Chapter 41 #2
“Don’t blame him,” Demi says, linking her arm through mine. “I threatened to reveal embarrassing college stories if he didn’t help plan this.”
The corner of the bar has been transformed by a small banner reading “LEE & ASSOCIATES” in bold letters. Beneath it, a cake shaped like a briefcase sits surrounded by champagne flutes.
“We’re so proud of you,” Eliza says, pulling me into a gentler hug. “The office will be unbearable without you.”
“It was unbearable with me,” I counter, but I’m smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.
Cindy raises her glass. “To Minji Lee, lawyer extraordinaire,” Cindy declares, “who had the guts to escape while the rest of us are still plotting our exit strategies.”
Glasses lift all around me, and my cheeks grow warm. I’ve always felt awkward with public praise, but this feels different, real, and deserved. I’m not used to celebrations that aren’t about billable hours or courtroom wins.
“I didn’t exactly plan this,” I admit, accepting the champagne flute Aaron hands me. “Sometimes the universe just gives you a hard shove.”
I glance at Aaron, who’s watching me with a soft expression that makes my stomach flip. He raises his glass slightly, a private toast between us, and mouths “proud of you.” Those three simple words hit me harder than the champagne.
Demi clears her throat dramatically. “Alright. I’ve known this woman since she was wild and free as a freshman, who loved wearing matching pajamas for sleepovers, who color-coded her class notes, and judged everyone who thought drinking before sunset was a crime.”
“Still do,” I interject, which earns another round of laughter.
“Minji Lee has always been the smartest person in any room,” Demi continues, her voice taking on an uncharacteristically serious tone.
“But today, she’s also the bravest. To my best friend, my Mimi, who's finally realized that the only thing those corporate lawyers are better at than her is being assholes. As I always say, never let a dick hold you back unless it’s giving you multiple orgasms. May your new firm make them cry like the time we watched The Vow with three bottles of wine. ”
“Hear, hear!” Axel calls out, raising his glass higher.
As everyone drinks, Aaron’s hand finds mine under the table, his thumb tracing gentle circles against my palm. The simple touch grounds me, a reminder that I’m not jumping into this new chapter alone.
“Now,” Demi announces, “cake time. And no, Minji, you can’t save your piece for later or take notes on the frosting consistency.”
“I would never,” I protest weakly, though we both know that’s exactly something I’d do.
As Demi cuts the cake with the ceremonial precision of someone who’s had too much champagne, Eliza slides into the seat beside me.
“I have news,” she whispers, leaning close. “I’m going to give my notice.”
I nearly choke on my drink. “You what?”
She grins, eyes bright with nervous excitement. “I’m coming with you. If you’ll have me. I’ve already started updating the client files I can legally bring.”
“Are you serious?” I stare at her, processing this unexpected turn.
“Dead serious. I’ve been waiting for someone to show me it’s possible to leave. Turns out that someone was you.” She looks nervous suddenly. “Unless you don’t want—”
“No, no.” I cut her off, squeezing her arm. “I just… I wasn’t planning to hire anyone so soon, but I’d be an idiot to turn you down. You’re the best paralegal I’ve ever worked with.”
Eliza’s face brightens, relief washing over her features. “Really? Because I already drafted my resignation letter. It’s sitting in my drafts folder, just waiting for me to hit send.”
“Do it,” I say, surprising myself with my certainty. “We’ll figure out the details later.”
She pulls out her phone, taps a few times, and then holds it up triumphantly. “Done. No going back now.”
“To new beginnings,” I toast, clinking my glass against hers.
As the celebration continues around me, I find myself observing everyone with a strange new clarity.
Demi animatedly tells Aaron’s brothers a story that involves wild hand gestures.
Jasmyn and Cindy huddled together, probably plotting their own escapes.
And Aaron, always Aaron, his eyes finding mine across the table whenever I look his way.
I never expected this, not just leaving Parras, but having people actually follow me. Someone believes in me enough to upend their own career. The weight of it settles on my shoulders, not as a burden but as something to be proud of.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Aaron murmurs, sliding back into the seat beside me. “I can see the gears turning. Let yourself enjoy this moment, Minji. You’ve earned it.”
Afternoon turns into evening, and the cake is replaced by loaded potato skins and wings.
Demi takes photos for what she calls my future biopic, while Axel and Grayson keep the drinks coming.
I laugh more than I have in a long time, and the knot of anxiety in my chest loosens with every passing hour.
When Jasmyn finally stands to leave, citing an early court appearance tomorrow, she pulls me aside.
“I meant what I said earlier,” she tells me, her eyes serious despite the champagne flush in her cheeks. “You’ll be my first call. It might just happen sooner rather than later.”
“I’ll welcome you with open arms,” I say, and I mean it.
After everyone else has left, Aaron and I walk hand in hand to his car.
“So, Ms. Lee of Lee & Associates.” He opens the passenger door. “Are we heading to your place or mine?”
“Your place,” I say immediately. “You have a better shower.”
He chuckles, those dimples appearing in his cheeks as he helps me into the car. “My shower it is. Though I was thinking we might want to get a little dirtier before we get clean.”
The look he gives me sends a rush of heat through me. Even months later, Aaron still has this effect on me. One glance from him and my mind goes blank.
“I could be persuaded.” I shrug, trying for nonchalance and probably failing miserably.
As we drive through the city, I watch the lights blur and feel strangely free. For the first time in my adult life, I don’t have to go to an office tomorrow. No billables to track, no partners to impress, no William to deal with.
“What are you thinking about?” Aaron asks.
“How much I love you,” I reply.
“I love you too, but really what are you thinking?”
“Well, I just took a flying leap off a career cliff and I’m still waiting to hit the ground.” I turn to look at him. “Is it normal to feel this calm about potentially ruining my life?”
“You haven’t ruined anything,” he says with such conviction I almost believe him. “You’ve set yourself free. There’s a difference.”
“Easy for you to say. You’ve always been a free spirit.”
He laughs at that, loud and genuine. “A free spirit who spends eighteen hours a day chained to his laptop, meeting deadlines. Sure, Honeybee.”
“You know what I mean,” I counter. “You’ve never been terrified.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” His voice drops lower, more serious.
“I’ve been terrified plenty of times: when I didn’t hear from you in college, when I sent out my first manuscript, when I decided to change my major, when I showed up at your door after the Hui-Wang disaster.
” He glances at me, his eyes momentarily leaving the road.
“Being afraid doesn’t mean you’re making the wrong choice.
Sometimes it means you’re finally making the right one. ”
I reach across the console to squeeze his hand, wondering how I got lucky enough to find someone who understands my anxieties without dismissing them.
When we arrive at his apartment, I kick off my heels in the entryway and pad barefoot to his kitchen.
It’s become a habit, making myself at home here.
My favorite mug sits in his cabinet. My brand of tea occupies a dedicated spot in his pantry.
Half the hangers in his closet hold my clothes.
I’ve been slowly colonizing his space without even realizing it.
Aaron comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to the nape of my neck. “Welcome home,” he murmurs against my skin. “Now it’s time for us to get dirty.”