Chapter 11 

 

Yuri couldn't stopped thinking about the night Jaejoong confessed his true feelings to her. It happened a mere week ago. Still, Yuri was distracted by the memory every time she went to class. Her math professor had snapped their fingers at her during one class because they described her as appearing 'elsewhere'. As much as the confession had been messing with Yuri's mind, she forgot about it whenever she was physically with Jaejoong. Amazingly, Jaejoong never made Yuri feel awkward about the situation. He was his usual charismatic self that Yuri was still baffled by sometimes. She knew he used to be fun around but she forgot how much he had made her laughed with his jokes and stories. Sometimes, he got a little frustrated too easily. He also didn't like it when she laughed at his clumsy moments. Yuri couldn't helped it and it made her feel at ease whenever he wasn't so perfectly composed. 

 

'Do you think we have ever crossed paths before, serial killer?'

 

Yuri decided to text her anonymous friend because he also seem to be the only one who could take her mind off of Jaejoong's confession besides Jaejoong which was weird. 

 

'Maybe. Why do you asked?' 

 

'I don't know. I'm just wondering, if we ever met, what would happened? Do you think you had like me?'

 

'Darling. I wouldn't hesitate to make you mine.'

 

'Hey, you aren't allowed to fall in love with me.'

 

'Didn't say I was. I'm just saying that if this were real life, we had be together.'

 

'I can't handle you. You are ridiculous. You are probably wrong, too.'

 

'I don't think so.'

 

'Then you are saying we haven't met?'

 

'Obviously not, if you are not in my life.' 

 

Yuri read the last text and her chest was filled with warmth. A long time ago, they had made a pack that falling for each other was a no-no but it was hard to not feel something for him when he said stuff like that. Her lips pursed as she fantasized of a different world where she would meet him in real life and he had be everything he was on the phone. What if she said screw it all and decided to meet him? A pang of guilt suddenly caused a sharp painful chilled, 'What about Jaejoong Oppa?' The guilty voice asked her. Yuri dropped her phone beside her on her bed and tried to returned to some homework. 

 

A knock on the door broke her already lacking concentration. That's weird. It couldn't be Jaejoong. She had told him to stopped showing up out of nowhere. Sure, he joked about doing it again, but Yuri was very serious about it. Slowly, she lifted herself off the bed to opened the door. When she did, dropped. 

 

"Hey! You ready to party?!" Vivian exclaimed, before she dropped her bags and slammed into Yuri with a forceful hugged. 

 

Oh, no. 

 

No. 

 

! 

 

"Vivian, what are you doing here?" Yuri stammered out, as her cousin began to swivel her way inside of the dorm, "It's small but it will do." Vivian commented, before reacting to Yuri's questioned, "Well, my mom was talking to your mom and you know, I'm about to start applying for colleges right now and your mom said it would be a great idea for me to experience college before I start applying." Vivian explained, while Yuri just stood there with flared nostrils. Her cousin was five year below Yuri. While Vivian wasn't terrible, she just so happened to have a presence every time she came around. 

 

"Oh." Yuri simply replied, then added, "My mom didn't seem to mentioned your visit." 

 

Vivian laughed, "Yeah. She wanted it to be a surprised so surprised." 

 

"Surprised." Yuri's voice trailed off, as Vivian went to unpacked her things. Oh man, Taeyeon is going to be pissed. Taeyeon got along with a lot of people, she really did. Vivian wasn't one of those people though. 

 

Yuri went to closed the door behind her cousin. She did it slowly too, like that would prolong the time she had left without Vivian's presence in her life. 

 

"I'm having that party tomorrow night if you still want to come. It's at Kyuhyun's house." Vivian's voice echoed across the room. It sounded like she was reading something. Yuri turned around and found her cousin reading her phone. 

 

"Hey!" Yuri snapped, as she stepped over to take the phone back but Vivian raised the phone to read on. 

 

"There's another text. Wait, stopped that, Yuri. I'm interested. 'As friends, I promise'." Vivian said. 

 

Yuri finally got the phone out of her cousin's hands and when she did, she glared at her, "Ok, we need to set boundaries, Vivian!" Yuri told her sternly, "No more invading my privacy! My phone is for my eyes only! Because this is such a surprised, I can't have you distracting me from my studies!" Yuri told her, as sternly as she could. Vivian rolled her head side to side until Yuri finished. 

