Devil on a Harley (2018) - Chapter 7
"No Touchy-feely"
Yuri woke up to a persistent vibration.
Yawning, she reached for her phone under the pillow. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, a wide smile adorned her face.
A text message from Jessica Jung had come in:
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead. It's the weekend. If you're not doing anything, let's go on a date."
From her corner of the city, Jessica sat in bed, waiting with bated breath after having texted Yuri.
A moment later, her phone buzzed:
"What do you have in mind?"
Back came Jessica's reply: "Breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, then cycling along the Han River. Maybe the movies after lunch, and dinner at my place with my roommate."
Yuri: "Harley or Mini?"
Jessica: "Harley."
Yuri: "Pick you up in an hour?"
Jessica: "Laters."
*
Seated across the table from her date, Yuri watched in amusement, as the raspberry filling oozed out of the donut, starting to dribble down Jessica's chin the moment she had bitten into it.
Reaching across with a serviette in hand, Yuri proceeded to wipe the sticky mess from the blonde's chin, head tilted sideways, gazing at her date in a teasing manner.
"You're like a little kid."
Blood rushing to her cheeks, Jessica pushed Yuri's hand away. "Stop looking at me," she ordered, then pointed to Yuri's cup of coffee, "Here, drink."
"You blush so easily. I wonder why?" Yuri ignored her, continuing in that teasing tone of voice.
"Just 'cause."
"Just 'cause what?"
"Stop teasing and eat up." Jessica pushed the plate of donuts towards Yuri.
"You're really shy beneath that feisty exterior."
Jessica put her donut down. "And you're a terrible flirt, Kwon Yuri. I saw you flirting with the girl at the counter just now."
"She started hitting on me first."
"How can you even tell if she bends that way?"
"Oh, she's totally gay, the way she was coming on so strongly. I think she fancies me. She offered to give me free coffee refills."
"You're incorrigible."
"Yes, I am rather."
"I forbid you to accept the refills, and we're never coming here again. Ever."
"You're jealous?"
"Don't flatter yourself. "
"You're cute when you're jealous."
"I . AM . NOT. JEALOUS."
"Okay, no refills," Yuri grinned as she held up both hands in surrender. "Know this... I only have eyes for you, Jessica Jung."
And the blonde blushed yet again.
*
The rest of the day passed as planned by Jessica.
They went cycling along the Han River, had lunch at the COEX mall, caught a movie there, and went home to have dinner with Sooyoung.
But before that, Yuri insisted on stopping by the stores near the girls' apartment to get some flowers and a fruit basket for Jessica's roommate.
"That's really sweet of you," Jessica said as they waited for the elevator. "You look all ready to win her over."
"Well, she's your best friend after all. Thought I'd better get in her good books."
Ding.
The elevator door opened and they stepped in.
"Hey, Sooyoung is straighter than straight. Don't even think about flirting with her," Jessica warned, wagging her finger.
"I'm on my best behaviour."
*
Sooyoung was just setting the table when her bestie returned home with her date.
"Sooyoung, Kwon Yuri. Yuri, this is my best friend and roommate, Choi Sooyoung," Jessica introduced.
Yuri bowed politely while handing the bouquet of flowers and fruit basket over to Jessica's best friend.
"Oh, how nice. Yes, the flowers are...uhm... lovely. Thank you. Uhm, make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready in a short while."
"Can I help?" Yuri offered.
"Oh, nooo." Sooyoung gushed. "Jess, can you come help, please?"
Having ushered Yuri into the living area, Jessica went into the kitchen to help her roommate.
Sooyoung pointed to the flowers and fruit basket, whispering, "Golly gee. This is so weird...flowers and fruits. Is she visiting me in hospital or what?"
"But I thought that was really sweet of her."
"Oh well, at least she didn't come empty-handed." Sooyoung shrugged.
"Precisely."
"I would've so preferred chocolates, though."
"Choi Sooyoung..."
"Okay, okay." Then Sooyoung covered her mouth with both hands to stifle a giggle. "She's totes droolworthy."
Jessica giggled like an excitable schoolgirl, covering her mouth, too. "Yes, isn't she?"
"Now I know why you're leaning the other way. If I were a guy-"
"You're not and she's taken-she's mine."
"Possessive bitch."
*
Seated across the dining table from Jessica's best friend, Yuri felt most awkward, as could be seen in the way she was shifting about in her chair. She was sure Sooyoung was scrutinising her.
Noticing her plight, Jessica kicked her roommate under the table.
"Ouch..." Sooyoung shot daggers at her best friend as she bent to rub her ankle.
"Yuri, please excuse us. Sooyoung, kitchen. Now." Jessica stood up, gesturing for Sooyoung to follow her.
Once out of earshot, Jessica hissed at her roommate, "Will you quit staring? You're making her uncomfortable."
