Chapter 68

Eventually, she had given up on trying to talk to him. Who am I kidding? She thought to herself. He's probably really annoyed by now. Gosh Annie! You look and sound like a clingy girlfriend! What did Daehyun and Youngjae tell you? Give him his space! But it's been too long already. In turn, she went about her own usual daily routines in a daze. Because of this, her friends began to grow even more concerned. These past few weeks have not been good on her and it was really starting to worry them to no end.

Lately, Miranda had been offering Annie days off without telling her why. Annie had a feeling Miranda wanted to make up for not going to the recital.

It was evident when Annie found mother and son having breakfast in bed one morning. They seemed to be happily eating their breakfast along with watching Daniel's usual morning cartoons. Miranda seemed to be smiling a lot more as opposed to the icy stare and that smug smirk she'd often wear when it came to Annie. From what Annie noticed, Miranda was a completely different character when it came to her son and she had to admit, she was starting to like that side of Miranda. But then, the pregnancy came up which soon shifted Annie's mood into a more gloomy one.

Since then, she'd been avoiding Himchan's phone calls and text messages. He had already fulfilled his duty as Daniel's music teacher and as a result, Annie hadn't seen much of him. Eventually, she couldn't avoid him forever but was unsure about how to approach him. She soon decided to wait for the right opportunity to confront him once again. She had to admit, she missed having him around as a friend and he still worried her to no end. There were a lot of questions floating around in her head she was dying to ask him but knowing about his feelings for her, she didn't want to get his hopes up. It was unfair to him, she thought.

One morning, she had decided to eat her breakfast alone at the cafe. Once she made her way over to the bar, she settled onto her usual bar stool where she was greeted cheerfully by Zelo. “Good morning, noona!” he beamed upon seeing her.

She gave him a faint smile. “Morning, Zelo,” she said as he handed her a menu.

“How are you this morning?” he asked before immediately stopping himself. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that,” he said sheepishly scratching away at the back of his head. Word had gotten out about what had happened. Under Daehyun and Youngjae's orders, Jongup and Zelo were not allowed to ask questions.

Annie rolled her eyes, knowing right away Daehyun had inflicted fear upon Zelo as she shook her head, scoffing. “No, you're fine, Zelo,” she reached out to his hand. “It's okay.”

He chuckled nervously. “But Daehyunnie hyung said--”

“Don't listen to Daehyun, Zelo,” she held her hand up to interrupt him. “He's an idiot. Just like Youngjae...” she muttered before turning to look up at him. “They're both idiots. But to answer your question, I'm doing fine. I've actually decided to eat a decent meal to start the rest of my day today believe it or not.”

His eyes widened. “Really?” he asked before pulling out a pad and pen, ready to take down her order. “What can I get for you?”

“Surprise me,” she said, handing back the menu to him. He nodded before running back to the kitchen to place the order. Her stomach rumbled loudly prompting her to look around, hoping no one heard. Surprisingly, the cafe was nearly empty. The morning rush had died down allowing the staff to take a slight breather. Zelo seemed more than happy to have assisted Annie. She was relieved as well. For once, she'd like to have a normal conversation with someone who didn't seem to concern themselves with her personal life and Zelo seemed like an eligible candidate. Jongup was the first runner-up but he was a little busy himself.

“Morning, noona!” Jongup greeted her before rushing past her with a tray in hand to serve to a waiting customer.

She chuckled. “Morning, Jongup,” she said, watching him brush past her.

Before long, she heard the sound of a plate being set before her. She turned to find Zelo grinning back at her. “Here you go, noona,” he finally said, “Now if you need anything, you let me know, okay?”

“Wait,” she called out to him before her turned to leave. Curiously, he turned back around. “Are you busy right now?”

He glanced around the cafe, hoping Lucy wouldn't catch him. “Not really,” he replied sheepishly.

“Great!” she beamed, patting down on the stool beside her. “Come sit with me!”

Reluctantly, he glanced around once again before settling beside her. He awkwardly sat in silence as Annie ate only to be taken by surprise when she slid her plate over to him. He turned to face her with widened eyes. “Noona...”

“Go ahead,” she offered. “I couldn't finish it and I wouldn't want all of this food to go to waste...”

“I don't think I'm allowed to eat while I'm working...” he told her.

“What Lucy doesn't know won't kill her,” Annie pointed out. “Besides, she eats when it's slow all the time. I mean what do you think she does in the back room when you it's nearly empty?” He gaped at her in astonishment, nodding slowly in understanding. He always wondered what Lucy was up to whenever she'd assign random cleaning duties for him and Jongup and now it was starting to make perfect sense. “My point exactly,” she nodded matter-of-factly. “So now you know. Eat up before it gets cold. And if Daehyun comes, do NOT give him any. He has his own money to buy his own food. I'm pretty sure given your current living situation, he gets a little greedy with food, right?”

