When A Ghoul Falls In Love

Tap. Tap. Tap

I take a deep breath.

Tap. Tap.

I close my eyes and purse my lips tighter.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap

I can’t ignore this. In the end, I go to the window and look down at the girl standing on the second step of the ladder. She’s wearing blue jeans and a white loose shirt that hides her slender and lean body. Her inky black hair is tied into a ponytail.

Though both of us have straight hair, her silky straight dark locks look way better than my pale hair. My mother has dark hair. So, I am sure that I got pale hair from my biological father.

Damn him! I hope he gets STDs and his d.i.c.k rots with brain-eating-amoeba.

“Why are you here, Maisie?” I scowl at her. There are still two pebbles in her hand. She is on full-Romeo-mode. If she falls, she will probably twist her foot. My room is only on the first floor. Honestly, I don’t want to see her. The person I want to see is Joon-Woo.

“I came to entertain you because Baek Joon-Woo can’t come.” Maisie grins at me. Her uplifted eyes shine brightly with excitement. I wonder what she’s excited about.

“I wish you would do this for your boyfriend.” I stare hard at her, not offering my hand to grab her hand that is trying to reach me.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” She wrinkles her nose. “He’s two years younger than me.”

“Why does age matter in love?” I sit on the edge of the window. The sun is high in the sky. I am locked in my room, grounded for skipping classes and going to the theatre with Baek Joon-Woo and others.

“I like mature men.” Maise places her elbow on the step of the ladder, leaning on it. “Oliver hasn’t even grown his beard.”

“Joon-Woo doesn’t have a beard either.” I tell her, “It doesn’t affect his stamina in bed.”

Maisie chuckles. “You are always boasting about his stamina in bed. How big is he?”

“How big?” I frown at her. “Why would I tell you?”

“I want to compare it to Oliver’s,” She smirks at me.

“Your head is too dirty.” I roll my eyes. “I will not tell you.”

“I can ask Joon-Woo.” She c.o.c.ks her head, studying my face intently. “I am sure that he will tell me gladly. Joon-Woo isn’t shy like you.”

I heave a sigh. But I don’t reply to her. “I want to meet him.”

“He wanted to come, but your mother raised chaos at his place. His parents are furious with him.” Maise glances at me with sympathy. “Why is your mother against your relationship?”

Because she thinks that I will turn out like her. She doesn’t trust Baek Joon-Woo or me. On top of it, she found the birth control pills in my room.

“She thinks that Joon-Woo will betray me.” I exhale, “I exist because my mother made a mistake with a man who betrayed her by leaving her without a word. Sometimes, it feels like she regrets giving birth to me.”

And I have caused her immense pain. The second child that she wanted with the man who didn’t run away had died because of me.

“She has a reason to think like that.” Maisie gives me a look. “Imagine if Joon-Woo leaves you after impregnating you. I can’t even imagine. I mean, I would have turned into a man-hater if something like that happened to me.”

I don’t reply. My brain is in overthinking mode. It’s best not to say anything or take anything seriously.

“It’s not just your mother, isn’t it?” Maisie gasps. She’s good at predicting stuff with my expressions alone. Sometimes, I feel like our minds are joined by an invisible umbilical cord. “You can’t be pregnant.”

“Periods are late,” I mumble. “What are the chances of getting pregnant with pills and condoms? It’s impossible.”

“Pills and condoms aren’t a hundred percent anti-s.p.e.r.m shield.” She waves her hand, copying her mother unconsciously. “Accidents happen. Condoms can break. You can forget taking the pills.”

Did I? I scratch my chin. I am not sure if I took it every day in the past two months. He always makes sure to use condoms whether I take pills or not. It’s not that he’s not serious about me. He wants to have kids after we get married.

“It’s probably a scare.” Maisie tries to comfort me. “Look! There are times when periods are one or two weeks late because of change in diet or other issues, especially if you are going through perimenopause.”

“…” Idiot!

“That’s what my father told me.” She places her hand on her chest, looking at me gravely. “If you want, I will ask my father.”

Her father is a doctor. So, she has a plethora of half-knowledge regarding many health issues. I give her my best smile and grab the ends of the ladder. “Should I push it?”

I shake it a little to frighten her.

“No!” She grabs my wrists. “If I die, what will become of you? You will probably become a creepy antisocial woman who hates the world.”

Shaking my head, I laugh at her. “Do you think that I can’t survive without you?”

“I am sure that you can’t survive without me at all.” She climbs the steps while pushing me away from the window. “Without me, you can’t ever be happy.”

Though she’s right, I don’t want to admit it. I cross my arms. “You are too overconfident. I might not survive without Joon-Woo, but I can surely survive without you.”

“Does it hurt to say that you love us a lot?” She jumps into the room. “Come on! Say it, Nell. You love me. I am your best friend. We are closer than biological sisters.”

The worries from my head fade away. That’s how she is. Maisie can make anyone laugh with her words. “You should be a comedian.”

“I am going to be a doctor like my father.” She takes her shoes off and climbs the bed. Lying on her stomach, she stretches her body like a cat. “Since I am going to be a doctor, you should listen to me. Your periods are stuck because you are constipated.”

Maisie and her consultations. I hold back my laugh and ask her seriously, “Why am I constipated?”

“Because of your love for me.” She joins her fingers and thumbs together to make a heart, and she winks at me playfully. “You love me more than you love Joon-Woo. You should pamper me and shower me with your love. Then, your periods will come. Believe me. I am a doctor’s daughter.”

I can’t hold back from laughing anymore. I laugh like a mad girl and she joins the laughter. I am truly blessed with the best people in my life. And she’s not half wrong. I can’t imagine a life without Maisie and Joon-Woo.

Maisie is a people-person. I am not exactly people-friendly. If we must compare, she’s a dog person and I am a cat person. Baek Joon-Woo is probably a panda.

I wipe my tears of laughter and take a seat on the bed. “Joon-Woo will be jealous if I shower you with love.”

“So what?” She makes a face at me. “He will never admit that he’s jealous.”

“I know .” I sigh. “I wish that he would tell me that. I want to hear that he’s jealous. But he is too shy.”

“If he’s shy, then I am a chihuahua,” Maisie snaps at me. “But then, Oliver speaks out his mind too candidly.”

“What did he say?” I am curious. Things between Maisie and Oliver are complicated. Oliver is a sophomore and we are in the senior year.

“He said that he wanted to be my official boyfriend.” Maisie takes a deep breath. “But when I look at him, I realize that I have commitment issues.”

“…” I guess Maisie is Maisie. There’s nobody like her.

For Oliver, it was love at first sight. But he didn’t dare to confess. But he couldn’t let go of it either. He joined the book club at the beginning of his sophomore year. All of us knew that he had a one-sided crush on Maisie. He suffered silently until he couldn’t take it anymore and kissed her in front of everyone. That was the beginning of their odd relationship.

“It’s just that” She fidgets with her fingers. “I don’t like his name. Doesn’t he remind you of Oliver Twist? On top of it, he’s actually adopted.”

I hold my head. “You are a shallow person.”

“I know.” She giggles. “You are there, Nell. That’s why I can act like this.”