Tiffany had a rough night, she couldn’t sleep at all. Her mind was thinking of Taeng and Yoona’s harsh words. She spent hours staring at the ceiling trying to think of what went wrong. She thought everything was fine between her and her best friend.

Taeng doesn’t deserve a friend like you.

Tiffany trudges her way to school, dragging her feet to her desk and lays her head softly on the cool surface. She hears the door slide open, soft footsteps entering the class.

 “Oh, morning Tiffany.” She looks up from her desk; a smiling Seohyun was looking at her.

 “Morning.” She says tiredly, slowly closing her eyes.

 “Omo, are you okay? You look exhausted.” The latter asks worriedly.

 “I had trouble sleeping last night.”

Seohyun slowly nods her head; she doesn’t reply and heads to her desk remaining silent. Yoona walks through the door, his eyes land on Tiffany. She feels his daggering eyes burning her, tension forming in the room. He heads to his seat next to Seohyun, not giving any attention to Tiffany. She bites her bottom lip, staring at the back of Yoona’s head. His harsh words were attacking her again, hurting her on the inside. Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and Sunny enter the room as well, not sensing the awkward atmosphere.

“Good morning!” Sooyoung yells cheerfully, striding her way to her seat.

 “Aish, stop being so loud.” Sunny says, covering her ears.

Jessica and Taeng enter the room, deep in a lively conversation. Tiffany watches them, seeing Jessica laugh and Taeng smile. The pained feeling in her gut returns when she looks at Taeng. The genuine smile on his face, his cheerful aura.

 Is he masking his true feelings?

 The two head to their seat, talking the whole time. Tiffany silently watches the two interact, an awkward yet weird feeling courses throughout her body.

 Why do I keep feeling this way every time I see those two together?

“Morning Fany-ah.”

 She snaps out of her thoughts and sees Taeng looking at her.

Tiffany gazes at the latter; his smile was no longer there, “Morning Tae.”

He frowns, “Are you okay?”

Tiffany bites the insides of her cheeks, “I had trouble sleeping.”

“Excited for something?” He asks monotonously.

Yoona scoffs in the background, Taeng looks at him with confusion.

 “No…I just couldn’t sleep.” Tiffany replies softly, playing with her hands.

 Taeng nods, “I hope you get better sleep tonight.”

 Tiffany smiles, “Thank you.”

 Taeng turns around, resuming his conversation with Jessica. Tiffany remains quiet, playing with her fingers as she watches the two interact.

 Yoona diverts his attention to Taeng, “Taeng! Great job by the way on your game yesterday.”

 Taeng looks at his friend and smiles, “Thanks Yoona.”

Yoona stands up from his chair, “Let’s give a round of applause to the star of the court.”

 Everyone in the room starts clapping, whistling and cheering for Taeng.

Taeng grows red, sheepishly smiling “Aish Yoona.”

Yoona chuckles, taking his seat as the applauses die down.

 “Told you.” Jessica teases, poking his arm.

Taeng looks at the latter, “Told me what?”

“I told you were going to become popular.” She replies smiling.

 Taeng sticks his tongue out, “Aigoo, I’m not popular.”

Jessica sticks her tongue out, “You are! Everyone’s going to know you as the star basketball player.”

Taeng shakes his head, placing his right hand over his forehead. Jessica laughs, swatting his arm; he flinches and looks at the latter.

 “Yah! No need to hit me.” He says, beginning to pout.

 Jessica smirks, lifting her arm to hit him again. Taeng grabs her wrist softly to stop her, sticking his tongue out.

Jessica laughs, “Let go of my arm!”

Taeng shakes his head, devilishly smirking. Jessica raises her other arm, but Taeng quickly grabs hold of her wrist with his other hand. He raises both their arms up, Jessica laughs even harder.

 “I win.” Taeng says, laughing through his words.

Jessica shakes her head, “Not for long.”

Tiffany watches the two act so playful, a burning sensation courses through her skin. She watches as Taeng smiles and laughs at the latter’s actions. She bites her bottom lip, looking down at her desk to stop her eyes from watching the two any longer.

The bell rings and Mrs. Lee walks through the door, everyone grows silent and prepares to take notes. Tiffany looks at Taeng, gazing at the back of his head.

 I have to talk to him during lunch.

Mrs. Lee finishes her lecture, by that time the bell sounds for lunch.

Taeng gets up from his seat, Tiffany quickly follows his action. She approaches Taeng’s side and takes his wrist, without asking she drags him out the door. Taeng was taken aback by her actions; he doesn’t say anything he silently follows the latter, unsure of where they were going. Tiffany leads Taeng to the rooftop, releasing her grip on his wrist and hangs her arm on her side.

Taeng looks at her, “Uhm Fany-ah? Any reason you brought me here?”

 Tiffany quickly turns around and faces Taeng, “Do you hate me Tae?”

Taeng’s eyes widen, for a moment he stopped breathing.  He looks at Tiffany, her serious face shows she wasn’t joking.

 “Why do you ask that?” He questions softly, slowly putting his hands in pockets.

