Taekwoon could not understand what it was that kept him from telling Tori that he loved her that day, all he knew was, standing there  at that moment, in front of the girl that he had come to love, her face ridden with disappointment and sadness, made his heart ache. And everyday that passed that Taekwoon and Tori spent together, just made his pain all the more intense, the small bud blossoming into something unable to be contained, that raw emotion that Taekwoon had felt so long ago resurfacing in his heart. There were those binding times when Taekwoon found himself  alone with Tori that were the most difficult for him to handle, because just when things were beginning to ease down between them, the tension would resurface, and all because he could not contain his uncontrollable emotions. Taekwoon could not stop the feels from taking over him, he could not stop himself from her cheek, twirling her curly locks around his long slender fingers, staring at those lovely inviting lips of hers, he could not stop himself from falling deeper in love with her. The pain of having contained his feelings, his confession for so long was eating Taekwoon up, inside out, and it was about time he did something about it. However, the day that Taekwoon decided that it was time to put himself out of misery, to heal Tori's broken heart, the heart he had broken with his emotionless words, and to remove the burden off of his own, wound up being the same day he fell face first into a pit less and cold sorrow. A misery that far bypassed the momentary heartache he suffered after declaring Tori just a friend when he knew they were much more than that, when he knew he wanted them to be so much more than that.

 

Am I too late...? Taekwoon wondered as he looked on at Jaehwan and Tori, who were both speaking softly, the gorgeous girl's cheeks the slightest bit red, Jaehwan smiling wide as he conversed with the lovely female before him. Taekwoon didn't want to believe that, since the day a week ago, Tori and Jaehwan had began to talk, to develop a relationship outside of that of a harmless friendship. Taekwoon wanted to believe that the lack of shine in Tori's eyes was due to the fact that she was not with him, that the spark, the glow her face normally held was vacant because she was not with him, he who she truly had feelings for. But in the end of the day, Taekwoon settled with the belief that the only reason the spark and glow was not present in Tori's face, in Tori's eyes, was because he was not the one over there eliciting a smile or a blush from her, that it was Jaehwan doing all the work, gaining all the credit and praise. Jaehwan was the one doing damage control on Tori's broken heart when it was supposed to be Taekwoon.

 

 

When did this happen? When did...how did i let this happen!? Taekwoon mentally scolded himself as the various images of Jaehwan and Tori flashed on his eye lids. He had only seen them together twice, and both times were burned into the backs of his lids, into his skull, onto his heart. 

 

Maybe it's just her way of dealing with the pain...maybe...maybe it isn't real... Taekwoon forced these words to sound in his mind, hoping that he was correct, hoping that in the end of the day, he remained in Tori's heart, even after his thoughtless and empty words.  scorched her

 

"....you're an idiot Taekwoon....how could you let this happen...how could you let her slip away from you...?....she was right there...why did you...why did you say what you said?" Taekwoon whispered aloud as he placed his head in his hands and leaned forward, sighing deeply. The sound of hushed voices chattering in the corridor outside of his door drew Taekwoon from his moment of silence, he shook his head free of his daze and stood up, brushing off his shirt before taking the few strides it took for him to get to his door. Taekwoon knew better than to eavesdrop, but people also knew better than to hold conversations outside of someone else's door. It was not until he got with in a few steps of his door when Taekwoon wished he never would have stood up, when he wished he had never gotten curious. Even though her voice was soft and quiet, Taekwoon still recognized Tori's voice, how could he not when he was the one she normally whispered to, when he was the one who normally heard her voice so soothing and calm, unintentionally sensual and dizzying.

 

"Come on Tori, just this once, Taekwoon can wait...besides, your project isn't due for a few days..." Taekwoon's eyes widened at the sound of his name coming forth from Jaehwan's mouth, his tone whiny and amused as he begged Tori to wait.