 

"Fine. Whatever. Let's talked about something much more important. Who's asking you to a party and why did they specify that you were 'just friends'?" Vivian quickly interrogated her cousin, "Also, we are going. Or at least I am." 

 

Yuri ran her hands through her hair because she was already exhausted from having Vivian around. She groaned lightly at her questioned before returning to her bed. 

 

"What? Who is it Yuri?" Vivian persisted. 

 

"It's..." Yuri sighed, "It's Jaejoong Oppa." She mumbled, his name very softly in hopes of Vivian hearing a different name. As much as Yuri wanted to lied to the girl, she didn't have much choice because if Vivian was set on going to this party, she would be going to the party with or without Yuri. 

 

"Oh my god!" Vivian practically shouted, "Wait." She said, before she strolled over to sit next to Yuri on her bed, "I thought Jaejoong Oppa hated you?" The questioned had Yuri flaring her nostrils again. 

 

"He was a jerk to me." She told her. 

 

"Yeah, but he was always a sweetheart to me." Vivian mentioned, this as if the conversation was about her the entire time. Yuri rolled her eyes, "You know, it wouldn't be such a bad thing to see him again." Vivian sort of hummed while she straightened out a few strands of dark brown hair on the side of her oval-shaped face. There was a gleam of mischief in her brown almond-shaped eyes. Yuri's eyes widened slightly at her cousin. She knew that looked. Vivian had already set her sights on Jaejoong. As if Vivian sensed Yuri's sudden discomfort, she asked, "Unless there's something going on between you two?" 

 

Yuri, almost instantly replied, "No, nothing. We are friends. That's it. Oppa just didn't want to sound weird asking me to the party." It was half-true. Yuri didn't have any kind of romantic feelings for Jaejoong but he clearly did for her. The thought made her nervous again. 

 

"Great." Vivian said, as she scooped up her hair into a ponytail, "I'm going to planned my outfit for tomorrow and you can study like you said you had to." She explained, before getting up to digged through her luggage. 

 

"Right." Yuri mumbled. She could whipped out her phone to talked to serial killer about this but she didn't need Vivian finding out about him at all. Serial killer was her secret and hers alone. Instead, she just text Jaejoong. 

 

'I will be there. Vivian is coming, too. I hope that's alright.'

 

"Well, my friend, it looks like you are in the friend-zone." Kyuhyun explained to Jaejoong, as they stood in the kitchen of his home. People were already buzzing around the house with drinks in their hands. Kyuhyun had somehow managed to throw this party fairly quickly after Jaejoong had told him there needed to be a party because Yuri had been invited to one. 

 

"I'm not in the friend-zone, idiot. I'm in the awkward 'I like her but she doesn't like me like that yet' zone." Jaejoong told him, and even hearing himself say this didn't make him anymore confident. He sipped at his drink and nibbled the rimmed. 

 

"Ah, you are right. That's much better than the friend-zone." Kyuhyun's voice dripped with sarcasm, "Have you told her yet?" Kyuhyun asked, and gave his Samsung Galaxy S4 a little wiggle in his hand. His thick brows perked up with curiosity. 

 

Jaejoong stare straight ahead. He coughed and then said, "No." 

 

"When is that bomb going to dropped?" 

 

"I don't know. Never?" 

 

"Geez Jaejoong, I told you to uses the phone to your advantage. I didn't mean have her fall for this other version of yourself." 

 

Jaejoong scoffed and glared at his friend, "That version is as much myself as I am. He's just..." 

 

"Not a liar?" Kyuhyun gave Jaejoong a hard time. He cared, he really did. He honestly didn't want Jaejoong to get into this deep state of sadness if Yuri broke everything off with him after finding out. 

 

"Would you just shut up?! I have heard enough!" Jaejoong snapped, before slipping away to go into the living room where more people were hanging around. Where was Yuri? She had text him back yesterday and mentioned that Vivian was going to come as well. This bit of information concerned him. Vivian had been his first kissed. It should have been Yuri. Jaejoong also happened to know that Yuri was not a fan of Vivian. It was great in high school because when she was occasionally around Yuri, Jaejoong used her to keep Yuri away. As of now, he only wanted Yuri by his side. He pray that Vivian would be interested in someone else or something else during this party. Don't get him wrong. She's beautiful and it wasn't the absolute worst to fool around with her while he kept his mind off of Yuri but he had to keep on pushing forward if he wanted Yuri to be anything other than someone he text anonymously or just hung out with from time to time. 

