“Want to have dinner at my place tonight?” Joshua asked, calling you randomly. You were just about to dig into some leftover mac and cheese.

            You were starting to feel anxious at how often you and Joshua were going out. You were still generally a poor college student. You had less then two thousand dollars in your account. You currently had no job and had to buy your own groceries, you were relying only on that money. The almost daily cups of tea you were buying with him were starting to put a dent in your budget.

            “I don’t know, man. My wallet’s a little tight right now.” You droned hesitantly, twisting a lock of hair around your finger. Looking down at the mac and cheese in front of you. You really wanted to hang out with him, but you didn’t want to have to pay.

            “I said it’s dinner at my place, we wouldn’t be going out.” He said, in a slightly muffled voice. You assumed he was eating something as he spoke.

            “But I would have to reimburse you somehow, It wouldn’t be fair to just eat your food.”

            You heard Joshua groan over the phone. “I can afford it. You’re talking to a debt free student.” He said. You were surprised, Joshua didn’t have any student debt? Wow.

            “I don’t know.” You droned, tugging at your hair harder now.

            “As payment you can help me make dinner.” He offered.

            “That’s hardly an appropriate payment.”

            “You bought me tea last time. Let me make this up to you.” He said.

            That was true. Last time you and Joshua went to go get tea, he did his regular routine of letting you order his tea for him while he hid in the bathroom. Only this time, Joshua forgot to give you his wallet. So you ended up buying his tea for him. Once he came back, he wanted to pay you back immediately, but he had no cash on him that day.

            “Ah your true intentions are revealed.” You sniggered.

            He just sighed. “What can I say? I don’t like being in debt.”

            “You do owe me…” You whispered thoughtfully to yourself.

            “You know you want to,” He sang. “I’ll be making homemade stir fry.”

            “Homemade stir fry.” You repeated, not being able repress the smile creeping on your face.

            “So, pick you in an hour?” Joshua asked.

            “What the heck.” Thank God that Joshua had a car.

            The moment you steeped into the door of his apartment after the long car ride with Joshua you heard a voice talking at you. “Hey, Josh, I can’t seem how to figure out-.” The voice suddenly stopped and you couldn’t place where it was coming from.

            Woozi popped up from behind the kitchen island, a frying pan in hand. He brandished the frying pan at you.

            “Why is she here?” He spat, looking at Joshua.

            You turned to look at Joshua. The same shock in Woozi’s face, reflected in your expression. “Why is he here?” You pointed back at Woozi.

            Joshua held his hands up defensively and closed the door behind him.

            “Now just calm down.”

            “You didn’t tell me she would be here.” Woozi said, crossing his arms over his chest impatiently and tapping his fingers on his forearms.

            “Me neither.” You said, crossing your arm subconsciously.

            “Maybe I didn’t tell you guys because I knew you would both react like this.” Joshua said, irritated. He dropped his bag off against the wall and came to where Woozi was standing. “What were you having problems with?” Joshua asked casually.

            “Well-” Woozi looked at you for a long second. You could tell he was contemplating how much of a deal he wanted to make out of the whole situation. “I couldn’t find the lid anywhere.” He said gesturing the frying pan in his hand. His shocked and almost angry expression had melted to match Joshua’s apathetic tone.

            “It’s not in that drawer anymore.” Joshua said. And he pulled out a drawer behind him and from it, recovered a lid. “Here”

            Woozi took it and set the pan on the burner on the stove.

            “No offense.” You started, trying to get on the same calmness level that both of the boys had adapted. Trying not to be upset that Woozi is also here. “But why is he here?”

            Joshua looked at you, one eyebrow lifted up. “What do you mean?” Is Joshua trying to play a game or something now?

            “I’m here because he invited me.” Woozi said, his back to you. He was putting some oil in the frying pan. “I thought that was fairly obvious.”
            Okay, something had to be going on here.

            “And you aren’t, I dunno, angry that I am here?” You supposed out loud.

            Woozi was silent for a minute. Apparently too focused on watching oil come to a boil to answer you.

            “Do I need to repeat myself?” You asked again, joining Woozi at where he stood in the kitchen.

