Chapter Twenty: Gwen

Spring of 2022

Even after a year of not seeing Alejandro...him unconscious on the floor back then...not even an hour of me gone...he was being careless and hurting himself. His grandma died, his family, sad, and he did that. Plus his grandpa helping me escape that place without Alejandro's dad finding out. I don't know why he did it but it must have been for a good reason. I finally came to the hospital to visit him...bringing the flowers that his mom loved...Sunflowers. I enter his room trying to not wake anyone up. I don't want anyone to know that I am here. Especially because I went out of my way to come here from Virginia. I place the sunflowers on a table next to Alejandro. As I looked at his closed eye, seeing him lying there unconscious, I forgot how much I missed him. I tip-toe out of the room. A hand grabs me. It's Alejandro's dad. I shake away from his grasp.

"Don't ever come here again...You know you did this to him...being around him and intoxicating him with your words"

"No...no I didn't," I respond respectfully.

"Stay out of my family's life...You are a problem and no one needs you here...remembering past incidents," He shakes his head. Past incidents? "Don't come back," His dad says going back inside and closing the door behind him. I know I am the problem making Alejandro's life difficult. But I thought if I erased myself from his life that it would be better for him.

I slowly walk out of the hospital, wondering if this is the last time I am going to see Alejandro. I see Yi-Kyung and his mom wave at me. The sadness leaves my face. I am glad someone like him came into my life again. Someone who brought a smile back to my face when it was taken away from me. The time when we went to the fair at Coney Island. It was him who told me I would find out about him later. It's crazy how different situations are put into place to be there when we need them. Coincidences have a strange way of appearing.

"Going back home?" Yi-Kyung's mom asks me. I've been staying at their place in Virginia this past week because Rosaline has been distancing herself a little and her company seems to be busy these days so I want to give her some space. Lately, I just feel as if she's been off. She would send me random texts and calls asking questions of when I was little which I can't because I am old and I can't recall memories from my childhood.

"Yeah, just wanted to come here for a little" I respond to her.

"To see that guy that you fell in love with. But now you have me," I roll my eyes and laugh. Yi-Kyung and all his jokes. We fly back to Virginia.

"We are home," Yi-Kyung says walking into the house door. A smell of food floods my nose. The Lees lived in a three-floor townhome. Yi-Kyung lived in the basement. I also slept in the basement except on the couch. The parents and his younger brother, Boon-Nam, lived on the top floor. I felt as if I already created a new home for me. I'm leaving soon again for New York but I don't want to.

"Boon-Nam come help with the table" I hear his mom say.

"Go help," I tell Yi-Kyung.

"Hey, I am 26, give this old man a break. Let the one who is younger brother do the work"

"He is only two years younger," I say shaking my head.

"Gwen, Kyu, it's time for dinner" Kyu is a name I gave Yi-Kyung when I was younger because I couldn't pronounce his name right. Kyu and I pause our show.

"Be right there Nam-Nam!" Kyu stops packing. We glare at each other, challenging one another. We race each other upstairs. I push him to the wall and he pushes me back with his long legs. I pull him by his hair and throw him on the ground. We are still like the little kids that would cause a ruckus.

"No running" Kyu's dad, Bill-e, says to us in a firm voice. We stop acting like little kids and sit at the table.

"Woah Unni," Yi-Kyung's mom, Jin-Ah, smiles when I call her that. It makes her feel young. I smell and see so much food on the table. Looks like her special, Thai dishes.

"We also have leftover Tteokbokki that Kyu made a few days ago"

"Nam-Nam what are we having today?"

"We have Khao Pad which translates to 'fried rice' which has onions, eggs, shrimp, and cucumber. Here is Som Tam. It is a spicy green papaya salad. I'm not even going to try to name the ingredients. It is too much and I don't know half of the ingredients since I can't cook. I just watch my mom make it" I laugh. "Lastly, here is Tom Yum Goong, a spicy shrimp soup"

"Yeah, lots of shrimp today" Bill-e mentions.

"This has fresh prawns and mushrooms and coconut cream" I lick my lips waiting to eat. This Korean-Thai family made the best foods that have gone inside my mouth. We each serve ourselves.

"Gwen so you're leaving tomorrow?" Unni asks putting food in her mouth.

"Yeah," I smile with my mouth full of flavors.

"You'll be taking these two with you won't you?"

"They are the ones following me," I tease.

"Boys, you have all of your things packed to move to New York City right?"

"I'm almost done," Kyu responds.

"Ha, I already finished," Nam-Nam says.

An hour later

We finish the food. Kyu heads to the kitchen to warm up the Tteokbokki and I follow.

"Hurry up I want to eat," I watch as he warms the food on the pan.

"You just ate, you fatty," I squint my eyes at him. He always has to call me that. It's not my fault I love to eat.

"So did you!"

"Whatever, go wait outside and I will bring some to you," He shakes his head as I walk to the stairs in front of the entrance and sit down. After a few minutes, Kyu brings the Tteokbokki and I eat it right away.

"You couldn't have waited a few seconds?"

"They just smelled too good," We look up at the dark sky. "It's going to rain soon. I can smell it"

"I have a question for you Kyu"

"What is it?" He wipes his mouth with my hair.