Zelo remained silent, looking away. She took that as a yes.

“I should have known,” she shook her head, sighing. “Here just take it, Zelo. I'll buy you a decent meal next time, okay?”

“Oh no, Annie noona!” he shook his head. “You don't have to do that.”

“Come on,” she urged him. “It's a date!” She winked back at him. “I feel like ever since I met you, I thought, 'Hmmm... Zelo seems like a really nice kid. I should get to know him a little better.' Just think of it as a nice way of getting to know each other!”

His eyes widened. “A date?” he blushed, becoming flustered all of a sudden. He wasn't used to having a girl be so direct with him before. Annie took note of this much to her amusement.

“Of course,” she nodded. “But don't get your hopes up, kid. You're still too young for me. Come find me in another year or so, that way, you're legal enough to date me!” She chuckled.

He gaped at her in astonishment before frowning. “I can't do that to Yonggukie hyung,” he said finally.

Now, it was Annie's turn to frown. “Right,” she uttered finally. Of course, his name just had to pop up, didn't it? She had forgotten all about his working relationship with Jongup and Zelo, now that they occasionally worked with him at the studio along with Daehyun and Youngjae. “How is he doing anyways?” she found herself asking.

He sat up, staring straight ahead at the tile wall from behind the counter, deep in thought. From what Annie could tell, he was choosing his words carefully. “He's doing... fine,” Zelo replied.

Annie furrowed her brows in confusion. “Just fine?” she asked.

He nodded obediently. “I guess so,” he shrugged.

“I see,” she nodded slowly in understanding. “You see, Zelo. I would assume he's scary or something... At least according to Daehyun and Youngjae, he has been pretty harsh on them. Has he been harsh on you or Jongup by any chance?”

Zelo stiffened, glancing back at Annie. “Of course not,” he said, shaking his head. “I mean hyung's been hard on all of us but I'm sure he only does it because he wants everything to be perfect. Why do you ask?”

Annie sighed, leaning back against her seat. “I just feel so horrible, that's all,” she replied. “I feel like all of this is all my fault. He's not speaking to me... And of course, I'm not speaking to Himchan at the moment either.”

“About that,” Zelo started, garnering her attention once again. “He's excluding Himchan from our activities.”

“What?” her eyes widened. “Yep,” she nodded. “This is my fault. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry about all of this, Zelo...”

“It's not your fault, noona,” he said placing an assuring hand over hers. “I think you're being too hard on yourself.”

“Well, Zelo,” she sighed. “I specifically told Dae and Jae to act normal around him. What happened between us is clearly just between us, he shouldn't take his anger out on you guys. It's unfair. And I'm extremely sorry...”

“Don't worry about it, noona,” he assured her. “I'm sure Yonggukie hyung will cool down in no time.”

“I should go talk to him,” she sat up finally.

Zelo soon choked on his food, garnering the attention of everyone inside the cafe. Sighing, Annie patted his back before handing him a glass of water. “Are you sure that's a good idea, noona?” he asked as soon as his coughing died down.

She shrugged. “It's worth a shot,” she said.

“What's going on here?” Lucy's stern voice rang out from behind. Annie and Zelo turned their heads to find her standing behind them with her hands on her hip, like a mother ready to give her children a good scolding. Zelo gulped. “Don't you have work to do, Zelo?” she sneered.

Zelo immediately stood up to leave. “Right away, noona!” he saluted her before scurrying off.

“Are you bothering my employee, Annie?” Lucy asked suspiciously before taking a seat beside her.

Annie shrugged. “It didn't seem too busy and I could kind of use the company,” she told her best friend.

“You could have asked me to join you,” Lucy pointed out.

“Yes, Luce. I know but I'd like to hang out with someone new for a change. Especially an innocent school boy like Zelo,” she reasoned. “I wouldn't have minded Jongup but he seems to have his hand full,” she said glancing at the guy in speaking. He had been busy handing out orders. “For once, I'd like to get my mind off him. But that doesn't seem to be working to my advantage at the moment.”

“Oh, Annie,” Lucy reached out to her back. “I'm so sorry... You know I'm here for you but not when I'm at work.”

“I know that, Luce!” Annie exclaimed defiantly. She found herself fiddling with her fingers on the surface of the counter. “He's just been on my mind a lot and I'd like to go a day without thinking about him for once but that doesn't seem to be helping all that much.”

“That's because you still have feelings for him, silly!” Lucy pointed out. “He still hasn't spoken to you, hasn't he?”

She shook her head, looking away from her best friend. “No,” she answered, attempting to keep her voice steady. “I gave up a while ago. And now hearing about him being a little to harsh on the other guys, I feel like this is all my fault.”

