Since we were kids, we were always called marshmallow and cheesecake. I carried around a bag of marshmallows and somehow my friend, Daehyun, always seemed to have a plate of cheesecake at hand. I was always the chubby one but Daehyun never seemed to grow chubby which I envied a lot. He was actually as thin as a lizard so other than marshmallow and cheesecake, we were called "bat and ball". These names always seemed to make me cry as a kid. I was weak that way but it never phased Daehyun. He seemed to just shrug all of their comments and move on. He would sometimes notice me crying so he ended up bringing along a huge pair of head phones and put it on me so that I would ignore all their comments. It worked though. I got by and somehow moved on as well.

When I reached middle school, I was no longer chubby since I lost all my baby fats and Daehyun wasn't as thin anymore. After eating a lot and playing a lot of sports, he ended up becoming quite firm and girls started noticing him. It was weird for me to even think women would think of him that way. He was my Daehyun. The cheese cake loving guy I always hung out with. But enough about him. I also met the person I really liked during my first year of middle school. His name was Jang Wooyoung and apparently he liked me too which was an even greater luck for me.

There was a series of flirting and romantic moments but then, it all came to an end when Wooyoung had to leave for America. We were actually crazy enough to even think of eloping but we didn't because we were scared of bitter possibilities so in the end, he left and I stayed.

I hopelessly waited for him. Yeah, I was really hopeless. During my years without him, I started hanging around my friends, Suzy and Jiyeon more.they were great company and they understood me a lot as a girl. Sometimes during the summer, I would hang out with Daehyun. I spent most of my summer with him to be honest since Suzy and Jiyeon were out of town for most of the break. 

Both of us would sit in silence or eat watermelon and ice cream. We would watch re-runs of dramas or sing while doing chores. I sort of missed hanging out with him since we barely hung out during our middle school years. He was busy with his friends and I was too busy with my life. Summer was a nice throwback for us and it was when I realized, I actually missed him. 

We then started our high school year. Daehyun and I became classmates. Coincidentally, we were also seat mates. It was nice to know he never changed though. He still liked eating during class hours and he slept a lot too. It was weird how I was so familiar and comfortable with him than with any other guy. Even more comfortable than I was with Wooyoung but I figured it was just because we grew up together and we were practically siblings. 

Daehyun and I were classmates for the whole high school year which was a real surprise for me. Then again, I didn't complain. 

One day though we decided to hang out and things started to get pretty awkward. We were at his house since we hung out in my house yesterday. We were at his living room, lying on the mat like we usually did. We always had conversations while lying down but somehow this turned out differently as events came.

"Hey, why is it that you don't have a boyfriend up until now? Your locker is practically flooded with love letters and I'm pretty sure you've had like three confessions per month."

I laughed at his remark because it was sorta true. It was sorta peculiar how he was so observant of my every action. Even during those times I like Wooyoung, Daehyun seemed to know more about my feelings than he did. 

"I'm waiting for someone" I told him.

"Who?" He lied.

I knew he did because he always saw me whenever I was with Wooyoung. I would try to greet him whenever we would meet at public places but he always ignored me and pretended like he didn't see me. 

"Secret" I teased with a smile.

"Stingy" He remarked.

"Feel like buying ice cream?" He asked.

"Alright. Your treat?"

"No way" he stood up then pulled me up to stand.

 We then went on our way to the nearest ice cream shop. I got peach flavored and he got cheesecake flavored. I never thought there was such a thing and the scene amused me a lot that it was somewhat embedded in my mind. 

After that, we took a bus and headed to the beach. After Daehyun finished his ice cream, he ended up sleeping, leaning his head on my shoulder. He was still a kid after all. Even if he started getting a lot of confessions from girls and looked more mature, he was still the same old Daehyun. 

When we arrived, I woke him up and we walked along the shoreline. The place was so tranquil and nice.

"Hey Daehyun, let me ask you, why haven't you dated?"

