So I'll hit the lights and you lock the doors
We ain't leaving this room 'til we bust the mold
Don't walk away, don't roll your eyes
They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight

-Let's hurt tonight, One Republic

The next day came by fast enough and I attended every class with determination to get the highest marks. Jaehyun wasn’t in class and I heard from a few people that he was the head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Club or something along those lines so he had a competition with another university. It didn’t bother me but I, later on, got a text from Taeyong while I was in class.

Taeyongie: Back? I’m playing basketball today. You should come and see me.

I chuckled when I saw the text. Taeyong was always very mysterious and we never knew when he would pop and say hi. He was sweet and soft but people found him intimidating because he quiet. A smile played on my lips when he texted me again.

Taeyongie: And welcome back. Sorry. So… Are you coming?

I replied that I would see him and pocketed my phone.

When I was done, I went to the basketball court to see that it was filled. I thought it was just a simple game for the boys but apparently, the whole school was there, cheerleaders on the bleachers and students chanting the school motto.

I felt awkward standing there by the entrance, moving to the side to see Jaehyun sitting on the bleachers with the phone screen towards the basketball court. She saw me and waved so I waved back, walking towards her. I climbed the bleachers and she smiled.

“Unnie, nice skirt,” she said, and I thanked her for the compliment. “I always knew you liked skirts but this one looks like it’s made of satin—Oh, it is.”

“It is,” I told her, sitting next to her. People were filing in like ants and I saw a mascot dancing in the middle of the basketball court. “That’s cute.”

“That’s probably Ten. He’s a Thai guy in cultural studies.” Muffin told me and I saw that Mark was on her phone screen again. She probably wanted him to see the game but he kept complaining that he rather see her face. I chuckled at how sweet he was when I saw that the game was starting.

“Your brother is playing, no?” I asked the female who nodded, pointing. “Which university is this against?”

“YG University,” she replied. “He’s there. With Taeyong and the Japanese dude. Yuta. I told you about him, right? That I went on two dates with him?”

“Yes, you did.” I saw a few familiar faces. Jeno was also playing and I saw a shock of pink hair near them, Jaemin sitting down by the bleachers. “Na Jaemin is playing? He hardly does.”

“He’s probably just sitting in in case something happens. He never goes onto the court. He’s usually there for show.” Muffin told me, shrugging.

“JUNG JAEHYUN! LEE TAEYONG! LEE JENO!—” the voices of the girls chanted out the players’ names and I saw Taeyong look over to me before he waved. I lifted my hand and waved back, seeing Jaehyun’s eyes settle on me.

He smiled and I lowered my head, acknowledging his distant greeting.

A whistle started and I watched the game. I didn’t understand anything about basketball. All I knew was that they had to shoot into the hoop and if they do, it’d be a point for their team. I didn’t know much about the rules or anything else. I saw Jaehyun jog down the court, dribbling the ball before he passed it on to one of his teammates.

“Block!” Jaehyun was telling them and I saw a fire in his eyes.

There it was.

The competitiveness.

Taeyong sidestepped a male, passing the ball onto Jeno who was just by the hoop and they scored one goal. Everyone screamed, a few people standing up to cheer. I smiled seeing Jaehyun pat Jeno on the back. I wish I could understand what they were doing for the rest of the game but then I didn’t and I just cheered when they cheered.

“Switching players! Jaemin on the court!” the coach said and I saw Jaehyun wipe his face off with a towel. His hair was wet from sweat and slicked it back. Na Jaemin stood up and entered the court. I hummed to myself, Jaehyun looking at me for a second when he said something to the coach.

His coach nodded and I saw him grab an extra towel, putting it over his shoulder before he jogged across the side of the court. I frowned to see him coming towards me and I heard them talk behind me.

“He’s coming. He’s probably coming to see his sister.”

“His sister is dating Mark Lee, don’t you know?”

The whispers filled my ears and I saw Jaehyun climb the bleachers before stopping in front of me. I looked up to see him smile, his dimples making an appearance.

“You came,” he said, a hand going to the towel on his shoulder and grabbing it.

“You told me to,” I told him and he nodded. Jaehyun laid the towel on my thighs and I realized that he was covering my legs. He did it so naturally, sliding in the seat beside me. “My skirt isn’t that short.”

“Not when you’re standing,” Jaehyun said. “Skirts hike up when women sit down.”

I looked down onto my lap to see that it was actually true. It was knee length when I stood up but when I sat down, it was mid-thigh. I saw Jaehyun’s eyes go to a few guys sitting in front of me, his gaze darkening.

“What?” I asked and he breathed a sigh.

“Nothing. They were looking at you when you walked in, that’s all.” Jaehyun said and I glared at him. “What? I’m not doing anything.”

“You looking at them is doing something,” I told him and Jaehyun patted the towel on my lap.

“Keep this on your lap. Don’t take it off,” he said and when he saw my expression, he blinked. “I need to go and play for the third round.”

And with that, he stood up and leaped down, walking towards the other side of the gym. I got a few curious looks and a few people spoke amongst themselves that maybe I was his cousin. I saw Jaehyun’s sister roll her eyes.

“He likes her, okay?” she shot to them. “Jesus, people really like to talk. I mean, do we look related?” she asked me, and I laughed.

“I wish I was related to you,” I told her and she sighed.

“Just get together already,” she told me, but I shook my head. “I can tell that he is trying. It’s Jaehyun, Unnie. Look at him. Every three minutes he looks at you. Okay, never mind. He’s looking at the guys there.”

I saw Jaehyun stare his juniors down and I huffed. Jaehyun acting like he owned me was just going to drive me further. I saw Jaehyun’s gaze drag over to me then he winked.

This bastard.

But I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They won and we all knew it would be