Lucy reached over to embrace Annie. “It's not your fault,” she said. “Don't blame yourself. Dae and Jae could handle it.”

“I sure hope so,” Annie sighed, burying her face in her hands.

Before long, the door to the cafe soon flew opened. Lucy, who was assisting her own table leaving Annie alone, turned her head to see Himchan making his way into the cafe, glancing around for an available table. Their eyes met and on cue, Lucy turned her head in Annie's direction motioning for him to join her. “Thanks Luce,” he mouthed over to her.

Lucy grinned and nodded in return before resuming her work.

Annie placed her elbow on top of the surface of the counter, leaning against her left hand turning the butter knife against the surface with her other hand. She was soon woken from her slight reverie by the sound of someone settling beside her. She stopped what she was doing to find Himchan staring back at her with an amused grin plastered onto his handsome face. “Hey,” he greeted her softly.

“Hey,” she greeted him wearily setting the knife back down before sitting up straight in her eat. “What brings you here?” she asked curiously.

“I got hungry,” he shrugged before picking up a menu.

“Ah,” she nodded slowly. “Gotcha.” She stood up. “I'll just leave you to enjoy your meal alone.”

“Wait,” he stood up to stop her. She furrowed her brows in confusion. “You don't have to leave, Annie. If you don't mind, I can use some company right about now...”

Reluctantly, she eventually relented, settling back down into her seat. “If you insist,” she said. “But just so you're aware, I already ate.”

“Fine by me,” he mused, staring back at her before shifting his attention back to the menu.

As soon as Jongup stopped by to take his order, he took the menu from Himchan before walking off to place his order leaving them alone once again. To break the awkward silence, they both spoke up at once, “I—So--”

Himchan chuckled. “Ladies first,” he offered.

“Right,” she said. “I just wanted to apologize for, you know, avoiding you. That's all.”

“You're not mad at me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No! Of course not!” she chuckled nervously. “How could I stay mad at you? I mean that one time was intentional but we're over that now...” She pointed out not wanting to be reminded of the affair.

He frowned, looking away from her. “Right,” he nodded. “That's a relief. I'm glad you're not mad at me.”

Annie grinned, reaching over to touch his hand. “I was never mad at you to begin with, Himchan,” she said reassuringly. “Now,” she decided to shift the topic. “What were you saying?”

He cleared his throat, leaning back against his chair. “I just wanted to see how you were holding up,” he said, “That's all.”

“That's so sweet of you,” she beamed. “I'm doing okay... It's been pretty tough but I'll pull through.”

“I can only imagine,” he muttered.

“How about you?” she asked, turning the question over to him.

“The same,” he answered nonchalantly. “He's not speaking to me.”

“I see,” she nodded slowly in understanding. “Same here.” She looked away somberly. “I'm really sorry, Himchan...”

He placed his own hand over hers, giving it a slight squeeze. “It's not your fault, Annie,” he assured her. “He has every right to be angry. I'm his best friend for crying out loud, who just so happens to have feelings for you.”

“Have?” she repeated. “You mean they never went away?”

He laughed, shaking his head looking intently into her eyes. “Do you think I already got over you by now?” he asked, clearly astonished.

She nodded sheepishly.

“They never went away, Annie,” he declared.

She froze. “W-what?” she uttered.

“It's true, Annie,” he told her.

“I—I--” she started, becoming flustered in his presence. “I don't know what to say...”

“There's nothing for you to say,” he told her. “I know you still have feelings for him. They won't go away that easily.”

She sighed, gazing back at him apologetically. “I'm so sorry, Himchan,” she said sadly.

“Hey, don't apologize,” he assured her. “It's not your fault. We can't help the way we feel. I understand, Annie. Yongguk's a good guy. You're lucky to have him.”

“Not sure about that,” she muttered. “He's been avoiding me.”

“That makes two of us,” he added, looking straight ahead before shifting the subject.

“I'll try to fix this, Himchan,” she told him.

“How so?” he asked, turning to face her.

“I could try to talk to him,” she said. “I've heard about the way he was treating you along with the other guys...”

“You can try but I'm not sure he's going to hear you out,” he said,

“It's worth a shot,” she countered back. “He's mad at you and me, he has no reason to take it out on the other guys. It's unfair to them.”

Himchan shrugged. “That's just how some guys cope,” he informed her. “He'll eventually come around. I'd give it time.”

“You're starting to sound like Youngjae,” she muttered. “It already feels like it's been forever...”

He shrugged. “They say 'Patience is a virtue',” he sneered. “So patience, Annie.” He smirked mockingly back at her along with a wink.

In turn, Annie playfully shoved him. “Shut up,” she barked back.

He chuckled. “So are we cool now?” he asked. “Is this the part where we kiss and make up?”

“We've made up but I'm most definitely not going to kiss you!” she exclaimed.

