----- Valentine’s Day Cont. -----

After both of their classes have finished, Bona leads Irene to a spot near a lake and then takes out her wand. With a few words, a picnic blanket and basket appear in front of them. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Bona chuckles when Irene gives her a surprised expression, then leads them to sit down. She opens the basket, “We said to treat today like any other day and we’ve had picnics before and oh my!” 

Bona acts shocked when she pulls out chocolate covered strawberries. “Where did these typically romantic delectables come from? And what the heck is behind me? Omo!” Bona looks back and summons a bouquet of peonies flowers before turning back to Irene. 

“You are seriously such a dork,” Irene smiles brightly as she accepts the flowers and smells them. “Thank you. Aw, I knew I should have got you something.”

“You’re very welcome and don’t worry about it,” Bona reassures, then jokes, “I just hope what I got you was better than what you got this morning. I heard you got a few gifts.”

Irene’s shoulders deflate, “So you’ve heard. If anything, I gave Wendy back the tickets. There was a mishap on her end about them.”

“Tickets?” Bona inquires.

“Yeah, the Quidditch World Cup ones,” Irene takes a bite from a chocolate-covered strawberry.

“Holy , you’ve got some real steel walls, Bae! To be honest, I think I would’ve taken them if my ex had purchased those tickets originally to go with me. I tried buying them back when they were first released a few months ago, but they’ve been sold out since,” Bona admits.

“A few months ago?” Irene pauses.

“Yeah, back in November,” Bona bites into a strawberry as well.

Wendy bought the tickets… in November? But wouldn't that mean…

"In hindsight, this is probably a terrible segue, but speaking of Wendy," Bona sits up a little straighter. "I know that your breakup wasn't that long ago and I don't know what exactly goes on in that big brain of yours, so I never knew when would be a good time to bring this up."

Irene's head tilts in curiosity and listens in silence as Bona continues.

"But I like you, Irene. I care for you. I really do. But I've also been in your position before and so even if you believe you already have an answer to what I'm about to ask, I don't want you to tell me right away. I need you to really think about it, okay? So, here goes."

Bona takes a deep breath, "Irene Bae, will you be my girlfriend?"

There it is. Irene knew this would happen eventually, but for some reason, it still stunned her. This question had loomed over their heads for weeks and now here it was, in front of their faces. She struggles to find the right words and just as Irene begins to speak, Bona stops her.

"Think about it for at least a day and take a few more if you need to. I know I might sound ridiculous, but I'm serious. In my last relationship that I was in, I rushed into it. I had also broken up with an ex at the time and I became putty at the first person who showed me some sort of care that would help me forget them. But in the end, both of us were hurt much more than we should've been."

"But-"

"I'm not saying that you've been using me nor am I saying that whatever feelings you have for me aren't true. All I'm saying is that I want you to be sure," Bona reaches out and holds onto Irene’s hands. "Sure that your mind isn't fighting your heart even in the tiniest bit."

Irene squeezes the other girl's hands in agreement to her request and breathes out, "Okay… But what if I-"

"Don't worry about hurting my feelings if you realize you aren't ready to take that next step with me," Bona soothes her correctly guessed concern. "Like I said, I've gone through what I'm pretty sure is happening to you now or hey, maybe I'm wrong, but either way, this will save us from a lot of potential hurt. If you're completely ready to be my girl, perfect. But if you still need time to sort yourself out on your own, then that’s perfectly fine too because I loved being your friend first and will happily continue to be your friend after all is said and done. Whatever you decide, I'll completely understand."

Irene lets Bona’s words sink in before releasing a deep breath, “You’re too good for the world, Kim.”

The other girl chuckles, “Aw, don’t flatter me.”

The rest of the picnic was spent peacefully without much difference in comparison to when they’ve done this before. And as Irene sits there with her, it’s hard for her to imagine saying no when all seems to be going so well between them.

----- The Next Day -----

When Irene woke up the next morning, her thoughts of becoming Bona’s girlfriend had yet to sway. Irene was grateful that Bona had put her feelings above her own, but Irene was sure that nothing could make her change her mind. Before she went to bed, she did give it some thought as the other Slytherin had requested and nothing made her doubtful. No one made her doubtful. No one should. No one who she is mad at shouldn’t make her doubtful. And that settles it in Irene’s mind.

