There's a shift in their friendship after that incident.

 

Their other friends took notice, but after seeing Joy almost lash out when she got pestered about it, they refrained from asking again, only feeling comfortable talking about the issue whenever she's not around.

 

They tried asking Wendy too, but the girl remained tight-lipped about what had happened to the two of them. Yes, they were still best friends. But there was no denying that there's some underlying tension whenever the two of them would interact.

 

**********

 

Despite Wendy telling her that she already forgave her, because she’s just that weak-willed when it comes to the younger girl, Joy still tried to make it up to her after that night.

 

Maybe it's because she felt the tension in all their interactions, or maybe she just felt bad for neglecting the older girl when she already promised not to do it again.

 

But for a whole month, Joy did her best to limit the time she spent with Hyoseob and spent them with Wendy instead.

 

For a whole month, Wendy got woken up with breakfast in bed and the sight of Joy's beautiful, smiling face as the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes.

 

The weekdays, they'd spend staying in their apartment, either binge-watching the movies they promised to watch together, or with Wendy helping Joy grade her students' art projects.

 

On weekends, they'd go on long drives late at night to stargaze and talk about anything and everything under the sun.

 

Of course, Wendy was happy at first. It had been a while since they've spent quality time with just the two of them.

 

But she also couldn't deny the fact that there were times when, even though Joy was with her, the younger girl's gaze would stray a little too often towards her phone.

 

As if she was expecting something.

 

Or how the light in her eyes is just not as bright compared to when she's with Hyoseob.

 

Maybe she's really pathetic, being happy at the mere fact that the girl she loves is spending time with her. Yet the same girl is thinking of someone else when they're together. Wendy couldn't blame Joy though, because as much as it can hurt, being in love can also be the most beautiful feeling in the world.

 

But how long will Wendy hold on to a love that will never, in this lifetime, be reciprocated?

 

Yeah, she's told herself time and time again that she'll be content with just loving the other girl in secret. But she's also human too.

 

And she's tired, so damn tired, of being the one who's constantly left behind, hurting and with a broken heart.

 

Maybe she's reached her breaking point. Maybe she's gotten her heart broken way too much, because now, she feels like she’s just had enough.

 

Wendy's had enough of the heartbreak, of the pain, of the sadness. All she wants now, is to finally stop hurting.

 

So, it's with a heavy heart that she decides to let go.

 

It's probably one of the hardest decisions she's ever made in her life, but she can't continue letting her life revolve around the younger girl any longer.

 

It's killing her, being so in love with Joy like this. And even though younger Seungwan would have argued otherwise, the Seungwan of today thinks it's best to just let go of these feelings for everyone's greater good.

 

At least, in this case, she'll be the only one who will end up hurting.

 

On the thirtieth day, Wendy let herself be selfish for the last time.

 

From the moment she woke up to Joy's bright smile, and the scent of her cooking – she's gotten better and better at it throughout the weeks – Wendy let herself bask in the happiness and warmth that only Joy can make her feel.

 

Since it's a weekend, they decide to go to an amusement park outside the city to have fun and unwind from the stressful week that they've had.

 

Joy blasts loud pop music on the radio as Wendy drives, dancing and bouncing on her seat as she sings along to the music. There's a huge grin plastered on the older girl’s lips the whole time, laughing occasionally every time the other would make her sing along whenever they'd stop at red lights.

 

Joy's full of energy the whole ride, and Wendy can't help but feel the same.

 

The two of them spend the whole day going on rides and visiting booths, with Wendy winning Joy a prize or two on some of the shooting game booths. They probably ate way too much sugar and junk food than is recommended, but they couldn't care less because they had fun.

 

It's probably the most fun that Wendy's had in a while, so she's sure to treasure all the memories they made on this day in her heart.

 

When the sun starts to set, the two of them fall in line for the Ferris wheel. Wendy's grumbling the whole time, because she's quite tired and the line is just way too long for her liking.

 

But Joy really wants to ride this one before they head home, and who is Wendy to say no to her cute pout and puppy dog eyes? The girl really knows she's cute and charming, and she doesn't hesitate to use it to her advantage.

 

After almost an hour of waiting in line, they're finally able to board one of the carts, much to Joy's delight. Wendy can only shake her head, a small, fond smile on her lips as she watches the younger girl excitedly get on the ride as she follows suit.

