Chapter 11 – Befriend again

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Past

Jinri finished her photo processing and then she had taken the bus straight over to Minho's place. He had a key make for her as soon as he got the unit so she could come and go as she wanted. Honestly she really didn't like using Luna as an excuse to visit her boyfriend but she didn't have a choice, even Luna agreed that it was a necessity because she knew how protective Jonghyun was over his little sister.

As soon as Jinri arrived at Minho's place, she busied herself in his kitchen cleaning, putting away the last of the dishes and wiping down his benches. She shook her head, boys were the messiest beings alive. She only cleaned this place up a few days ago and now it was like she had never been here. But Jonghyun was no different, his room always looked like a bomb had hit it.

Once the room looked presentable, Jinri started scrounging around for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. Her eyes lit up when she opened the freezer. She pulled out a container of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream and placed it on the bench. Jinri smiled, Minho knew her way too well, always keeping his freezer stocking with her favorite treat.

Jinri gave herself a first generous scoop and groaned softly while closing her eyes. The ice cream melted on her tongue and it tasted like pure heaven.

"Now how's a guy supposed to compete with that?" Said a male voice as he chuckled from the other side of the room.

Jinri opened her eyes and found grinning Minho, leaning against the door frame at the entrance of the kitchen. She grinned back. "Maybe but too much of this sweetness will make me sick." Jinri walked over and hugged him. "But I can't say the same thing about you."

Minho laughed as his arms wrapped around her waist protectively, pulling her closer to him. "I know I'm more way delicious and it wouldn't be as much fun to wake up next to."

Jinri giggled snuggling against his chest. "Exactly my point."

Minho leaned in to brush her lips with his own softly. "I've missed you."

Jinri smiled. "I just saw you a few hours ago."

"That few hours were too long." Said Minho and his voice was like a whining five year old boy who was just told that he couldn't have a candy anymore because he just had one earlier.

Jinri laughed, wriggling away from Minho's embrace to get back in the kitchen. "Still I think you can last a few more minutes." Joked Jinri as she slipped the ice cream back into the freezer and pulled the chicken out of the fridge that she had just bought when she was on the way here.

Minho went behind her, his arms snaking around her waist from behind. "What are you doing?"

Jinri shivered slightly, having Minho so close always unnerved her. "I'm making us dinner. By the looks of your stock, you've been living on improper foods for the last four days so I'm making you some real food."

Jinri could only steal away from home on weekends, which meant that during the week Minho had to fend for himself but apart from scrambled eggs and reheating microwave dinners, all boys knew was how to order food. Although she wasn't the master at it but she indeed knew how to cook a real food for human being.

Jinri made quick work of chopping up the chicken and vegetables that she found in the back of the freezer which it was from the last time she went shopping for him. If it was the last thing left in his fridge, she really needed to go shopping for him again.

After dinner they curled up on the couch watching a movie together. Jinri looked at Minho staring blankly at the TV screen and she noticed his mind was off elsewhere. Minho seemed to be staring off into space and not paying attention to anything else.

Jinri waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Minho."

Minho looked at Jinri. "Huh? What?"

Jinri shook her head. "Where were you just now oppa?"

Minho raised an eyebrow at her with a confused look on his face. "I haven't moved from this spot."

"Your body might have been here but your mind was elsewhere." Said Jinri as she sighed.

Minho gave Jinri a warm smile, wrapping his arms around her tighter and pulling her closer. "It's nothing babe. I, well just….thinking randomly."

Jinri watched his face unconvincingly and Minho kissed her forehead softly in reassurance. Jinri snuggled into his chest but she still had this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that Minho was hiding something from her. But then Jinri kicked herself mentally for thinking like that. Minho and her had no secrets between them. She knew if there was something important, Minho would tell her. But then again… still something really didn't feel right.

- - - -

Present

Jinri slowly searched through the racks of clothing at Luna's shop, each rack filled with a mixture of new and vintage clothing. She loved shopping here, it was one store that people didn't need to search through a bunch of crap to find something amazing because each item in this place was amazing.

Luna was currently attending a customer and Hannah was in the corner, trying on some of the hats. Jinri busied herself trying on a leather jacket. She slid it over her shoulders and it was a perfect fit. It was just above her upper thigh hugging her hips perfectly to hide what was left of the little weight she gained when she was pregnant with Hannah.

Jinri glanced over her shoulder to check on her daughter and she had to laugh, half the hats Hannah was trying on covered half her head but it didn't stop her from tossing it aside and trying on the next one.

Jinri looked in the mirror and studied herself. A few days of little sleep had taken its toll on her appearance, it let her realized how much she allowed Minho's words get under her skin, how much she let the memories they once shared plague her sub conscious while she slept. What Minho said the other day had really gotten into her. Was she still angry about him leaving? Did she really use him taking Hannah away to lash out at him for the past?

