“Youngjae!” Alya exclaims as she dashes towards her not-so-little sunshine. “I missed you, Bub!” she hugs his left arm and shows him a frown.

Youngjae laughs which wraps Alya's heart with warmth. If Mark's voice has a power over Jinyoung, Youngjae's presence has control over Alya--in a positive way.

He takes his hands out from the pocket of his hoodie so he can stretch his arms to enclose Alya in them. The latter lets herself melt in Youngjae's embrace. She doesn't want to let go.

“Someone missed me yet didn't meet me during the weekend. I wonder who that is.”

Alya shows him a moue. “I'm sorry, Sunshine.” She looks up at him. Youngjae smiles subtly after hearing that endearment--one of Alya's many nicknames for him. “I overslept last Saturday and I was thinking of calling you yesterday but…”

I want to be the only one. She hears Jinyoung's voice in the back of her head.

“But?”

“I was thinking you're playing LOL so I didn't want to bother you,” she crinkles her nose.

Jinyoung, who's walking few steps behind them, smiles to himself when he noticed the brunette paused for a second. He knows she remembered what happened yesterday; she recalled what he said.

He saunters with a smug, one hand in pocket, before his eyes catch a figure he refuses to see. He shifts his gaze back to Alya, whose arm is still draped around Youngjae's waist, and the latter, whose arm is still around the other's shoulders. Fortunately, they're busy talking.

He takes bigger steps until he reaches Alya's side. The wavy haired scowls at him.

“You're supposed to go in that direction,” she points at her left.

Jinyoung shoves Youngjae's hand that the younger's arm on Alya's shoulder drops. He replaces it with his own. Both of the younger ones crease their forehead in question.

“I'll walk you both to your classroom.”

“What are you? Our dad?” Alya spits. “And--” she raises her hand and grips Jinyoung's to take his arm off her shoulder. The rest of her sentence is left hanging in the air when someone unannounced butts in. Her hand holding Jinyoung's on her shoulder stays in place as the black haired fumbles his fingers to intertwine some of them with hers. Alya's heart leaps.

“Hi, Al!”

Jinyoung wants to clench his fist or tightens his jaw but he maintains his bored look.

“What do you want, Arthur?” She rolls her eyes.

“I was just wondering why you were in a hurry last Friday,” he glances at their enlaced fingers “I thought it was because you see me.”

“She was in a hurry to see me,” Jinyoung deadpans, “Now if you may excuse us, our time is so precious to spare a trash like you a minute.”

When they march towards Alya and Youngjae's classroom, Alya pulls her hand but Jinyoung's remains on her shoulder. He does not utter a single word, even when they arrive in front of the classroom.

“I'll see you at lunch, Nyoung.” Alya smiles softly to which the other just answers with a nod.

Alya feels dizzy. Why did she have to see Arthur on the first day of class, after their vacation? Why did he have to approach them? And to add up, there's Jinyoung being weird since yesterday.

“Do you sense something… odd in Jinyoung?” She bites her lip as she takes her pencil case out of her bag. “Say, something that changed?”

Youngjae folds his lips together. He arches his brows as he thinks. “No? None that I could think of. Why?”

She puts the case down her table as she shakes her head before leaning it on Youngjae's shoulder. “Have I already thanked you for simply existing?”

She feels his shoulders shake as he chuckles. She can't help but let her lips curve. This is why she needs Youngjae. She thinks every person needs to have their own Youngjae in their lives. The one that could make you feel at ease just by simply being around you.

“You should thank my parents. Or God, maybe."

“Yeah,” she closes her eyes, “I should do that.”

She clutches Youngjae's arm when lunch break came. They're walking to the cafeteria to eat with their other friends when Alya heard some students whispering to each other about her being delusional.

A lot of people think that she deserved what happened. Some said she got so full of herself when she became friends with Arthur that she became conceited. Others claim that she seduced him--there's no way thattheir prince would be attracted to someone as plain as her.

Why are you like this, Alya?! She asks herself frustratingly. She never lets people's words get into her but why did it change?