She’s scrolling through her phone when a pop-up appears that her mom was calling. Joy and Jennie had left the dorm a while ago so she didn’t hesitate to answer, “Hi, mom!”

“Hi sweetie, I’m just calling to check-in on you. Even after seven years, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten used to not being able to see you as often. But now, you’re finally going to be graduating in a few months!” Her mom says happily.

“Time really does fly, huh mom?”

“Oh you’re telling me, hon,” her mom laughs warmly. “So, what’s been going on over there? Are your studies okay? How are Joy and Jennie? You should invite them over next time, it’s been a while since I’ve seen those kids…”

Irene and her mom catch up for the next couple of minutes, answering her mom’s many questions as well as asking about what has been going on at home and the smile on Irene’s face never seems to wash away. Talking to her mom was always like that. With the exception of a few typical quarrels, the two were extremely close and her mom always seemed to know the right words to calm her down and bring her clarity. So as she’s on the phone, she wonders if she should bring up her relationship status and to get affirmation about her feelings. But then she remembers that she had never told her parents that she and Wendy had broken up. She was too embarrassed to tell them when she had returned home that fateful night and opted to say that she was homesick instead to explain why she was back.

“Irene, dear,” her mom breaks her trance. “I almost forgot to ask! How’s that sweet girl, Wendy?”

Irene sighs as the name escapes her mom's mouth, “About that-”

“Did you see the surprise I had packed you?”

“-Wendy and I- Surprise? What surprise?” Irene back tracks (her mother always had a knack for asking questions too quickly when on the phone).

“So I take that as a no,” her mom snickers. “I forgot to ask you when you had come home, so I was hoping you would have found it by now. I guess I’ll just tell you where it is. Go check your traveling bag. When you open it, it’s in the inner pocket. Oh boy! Your dad is urgently requesting my help. I’ve got to go, dear. You know, he’s finally trying to cook that dish that he and Wendy kept talking about and I guess it must’ve been harder than he thought. I’m coming! Anyways, tell her I said hi, okay? Bye sweetie, love you!” Her mom rushes at the end.

“Love you too,” Irene manages to squeeze in before her mom hangs up. In an instant, Irene drops her phone on her bed and rushes to her suitcase, whipping it open in excitement. Of course, her mom put the surprise in the one pocket Irene put absolutely nothing in so she had no reason to look in it beforehand.

When she reaches in, she feels something flat. Immediately, Irene thinks it's money and with her eyes closed, she pulls it out enthusiastically then guesses how much the bill could be. She opens her eyes and her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach.

It was just a still image, but the moment plays in Irene’s mind as if it had only happened yesterday.

**

"Did you get the money shot, dad?" She laughs lightheartedly and he takes another picture before putting the camera down and giving her a thumbs up. It was then when she sees a smile on his face too. Seeing that the picture-taking was done, she goes to move before realizing that Wendy was still looking at her.

"What? Is there something in my teeth?" Irene worries. 

"No, it's just...," Wendy's voice turns soft. "You're beautiful."

**

In the photo, Irene was caught smiling mid-sentence at her dad. Next to her was Wendy, looking at her with an expression Irene’s sure she had never seen before. Honestly, she doesn’t think anyone has ever looked at her like that. Wendy wore a soft, endearing smile and her eyes were fixed onto her like she was the only person that mattered.

The way Wendy was looking at her in that picture…

Irene used to look at her like that. How there could be a million people in the room, but only one person would completely enrapture her. So many emotions hit Irene at once and it’s almost too much.

She just wants to rip the photo in half out of frustration. Her fingers grip the top of the image and she’s ready to create a tear and yet, they don’t move. She can’t get herself to rip it apart. To rip them apart. She can’t do it no matter how much she should. And the fact that she can’t was telling her something that she had long been refusing to admit to herself.

“!” Irene grunts out in frustration and throws the photo towards the trash can. She falls onto her bed and brings her hands up to cover her eyes, whispering desperately, “Why do you still have a grip on me?”

--

The moment she sees Bona that morning, she does not wait to tell her that she needs another day to think about it. And to no surprise, Bona easily understands and that just makes Irene feel all the more bad about making her wait. All at once, Irene feels as if she had been wasting Bona’s time for weeks, potentially leading her on. But on one hand, Irene knows that whatever she feels for Bona is real to whatever extent that may be. If someone were to ask if she cared for the girl, Irene would not hesitate to say yes. They were friends first before they became anything after all.

