Joohyun sat restlessly in her seat, the other occupant of the table stared at her as she raised her head, scanning the place for a familiar face she has avoided for a long time. She has a bad feeling about being here, she knew her friend would kind of set something up for them, she just knows it. Even though her friend promised her that she won’t invite her over for her girlfriend’s birthday, but oh, her friend has a knack for surprises and pushing her buttons, so she has zero trust over that.

The thought of seeing her ex again bothers her to the point where she can’t even finish her dinner, thank God she only took small amount of food. So, she sipped on her glass of whiskey instead, that’s one way to drown out her anxiousness. She was not very sure why she’s quite jittery, to be honest – she’s certain that she has moved on. Her ex has moved on, too, she guesses.

Every time someone brushes past through their table her head cranes up and checks if it is indeed her. It’s not like she’s expecting or excited to see her, she just doesn’t want to see her not when she’s the one who broke things off. Drama is like the last thing Joohyun wanted.

“God, Joohyun chill. I swear I didn’t send Seungwan invites for Seulgi’s birthday. Even if Seulgi is Seungwan’s close friend too, by the way.” She heard her friend, Joy, say as she placed a plate full of food from the buffet. She gave her friend a look of judgment before she emptied her glass.

“Okay, okay. I’m putting my trust on you this time. I just don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Pfft, Seungwan has already moved on, I think? I mean, she hasn’t talked about you for months now so that’s an improvement.”

“Right,” Joohyun doesn’t need to know that, does she? “That’s good to hear, Joy.”

You see, the reason why she’s so uneasy is she doesn’t want Seungwan to see her. Afraid that it would discomfort the other party and that it would resurface her guilt on breaking up with the woman.

Yet here she is – sitting at a table at the party, where Joy practically begged for her to come. An invite from her friend who says who missed her due to her distance from her and Seungwan’s breakup. Her friend whom she forced made to promise to not to invite her ex.

Joohyun flitted her eyes from the door to her wristwatch and checked the time, she has been in the party since it started an hour ago and there are no signs of her ex perhaps her friend did keep her end of the bargain.

“What’s good to hear?

Both of them looked up at the newcomer, Joy immediately smiled seeing who it was. “Oh, Joohyun and I were just talking about Seungwan. Can you believe that she doesn’t trust me about not inviting Seungwan for her?”

Seulgi took a seat next to Joy and chuckled, almost too nervously for the two.

“Not inviting Seungwan, huh.”

“Yeah, that.” Her girlfriend answered.

Seulgi fidgeted in her seat and eyed the door. Joohyun narrowed her eyes and looked at the celebrant skeptically. Something isn’t right and it bothers her a whole lot.

Joy noticed her girlfriend turning antsy. She turned her head and looked at her girlfriend, “Something the matter?”

“I may have kinda invited Seungwan over,” Seulgi frantically looked at Joohyun and Joy, eyes darting back and forth between them.

“You what?!” Joohyun exclaimed loudly enough for the guests to look at their table, she cleared and asked again in a much gentler and hushed tone, “You what?”

“I’m sorry, Joohyun. I didn’t know, I mean I know that you two broke it off, but I thought you’re okay with it, Seungwan’s okay with it when I said you’re coming.”

Joohyun pinched the bridge of her nose. Think. Think. Maybe she can still run away? Or she can stay, it’s no big deal, right? She’s already moved on, right? Right.

“See, Joohyun? I kept my end of the deal. Maybe it’s time. There’s a saying that goes ‘you’ll know that you’ve moved on when you see each other and you don’t feel anything’.” She heard Joy say.

Joohyun had to laugh, “You obviously made that up.”

“Ha! I wish I could think of something like that.”

She rolled her eyes at her friend; She was about to spew out a comeback to Joy but was interrupted by Seulgi who suddenly stood up and left their table and approached the newly arrived guest.

Speaking of the devil.

Joohyun’s bane is here.

There she was, short blonde hair flashy as ever. She remembers playing with that soft and fluffy hair, those times when she can still do that. She has this smile – a smile that could sweep someone off their feet – while greeting some guests at the party, Joohyun remembers that too, and how she’s the receiving end of that.

It felt like everyone was canceled out from Joohyun’s view, the blonde was the only one she could see now. Joohyun followed Seungwan’s every movement until the woman turned her attention to their table. She doesn’t know whether it’s the lighting or it’s just Seungwan but she looked so good tonight. Seungwan smiled at her and she could swear she felt her heart jump out of her chest. Guess, she still gets to be at the receiving end of that smile.

Joohyun quickly averted her gaze back to the table and she saw Joy giving her a smug look, “What?”

A hum, “Nothing, I thought Seungwan was smiling at me. I thought wrong. Exes can still smile at each other Joohyun.”

“I-I know that,”

“Naaw, look at you losing composure with just a smile.”

“Shut up.”

From her peripheral, Joohyun could see Seulgi nearing with Seungwan in tow. The mono-lid eyed woman quickly took a seat next to her girlfriend, trying to avoid Joohyun’s gaze.

Joohyun looked at Joy, who has a wide smile plastered on her face and to her friend’s girlfriend, who smiled nervously at her.

Wait, Seulgi sat next to Joy, that means…

Joohyun slowly turned her head to her left and saw her ex gently dragging the chair and settled herself next to her.

The blonde smiled at her, “You don’t mind right?”

“N-no, not at all. It’s okay, yeah. Okay.” She looked back at Seungwan and forced out a smile.

She heard Seungwan chuckle at her rambling and wow, she never knew hearing her ex’ chuckle would put her at ease. Joohyun didn’t know that she was s