Jiyeon and L. Joe walk approaching one of the check-out counters when Jiyeon makes a halt that startles L. Joe.

                "Wait a minute," she exclaims, her eyes wide as she turns to L. Joe. "I almost forgot one thing."

                "I thought you've gotten all the things you needed."

                Jiyeon turns around and pulls the trolley behind her, forcing L. Joe along with her. L. Joe who realizes they are getting far from the check-out counter finally says, "Jiyeon, where are we going?"

                "I just need to buy one important thing," she answers without looking at him, but instead is busy checking the gloves compartment.

                "What do you need them for?" L. Joe nags, putting down one pair of knitted gloves that were in Jiyeon's grip back into its place. "You've tons of them already."

                "These aren't for me, L. Joe," Jiyeon murmurs, frowning as she reaches back for the gloves.

                "Who is it for?" He asks curiously.

                "Jinyoung." Jiyeon pauses as she turns to meet L. Joe's gaze innocently. "Did you know he lives alone now? His mom isn't around to make sure he's warm throughout this winter. That worries me. So, I decided to get him one pair of these since they're on sale. Warm gloves are the best during winter time, y'know."

                L. Joe swallows bitterly, eyes rolling sharply before pushing the trolley away. Jiyeon quickly grabs two pairs when she notices L. Joe is getting farther.

                "Wait up!" Jiyeon runs to keep up with L. Joe when he finally stops. She walks up to him, almost panting and slaps his arm when she's close enough. "Yah! Why did you leave me? That was mean. I was going to ask a favour from you anyway."

                L. Joe turns to her, eyes cold and tired. "What?"

                "No need to get ticked off," she murmurs, lowering her gaze.

                "What's the favour?" He asks again, getting impatient.

                "Oh!" She suddenly beams. "Yah, you're his best friend right? Do you remember how big his hand is? I'm confused about which size to buy. Is it this size and the one-size bigger than this-" Not wanting to hear more of her favour, L. Joe walks out on her again, only this time he's not stopping when she calls for him.

                "Aish, what's wrong with him?" Jiyeon inwardly sighs as she follows his steps to the check-out counter. "Why is he suddenly being cold to me?"

'***

                It's already 11.27 PM when they finally drive away and leave the mall. It's a quiet drive wth nothing much to talk about. They both are tired, clearly, from the shopping as there were quite a lot to be bought. Jiyeon would sometimes look back to watch over the groceries so that no bag falls down.

                "L. Joe," Jiyeon turns to her left, her gaze is guilty as if she had hurt his feelings. " Are you tired? I'm sorry you had to come along. You didn't have to actually. I don't know why my mom-"

                "Road's jammed, but we should get back home in no time. I hope it's not that late."

                JIyeon turns away, her gaze tears away from his face and falls on the closed stalls by the side of the busy road. "Okay then."

                Suddenly a loud TVXQ song goes off, emitted by Jiyeon's phone, thus breaking the drumming silence between them two. The ear-piercing ringing sound startles L. Joe as much as it does to her. She apologizes hastily before picking up the call. It's from her mom.

                "Oh hello mom. Are you home?" Pause. "What? Really?" Another pause. "Oh okay." Sigh. "Don't be late okay. Goodbye mom. Take care." Then the call ends. Jiyeon keeps her phone away, biting her bottom lip when she regretfully glances at L. Joe.

                "What's wrong?" He asks crisply.

                "My parents have just finished their dinner. It will be an hour before they finally arrive home. Besides, the road's kinda packed with workers who just ended their evening shift, so, yeah..."

                "Oh," L. Joe pauses, processing the information. "You mean I can't send you home yet?"

                "Yah," she snorts. "It's not like I asked for this to happen you know."

***

                L. Joe takes a left turn at the T-junction and drives on. The drive past a post office and the coffee house L. Joe likes to drink at. The shops are all closed, so there's no way they can kill some time drinking coffee there. Then one idea comes floating into her mind.

                "How about I treat you to a machine-made coffee?"

                "Huh?"

                "There. Over there, by that post box, take that road and it will lead us to a coffee vending machine. I used to treat you to that 30 000 won coffee remember?"

                "Oh," he says, suppressing the smile on his face.

                When they finally arrive, they both dismounted L. Joe’s Ferrari and approach the vending machine. Jiyeon takes out her coin purse from inside her bag.

                “Black coffee?” she asks.

                “Yup,” L. Joe nods, standing next to her. A few minutes later, he takes both of the cup away from Jiyeon.