 

When she learned that Arthur was just playing with her, she felt devastated. She didn't believe everyone then but he didn't deny it when she confronted him. She told him that it's okay if it started wrong, they could just continue. But he said he never loved her; that he was disgusted of how she lavishly gives love to people so he doesn't need her affection.

She's okay with the fact that their relationship was not serious or if it was just a game for him. But what she's dejected about is the love she gave was stomped on. If he didn't want it, fine. But to tramp on it?

When he dodged her hand that reached out for him and left her in the rain that day, the memory of her, running towards her father came back. She was almost six when that happened.

She asked her father if she didn't love him enough, and promised to love him more. But that love was thrown away like a candy wrapper and was stepped on.

Dahyun was so mad at her when she found out she just let Arthur go and forgave him even if he did not apologize. The amount of love she can give sometimes frustrates her friends. Does she even know how to get angry?
 

Youngjae takes her hand and pulls it to let her cross her arm with his. He gives her an assuring smile.

They listened to Jackson's blabbering all throughout the lunch. Bambam and Yugyeom kept on butting in and Youngjae's laugh aded the cafeteria.

Jinyoung's arm was stretched and his hand rested on her shoulder again. Now that she and Youngjae are back in their room, she's starting at the back of her classmate in front of her, wondering what's behind Jinyoung's actions again.

Youngjae nudges her. He motions her to look at the board.

Study hour.

They are given one period study hour and they can go home after because the teachers will have a general meeting.

Youngjae plays with his pen as he hums. He'll probably write another song. Knowing she must not disturb him, Alya drops her head on her table.

She fishes her phone from the pocket of her skirt when it vibrates.

Bored?

She flips her head to see whether the sender is outside. Jinyoung shows a tight smile when their eyes meet.

Alya scans the room before slowly walking out, leaning down. Jinyoung is leaning on the wall, near the door frame, waiting for his best friend to come out.

“Why?” she whispers.

He hands her a box of chocolate and a white volume. There's a big text above, a small silhouette of a man at the center, another text and a picture of what seems like a library at the bottom.

The Power of One's Alone Time

She takes it from him. She's wanted to read it. It was the book that helped Jinyoung during his own struggles, it's what gave him strength when he was in a phase. She has read few books before, but she's not a big reader like her best friend. Her brother comes in second. Yugyeom, to their surprise, recently started reading, too.

“Thanks,” she beams before turning back but Jinyoung catches her wrist.

“What's your plan after study hour?”

“Hm?” She takes a glimpse of Youngjae, who is writing. “Arcade? Karaoke?”

He squints his eyes. “Spend time with me again,” he demands as he lets go of her hand before emphasizing, “alone.”

She slumps to her seat when the black haired left after his remark. She shoves a chocolate in before offering some to Youngjae. She opens the book and starts reading as she waits for study hour to be over.

“Where are you guys going later?” Alya asks the guys who are sitting on the bench, waiting for Jackson, who is in their club room.

“I'm gonna get my iced choco first,” Yugyeom speaks as his eyes are darted on his phone, fingers are busy tapping on the screen, “then I'll go wherever you guys want to.”

She feels a force pulling the back of her collar. She looks up at her side and sees threatening eyes of Jinyoung glaring at her.

“You're not coming?” Youngjae questions, sadness evident in his voice.

Alya glances at Jinyoung again. The black haired arches his brows. He's not saying anything, but Alya finds his action authoritative.

“Sorry, Small Bean,” there goes another nickname again, “I got some errands.”

She hits Jinyoung's arm when they get out of the school premises. The older winces and rubs the part that's hurting.

“What's that for?!”

Alya shoots him daggers. “What is it this time?”

“What?” he raises one brow, acting innocently.

“Yesterday, you didn't want me to get them,” she faces him and stops on her tracks. “Now, we're not spending time with them? I miss them. I miss Youngjae.”

“You'll see them tomorrow. Youngjae is your seatmate.”

“And I see you everyday. I see you when I get out of the house every morning. I see you before I close my eyes to sleep.”

Jinyoung narrows his eyes a little. The corner of his lips lift up. “You think of me before you sleep?”

Alya's forehead folds. She raises a fist again and throws it on her best friend when the black haired catches it. His laugh causes his eye wrinkles to show.