 

He glanced over his texts from her earlier today. 

 

'I was actually thinking about this the other day but what do you actually killed if you are a serial killer? What's your thing? What are you so obsessed with that you need to killed it?'

 

Jaejoong huffed out a small laughed as he read it over. He hadn't quite thought up a clever enough answered yet. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and checked the new one he had bought specifically to keep Yuri from finding out about this mess. 

 

Sure enough, there's a text from Yuri. 

 

'There are drinks there that aren't going to killed me, right?'

 

'I don't find that funny.'

 

'I'm not trying to be. I just really do need a drink.'

 

'Sure. Mind if I asked why?'

 

'I'm not very comfortable in my outfit of choice.'

 

Jaejoong crinkled his eyebrows at the last text. What the hell did that mean?! A few moments later, he looked up to find Yuri had entered the house. He tried really hard to just meet her eyes but it was really ing hard when she was dressed like that. His eyes started at her feet which are perched up on a pair of black BCBGeneration Darron patent pump heels and as he moved up, it was like a desert of skinned that kept going for miles. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Black fabric entered his view and it carefully hugged each curve. He didn't see skinned again until he found her collarbone. Finally, he made it to her eyes which had strands of hair in the way. His fingers itched to walked across the room and pulled them back for her. 

 

He was about to do that too, as he took a step forward but she was already pushing pieces back. Then Vivian stepped forward with a nearly identical velvet aymmetric dress, however, her dress was dark blue and she wore black heels. It was like a nightmare and a dream all at once. Here was the girl he used to fool around with and then Yuri, the girl who he wanted forever. 

 

Yuri finally caught his eye a second later and an easy smiled appeared, 'Good, at least she's smiling.' Jaejoong thought. The smiled disappeared though. Vivian was coming towards him. He shoved his phone into his other pocket. 

 

"Oh my, my, my, is that you Joongie Oppa?" Vivian asked, full of grins. He smiled half-heartedly at her. 

 

"In the flesh." He told her. Vivian didn't hesitate to approached him and her arm was already looped into Jaejoong's. 

 

"I can't believe you let your hair grew." She giggled into his ear. Meanwhile, Yuri was trying not to fall as she made her way through the room. She saw Vivian make a B-line for Jaejoong and that meant it was already time to drink. As much as Yuri didn't exactly want to be here, she couldn't let her younger cousin go alone. Of course, going with her meant that Vivian just had to have a say in what Yuri wore. 

 

"Hi." Yuri said, once she made it to the two of them. 

 

"Hey yourself." Jaejoong said, with a genuine grinned this time. His eyes had a mind of their own as he took her all in. 

 

Yuri flushed lightly, "Is Kyuhyun here? I need a drink." She asked, as she tried to avoid the sight of Vivian holding onto Jaejoong. It had pissed her off to see it in high school except she only hated it because she hated Jaejoong. Right now, she didn't know how to registered what she felt. 

 

"Yeah, he's in the kitchen. I can helped..." 

 

"Oh Joongie, why don't you get me a drink and then we can dance, alright?" Vivian practically demanded in an awfully sweet tone. 

 

Jaejoong hesitated before he agreed to her requests. His arm fell from her hook as he followed Yuri into the kitchen, "Should she be drinking?" Jaejoong asked, even though he could recall a time that he got hammered with Vivian one night. It was probably the night of prom when Yuri had gone with Sihoo. 

 

Yuri's brows perked up, "Really? It's not like you haven't seen her drink before. She's fine. I mean, don't poison her." Yuri said, as she looked around the kitchen. Kyuhyun wasn't there, "What can I get my hands on?" Yuri asked. 

 

"Wow. Eager today, are we?" Jaejoong laughed lightly, before he stepped over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer, "Here." He offered Yuri, "It's BYOB but since I like you." Jaejoong winked at her. 

 

"You know, you really like to make me uncomfortable, don't you?" 

 

"Nah, I just like seeing you looked cute and if those two things happened to coincide with one another, who am I to stopped it?" 

 

"Jaejoong Oppa, I swear..." Yuri trailed off, with red cheeks as she held the beer bottle in her hands, "Thanks." She finally told him, "For the beer." She clarified. She bit her pale pink lips as she thought of what to say next. If Vivian weren't here, it would be easy. Yuri could easily asked him to stayed out of the crowd with her but since he already has planned with her cousin, she didn't want to be possessive of him. They were friends and that meant Jaejoong could do whatever the hell he wanted with whomever the hell he wanted. 