He groaned. “Aw, I was actually looking forward to the kiss,” he whined.

“Not funny,” she warned him through gritted teeth.

“Come here,” he held out his arm then pulled her close for an embrace.

Annie returned the hug with ease, smiling to herself. It felt nice knowing she didn't lose out on another friendship with Himchan, she thought. He too was also relieved that there were no hard feelings. It felt like an accomplishment on his part.

Little did they know, Lucy watched their interaction with a smile on her face. When she knew no one was around, she took out her phone to send a text message to Daehyun and Youngjae. Guys, Annie and Himchan have already kissed and made up. :)

Daehyun: Well it's about time!

Youngjae: That's a relief! Thanks for telling us, Luce.

Lucy: Yes, I know guys... But this is far from over. We still need her to talk to Yongguk.

Youngjae: Right on it. We're devising a plan as we speak.

Lucy: Good. Keep me posted.

Youngjae: We're gonna need assistance from Jongup and Zelo too.

Lucy: Sure thing. I will relay this message to them right away.

Daehyun: Or I can just recruit Zelo's help myself. I mean last time I checked, I do live with him.

Lucy: Right. I totally forgot, Daehyun. Sorry...

Youngjae: He's just -hurt because he's feeling left out.

Lucy: Go figure. I should be heading back to work now. Ttyl, Jae.

The next morning, as Annie made her way to the elevator for work that day, she did not expect to run into him. This was the moment that scared her most but she had to mentally prepare herself for it. She hadn't seen or spoken to him in a while and his presence alone was enough to make her heart thump like crazy. It was beyond her control. He looked as handsome as ever, wearing a graphic ¾ sleeved t-shirt along with dark jeans and sneakers. He was also wearing a baseball hat worn backwards which brought out his face a lot more. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing her.

“Hey,” she greeted him with a faint smile.

She hoped he didn't hear the sound of her heart thumping at the moment. Annie tried her best to appear as composed as possible, hoping it seemed convincing.

“Hey,” he greeted her with an unreadable expression.

For a moment, they remained still, standing face-to-face. Annie focused her attention on his protruding collarbone from underneath his shirt. She swallowed hard as her face began to heat up in his presence.

Breaking the awkward silence, she raised her finger to point behind him. “I should be heading upstairs before I get a good scolding from Miranda,” she spoke up finally.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Right,” he said. “I should also get going.”

“Sure thing, I wouldn't want you to be late to the studio, I'm guessing?” she furrowed her eyebrows curiously.

“You know it,” he nodded.

Before long, they both unintentionally took a step forward simultaneously nearly crashing into each other but Yongguk caught Annie in his arms before she could take a tumble. She placed her hands on his chest to maintain her composure. “Sorry,” she said breathlessly.

“Don't worry about it,” his deep and husky voice rang out softly.

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Annie swallowed hard gazing back up at his luscious lips. Don't give in, Annie, her subconscious spoke to her. Don't give in... Don't give in. Her heart was beating like crazy as she found herself breathing hard. It would be the first time he held her since they hadn't spoken to each other. Refusing to meet his eyes, she focused instead on his collarbone. He also smelled nice, she thought. She could feel his stare boring into her head and it made her feel so small.

He had never seen her so vulnerable in his presence. From what he could tell, she was trying her best to avoid looking him in the eyes. For the past few weeks of not speaking to her, he longed to hold her like he was doing at that moment and it felt nice. He had forgot about why he was even upset with her in the first place.

“Yongguk,” she mumbled. “I should get going...” She said attempting to push him away.

He chose to ignore her, tightening his grip on her petite frame.

“Nanny?” a voice interrupted their tender moment prompting Annie to immediately pull away from him. Annie and Yongguk both turned to see Miranda staring back at them with a bewildered expression plastered onto her beautiful face. “Bang Yongguk?”

Yongguk cleared his throat. “Good morning, Miranda,” he greeted her nonchalantly before turning to Annie. “I should really get going now.” Annie nodded, looking away from him.

As soon as he was gone, Annie could feel Miranda's icy stare bore into her petite frame. I'm in trouble, she thought. Miranda entered the elevator crossing her arms. “Any day now, Nanny,” she mused tapping her black Prada shoes against the floor of the elevator. “Are you coming inside or what?”

Without another word, Annie obediently entered the elevator dreading the awkward ride upstairs with her employer.

A/N: Hi guys!!! Sorry for the wait!!! I got extremely busy this past weekend! Forgive me! I mean I did promise and update yesterday but I got home later than expected so again I apologize! >.< Anyways, I had to rewrite this chapter numerous times because I wasn't pleased with it... But here you go! I hope  you enjoy it! Now because of work and school I can't promise an immediate update like I've been giving you guys ever since I posted this story but I will try my best, okay? Love you guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I worked really hard on it. :D Happy reading! ^^