 

"Jaehwan...I wish i could go with you...but i can't...not today any way...Taekwoon and I have not even started our project and...we just have so much to do...I really am sorry though..." The sound of Tori apologizing to Jaehwan made Taekwoon a little upset, maybe he was just being jealous, greedy, and selfish, but after growing as close as he had with Tori, the sound of her saying sorry for any reason made him the slightest bit angry. Taekwoon knew her dispositions when it came to apologies, he knew how guilty Tori felt when she said no, when she felt she over stepped her boundaries, he knew how much it hurt her to disappoint those around her, and how much she beat herself up for simply saying no,for simply displeasing someone else, not at all worrying about the displeasure it brought her.

 

"It's okay Tori, you don't have to apologize, I understand...I didn't know you had so much to do today...we can go another day...maybe this weekend?" The sound of Jaehwan reassuring Tori that whatever it was he had planned for them to do today could be rescheduled and that she did not need to apologize made Taekwoon's heart painfully lurch. 

 

"I really am sorry Jaehwan...and yes, of course we can go this weekend...I'll make sure that nothing gets in the way of us going out this weekend okay...I am so sorry..." Taekwoon walked away from his door then, not knowing if he could take hearing the girl he loved apologize to another guy, even if the guy she was apologizing to was his friend.

 

 

Jaehwan smiled softly, reaching out and taking Tori in his arms, embracing her tenderly,

 

"It's really alright Tori, I get that school has you busy this week...I just wanted to spend a little more time with you is all...I couldn't stop thinking about you...ever since that day I met you at the cafe...you have been on my mind." Tori looked up into Jaehwan's face, a false smile tugging at her lips, not that she meant it to be insincere or anything like that, it's just all of the smiles on her face have been halfhearted since that cold day back at the cafe when Taekwoon declared that they were just good friends, and all without her knowledge of them being so. It had been a little difficult for Tori to maintain a clear head around Taekwoon, she found it hard not to cry when around him, her eyes often stinging with the threat of tears, her heart thudding as his words replayed in her head. Tori had to appear as if his words had no affect on her, she had to be strong and show Taekwoon that nothing he did or said was going to change her, she couldn't let him see what kind of effect he had on her. But it was difficult to do these things, especially when the very man she felt so desperately for, lived right next door, sat right beside her in class, and was her forever partner until her last year of Korean was over. Taekwoon was seemingly everywhere Tori turned her head, and it drove her nuts, it was as if it was a punishment for having grown so close to him, for having developed such intense feelings for him, for having ever thought that they could be more than just friends.

 

"...really Jaehwan?" Tori's voice was a whisper as she peered up into the smiling boys face, 

 

"...yes really...I left that cafe thinking about you...about how i didn't get your number...how I did not set a date to meet you again. Then i ran into you again the next day when you were running." The smile on Jaehwan's thick lips grew wider, his eyes brightening. Tori had to admit, that if it were not for her running into Jaehwan the following day after the cafe thing, getting over what Taekwoon declared would have been even harder than it was now, because now she had someone to take her mind off of Taekwoon, even if it was for a second. 

 

"Hm, you know, you are really making me contemplate whether or not to do this project thing today..." Tori mused as Jaehwan hugged her closer to him, a gust a wind encircling them, 

 

"...so, you're not going to go to Taekwoon's and come with me instead?" Tori giggled, 

 

"I said you were making me contemplate, nothing is set in stone just yet..." Jaehwan leaned back,

 

"What else do I need to do to make you change your mind?" Tori scrunched up her face as she racked her brain for possible options,

 

"...I don't know exactly...hmm..." Jaehwan stepped away from Tori,

 

"If you want me to start dancing i will...you might not like it but i can..." Tori giggled as Jaehwan began to awkwardly move his body to an imaginary beat,

 

I wonder if Taekwoon can dance... The thought escaped into Tori's mind before she could stop it, her heart leaping into as thoughts of Taekwoon controlled her brain, her actions, her reactions, and facial expressions. Tori looked up at Jaehwan, the smile that was on her face waning,

 

"I told you that you wouldn't like it..." Jaehwan said quietly as he noticed the suddenly graven expression on Tori's face. Tori violently shook her head, 

 

"Oh no! Not you Jaehwan! I was just..." Tori stopped talking before Taekwoon's name could slip off of her tongue, 

 

"...I'm just a little tired from my run today...you know how you get that sudden shock of fatigue hours after you have exercised?" Tori's voice was a little weak as the images of Taekwoon shuffling in her brain rendered her speechless,  

 

"...maybe you should go inside and rest a bit instead of going to work on your project with Taekwoon." Jaehwan suggested innocently, looking back at Tori's door and then down into her face. Tori glanced over at Taekwoon's door and sighed, her eyes trained on the floor as she tried to focus on anything but the boy next door. Tori chewed her lip and shut her eyes as Taekwoon consumed her thoughts once again, she shook her head slightly before looking over at Jaehwan who was watching her intently. Tori plastered a false yet believable smile on her lips and walked up to Jaehwan, taking both of his hands in hers. 