            Woozi looked tense with concentration. He held the frying pan handle in a vice grip. “Sometimes I feel like you just want to push my buttons.” He said, not looking at you.

            “Well I can’t say I’m alone in that.” You said leaning up against the counter next to the stove. “You do your fair share as well too.”

            You looked around to see that Joshua had disappeared, leaving you and Woozi alone in the kitchen now.

            “Lets not fight. “ Woozi said quietly so only you could hear, his eyes downcast. “Joshua just wants us to get along for once.”

            You looked at him in disbelief. “So you’ll do it for Joshua? You weren’t so keen to do it when Hoshi and DK asked.”

            Woozi looked up and glared at you. “Are you saying you aren’t going to do it?” He said dully.

            “N-no I didn’t say that at all. Stop putting words in my mouth.” You said quickly. “I was just saying that-“

            “Pass me the ramen.” Woozi demanded, looking down at the now boiling oil. He held out his hand expectantly.

            “Why should I do that?” You snapped. It had become an automatic defense mechanism to be defensive of whatever Woozi says or asks. Based off of your previous experience with him.

            “Because you wanted stir fry.” He said glaring at you. “Just hand me the ramen.”

            You looked at him for a second, unconvinced of whatever game he was playing.

            “Okay listen,” Woozi said, rolling his eyes and then fixing you with a serious glare. “Joshua’s been having a rough week. I don’t know why he invited the both of us here, but he must’ve wanted to just relax. So please do not make things difficult for him, and hand me the damn ramen.” Woozi said, twitching his outstretched hand at you.

            You got the ramen that was on the folding dinner table that Joshua had put up for the occasion. You tossed it to Woozi, who caught it without a thanks.

            “Joshua’s having a hard time?” You asked Woozi, in a quiet voice. You jumped up at sat on the kitchen island, facing Woozi’s back, who was adding the ramen into the oil, two feet away.

            “For a while now. Not that you would notice, you are rather -” Woozi stopped himself midsentence, at what you supposed was going to be an insult. “Forget I said anything, we are supposed to be getting along.” He ruffled his hair with a pained expression.

            “Are you going to go the whole night be nice to me?” You said, a mischievous grin ripping across face.

            He glared at you. “Painfully, yes.” He said, gritting his teeth. “And you should be doing the same.”

            “I didn’t know you cared so much about him.” You said seriously.

            “Shut up.” He hissed. “Make yourself useful and chop up the green peppers over there.”

            You looked at Woozi who was tossing the ramen around in the pan. From his expression, it looked like he was biting back another comment.

            If Joshua was having a hard week you figured you could stomach a dinner with Woozi. After all, you couldn’t let yourself forget that you did owe Joshua a lot. So you swallowed your pride and chopped up the peppers like Woozi asked.

            But if Woozi tried anything funny tonight, you were damn sure that you would get payback once you were back at the apartment.

            Joshua returned from the hallway looking very pleased to see the both of you silently working together.

            “How are things coming?” He said, looking over Woozi’s shoulder (more like over Woozi’s head. Woozi was very short.) Woozi had already added in the green peppers, and had already given you the task for the onions.

            “Well.” Woozi said shortly. He became strangely focused in the kitchen. “Hurry up with those onions.” He tried to say things nicely, but you think it must be hard to be nice. After all, he is barely nice to his own friends, let alone you.

            That’s not true, you guessed. He was doing this for Joshua, so that is considered nice, right?

            “Sure thing.” You said, trying to chop up the onions faster. But with one flick of the knife you almost nicked yourself.

            Joshua chuckled and got behind you. “Here let me show you.” He stood next to you and slid his hand on top of yours that was holding the knife.

            Before he had the chance to do anything, you felt a urge of panic at the sudden contact and your instincts kicked in again. You drove your elbow straight into his stomach, using all of your force.

            It wasn’t until you heard Joshua groan and stumble back from you, till you realized what you had done.

            “What the heck?” Joshua said in between grunts. He was bending over, supporting his upper body with his hands on his knees. One hand grabbing at his stomach.

