When they got there, he stopped. “Here?”

  “Sure.” She smiled up at him and it was as if it sent light right into his heart. How could she look at him like this? Like he hung the moon? Like it was the greatest thing in the world to share her time with him?

  Seok opened the door for her, gave their name to the host, and then, hand clasping Nora’s, led her to the table the host showed them.