 

The sun has almost disappeared in the horizon by this time, leaving the dark night sky painted in beautiful hues of purples, reds, oranges, and gold.

 

Joy's gaze is fixated on the views outside their cart, her eyes shining with so much awe at what she's seeing.

 

Wendy finds her gaze transfixed on the other girl, the lights bathing her in an almost ethereal glow.

 

Joy looks so heartachingly beautiful at this moment that Wendy finds herself unable to look away.

 

"Seungwan, look! The view outside is so beautiful, right?" Joy exclaims, pressing her fingers against the glass panes as she admires the scenery outside.

 

Wendy still can't take her eyes off her.

 

"It is," she says almost breathlessly, the only words able to leave as she admires Joy's beauty instead.

 

And when Joy turns to look towards her, lips curling back into the most beautiful smile, Wendy finds herself falling in love all over again."

 

Aren't you glad I forced you to get on this now?" Joy asks, her grin turning a bit smug. Wendy can only chuckle and shake her head slightly.

 

"Yeah, sure."

 

Joy's nose scrunches at Wendy's playful, curt reply, reaching over to flick the older girl on the forehead.

 

The latter flinches when her finger makes contact with her skin, the flick stinging a little, but she keeps the teasing grin on her lips to which Joy just rolls her eyes.

 

When their cart reaches the peak, Joy pulls Wendy closer beside her and makes the older girl look outside the window too.

 

The sun has completely set, and the sky is beginning to get littered with stars. The view takes Wendy's breath away.

 

As they walk back to her car with their hands intertwined, Wendy can't help but let her mind drift away in thought. Today, she was able to forget about her pain and had fun the entire time.

 

Today, she let herself be selfish for maybe one last time.

 

Today, Joy didn't so much as spare a glance towards her phone, except for when they were taking pictures.

 

It's probably the best day Wendy has had in years. But after today, things are bound to change.

 

After today, Wendy's finally letting go of the feelings she’s kept nursing for years. And as she finds herself staring at Joy's side profile, she can't help but feel this slight sting in her heart.

 

Tomorrow, she's gonna start to forget.

 

**********

 

After their fun-filled day at the amusement park, things went back to normal for Wendy and Joy.

 

But, unlike the past month after Seungwan's birthday, they've slipped back to their normal routines.

 

It was quite hard to adjust again at first, after having been used to Joy's wake up calls and cooking in the morning, but Seungwan was able to ease back to her usual routine eventually.

 

It wasn't even an abrupt change.

 

Joy tried to keep their new routine going, but the both of them eventually began to get busier that it was just hard to keep up. And with the end of their new routine, was Joy slipping back into her old habits.

 

Wendy's ready this time though, so despite it stinging a little, she didn't take the eventual cancelled plans too hard anymore. It's also a good thing, because letting go wouldn't be as hard.

 

Oh, who the hell is she kidding.

 

Of course, it still hurts so ing much, especially when she sees how happy both Joy and Hyoseob are when together. But she’s made her decision, and she's going to stick by it no matter how much it ing hurts.

 

Because it is for the best.

 

Seulgi has been her only confidante, but she doesn't like bothering the other girl with her problems anymore because she has a life to live on her own.

 

And Seulgi had recently gotten busier with her new job, her stress showing each time the two of them video-called each other. Wendy just can't bring herself to bother her friend even though the latter always implores her to open up.

 

So, with no one to turn to, Wendy's basically back to step one – keeping all her feelings to herself.

 

She did consider talking to Eunji, but the other girl is too busy with her work at the hospital on top of her own problems with Naeun, so Wendy immediately brushed off the idea instead.

 

She can't put another weight on her friend's shoulder, even though she knows Eunji would have welcomed her with open arms.

 

The whole moving on plan is such a pain in the too, especially since Wendy still sees Joy almost every day at their apartment.

 

Just how the hell is she supposed to move on if she sees Joy, or something that reminds her of the younger girl, wherever she looks?

 

**********

 

Surprisingly, it's Jennie who Wendy ends up turning to in her times of need.

 

The two of them haven't really seen each other since Wendy's birthday, but after running into the younger girl one night she was out late, Wendy found herself staying with her again.

 

They went back to the park bench where Jennie found her that fateful night, sat there in comfortable silence as they enjoyed the view of the stars in each other's presence. They've been doing that every night ever since.

 

It still baffles Seungwan, how easily she's become comfortable with the other girl.