            Woozi who was preoccupied, looked up at the sound that Joshua made when you hit him. Woozi looked from Joshua to you, then back to Joshua again. He set down the stir fry pan on the burner to look at you scolding.

            “What did you do?” Woozi said, not bothering to ask if Joshua was okay.

            You went to Joshua’s side and stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. “Uh… I’m so sorry. I just-“

            “Twice!” Joshua groaned. “You’ve done this to me twice.” He tried to straighten up but he winced and curled back down. “You and your bony elbows.”

            Woozi snorted and looked at you from top to bottom. “Bony.” He laughed under his breath, obviously finding the words funny when compared to you.

            “Hey!” You snapped. “If you got something to say just be blunt about it.”

            “Actually, yes.”  Woozi sniggered, with a face that was prepared for a battle. “I was saying that-“ Woozi stopped. Joshua had straightened up.

            Woozi’s snarky face fell under Joshua’s gaze. “I was saying that you should pass me those onions by now.” He smoothed over the harsh comment with ease. Putting on a mask of indifference on and picking up the skillet again.

            Joshua had straightened up by now. His expression positive, not willing to be dragged down by you and Woozi fighting.

            “There we go.” He said hooking Woozi under one of the crook of his elbows and you in the other. “See you can get along.”

            Woozi held out the sizzling pan at an odd angle, trying to refrain it from touching Joshua’s arm that was slung around his neck. “Some of us are trying to get the cooking done here.”

            Joshua let the two of you go and you handed Woozi the onions that you had only gotten half done. Who looked at them with displeasure.

            “What?” You mocked innocence. “You said to hand you the onions.”

            Woozi glared at you but took the onions all the same and finished chopping them himself.

            “Best leave him alone.” Joshua said, sitting down the couch in the cramped living room. “He’s irritable when he cooks.”

            “Or he’s always irritable.” You corrected him, sitting next to him. “And since when does Woozi cook?” You asked.

            “I’ve always cooked.” Woozi said loudly from the kitchen.

            “I’ve never seen you cook around the apartment.” You said back. Since the kitchen could be hardly called a kitchen (it could barely fit you Joshua, and Woozi in there.), and since there was a breakfast bar on one of the sides, combined big doorway, you could easily see everything and hear Woozi was doing from here. True vice versa as well, it was a small apartment after all.

            “I cook all the time.” He said back, adding the onions in. “You’re just asleep when I do.”

            You didn’t doubt that. You were normally in bed by midnight, max. And Woozi had pulled so many all-nighters you lost count. Sometimes you would wake up at four in the morning to go to the bathroom and see Woozi in his regular hunched over position, looking at the music software on his computer. As if he hadn’t so much left the room since he got back from his classes. The music program at most schools in general were hard, but the program at your school was the hardest.

            Your school was kind of known for the music program. Best the country. So when you were informed that Woozi got into your school on a music scholarship, it means a big deal. You heard a statics that only thirty percent of people who apply to be in the music program actually get in.

            Getting into the music program is in itself, tiring. You have to go through multiple auditions. As well as severe academic scrutiny. And once you get in, the workload is so insane that it drives a lot of students to drop out. The easiest way to spot a music major on campus was to identify if they: had bags under their eyes, was carrying more than one cup of coffee, and looked stressed out of their mind.

If there was ever something you couldn’t say Woozi was; it was lazy. He was hardworking to the core. A hardworking who didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, but hardworking.

            “Woozi’s a good cook.” Joshua added. “He used to make us meals in High School but he’s gotten better now that he’s in college.”

            “I’ve always been this good.” Woozi retorted. “But when you are cooking for thirteen guys it’s quantity over quality.”

            “Thirteen guys?” You said. “How did you cook for that many people?”

            “Mingyu helped too.” Woozi said. “It was mainly cheap ingredients. Lots of ramen.” He said adding in a few vegetables to the now huge stir fry. “Lots and lots of ramen.”

            “Mingyu is our other friend, you haven’t met him yet.” Joshua said, tossing a ball up in the air only to catch it on the way back down and toss it back up again. “Tall as crap.”

