23. Chapter 22
Two days before Thanksgiving, June woke up to the smell of syrup, bacon, and coffee drifting through the bedroom.
At first she thought she was dreaming, then she rolled over and gasped in surprise.
Two plane tickets sat neatly on the bed beside her along with a cream-colored envelope with her name written across the front in Marcus’s handwriting.
A suitcase rested near the nightstand while a breakfast platter sat beside it with pancakes, fruit, eggs, and a small vase holding white roses.
June blinked twice. “What the hell…”
She grabbed the envelope and pulled a note out. It read:
Pack light. Wear something warm. And stop being nosey.
Marcus
June burst out laughing. “Nosey?” she muttered to herself. “Boy please.”
She climbed out the bed fast and hurried into the bathroom brushing her teeth.
When she got done and rinsed out her mouth, she struck a cute pose in the mirror with her hand under her chin.
She was feeling super happy. And judging by that note that was left on the bed for her, so was Marcus.
He had been different lately. He was softer and more attentive.
Like the Halloween shooting scared something human back into him.
He had slowed down sniffing Adderall to and June was relieved.
Without even realizing it, June found herself enjoying who Marcus was becoming instead of just focusing on who he used to be.
And that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
By the time she came downstairs in leggings and a cream sweater, Mercedes and Steelo were already standing near the front door bundled in coats with suitcases beside them.
Mercedes squealed. “FINALLY. Sleeping Beauty is finally awake.”
June looked between all of them confused. “Why y’all dressed like we about to survive a blizzard?”
Steelo grabbed his suitcase. “Cause we are.”
June look bewildered. “Marcus where are we going?”
Marcus looked up from his phone. “It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.” June pouted.
“No you don’t.” Marcus teased.
“Yes I do.” June responded back.
Marcus walked over kissing her forehead quickly before grabbing her suitcase. “You’ll survive.”
June immediately turned toward Mercedes. “Girl where we going?”
Mercedes zipped her coat dramatically. “I ain’t say nothin.”
“You know?” June asked her quietly.
“Maybe.” Mercedes winked and stuck her tongue out.
June narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Mercedes…”
Mercedes held both hands up laughing. “Nah sis, I ain't got nothing to do with this. My name is Bennett and I ain't in it.”
June turned toward Steelo next. “You gon tell me?”
Steelo shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Oh wow. So everybody in on this.” June asked with both hands on her hips.
Marcus smirked while opening the penthouse door. “Move around, Detective June.”
The whole ride to the airport June kept trying to guess where they were going. Miami. Vegas. Jamaica. Toronto. Every answer got shut down.
“Nah.”“Nope.”“Wrong again.”
By the time they boarded the plane June was fully irritated. “Y’all annoying.”
Mercedes laughed while settling into her first-class seat. “This is so exciting!”
Steelo buckled his seatbelt. “You only excited cause this your first international flight.”
Mercedes gasped dramatically. “And? Let me have this moment babe.”
Marcus was getting a kick out of June not knowing where there were headed. She acted like a child down to her rolling her eyes and folding her arms. “I still don’t understand why this a secret.”
“Babe look, this is a secret for a reason. So cool ya jets and let your man be your man, aight?" He kissed her cheek.
“You lucky you cute.” June responded back feeling bubbly inside.
“I know.” Marcus said with a wide-toothed grin.
June picked at her nails deciding to just chill and welcome the surprise.
Besides, watching Marcus try so hard to keep a secret was entertaining all by itself.
Several hours into the flight, only a handful of passengers were still awake.
June rested against Marcus’s shoulder while 80's R&B played through her headphones.
The farther they traveled from Philly…
the quieter her mind got. There was no drama, no club, no tension and no revenge.
Just a sense of being completely at ease floating thirty thousand feet in the air.
Then finally the flight attendant’s voice echoed through the cabin.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin our descent into Seoul, South Korea shortly. Local time is currently…”
June’s eyes flew open wide as hell. “…what?”
Marcus started laughing immediately.
June sat up fast staring at him. “SEOUL?!”
Mercedes screamed from across the aisle. “SURPRISEEEEE!”
“Oh my God.” June covered her mouth completely shocked. “Marcus are you serious?”
Marcus grinned. “You said you always wanted to come here.”