 

"I'm fine, Jaehwan...don't worry about me alright? You just worry about what all we are going to do this weekend...I am really looking forward to spending time with you..." Jaehwan peered down into Tori's eyes, bringing a hand up to cup her cheek, 

 

"Hm, okay Tori, just be careful okay? I'm sure Taekwoon would look after you if he sees that you are not feeling well. He's a really sweet and caring guy..." Tori's heart slammed against her ribs at Jaehwan's comment,

 

Yeah, he sure is... Tori thought as she struggled to keep the fake smile living on her lips, 

 

"...you don't have to worry about anything Jaehwan, I am fine. Just a tad bit tired nothing more." Tori retorted, her voice coated with sugar and enthusiasm, 

 

"Okay okay, just making sure. I'll call you later on tonight okay?" Tori nodded her head and nibbled her lip, 

 

"Okay. Talk to you later then." Jaehwan leaned down and pecked Tori on the cheek before turning to leave, 

 

"Have fun!" Jaehwan called out before turning around sending Tori a quick wink before disappearing down the steps.The moment Jaehwan was out of Tori's presence was the instance she let her fake smile fall from her lips. Tori let her hands move to her cheek where Jaehwan's hand lingered, her fingers brushing over the spot he kissed, 

 

It's not the same. Tori thought as her fingers slid down to the corner of where Taekwoon's kiss remained forever imprinted. A small sigh found it's way past Tori's lips as the memory of Taekwoon kissing her fell over her mind, her eyes now veering over to his door. Tori did not want the only reason for her going over to Taekwoon's place to be because they had a project to complete, but knew that any other reason was just her wishful thinking. Tori exhaled heavily as she turned toward Taekwoon's door and approached it, knocking as softly as she could as to not bother him too much.  Tori's entire body tensed as the door knob to Taekwoon's door began to turn, the bolts and locks clanking as he unlatched them. Tori didn't know she had stopped breathing until Taekwoon spoke up, 

 

"Tori?" Taekwoon mused, as he looked down into Tori's blank face, her eyes a little glazed over from her sudden fatigue and from the lack of oxygen making it to her lungs. If it were not for Taekwoon grabbing Tori's arm, she surely would have fell into the wall due to oxygen deprivation. Tori in a mouth full of air at the feeling of Taekwoon's strong hand on her arm, the simple contact sending chills down her spine, 

 

"O-oh...Taekwoon hey," Tori tried to speak without any breaks or pauses but failed, partially because of her slight gasps for air and her head recovering from minor vertigo. 

 

"Tori are you alright? You look ill." Tori nodded her head and shut her eyes as the abrupt motion intensified the waning vertigo that slammed back into her head. 

 

What the hell is up with you Tori!? She mentally cursed herself for reacting like such a damsel in Taekwoon's presence. 

 

"Oh I'm fine, I just um...came by to start on that project Park gyosunim gave us last class..." Taekwoon nodded his head and studied Tori's face, looking for any signs that she was lying about her well being,

 

"Right, come on in..." Taekwoon said finally, stepping aside to let Tori inside his warm house, watching her closely as she slipped off her shoes and pushed them beside his.

 

Her feet really are small. Taekwoon thought as he looked at Tori's shoes next to his, before shutting the door and walking into his living room. There was a little tension in the air as Taekwoon watched Tori rummage through her book bag in search  for a pen, paper, and her Korean work book, the thought of the discussion she had with Jaehwan out in the hallway replaying in his mind. 