 

She has a feeling that Jennie, despite her intimidating facade, is the bubbly and talkative type of person. As she had witnessed back during her birthday party and the few times she saw the younger girl when she visited Eunji at the hospital.

 

But every time the two of them meet at that park bench in the wee hours of the morning, Jennie greets her with a pretty smile, sometimes accompanied by a cup of hot cocoa or some coffee, other times with a can of beer, and that's it.

 

They'd let the hours pass in relative silence, relaxed and comfortable despite not sharing more than ten words with each other every single night.

 

And what confuses Wendy even more is how calm she feels every time she gets back to her apartment. It's like the other girl's presence has this therapeutic effect on her, and she’s starting to crave her company.

 

The last time someone had this effect on her, it was with Joy, before all the drama and heartache brought by being in love with the other girl complicated everything.

 

Seulgi was a close second, but she had to work her way to bring down the walls Wendy built around her heart before she could worm her way inside it.

 

With Jennie, everything was just . . . so easy.

 

The girl didn't have to do anything special or grand to gain Seungwan's trust, and the latter finds it refreshing as much as she finds it confusing.

 

Meeting Jennie is like a breath of fresh air during a time when Wendy didn't even realize that she was drowning. That thought always makes her smile despite herself.

 

"You're going out this late again?"

 

Wendy freezes at the door, slowly turning around to look at Joy who's standing by her bedroom door. The younger girl is clad in her pajamas and looks like she's just about to head to bed.

 

Wendy can only smile awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck in unease as she tries to think of what to say to Joy to avoid any confrontations.

 

She didn't think that the other girl noticed her late-night escapades, to be very honest.

 

"Uh . . . yes?" Wendy almost facepalms at her idiocy, but she keeps a cool and composed mask on because she can't be wavering in the face of Sooyoung if she still wants to go out to meet Jennie.

 

Joy's eyebrows furrow as she steps out of her room to approach Wendy, whose grip on the doorknob tightens with each step that the younger girl takes.

 

When she's just about three feet away, Joy stops and crosses her arms over her chest, eyebrows still creased and a frown marring her features.

 

Wendy's starting to get restless because Jennie just might start thinking that she wouldn't be coming tonight.

 

"It's dangerous to head out at this time of the night, Seungwan," Joy says, looking Wendy straight in the eyes.

 

The older girl could only gulp at the intensity of her stare, feeling her knees weakening with each passing second. "Why are you always going out at this time anyway?"

 

"Uh . . . I've had some, uh, trouble sleeping lately," Wendy answers lamely, her shoulders dropping in defeat because the excuse sounded lame even to her ears.

 

"I just, uhm, take a stroll around the neighborhood to relax."

 

"Really now?" Joy asks, her brow raising even higher as her frown deepens.

 

Wendy gulps as her hands begin to shake.

 

"Are you sure you're just taking a walk and it's not because of someone that you always head out of the house at exactly this time every night?"

 

Oh.

 

How the hell is Wendy gonna get out of this interrogation?

 

Why the hell is she even nervous in the first place?

 

And why the can't she just be honest with Sooyoung about her nightly meetups with Jennie?

 

It's not like they're dating anyway. They're just two friends who enjoy silently stargazing in the comfort of each other's presence.

 

And why the heck is Sooyoung making a big deal out of this anyway?

 

As if reading her mind, Joy sighs and lowers her eyebrows.

 

"Look, I just don't want anything happening to you, okay? It's so late into the night and it's dangerous to go out alone at this hour. But if you’re going out nightly because you are meeting someone, then I just want to know, okay? Didn't we promise that we'd tell each other first if one of us starts dating?"

 

Ah, so that's what this is all about.

 

Sighing, Wendy lets go of the door and walks towards the younger girl, placing her hands on her shoulders when they're finally standing in front of each other.

 

With another sigh, Wendy looks Joy straight in the eyes as she forces herself to smile.

 

"It is true that I'm having trouble sleeping lately. And you're right in assuming that I am meeting someone every night when I go out. But we're just friends and I'm not dating her, Joy–"

 

"Her?"

 

"Er, yeah? Anyway, we aren't dating. And you don't have to worry because you'd be the first one to know if I do end up dating someone,” she says, almost biting her tongue due to nerves. Thankfully, Sooyoung didn’t notice.