 

Jaejoong pulled out another bottle and then one more, "I had better get out there before your cousin dies of boredom. Do you want to come, too?" 

 

Yuri almost instantly shook her head. She held the beer to her chest, "I'm fine, you have fun." She said, and shoo him with her hands. Jaejoong gave her one more looked of reassurance before he disappeared behind the door. Yuri uncapped her bottle before taking a large swig. She felt a little uneasy. The last time she was at a party, she was drugged. She shifted on her heels before deciding to take them off because who actually care? The music in the other room began to escalate. Maybe she should at least try to have fun. 

 

If only Taeyeon was here. Yuri knew that Taeyeon would probably be with Kyuhyun but if Yuri really needed someone like right now, Taeyeon would be there. Taeyeon was out working once again, 'Ah, what the hell?!' Yuri thought, as she started for the door to the living room. Then, as she opened the door, she could see Jaejoong with Vivian, pressed against one another. Yuri swallowed and kept watching. Vivian's body moved against his with such eases. Jaejoong didn't seem to mind it at all either. Ok, no more. Yuri closed the door and went back to the kitchen until she found a back door. She sat on one of the steps to the porch, drinking her beer. 

 

About an hour or so later, Yuri was still on the porch but people had begun to moved outside. Not as many as inside but enough to catch Yuri's attention. She also emptied five beers into her system. 

 

"Yeah, so who's the chick with Jaejoong." A voice spoke up in the yard. 

 

"I don't know but she's pretty." 

 

"It's not fair. How does Jaejoong always get the girls so easily? I mean, the first weekend he was here, he was all over that one girl and I'm pretty sure he made it all the way." 

 

"! I know. Haven't you heard the rumors? He was an animal in high school, too." 

 

Yuri overheard the conversation and drained the rest of what was left in her bottle before getting back inside. Thoughts were becoming fuzzy. Yuri didn't want to think about Jaejoong in high school. She didn't want to think about Jaejoong during the first weekend here with a girl, 'With another girl. Ok, what kind of thought was that?' She needed another drink. Clumsily, her hands rummaged through the fridge. Names were written across a lot of different types of alcohol. She spotted Kyuhyun's name written across clear liquor, 'No more beers? This would do.' Her fingers fidgeted with the cap, 'Dang it, why wouldn't this thing opened?'

 

"Yuri?" Kyuhyun's voice traveled across the room as he stepped down the stairs of his home. 

 

Immediately, Yuri pulled her hands off of his drink he clearly put his name on. What had she been thinking? "I'm so sorry. I just...I...Jaejoong Oppa was out of his beer and I." She stammered, over a few slurred words. 

 

"Whoa, whoa. It's ok, Yuri." He assured her, as he came over to helped her with the cap, "Have some but are you sure you are ok to take more?" 

 

"I, um...I just." Yuri appeared distressed, "I'm really confused." She finally admitted. 

 

Kyuhyun leaned onto the countered, "About what?" 

 

"You have to promise not to tell Jaejoong." Yuri sputtered. 

 

"Cross my heart." He complied, but the subject at hand made him perk up, 'This is interesting.' He thought. 

 

"Do you know that Jaejoong...he...well, he said he..." 

 

"Likes you? Like a lot?" 

 

Yuri flushed even though her face was already inflamed from the alcohol, "Right, that." Her palms pressed against the cool countered, "I'm worried. I know he says that he has feelings for me but he could be really wrong and there's like other girls that he clearly has no trouble being with and I just..." She searched for the right words, "There were so many years where I didn't trust him. I feel like he's trying really hard and I do like that he's in my life again, but he also makes me so nervous." She babbled on and on, until Kyuhyun felt like she didn't have another word to say. 

 

"Well, I certainly don't think he's after anyone else right now." Kyuhyun tried to assured her, but she pressed her lips together like she had a secret, "What?" He asked. 

 

"He's grinding with Vivian as we speak." 

 

"Yuri." Kyuhyun took her hand, "I promise, if anything is happening in there right now, it is merely being forced upon him." 

 

"Yeah, but..." 

 

"But nothing. Yuri, if you have any real feelings for Jaejoong like I'm beginning to think you do, you need to get out there and tell him." Kyuhyun slid a shot of liquor her way, "Take this. You will feel more confident." 