 

Just how close has she grown to Jaehwan? It's only been a week. Taekwoon tore his eyes off of Tori as she turned around to face him,  

 

"...have you been having a good day so far?" Tori asked as she took a seat on the floor in front of Taekwoon, sticking her pen behind her ear before fanning through her book in search for the ten chapters that the teacher gave them to complete.  Taekwoon looked down at Tori and could not help but to smile at the sight of her, her nose scrunched up and tongue hanging out the side of as she flipped through the last few pages before settling on one. Tori looked up at Taekwoon when he did not answer her, curious as to why it was he was so hesitant, that was until she saw that he was staring at her, a grin as sweet as sugar on his lips. For a while Tori could not think, her heart hammering away as her and Taekwoon's eyes locked, 

 

"....i've had better days." Taekwoon admitted as the conversation between Tori and Jaehwan echoed in his head,

 

"Huh? What happened? Are you feeling okay?" Tori asked quietly, her voice weak from having held eye contact with Taekwoon for so long, but her tone thick with concern,

 

"...Don't worry...I'm fine...now...thanks for asking Tori....how about you? How was your day?" The way Tori's name rolled off of Taekwoon's tongue gave her the chills. No matter how much she tried to ignore those feelings she had developed for Taekwoon over the period she had got to know him, they always found a way to intrude on her mind, all of her thoughts and action seemingly revolving around him. 

 

"Oh I um...yeah, my day was good...I went for a run earlier today..." Tori said as she looked away from Taekwoon and wrote both her and his name at the top of the paper, drawing a series of cute little hearts around both their names. Taekwoon looked down at the papers to see the little hearts and flushed,

 

"..o-oh, how long where you out?" Taekwoon asked as his heart began to thump rapidly,

 

"...um, I ran for about two hours and forty minutes...then I just..." Tori stopped talking abruptly, her eyes glued to the arm of Taekwoon's sofa as she thought about earlier today when she went out to run. Everyday since the cafe Tori found herself out running way longer than usual, those short few minutes that she ran turning into a few hours, her mind often wandering off to the times she and Taekwoon spent together. That's when she realized the very reason why she ran so much now, because she used that time to think and forget about Taekwoon,

 

"...and i...I ran some more." Tori finally whispered as she thought about time she was running after Taekwoon slammed her into the door, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Taekwoon looked over at Tori, his eyes filling with worry and concern, knowing, just as well as she did, that she was over working herself, but not knowing why.

 

"...aren't you tired?" Taekwoon asked as Tori brought herself out of her stupor and started jotting down the paragraph on the page one of their assigned chapters. Tori didn't take her eyes off of the page, she simply shook her head,

 

" ...not really..." Tori said as she finished copying the paragraph, writing her answer underneath it in just as many sentences, initialing at the end to show sign that she completed the first paragraph,

 

"Um...I did the first one, we have to do every other one and initial the bottom when we're finished with it. We also have to edit, so if you find anything wrong with my paragraph or answer just let me know okay?" Taekwoon nodded his head, taking the book the Tori offered him and started copying down his paragraph, 

 

"...is that all you've been up to today? Running?" Taekwoon asked finally as he constructed his answer underneath the paragraph, his eyes skimming up the page and looking over Tori's answer and paragraph, 

 

"Um...yeah...well no... Jaehwan came over earlier to see if I had any free time to go out with him....but that was it..." Tori could feel the tension in the room thicken as she told Taekwoon about Jaehwan coming over to visit her, 

 

"Really? Wh-when did you and Jaehwan start hanging out?" Taekwoon asked innocently, sliding off the sofa and onto the floor next to Tori,

 

"Um, actually a day after i met you're friends. I was running and ran into him?" The room fell silent at the mention of the bleak day back at the cafe, Taekwoon's blood boiling as anger rose within him.

 

How did I let that happen!? Why didn't I just tell her when I had the chance!? Babo! Why didn't you just tell her!?  Taekwoon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from shouting out loud, the fury he had toward himself rising at a rapid pace. 

