The Hang Out // Conan
It was the weekend and I had nothing to do. Swim meet was Monday, so I couldn't go out partying like usual. It was almost sunset, and I've done nothing all day in my dorm except watch YouTube videos and surf reddit.
I was looking through text messages to see who I could hit up. Most of the guys on the swim team were secretly partying. The booty calls had no appeal to me. I was scrolling more and saw Sulbi. I decided to hit her up.
____________________________
Text from Conan:
Hey, what's up? Wanna go on a walk near the lake and grab late night pizza or ice cream?
Text from Sulbi:
Yeah sure! I'll meet you by the frat houses?
Text from Conan:
Yeah cool! See you in 5.
____________________________
I'll finally get to meet the girl. It's been a month since the last time we texted. She never reached out to me and my grandma has still been bothering me about meeting her. If anything, I'll meet a new friend, I guess.
I put on my Bates Swim team hoodie, blue baseball cap, and sweatpants. The frat houses are like a minute by foot, so I take my time and walk out the door. I'm walking toward the parking lot and I see a short girl with short black hair, noticeable brown eyes (most Asian people have dark, near black eyes), and a checkered/gingham dress.
"Hey. I'm Conan, are you Sulbi or Sherry?"
"Hi Conan... Yeah... You can call me whichever. I don't have a preference," she said shyly with minimal eye contact.
"Okay, I guess I'll call you Sulbi. I like Korean names. I never got one," I said. We walk off campus toward Lake Madison nearby. There's a paved trail and boardwalk around the lake. We talk about school, family, Korean culture, and hobbies. She likes to read and write. She's also sweet. She looks at me intently when I talk. You can tell she's really listening even though I don't have much to say or at least not anything important. Then we talk about relationships...
"So... Conan. Have you dated anyone?" Sulbi asked.
"Nah. I get that question a lot from my family and friends. I don't understand why they can't leave me alone about it sometimes... Like can't I enjoy being single?" I replied.
"Yeah, I get you. My family, especially my grandparents, ask the same thing. They think just because I'm a petite Asian girl with pale skin, I should be attracting a lot of guys. But hey, we're not in Korea anymore and guys here don't like girls like that," she said.
I look at her and think she's pretty though. Her pale skin in contrast with her pink cheeks. Small eyes but glowing due to their golden brown undertone. She dresses well too. Cute.
"Yeah, I mean we have a lot of time. We're only 19," I said.
We watch as the orange in the sky disappears into the blue, grey landscape. The moon begins to reflect off the surface of the lake. A duck flutters it's wings and flies off the rippling water. It's nice. Walking and talking--and not talking. I feel comfortable in the silence.
"You hungry at all? We can grab pizza or ice cream if you want," I asked.
"I'm not really hungry for pizza or ice cream to be honest... do you want to come to my dorm and eat Gorebap" Sulbi countered.
"Oh hell yeah. I love Gorebap. They were my favorite snack in my childhood. I haven't had them in forever because I've become so white washed," I smiled.
We headed to her dorm and we arrived at the all girls dorm, Vivian Hall. She unlocks her door with her key and then accidentally drops it. I swoop down to grab it for her, and the door opens slowly. Her room is filled with artwork. Probably hers. Lots of pastel paintings, flowers, and abstract art.
"Cool artwork. Did you make all of these?" I asked.
"Yeah I did... I'm kind of a hoarder, so most of the paintings are from middle school and high school," she said while leading me to her desk and bed. "You can sit on the bed if you want. It's more comfortable than the chair."
I hopped on the bed and adored her artwork. I like the one that's hanging above her headboard. It has a pastel purple outline on it with white, black, and dark purple splatters that resemble flowers. It looks both dynamic and isolated at the same time. Messy and beautiful. The color combination is also interesting. "What was your motivation behind choosing the colors for this painting?" I asked.
"Oh uhm... They're the colors for the asexual flag in the LGBTQ+ community," she said looking up at me.