Ahn Taera’s POV

                “I’ll go take a new bottle of bath gel downstairs first,” I said out loud to Jonghoon who was sitting in front of my laptop. He didn’t seem to hear me – I wonder what he was doing with it. I returned back not long after that and straight went to the bathroom to prepare his bath. Once foam started to fill the tub, I checked the water temperature. I decided it was okay and called out for him, telling him his bath has ready.

                No response.

                “Jonghoon?” I called out again as I stepped out from the bathroom. He was still in front of my laptop, his face looking serious and…mad? I felt myself frown as I took steps closer to him. Thoughts floating in my head of possibilities of his anger – although I’m not sure if he really was angry. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder from back as I called out his name again, much softer this time.

                “Jonghoon-ah, wae?” I asked him. I turned to where his gaze was fixated to – the laptop screen. And when I did, I wish I didn’t.

                “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, almost inaudible. His voice portrayed a mixture of hurt and anger. I felt myself hyperventilated as my mind tried to look for the most suitable answer – or precisely, excuses. I don’t know why I didn’t tell him that Jaeseop Oppa was going for the business trip together with Miss Yoon and me. Was it because I know he won’t allow me to go if he knows? Or was it because I felt that it was nothing to worry about? Or worse yet, did I do it as my little revenge to Jonghoon’s cheating? I mentally shook my head at the third thought – no, that was certainly not it.

                “Why didn’t you tell me that he’ll be going with you guys?”

                “Because I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

                “Not a big deal?! You made a big fuss of me seeing Bichi noona once, and you’re saying that going on a business trip with your ex for one whole month is not a big deal?! Great rational you have there, Ahn Taera.” He shrugged my hands that were wrapped around his shoulder off, stood up from his previous position to look at me in the eyes. His teary eyes portrayed hurt of betrayal – and it hurt me more to know that it was because of me.

                “He is not my ex. We weren’t in a relationship, okay? Just friends.” I said calmly. I tried to touch his hand but he shook me off.

                “Friends? Yeah right. He clearly did court you when you guys were at States,” he snickered, sending me an accusing glance.

                “Okay, fine! Maybe he did have feelings for me, but it doesn’t mean that I’ve feelings for him too!” My voice was getting louder by each word uttered.

                “If you don’t, you won’t have accepted the necklace that he has given before, Taera,” he mocked. Truth to be told, this was the first time I’ve seen him mad. After all those years of being friends and married to him, not once have I seen him getting angry – he was the one who sulked, not mad. I remembered Jaejin told me how scary Jonghoon was when he got angry once.

                “It was my birthday present, Jonghoon. Besides, ‘J’ could have been the initial to many people – even you and Jaejin,” I said, referring to the necklace’s pendant.

                “And I’ve returned it back to him after you told me to do so.”

Jonghoon’s POV

                “And I’ve returned it back to him after you told me to do so,” she murmured lowly. It clicked my mind not long after that that I did ask her to return the necklace back and promised to buy her a new one – the one with the same letter as its pendant. When she argued that the ‘J’ could be Jaeseop, Jonghoon or even Jaejin, I said that the only person could be represented by the pendant is the giver.

                Now that I was reminded of it, she has never received the necklace I promised because I never thought she would obey my words.

                Silence filled the air.

                “Look Jonghoon. I really, really don’t have any feelings for Jaeseop oppa. I don’t love him; I don’t like him romantically. Trust me, please?” she pleaded. She took my hand in hers, trying to convince me. I heaved a deep sigh.

                “How am I supposed to believe that you don’t love him if I don’t even know who do you actually love?”

                Her hands fell.

And I finally have time to write :)