"How did you know I liked someone when you never met him?"

"I wanted to get to know you again. We haven't talked in ages. Me being busy with my job. You in N.Y.C. We couldn't spend time with each other like in the old days. I came to New York to find you. I would kind of stalk you but as a friend"

"Stalker" I smirk.

"I would see you with Alejandro. But, I wanted to try to win your heart. You told me before that you liked me when I was young"

"Yeah 'back then I didn't like anyone or didn't care who did like me' is what you would respond," I roll my eyes.

"Ok, ok, I know I was really annoying back then," He pauses, "What happened to Alejandro?"

"I'm not sure..." I start to think of that someone I don't want to, "Let's change the subject. I haven't finished packing and then we have to leave tomorrow. We have our show to finish too," I grab Kyu by his hoodie and we walk downstairs to watch the show. But as we do, my stomach hurts so I run to the bathroom.

"Hurry up we have two more episodes" Kyu yells at me from the living room.

"Can't a person use the bathroom in peace" All I hear is Kyu laugh.

"Don't blow up my bathroom," It's like he wants to die.

I leave the bathroom not blowing up anything. Kyu already finished packing. He presses play and I continue to pack. "Gwen stop crying. This show is not sad"

"You are the one crying"

"No, I am not," Kyu wipes tears off his face. I lay on the floor and look up at Kyu.

"Kyu"

"Yeah, Fatty"

"Thanks for helping me recover and being there for me," He pats my head.

"No problem," I cry slowly thinking about the past. "It's okay. Everything will be alright just let it out," Kyu warmly says putting his blanket over me. "Nuna...don't worry I am here for you." That name reminds me of him again.

-

"Wake up" I hear an annoying voice. Oh yeah, that's right. "Wake up, I said"

"Shut up, Kyu" I throw a pillow at his head.

"You have no idea what time it is huh?"

"It must be just early," I throw myself on the ground grabbing the pillow I threw at Kyu since it's my only one.

"It's 12 p. m." My eyes open wide.

"You couldn't have woken me up for breakfast?"

"Nope, you are a Fatty and you gained a little..." He rubs his belly. I gasp.

"Nah, I have not," I say putting my hand on my stomach to make sure he wasn't right. He only wakes a little sense.

"Nam-Nam is ready to go so if you're going to wear that then go ahead," I look at my pajamas and scratch my head. I don't feel like changing I'll go like this. I look for my luggage but can't find it. "Your luggage is already in the car." I won't say thank you because he didn't wake me up for breakfast. I go upstairs and greet everyone.

"Good Morning," Nam-Nam says smiling with his mouth full of pancakes causing my stomach to growl.

"We are leaving in a few minutes. The car is packed," Bill-e mentions.

"I thought we were going on a plane?" Kyu sucks his teeth.

"It was a little too expensive since it's the time of the Cherry Blossoms to blossom. Besides, Kyu and Nam-Nam should bring some of their furniture and clothes" Unni adds. It makes sense. I smile in agreement and join the brothers in the car. I put the directions on the car's GPS. I lay in the backseat and continue the sleep that I missed.

-

I wake up in my own bed. I stretch and lift myself. I barely open one of my eyes. Someone forgot to close my window. I turn my head and find myself making eye contact with Rosa. She stares at me. She sneaks a peek at my bed. I look to where she is looking. It's my tiny notebook. The one where I started writing the times I traveled and when I did. I put that in the hidden pocket of my luggage.

"Where did you get that?" My eyes focusing entirely on her shaken facial expression.

"I don't know when I came in. I saw it there when I came in" That can't be- "Hey, I am serious, and if you think I read it, I didn't," She becomes flustered.

"True." There is no reason to not trust her. She is my best friend after all. Her phone starts to ring.

"Gotta take this" She tucks her lips in a straight line. When she leaves the room, I hide my notebook in a secret compartment under my bed and go to my closet to pick clothes to wear. I grab a white, black, red, and green plaid tie overall dress along with a long white sleeve shirt. For the shoes, I pick a pair of white fluffy double strap bedroom slippers. I take a 5-minute shower.

"Gwen! Breakfast I made is ready also your two friends that came with you came," I finish changing and go downstairs.

"Morning Fat-Woah," Kyu has his mouth wide open. "...prett- I mean...H-How did you sleep?"

"Good. How did you get settled last night?"

"You were dead," Nam-Nam interrupts as we all sit down at the table.

"Oh yeah, I ordered it from a closeby restaurant," Rosa smiles.

"You said you made it," Kyu tells Rosa.

"I bought it, I made it. New motto" We laugh and eat.

"What happened to me last night though?" I say as I cut a piece of my pancakes.