June almost started crying right there on the damn plane. She didn't know where to look first. Every building seemed covered in lights. Mercedes stayed glued to the windows during the entire ride from the airport.
“This look like one of them rich people Netflix shows.”
Steelo chuckled. “You say that about everything.”
“Cause look at it!” Mercedes said feeling happier than a kid in a candy store.
Marcus sat beside June quietly watching her take everything in.
The little food stands.The packed sidewalks.The lights.The language on the buildings and storefronts.
Every time she looked out the window she smiled without even realizing it.
That alone made the entire trip worth it to him.
Their Airbnb overlooked the city from a luxury high-rise wrapped in glass windows from floor to ceiling.
Snow fell outside while warm jazz played through hidden speakers inside the condo.
Inside, charcoal-colored couches sat beneath towering ceilings.
The kitchen had black stone countertops, a massive waterfall island, and floating shelves lined with carefully selected décor.
Warm gold lighting reflected against rich dark wood finishes, while heated floors kept the entire condo comfortable.
Near the windows, a fireplace crackled softly as the lights from Seoul lit up the night.
June walked toward the windows totally amazed. “Marcus…”
He came up behind her wrapping both arms around her waist. “You like it?”
“You really did all this for me?” June asked with tears in her eyes.
Marcus replied sincerely. “Of course baby, don't be acting like I’m broke.”
June laughed softly while leaning back against him.
That night they explored half the city until their feet hurt.
Marcus got irritated trying to use chopsticks at a Korean BBQ restaurant.
Even after getting a demonstration from June months before, that didn't do shit.
Mercedes almost got them lost trying to follow directions from a translation app.
Steelo nearly fought a tiny Korean man over a taxi before realizing the man was actually trying to help him.
And by midnight all four of them were drunk inside a karaoke room screaming 90s R&B at the top of their lungs.
Mercedes butchered Brandy lyrics proudly.
Steelo rapped every word to 50 Cent badly and Marcus performed a song by Usher like his life depended on it.
And June? She laughed so hard that night her stomach started cramping.
Later that night, the four of them walked through the snowy streets bundled in coats while music played from restaurants and little stores along the sidewalks. Mercedes and Steelo stayed ahead arguing over directions again while sharing roasted sweet potatoes from a street cart.
“I’m tellin you we passed this store already babe,” Steelo said.
“No we didn’t.” Mercedes crooned.
“Yes we did.” Steelo replied.
“How you know? You can’t even read the signs!” Mercedes stated.
“I just seen that same fish logo from ten minutes ago!” Steelo responded back.
Mercedes burst out laughing. “Boy shut up.”
A little farther behind them, Marcus reached over pulling June closer against his side while snowflakes landed across the shoulders of his coat.
“You cold?” he asked.
“A little.” June shivered a bit.
Marcus opened his coat slightly. “Come here then, let big poppa warm you up, girl.” He said in an old southern accent.
June laughed while sliding closer to him anyway. The streets glowed around them from all the lights reflecting against the snow. Couples walked hand in hand past little shops while the smell of grilled meat and sweets drifted through the cold air.
Marcus looked down at her suddenly. “You cheesin' hard as shit.”
June giggled. “Cause of Mercedes and Steelo's dumb asses.”
“Nah.” He twisted his face to one side. “You been smilin since we got here.”
“Maybe I'm just happy to finally learn this part about my history.
Then he reached down taking her hand into his pocket to keep it warm. My father never got a chance to show it to me. He always made promises of bringing me here one day, but it never came to fruition. His death made me miss out on knowing and seeing so much." June wiped her nose as she spoke.
"Awww babe, I'm sorry that you missed out on so many important things, but now that you got me, you gon see a lot and do a lot." He pecked her lips softly.
June looked at him with a smirk. “You turning soft on me?”
Marcus smirked. “Don’t start.”
She laughed quietly while snowflakes melted into the curls hanging near her cheeks.
And somewhere between the cold air, the bright lights, and Marcus pulling her closer every few steps…
June forgot what it felt like to be alone.
Four weeks had passed since the Seoul trip, and somehow everybody still kept talking about it like they never wanted to come back home.
Mercedes wouldn’t shut up about the skincare products she bought, Steelo kept bragging about how Korean barbecue was better than anything in Philly, and Marcus damn near played old karaoke videos every time somebody came over the house.