Lee Yunji’s POV

Kris came around a lot after that day. He would text me his order and then he would run in to collect it. He never failed to make his visits brief, but I couldn’t complain. I considered myself lucky that I even got to see him. Hell, I was lucky to have his freaking phone number.

Every time I saw Kris, I had the urge to pinch myself just to check if it was real. That it wasn’t all a dream where in the next few seconds I would wake up disappointed. I often wondered what it would be like to one day stop seeing Kris altogether. Would I sulk? Yes. For long? That was a question I could no longer answer because of him. A few months ago there would have been no hesitation in my reply to such a question, but I was beginning to realize that Kris wasn’t so godlike.

In fact to be frank, Kris almost seemed…

Normal.

“So what do you think?”

“Huh?” I blinked in confusion. Hyejin was violently jabbing at the pearls in her tea with a deep frown creasing her face. She had a client that wanted to meet with her in half an hour and had stopped by here on the way to grab a bite.

She stopped mutilating her drink to glare at me like a murderess, “You weren’t listening to me, were you?” She gritted her teeth.

I gulped and shook my head, “O-o-of course I was.”

“Liar,” She flicked my forehead. “I was asking you whether you think Sunghwa is ever going to ask me to marry him.”

“Oh,” I popped.

Sunghwa and Hyejin had been together for…a while- apparently ever since high school. Sunghwa was a nice enough guy. He bought Hyejin flowers on her birthday and on White Day he always had a gift for her, but he didn’t do much more than that. He lived with his parents like most people our age did and had an office job like so many others. A graduate of SNU, with not much to show besides a dozen craftily cut and designed suits. He and Hyejin had been arguing over the subject of marriage for a month, and things didn’t seem to be lightening up.

“So what do you think? Is he? We’ve been together for so long,” She flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“I don’t know Unnie,” I sighed. It wasn’t a subject I could give too much advice on, because it wasn’t my area of expertise. With an awkward smile I handed her a mini strawberry tart to lighten her mood, “I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“But when?! Why can’t he ask me already? I’m not going to look young forever. My days of appeal are numbered!” She cried out in complete frustration. “I don’t want to stay with him if he isn’t serious about me.”

“Like you said, you’ve been together for a long time. I don’t think he would have stayed around for as long as he has if he wasn’t serious about you. Stop fighting with him about it, you know Sunghwa doesn’t do well under pressure,” I chewed on my lip. She stayed quiet and it made me feel as if I needed to add on to my little speech. “You need to stop worrying about the matter Unnie.”

A bitter smile appeared on her face, her eyes drifting off to her lap. Her fingers traced patterns against her bare arms, light movements that never left her skin.

“How can I not worry Yunji-ah?” She whispered. “I’ve been in this relationship for nearly a decade and we just don’t seem to be moving forward anymore.”

Awful. I felt awful, just listening to her speak so disheartened. “Don’t talk about it as if it’s over Hyejin,” I murmured.

“But it feels like it’s coming to that,” She protested. She took a bite of her tart and chewed slowly. “I know you haven’t been in a relationship for a while, so maybe you’ve forgotten what it feels like,” She rambled.

I remembered it all too well, that anxiety that would cruelly consume my soul was indescribable. I ran a hand through my hair and pursed my lips. Being reminded of my single status wasn’t exactly the greatest thing in the world.  But I brushed it off because I knew she was in one of her emotional states.

“Do you know what the hardest thing about it all is?” She asked.

For her? No. So I shook my head.

“Knowing that there are only two things that could possibly happen.”

She didn’t have to say anything else for me to understand.

That part of being in a relationship, I remembered very vividly. The fact that there was always that fear present in the back of my mind whenever I was seeing someone.

We would either break up or we would get married.

Both were daunting truths to face.

“Y-yah, what’s up with all of this heavy stuff first thing in the morning?” I sputtered with an attempt at a playful shove to her shoulder.

She stuffed the rest of the tart into and started wiping her hands on her pants. “He didn’t come over last night,” She explained in a muffled, ill-mannered way.

“Attractive,” I rolled my eyes. “You’re overreacting again Unnie,” I scolded the older woman.

“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not,” She shrugged with a glance at the clock. Slinging her handbag over her shoulder, she made a show of fixing her makeup with a compact though she hadn’t shed a tear. “I better get going. The guy I’m going to see may be a ert, but he’s loaded and we’re meant to be negotiating my commission today.”

“A ert? Lucky you,” I dryly commented.

“I know right,” She gave me an exaggerated grin. With a small wave she danced to the door, “Wish me luck with Sunghwa.”

“I will. See you,” I called after her as she left the store.

Aish. Hyejin, I wish you and Sunghwa would talk about your instead of just leaving it.