 Tiffany sighs, staring at her feet “Yoona said something to me after the game yesterday.”

 Taeng’s heartbeat starts to speed up dramatically, his mind boggling of unclear words.

“Really? W-what did he say?” He stutters, sweat producing in the palms of his hands.

Tiffany bites her bottom lip, letting silence seep between them for a while. “He said I don’t deserve a friend like you” She says quietly, choking on her words.

Taeng’s face falls, he immediately pulls Tiffany into his arms. Tiffany’s eyes widen, seeing how close they were, no space between their bodies. Her heartbeats speeds up, her face becomes flustered.

 “Fany-ah, Yoona’s an idiot.” He says softly, holding her tight in his arms.

Tiffany’s eyes soften; tears were forming in the corner of her eyes.

 “Taeng…did I do something wrong?” She asks quietly.

Taeng heaves a sigh, “No…”

“Then why did he say that? There has to be a reason behind those words…”

 Taeng doesn’t reply, he stares at the concrete floor while holding Tiffany. She patiently waits for him to answer.

 “I will admit…” He starts to say, “I was a little mad.”

 Tiffany lifts her head and gazes at Taeng, “Why? Tell me Tae.”

Taeng releases Tiffany from her arms, realizing that he had been holding her for too long. Tiffany was a bit saddened by his action, she enjoyed being in the comfort of his arms.

“Because…” He looks at her “You didn’t tell me you were dating Donghae.”

Tiffany gasps, guilt rising in her body.

“I meant to tell you…” She states quietly, missing the warmth from Taeng’s body.

“I thought best friends tell each other everything…” Taeng states quietly, looking at his feet. 

Tiffany’s mouth opens but no words come out, guilt was getting the best of her.

“I’m sorry Tae…” Tiffany replies quietly, hanging her head.

Silence lingers in the air again, Taeng looks at Tiffany. He couldn’t stand seeing her sad, especially if it was over him. His heart was still hurting from what he witnessed yesterday but he couldn’t find it in him to hate the latter. It still yearns for her words, her smiles, and her touch.

He was still crazy about her.

Taeng looks at her warmly; “I’m glad you found somebody that makes you happy.”

Tiffany looks up, seeing the soft expression on her best friend’s face. “You’re not mad?” She asks, walking closer to him.

Taeng shakes his head, “I was…But you’re happy. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy Fany-ah.”

 Tiffany smiles, the latter smiles back. She approaches him and wraps her arms around his torso, “I promise to tell you everything from now on…”

 Taeng remains quiet, wishing they could stay like this forever. Her scent was wafting through his nose, he slowly closes his eyes.

Why can’t you see that I love you?

Taeng slowly pushes Tiffany away, causing her eyes to widen.

 “Sorry…I don’t think Donghae would appreciate this.” He says emotionless.

Tiffany’s heart starts to ache, wishing Taeng hadn’t done that. She wanted to hold him, assure him that she was going to be by his side forever.

 “You’re right…” She replies, chuckling to cover up her sadness.

 Taeng smiles, “I’ll talk to Yoona. I’m glad you talked to me Fany-ah. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you nor do I hate you. I love having you as my best friend.”

 Tiffany smiles, her heart fluttering from the latter’s gentle words. “Thank you Tae…” She softly says.

 He motions his hand to the door, “We should head back to class lunch is almost over.”

She nods; heading out the door first. Taeng lets out a sigh, following Tiffany out the door.

You really have no feelings for me…

“Wow…You must really love her.”

 Taeng chuckles bitterly, “Pathetic right? I’m doing everything to keep her happy and it always leads to me getting hurt.”

Yoona looks at his friend softly, “Taeng…You have to realize that you can’t keep this going on forever. You’re going to keep getting hurt.”

 Taeng sighs, “I can’t stop…every time I see her sad, I have to make things right. I have to make sure she has a smile on her face.”

Yoona looks at his feet, “But…if you keep getting hurt. You’re going to break at some point.”

Taeng gazes at the latter, Yoona looks at him “Taeng, I don’t want to see you broken.”

 Taeng sadly sighs, “I know…”

Yoona pats his back, “Promise me…you’ll try to find someone else.”

Taeng fidgets with his hands, “I don’t know…”

“Tiffany’s happy with Donghae Taeng, I want you to be happy too.”

 Taeng bites his bottom lip, “Okay…I’ll try.”

Yoona smiles softly, “Good…and I’m sorry about what I said to her.”

Taeng chuckles bitterly, “It’s okay. If anything I’m glad you said it to her.”

Yoona chuckles, “I just want you to be happy Taeng.”

Taeng looks at the latter and smiles, “I will be.”

 Yoona nods his head, happy to see his friend comply with his advice.

 “You want to grab something to eat? Practice must have made you hungry.” Yoona asks, throwing his coffee cup in the trash.

 Taeng shakes his head, “I have to meet with someone soon, thanks for the offer.”

 Yoona smiles, “Of course.”

 They exit the coffee shop and part ways. Taeng heads inside a restaurant, scanning the area. He smiles, seeing the person he agreed to meet, and makes his way to the booth.