 

“But for now, I really have to go because she might think that I've stood her up tonight,” Seungwan hesitates, but she steps forward to engulf the other girl in a brief, awkward hug.

 

“I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Sleep well and don't wait up for me, okay? I have my keys so you can lock the door after I leave. Bye, Sooyoung!”

 

With that, Wendy makes a mad dash out of their unit and makes a run for it, even skipping the elevators in favor of the stairs because the damn thing's taking forever to reach their floor.

 

While Joy's left in their apartment, slightly confused at what exactly happened, and staring at the door even long after Seungwan has gone.

 

She's confused and left with no choice but to ignore the slight, sharp pain in her heart when Wendy confirms that she is indeed meeting someone during her nightly escapades.

 

**********

 

Wendy is panting like crazy and her knees are practically screaming at her when she finally reaches the park.

 

Her eyes frantically search the place and she feels the dread draining from her body as soon as her eyes zero in on Jennie's figure sitting at their usual bench.

 

She collects herself first, catching her breath and combing her fingers through her unruly hair, before walking towards the younger girl.

 

Jennie turns to her with her usual smile as soon as Wendy sits down, this time handing her a pack of chips and a bottle of her favorite iced tea drink.

 

Wendy thanks her bashfully, still feeling torn about receiving all these treats from the younger girl and not giving anything back. She did try to repay Jennie's generosity one time, but after spending a whole three hours with the other girl sulking the whole time, she was forced to just it up and receive the treats with just a thank you in return.

 

"I thought you weren't gonna come tonight," Jennie says after a while, breaking the peaceful silence between them as she turns towards Wendy with a slight smile on her lips.

 

"Oh. Uh . . . I kinda had a small chat with my flatmate and forgot to keep track of the time. Sorry," Wendy answers softly, playing with the pack of chips in her hands and unable to look the other girl in the eyes.

 

Jennie's soft chuckle makes her look up though, and she feels her pulse quickening the moment their gazes meet. The girl really has one of the prettiest smiles that Wendy has ever seen.

 

"You don't have to apologize for that, silly. Anyway, I think I've given you enough time to be all emo and mope-y all to yourself."

 

Jennie pauses a bit and turns her gaze towards the sky briefly, before refocusing her attention to Wendy who's been following her actions the whole time.

 

Her smile turns into a full-on grin when she sees the expectant look on Wendy's face, that playful glint in her eyes making a short reappearance before her gaze turns serious again.

 

The younger girl's stare is incredibly captivating that Wendy finds herself unable to look away, even though her heart feels like it's about to burst in her chest at that stare alone.

 

"You've intrigued me from the very first moment we met, Miss Son," Jennie starts with a playful smirk, and Wendy hates how she feels her cheeks blush at the way the younger girl called her by her last name.

 

"I didn't know why at first. But after seeing you here for the first time that night, I kinda understood why I can't stop thinking about you."

 

Wendy feels her cheeks flush even further at Jennie's words, her heart beating like crazy as the two of them continue to stare into each other's eyes.

 

It's been such a long time since Seungwan felt flustered like this, so she doesn't know exactly what to do to stop herself from blushing.

 

"It's your eyes. There's always this sad, haunted look in them that you've been hiding perfectly well in other people's presence. But I kinda caught a glimpse that first night, and you've never bothered trying to hide them from me since we started hanging out here weeks ago."

 

Wendy feels her heart stop and her blood run cold at Jennie's words.

 

If Jennie, who was just weeks ago still a mere stranger to her, took notice of her sadness, then what are the chances that her friends took notice too?

 

There's another pause, this one briefer than the last, before Jennie reaches towards Wendy and takes a hold of her hand, successfully sending her heartbeat into another fit.

 

The smile on Jennie's lips this time is comforting and reassuring.

 

"Don't worry. As I've said, you've hid it perfectly in front of other people. I just happen to be a little keener and more observant than a huge majority of the crowds."

 

At the feel of Jennie squeezing her hand in comfort, Wendy has to fight a squeak from escaping her lips. The knowing look in the younger girl's eyes right after is enough to make her blush harder, prompting Jennie to chuckle a bit.

 

"I'm not doing this to pity you or anything, okay? But you look like you're in dire need of someone to talk to, so . . . You wanna talk about what's been hurting you?"

 

**********

 

"So, you and Jennie, huh?"