But on the other hand, there’s Wendy and whatever the hell Irene feels for her.

Wendy, who had made her feel everything, everywhere, all at once. The same person who still invades her mind when she least expects it. The same person who, when in the same room, makes Irene feel like she can’t breathe. The same person who is simply too hard to ignore.

The mental battle would continue for the rest of the day and when she returns to her dorm, the first thing she notices is Joy and Jennie hunched over the taller girl's desk.

“What are your two doing?” Irene asks.

“Nothing!” Both girls say simultaneously in panic as they turn around to face Irene.

“What’s behind you, Joy?” Irene looks at her pointedly.

“Nothing special... just you know, stuff…,” Joy replies awkwardly, making Irene even more suspicious. Irene starts to approach her and two girls try to evade Irene’s reach but eventually, Irene pries Joy's hand forward. She looked at what she was holding and to Irene’s horror, Joy was holding the picture that Irene thought she had thrown away.

“We um… found this near the trash can today,” Joy says as she properly shows Irene the picture.

The three best friends share looks and Irene sighs, “I know you have more to say, so just say it.”

Jennie hums in thought and then speaks, "You never really talked about what happened between you two with us, Rene. Not that you have to, but we just think it would be a good idea for you to talk about it, you know? But only if you’re comfortable with it, of course!"

“I have nothing to say about it,” Irene says plainly as she glances at the photo again. “I threw it towards the trash for a reason and that’s that.”

“Well, if that’s the case, Jennie and I noticed a crease towards the middle of the picture. Do you want us to just rip it for you? It seemed like that’s what you wanted to do?”

When Irene says nothing, Joy motions to tear it in half and Irene feels stiff as it’s about to happen.

“No!” Irene yells and rushes to take it from Joy's hands, clutching it close when in her possession.

The atmosphere grows still.

“Irene,” Jennie trails sympathetically while Joy's mouth hangs in shock.

And just like that, Irene breaks. opens and the words don’t stop coming out. She explains everything right from the start of the school year. She tells them about the arrangement and their dropped jaws doesn’t make Irene refrain from continuing. She tells them about how she and Wendy tried to become friends, but ultimately became something more. She tells them about Wendy’s confession but how Wendy broke her heart not long after and everything in between. And lastly, she talks about her situation with Bona and how despite how much she likes her, Wendy still manages to have some sort of indescribable hold over her.

“Holy ,” is the first thing Joy says when Irene finally stops.

“That was… unexpected to say the least,” Jennie adds.

“I don’t know what to do,” Irene speaks wearily. “Or maybe I should know. I mean, the answer should be obvious, right? Clearly, it’s-”

“Bona.” “Wendy.” “Bona.”

“What?!” Irene exclaims when she hears Jennie say ‘Wendy’ instead. “How on earth is it Wendy?! Did you not hear what I just said?”

“Yeah, Kim, what’s up with that?” Joy says. “What I heard was that Irene got played and that she and Bona have genuine feelings for each other. The only problem is that Irene isn’t completely over Wendy yet, but she’ll get there.”

“You want to know what I heard?” Jennie starts. “For one, I’m hearing failure for communication. Jisoo and I used to have communication problems, so I can recognize it when I hear about it whereas you two still struggle with it.”

“I don’t struggle with communication!” Joy says in defense.

“You think Seulgi likes someone else when it’s clear to literally anyone with eyes that she likes you and you’d know that by now if you just talked to her,” Jennie tells Joy. 

“I-I...” Joy stutters before turning silent.

Then, Jennie turns to Irene. “And you. You didn’t even give Wendy a chance to explain herself. Instead, you just left her there without letting her get a word in. Think about it, Rene. If she already attained what she had wanted so badly, why would she try so hard to explain herself to you after the fact? You said you both planned on ending it after winter break anyways, so then there’d be no point for her to try and fix whatever you two had going on when school resumed and yet, she is. Sure, she could have given you some bull answer, but again, what would she gain from that if she already got what she wanted and had already planned on dropping you once break was over? And don’t say it’s because she wanted to still look good to the other students because her reputation is obviously doing just fine despite your mysterious break-up.”

