Chapter twelve - Yunho

Jaejoong slapped his hand on the hood and leaned against the fender. “I can’t believe I did that!” “It’s no big deal.” Hyomi said. He forced a smile. “I’m really sorry, Hyomi. You’re taking this pretty well.”

“You don't have an extra key in one of those magnetic boxes that goes underneath?” “No.” Jaejoong said with a sigh. “My dad told me I should do that, but I never got around to it.” “So what should we do now?” He peered into the window again. “If dad wasn’t out of town, I could call him to bring the other set of keys.” Hyomi shrugged. “If he were here, he’d probably be out with my mom tonight anyway.”

“You’re probably right, Hey—I have an idea.” Jaejoong said. “I’ll call Yunho. If he’s home, he can pick us up and take us to my house so I can get the spare keys.” “Or, I could call Sun Mi.” Hyomi suggested. “No, that’s okay. I don’t want to bother her, but I don’t mind bothering Yunho.”

Just what I need—Yunho with his smart remarks. Hyomi thought, annoyed. Using the pay phone on the corner, Jaejoong dialed his friend’s number. Hyomi hoped Yunho wouldn’t be home, but when Jaejoong started talking, she knew they were going to have the pleasure of Yunho’s company whether she liked it or not.

Jaejoong hung up and turned to Hyomi. “He’ll be there soon.” He grinned. “I’ll never head the end of this one!” They walked back and waited by the car. True to his word. Yunho arrived in less than ten minutes. Vaulting out of his old convertible, he took one look at Hyomi then poked Jaejoong in the ribs. “Hey, Joongie! You didn’t mention me you had company.” Jaejoong looked uncomfortable. “That’s because I was concerned about the car. You know Park Hyomi, right?”

“Yeah.” He said with a sliy grin. “I know Ms. Junior Class President. Who doesn’t?” Hyomi wanted to dig a hole and drop out of sight. Why couldn’t they have called Sun Mi? At least she wouldn’t have made any cracks.

They all piled into the front seat of Yunho’s convertible and drove back to Jaejoong’s place. While the boys went inside, Hyomi took the opportunity to look at the house. It was big, brick ranch with a wide lawn and lots of shrubs and trees. Suddenly a sick feeling washed over her. She realized that if her mother ended up marrying Mr. Kim, he would probably want them to live here instead in the smaller home. Oh,No! She thought. I never want to leave the house I grew up in!

Hyomi forced herself to calmdown. Moving here could happen if they got married and she and Jaejoong weren’t going to let that happen.

Jaejoong and Yunho returned to the car and got in. Jaejoong slid in close to Hyomi. His nerness started her pulse racing again. She couldn’t let that happen, either.

Back at the parking lot, Jaejoong unlocked the car and he and Hyomi climbed inside. “So, what are you guys up to now?” Yunho asked, leaning in the window on the driver’s side. “We thought we’d get some pizza.” Jaejoong said. Yunho grinned. “Excellent! Mind if I tag along?” Jaejoong turned to Hyomi with a raised eyebrows. She shrugged helplessly, wishing she could strangle Yunho on the spot.

“If you really want to.” Jaejoong said. Hyomi noted that he didn’t sound any more enthusiastic than she felt.

At the Pizza Hut, Yunho insisted that he and Jaejoong share a pepperoni pizza, and Jaejoong bought Hyomi two slices with mushrooms. While they ate, yunho did most of the talking. He didn’t even seem to notice their silence.

As soon as they finished eating, Hyomi and Jaejoong left Yunho talking with some of his friends. On the way to her house, Jaejoong apologized for Yunho inviting himself along. “He didn’t exactly give us much choice.” Hyomi said. “You’re right bout that.” Jaejoong turned into her street. “Yunho’s kind of pushy but he’s not a bad guy. We’ve been buddies for a long time.”

After he pulled up in front of her house, Jaejoong cut the motor and put his hand on her arm. “Hyomi, I’m sorry bout what happened tonight—the keys, Yunho, everything. It sure fouled things up. We didn’t even get a chance to talk.”

Hyomi felt the warmth of his hand through the sleeve of her sweater. True she hadn’t told him about canceling his father’s dinner invitation before it had been offered, but she could tell him that another time.

Looking up at his face that was bathed in the glow of a streetlight, she smiled. “It’s okay, really. I had a good time. And it certainly wasn’t boring!” Jaejoong moved closer to her and Hyomi caught her breath. Was he going to kiss her? Maybe he thought she expected him to. He probably thought every girl he went out with wanted to be kissed. Well, he was wrong!

Abruptly, she moved away. “I have to go.” She said, opening the door. “Thanks for a nice time. See you on Monday, I guess.”

When the front door closed behind her, Hyomi leaned her head against it and she sighed. She had wanted Jaejoong to kiss her. Then why hadn’t she let him? Hyomi knew the answer very well: She was afraid she might have liked it too much