                “Go first,” he says, asking her to get the seat first. “I got this.”

                “Thank you,” she beams and walks forward to the empty bench. They both sit at the same time, and then L. Joe passes Jiyeon her coffee.

                “Thanks,” she says again and takes a small sip at the hot coffee.

                “It’s still hot,” he says almost frowning. “Can’t you wait?”

                Jiyeon takes a short glance at him. “Why did you stop being nice?” Though it almost sounds like a soft whisper. White steam escapes from as she speaks.

                “It’s cold,” he mutters, looking around the quiet place. “And no one’s here at this time of the night.”

                Jiyeon, big-eyed and weary, flashes him a warning look. “Don’t you freaking dare. My family knows you very well. We’ll definitely hunt you down if something happens to me.”

                L. Joe makes a face as he eyes her top to bottom. With a what-is-this-stupid-joke chuckle, he says flatly, “You’re intriguing me to vomit, you know.”

                Taken aback, Jiyeon rolls her eyes at him. “Good then.”

                L. Joe continues to drink his coffee in one-shot and glances at her when he sees her trying to control her anger.

                “I was just kidding.”

                “I know,” she answers coldly.

                “Don’t be mad.”

                “I’m not.”

                “You seem like it though.”

                “Yeah, but I’m not,’ she snaps.

                “Your cheeks are red. That means you’re mad. Don’t be,” he says whisperingly as he stares her brown eyes. “I’ll behave now.”

                Jiyeon falls silent, completely overwhelmed by his remark. It’s unusual but very comforting at the same time. His voice is soft and enchanting. She likes the way he speaks. The tone is low but he’s not mumbling. And her heart is skipping a beat again, like the time when he bought her the hairpin. She knows she should answer him but it takes longer than usual for her to find her voice.

                “I need another cup of this,” she chokes on her words but it’s better than to remain silent. Jiyeon tries to get up when the coffee that she holds fills out and wets her jacket. “Dammit,” she cries, getting up, and starts to fan her jacket.

                “Are you okay,” he asks as he helps her to fan her jacket as well. “Why would you need another cup of it? It’s not like you’ve finished your first coffee. Sheesh, I don’t get you sometimes.”

                “Of course you don’t,” she snaps. “This is your fault anyway.”

                “How is it my fault? I didn’t even brush against your freaking cup when it spilled.”

                “I don’t care. It’s still your fault.”

                “You’re annoying. When can I get rid of you?” He snaps as he sits down. He’s giving up on helping her airing her jacket.

                “Jerk,” she mumbles before reached out for her phone in her pocket. A text message lightens her screen up the exact moment she takes it out.

                “Mom texted me. They’ll be home in about 30 minutes or so. Don’t worry, you’ll get rid of me soon enough.”

                “Can’t wait for that,” L. Joe sighs of relief. He ignores the sharp glare from Jiyeon as he carefree-ly swings his feet, the tip of his Nike sneakers graze against the scruffy surface of the cement. “I can never have a coffee break with you.”

                “I’m glad we’re on the same page about that matter.”

                Then loud silence draws in and they both sit alone awkwardly. L. Joe would sometimes plays with his hair and fixes it while Jiyeon would just sit there and yawn.

                L. Joe finally decides to break the silence. “Are you tired?”

                “I am,” she admits with a shy smile. “And it’s very cold too, so, I’m feeling more sleepy in this condition.”

                “C’mon,” he then gets off the bench. “Let’s just stay in my car. It’s gonna be a while before I get of rid of you,” he says teasingly and offers her his hand. Jiyeon hesitates before she slides her fingers in and grabs his hand.

                “Okay,” she agrees, her cheeks fuming.

                L. Joe takes the lead and walks her to his car. He even opens up the door for her and closes it shut when she’s inside. “Watch out,” he would say before closing the door. He then walks around the car and gets inside.

                “Is this fine?” He asks when his long fingers are done setting the heater to the appropriate level.

                “Yeah,” Jiyeon mutters with a short nod. “it’s fine.”

                L. Joe suddenly starts up his engine and pushes down the hand-brake. Slowly,  his car starts moving, and leaves the place.

                “Where are we going?”

                “I think it’s better if we wait up in front of your house. Your parents won’t be long anyway.”

                “Oh okay.”

                L. Joe finally parks his car across the main gate to her house when they have arrived. “Here’s fine.”

                “Yeah,” she answers awkwardly when she views her house through the car window. “It feels weird when you’re close to something but you can’t reach it.”