 

"...hmph, is that right? Wait! So, he wanted to take you on a date? Today?" Tori looked up from her paper and stared blankly into Taekwoon's face, her cheeks hot with embarrassment and hurt, 

 

"...i guess...I mean...i don't know if you'd use the word date because...we're just friends..." Tori whispered, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly before averting her attention to the assignment, biting the top of her pen as she fought to forget about the feelings she had acquired for Taekwoon. No matter how much Tori longed for her and Taekwoon to be more than just friends, there was no getting over the fact that he just did not see her that way. Taekwoon inhaled through his nose, his eyes trained on Tori, his rapidly beating heart increasing to a blinding speed as the anger within him boiled over, he didn't know whether he was upset with himself, or with Jaehwan, or even with Tori. He knew he should not have been upset with Jaehwan or Tori for that matter, but the jealousy that found a home in his bones made it so that the slightest thought of his friend being anywhere near Tori enraged him.

 

"So why aren't you with him? Why are you here with me?" Taekwoon asked, his voice oddly calm and pleasant despite the fact that hell was waging war on his insides. But little did he know that the question that he asked was all the answer he needed to sooth his raging emotions. 

 

Tori looked up at Taekwoon, her face flooding with an excessive amount of heat, her mind churning as she wondered why it was Taekwoon was so curious about her and Jaehwan. 

 

I dissed him because...I wanted to be with you Taekwoon... Tori thought as if Taekwoon possessed the ability to read minds. 

 

"..because i wanted to..." Tori's throat went dry as she realized she was about to spill to Taekwoon the very truth behind her turning Jaehwan away. Tori peered up into Taekwoon's eyes, her heart seizing as his piercing gaze stole her soul, his face growing closer with every passing second. There was always that one point during Tori's visitation that things became a little more personal between the two, when all boundaries for personal space were thrown out of the window, when all the things past or present were forgotten about, it was just Taekwoon and Tori. Taekwoon leaned forward, his weight on his knees, holding himself up with one hand while the other slip toward Tori's cheek, his fingers lingering over the spot where Jaehwan had kissed he, moving toward the corner where his kissed was imprinted. Taekwoon's lips were incredibly close to Tori's, his hot breath rendering the girl lightheaded and breathless. Tori held Taekwoon's gaze as he inched toward her, his thumb her supple inviting lips, 

 

"Why are you here Tori?" The pleasant sound of Taekwoon's voice on top of his close proximity was enough to make Tori pass out, her ability to form words or process thoughts gone, her ability to feel out of the window.

 

"...I-I....I...mmm..." Tori's eyes flickered to Taekwoon's lips then, her heart seconds from bursting forth from her chest. Taekwoon didn't wait for an answer from Tori, instead, he closed the gap between Tori and himself, brushing his lips against hers hesitantly, tilting his head from one side to the other, 

 

"Taekwoon I..." Tori's breath caught in when her lips brushed against his with every word she murmured, wondering why it was he had yet to press his lips into hers, why she had yet to move forward, 

 

"...don't..." Taekwoon breathed as he peered into Tori's eyes, which shut the moment his breath grazed her face, a small sigh escaping as the pressure of Taekwoon's lips against hers increased. Tori was not prepared for the kiss Taekwoon initiated, but that did not stop her from reacting to it, however, the moment Taekwoon applied more pressure to Tori's lips was the moment someone decided to call her. Tori jumped and cried out in shock at the sound of her Jay Park ringtone blaring out, echoing off of the walls, 

 

"Agh!" Tori cried out as she reached for her phone and read the screen, her body shaking from the fact that she was seconds away from locking lips with Taekwoon for a second time, her heart racing to the point that she did not even know if she could function. Tori swiped a shaking finger over her screen ignoring Jaehwan's call, closing her eyes, not wanting to look Taekwoon in the face. That lingering hand of Taekwoon's that was on Tori's cheek fell away, his lips setting into a thin white line, 

 

"...I um...it was Jaehwan..." Tori whispered, waving her phone in the air before dropping it in between her legs, hands still shaking, breaths still ragged and short, eyes b with tears. Taekwoon exhaled heavily before leaning back on his legs, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, 

 

Dammit Jaehwan! Taekwoon thought as he squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on taking slow steady breaths. Tori sat staring at the phone in her lap, eyes wide and unblinking as she thought about what almost went down between herself and Taekwoon for the second time. The tears that were threatening to fall from Tori's eyes began rolling down her cheeks at a snail pace, her silent inaudible sobs becoming louder with each second she sat in Taekwoon's presence. Tori wiped at the tears that streamed down her face, sniffling before opening to speak, 

