Chapter 11 Tae’s Guide to Dating #2
Besides, Julia would need to address it if she was ever going to be successful at dating. And it was technically his job to
help make that happen.
“That’s interesting,” she said, looking out the window, pondering. She turned back to Tae. “I don’t mean to sabotage dates. But I might be subconsciously doing so, out of rebellion or sheer stubbornness. Or protecting myself from
getting hurt? I’ve just always hated feeling like I had to tone myself down in any way to impress a man or, worse, to avoid
intimidating him.
“But turning thirty has amped up the pressure a few notches, for sure. And being single is starting to feel like some form
of failure. I’ve just never understood why married-with-children was the default and a woman has to explain why she’s still single. No one asks a woman to explain choosing to be married or a mother.
“I mean, I eventually do want a relationship. But I’ve always wanted that to be my choice. And with each new year, it feels like it’s become less and less so.” She shrugged.
Tae reached over and squeezed her hand. He appreciated so much what she was saying. He’d been wondering some of these things
about himself lately. Was he sabotaging life in order to rebel against expectations that he hadn’t signed up for? “This is
exactly what I’m feeling these days too.”
“Really? Wow, and here I was envying you because you don’t seem to worry about what other people think. You’re just so confidently
you.”
“Thanks, Julia. I appreciate you falling for my cover.”
She lifted her hand up in a fist, ready to fight for his honor. Tae wanted to wrap his hand around that fist and pull her
close, but he sat on his hands to prevent any foolish moves.
“No, I definitely am not confidently me, as you put it. I’m not even sure who I am, to be honest.” Shit, this was not a path
Tae wanted to go down in this conversation. “But you—you most definitely should feel proud of all your success. Starlight
is killing it.”
“Anyways . . .” she said and tucked her hair behind her ear. Guess neither of them liked having compliments given to them.
“I realize all these setups just add to that pressure you’ve been feeling. But think of it this way. They’re just dates. It’s a chance to figure out if you like the person’s company. Or not. You know what they say. You have to kiss a lot
of frogs to find your prince.”
“I hate frogs.”
Tae laughed. “Noted. But how do you feel about eggplant?”
“Wow, I totally thought that I didn’t like eggplant my whole life. This was by far my favorite,” Julia said, leaning back
in her chair and patting her stomach. “And that bean sprout dish, it’s not like the kind my mom typically makes. This one
was really good.” She stopped and pointed at Tae. “Don’t you dare tell her I just said that. She’ll take it as a bash on her
cooking, and I’ll never hear the end of it. And no sign of heartburn at all. It’s a miracle.”
Tae and Julia had finished dinner, trying a number of different things on the menu. Julia, surprising both herself and Tae,
enjoyed all of them. Apparently, she’d only told herself that she was a vegetarian who didn’t like vegetables and was convinced
she could never go to a Korean barbecue restaurant. But now she had a couple dishes ready to order on the night of the big
date.
“I feel like you not only prepped me for my date but opened up my world to Korean food I’d never experienced before.”
“Seriously, Julia, you act like you grew up in some small village isolated from the world.”
“I know. I guess I just had it in my mind I didn’t like certain things, and people around me were convinced that was true,
including myself.” She stopped. “Huh, I wonder if that’s true with other things too.”
Tae wasn’t expecting Julia to have a life’s epiphany here during lunch. But he was curious now too what kinds of things she
might never have given a chance before.
“I’m surprised your mom didn’t make you eat some of this stuff growing up. My mom force-fed liver down my throat. There was no refusing something from my mom’s table. No way.”
Julia laughed. “I’d have preferred that than to be forced-dating. Your mom seems so cool about it with you.”
“My mom wasn’t the biggest fan of my ex. So that might be a reason she’s okay with me being single,” Tae said.
“No? That’s surprising. Your mom loves everyone.”
“Kari didn’t really understand why I have to spend so much time out here.”
“But your dad was sick. What’s not to understand?”
“Yeah, but with me, there tends to be no middle ground or doing things half-assed. I dropped everything, my job, my apartment,
my relationship, my life, to come home. And I would do it all over again. But in most people’s minds they can’t understand
sacrificing that much, my whole life, for someone else.”
“That’s who you are, Tae. You dropped out of college to come help your dad’s business the first time. I don’t think you ever
complained even once,” Julia said.
“I just never saw it as a sacrifice,” Tae explained.
“That’s what I mean. Family is your life. Taking care of them is what brings you satisfaction. And if someone doesn’t understand
that, they never made the attempt to understand you, in my opinion.” She stopped and covered her mouth. “Shit, I didn’t mean
that to sound mean. I don’t even know Kari. I’m sorry.”
Tae shook his head. He didn’t want Julia to worry about anything she’d say to him. “Thanks, Jules. I really appreciate you
saying this. I mean, you’re the same way. You’d do, are doing, everything for your family. I don’t have a lot of people who
understand or validate the choices I’ve made. But I’m glad there’s you.”
The words hung in the air, but Tae wasn’t going to regret saying them.
“You’re a good egg, Tae. Even the fact that you’re willing to help me out with these crazy setups is so true to who you are. It’s why you’re so amazing. It’s why you’re the treasured star of Irvine, California,” Julia said. There was a sparkle in her eye.
Tae laughed. “Rich, coming from the beloved princess of Irvine, California.”
“Ice Princess,” she said.
“Beloved princess,” Tae insisted.
“Undateable princess.”
“Julia . . .” Tae added a warning in his voice.
Tae caught himself staring at Julia’s smile, realizing he had a matching one on his own face. He was having a good time. And,
it was clear, so was she.
“So, Jules, did you complete the prework I assigned? Do you have your I’m-interested-in-your-life questions ready?”
“When have I ever come to class unprepared? I’ve got them right here, Coach,” Julia said, tapping a finger to her temple.
He lifted his chin to the notebook. “Write them down for good measure.”
Julia turned the page in her notebook and began to write. “What kind of law do you practice?” she said aloud as she wrote. “Note: do not question if he is a criminal defense attorney or if he represents Big Pharma or oil companies in any cases. Just
nod and appreciate the effort it took to get through law school, pass the bar, and work as a lawyer.”
Tae laughed. She took some mean notes.
“Solid conversation starter,” he noted. “But try and sound interested, ya know? Maybe I should ask, are you interested? I mean, can you see yourself with a lawyer?”
Julia looked off to the side, considering his question. “I’ve gone on dates with a couple lawyers. It hasn’t ended well, to
be honest. I find most of them self-absorbed and doing the work without any kind of purpose. They work long hours and are
driven more by money and winning.”
“Well, technically, that does check the boxes of smart and successful. If Michael Lee from Fullerton is tall, we could have a love match,” Tae said jokingly.
But this time Julia didn’t laugh. Instead, she looked a little lost. She turned her gaze back to Tae. “I think it’s becoming
pretty clear I really don’t know what I want after all,” she said quietly.
He held her eyes and gave her a small smile. “Well, then these dates could be the perfect chance for you to find out.”
As Julia smiled back, nodding in response, Tae pushed away the hope that maybe in all of this he could find out what he wanted
too.