The sound of a chiming bell shook Jinri out of her daze just in time to see the customer Luna attended was now leaving with the big smile on her face.

Jinri smiled as Luna flipped over the closed sign on the door and locked it. "Another happy customer?"

"Do I have any other type?" Said Luna.

Jinri laughed but her statement was true, she had never seen a customer leave here any other way.

Luna started putting back some of the unwanted items. "So continue it on the rest of the story."

Jinri sighed, sliding the jacket of her shoulders and placing it on the register counter. She had been filling Luna of the drama between Minho and her but it was cut off in the middle of episode because there was a customer came in.

"Okay, so where was I?" Said Jinri.

"Umm you had just gotten to his house and you and Minho were going at it." Said Luna.

"Right, so I got to his house and Minho and I started fighting. Next thing I know I slap him." Said Jinri, leaning on the counter.

Luna's mouth dropped. "You slapped him?" She asked and Jinri nodded. She let out a groan. "Jinri, what were you thinking?"

Jinri rubbed her forehead. "I don't know Luna. I was angry, we both yelled and I snapped, slapping him seemed like a good idea at the time."

Luna shook her head, slowly continued putting the unwanted clothes back on their respective hangers. "And what do you think now?"

Jinri shrugged. "I think thing just got out of hand. I over reacted a little."

"A little?" Luna laughed sarcastically as she repeated.

Jinri gave her friend a glare, not because she was angry but because Luna was making her think clearly instead of allowing her to lie to herself. "Okay maybe a lot. What am I going to do Luna? I've stuffed up so much."

Luna sighed and she pulled Jinri in for a tight hug. "You do what you have to that to fix this. If not for you and Minho then at least for Hannah's sake."

Jinri glanced over Luna's shoulder at Hannah who looked up at the sound her name and grinned at her. She knew that Luna was right. She knew that she had been an idiot and that she was going to have to swallow her pride, admit that she was wrong and try to be friend with Minho without fighting despite their history and everything they shared in the past, the most important thing they share was their little girl. Hannah was the one thing that will always link them together and always will be a very, very long time if they were continually at each other’s' throats.

"You're right." Said Jinri.

Luna let go of her and smirked. "Did I just hear you say I was right?"

"Yeah! Yeah! You were right and I was wrong. Blah Blah Blah." Said Jinri, chuckling.

Luna giggled. "Care to put my word into action?"

"Soon. Tomorrow I guess." Said Jinri as she looked at her watch. "For now it's getting late and I still need to go home and get ready."

Luna grinned. "Ah that's right. You've got that swanky party with your lover boy tonight."

Jinri nodded, halfhearted. "Yeah I do. Are you still alright to look after Hannah tonight?"

Jaehyun informed her a few months ago about his work was having a huge banquet style party for New Year Eve. Personally Jinri would have preferred to sit at home on the couch and watch the fireworks from the comfort of her own home but it was important for Jaehyun to go to this party. And as his fiancé, it was her duty to stand there all night and make small talk with all the corporate wives to gain some credit for Jaehyun.

And Luna was an absolute angel. She reassured her about Hannah. She offered to forgo the party she had been invited to hang out with Hannah instead for the night.

"Yeah it's fine. Hannah and I are going to have fun tonight. You ready to go?" Asked Luna. She grabbed the leather jacket Jinri had been having her eyes on and throw it at her. "Here! It's on the house."

"No Luna! Let me pay for it." Exclaimed Jinri.

Luna shook her head. "No. I had it sitting in the store for a month now and you are the one person it actually looked good on."

Jinri smiled thankfully. "You're a bad influence on me."

Luna laughed. "And you are complaining?"

"I wouldn't dare." Said Jinri, grinning.

"I know." Luna looked over at Hannah. "Okay Hannah bear, time to go home with auntie and then we can have fun all night long."

Luna drove the three of them back to the house but when they reached there, dropped as her eyes landed on Minho sitting on the front steps and he looked up as he heard the car pulling into the driveway. As they got closer, Jinri could see that he looked as tired as she did, it was like looking into a mirror.

Luna gave Jinri a reassuring smile and took Hannah into the house with her. Jinri tried to control her breathing the closer she got to Minho. By the time she reached him, he had stood up and was standing slightly hunched over with his hands shoved in his pockets.

He brought his eyes up to meet hers.

"I'm sorry!" Both blurted out at the same time.

Jinri was taken aback by the fact that they both said the same thing but she continued first, "I'm so sorry, I overreacted and you were right. I was using it as an excuse to lash out at you and