"No reason" he replied.

"Are you gay?"

He snorted. "No, just afraid of getting hurt, I guess."

"You're such a kid." I remarked.

"Just because I never asked anyone out, doesn't mean I've never loved anyone." He told me.

"Yeah, but-" 

I was cut short when he started grabbing my hand and pulled me closer, positioning us to dance. His phone began playing to Taeyang's (my favorite idol *^*) I need a girl. We started dancing along the shore and to be honest, it was fun. In those short minutes, I studied Daehyun's profile. He really looked different from before and I noticed his boyish charms now. The way he intensely looked at you whenever he was serious, how his grip was sort of firmer now and how he was extremely taller than me. I then snapped out of it when. I noticed my heart was thumping. Then, events turned even more awkward when the song ended and transitioned to another.

He pulled me in closer and whispered,

"Just forget him and be mine." 

Luckily, I was quick to register in these types of situations. I quickly pecked him on the cheek and smiled, "Sorry, but I really can't" then quickly pulled away.

Then, he started laughing. "I was just joking. Fell for it didn't you?"

I didn't know why my blood was boiling. I actually expected it from him. He really didn't change.

"You can be an actor, congratulations."

"I know." He said.

Then silence.

"What if I wasn't lying?" 

"Cut it out Dae," I retorted in an annoyed manner.

"Yea yea, let's go" He walked ahead without turning back. And in that moment,  I was second guessing if he was actually playing with me or not.

Days passed and Daehyun and I never got to meet after the beach incident. Whenever I would go to his house, his mother always told me he was out with his friends or he was out doing errands. I knew she was lying because the walls that separated us from our rooms (yes we were neighbors) were paper thin and I could hear his computer. Why was he even avoiding me?

Coincidentally, Suzy asked me to hang out with her the day before classes. I then told her about my situation with Daehyun. She ended up face palming at the end of my story telling and gave me a frustrated look.

"He obviously likes you. No wonder he's been avoiding you the whole middle school year. It's because he was hurt the whole time. Ugh, that coward."

"Uhhhh....I think you're completely mistaken."

"Think about it Jieunnie, you seriously have to move on. I mean don't you deserve happiness too? Isn't that what Wooyoung told you? To be happy while he was away"

"I don't think that remark involves me being with my best friend instead of him"

"Look," she took out her phone.

I saw Wooyoung holding a girl with a matching post saying she was his girlfriend. I was crestfallen. I stood up from my seat and stalked out of the vicinity

"Wait, Jieunnie! Ugh!"

I stayed in my room the whole day. My mom tried knocking on my door but  I wouldn't let her in. I wanted to be alone. I didn't want anyone to talk to me for a while. I didn't know why my love life ended just like that. I waited for him but I guess, he was never really coming back.

My window suddenly opened and Daehyun came in, holding yogurt in his hand.

"Here."

He handed me one.

"Go away, you've been avoiding me. You think I don't hear your computer from these paper thin walls? Just leave me alone will you?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "You don't need to tell me. Suzy told me....and well, you don't need to talk to me. You can just eat this and cry your heart out."

I took one more look at him and his earnest expression. I took the yogurt from him and ate.

We sat inside in silence. It wasn't awkward. It was comfortable silence. The silence we always had whenever we hung out. The kind that made me warm inside.

And at that instance, I realized that Daehyun's presence was way different than Wooyoung's. It was different because his felt more like home.

Classes started and we continued with our usually friendship. And with those days we spent together, I realized how much his presence was really important to me and how it had always been marshmallow and cheesecake. The two of us against the world.

"What's this?" He held a letter in his hand with my name written at the bottom of the envelope.

"Obviously, it's a love letter."

"I know what it is but......it's so vague..."

"What?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"What do you think do you say in a love letter?"

He smiled in defeat. "I get it."

"So what?"

"Took you long enough." He smiled and pecked my cheek.

And as it should be, it will forever be marshmallow and cheesecake.