Unbearable
My Boyfriend's Best Friend
Sulli could feel the back of her shoe dig into her heel, worsening the blister on her foot. She and Minho had been walking for hours and were now completely lost in the woods.
Above the trees, she could no longer see the sun. It had vanished behind the mountains, making the atmosphere darker... And creepier.
"Maybe we should stop," Minho finally said. He had kept quiet this whole time so as not to annoy her further.
"No," she answered firmly. "I know where I'm going now."
Minho grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking. She felt her heart race under his touch. She scolded herself for feeling this way. *Calm down, heart.*
He looked directly at her. "You said that two hours ago. I was willing to keep walking before but now it's almost dark. To continue would be dangerous."
She pulled her arm away from him. Of course he was right.
"Fine."
She crossed her arms and sat down on a log. "So I guess we're sleeping here."
"I guess so," he answered, lying down on the ground. He rolled onto his side.
Sulli sat for a few minutes and watched him. His back was turned to her. She could see the way his fitted shirt showed the definition of his back and shoulder, the way his hair fell next to his ears. She could see his body rise and fall with the intake and outtake of breaths.
She should confront him, she decided. She had a lot to say.
It was obvious he was still awake.
"Minho," she said calmly. "I need to ask you something."
He sat up stiffly, turning to face her. Instead of answering, he just looked at her expectantly.
"I know you're avoiding me and I know your excuse is going to be because of Taemin. So here's my question: why does me dating Taemin mean we can't be friends?"
"It doesn't mean we can't be friends," he answered hesitantly.
"Then why the hell are you avoiding me?" She asked in frustration.
"Because I can't be near you..." He muttered under his breath, looking away at the ground.
"What did you say?"
"I said," he raised his voice but didn't meet her eyes, "because I can't be near you."
Sulli stared at him for a moment. "Am I that unbearable?"
Minho stood up now, running his fingers through his dark hair. She could see he was struggling, like he needed to say something and was battling internally over whether or not to say it.
He finally answered her, "Yes, you are unbearable, but not in the way you mean."
He paused, sighing. "You're unbearable not because you're annoying or obnoxious. In fact, you're the opposite. You're unbearable in the sense that I can't stand being around you and not being with you."
Sulli heard the words coming from his mouth but couldn't process them. A year ago, she would have been swept off her feet. A year ago, she would have run into his arms in happiness. It was a different time though now. Now she didn't know how to react.
Minho continued on, saying one last thing. "You're unbearable because I can't watch you be with someone else. I can't be near you yet stay away at the same time."
He looked at her in the eyes for a few seconds, conveying emotions he didn't, or couldn't, put into words. Then, sheepishly, he turned away.
Her heart fell under that one gaze. In his eyes, she saw the same expression she had once looked at him with. She felt lost. In front of her was this person who she cared for deeply yet she couldn't reassure him. She loved Taemin yet she couldn't ignore the elation that she felt at that moment. Minho wanted to be with her! Minho who she had pined over for 2 years finally returned her feelings! Those were old feelings though.
Sulli got up, instinctively, with no idea what she would say. She put her hand on his shoulder.
"Minho," she said, her voice hoarse with developing tears. She tried to steady her emotions. "I can't give you what you want. I love Taemin. "
She could feel the sharpness of her words and tried to soften them. "But, I don't want us to be on such bad terms. I care about you and value you as a friend. You know I used to have a crush on you. The timing just didn't work out."
Minho looked back at her for a second with a stony face, showing little emotion. "Can I just ask you one favour?"
She nodded.
"Can we pretend this conversation never happened."
He lay back down on the ground and, this time, he actually went to sleep.
*****
Minho woke to the sound of voices calling his name.
"Minho-ah?!"
"Sulli-ah?!"
"Where are you?"
He rubbed his eyes, the world coming into focus.
"We're over here!" He called back.
A few meters away, he saw Sulli asleep on the ground. Her hair was slightly messy and her clothes were dirty from the ground. Yet, in his eyes, she was looking the prettiest he had ever seen her. For a second, he pictured waking up to her every morning but shook those thoughts from his head.
When had he become this infatuated?
Suddenly, the memory of last night's conversation came washing over him.
*Yah, Minho! How could you be so stupid?* he asked himself. He confessed to her. He confessed to the girl his best friend was dating. What did that make him?
He walked over to Sulli, shaking her awake.
"The guides are here," he said, helping her up.
A few members of the camp staff as well as two of the guides from yesterday came running over. Their faces were full of concern. Minho took the liberty of explaining that they had gotten lost after looking for Sulli's earring.
"Wait a second," one of the staff members asked suddenly. "Aren't you two also the ones that fell off the sailboat yesterday?"
*i didn't fall off!* Minho thought defensively to himself but nodded along with Sulli in embarrassment,
"Well aren't you two troublemakers then," one of the guides said shaking his head. "Come on, let's go back to camp."
*****
That afternoon, the senior trip ended. The buses arrived picking up the students and taking them home, just as they had brought them there two days before.
All morning, Minho and Sulli had been pestered by questions about their recent ordeal. Were they scared? How far away did they go into the forest? Did they sleep on the ground?
The only one, it seemed, who wasn't asking questions was Taemin. He just shot Minho accusatory looks and remained very quiet.
Nothing that he did, it seemed, could top the adventure that Sulli shared with Minho.
The biggest question Taemin asked himself was why did he feel like he had competition for his girlfriend? Especially from someone who had sworn he didn't want her.
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A/N: I'm going away for the weekend so I might not be able to update for 3-4 days :(
Buuuuuttt, I hope you liked this update. Omo... Minho oppa I wouldnt have rejected you ;)
Comment your thoughts dear readers!
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