Chapter 54

“Hey you!” Daehyun called out to her as soon as she stepped into the cafe. “When were you gonna tell us about Yongguk hyung?”

Her eyes widened before looking over at Youngjae with a dark stare. “OH MY GOD! YOU TOLD HIM?!” she exclaimed, walking over to him before settling onto the stool beside him. Her stare never left him.

Youngjae froze and gulped. “Look Annie...” he chuckled nervously. “I—I--”

Daehyun took his best friend's agitation as his cue to intervene. “I kept bothering him about it, I mean the way you guys acted earlier made it seem like you're keeping something from me,” he rambled on. “I mean, since when do we start keeping secrets, Annie?” He continued, staring off into space as he spoke. “Come to think of it, I saw it coming.” He chuckled and shook his head at the thought. “I mean, come on. You and Yongguk are--”

“Alright, shut up, Dae!” Annie hissed shifting her dark stare over to him.

In turn, he cowered behind Youngjae in fear. “Save me, Jae...” he whispered.

“You see what you just did?!” Youngjae hissed looking over at Daehyun. “You sure know how to keep your mouth shut, don't you, Dae?”

“What's the big deal?” Daehyun inquired. “So she likes Yongguk hyung,” he jeered. “Big freakin' deal! I mean, come on. It was already obvious since...” He rambled on prompting Annie to roll her eyes. Why was she still friends with him after all these years? She thought placing her hand over her forehead whilst shaking her head in annoyance.

“Dae?” Youngjae stared back at him with a flattened expression.

“What?” he asked glancing back at his best friend.

“Shut up,” Youngjae and Annie replied in unison.

“I can't believe you told him!” she whined, turning to Youngjae.

He shrugged. “Daehyun wouldn't shut up,” he chuckled nervously scratching the side of his head. “Word was bound to get out eventually.”

“Yeah but knowing Daehyun, he's not gonna keep his mouth shut,” she muttered.

“I made him promise not to say anything,” he assured her.

“I doubt it,” Annie replied wearily.

“So,” Daehyun chimed in. “When's the first date?” He asked as if it was a normal thing.

Annie shot him a look. “You sound so sure about this, Daehyun,” she mused.

“It's already obvious, Annie,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “You and Yongguk hyung have a thing for each other. There should have already been a first official date.”

She sighed, “Well there hasn't been one,” She looked away wearily before turning her attention back to her best friend. “How can you be so sure about Bang having a thing for me?”

Daehyun clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. “I never knew you'd be this blind,” he remarked before glancing over at Youngjae. “Wanna tell her, Jae?”

“I already told her, Dae,” Youngjae pointed out.

“What are you two idiots talking about?” she demanded.

“Pull the trigger, Annie,” Daehyun finished.

“Pull the trigger?” she repeated, not quite following him.

Daehyun shook his head, groaning in exasperation while rubbing the sides of his temples. “It's a figure of speech,” he stressed impatiently. “You know a figure of speech, where--”

“I know what a figure of speech is!” she barked back.

He let out a fake laugh. “Well, sorry,” he sang out. “I just assumed that since you like to read a lot of books you would know a figure of speech when you hear one.” He remarked sarcastically. The more he spoke, the more aggravated Annie became. Youngjae was beginning to sense it.

“Jae?” she muttered through gritted teeth.

“Huh?” Youngjae perked up.

“Say your goodbyes to Daehyun before he dies in my hands tonight,” she said calmly.

Daehyun's eyes widened. “Annie,” he grinned widely from ear-to-ear. “You know I don't mean that...” He chuckled nervously. “Lucy!” he called out.

“What?” Lucy's voice emerged from behind the counter. “Hey, Annie,” she greeted her curtly.

From what Annie was sensing, Lucy did not seem too happy to see her at the moment. “Hey Luce,” she greeted back.

“What's going on here?” she asked glancing at her three best friends.

From the tone of her voice, the guys could sense some tension coming from both girls. “Uh, nothing,” Daehyun uttered, still focused on the girls.

“If it's nothing, then why did you call me over?” Lucy demanded. “YOU'RE WASTING MY TIME, DAEHYUN!” She hissed prompting Daehyun to flinch, gulping in fear.

“Luce,” Annie reasoned. “You should calm down...”

Lucy then shifted her attention over to Annie. “DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!” she exclaimed angrily.

“What the hell is your problem?” Annie stood up, sizing up her best friend.

“Nothing,” Lucy scoffed. “I don't have a problem. No problem at all!” she laughed bitterly.

“Uh-oh,” Youngjae uttered softly. “I'm sensing a cat-fight, Dae...”

“,” Daehyun froze with a stunned expression.

Jongup and Zelo found themselves stopping what they were doing before making their way over to the others. Youngjae and Daehyun gave the younger boys each a knowing look. Their jobs were to intervene if an all out brawl were to ensue. Whenever the girls fought, World War III would erupt and it got extremely ugly. Even the younger boys looked afraid but they tried their best to not let it show. The girls seemed to have ignored their presence.

“Luce, are you okay?” Annie asked.