“Hey.” He says to her, smiling warmly.

 “Hey Taengoo, how was practice?” Jessica asks, handing him the spare menu.

“Tiring, I’m starving.” He replies, taking the menu and searching through it.

 Jessica chuckles, “Well be sure to eat a lot then!”

They place their orders, handing their menus back to the waiter.

 “So…” Jessica starts, setting her hands on the table.

 “Yeah?” Taeng asks, playing with his chopsticks.

 “What did Tiffany talk to you about? By the way she dragged you out, it seemed pretty serious.” She asks softly, keeping her eyes on Taeng’s hands.

Taeng looks at her, seeing a different expression on the latter’s face.

“Oh, just about….” Taeng trails, not sure what to say.

 Jessica gazes at him; her soft eyes gave Taeng chills.

 “She thought I hated her.” Taeng says quietly, playing with his chopsticks again.

Jessica’s eyes widen, “Why did she assume that?”

Taeng sighs, “Because Yoona told her that I don’t deserve a friend like her.”

Jessica cringes, “That’s harsh.”

He chuckles bitterly, “That’s what I said, I told her it was a misunderstanding…”

Jessica nods her head slowly, “That’s good right?”

Taeng smiles sadly, “Yeah…”

“Then why do you sound so sad?”

 “I told her I was only mad because she didn’t tell me she was dating Donghae.” He says darkly.

Jessica flinches back, “That was news to all of us.”

 Taeng doesn’t reply, Jessica quickly reacts to lighten the situation.

“But I understand why you would be mad, you guys are best friends. Best friends are supposed to tell each other everything.”

Taeng chuckles, “That’s exactly what I said.”

 Jessica bites her bottom lip, a sudden question pops into her mind and she wasn’t sure if she should ask or not.

 “Can I ask you something?” She asks quietly.

 Taeng nods, “Of course.”

 Jessica bites harder on her lip, “Do you…” She looks at the table “Do you have feelings for Tiffany?”

Taeng holds his breath, surprised the latter would ask the question so suddenly.

Taeng sighs, looking at his hands, “I do…I’ve had feelings for her for a long time.”

Jessica’s face falls, “Oh…”

Taeng grips his fist, “I guess you can say that’s why Yoona told Tiffany I don’t deserve a friend like her. He knows my feelings about her and he was just trying to protect me.”

Jessica’s heart begins to ache, she contains her broken heart and forces a smile “That’s sweet of him.”

“Yeah…I was mad, mad because she’s taken. And she doesn’t even realize I have feelings for her.” He replies sadly, his heart beginning to hurt.

 Jessica slowly nods, “I’m sure she will soon…”

 Taeng chuckles bitterly, “Doubt it. Tiffany’s oblivious.”

“That’s true…”

“Besides…” Taeng says quietly, fidgeting with his hands “She’s happy with Donghae. If she’s happy, I’m happy.”

“But you’re hurting on the inside.” Jessica says on his behalf.

 “Yeah…but” He looks at the latter “If she doesn’t realize I like her I can find someone else who can make me happy.”

 Jessica was taken aback by his response.

Does this mean there’s hope?

Jessica quickly lightens up, “Well I’m glad you’re opening up your horizons.”

 Taeng laughs, “Yeah I think I need it. I’m tired of getting hurt all the time.”

Jessica softly places her hand on top of his, “I guarantee you’ll find someone who will make you happy.”

Taeng’s heart skips a beat, gazing at her soft hand.

 “I hope.” He replies softly, looking at the latter.

The food arrives; Jessica retracts her hand off of Taeng’s and begins to eat her meal in silence. Taeng watches the latter; his stomach starting to grow butterflies, his heart was feeling light. Throughout dinner they avoid conversation, they steal glances at each other but no words were said. As they finish Taeng pays the bill and they head out, walking by Jessica’s side. The cool air was refreshing and the night sky was clear with the stars sparkling like diamonds.

 “Thanks for eating with me…” Jessica says softly, playing with her fingers.

 Taeng looks at her and smiles, “Of course. We should do that more often.”

 Jessica chuckles, “Yeah we should. It’s always fun eating out with the group.”

 “I mean just you and me.” Jessica’s heart skips and beats, she looks at Taeng who was smiling warmly at her.

 Jessica nods slowly, “O-okay.”

 Taeng laughs, poking her cheek “You’re so cute.”

 Jessica blushes, concealing her face with her hands. Taeng laughs again, seeing the latter act in a cute manner. They arrive at Jessica’s house; Taeng walks her to her front door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” Taeng says, warmly smiling “Good night Jessica.”

 Jessica smiles, “Good night Taeng. Thank you again for the meal.”

“Of course, I’m glad I was able to talk with you again. I seem to always talk to you about my troubles, I’m sorry for that.” He replies sincerely.

Jessica chuckles, “It’s okay. I’m glad you trust me, I’m always here if you want to talk.”

Taeng grins, “I’m glad. Sleep well Jessica, see you tomorrow.”

She nods, greeting him good night and heads inside her house.

Taeng turns around and heads home.

 His heart was slowly beginning to heal.