            As the ball descended down you tried to make a grab for it. But Joshua grabbed it before you could. “How tall?” You asked, eyeing the ball as if it was your prey.

            “Tall as crap.” Joshua said, looking at you in anticipation as he taunted you by tossing the ball back up in the air, holding it away from your reach.

            You snatched at it again. Missing.

            You changed your seating position. You were now sitting with your whole weight on your toes, wobbling slightly under the mushy cushion. With your not touching the couch anymore you snatched the ball from Joshua on it’s decent down.

            You held the ball in front of Joshua’s peeved face, shaking it slightly. “Over six foot?” You asked, smiling proudly.

            Joshua reached for the ball but you pulled it away in time. “Just over six foot.” He said, eyeing the ball with calculation.

            He lunged for the ball again, this time using his body. He failed to get the ball but the shift in weight on the couch made you wobble over. It was hard trying to keep balance on your toes on an unstable surface.

            You toppled over on the remaining couch space but kept the ball in an extended arm above your head. Because as you expected, Joshua took this an an opportunity to steal it back.

            “If you come any closer I swear I will kick you in the place that differentiates us.” You said warningly. Holding a bent foot out at him, ready for attack.

            “Oh come on, I want to have kids some day.” Joshua said, and he lunged for the ball. And before he could have reached it your chucked the ball over the armrest.

            Joshua was able to catch himself to prevent him from falling on you. But both of your eyes followed the ball as it bounced into the kitchen. There was a split second where you both looked at each other before you took flight.

            Joshua was up first, obviously since he was hovering over you. But you grabbed his arm as he tried to stand up. Once you had the grip on his arm you used your upper body strength to use your entire body weight to pull him down. And of course, that twig of a boy went down. But as he fell down, his body weight was enough to of a pull to slide you off of the couch with him.

            For a second, you both were nothing but a still mess, lying on the floor in sad pride redden glory. But the both of you were quickly overridden by competition that put you both in overdrive.

Joshua was scrambling to his feet and you pulled his ankles back, pulling his feet out from underneath him. With his feet no longer supporting him, he fell straight down, his chin the first thing to make contact with the floor.

            “OH!” He groaned, rubbing at his jaw. You had already stood up, ready to pounce on the ball but you stopped. And looked at Joshua, still lying on the floor clutching at his jaw.

            You crouched down, next to him. “Are you okay? I just seem to be hurting you today.” You gave him a slightly winced, charismatic grin.

            “I bit my tongue.” Joshua said in a distorted voice, getting to his hands and knees to get on your level.

            You grimaced, looking at his pained expression. “I’ll get you some-“

            But with a chuckle he just pushed you down. You thumped backwards and by the time you quickly gotten to your feet, Joshua had recovered the ball. A look of smug glee on his face.

            “In your face.” He said, throwing the ball on the ground as if it was a touchdown. He groaned and threw both of his fisted hands up in the air.

            “You are way to excited about this.” You said mockingly, taking the ball he discarded on the ground and tossing it at him roughly.

            “Probably because it’s the closest he’s gotten to an ‘athletic victory.” Woozi said. And Woozi was looking up, smirking slightly, over the stir fry that he was placing as the centerpiece on the tables.

            Joshua pointed his finger in your face. “I won.” He sang.

            “Only because you cheated.” You said, swatting his finger away. “I thought you were actually hurt.”

            He put his hand over his heart and stuck out his bottom lip. “I never knew you cared-“ He said in a mockingly high pitch voice.

            “Idiot.” You punched him in the chest and he flinched. “Next time,” You tried to sound menacing but it was hard to do so when your smile kept leaking through.

            “Gosh, do you want to eat or not?” Woozi snapped. He was already at the table, eating from the huge stir fry pan set in the middle. “To save on dishes we’re just eating it out of here. Hurry up or it will be gone.” He grumbled through a mouthful of vegies.

            You and Joshua wasted no time.

            The dinner was surprisingly nice. It showed that Woozi was used to cooking for loads of people, because he had made way too much stir fry. All three of you swore by your pride that you would finish the pot yourselves. But by halfway through both Joshua and you had called it quits. Woozi only lasted another ten minutes without the both of you before he also announced that he was full.

