Absinthe novel Chapter 40

I woke up to a familiar feeling of warmth and deep-rooted satisfaction. Like drinking a perfect cup of hot chocolate with melting marshmallows on top on a cold winter night in Seoul. I struggled to open my eyes despite the gentle rays of the sun inviting me to get up and make the most of the morning. What's more, I enjoyed the feeling of the strong, lean arm holding me in place. It reminded me of the way my long-term ex-boyfriend would hold me whenever we spooned after sex.

Wait. Whose arm is this?

I opened my eyes to find Jiwoo sleeping comfortably beside me. He still wasn't awake even with the room bathing in sunlight, which I realized was more blinding than gentle. When had I parted the curtains? I removed Jiwoo's arm off me and forced myself to sit upright. That was when I realized that the two of us were naked except for our boxer shorts. And then the memories of the night before came flooding back.

"Guys, they're awake!"

I felt Jiwoo stir beside me and my heart skipping a few beats. Reluctantly, I turned my head toward the windows and squinted at the figure standing there: Derrick.

"Thank God," came the voice of Vivi followed by Nico's.

"Well, well. It looks like some of us had too much fun last night."

I snatched a glance at the clock on my bedside table. It read 8:45. Fuck! We had all agreed to leave Manila at around 6:00 AM. And from the looks of things, Nico and Vivi had been in the house since then. Somebody kill me now!

I pushed Jiwoo in an effort to wake him up. He shifted again and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"A little privacy, please?" I begged everyone. Thankfully, they seemed to understand and exited the room one after the other.

I wanted to cry at that moment, but there was still that lengthy drive to Benguet. I should deal with the now and deal with the previous night much later.

The inside of Nico's Lexus was comfortable and nothing short of grand, though it wasn't as luxurious as mine nor Derrick's. He was driving off a busy EDSA with Vivi in the passenger seat. She was flipping between radio stations to find something she liked. I was not particular about them—I just hoped she would choose something bearable. I didn't think I could stand the awkwardness between myself and the guy sitting beside me if the DJ were to start talking about love and relationships.

"That was a nice kitchen you got back there," Nico said. "German-made fittings?"

"Yeah," I answered nonchalantly. "Were you guys able to eat breakfast?"

"We did," Vivi said. "Your cute roommate graciously allowed us to cook some stuff."

I felt my stomach growl a little and hoped that none of them heard it.

"We saw some coffee buns," Nico said. "We threw them away, though. It looked like you forgot to put them in the oven. It's a shame really. The streusel topping looked amazing."

I had this habit of face-palming myself even before emojis became a thing. Sometimes, I use two palms instead of one because of how embarrassing the situation is. In that moment, I did the latter.

"We can stop by Starbucks and grab something if you guys are hungry," Nico offered.

"Nah. We're good, man," Jiwoo answered.

Could he not speak for himself only? I had done most of the cooking last night, and all he did was the pastry cream of our failed coffee buns!

"If you say so," Nico said, smiling at us from the rear view mirror. "We did pack up your sandwiches. And we managed to salvage some of the muffins, but most of them got burnt."

That was all Jiwoo's fault. If he hadn't made a move while we were cooking, we would not have left all those goodies in the oven. And we wouldn't have been two hours late.

"Coffee?" Jiwoo asked, offering up a metallic tumbler from Starbucks UK.

I took it and drank eagerly, hoping that the caffeine would give me the confidence to face the 8-hour ride with Jiwoo only inches away from me.

Nothing had happened between us, but we almost had sex. And he had seen me crying my eyes out while reading JM's letter. Ugh. Someone kill me now, please.

"I miss Chico and Delamar," Vivi commented as the DJ's voice blared out of the car's speakers. "It's hard to find someone of their caliber these days."

I nodded in silent agreement. Faye and I were fans. We had cried when we found out the two had had a falling out, not just professionally but personally as well.

Nico continued to drive for the next two hours, and the other three of us were content to just hum along whatever song the DJ played on the radio. The scenery didn't change much as we barely made it out of the metro. Had we left by 6 AM, we would have probably been halfway our trip by now.

"Hey guys, wanna play a game?" Nico asked. "Two truths and a lie? We've been together for a while, but we barely know each other."

"I'm in," Vivi replied.

Jiwoo glanced at me before he answered affirmatively, and all of them looked at me for my answer.

"Of course," I said, forcing a smile.

"Great!" Nico said. "I guess I'm starting then. I'm half French. I grew up in Paris. I'm straight."

"That one's easy!" Vivi remarked. "We know for a fact that you're half French and you're straight. The lie must be Paris. You grew up somewhere else."

"Really? I'm straight?" Nico asked mockingly. "If Jiwoo hadn't so obviously barricaded BJ—"

Jiwoo coughed, and Vivi giggled.

"He's straight," I said. "Nico never set my gaydar off. That's proof enough." All three of them laughed.

"I have Grindr, though."

My eyes widened, and Vivi made an audible gasp. "The gay app? The literal gaydar?"

"Uh-huh," Nico said with a chuckle. I figured it was a joke.

"Seriously, though. Where did you grow up?" I asked in a persistent tone.