"But I wasn't staring. I merely took an extra look because she's such a fox."
"Well, stop."
"Have you noticed how dark her eyes are? And man, those lashes- "
"Sooyoung..."
"Okay! All right! From this moment on, I'm blind. Happy?"
"Good. Let's get the dessert now."
*
They spent the next few months getting to know each other, meeting frequently during the course of their work, or on dates.
Weekends were spent going to the movies, going on long drives to the countryside, shopping, cycling, rollerblading, bowling, and just about any other activity that couples usually partake in.
But there was one thing that Yuri and Jessica, as a couple, didn't do-they didn't have sex.
In fact, apart from the times when Jessica was riding pillion behind Yuri on her Harley, there was little physical contact. There was no kissing, not even any hand-holding.
Jessica knew that Yuri was being considerate towards her feelings, letting her adjust and get used to their relationship at her own pace.
After all, the social stigma associated with homosexuality could hardly be ignored. Especially when they were living in still conservative Korea, where Confucian ethics continued to be held in high esteem.
So, there was no rushing, no pushing, no touchy-feely. It was like Yuri was telling her:
It's okay, take your time. We don't have to do anything you'd rather not do or would feel uncomfortable doing. I'll wait for you. You tell me when.
And Jessica loved Yuri all the more for it.
She loved Yuri's honesty, remembering how open Yuri had been about her sexual orientation, right from the start.
She loved Yuri's sensitivity, her patience, her laid-back and easygoing nature, her diligence. All of which she saw through the way Yuri went about her work, how passionate she was about it; her interactions with the people around her, and the way she treated them.
Yuri would even put up with all of Sooyoung's nonsense, something even Jessica, the best friend, couldn't. It was simply in her altruistic nature to do things that benefitted others while disadvantaging herself.
This was when Jessica felt Yuri's magnanimity.
"Why did you agree to do that?" Jessica had once asked, miffed that Sooyoung had called Yuri at 2 in the morning to say that she and Jessica were hungry and could she please bring them some ddeokbokki?
"Because she's your best friend?"
"You know full well Sooyoung's just pulling a prank on you, and still, you stupidly went along with it?"
"But she said you were hungry, too."
"Yuri, baby, I would never make you crawl out of bed at that ungodly hour to bring me ddeokbokki even if I were starving the frick to death."
At times, Jessica wished Yuri wasn't so accommodating.
It made her feel all the more guilty.
*
Kwon Yuri was the kissy-touchy-feely sort but decidedly, it would be in everyone's best interest that she should just let Jessica Jung get used to this girl-on-girl thing before making any attempt at 'skinship'.
Any relationship was bound by commitments of sorts and Yuri needed Jessica's commitment.
It almost drove her half-crazy, knowing that she couldn't touch Jessica, recalling the time when she had initiated an attempt at intimacy with the blonde and she had totally freaked out.
So, Yuri had refrained, restrained herself, from touching Jessica. It was literally impossible. After all, her current squeeze was such a sexy, desirable, young woman.
But she held out.
It had taken all of her will power to refrain from looking down those tantalising, low-cut tops that Jessica loved to wear- those that showed some cleavage. And on several occasions, she had had to avert her gaze from Jessica's creamy thighs when she showed up for their dates in hip-hugging short shorts.
Once, Yuri had sat in a darkened cinema auditorium, her arms tightly folded across her chest almost entirely throughout the movie, just in case her hands decided that they had a mind of their own, and wandered over to Jessica's supple thighs, or worse-heaven forbid!- her bosoms, which were just screaming to be caressed.
No, Yuri was not a pervert per se and definitely not in the true sense of the word, anyway. She was just affectionate by nature, someone who was terribly in love and who wanted nothing more than a certain degree of intimacy with her girlfriend.
Sex was never far from her mind, Yuri admitted. Sad to say, she couldn't see it happening anytime soon, but still, she was hopeful. She would just have to wait for Jessica to initiate it, or at least, wait for her to give the go-ahead. She was respectful like that.
Meanwhile, she'd just have to remind herself of the other things about the blonde that she adored-like her oddly dry sense of humour, her spunky zest for life. But most important of all, under that seemingly cold and impatient exterior, was a shy, warm and caring person with a good listening ear.
Yuri also loved Jessica's flaws, which by the way, far outnumbered her good points. Jessica Jung was a lousy cook. She was untidy, bossy, and could be unreasonable and argumentative to a fault. More often than not, she was brash and hot-headed. At times, she was grouchy, prone to mood swings, which Yuri attributed to PMS, and had a jealous nature.
Indeed, love was blind.
It'll happen eventually- the sex-if I hope and pray hard enough.
Fortunately for Kwon Yuri, patience just happened to be one of her plus points.
Even if it didn't happen, that would be all right, too.
And again, that was her altruism playing up.
*tbc