"Rosaline helped you into your bed and then me and you just talked for a little"

"What did w-"

"It's spring cleaning so I took the day off bestie," Rosaline interrupts. We nod our heads and pick up our plates, taking them to the sink. Kyu and Nam-Nam head back downstairs to their apartment. Rosaline and I look through boxes, closets, digging in and opening boxes we never opened. Rosaline and I play music to help us work. Without music, we can't concentrate. We decided that Rosaline does downstairs and I clean upstairs. I should start in my closet. I rummage through more boxes and little furniture. Most of this is junk. I grab a garbage bag and start throwing away things I don't need. As I continue to look in my closet. I find a box in the corner of the closet full of dust. I pull it out and sneeze automatically. The box is labeled "Toys from when Gwen was younger." I blow off the dust on the box making me sneeze. I open the box. I discover a robot, a plane, and a teddy bear. I don't remember the robot or the plane. My head begins to hurt. A faint memory flashes of the teddy bear. I place my hands inside the box feeling around for anything else. I feel something, it's chalk. Chalk? You don't save chalk that's worn out. I laugh inside wondered where all these toys came from. They are probably Rosaline's. I put the toys and chalk back in the box and place it where it was. The whole day I spend time cleaning along with Rosaline. We order Chinese food for dinner. She ends up taking a nap after dinner. I call Kyu to ask if they are done cleaning. He says that they did but boxes are still coming in. I tell him I want to see their place so far and hang up. I take the elevator to their apartment. I go to knock on the door.

"Oh! Gwen, I gotta go for something urgent at work but Yi-Kyung is inside in the kitchen eating," Nam-Nam says storming inside the elevator still open from when I exited. I walk inside.

"The place is nice. If I didn't have Rosa, I would move into a place like this," I say, admiring the place. "What are you making?"

"Homemade pizza"

"I just finished Chinese" I sit on the island chair.

"Can't cook..." He stops, "Fatty" he smirks. Only a week with him calling me that after all these years, I am already annoyed.

"Can too," I cross my arms.

"I guess you can cook. I mean you do have the ability to travel through time." My skin tingles. I gulp.

"How did you know?" My body stiffens.

"You told me." There is no way I told him, I can't be that mindless.

"..."

"It started the other day in Virginia..."

Yesterday, 3 in the morning

Gwen is still crying but she is sleeping. I did not know what to do. I poke her cheek again and again until she wakes up.

"What are you doing, Kyu?" Gwen rubs her eyes with tears without knowing. I feel bad that she is this way. I wonder what's going on in her life that she hasn't told me. A week of her here and she still doesn't open up. Could it just be because of Alejandro?

"Gwen stop crying...I can't sleep," I whisper.

"Shut up," She pulls my ears. I try to not scream. I don't want to wake up everyone because this emotional psycho is pulling my ears. Aish. My ears turn red easily. They probably look like tomatoes.

"Let go," I pull her hands off my ears. She calms down and opens her eyes. She still looks asleep. "Gwen," I begin as my heart feels squeezed.

"Hmmm?" Her eyes start to close again.

"I like you...Well, I liked you a lot...The time I saw you again...I was so happy...seeing you smile again like you did when we were younger...You had Akio after you, I wasn't worried but during this past week you told me about Alejandro...my world shattered...my chance...shattered," I touch my face and there is a tear falling my face reaching my mouth, tasting the salty tear. "I should have walked up to you sooner than Alejandro..."

"I am a Time Traveler," She laughs without opening her eyes. I wish I could deny what she said but she never lies. I feel disappointed that she did not hear my words but relieved at the same time. She blows air in her cheeks like a balloon and flicks my head.

"Ow," I shout, covering my mouth with both hands. She begins sobbing and hides under her blanket.

"I love you, Alejandro," I hear her muffled voice.

Present-Time

"I sound dumb. Sorry for hurting you," I laugh, "Hey what did you tell me though"

"Just poured out my feelings duh"

"Yeah, whatever. You are shy," I grab a piece of his pizza and shove it in my mouth and stick out my tongue at him.

"I am not anymore," Kyu yells. "You have to go, though. I have to leave soon"

"Oh yeah, you are leaving back to Virginia for a week," I frown.

"I will be back soon. Come on now," Kyu pushes me out of the apartment.

-

A week later

I wait for Kyu to come back. I hear a knock at the door. There it's Yi-Kyung! I give him a big hug.

"Hiii Fatty!" He hugs me back "I am back..."

"I can see that."

"...and talked to Alejandro. Make some coffee and I can tell you what he said," I get out of his embrace and making coffee quickly. I grab the coffee cups and pour the coffee.

"What he said is that he is doing 'extremely good.' He is taking over Park Group already or I think he already did. His grandpa became the Chairman while Alejandro was in the hospital."

"Oh ok," My mood went from happy to text Kyu to sad from hearing about Alejandro. Kyu knows my mood went down.

"He is cold though. You like the cold type? Those mean and arrogant guys?"

"No, I don't. I feel like those are the most unbearable"

"I am not like that," I laugh loudly mocking his words.

"Also, he left his number, do you want it?"

"No," I can't have anything to do with Alejandro. There is a chance I can still change the future. Maybe that way is to take my L.S out of my life.

"I sent it anyways," I look down at my phone. His number starring at me.

"Cheer up," Kyu squishes my cheeks. I start to chase him around the house. Why is it so easy to talk to him about everything? He knows everything even my deepest secret. I am starting to feel warm again and it's all because of him. But could this really be me just replacing Alejandro? Is my heart still his?