 

"I um....I'll be right b-back...I need to umm...I need to make a call..." Tori lied as she shot to her feet and hurried to Taekwoon's door, letting herself out. Tori let the door click shut behind her before sinking down to the ground, her back pressing against Taekwoon's door, drawing her knees up to her chest and covering her face with her hands. The sobs that were but mere gasps now came out in huffs and wheezes. Taekwoon looked down at where Tori was seeing to see that her phone was on the floor, not in the corridor where she was supposedly making a call. Taekwoon got up to his feet and walked over to the door, hand resting on the knob as he prepared to open, only to stop short at the sound of sobs coming from the other side. The sound of Tori crying broke Taekwoon's heart, there was no telling what pain she was suffering because of him, one moment they were just friends and the next he is trying to kiss her. Taekwoon leaned his back against the door and sank down to the ground, tears of his own welling in his eyes but never falling, his heart breaking with every sob that exited Tori's mouth, the pain becoming unbearable.

 

"What have you done?" Taekwoon whispered as he leaned his head back against the door, shutting his eyes as he allowed Tori's pain to take host in his body, the bitterness he had toward Jaehwan, for himself, multiplying by copious amounts.

 

Tori sat outside of Taekwoon's door bawling her eyes out for ten minutes, confused as hell, wondering why Taekwoon made a move to kiss her after claiming they were just friends, wondering why she, despite his confession of their friendship, could not help but fall harder for him, wondering why it was so arduous to ignore Taekwoon. But no matter what Tori told herself, no matter what she forced herself to believe, it was always going to be harrowing for her to ignore the person she loved. 

 

What are we doing!? What are we anymore!? Are we friends!? Are me more!? or are we neither...? Tori pondered each of these question deliberately, finding not one answer for any of them, her mind hazy and empty, her temples throbbing with the headache that pressed against her skull. Tori groaned as she stood up to her feet, wiping at her eyes before placing a hand on the knob and giving it a twist. Tori stepped inside Taekwoon's place to see his head buried in the text book, his hand moving at a furious pace as he copied and answered his paragraph. 

 

Taekwoon looked up at Tori, noticing how swollen and red her eyes were, how pink tinged her nose was,

 

"Is everything alright Tori?" Taekwoon asked as if he did not already know that the problem was him,

 

"...oh um yeah, I'm alright...It was just a little chilly out..." Taekwoon nodded his head,

 

"Do you want a blanket?" Taekwoon asked looking up at Tori but only for a brief second afraid that his emotions and facial expressions may betray him.

 

"Erm...no thank you, I am good." Taekwoon peered over at Tori and shook his head,

 

"You know, if you do not feel good Tori, we can always finish the assignment tomorrow," Taekwoon said suddenly, Tori looking back at him with much intensity in her gaze,

 

"...I am alright Taekwoon....we have to...finish this project and I will stay up as long as i have to to finish it...by any chance you fall asleep while working I will just...complete it myself..." Tori said as she walked over to her spot, noticing that she had left her phone on the floor the entire time, hoping that Taekwoon did not see it while she was gone. 

 

"...did you finish your paragraph?" Tori asked, looking away from Taekwoon and to the book, taking her seat on the floor once again. Taekwoon just looked at Tori, her puffy red eyes making each heartbeat a painful one, just knowing that he was the biggest contributor to her tears made Taekwoon sick to the stomach. He had no idea what kind of influence he had on Tori until that day, until he saw first hand how much what he said or did made her react. 