I started making the bases of the most popular types of tea I served in the café. Maximizing my time as often as I could.

“It’s empty today.”

My muscles tensed and for a moment they were paralyzed. My body was unable to move a mere inch. I wasn’t expecting to see him so early. I turned around to face the owner of the voice and was greeted with a hint of a smile.

“It’s always this empty right about now,” I replied, taking him all in.

A red cardigan was shaped by his broad shoulders while a white printed T-shirt hugged with upper torso nicely. Sunglasses were resting on the counter top before him and a wristwatch peaked out from under his sleeve.

“Really?” He leaned his elbows on the counter top, drawing his face closer to mine though a decent gap remained.

I continued on with what I was doing earlier and smiled to myself, “Yes, believe it or not Kris.”

My smile grew as I heard him chuckle from behind me. That lovely, rich chuckle.

“Is it safe to say that this is the time with the least customers?” He asked.

I reached for a new bag of sugar, “From 9:30 until 11.”

“Interesting,”

I slapped on a pair of gloves and scraped my tongue with the front row of my teeth. “So what is it going to be today?”

“Are you that eager to get rid of me?” Kris smirked.

He was teasing me and I knew it. Though I thought he was normal after most of my experiences with him, my heart never failed to beat crazily. It was a woodpecker on a spring morning. Eager, working hard for a sole purpose.

“Don’t be stupid,” I shook my head. “Now give me an order,” I gestured to my screen.

“3 large strawberry milk teas-”

“With pearls?” I interrupted. “And a can of coke?” I raised an eyebrow.

His eyes were saucers and his mouth was a hole in his face. The thick strips of hair above his eyes had hiked up half way up his forehead.

“How did you know?” He asked with a tone of pleasant surprise.

I scrunched up my face, “I pay attention.”

A moment of silence was what I was met with before Kris spoke again.

“Good to know.”

Just then my phone went off with a snippet of one of leaked versions of EXO’s WOLF, signalling that I had a message. I flushed red and fumbled my phone out of my pocket while Kris stared contently at the ground.

New Message received from Sora-unnie

Brunch on Sunday is cancelled. Jieun is going on some apartment community activity, Hyejin just got booked for some project, Minsuh doesn’t want to go out if it’s not the whole gang and Oppa said he’d like to take me out. Mianhe.

I sighed and stuffed my phone back into my pocket with a frown. We were meant to go out to the new park that had opened up 5 blocks away for a brunch picnic. Nearly everyone had been busy and it was meant to be a way for the group to reunite and get everyone up to date with what was going on in each other’s lives.

“You too huh?” A scoff left Kris.

“What?” I popped, clueless.

He mimicked the wolf howling that was set as my message alert tone and my stomach instantly twisted with knots.

“Oh. That,” I murmured. I didn’t dare to meet his gaze and chose to instead look at the pretty bare ceiling. “Yeah…” I trailed off.

“Out of all people, I didn’t expect that you would be listening to it.”

“I may refrain from some things but I’m no saint of a fan,” I poured strawberry milk tea into three cups. “Wait…” I stopped pouring the tea.

As if reading my mind, Kris said in a calm, reality-biting voice “Don’t get any ideas. I was thinking about you because Sehun wanted more bubble tea.”

He might as well have shot me in the head. Why was he so blunt at times? I scowled and made a mental note to keep my thoughts under control. “I was not thinking that,” I hissed defensively.

“Sure you weren’t. You know that the leaks are really stressing us out right?” Kris said in a tone that oozed with judgement. The shame that washed over me was immense.

Cry at home Yunji, where he can’t see your blotchy bloated tear stained face.

“Ugh,” I groaned. “Don’t tell me that, I don’t like being reminded. It makes me feel guilty,” I whined, sealing the drinks tightly.

“You kind of should,” He bluntly said. It made me feel like I was a fly that had just been swatted against the wall. Crushed. Non-essential.

I handed him his drinks in and he paid with a dance of his fingers.

“It sounds good,” I mumbled.

He knew what I was talking about, despite the subject seeming to have died long ago. “No it doesn’t. Not yet,” He laughed.

“Not yet?” I tilted my head to the side.

That smile that lit up the room appeared once again and the sunglasses took their place in front of his dazzling orbs.

“Not yet.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

It was right about then that time stopped for my day.

“I hope you enjoyed the ninth visit from your second husband,” He winked.

And then I mentally melted into gloop and died. 

Writer's Notes:

If I went straight into the romance, this wouldn't be real. I'm trying to write something real- or as real as it can get for a fanfic written by a fourteen year old girl. 
Sorry for the lack of updates. I will churn out more soon. I'm flying out to Cali next week so I'm trying to write as many chapters as I can before then so I can release them while I'm abroad. 
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Lots of love,
exoexo,
HEARTACHES <3