05  THE FIFTH CHAPTER  |  DENIAL

“We need to talk about the other night,” I said warily, as she continued to avoid my glance.

“There’s nothing to talk about. We were both drunk, and we got carried away.” She quipped back, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Nayeon, you didn’t even have a drink?” I answered flatly, shooting down her weak excuse.

“Right... Okay, I wanted to drop this, but since you insist on an explanation. It was a mistake all right? I have a boyfriend.”

“I know you’re seeing someone and I don’t care for it. I like this thing we have between us, whatever it is.” I admitted openly, as I tried once again to find her smile.

“What thing? There is no us, Dahyun. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She scoffed.

“So, you’re denying the flirting that has been happening?”

 “You’re fun to be around, I’ll give you that. I just don’t like you in the way you think I do.” She brushes off casually, as if I were a speck of dust on the counter of her desk.

Nayeon was bent on her truth, perhaps “bent” wasn’t the right term. She was determined to stick on her straight destination to heteroual town. It was blatant, that she was in denial. The that night was irrefutable. She encouraged my advances. If it wasn’t for bloody Sana. I would’ve have succeeded in wooing Nayeon. Sana just had to barge in and make a scene, when Chaeyoung’s fall wasn’t at all serious. God, she was infuriating. I knew it was a bad idea to make amends with her, I should’ve trusted my gut. Stupid Sana, because of her blundering interruption, I was faced with a ridiculous denial. However, I wasn’t deterred by Nayeon’s attempts of rejection, I was determined to prove my point.

“Hey now, no one said anything about liking anyone. Let’s just take it down a notch. I just want to hang out with you more.” I defended.

“We hang out at school?” She said in an effort to solve my challenge.

The route of subtlety was obviously not working. I was tired of beating around the bush. There was no point in playing nice, when she had already assumed her strong stance of denial. You don’t win a girl’s heart, by quietly liking her from behind the scenes. You get the girl, with persistent strikes. “No we don’t. Let’s do something after school tomorrow, my place.”

Check.

“I can’t I’m b—"

Of course Nayeon was going to try and avoid my invitation. Her move was predictably boring, and very telling of her poorly formed ferocity. This was the thing with Nayeon, she always tried to pose herself as a difficult person, but in reality she was a gentle soul, afraid of upsetting others. 

“Busy? Come on now, don’t flake on me.” I interrupted, with a coaxing smile.

“No, I’m being serious I need to study for my music exam.” She repeated with greater conviction.

“Well aren’t you in luck, the top ranked student is willing to help you with that.  Tomorrow 5pm don’t be late.”

Mate.

Sure I had to strongarm her into coming over, but that was only the first move. By the end of tomorrow, I planned to have the situation entirely reversed. Nayeon was going to be tightly wrapped around my finger.

*  *  *

“Dahyun.” Sana called in hushed voice.

“Yes”

“You know what happened in your room at the party, or what didn’t happen. I didn’t see it, because it didn’t happen or if it did, I still didn’t see it. If you get what I’m saying.” She spilled rather hastily, with uneasy glances.

“No, you’re being confusing.” I snapped back.

“I didn’t see you kiss Nayeon.” She once again repeated in a muffled voice, hidden behind the mask of her hand.

“I didn’t because somebody decided to charge in my room.” I replied through clenched teeth remembering her nonsensical yelling at the door.

“Oh, but it looked like you did.” She stated, taken back by the turnout of the night.

Whenever Sana spoke to me, it was like she intentionally planned to