*note- from now on, everything happens when they're 18.

..they make up

It’s been 2 weeks since their fight and neither of them has initiated an attempt to patch things up. It’s the longest they’ve ever gone without talking to each other. 
The past record being 5 days when he had gone to a friend’s hometown in midland America two years ago. 

Junsu and Donghae continue to sit with the girls at lunch complaining about his bad temper, which only seems to get worse.



She peers out of her window for the 100th time. The curtains on his side have also been perpetually drawn since their fight. She wants to go over and apologize to him, like in the old days. All it used to take was a light punch on the arm or a carton of strawberry milk to restore their friendship but she knows that this time it is different. 

What she doesn’t know is that he is on the other side, longing for the exact same thing. He is watching her shadowy figure flick the light switch on and off in her room in a distracted manner. He has been doing this obsessively for the past hour even though his phone keeps buzzing. 


Finally with a long sigh, he gets up and picks up his phone.
After taking a moment to think about it, he guiltily types a reply.

Hey Taeyeon. Something came up so I won’t be able to go to the movies. I’ll forward you the reservation number – you should still go! Take Tiffany, I know she wants to watch it. Sorry.

After pressing send, he goes back to watching her window longingly. 

*********************************

“Woah! Have you seen the new chick?”
“Damn she’s hot!”
“I’m so jealous! They make the hottest couple ever!”
He ignores the routine morning homeroom chatter as he sits gazing off into space. It’s the 15th of October and he’s in an even worse mood than usual.

By afternoon, it appears that the school is still abuzz with the same gossip about some hot new couple.

“Hey Hyukkie, want to try some of my fro-yo?” Taeyeon asks hopefully but he shakes his head. He feels a little bad but he isn’t in the mood for playing the role of good boyfriend.

“Wow! Who knew Doojoon was hiding her away? No wonder we couldn’t compete!” 
His ears perk up. 
“I know right! I am totally dying of jealousy. Gina unnie is like..so hot and Doojoon is like..so y,” Taeyeon’s best friend Tiffany is gushing.

“Hey, are you talking about Yoon Doojoon?” he tries to sound casual but his heartbeat is rising.
“Yup!” Tiffany nods. “His girlfriend Gina just transferred to our school. They are like.. the most perfect couple ever! I mean, after you and Taeyeon, of course! And if Siwon finally asks me out!”

But he’s already standing up and grabbing his things. “I’m sorry. I forgot something,” he apologizes to Taeyeon and rushes over to where Sica and Sooyoung are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where’s she?” he asks.
“I assume you mean Hyo?” Sica raises an eye brow lazily and then shrugs, “I don’t know. She didn’t come to school today.”
“I think she is...” Sooyoung starts to explain but he’s already running towards the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As he races home, he thinks guiltily back to his words to her. Even though he said them, he hadn’t wanted them to come true.
She must be hurting really badly if she couldn’t even make it to school. I have to go to her. 

Before that, he stops over at the Family Mart to buy something he had been debating about for the past week.


He rings the doorbell, tapping his fingers on the door anxiously.
He is expecting the worst – red swollen eyes, dark under eye circles, messy hair, baggy sweatpants, perhaps a tub of ice cream in her hands..

But instead, 

there she is - in all her dazzling glory wearing a little black dress. Her hair is straightened and looks so impossibly silky, he has the sudden urge to run his fingers through them; pink gloss that perfectly accentuates her full pout and eyes like he’s never seen them before- heavily lined, smoky and just … stunning. 

He can’t seem to remember how to breathe.



“Hyukjae!” she exclaims in surprise.
He tries to pick his jaw off the floor quickly. “Hi” is all he manages to squeak out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She closes the door behind her and they sit down on her back porch. He gives her his jacket to put over her legs and she awkwardly explains that her aunt is opening an online shopping mall. “I’m only doing this because she’s going to pay for my Winners Dance School fees!” 

He merely nods unable to come up with an ‘appropriate’ response. He might start to blabber about how grateful he is to her aunt and what an awesome lady she must be!

She smoothes her hair self consciously and starts to pull it up into a messy bun but he stills her hands. “Leave it. It looks.. nice like this.”
Her cheeks redden – it’s a strange feeling. 
He is at a loss as well. He doesn’t want to stare but even with his head looking straight ahead his eyes refuse to follow suit. 

She clears finally, “Yah, aren’t you supposed to be in school?” He slaps himself for forgetting the real reason for his visit. Thankful for a distraction, but dreading the effect it is going to have on her, he gently breaks the news about Doojoon and Gina; naturally, leaving out the part where he ran like a madman to come find her.
She seems to have guessed though, because the sides of her lips are twitching, trying to hold back a grin. 


“Are you going to be okay?” he looks at her seriously.
Strangely, she lets out a giggle, “Yes, you pabo! I’m already okay! I told you then that I didn’t like him like that but you weren’t in the mood to listen, remember?”
“Good!” he exhales feeling like the weight of Everest has been lifted from his shoulders and then adds in a smaller voice, “I don’t smoke anymore. Sorry!” How could he have forgotten that she had lost both her grandparents to lung cancer!

“I’m so relieved Hyukjae,” she is beaming as she hugs him. “Thank you.”
“And sorry for being a jerk. Side effect of smoking, I promise!”
She gives him her brightest smile and everything is forgotten. He feels better instantly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ok. Let’s go celebrate!” he says in his most cheerful voice since weeks.

“Yah! What’s there to celebrate? Even though I wasn’t in love with Doojoon, my pride’s a little hurt. I mean he didn’t know for sure that I didn’t like him, right? How could he just play with my feelings?” she pouts.
He gives her head a little nudge. “No, you silly girl! Think! What day is it today?”

She pauses for a bit and then claps her hand over . “October 15th! It’s our..”
“Eighth anniversary.”