Page 17 of Septembers

His voice was so soft, Theo could barely make it out over the sounds of students passing by the window. “Yes.”

That stung, but Theo tried not to take it personally. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No.”

The sting was replaced by something warm and confusing. “Can I look at the pictures while you process?”

“Sure.”

He curled onto his side and flipped through the notebook, chuckling at the particularly funny drawings. This glimpse into Dae’s brain was intoxicating, and Theo wanted more. He was just so…weird. It was fascinating to see the evolution of the pictures. No wonder he was always scribbling in his notebooks; there were pages and pages of drafts before settling on the final version.

Theo was so engrossed in the drawings that he didn’t notice Dae had turned around. When he finally looked up, he found Dae studying him. Theo waited for him to say something, but as usual, his thoughts remained a mystery.

“I love these, Dae. You’re a mad genius.” Dae’s blush was irresistible, and Theo vowed to make it happen as often as he could. “If it’s your site, then you sent these. You knew I ordered them.”

Dae nodded. “I figured Caleb made you.”

“There’s postage. Why not just walk them down to the mailbox?”

“I don’t physically make them in the dorm. I send a file to a comic shop downtown and they produce them and ship them out.”

“Cool. You’re like, an entrepreneur.” Why did every piece of information about Dae only make Theo more intrigued? “Okay, well if we’re not using this to bond with Caleb, then you have to start knitting. I’m afraid there’s no other option.”

“Or…” He bit his lip again and Theo shifted on the bed trying to keep his body under control. “I could cook you all dinner?”

Theo sat up so fast, it made Dae tense. “Yes. Amazing. Tonight?”

He nodded, so Theo opened their roommate group chat.

don’t eat dae is making something

Jason

Caleb

Ohhhhhh what are we having?

Dae

That depends. Can you guys handle spicy?

For a white guy

Jason

Caleb

I think so?

Dae

I’ll go easy on you.

Theo offered to help, which resulted in him chopping garlic while Dae did literally everything else. Theo had seen him cook before, but now, his concentration was next level. No recipe, no measuring, no talking. He played music from his phone and bobbed his head as he moved around the kitchen. The songs ranged from classic rock to upbeat alternative to K-pop.

Jason and Caleb instinctively fell in line when they returned, silently setting the table and patiently waiting as the savoury smell made them all ravenous. Finally, they sat down at their small table and dug into one of the most delicious noodle things Theo had ever tasted.

“It’s called japchae,” Dae told them. “My mom makes it better.”