 

Yuri's heart was beating out of her chest. Maybe she did have feelings for Jaejoong. He certainly made her laughed and he always gave her butterflies whether she had ever admitted that before or not. He was also really, really sweet when he tried. She looked at the shot. As if she decided to jumped off a cliff, she threw the shot into the back of . A warm ball of led entered her stomach until the warmth spread to her chest. She slammed the glass onto the countered and pushed her hair back. 

 

"Ok." She whispered, and headed for the door. Music blasted and vibrated against the old wooden floor of the house. She spotted Jaejoong in the cornered while Vivian leaned against the wall next to him. She kept whispering in his ear and it made Yuri fumed. Her heart pounded a billion miles a minute as she stepped with purposed towards Jaejoong. Just as she began to reached him, her pounding heart dropped to the floor. 

 

Vivian leaned in and her red plump lips pressed firmly into Jaejoong's. 

 

The world spun in ways that it shouldn't spinned. 

 

When had the floor become so slanted? 

 

When had Yuri ever felt so heart broken? 

 

Jaejoong had felt Vivian's lips reached for his before he had a chance to stepped away. Even if he did, where was he going to go? Into the wall? She had him cornered so well that this must have been her game planned to begin with. He had to admit, it had been several weeks since he had actually kissed anyone. It felt pretty ing good for a split second. Yuri's cousin was soft like he had always remembered. However, when he gripped onto her arm to pulled her off, he turned and saw Yuri, standing there with very little color left in her face. No. God, no. 

 

"Joongie, what's wrong?!" Vivian whined. 

 

Yuri was already on the moved even though to her, everything moved in slow motion. Her head shook as she pushed her way through the dancing crowd, "Excuse me." She repeated, over and over again. Her voice shook every time. 

 

"Yuri!" Jaejoong's voice boomed, over the music as he race after her. She had made it out of the door and into the crisp air by the time Jaejoong caught up with her. Yuri was moving down the street, bare footed. She didn't stopped even as Jaejoong called after her. 

 

Then finally, Jaejoong grabbed her shoulder. Yuri turned around due to his forced. She winced and that winced broke her. Tears flooded her cheeks. 

 

"Yuri." Jaejoong said, as he shook his head. He tried to pulled her into his chest but she pushed back. 

 

"No." She said, "I'm sorry." She apologized, 'Wait. Why the hell is she apologizing?!' Jaejoong thought, "We are just friends and I made that clear. I...I...I don't know what I was thinking in there. I was clearly confused." 

 

"Yuri, what the hell are you talking about?!" Jaejoong asked, with a frustrated tone. 

 

"Nothing, it's." Yuri paused, to scraped the tears from her cheek, "Nothing." She finished. 

 

"Nothing?" Jaejoong laughed dryly, "That wasn't ing nothing, Yuri! You were ready to run eight blocks away from me." 

 

"I made it very clear. I told you. I told myself that there's nothing between us. I said we are friends and that's all I'm ready for with you and..." 

 

"Yuri, you aren't making any senses." 

 

"I don't know how to feel about you ok. I'm really, really confused and I..." 

 

Jaejoong didn't wait another second for her to finished whatever she was about to ramble on about. He took her head into both of his hands; gently and firmly before he brought Yuri's lips to his. Her arms tensed and then fell onto her sides. He relaxed himself and spread his fingers through her hair until his lips began to part against hers. His breath was raspy as he spoke, "Are you less confused now?" He asked, as he searched her face for any signed of reciprocation. 

 

Yuri was swirling. What just happened? Jaejoong's face was so closed to hers and it never felt like his mouth left hers and she really wanted to kissed him again. 

 

"No." She whispered, her voice was desperate, "But please don't stopped?" 

 

Jaejoong didn't need to be told twice before he took her back in. His body moved closer as he took a step into the distance between them. The autumn air chilled his milky white skinned and he could feel it on her skinned as goosebumps rose along her arms. Yuri slipped her arms around his neck until she was gripping onto his red/blue Modern Amusement plaid days long sleeve button up shirt for dear life. Jaejoong took long breaths while he kept pressing his lips over hers. He could no longer tell which breath was his and which was hers. 

 

"Oppa." Yuri breathed heavily. 

 

"Yeah?" Jaejoong asked, between kisses. 

 

"Is there any chance you are going to let this go tomorrow?" 

 

"Absolutely ing not." He replied, before kissing her again.