 

"Yes, I di-" Tori's phone began to ring again, making the girl jump and Taekwoon groan,

 

"I'll um...be right back." Tori whispered as she peered down at the screen to see Jaehwan's name, getting up to her feet and stepping out into the corridor once more. Taekwoon wanted to toss the book that was in his hands across the room, he knew that it was Jaehwan calling her again,

 

"What could you possible want!?" Taekwoon growled as his mind lingered on the almost kiss they shared prior to Jaehwan ringing her. Taekwoon did not know how long he'd be able to hold out while Tori and Jaehwan played boyfriend and girlfriend, he did not know how long he would be able to hang on to his sanity. The sound of Tori's voice, a low murmur on the other side of the door hand Taekwoon's ears buzzing, his heart thumping, his mind hazy. Taekwoon closed his eyes as the feeling of Tori's lips so light against his made his blood run cold,

 

You can't let her...break you... Taekwoon thought as he tried to shove the thoughts he was having of Tori into the furthest depths of his mind, but it was impossible to even remotely forget about someone he had grown to love.

 

Tori ended her call with Jaehwan with a small smile on her lips, talking with him made the immense pain she was feeling dwindle some, and though the pain was not gone, at least Tori could think a bit. Tori's fingers found their way her lips, brushing over them as the feeling of Taekwoon's lips against hers chilled her bones, the threat of tears prevalent in her eyes once again.

 

Stop crying Tori! She mentally screamed to herself as she felt the tears heavy on her bottom lashes.

 

It was a mistake not going with Jaehwan. Tori thought as she wiped the tears out of her eyes and in a much needed breath, before turning toward Taekwoon's door. There was just too much heartache that came with being around Taekwoon and the more she tried to stay around and maintain a clear head about things, the more agonizing it was for Tori. She would love to say that being around Taekwoon had no affect on her, Tori would love to say that no matter what he said it was not going to change how she behaved, how she saw him in her mind. Tori wanted to say that she did not love Taekwoon, because at least then it would not pain her so much to be near him. But she could not, Tori could not say any of those things because then, then she'd be lying to herself, which was just as harmful as her being with Taekwoon.

 

What should I do? Tori thought as she pressed her hand against the door knob, there was no way things were going to be the same between herself and Taekwoon, but there was no harm in trying to pretend as if nothing changed.

 

Right? Tori opened the door and stepped back inside with that same small smile on her lips, 

 

"Is everything alright?" Taekwoon asked without looking up from the book, knowing that when he did, that he would not be able to control the barrage of emotions that came with looking at Tori, that came with being with Tori.

 

"Oh yeah everything is fine...Jaehwan was just um...," Tori paused,

 

Wondering why I ignored his call...

 

"...checking on me." Taekwoon nodded his, 

 

"Ah, i see..." Tori stuffed her hands in her pocket and walked over to the sofa where Taekwoon was sitting against, taking her seat beside but making sure to leave just the right amount of space between them so that they did not have any physical contact. Taekwoon looked at Tori as she curled herself into a ball and sat against the couch beside him,

 

Two can play at that game. Taekwoon thought as he noted how silent Tori was being, how so seemingly calm she was acting. 

 

If Tori wants to forget what almost happened between us, then so can I. Taekwoon scooted a little closer to Tori, knowing that if he over stepped his boundaries that he'd only make things worse, 

 

"Here." Taekwoon whispered as he handed Tori the book, making sure not to catch her gaze. Tori took the book and simply copied the text and wrote and answer before handing the book and paper right back to Taekwoon, who took the book with out so much as one peep. Tori and Taekwoon repeated this action for hours, neither one of them moving from their position, despite how uncomfortable they may have been, it was as if either one of them made one move the entire room would spontaneously go up in flames. Taekwoon could not stop himself from staring at Tori as she worked her sections of the assignment, his lips tugging at the corners as he watched the adorable facial expressions that came with her concentration wrinkle her face. 

 

She's so beautiful. Taekwoon thought wanting more than anything to just go over and touch Tori's cheek, her hair, to kiss her. A heavy sigh slipped past Taekwoon's lips, he didn't mean to mess things up this bad between he and Tori's relationship, he just hoped that they both could come to a resolve soon, because there was no way he was going to be able to live with himself knowing that he let the only girl he had ever come to love slip through his fingers. And all because he was too afraid to admit his feelings, all because he was too nervous to say what was clearly on his heart. Even now Taekwoon was still confused as to what to do, there was just so much happening in regards to his feelings and Tori's that it all just muddled his mind. 

 

I guess we'll just...see how things go from here...Taekwoon concluded as he tore his gaze away from Tori when he saw that she was about to turn toward him. 

