When lunch time came, I was immediately seized by Jongin.

“Have lunch with me?” he asked, flashing me a dazzling grin with a pleading look in his eyes.

I glanced over at Hyunji and Jonghyun who were both too absorbed in their conversation to even realise that I was no longer with them. Sighing, I nodded in agreement. I saw no point in sitting with them and then being forced to endure the tension between Yixing and Jonghyun while I sat quietly trying to eat my lunch.

“You go get a table,” I told him as I made my way towards the cafeteria. “I’ll –”

“Wait!” Jongin tugged on my wrist, pulling me back. “Isn’t there anywhere else we could eat that has less... interruptions?”

“But I didn’t buy my lunch yet.”

“I already did.” He held up two paper bags with a grin. “Just enough for the both of us.”

I thought for a while. “Well, we could go to the library. It’s quiet there.”

Jongin nodded eagerly and I took the lead. During lunch, only the library was open to dine in besides the cafeteria and the courtyard. Most of the students who go there were usually those seeking seclusion, girls who wanted to peruse their romance novels and boys who preferred to spend their time studying.

I led him to a few empty seats at the back of the library, far enough from a few other students so they couldn’t hear us talking. The table I chose was backed right into the wall, with bright sunlight filtering through the blinds, streaking the table with yellow light. Around us, the sound of turning pages dominated the room, with only the faintest sound of whispers. I pulled a chair and sat while Jongin set the paper bags in front of us.

“I hope you didn’t buy anything messy like pizza or soup,” I whispered to him as I watched him unroll the paper bags.

“Well you’re in luck, ‘cause I only got sandwiches,” Jongin said, pulling one out from each bag. He handed one to me and carefully rolled it back up again.

“So, is there a purpose for this?” I asked as we ate, quietly and cautiously to avoid anything from getting on the tables or the floors.

“I just want to be with you?” Jongin offered with a hopeful smile.

I gave him a look. “Jongin.”

“Alright, alright,” he said, waving his free hand as if to placate me. “I just wanted to know if you’re alright after all that happened.”

“You’re the fourth person to have asked me that today,” I said to him as I chewed my sandwich.

He chuckled quietly. “Hey, can’t help having a lot of people worrying about you, can you?”

“I’m fine,” I said with a defeated sigh. “She wouldn’t kill me. I’m just... tired I guess.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, why did she do that to you?” Jongin questioned, his eyes imploring me to tell him the truth.

I hesitated, not really willing to reveal anything she said. Jongin didn’t budge though, and finally, I was forced to admit defeat. “Because of you... and Joonmyun.”

Jongin’s brows furrowed. “But I don’t even know her.”

“Well, maybe it’s because she thinks you’re cute.” I shrugged.

“Where does Hyung stand in all this?”

“Well,” I swallowed my food before I answered. “She likes him, I think.” Much to my chagrin.

Jongin’s brows shot up. “She thinks I’m cute and she likes Joonmyun-hyung. And let me guess, she hates you because you’re close with the both of us.”

“A little too close in her opinion. To put it mildly, she told me to stay away from the both of you.”

Jongin frowned. “You’re not going to do that, are you?”

“Depends. With you popping out of everywhere all the time, I don’t think it’s possible.”

“Good,” Jongin said quietly, his smouldering gaze holding mine. “Because I won’t let you avoid me so easily if I can help it.”

After lunch, Jongin walked me back to class, and it was during the short span of our journey that I learned that he, too, would be joining us on the trip.

“I got in the last minute,” he told me when I asked why his name wasn’t on the list. He also told me that he would be in the first bus (the same one as Joonmyun) and expressed visible disappointment when I told him that I was on the second.

“I wanted to get you to show me around,” he said with a small pout.

“We’re in a bus, Kim Jongin. What exactly is there to show when we’re all sitting in our seats?”

“You can always point out the scenery,” he said with a playful grin, to which I responded with a roll of my eyes.

We parted when we reached my class and he had to go down the hall to his, waving each other goodbye (but not before he made me promise that lunches like this wouldn’t be the last). In class, I found Hyunji and Jonghyun deep in conversation with each other, like always, and this time, they were so absorbed with each other that I didn’t bother to interrupt. I could only afford to sigh as I watched them, praying that Yixing wasn’t too far behind Jonghyun in their race to win her heart.

For some reason, I spent the rest of the day feeling restless and agitated. The letter that I had sent to him kept flitting through my mind and I keep finding myself pondering over it, whether or not he had received it or was he having a good laugh over it. I was so desperate; I hoped that I wasn’t wrong when I based my conclusions on his character by his letters. I just wanted someone to confide in, and so far, he had been the listening ear to my heart’s sorrows. I could trust him now, right?