                “Yeah,” he agrees as he views her house as well. “I don’t think that’s bearable.”

                “What?”

                “You know, when you’re so Goddamn close to the thing you want the most, but you’re nowhere near to having it to yourself. I don’t think that’s bearable.”

                “Maybe,” she shrugs. “But giving up isn’t an option.”

                “Why?” He asks, cocking his head to left. “It’s better to just give up.”

                “But if it’s something that you want the most, shouldn’t you fight for it?”

                “You should, or find another one and start over.”

                Jiyoen chuckles at his simple idea. “Wow your love life must’ve been hard.”

                “Don’t mock me,” he crosses. “I’m merely stating my principle. Don’t fight for something you know you can’t have, even if it’s the most desirable thing you’ve ever wanted. I mean, if it’s not happening then it’s not happening. There’s always someone better out there.”

                “I bet you do the same to all your former girlfriends.”

                “Excuse me?” He says, sounding rather hurtful. “Don’t judge me.”

                “I’m not,” she says defensively. “Why did you treat all your girlfriends like that?”

                “Like what?

                “Like,” she pauses, thinking hard and recalling all the ‘stuff’ she heard every time L. Joe broke up with one of his girlfriends. “Like when you broke up with I-don’t-know-who because you didn’t like her dress one day. That was childish and just a cowardly way of telling her we’re not meant to be.”

                “But we weren’t meant to be,” he demands. “And where do you know this stuff? I thought you didn’t keep up with my well-being.”

                “I did not keep up with your well-being, L. Joe. I heard stuff.”

                “Yeah right.”

                “I’m only saying that, when you love someone, you should do it right. Life’s too short to have many regrets.”

                “I did not regret it,” L. Joe says with shrug. “Never once I felt like I did a stupid mistake when I broke up with, you know, all of them.”

                “Okay,” Jiyeon shrugs. “I get it.”

                “We’re only eighteen, Jiyeon. It’s gonna be some time we really meet the love of our life. So, before that time comes , why not enjoy? I bet you’ve had boyfriends when you were in high school.”

                “What?” Jiyeon shakes her head in disbelief. “Why not enoy? OMG I don’t know you anymore.”

                “Don’t judge me,” he says with a wry expression. “Yes, you don’t know me anymore since the day you decided we shouldn’t be friends.”

                “I did not say that.”

                “You were hormonal and stuff, I don’t know. Of course you said that. You just didn’t say it like that. But I know you meant it the moment you avoided me.”

                “I did not!” Jiyeon crosses her arms angrily. “Well I didn’t see you make any effort of approaching me either. Fine, let's put all the blame on me.”

                “Hell yeah I’m blaming you. Because of your friggin’ first period and other hormone-related stuff, we stopped talking to each other, we acted like total strangers, we stopped going to underground clubs where awesome gigs were happening, we pretended to move on with our lives when we heard stuff about each other and we stopped being best friends!”

                Jiyeon, eyes gradually b, looks away from his furious expression and holds back her sobs before L. Joe catches it. She shuts her eyes tight, wondering how they manage to get into this mess in the first place. She knows they fight all the time, but this fight is definitely not just another regular fight. L. Joe sounds hurtful and she knows he means each word when he hurls them. He still can’t get over their old bitter history. But they’re friends again, so why can’t he accept that and move on? He needs answers perhaps. Answers that she didn’t have.

                Honks from an approaching car from behind startle them both. It seems like Jiyeon’s parents are back and L. Joe finally can call it a day. She takes a glimpse at him, eyes still tearful, and nods her head once. “Night.”

                She gets off the car and opens the dor to the passenger seat and starts t unload all the groceries she bought L. Joe gets off as well, wanting to help her the moment he saw her red eyes, sparkled with tears.

                “Let me-” He doesn’t even finish his words when Jiyeon interferes.

                “Don’t,” her voice is firm and upset and that one word manages to freeze him.

                Jiyeon notices her mom walks in her direction. She keeps her head down and walks past her mom when Hana comes to greet her.

                “There’s some more. I’m going in first.”

                Hana, feeling confused, blankly nods her head once and walks on to greet L. Joe. They talk a little a bit, thanking him for all the trouble and then she sees him off when L. Joe excuses himself first. Hana sighs heavily as she walks into her house. Did they fight again? Oh God.

OMG such a long post ._.

ENJOY <33