Sun Ae sat in silence as she impassively stared at the plate of food in front of her. She heard someone sigh in the seat diagonal from her, but she refused to acknowledge him. She grabbed the silver fork and rearranged the food on her plate impatiently waiting for Jong In to come back. She was just about to shove another piece of lettuce to the side when she felt something brush past her foot underneath the table. Her fork clattered onto the plate as she looked up in surprise in time to catch Taemin look away with a faint smile on his face.

"What are you doing?" She hissed quietly, straightening up in her chair and bringing her legs in closer to her spot.

"We're friends right? It's just a joke" He said easily and she frowned.

"Don't play around like that" She warned as she picked up her fork again.

"We're supposed to be friends. Jong In keeps asking me why you look so mad at me and if we fought about something. He already knows we're friends why not play the part? Unless, you want to tell him why you're so mad at me?" He asked meeting her gaze as she went still, "I could tell him that we dated for a long time, we broke up, but the reason you're mad is because I'm still in lo—"

"Shut up Taemin. Isn't it enough that you keep working your way into our dates?" Sun Ae asked placing the fork down yet again.

"We're all supposed to be friends. If Jong In asks me to join you two sometimes it's not from my doing" Taemin said with a shrug and hoped she couldn't tell that in reality he had to drop heavy hints for Jong In to invite him along. Like tonight when he had to lie about not eating anything all day.

"Well you could decline sometimes"

"Just because I confessed what I've never stopped feelings... are we not friends anymore? Because if that's what you want then I'll decline everything. We won't speak ever again" Taemin stated plainly.

"Can you stay in that friend role then? Can you promise you won't cross the line again?" She shot back.

He smiled a bright smile and laughed. Sun Ae tensed up as she felt a presence come up from behind her.

"What's so funny?" Jong In asked as he sat down and glanced at the both of them.

"Sun Ae was just reminding me about how when we were younger... ha... she would have to hold my hand whenever I tried a new food. I used to be extremely picky" Taemin answered comfortably and Jong In  laughed.

"How come that doesn't surprise me?" Jong In teased and watched carefully as Sun Ae took a bite of food and stared down at her plate.

"You don't look that hungry. Should we just get desert?" He asked her and she smiled.

"That sounds good actually" She said with a nod as he called a waiter over.

"I'll order for us. What are you gonna want?" He asked turning towards Taemin as he pointed out a dish in the menu without telling Sun Ae to surprise her.

"Whatever you guys are having" Taemin answered quickly and Jong In nodded.

The dish came relatively fast. Sun Ae's eyes widened as she watched the waiter bring one large chocolate covered cake and a smaller one for Taemin to have. As he placed it down in front of them she found herself grinning as she stared at how beautifully made it was and could only imagine how delicious it would be. There were small roses made of chocolate placed over it and she didn't even know where to begin.

"It looks amazing" She said in awe as she heard Taemin grab his fork and loudly cut into his own piece.

"Try it" Jong In said proudly as he watched her with expectant eyes.

She grabbed her fork and bit her lip and she reached in and got a spoonful of cake.

"Don't" Taemin snapped as he reached out quickly and gripped her wrist tightly.

She gasped quietly as she froze in place and stared at him with wide eyes. Jong In's eyes flashed in annoyance as he turned to his friend who had a serious look on his face. His annoyance only further increased when he spared him a rather arrogant gaze.

"She's allergic to strawberries. The cake has a strawberry filling inside. You should know that before ordering food for her" Taemin uttered plainly as he felt Sun Ae relax and after a moment of hesitation let go of her wrist.

"He's right. I'm sorry I should have mentioned it before" She quickly cut in.

"I guess it's a good thing you came along right?" Jong In said quietly and Sun Ae didn't miss the slight tone of sarcasm underneath.

"You'll get the hang of it soon" Taemin said with a glint of playfulness in his eyes, "Someday you might even get to know her as well as I  do" He joked, instantly taking note of the flash of discomfort that went by his face.

"Let's just get going for now. I was actually really stuffed from dinner" Sun Ae suggested swiftly, not liking the sudden change in atmosphere.

Jong In agreed as they stood up and he paid for dinner. Sun Ae pulled on her coat and was surprised by how quickly Jong In came by her side and held her hand firmly. She smiled before remembering that Taemin was there. She was about to stop when she realized she owed Taemin nothing really. She was with her boyfriend. She was allowed to smile when he held her hand. When they stepped outside it was just beginning to get dark and she was about to say something when the ring of Jong In's phone interrupted her.

He murmured a quick apology as he answered it quietly. Taemin watched curiously off to the side as Jong In frowned into the phone and stole nervous looks at Sun Ae. He knew he shouldn't be glad,  but there was a bitter sort of satisfaction in Taemin as he realized what was about to happen. He had been through it before so he knew what came next. From the way Sun Ae's shoulders tensed as Jong In reluctantly agreed to the person on the phone he could tell she knew what was coming next. When he hung up the phone he glanced at Taemin who quickly took the hint and though he hated to miss this he nodded and stepped back into the restaurant to give them a moment alone.

"I... have to go. There's an urgent training session. I have to be there" He said apologetically as he turned her hand over in his.

"You're training a lot lately... I mean, I get it, but don't overwork yourself" She said truthfully though she kept her dispapointment to herself.

"I'm so sorry. I  promise I'll make it up to you" Jong In said holding her hand tightly.

"Don't worry about it" She said.

"And I promise that next time it'll be just us" He whispered as he pulled her closer gently.