            Joshua packed the rest of the stir fry in the biggest containers he could find so you both could take some home. Even with both of your Tupperware packed, Joshua still had a cup or so of leftovers for himself.

            By the end of dinner, Joshua announced that he should probably get the both of you back in town. You wanted to object, you were having so much fun. But you figured that since Joshua is the driver, you really didn’t have a say.

            Woozi beat you to getting shotgun in the car, but you didn’t let it bother you. You just laid down on the back seat and spread out. Watching the streetlamps fly by rhythmically in the darkness, as they casted ire shadows on your body laid out like a canvas.

            You listened to Woozi and Joshua talk about their classes, as a cassette played in the background of an acoustic guitar strumming along to a wispy voice.

            You heard Woozi laugh. And for the first time you heard the joy behind it. You had only seen that face that Woozi was wearing now once before. The last time was when Woozi was talking to Coups. He had the same look as he had now.

A kind of careless joy about it, not caring who saw him. Rather than the defensive and calculated sense of emotionless he normally wore around.

Woozi and Joshua talked for the whole time. You didn’t realize how close they were until now. The smile on your face growing slightly with every word said, every joke made. You couldn’t help but smile.

It was one of those moments. The timing was perfect, and everything just seemed beautiful.

            When Joshua dropped the two of you off at the bus station, you had barely said a word in the car. But you didn’t mind, it was somewhat satisfying enough just hearing the boys laugh. And hearing Woozi laugh and make jokes that weren’t aimed at someone else’s peril was interesting enough to keep you from interfering.

            “Bye.” Joshua said, as you got out of the car, Woozi following after you. You and Woozi said your goodbyes and Joshua sped off.

            “I can see the bus.” You told Woozi, pointing at the dim lights in the distance. The bus would be here in a minute.

            Woozi just looked at you for a second, as if he was calculating something. And then he started walking away from the bus stop.

            “Hey, where are you going?” You yelled after him, your steps stuttering on the ground. Not willing to leave from under the bus stop’s glaring neon.

            He turned around to look at you. “Come on.” He yelled, agitated.

            “What? But the bus-“
            “Just come on.” He yelled.

            You looked at Woozi, who already had begun to walk again, and the coming bus. “But the bus-.” You tried to yell but he didn’t hear you.

            “What is going on?” You whispered to yourself, then you jogged after Woozi in the dark. “Wait up!” You yelled after him.

            And to your surprise, he stopped dead in his tracks until you got up to speed with him. You were lightly winded when you said. “Where are we going? What about the bus?”

            Woozi just smiled. It was a authentic smile, similar to the one you saw in the car as Woozi talked to Joshua. It wasn’t the exact full teethed smile like he had in the car, though. His lips were barely curled. But the small smile still seemed to reach all the way up to his eyes. Like the one in the car, it was genuine.

 It took you aback, seeing it in this context. You never thought you would see it, face first. Let alone possibly directed at you. “There will be other buses.” He said calmly. “Besides, I want to get something.”

            “What do you want to get?” You asked, trying to guess the place before you got there by what direction he was heading.

            He made a sharp left turn around the corner of the building and around it, you saw an ice cream shop. “Here” He said, in a soothing voice.

            “You want ice cream?” You scoffed, following his footsteps to the store. “I thought you were full?” You remembered Woozi failing to finish off the last of the stir fry himself. Complaining halfway through about how full he felt.

            He just smirked. “I always have room for ice cream. Besides they have the best ice cream here.”

            He went up to the lady behind the counter and ordered two scoops of mint chocolate chip, but before he could finish his order he turned to you. “Do you want anything?”

            Your mind seemed to clear of all thought at the offer. “U-uh no. Thanks, though.” You couldn’t help narrow your eyes at him at this random act of kindness.

            He gave you a disapproving look. “Come on. You have to get something.” He droned. “I’ll pay.”

            “No.” You said more forcefully this time. “I don’t like ice cream.”

            His eyes widened a bit and he looked peeved at your words. “Who doesn’t like ice cream?” He turned to the lady and gave her a few bills in exchange for his ice cream.

