The feeling of cold water relieves her dry throat as she continued to run across the school field, trying to finish the few laps left of her punishment and avoiding Lalisa Manoban at the same time. Two birds in one stone. Although the damn punishment was all Lisa's fault.

"Two more laps, Yerim! Do it faster!" 

Yerim groaned, discretely throwing a dirty glare at her track and field coach. Why is she the one getting punished anyway? Lisa was the stupid jerk who interrupted their summer training. She was peacefully running through the tracks awhile ago!

"Go, baby! You can do it!" I'm suddenly her ing what now?

"That's another lap for you, Kim Yerim!"

Yerim narrows her eyes at the blonde girl grinning at her, oblivious to her situation, "ing shut up Manoban or I will break up with you!"

It worked like magic. Lisa immediately behaved, even going as far as sitting down the ground and being quiet, her face suddenly becoming sullen. It was weird as since that older girl is hyper and mean as too. Probably on Jisoo's level before the whole stepmother thing. Yeri sighed. 

Right. This was the person her cousin loved with her whole heart. Yerim is supposed to make Lisa happy. She promised after all.

...

An arm circles around her shoulders and Yerim cringed, remembering how sweaty she currently is.

"Ack, stop. I'm sweaty." Yerim complained, "I need to shower get off me."

Lisa only tightens her grip, "I don't care. You look hot."

"But yeah you do smell!"

Yerim throws her probably the hundredth glare that day to which Lisa responded with a raise of her eyebrows. The younger girl almost wanted to rip her face off. Except that she likes Lisa and she is her girlfriend and Jisoo would be upset at her. Yerim sighed heavily.

"Why are you such in a sour mood today?" The older girl groans, "I'm being nice to you now appreciate it you brat!"

I don't want you to be nice to me. I want you to like—no I want you to love me. Much more than Jisoo.

"I'm just not in the mood, unnie. Please." She replies, her tone begging and Lisa hesitantly lets her go, eyes worried and questioning.

Yerim silently slips away from the older girl and enters the showers. She needed some time to think.

...

"Okay, spill." Lisa demands, her stare piercing into Yerim's soul as they both sat cross-legged across Yerim's bedroom. Yerim had her back pressed against the wall, the cool temperature seeping into her shirt and the air-condition was not helping either as she started to feel more sleepy by the second. 

Lisa taps her knee, bringing the sleepy girl back to reality before Lisa spoke again. "Seriously, Kim Yerim. I hate it when people hide their ing problems, especially if they're with me."

"Is this why you broke up with her?"

Thick silence hangs in the air. The kind that tenses up the atmosphere, hearts beating hard and thoughts racing. The kind of calm before the storm. 

"What the did you just say?" Lisa growls.

Yerim avoids her glare, eyes fixed on her hands as she frowns. "You heard me."

"You know the damn real reason why, Kim Yerim. I did it for her good."

"No, unnie. You gave up. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that someday you'll give up on me too." Yerim whispered. 

Lisa's eyes flared with rage or determination, either of them, maybe both. She gently held Yerim's hands despite the hostility in her eyes before she squeezed it reassuringly. 

"I won't." Lisa started, "I won't ever give up on you, I'm not making the same mistake again."

Yerim looked back up at her, unsure, doubtful, wondering. When Lisa gave up on her relationship with Jisoo, Yerim watch her cousin completely shut down. Jisoo hid her pain from the world, from her best friends but Yerim sees it and she had always hated Lisa from then on, regrets ever liking the tall girl despite her being her cousin's girlfriend. But Jisoo was ty kind and knowing Yerim's attraction, she gave her approval. Wanted the younger Kim to pursue what she wants despite her lingering feelings for Lisa. 

And it's fine because Yerim hated the idea of Lisa coming back to Jisoo after she broke the girl but it's also not fine because she feels selfish like she's taking advantage of the situation, like she's only trying to convince herself its for Jisoo's well being when she'd always been in love with Lisa. 

It feels like Lisa will leave her anytime soon because her means were impure. Maybe she didn't deserve this chance with Lisa. Are you supposed to feel guilty for loving someone? 

"I think we need space, unnie."

Lisa stood, incredulous, "What? No!"

"Yes," Yerim took a deep breath, "We do. Just for a week, please. I need to clear my head, unnie. Yours too because you're still hung up on her no matter what you say. We're both confused, everything's confusing and I'd rather not have a relationship with you than stay in one where we're not sure if it'll last or not."

The younger girl wriggles her hands out of Lisa's grasp before she stood up, placing a small kiss on the girl's cheeks and gathering her things right after. Lisa sat frozen, eyes downcast but it was clear she was reflecting on Yerim's words. 

Yerim spared Lisa a glance before turning her back, already starting to walk away. 

"Next week." Lisa suddenly spoke up which froze Yerim on her tracks. 

Lisa catches up beside her,  a determined look on her face as she bumped shoulders with Yerim. 

"Next week I'll already have my sorted out," Lisa breathes,  "And you better be done with yours because I'm not ing gonna let you call time out on me again."

"Because whatever the that brain of yours or mine says, I want to fall in love with you and I will because I want to and you will ing accept it."

As Yerim watched Lisa jog ahead, eyes trailing on her figure as it goes away,  a small genuine smile finally worked up to her face and a few pins in her heart was pulled out. 

"I hope so, unnie." Yerim mutters, "I hope so."