 

Wendy almost chokes on her wine when Eunji takes a seat beside her on the couch. They're currently at Byul’s and Yongsun’s place again for their bi-monthly get-together.

 

It's actually a quarter past one in the morning, and only the two of them, and Byulyi and Yongsun, are left awake because everyone else is too drunk to even keep their eyes open.

 

The couple are out at the balcony having a moment to themselves, while Wendy and Eunji are in the living room finishing the leftover wine before going to sleep as well.

 

Eunji had gone and taken a shower some half an hour ago, so Wendy was left with her thoughts and the wine for a while. She's been too engrossed in her thoughts though, that she didn't notice the other girl finishing her bath and rejoining her in the living room.

 

"What the heck, Jung Eunji? Are you trying to kill me?!" Wendy asks in a harsh whisper, mindful of the other people passed out on the living room floors.

 

She wipes the wine, which trickled down her chin, with the back of her hands and continues to down the rest of her glass as Eunji tsk'ed at her while taking a seat beside her.

 

"Obviously, it didn't work," Eunji says in feigned disappointment, prompting Wendy to glare at her as she shoves a glass half-full of wine into her hands.

 

"Tss. Shut up," Wendy says with a growl, bumping shoulders with the other girl to which Eunji merely chuckles.

 

"Stop changing the topic, Seungwan. Your tactics won't work on me. So, you and Jennie? You can't lie to me Wan, because I know that the two of you meet up nightly at that park near your place."

 

"Where'd you even get that from? Are you a paparazzi now?"

 

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Wendy. For your information, she's my temporary flatmate. And yes, she lives with me and Naeun for now.”

 

Eunji rolls her eyes when Wendy sends a teasing smirk her way, gesturing as if she’s going to punch the other girl. Wendy just chuckles, raising her arms in mock surrender.

 

“Anyway, we’ve cornered and interrogated her about her late night trips outside just the other day. Now stop stealing my thunder, making lame jokes like that, and start telling me about your nightly escapades with Jennie."

 

It’s Eunji’s turn to be teasing now, as she waggles her eyebrows suggestively which earns her a flick to the forehead from the other girl, yet the teasing smile never leaves her lips.

 

Wendy gets this strong urge to punch or maybe slap that -eating grin off Eunji's face, but she tries her best to reign in her irritation and just takes another swig of wine from her glass.

 

But it seems as though the other girl won't let her drop the subject any time soon, given how she's staring so intently at her, that Wendy has no choice but to sigh and give in.

 

"There's nothing but pure platonic friendship going on between us, if you must know."

 

At this, Eunji raises an eyebrow skeptically. Wendy could only sigh again, finishing the rest of her wine in one go.

 

"Jennie . . . She's a good person, and a great friend. And she's done so much for me in just these past two months that we've known each other,” Wendy starts, letting out another sigh as she refills her glass.

 

“It's even baffling how I became so comfortable around her so easily, like . . . like I've known her for a long time. I don't feel pressured to open up to her about my problems. It just comes naturally to me to confide in her.”

 

At this, Wendy lets out an amused, almost unbelieving chuckle, as she passes the glass to Eunji who takes a swig before returning it to her.

 

“Would you believe that? It took Seulgi months to get me to open up to her, but Jennie did it in just weeks.”

 

There's an unreadable look that flashes through Eunji's eyes, but it has gone so quick that Wendy thinks she just imagined the whole thing. Shrugging, she finishes the contents of her glass in one go again.

 

Eunji's lips curl up into another teasing smirk as her eyes also glint playfully. Wendy rolls her eyes at her friend and reaches for the bottle of wine to empty its remaining contents into her glass.

 

"And you're only friends?"

 

Wendy squints her eyes at the way Eunji stresses the word 'only', her nostrils flaring a bit as she takes a languid sip of her wine, taking her time to answer the question.

 

It's Eunji's turn to roll her eyes this time, grabbing the glass from her friend’s grasp and bringing it to her lips to stop herself from smacking Seungwan on the back of her head.

 

"Yes. Just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

 

Wendy's lips quirk up on their own when she remembers how close she and Jennie have gotten over the past few days. They've graduated from spending their nights in silence to teasing and playfully arguing with each other into the wee hours of the night.

 

It seems like, ever since Wendy opened up to her about her problems with Joy, Jennie made it her mission to distract her from her heartbreak whenever they're together.