Irene just stares speechless at Jennie as she continues. The girl's words hit Irene like a truck as her previous concerns of not talking it out with Wendy appeared to be a much bigger deal than she had thought.

“So, I think you should talk to her. For closure, if anything.”

“Okay,” Irene draws out. "I guess I can see why you think I should talk to her for closure, but that doesn’t really explain why you would choose her over Bona though.”

"I do have a second reason, but this is something I feel like you should come to the conclusion to by yourself," Jennie says apprehensively.

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't want to say it and have you believe it just because I told you," Jennie explains.

"But you basically just told Joy that Seulgi likes her back when you don't know that for sure," Irene counters.

"That's different from this, Rene."

"How could it possibly be any different?"

"It just is, okay?" Jennie tries.

"Jennie, please. I'm a literal mess right now and all I'm asking is for help, not for more confusion," Irene crumbles and sits on her bed, prompting Joy and Jennie to sit next to her in comfort.

"I'm sorry, Rene," Jennie apologizes and places a hand on Irene's back.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't even be getting mad at you," Irene takes a deep breath. "Wendy was just… She meant the world to me and with just one word, she completely shattered me into pieces. I was literally against her before I even met her for the stupidest reason and yet she somehow managed to turn that into complete and utter affection. You know, I used to wish that I had realized my feelings for her earlier because we could have had so much more fun together if I wasn't so stubborn."

Irene pauses and Joy and Jennie wait for her to continue. 

"But then that happened and I just couldn’t bear to see her happy again without me. I wanted to act as if whatever we had never happened at all, but it would all come rushing back every time I noticed her in a room. I wanted to make her mad and regretful and then, I met Bona. Bona, my goodness! She's everything a girl could wish for. She's amazing in every way imaginable and just when I thought I found someone who’s perfect enough to not make me think of anyone at all, Wendy just never seemed to escape me. I try to avoid her in real life? I'm thinking of her. I try to stop thinking of her? My eyes land on her from across the room when that’s the last thing I should be doing whenever I'm with Bona. I just can’t understand why. I should hate her… but I can’t."

“And why do you think that is?” Jennie pushes.

“I don’t know!”

“But you do! Honestly, I think you’ve known for a long time now, but you just refused to admit it out loud because you know the minute you do, it changes everything.”

Words get caught in Irene’s throat as she processes what Jennie had been trying to pull out of her. Maybe Irene does know the reason why she can’t seem to let go of Wendy, but she had been denying it the moment the words nearly escaped all that time ago. She refused to acknowledge it for the sake of her own feelings, but now, she has more than herself to be concerned about. So, maybe she should face the facts because the longer she tries to bury it, the more hurt she’ll cause to both herself and to others.

“Oh c’mon Jennie, just tell her,” Joy says. “We’ll only go in circles if Irene can’t figure it out.”

“Believe me, it’ll be better when she admits it herself.”

Joy presses, “Admit what?”

Irene gulps as she and Jennie's eyes meet.

“That I love her,” Irene looks at the photograph in her hand. “I love Wendy.”

A/N: At last, it has been admitted out loud!!

A lot has been unpacked (get it? sorry, bad pun) this chapter and now we wait to see what Irene will do about it. Plus, did any of you forget about the fact that Irene's mom left something in her bag? (ngl, I even forgot until I re-read my story!) Either way, now you know! And yes, I made Bona extremely understanding about the whole situation LMAO sue me :D.

And about the whole quidditch ticket thing, in case some of you may have missed what I was trying to imply (although I'm sure you didn't, I'm just overthinking), the significance of it being bought in November is that the Quidditich World Cup doesn't take place until way after winter break and it was bought when Irene and Wendy weren't even dating yet so our Ravenclaw had some high hopes of what would follow after their "deal" had ended.

Lastly, one other update I'd like to give you all is that I'm not really sure when the next chapter will be out. To be honest, I've been having a huge writer's block for chapter 25, but decided to release this chap now because I didn't want it sitting around finished without ever knowing when it would have been published. For all I know, I could finish chapter 25 within a few days or maybe a few weeks, I'm not sure. If anything, I've been working on a new wr one-shot for a while as that typically helps me get the creative juices going, so keep an eye out for that!

Thanks for reading and giving me such loving support up to now! Don't be shy to comment or share your thoughts on twitter in a kind manner!

Til next time - S (rv_twice5 on twitter!!!)