            “If your lactose intolerant, you don’t.” You snapped. Woozi got his ice cream, and was about to sit down and gestured to you to follow him. But you walked around him and went up to the counter.

            “One scoop of orange sherbet please.” You said. “In a cup.”

            “Well that wasn’t fair.” Woozi said, as you both sat down in a booth together. “I said offered to get you something.”

            “I don’t like people buying me things.” You said, taking  in a spoonful of sherbet. “And what’s the catch?” You looked at him expectantly, wanting to skip whatever small talk and get to the point..

            “What do you mean?” He said, his eyebrows furring in confusion.

            “I mean offering to buy me ice cream, the whole smiling deal. What’s the catch? What do you want?”

            “I don’t want anything.” He said innocently.

            You narrowed your eyes. “Oh come on, Spill it. What do you want”

            He laughed awkwardly. “No really, I don’t want anything. I just…” He trailed off looking down as he jabbed at his ice cream with his spoon, shifting in his seat.

            “Just what?” You spat.

            He sighed, exasperated. “I just don’t think we should fight anymore.”

            Surely you were deaf. You must’ve heard wrong. He was joking, he had to be joking.

            But when you inspected his face, you saw no sarcastic glint in his eyes.

            You sat frozen cold with the words that just came from his mouth. Your lower lip parting from your top, to drop down. “Y-you…what?”

            This time he was more confident when he said it. “I don’t think we should fight anymore.” He stopped messing with his ice cream and took a spoonful bite of it. And looked at you expectantly, waiting for your response.

            You didn’t know how to react. How were you supposed to react? What he hell was he playing at, seriously?

            “What brought this about?” You asked warily, setting your spoon down in your dish to remove distractions.

            “I dunno.” He . “Tonight, was okay, I guess.” He cleared his throat and he unraveled his hands that were fumbling together in his lap and set them on the table. He started speaking bluntly in a casual tone as if to discussing the weather. “Joshua was happy. And you two are really close. And I guess it see it now.”

            “See what, exactly?” You couldn’t stop your tone from sounding hostile.

            “How you two are friends.” He said. “I thought at first that you were just using Josh to get back at me.” He looked out the window to avoid your gaze. His eyes lingering on the scene outside but not focusing in on anything. “But I know now that I was-“ He didn’t finish. His pride choked out the forming words before he could finish.

            “Oh.” Was all you could say.

            “And it was fun. Everything was. I mean, it was better entertainment than making you angry I guess.” He smirked a little.

            “I knew that you just made me angry for the fun of it.” You hissed under your breath, while taking in a scoop of ice cream

            He turned to gaze to you. “Don’t act like you didn’t do the same.” H

            His voice, clean and honest seemed to hit you like ice. Honesty was apparently taking a front seat in this conversation.

“Okay, fine.” You caved, only to add quickly. “But it was a game that both of us played. You wanted to make me angry just as much, maybe even more than I did. You started this whole thing in the first place, by burning my hand.”

            “Yes, I must say.” He dropped his head down and you could see him smirking to himself. When he brought his head up, the faint smile had disappeared. “But lets not do that anymore. Making each other angry for no reason. I have no fight with you anymore.”

            “Why the sudden change?” You asked, the aggression in your voice was gone now. Woozi seemed to be serious.

            “Like I said, tonight. I dunno, you’re okay, I guess. And Josh seems to think you’re cool, so why make it harder on him?”

            “So, you’re doing this for Joshua?” You asked, leaning in over the table.

            Woozi took a mouthful of ice cream in. His lip curling either from ice cream or from the proximity that you were at with him now. “Why do you ask so many questions?” He grumbled, slightly annoyed.

            “Because yesterday, you tried to sabotage me ignoring Hoshi.” You said dryly.

            “Well you needed to stop ignoring Hoshi.” He said plainly. “The apartment was getting awkward with you ignoring everyone.”

            “What I’m saying is that yesterday you hated me and today you don’t? Just like that?”

            “I never hated you.” He leaned back in the booth, looking at you with high eyebrows. “I mean at first probably a strong dislike, but never that.”