 

Her smile turns into a frown when Wendy sees the teasing look that Eunji is sending her, and just focuses on her wine instead.

 

She gets lost in her thoughts for a moment, thinking of ways to bring up a topic that she's been wanting to discuss since hours ago.

 

Today is the only day she can tell Eunji about this, since they'd all be busy with their own respective lives again come tomorrow.

 

Wendy had wanted to talk about this since after dinner, but they were in the presence of their other friends so it's only just now that she'd be able to bring it up.

 

"Hey, you still okay there, buddy? You look like you're too deep in thought. Wanna talk about it?"

 

It's the only prompt Wendy needs. She slumps against the couch, her gaze unfocused as she keeps staring ahead, seemingly having slipped back into her own thoughts that Eunji is starting to get a bit worried.

 

Eunji is about to shake Wendy from her stupor when the latter's eyes finally clear as she faces the other girl again.

 

"I've decided to let go."

 

"Huh?"

 

"My feelings. For Sooyoung. I've decided to let go of them. It's just . . . I'm so damn tired of hurting all the damn time. And what she has with her boyfriend . . . they make each other so happy, Eunji, that I can't bring myself to even think about being in the way of something so beautiful.”

 

Wendy takes in a deep breath and lets it out through her nose as she closes her eyes.

 

“I won't be able to live with myself if I'd become the cause of their breakup. So, I decided that I'd let go, for everyone's sake. For everyone's happiness.”

 

". . . Really? But what about you, Seungwan? What about your happiness?"

 

"It doesn't matter–"

 

"But it does matter. You deserve to be happy too, you know. Aren't you hurting yourself with what you're doing?"

 

"Of course, it ing hurts. It feels like my soul, my very being, is getting ripped apart every time I see the two of them together. But she's happy, and that's all that matters."

 

"Seungwan . . ."

 

"I'll be fine. Besides, I have Jennie now. She's helping me move on, and she distracts me from the pain as best as she could. I'd get over it – I'd get over her – I just need time. I'm telling you this because I just thought I'd let you know."

 

Silence reigns over them for a few moments, until someone clears their throat which makes the two of them look up. Byulyi and Yongsun are standing at the threshold to the balcony, their gazes sad and teary as they look at Seungwan.

 

Wendy's just glad that there's not an ounce of pity in their eyes as they join her and Eunji on the couch, Yongsun taking a seat beside her while Byul walks over to Eunji's side.

 

It isn't until Yongsun envelopes her in a tight hug that Wendy realizes that she's crying. There are tears running down her cheeks as her lips quiver, and she has to sink her teeth into them just to stop them from trembling.

 

When she feels Eunji hugging her from the other side, and Byul placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, she ends up bursting into a sob.

 

That night, for the very first time in her life, Wendy cried herself to sleep.

 

**********

 

A despondent sigh falls from Wendy's lips as she watches the waiter walk away from her table.

 

It kind of frustrates her because Joy had stood her up. Again. And this dinner was supposed to be the younger girl's attempt at making up for their supposed dinner date last week.

 

Which she also ing missed.

 

Wendy leans back against the booth's backrest, crossing her arms over her chest as the frown on her lips deepen with the seconds that pass by.

 

Still miffed, she turns her gaze towards the window, trying her best to distract herself with making up stories about the lives of the people passing by outside.

 

It's starting to work, and Wendy feels her frustration subside, until someone unceremoniously slides into her booth opposite her.

 

Wendy thinks Joy has finally arrived until she's met with the sight of Jennie grinning brightly at her.

 

Her smile drops a little, and it makes Jennie's eyebrow spike up like how Joy's does when she's annoyed. The sight makes a shiver run down Wendy's spine.

 

"Wow, Son Seungwan, can you be a little more discreet with showing your distaste of seeing me instead of she-who-must-never-be-named?" Jennie says sarcastically, complete with an eye roll, and Wendy immediately feels bad.

 

"I'm sorry. It's just that–"

 

"Yeah, okay, I'm just gonna stop you right there. I'm just kidding Seungwan, you don't have to take it seriously."

 

Wendy actually feels her heartbeat spike at the way Jennie uttered her name, her skin breaking out into goosebumps at how good it sounded coming from the other girl’s lips.

 

They've been friends for more or less two months, and this is the very first time that Jennie had addressed her by her given name, the girl usually calling her by her nickname or by her last name.