 

A few more hours passed and the awkward silence that fell between Taekwoon and Tori was lifted when Taekwoon brought to Tori's attention that she did one of her passage answers incorrectly. For a second things were back to normal, Tori would smile as Taekwoon leaned into her, his body close to hers as he pointed out exactly what it was that she did wrong, that warm fuzzy feeling returning for the both of them. That's how Taekwoon wanted the day he spent with Tori to begin, to end, but he knew that was not going to happen, not anytime soon that is. Taekwoon initialed his section of the assignment before looking up to find Tori fast asleep against the couch cushion, her head resting on her knees. Taekwoon looked at his clock to see that it was little pass eleven,

 

She must have been exhausted. Taekwoon thought as he crawled toward her and outstretched his hand to nudge her.

 

"Tori...Tori wake up." Taekwoon whispered as gently shook the sleeping beauty, who stirred and moaned before falling right back into her slumber. Taekwoon shivered at the sound of Tori's moan but managed to ignore the feeling,

 

"Come on Tori, you have to go to bed." Taekwoon said again, this time standing up to his feet and leaning down to lift Tori to her feet. 

 

"Oh~ Taekwoon~" Tori moaned Taekwoon's name as he held her against him,

 

"Yah! Tori, we have to get you home and into bed." Tori's eyes fluttered open but only for a quick second as she gazed sleepily into Taekwoon's face, 

 

"..my key...my pocket..." Tori whispered before the exhaustion crashed over her again, her body going slack against Taekwoon's, whose face heated up at the thought of reaching into one of the pockets of the pants that hugged Tori's body so snugly. Taekwoon inhaled and exhaled before reaching into one of Tori's front pockets, using his other arm to keep her lifted against him, his fingers moving around in search of the key. When he did not find the key in the first pocket, Taekwoon hesitantly moved on to the next pocket, and when he did not find it in that pocket, moved to the ones on the back side of her pants. Luckily for Taekwoon, the key was hanging out of Tori's back pocket from a cute pink heart key chain. Taekwoon exhaled softly as he lifted Tori up into his arms and walked out into the corridor, shutting his door behind him before going over to Tori's place. Taekwoon had Tori's door open with in seconds, heading directly toward her room where he laid her in her bed, tugging the covers over her and pushing her hair out of her face.

 

"Good night Tori." Taekwoon murmured as he bent down and kissed her on the cheek, hating that she would never know that he did it. Taekwoon went back to his place and gathered Tori's things and brought them to her apartment, making sure everything she had brought was there in it's place in her book bag.

 

"Is that everything?" Taekwoon wondered to himself as he looked around the floors near the sofa where Tori was sitting when she fell asleep, that's when Tori's phone began to ring, catching Taekwoon off guard but not frightening him. Taekwoon grabbed the device off the floor and saw Jaehwan's name followed by a goofy picture of him pop up. Taekwoon contemplated answering the call but figured that it would be best if he just let it ring and return the phone to Tori. Taekwoon walked Tori's phone back over to her house and placed it on her nightstand before turning to leave her in peace. The door shut with a soft click, Taekwoon turning around to lock it with Tori's keys, slipping the pink heart and key into his pocket so that he would not miss place them.

 

I'l give them back to her first thing tomorrow morning. Taekwoon claimed as he walked back into his house and into his room, slipping his shirt over his head and tossing it over in the dirty clothes hamper he had sitting over by the door before laying down on his bed, resting his head on top of his hands.

 

You said it yourself Taekwoon...you and Tori are just friends... Taekwoon rolled his eyes at the sound of his voice in his head stating the lie, a sigh leaving his lips as he thought about what all happened today. 

 

What have I done? With that question lingering in his head, along with his love, Taekwoon somehow found sleep, his mind taking him to a distant and surreal place. A place where the comment he made back at the cafe was never said, a place where he and Tori were together and happy, in love, a place where things were how they were supposed to be. In this dream Taekwoon and Tori were a happy couple, the both of them drowning in their love for one another, and somewhere near, there was someone else having the exact same dream. A dream that neither one of them would ever think to come true at this point in their crumbling relationship.