After dinner, they sat, cuddling on her couch. She had poured them each a glass of wine, and he sipped quietly while he kept one arm wrapped around her.

He wondered about her meeting tomorrow. She didn't know yet that he knew her secret, about being Ari. Was she being secretive because her meeting had something to do with that?

He wished so badly that she would confide in him. He wondered when she would finally give him that trust. A week? A month? A year? He forced himself to remember how broken she was, but still, he wanted her to give him this one solid. He wanted her to trust him.

"Mina?"

"Mm."

"Do you have something you need to tell me?"

He could feel her tense up beside him, but she didn't turn to meet his eye.

"No," she finally said.

He sipped at his wine to hide his disappointment. Suddenly, she turned to him.

"Sunggyu."

"Yes?"

"Can you just... wait? There is something. But, I need you to wait. I need you to trust me."

He sighed, looking deep into her eyes. How can I trust you if you don't trust me back?, he wondered. But he forced himself to smile and nod.

"Of course, Mina. I'll wait, for you."

She read his expression. Then, she leaned in, cupping his face and planting her lips onto his.

"Thank you. Sunggyu."

*******

Sunggyu didn’t leave until morning again. But before he left, he held her face in his hands, looked deep into her eyes, and then planted the most meaningful kiss yet on her lips. It was almost as if, in his heart, he knew what was coming.

In that moment, she could feel the weight of his feelings for her. She kissed him back, hoping that he could feel how much she liked him too. But when he finally pulled away, she couldn’t tell if she was successful. “I’ll… I’ll call you later,” she promised.

He smiled at her, a flash of sadness in his eyes. “I’ll be waiting.” Then, he walked away, not looking back once.

Mina didn’t know what the hell she was doing. She washed her face, combed through her hair, and tried not to make a big deal about what she was wearing. But as she finally neared the coffeehouse where she and Kibum were supposed to meet, a feeling of apprehension filled her.

She didn’t know what the hell she was doing.

She pulled the door open, smirking slightly to herself. It was the same coffeehouse that Sunggyu had booked that one time. When he gave her a ticket to his concert.

Kibum was already sitting at a booth by the window. He locked his gaze on her when she entered, following her as she approached and sat before him. Then, he smiled widely.

“Glad you made it,” he said.

“Uh… Mm.”

“I ordered your favorite. Or, at least by what I remember.” He chuckled. “I hope it hasn’t changed.”

She tried not to smile. “No. While some things have changed…” He flinched at her coded message. “…that hasn’t.” She threw him a small look, and then took a sip from her water glass.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, and then motioned for them to eat. “So… how have things been?”

She shrugged. “Fine. I see you’re an idol now.”

He scratched at the back of his neck. “Yeah… life is busier now. It’s kind of weird, but it seems lonelier.” He chuckled. “I can’t tell you how many times a day I wonder if I should just go back to the old life. I miss a lot of things from that old life.” His eyes flickered with meaning. “A lot of things.”

She understood, but she wasn’t having it. “They say that hindsight vision is always 20/20. A smarter person would have thought of that before just up and leaving,” she said in a biting tone.

“Ouch. I deserved that one.”

She nodded in agreement, one eyebrow arched.

“How is the writing?”

She sniffed. “Fine. It was hard for a while there…” Because of you, she thought with chagrin in her head. “But now, it’s a lot better.”

“I know. I’ve been keeping up with your blog.”

She flinched. She didn’t think he would give her a second-thought after he left. “You… you have? Why?”

“I told you already. I’ve missed you.”

She blinked, and then slammed her fork down. “Yah, Kibum. Don’t you dare play with me like this.”

He scoffed. “But it’s the truth! Chincha, Mina, let’s be real for a second. I’ve missed you, and you have probably missed me too.”

She sighed. He was always painfully honest. She didn’t want to admit it, but still… A part of her knew he was right. She was reminded once more of how tired she was. Somewhere in her darkness, she had lost her strength and her fighting spirit.

“Kibum. You know what you did,” she said quietly. She felt a small lump grow in , and tried to suppress it. “I…I can’t just let that go so easily.”

She looked about the room, trying not to let the tears fall. She didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. But suddenly, he reached across the table, taking her hand in his. She watched, stunned, as he interlocked his fingers around hers.

“Mina, what I’m saying is… you don’t have to let go.” He looked deep into her eyes, that familiar gaze that used to fill her sweetest dreams. And before she knew it, her lip quivered and a single tear made its path down her cheek.

“I want you back,” he whispered.

She couldn’t tear away from his gaze. She wanted to scream and kick him, but at the same time, she wanted to fall into his arms. Her heart both soared and erupted with rage at what he was proposing. It felt simultaneously impossible and miraculous. A dream come true, and a nightmare straight from the pits of Hell.

But then what about Sunggyu? His last kiss lingered in her mind, like a bad omen signaling their farewell. She wasn’t nearly ready to say goodbye to him again. Right?

She was so distracted by her swirl of warring emotions, that she didn’t sense the heat of another customer’s gaze from across the coffeeshop.

---

I know you all think Mina is an idiot. But sometimes, that's what love does. Turns even the most intelligent people into bloomin' idiots :/