 

Wendy wants to hear Jennie say it again, but she doesn't vocalize it in fear of seeming weird to the other girl.

 

"So, what's got your in a twist again – ow! I'm just kidding! Can't you take a joke, woman?!"

 

Jennie is frowning deeply, rubbing at her forehead where Wendy flicked her for her crass mouth.

 

There's a light blush dusting Wendy's cheeks as she pins the younger girl a reproving look, and Jennie just frowns even more as she slumps on her seat.

 

She crosses her arms over her chest, and at the expectant look that Wendy sends her, grumbles out an apology under her breath.

 

"You're in a public setting, Ruby Jane. There are kids here who can hear what you're saying. Can you be a bit more tactful with your words?" Wendy lectures, which makes Jennie sigh and sit up properly.

 

"Fine, sorry. So, what's the problem? What's gotten you frowning like you've just been stood up on a date?"

 

Jennie abruptly stops talking the moment the last word leaves her lips, and she looks at Wendy as realization daws on her.

 

She has an idea of what's exactly happened, but she still needs Wendy to confirm her suspicions. With the older girl's sigh and the slight nod of her head, Jennie feels her heart drop.

 

It doesn't help that Wendy's looking so lost and heartbroken at the confirmation.

 

With a sigh, Jennie leans against her seat's backrest, crossing her arms over her chest as she observes Seungwan for a while.

 

The older girl's gaze is cast downwards, her hands playing with the napkin on the table – a sign that she's distressed and doesn't know what to do. Jennie can only sigh again.

 

"How long?" Her question makes Wendy look up with creased brows, gaze questioning.

 

"How long has Joy made you wait this time?" Jennie asks more elaborately, and she feels her heart break a little at the way Seungwan's shoulder slump in defeat.

 

"Uh . . . A little over three hours."

 

Wendy sees Jennie's lips set into a thin line at her response. And by the way the other girl's jaws are tensely flexing, Wendy figures that the girl’s gritting her teeth to stop herself from saying something that may possibly offend her.

 

Jennie, as Wendy had come to discover over the course of the weeks, has a tendency to be blunt with her words, much like Naeun. But the younger girl is a bit more frank and a little harsher than Naeun is.

 

Wanting to give the other girl some time to collect herself, Wendy stays quiet in her seat as she keeps her gaze on the girl sitting opposite her. It doesn't take Jennie long to calm her irritation, and after she lets out a deep sigh, there's already a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

 

At this, Wendy finally lets out the breath that she had unconsciously been holding. It's Jennie who breaks the silence between them when she decides to speak up.

 

"You know what you need? A break."

 

"Huh?"

 

"You need a break from Joy, Seungwan. Because, let's be honest here, you won't be able to move on and heal if you're always with her,” Jennie says matter-of-factly, the look in her eyes as if saying that it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

 

Wendy finds herself utterly amused.

 

“You need to let yourself breathe and recover to stop hurting, but you won't be able to do that if you're constantly with the main source of your heartbreak.”

 

Jennie pauses and reaches across the table to place her hand on top of Wendy's, their gazes locking in on each other once more.

 

Wendy flips her hand so that they're palm-to-palm, and she almost lets out a gasp when Jennie intertwines their fingers together. The latter takes a deep breath before squeezing Wendy's hand in comfort, the older girl following suit.

 

"With the way things are going right now, there can be only one of two endings here, Seungwan.”

 

With her free hand, Jennie shows Wendy two fingers.

 

“Either Joy ends up with her heart broken, or you get out of this ordeal with not only your heart, but also your spirit, in shambles."

 

Jennie takes a short pause to stare at their intertwined hands. When she looks up at Wendy again, her eyes are shining with so much sadness that the latter has the urge to pull her into a tight hug.

 

"Crazy as it may sound, since we haven't really been friends for long, but I care a lot about you, Son Seungwan. I hate seeing you hurting, and Joy is hurting you whether intentional or not. And I absolutely hate to say this, but . . ."

 

Wendy gulps at the way Jennie's gaze bores into her, her heart rate picking up now more than it ever has before. But the girl's next words are enough to sober her up almost immediately, making her heart drop and break again.

 

"With how I see things, it won't be Joy's heart breaking, Wendy. It'll still be you, who will be left broken and hurting in the end."

 

**********

 

A/N: Lemme know your thoughts?

 

Unedited, ‘cause I didn’t have the energy or patience to proofread.