Glances

Really… how do you even start loving someone? Is it something that can be explained? Probably… but most of the stories about love started with this: glances. It doesn’t necessarily have to be love at first sight. It’s more than that. After all, you only look at something or someone you really want to look at.

It’s when you really look at someone and you finally, finally see something about them that you never really saw before. It’s when you keep glancing at them because you want to prove if what you have seen is true. It’s when you just can’t stop glancing at them, secretly, because that something is as real as it could get and you just can’t believe it. It’s when you have no other way to keep them close to your heart.

Mark and Wendy are no different to people around them. They’ve been in the same business for five years. They’ve performed on the same stage and appeared on the same show… they’ve walked on the same hallway, ate on the same restaurant, and wore identical clothes, listened to the same music, slept on the same hotel, been on the same country, and talked to the same person. But, somehow, they’ve never spoken a word to each other but from hellos and congratulations.

But glances are inevitable.

Somehow she just realized that she really did take a glance on him—countless of times already. And the same case is applied to him. They’ve never really paid attention before but then the universe has its own way of making things happen. After so many years at glancing at each other, their eyes finally caught up with each other. They glanced at each other at the same time and something inside them clicked. It was unexplainable but it both made them nervous so they both had to look away.

That night when they laid their backs on their respective beds, they were both thinking of one another’s eyes. And the way that their bodies reacted right after that.

It made them both crazy.

They were on the same show again. Mark just kept on glancing at Wendy. And the latter just kept doing the same to the former. Until they were both on the backstage and they literally crashed into each other.

“Sorry,” they muttered almost at the same time.

Mark stood up from falling and immediately offered Wendy a hand. She grabbed it. The contact sent some kind of unexplainable electricity from the top of their head to the tip of their toes. They pulled their hands apart almost at the same time. Awkwardness filled the air so Wendy ran away without even looking back. She didn’t even notice that her phone fell from her jean pocket. Mark tried calling her but she was too busy composing herself to even pay attention to other things. He grabbed the phone and ran to follow her but she’s nowhere to be found. Little did he know that she’s already on the company car with her members.

He opened the phone when he got into their dorm. He hid himself away from the members like he always does but this time, for an entirely different reason. He tried opening the phone and luckily it has no password whatsoever. He tried calling “Satan” from the call log and woman’s voice answered the phone.

“Unnie? Why are you calling me?” he stayed silent because it must have been Red Velvet’s maknae.

“Uh,” and trailed off because he’s not even sure what to say… the voice from the other line threatened to end the call so he finally told the person what happened. The girl from the other line, Yerim, handed her phone over to her unnie.

Mark explained what happened, again, and Wendy kept on saying sorry. She asked him if they could meet tomorrow so she can get her phone and they decided to meet at some fancy coffee shop at Cheongdam-dong. Wendy insisted that they should meet up in a place near him. She doesn’t want to bother him. He told her that it was okay because he’s not busy but she still insisted.

And that’s how they ended up having a picture taken by some newspaper photographer that started a rumor. Usually it will chaotic. Well, okay, it was chaotic. Their companies had to explain what happened and for some reasons, people started shipping them. Their old fans can’t help but rejoice. After all these years, their love for Mark and Wendy is still strong. Their belief that they will be together someday never died. Well, it kind of did… but this time, fate was on their side.  And it’s alive as it could get.

They started hanging out. As friends. Purely platonic. Like Amber and Henry or Amber and Eric. But they can’t deny the tension between them. It was crazy.

And Wendy was brave enough to admit the truth to herself. She loves Mark. And she started wishing about the possibilities of “them”. After all, people were not against them that much. Maybe it was the hype… she tried reasoning out to herself. But every single time that she thought about his eyes, her heart will start dancing. And the way she thought of his laughter as some kind of music is so unreasonable. It doesn’t sound angelic at all.

Sometimes she would stay in the shower thinking of the possibilities. And she thought about if things are not going to work out, at least on her part, they can stay as friends. She smiled at the thought because it was wonderful enough to have the crazy Mark Tuan in her life.

Little did she know, he was having the same thoughts about her.

He can’t even sleep at night. He would just listen to her group’s songs just so he can hear her voice. He can’t stop thinking about how beautiful she is. Not her face… just her in general.

Mark was never the kind to chicken out to his feelings. He’s not the kind to ignore crazy emotions as this. He has so many friends that are girls back home. So he knows if something is… not normal. He called her and asked her to meet up on the same coffee shop they’ve first actually met. He stared in her eyes and said the things she never thought of hearing.

“I like you,” he said.

She swallowed the lump in to say something. But is dry and her heart is beating abnormally fast. She’s being a tachycardic whenever Mark’s around. And among her stupid episodes of being a tachycardic, today’s the worst. It’s like her heart is trying to get out from her ribcage. “It’s alright if you don’t like me,” he said quickly in English. She also noticed that he speaks in English a lot when he’s nervous. He was about to leave when she finally found her voice.

“So you’re just going to leave after confessing to me?” she didn’t notice that she also said that in English. People are looking at them. Thinking whatever. But she doesn’t seem to care. “Idiot.”

He rolled his eyes, “What did you just call me?” he challenged her.

“I called you idiot, you idiot.”

“And how dare you say that?”

“I dared because I like you.”

“What?”

“Don’t make me repeat it, people are looking.”

“They can’t understand us. Not that much, anyway.”

“I like you,” She said it again. “Happy?”

He smiled. “Repeat it again.” So she did. And then he grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with her.

She’s recalling what happened about two months ago. It’s still making her smile.

She’s at the GOT7’s dorm right now because she decided to visit her boyfriend. Boyfriend. She smiled at the thought. But Mark is asleep… and he’s not wearing any shirt. Coco is sleeping in his back and she’s worried. What if Mark decided to roll around? Coco will surely die. She shuddered at the thought. She was just watching the news a while ago about the unknown death causes of infants.

She wants to wake him up but he looks so peaceful even with Coco in his back. His blanket is just up to his lower back and that’s where Coco is resting. The upper part of his body is bare and she saw how many moles he got. His body is covered with it. Maybe she would be able to kiss them all someday. The hollow in his back is unbelievably beautiful… well unbelievable because she finds it beautiful. She’s now thinking about their marriage… that is years away from happening. Well, it’s going to happen. She will do everything to save to relationship. She can’t let their hearts turn away from each other.

She gently lifted Coco out of Mark’s back. When Coco was finally out, thank goodness because she’s getting jealous of the dog, she laid in bed together with Mark. She let her arms rest on Mark’s before deciding to wake him up.

She gently blew air to his ear. He finally opened his eyes. “Hey,” she said with a wide smile on her face. “You ready?”

He looks confused for a while and that’s when he remembered that Wendy’s family is in Korea right now and he’s finally going to meet them. He ruffled her hair before smiling. “Well?” she said impatiently. “No need to be scared, my little pumpkin!” she kissed the tip of his nose and he scrunched it. He’s still not saying anything. “Mark!” He raised an eyebrow, “Say something!”

Mark pulled her into a hug before burying his head to the pillow. “I’m ready.”