I was tidying up my pallets and paints after today’s Art club activity. Everyone had left the room and my phone buzzes to reveal 1 new text. I smiled as I saw it.

Right at that moment, the door opened, pulling my attention towards the sound. Then there’s Jae Hyuk.

“Hey. I was walking out when I noticed you’re not outside”

“Uh yeah. I was cleaning up my stuff” I said, pointing towards my work station that is now ‘almost’ tidy.

“Are you done now?” He asked and I nodded.

I flinched when I felt his hands on my shoulder; he said “well, let’s go together then.”

When I was about to shake off his hands, the door opened. The hand that was once on my shoulder was yanked away by force. And I turned my head in response. I saw an annoyed Bobby.

“Bro, why are you always interrupting us” Jae Hyuk finally sounded out his annoyance towards Bobby after all those tense encounters in the past.

“Don’t touch her,” Bobby ignored his question.

Jae Hyuk scoffed, “who are you to say that”

“I’m her boyfriend” Bobby replied in a matter of factly.

He went past Jae Hyuk to take my bag and take my hand in his. “Let’s go”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I like you,” Bobby said.

All I can hear after that is my deafening heartbeat. But I treated it as one of his usual joke.

I let out a fake laugh and playfully slapped his shoulder, “Hey! Don’t make that kind of joke. I’m also a girl you know. I know you don’t see me that way. But it will be complicated if I catch feelings” I said in a joking manner, but also slightly hinting the truth.

The heat creeps up to my face as he continued to gaze at me, not saying anything. The silence between us is so loud that even our breathing sounds so deafening. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and not knowing what to do, I was about to turn away and stand up, when he finally breaks the silence.

“I like you,” he said it again. And this time I was silent.

He took this chance to continue, “I like you a lot and I’m not joking.”

He sighed rubbing his face as if he’s frustrated to put his feelings into word, “Is it that hard to believe? You didn’t notice it at all?”

I still sat there, dumbfounded and not daring to move an inch.

“You-” he paused, his brows furrowed and eyes looking down, “I want to protect you like nobody else can. I want to hold your hand when you’re about to fall. I want you to lean on my shoulders when you need rest. And I want to walk with you, when nobody is there. So I can be with you. To be honest, I’m scared to accept this feeling. But I can’t deny it anymore. I can’t hold it in anymore.”

By the time he finished, his eyes meet mine again. I was loss for words, “I- I-”

He gave me a sad smile, “I’m not asking for answer.” He was back to his normal self within a second, “Wah! Letting all that out feels great. I’m okay Hyo Kyung, don’t worry. Don’t make my feelings burden you. And don’t you dare disappear on me tomorrow. Just act like none of this ever happened, oka-” he rumbled in a cheerful tone.

I cut him in a low voice, “How can you say ‘act like nothing happen’? You may do this a lot of times before, but it’s not the case for me.”

“Well-,” he was about to correct what he had said when I interrupted him again. This time, his eyes widened.

“I like you too” after blurting it out, I faced the other way, never imagined it to be this embarrassed in putting feelings into words.

The next thing i know is I was pulled towards a hug and all I could feel was the warmth from his body. This time though, I can hear his rapid heartbeat, mirroring mine. All this time I was too busy controlling and suppressing my heart that I missed his heart beat all along.

He hugged me so tight, but I can feel that he’s somehow relieved. I heard him whisper, “God! I like you so much, it’s insane”

I never replied him. But instead, I hugged him even tighter. We just stayed like that, not saying anything, embracing our feelings.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15 minutes before

I was tidying up after club activity when my phone buzzed.

I’m walking to the art room -Bobby

I smiled as I saw it, cannot wait to meet Bobby, or now so called ‘my boyfriend’. It’s still weird to think that day even happened that we are now dating. Even up until now, I wonder why he liked me. Busy in my thought, the door opened to reveal none other than Lee Jae Hyuk.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Present

Bobby’s arms were around me as we exit the art room, leaving the dumbfounded Jae Hyuk behind.

“Did you see his face just now?” Bobby laughed and I can’t help but laughed as well. I never saw that face on him before.

I slapped his chest with the back of my hand lightly, “look at you all proud.”

“Of course. I can say that you’re my girlfriend to him. Finally” he puffed up his chest.

I laughed, “Don’t get too happy”

“I can’t. I’m too happy when I’m with you” he said.