22.

Was it preposterous of me to be reading between the lines this much? After all I heard tonight, I didn’t think so. Nothing seemed too farfetched, too outlandish, too ridiculous to me anymore. But was it preposterous of me to be looking so into something at 22:00 on a Saturday night with a headache thanks to Jongin’s wild party? I couldn’t argue with that one.

‘I swear, his friends are all weirdoes,’ Gayoon’s review of the party hadn’t ceased since we left, often knocking the palm of her hand against the wheel as she spoke. ‘They have nice faces, but they’re super unfriendly. And did you see the paintings in that house? Must be worth some serious fortune. Jongin’s parents aren’t playing.’

Well, I was only grateful it was her I was riding home with and not Jongin. I didn’t know what I would have done if not for Gayoon coming with me to the party, excuses or not. I hummed and nodded, barely able to respond accordingly thanks to the dull throbbing in my skull, though Gayoon took it as a cue to continue.

‘Wait. Forget the paintings. Did you see the… hold up, who’s car is that in your driveway?’

It was the only thing that called for my full attention as I ceased massaging my temples for an instant, staring ahead as Gayoon idled near the sidewalk directly outside my house. I could make out that car from anywhere.

‘Oh, someone’s standing there,’ Gayoon voiced my own thoughts, pulling up against the sidewalk further until the driveway was in full view through her rear-view mirror.

‘Holy smokes…!’

True to my predictions, it was Jaehyun. Leaning back coolly against the driver’s side of the red Supra, he was clad in a white T-shirt and a dirty green, army-patterned jacket, a pair of fitting black jeans that could have even passed as exercise attire if not for his belt being visible, and the grey Chucks I’d last seen him sport back at the cabin shed. He had on a black cap that in the darkness of night, made it close to impossible to make out his features. But the moment Gayoon idled ahead, he raised his head; the glow of the street lamp uncovering the unmistakable shape of his lips and nose.

‘He’s super hot! Do you know him?’

If not for Gayoon’s excitable outcry, I probably would have been wondering why he was here at all. In fact, I never even anticipated Jaehyun to come to my house, not now, not ever. And taken, it took me a good minute to realise what Gayoon said; her words accompanied by an inexplicable streak of… jealousy? No. No way. That couldn’t be right.

‘He’s…’

‘How tall is he? Look at how long his legs are…’

‘He’s a friend of mine.’

I explained quickly, silencing her, feeling amiss with my own feelings which wasn’t a first, but which for the first time left me addled. It compelled me to hurry and change the subject.

‘And no. I honestly had no idea he’d be here…’

I reached for the door; my hand resting on the handle, still feeling the bizarre aftereffects of what I just experienced back there. I struggled to make sense of it. Little did I know, Gayoon watched me intently; her staring occurring to me way too late than was considered normal.

‘I think you should get some rest.’

‘Yeah…,’ I sighed; a significant tension easing with the breath; and smiled at her. ‘Thanks for the ride and for coming with me. You’re the best.’

‘Any time, girl,’ she nudged me and I laughed, swinging open the passenger door when she piped up again from behind, ‘oh, by the way, do you have that guy’s number?’

Again. The streak appeared almost like lightning, swift and searing. And this time it was unmistakably something akin to jealousy that I had no logical explanation for. This wasn’t like me. Not even the provocative comments girls often threw about regarding Hansol during his soccer practices riled me up in the least, so why Jaehyun of all people?

‘Whoa, chill out, Saerin! I was only kidding!’ Gayoon boomed with laughter, pushing me out of the car as she did. ‘Now get! You don’t want to keep him waiting.’

Considering the anomalous wave of emotions her poking elicited, I wanted nothing but to shake the life out of her for that stunt. Nonetheless, I stepped out of the car, turning to wave one last time before taking off in the direction of my house.

Jaehyun stirred the closer I got, but he made no attempt to move; his eyes trained on me as I closed the distance.

‘This is a surprise,’ I was the first to speak, coming to a slow stop a few feet ahead of him.

‘Ah…,’ he responded, lowering his eyes again for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I hope I didn’t interrupt anything. I was just worried.’

My eyes widened at the last of his words. ‘Worried…?’

‘Yeah,’ he held my look again with a steady one of his own, pulling a single hand out of his jacket pocket, waving it about. ‘I mean, after everything that happened last week. I just wanted to make sure you’re OK.’

‘By showing up on my doorstep at 10 on a Saturday night?’

Was what I asked, but I couldn’t help but smile. The thought was warm and comforting. Jaehyun noticed, because the corners of his lips curled into a smile too; his head lolling back as he leaned further against the car, eyeing me with a playful glint in his dark eyes.

‘You know, I could always go.’

‘After just arriving?’ I cocked an eyebrow at him, and after fishing out the housekeys from my purse, I nodded up the pathway and towards the front door.

‘Come on in.’

Jaehyun seemed reluctant by the invitation, but one long look at him, and it seemed to do the trick convincing him of the idea. Pushing himself to his feet and rising to his full height, I couldn’t help but find a glaring truth to Gayoon’s earlier observations I hadn’t paid much mind before: Jaehyun really was tall. Sure, Johnny had a few inches on him, but the closer he got as I made for the front door, sticking the key into the lock, the more I noted I was tall enough only to reach the bottom half of his face, and that was with heels on.

I liked to think I was taller than average. In high school I was more often than not always one of the last in line when the girls held annual height comparisons for our own amusement.

‘I didn’t know you liked the jacket that much.’

Pushing open the front door, I made for the foyer which was almost in complete darkness when Jaehyun’s comment startled me into realising I was still wearing the apparel. I laughed despite the brief flush of embarrassment at the thought, quickly finding myself grateful only a single lamp beside the staircase allowed for a dull yellow glow from between the rails, hiding any trace of the reaction.

‘Ah, that…,’ I hoped to brush it off coolly, slapping on the light to the kitchen as he continued trailing some whiles behind me. ‘It was the closest thing I could get my hands on earlier. Sorry. I’ll get it washed and returned to you as soon as I can.’

Jaehyun hummed but didn’t say any more, and curious of his silence, I turned to find him grazing over the photo frames on the coffee table at the entrance. His eyes were glued to the ones of Donghyuk especially; his gaze level, but his eyes b with something I couldn’t decipher in the dimly-lit foyer.

‘Is this your brother?’

Unlike many a time it had, the question didn’t come with as stabbing an infliction for once. I followed his line of sight; settling on an old photo of he and I grinning at something off-camera in the garden during one summer; and spoke the following in a much softer voice than I intended, ‘his name’s Donghyuk. Counting this year, it’s been seven years since he passed away.’

Jaehyun’s silence was a lot like most peoples upon hearing of Donghyuk’s death. He turned to look at me; his eyes so full and b with comfort, it was the first time I felt so at ease confessing the loss of my younger brother.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he all but murmured. ‘I didn’t know.’

I smiled accommodatingly. ‘I couldn’t possibly have expected you to.’

Jaehyun nodded, and we both fell silent as we moved to the kitchen, filing in as I offered him a seat at the island. The silence, however, was a comfortable one. He slid into one of the four high chairs and I moved to the line of counters ahead of the island, pausing only to slip out of the jacket and my heels. The cool floor was comfor