            “I’m almost positive that once you said you hated me.” You pointed out.

            “I said I hate  stupid people.” He corrected you.

            “Well you made that very clear that you-“

            “Why do you have to be so technical?” He groaned again, obviously annoyed at your persistence. “Just I don’t hate you, okay? There, done.”

            You sighed. “So what does this mean? Are we supposed to pretend all of what has happened never happened and suddenly become friends?”

            Woozi’s head snapped up and looked at you with confused eyes. He took a sharp intake of breath. But then he doubled over and started coughing, choking on his ice cream.

“F-friends?” He spluttered, in a coughing fit. “Who said anything about being friends?” His eyes were starting to water as he tried to clear his throat thickly.

            “I said we should stop fighting.” He corrected you in a hoarse voice, whipping his mouth with his sleeve. “I never said anything about being friends, oh God.”

            He brought a napkin to his lips and began coughing. You waited till he was done clearing his throat.

            “Listen,” He said, empathically, looking at you. “If I led you on, to think that we could be friends I’m sorry. That’s not what I was saying-“

            “Oh no, you weren’t I just-“

            “I mean you still annoy the crap out of me. Just now I just don’t want to fight you-”

            “I don’t even want to be your friend“
            “And I’m sorry if I am letting you down-“

            “You aren’t. You really aren’t-“

            “But I’m going to have to decline your offer.”

            “I wasn’t offering anything! I just thought that you were saying that we-“

            “I wasn’t” He said pausing for a minute, his cold expression returning.

            “I know that now.” You huffed.

            “Why do you have to make everything so weird?” He said angrily and got up from the booth, and throwing his empty cup in the trash forcefully. You were one step behind him

            “Well you need to pick better wording.” You said. “Anyone could’ve picked that context up.” You said as you exited the shop,

            “I know, you must be horribly disappointed to not get a wonderful friend like me“

            “I’m not.” You snapped. “Who would want a friend like you anyway?” You sneered. Woozi held the the door open for you as you both walked out of the ice cream shop, his expression solid. The bell on the door ringing as you both exited with rough expressions.

            “Ya. Like I would want a bossy, cold hearted friend like you. Even the thought-“ Woozi started, his bland tone returning.

            “Repulses me.”

            “Glad we’re on the same page, then.” Woozi growled.      

            “Pleasure!” You yelled, and you heard your angry voice echo back at you.

            Both of you had stopped walking and were now just glaring at each other, your faces slightly red from Both facing each other, heaving slightly from yelling. Both of you leaning into each other, knees bent fists clenched.

            And then Woozi laughed.

            He started laughing, cracking a smile. His tense body relaxing within a moment.  His eyes reduced to slits as he chuckled, the shoulder shaking slightly. He took a few steps back as he held his smile.

            You just looked at him, perplexed. “What?” You said loudly. “What’s so funny?”

            “Nothing. It’s just-” He smiled again, this time his teeth flashing. He gestured at you and then to him. “No fighting.”

            “You were the one who said it it not me.” You sighed. And you couldn’t help but laugh too at the ridiculousness of the situation. It hadn’t even been a full minute after Woozi proposed they shouldn’t fight and both of you had already caved to the temptation. You grinning slightly back at him.

            “Oh man, not fighting with you?” He said, throwing his head back as he began to walk again. You walking next to him, your steps in sync with each other. “How boring.”

            You threw your head back laughing at the irony of the whole situation. “Man, how messed up are we.” You said as both of you reached the bus stop sign. You leaned against the cold metal of the sign , still smiling to yourself.

           Woozi stood next to you. “Completely ed up.” He laughed.

           Both of you just looked at each other, grinning. “So is this actually happening? Are we really not going to fight?”

            “It’s a work in progress.” He sighed. “But it will be hard. I’m sorry. I can’t help myself,” His eyes fixed on the oncoming bus. “It’s just so fun.”

            The bus approached the two of you, the bright headlights bleaching your faces against the backdrop of night sky.

GUESS WHO'S BACK! I missed you guys! :)

School started up again, and I really wanted to get this chapter perfect. So here.

Hope all of you are doing well! <3