IV.

Wendy paced around the room repeatedly, her footsteps pattering against the concrete floor. Her head was spinning from all the circling, but it couldn't compare to the tornado of thoughts that raged her mind. She could feel herself about to go crazy from all her thinking and was about to explode. 

 

Should she go against all her reason and meet Irene? She had absolutely no idea why the older girl would want to meet her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know why. There were both pros and cons to going to the rooftop, and that only added to her dilemma. She ruffled her hair in annoyance, pursing her lips. She stared daggers into the ground, as if expecting an answer to magically appear in front of her eyes.

 

Okay then, she thought, I should probably list them out systematically and weigh them out. 

 

Pros: 

Wrap up the situation with Joohyun (with an emphasis that they should never meet again).  Figure out what Joohyun wanted from her. Potentially get a girlfriend if Joohyun was being sincere. 

 

. No. She was cancelling the third one out. There was no way in hell she would start another potentially hazardous relationship even if Irene was being truthful. Being together with an idol, an extremely popular one at that, was an obvious crash and burn. And chances of that were near zero, anyway. The idol was probably just trying to get into her pants again. 

 

But then again, the rose was a tad sweet. Irene had somehow managed to find out that her favourite colour was blue, or was that a coincidence? As far as she knew, blue roses weren't exactly the norm. She couldn't deny that she felt a flutter in her heart at the romantic gesture, and she wondered what it would be like to date Irene. 

 

At that thought, Wendy shook her head lightly. No, she couldn't be sidetracked now. She was thinking too far, and all she wanted now was to come to a decision and stick with it without regret. 

 

Cons: 

If Joohyun tried anything out as 'compensation', she might not be able to resist.  If anyone caught sight of the two of them together, chaos would ensue. 

 

In the end, it was a tie. Wendy buried her head into her palms in frustration. Deep in her heart, she already knew the answer, and she wasn't glad about it. It would be her biggest 'what if' should she not meet the other, and she knew that it would haunt her forever. 

 

With an exasperated sigh, Wendy leaned her head against the wall, reveling in the cool touch that calmed her nerves. She took in a deep breath, feeling her mind settle down slowly. 

 

It was when she almost fell asleep standing against the wall that Wendy rubbed her eyes, pushing herself off and checking her watch. Her eyebrows shot to her forehead when she realised that she was 10 minutes late to the time she was supposed to meet Irene. 

 

God damn, how long did I stand there and do nothing? Wendy cursed herself, jogging lightly up the stairs to the rooftop. 

 

To be honest, the rooftop was a beautiful place and was Wendy's favourite, aside from the spot under the tree where she and Joy spent most of their time. There were different species of flowers and plants that the Green Club painstakingly planted and took care by themselves. However, it was yet another spot that many students did not know existed. There was always a lock at the staircase, and many assumed that it was out of bounds. Hardly anyone tried to even figure out that the lock wasn't locked at all. 

 

Thus, it came as a surprise to Wendy that Irene actually knew of the place as a new student. The rooftop offered maximum privacy, and Wendy wondered if the nervous sensation she felt at the pit of her stomach was a sign that she needed to bolt. 

 

Her right hand stretched out and rested on the door knob leading to the rooftop. She was already running late, and part of her wondered if Irene was serious about not leaving until she came. It was just as well, she guessed, she could see how trustworthy Irene actually was.

 

Full of suspense building up in her chest, Wendy was greeted with a sense of disappointment as she was faced with nothing when she opened the door. It was quiet, and only the sounds of the birds chirping filled the silence. She glanced around from left to right, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of the brunette. 

 

Her heart sank a little, her lips downturned uncontrollably. She didn't know what she expected. Was this a joke? Did Irene want to get her hopes up before allowing them to plummet to the ground? If that was the case, the idol was more despicable than she expected and she silently prayed that her assumptions would be proven wrong. 

 

Wendy bit her bottom lip, letting out a small sigh. Just as she was about to turn back around, however, a pair of slender milky-white arms slid around her waist from behind and she felt a chin rest comfortably on her shoulder. 

 

"Hello, cutie. You're late, hm? Should I demand twice the compensation from you?" A husky whisper was shot directly through her ear, causing shivers to erupt throughout her entire body. 

 

Wendy closed her eyes instinctively, enjoying the feeling of Irene's tight familiar embrace for a moment before breaking out of her reverie. It was weird; they had only met each other for a night, yet she was already comfortable with Irene's arms around her. 

 

But no, she couldn't allow this.