The brunette stares at the creases on Jinyoung's face before she pulls her hand from his grip. She pulls it abruptly that she needs to take a step back to maintain her balance but loses it still. Fortunately, Jinyoung is fast enough to catch her.

“You really are an idiot,” he comments before he locks her in his arm. “Be careful, okay?”

“And whose fault was that?”

Jinyoung just chortles before asking her if she started reading the book.

“Mhm, I like it,” she slants her head a bit as she tries to remember a line. “What is important is knowing that you also have your limits.” She nods. And as she speaks the next line, Jinyoung says it with her.

“Then, a realization opens.”

“You're already there? I didn't know you're a fast reader. It's like in the three-fourths part of the book already.”

They talk more about it. Jinyoung tells her that the author wrote it from experience; he shares in what way the book had helped him and the realizations that hit him.

Even though they always spend time together, and with their circle of friends, Jinyoung had a lot of alone time. In the past years, people would always ask him if he was okay because he'd rather be alone than be with the guys--Mark, Youngjae, Jackson, Bambam, Yugyeom, and Jaebum. He was asking himself if he was doing anything wrong, if spending a lot of time alone was wrong. Then during those times, he would read that book and realized that those times weren't meaningless. He also claims that he grew a lot because of those alone times he had.

“I also love the part where it talked about Taigu Ryokan. He liked children so he spent time with them, but spent most of his time alone, reading a book. He balanced his life by spending time with others and having time alone. And, this line,” he raise a hand and points at the air as he speaks, “Don't forget that spending time alone is not always a good influence, but it depends greatly on how one faces oneself.”

Jinyoung wants to ask her something related to the book but she's already whining because she hasn't finished it yet. They agree to go to a coffee shop near their village so she can continue it while Jinyoung reads another book.

Alya feels the chills the moment they step inside. She's easily cold, so she rubs her arms, hoping that the friction would lessen it.

Jinyoung motions her to find a table for them as he orders. He gets a latte for her and americano for himself. He also buys a doughnut for them to share.

The wavy haired is already reading when Jinyoung walks to their table. He puts their orders down from the tray before setting it aside. He takes the seat on her left, even moves the chair closer, before he takes a book out from his bag.

“The Catcher in The Rye?” Alya asks, after she blew her almost freezing hand, when she saw the volume that Jinyoung put on the table. “You already finished that.”

“I'm reading it again,” he says as he lends her his hand.

Alya just stares at it. She raises a brow to question.

“I'm warm.”

“So?”

Jinyoung arches an eyebrow, eyes his hand and pins back his gaze to his best friend. There he goes again, Alya thinks. Not uttering a word, but so demanding.

She doesn't know why either that every time Jinyoung does it--telling her to do one thing with just his eyes and eyebrows--she always finds herself obeying. It must be the intimidating look he gives her--as if telling her not to dare refuse of what he asks.

She rolls her eyes, as if irritated, as if her heart is not beating wildly. She takes his hand and he scoots a little more to her side, smiling to himself with satisfaction.

Yeah, he's warm.

She sips from her coffee, trying to act composed, before proceeding to read again. Jinyoung follows.

The black haired glances at his coffee after a couple of minutes. His left hand is holding the book open while the other is still holding Alya's. If he reaches for the cup with his left hand, the book will close. But he refuses to let go of his best friend's hand either. So he leans over instead and reach the straw with his mouth to drink.

Alya glances at him and feels her heartbeat quicken. The thought of him not letting go of her hand makes her blush.

The second time that Jinyoung is about to lean over for his coffee, Alya puts a tissue on the page she's reading so she can go back to it when the book will close. She reaches for Jinyoung's cup with her right hand. The latter turns to her in surprise.

When the brunette gets a hold of the cup, she looks up at the black haired only to find his face in a close distance. She blinks. He does, too. She swallows before she slowly straightens up. She brings the cup close to him and he drinks from it without breaking eye contact.

They are lost in each other's eyes for a moment; forgetting where they are; forgetting they're not supposed to look at each other the way they do now; forgetting that they're just best friends-- just best friends. And not knowing there's a pair of eyes looking, witnessing everything and capturing every scene.