She laughed quietly into his chest and nodded in agreement. She inhaled his scent, it was so very unique and one that she had grown accustomed to over the past month as they both slowly grew more comfortable with each other. He placed quick kiss on her forehead and she looked up, noticing that he hadn't moved back like usual. She didn't tense up though because part of her was waiting for this only she hadn't realized it yet. Her eyes closed slowly, giving him all the permission he needed as he leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against hers. It was sweet and slow as he put an arm around her waist and held the back of her head gently.

She tilted her head slightly, leaning into his chest and holding on to the fringes of his shirt. Her pulse raced like crazy. She would have given anything to stay in that moment.

Taemin waited impatiently as he looked at his watch. Letting out a tired breath he turned and pushed open the big metal doors. It was almost like watching a movie. A movie that sent chills through his body and made him take two sudden steps backwards. His chest felt tight as he watched them kiss so suddenly. They were at that stage already? When? When did this first happen? Why?

"Excuse us" A man snapped from behind him and Taemin apologized half heartedly as he stepped back and let the door close once again.

If he pretended it didn't happen, then it didn't happen right?

He counted a full minute before he tried to go back out. His hand shook slightly as he pulled the door open again and he saw them both stop in their tracks. They had been coming up to get him he realized as he tried to give an easy going smile. Jong In bought it instantly, but the look in Sun Ae's eyes was a mix of worry and uncertainty as she noticed that there was something off about him.  

"Taemin I'm sorry to bother you, but can you take her home?" Jong In asked.

"Sure, no problem" He agreed, keeping his voice light.

"Thanks" He said with quirk of his lips and he turned to Sun Ae, "I'll see you later"

"Alright. Call me when you're done" She said and Taemin hated the way she glanced down shyly and the way a faint blush spread on her cheeks.

Jong In agreed and with another thanks to Taemin he left.

The ride to her house was awkward to say the least as Sun Ae silently counted the minutes until she could get home. Occasionally she would steal glances at Taemin. He was mad. She could feel it even if he looked calm as he drove towards her house. It was plain to see if you noticed the way his hands grippe the steering wheel a little too tightly or the way he stopped in jerks at every stoplight.

"Is it easier to not be disappointed since you've already been through this once?" Taemin asked as the car rolled to a smooth stop for the first time since they had left.

"What do you mean?" She asked keeping her eyes on the road in front of them.

"Don't you remember when I was about to debut how I would run out on our dates all the time? I remember how mad you used to get sometimes. I'd get a few scoldings, but never a kiss. I guess it's a good thing you had a date an idol training course right?" He said and she flinched at the bitterness in his last words and the realization that he had seen them after all.

"The difference is that there's still a long time until Jong In even gets to that point"

"So what? You're gonna dump him as soon as he gets debut date?"

"...That's none of your business" She said firmly.

"He told me all about your little deal. Do you think that's honestly going to work. What if he suddenly had to debut in a few months?"

"I'm not dumb. I know things don't just work like that. There a lot of preparation behind debuts. He would know at least"

"I just don't get how you can be so understanding to him, but when it was me it only served to put more strain in our relationship" He said, fixing her with a glare of accusation.

"You don't have to 'get it' anymore" She said.

"I do because I don't get how you couldn't see how much I loved you. I broke up with you for your own good!"

"Yeah, cheating on me was a real chivalrous move" She said angrily.

"That was a lie!" He shouted as they arrived at her house.

"What are you talking about?"

"That was a damn lie I told so that you would agree to breaking up and so that it would be easier for you to move on! I never cheated on you ask anyone! I was an who was never around, the kind who couldn't be there for you at all, but I never looked at another girl like that" Taemin finished, his chest rising in agitation as Sun Ae stared at him with wide eyes.

"...You were selfish back then and you're being selfish now. You caused me all this pain for my own good supposedly but when I'm finally moving on you tell me the truth?" She said looking at him with a faint sense of disgust, "Why don't you want me to be happy?" She asked as her brain slowly processed what he was saying to her.

"Because I always thought that after my career stabilized, after we had a place in the entertainment world I would come back for you and you would wait for me" He explained.

"You're either an idiot or you thought I was an idiot"

"My fans would have killed you if my relationship came out back then. Even worse, I was never around. I couldn't stand seeing you cry for me all the time because I kept standing you up. I was never around. I knew I was a crappy boyfriend"

"If you had talked to me..." She began before shaking her head and ignoring the thoughts of what could have been, "It's too late"

"It's not"

"I really do like Jong In" Sun Ae said softly, "I like him a lot. He's the first person in a long time to make me feel like this"

"Sun Ae... I love you" He repeated once more.

"Today I took a photograph of a really annoying kid" She said suddenly, her voice wavered, "but you know I need to if I'm ever going to move out of this dump" She said looking out towards her apartment.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is what friends do. They talk about their day. Let's go back to our friendship from before. The kind where I would call you to tell you about the really stupid things in my day or where we would talk about our problems together. I'll forget about the bad things and we can be friends again" She explained as she looked back at him.

He stared at her in surprise. He had told her everything and she was suggesting friendship. This wasn't the way things were supposed to work.

"That's all I can offer you" She added quietly.

"... Jonghyun yelled at me today. I think he's annoyed because he hurt his ankle" He heard himself say though they were empty words with no emotion behind them.

"It's late. So I'll go inside now. Thanks for the ride" She said completely composed as she stepped out of the car and went inside her house.

"Stop it" She whispered to herself as she got inside and locked the door behind her, "Stop it" She pleaded to herself as her body took control and she went to grab the black bag with green lining that she had thrown besides the trash.

She gripped it tightly in her arms as she carried it back into her room feeling guilty the entire way.

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Updated! :) Thanks for reading!