“Oh so now you're concerned about me!” Lucy laughed.

“If it's something I did then I'm really sorry,” Annie looked away apologetically.

“Sorry is not going to win Jesse back,” she said, fighting back her tears.

“What?” Annie's eyes widened.

“Jesse broke up with me last week,” Lucy finally said, allowing her tears to fall.

Annie soon made her way behind the counter, taking Lucy into her arms as she cried. In turn, she led Lucy over to the stools to sit, away from the other guys. Lucy needed her and their presence was not helpful at the moment. “Water!” She snapped her fingers towards whoever was working.

“Right away, noona!” Jongup exclaimed in response.

“So what happened?” Annie asked finally.

Lucy sniffled, using one of the napkins to wipe away her tears. “He told me that he couldn't stick around anymore. He told me he could never make me happy knowing that he always makes me upset,” she continued. “I tried to convince him that it's not his fault. He never upsets me but he always jumps to that conclusion. And you wanna know what else he said to me?”

Annie looked up. “What?”

“He told me never to speak to him again,” she cried. “I tried to keep quiet about it for a while. I was actually hoping he'd change his mind but when I didn't hear from him all week, I now know that he's gone, Annie.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because you're always so busy dealing with Danny, I didn't want to burden you with my problems,” Lucy answered.

“Luce--”

“No, Annie, the last thing I want is for you to worry about me. That's my job,” she said, sniffling.

“But it's my right as a friend to worry for you,” Annie retorted back. “For almost 10 years, you've always been my shoulder. And I really want to return the favor. I'm so sorry...”

“It's okay,” Lucy assured her. “You didn't know.”

“How long has it been?” she asked worriedly.

“About a week,” she answered.

She nodded in understanding. “Do you still love him?” Annie asked.

Lucy thought about it for a moment and nodded slowly. “He's the only guy who could handle my bluntness and he's very thoughtful not to mention a mind-reader,” she said thoughtfully. “He may not be the most perfect guy and he may have a bunch of flaws but I still love him nevertheless.”

Annie nodded. “I understand, he was a good guy.” she agreed, remembering the few times she's encountered Jesse. “I'm sure he still loves you too,” she said. “But you know what they say, 'If you love someone, you have to let them go.' However, knowing the stuff you guys went through... It's a lot to take. You guys went through A LOT.” she emphasized. “There's nothing you can do but to accept the fact that he's gone. You're a lot stronger without him, Luce. We'll pull through this together, okay?” Lucy nodded. “You should fix your makeup before anyone notices,” she advised.

“I'll talk to you about this later,” Lucy told her.

“Sure thing,” Annie grinned.

“And you still have a bit of explaining to do, missy,” Lucy pointed to her.

“What are you talking about?” Annie furrowed her brows in confusion.

“Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!”

“No, really. What are you talking about?”

“You and Bang, of course!” she exclaimed loudly.

“Shhh!!!” Annie covered her best friend's mouth with her hand before glancing around to see if the coast was clear. “Youngjae told you, didn't he?”

Lucy giggled and nodded. “Maybe,” she lingered a bit. “Daehyun demanded it out of him and I happened to have heard the whole thing.” She finally said. “However, I am kind of jealous...”

“Of what?”

“Why do you tell Youngjae these things and not me?” From what Annie noticed, Lucy sounded a little hurt by it.

Annie sighed. “Sorry,” she looked away apologetically. “I just didn't know who to turn to... Daehyun would have opened his mouth and with Jae, he wouldn't have said anything. He just listens.”

“And I don't listen?”

“No! I didn't mean it like that!” Annie defended herself. “It's just, my feelings for Yongguk is something I'm just afraid of admitting... That's all. It's almost shameful in a way.” She looked away sheepishly.

“Why are you afraid? There's nothing wrong with it,” Lucy pointed out. “Nothing to be ashamed about. I wouldn't blame you because he is one fine specimen of a man.”

“That's refreshing to hear,” Annie remarked. “Ogle at Yongguk like he's a piece of meat, why don't you?”

“What?!” Lucy gaped. “Could you blame me? I mean, hello?! He's Bang-freaking-Yongguk for crying out loud!”

“What's your point?” Annie crossed her arms over her chest.

Lucy shrugged. “Oh you know, my best friend has feelings for a hot-shot music producer who might have feelings for her too,” she mused.

Annie scoffed. “I can't be too sure about that,” Annie retorted back.

Lucy groaned. “Oh gosh, you're doing this again,” she shook her head.

“Doing what?” Annie furrowed her brows in confusion.

“You're in denial,” Lucy pointed out.

“No I'm not!” Annie exclaimed defiantly. “I already admitted to having feelings for him! That's not denial.”

“I don't mean that kind of denial,” Lucy argued. “I meant the denial where the guy might actually be interested in you but you're denying it for his part. That's what you think but from what I noticed, Yongguk does have feelings for you. He may not be great at expressing them. Just like you. I mean, yes, you're expressive when you have to be but knowing what you went through in the past, Annie, you have to learn to let go. He's not like the other guys.” she said taking Annie's hand. “He genuinely cares about you.”