My thoughts took me worlds away from the one my body was physically grounded to, and more than once I had to blink it away for fear of being called on by my teachers. By the time the period ended, I had made my resolve to visit our little mail box to check if he had posted his response.

I had managed to sidle myself out of walking home with Yixing and Hyunji by citing a few excuses about wanting to stay behind to study. As of now, I was speed-walking down the deserted hallways, palms sweating. Hope had been building in me for the past three periods, and I was praying that I wouldn’t be disappointed.

I was visibly relieved when I finally reached the empty locker, my heart soaring when I saw the streak of chalk on the door. I beamed to myself. I wasn’t wrong in putting my faith on him.

I sped through my last few steps there and all but pounced on the door. With trembling fingers, I dialled the combination that he and I had set together via one of our letters. The door opened with smooth ease when I pulled, and my heart thumped loudly in my chest when I saw the cream-coloured envelope resting at the bottom of the locker. Carefully, I reached for it. Just as my fingers closed itself around the thin envelope, I heard the creak of a door from somewhere down the hallway.

My head whipped towards the general direction of the sound and I narrowed my eyes, my heart now pumping with adrenaline. I tucked the letter into my pocket and quickly closed the door of the locker, rubbing the chalk away with the sleeve of my uniform. My eyes were locked on the door to a nearby classroom; I was sure that the creak came from that direction. I tiptoed towards the door, my breath hitching on my throat.

Am I a fool to be doing this? What if all those ghost stories floating around the school were true? What would happen to me then?

But then, I sound even more foolish for considering it. They’re just stories, Aeri. They’re not true, I thought, desperately trying to console myself as I attempted one of the most courageous (if not idiotic) stunt that I usually wouldn’t have the gall to try.

With trembling fingers, I twisted the doorknob. With a flourish, I flung it open, heaving a sigh of relief when an empty room greeted me. I peered around, trying to find the source that caused the creak. Finally, I surmised it to be the trick of the wind and withdrew my head, feeling relief wash over me.

Don’t be silly, Aeri. You’ve been watching too much horror movies.

With that thought in mind, I shut the door and proceeded down the hallway, humming a tune under my breath. However, although I tried to push it to the back of my mind, I couldn’t deny that I had a feeling that someone was watching me as I walked.

Dear You,

Hey, I’ve been waiting to hear from you :).

Wow... that’s quite a problem you got there. First of all, be warned that my love life so far has been extremely short and not the very least successful, so the advice that I am about to impart to you know might not be the best thing:

If you think that you’ll never have a chance, that your heart will continuously be broken if you hold on to him, then let him go. It might be hard, but at least you’ll be happy in the end. He just might not be the right one for and I bet, somewhere out there, there’s a guy who’s just standing around, waiting for you. You just might not realise how close he is yet.

Anyway, forget all this mush. If it comforts you, know that you mean a lot to me –more than you’ll ever know.

Yours truly,

Me ;)

I folded the letter closed after reading it for the fifth time. I let my body fall back onto my bed, clutching the letter in my hand as I stared at the ceiling. His words of wisdom had been practical, logical. I could tell that he was doing his best to break it down to me softly, to cushion the ache in my chest that was blooming steadily.

That last paragraph was heart-wrenchingly sweet, and I couldn’t help but smile as I ran through it in my mind. I wondered if he had added in as an afterthought, if it had been only a part of a crossed out sentence during his struggles to figure out what to write. Call it wishful thinking, but I was sort of hoping that that had been the case; it made me happy somewhat knowing that this guy, this impeccably sweet boy whose face I had never seen, could care for me so deeply.

I rolled onto my stomach, rereading the letter again.

He told me to let go of him –of Joonmyun –if he thinks that my heart was only going to get broken by him. A part of me was arguing, telling me that Joonmyun has been nothing but sweet to me and could never break my heart; another was telling me to face the truth, to face the reality wherein Joonmyun had implied his platonic feelings for me through that one gesture: his encouragement towards Jongin.

He was right. If I let my heart override my brain, it would only mean more wounds and a shattered heart. And what if Joonmyun starts falling for another girl? What would I do then?

I heaved a shuddering breath before I carefully pushed myself up, trying to contain the tears that were beginning to pool behind my eyes as I made my resolve.

If Joonmyun and I weren’t meant to be, then so be it. I’d let him go and hope that in time, my heart will too.

Another update! Sorry if it's short. This was meant to be a part of the previous chapter but it was too long, so I had to split it. Anyway, these two chapters are more like filler chapters actually. The drama will start during the school trip, which will begin in the next chapter. It won't be long before I post it so stay tuned!