Annie swallowed hard and nodded slowly. “Thanks Luce,” she finally said. “I'll take that into consideration.”

“Good,” Lucy pulled her close for an embrace. “You know I'm right.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Annie replied dryly before shifting over the topic. “Cheer up, okay? We'll talk about this at home when you're not working.”

“I'll be looking forward to it,” Lucy grinned, waving goodbye then resumed her work with the younger boys.

Making her way back to the other guys, she settled between Daehyun and Youngjae once again. “What happened?” asked Youngjae as he glanced at Lucy.

She sighed. “Jesse broke up with her.”

“Oh,” Daehyun spoke up finally. “I kind of saw it coming.”

“Why?” she turned to face him. “What makes you say that?”

“They've been arguing nonstop and there was a time when it got pretty heated,” Daehyun told her. “Me and Jae had to kind of intervene which was probably why she hates me at the moment.”

“Ah,” Annie nodded in understanding. “That makes perfect sense. But wouldn't she be angry at Jae, too?” she turned to Youngjae.

“I was the voice of reason,” Youngjae pointed out.

“And I,” Daehyun began, trailing off slightly. “May have said some insulting things to him before he stormed out.”

Annie gasped. “No!” she exclaimed incredulously.

Daehyun nodded. “Yep,” he said matter-of-factly.

Before long, the door burst open and in entered Himchan. He was briefly greeted by Jongup before making his way deep into the cafe. When he spotted the friends, he immediately made his way towards them. Annie tensed up immediately turning away. “Hey Himchan hyung!” Youngjae greeted.

“Hey guys,” he greeted them in return.

“What brings you here?” Daehyun asked curiously.

Himchan shrugged. “I got kind of hungry and decided to stop by for once,” he answered, glancing at Annie. He already sensed she was avoiding him. He couldn't blame her.

“I should head home,” she stood up to gather her things.

“Hey, but you haven't eaten yet!” Daehyun whined. “You should eat something...”

“Ladies and gentleman! Daehyun is actually worried about me!” Annie smirked, shaking her head. “I'll just order something to-go and I'll be on my way.” She said briefly glancing back at Himchan before making her way to Jongup at the register. He jotted down her food order on a notepad then was well on his way to the kitchen.

“Is it just me or has she been acting odd lately?” Daehyun broke the abrupt silence.

“I noticed it too,” Youngjae added as they observed her closely.

“Do you think it has something to do with Yongguk hyung?” Daehyun asked glancing at Youngjae.

“What? No,” Youngjae scoffed. “She likes him so she can't act odd about it. I kept it from you guys long enough. It's not a bad thing. But if you pay close attention, she seems a little pissed off.”

“Jae, it's Annie,” Daehyun mused matter-of-factly. “You ought to know that she's completely bipolar.”

“Right, but I don't know about this, Dae,” he glanced back at her worriedly. “One of these days I'm gonna have a word with her. Something's on her mind and it's kind of starting to worry me.”

Himchan cleared his throat finally. “Guys? Mind telling me what you guys are talking about?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, sorry hyung,” Daehyun apologized. “We sort of forgot you were here.” He chuckled awkwardly.

“It's Annie,” Youngjae responded faking a grin as he watched Annie leave. She turned back around to wave at them one last time before exiting. “She's been acting pretty odd lately.”

“Really,” Himchan raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, something's been bothering her lately,” Youngjae said. “I know it.”

Himchan froze. He was starting to wonder if these guys know his secret. “Did she happened to tell you what it is that's been bothering her?” he couldn't help but ask.

“Nope,” Daehyun replied. Himchan relaxed a bit. “But my money's on Yongguk hyung.”

“Dae, she likes him. I don't think he pissed her off or anything,” Youngjae reasoned.

Himchan perked up. “Annie likes Bang?” he turned to Daehyun and Youngjae expectantly.

Daehyun and Youngjae froze. “That was taken a bit out of context but now that you've mentioned it, yes, Annie likes Yongguk hyung,” Youngjae finally said.

“And yet, I'm the one with the big mouth,” Daehyun said dryly.

“He's bound to find out eventually!” Youngjae argued.

Soon, Lucy approached the group. “Care to tell me why she ran off like that?” she asked, referring to Annie.

“That's what we're trying to figure out, Luce,” Daehyun told her.

She chose to ignore him, fixing her stare on Youngjae. “Do you know what's going on?”

Youngjae shook his head. “Nope,” he said.

Sighing, she then turned to Himchan and greeted him cheerfully. “Hello Himchan!” she beamed. “Long time no see!”

He nodded. “Hi Lucy, nice to see you again,” he said flashing his charming grin which melted Lucy's ice cold exterior immediately.

“Is there anything I can get started for you?” she offered.

He chuckled, picking up the menu then looked back at her. “Is there anything you recommend?”

“I thought you'd never ask,” she beamed.

Daehyun and Youngjae glanced over at each other and shook their heads in disgust.

A/N: Sorry for the inconvenience! I was not satisfied with the first draft so I went back and fixed it. I made a few changes... I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading! ^^