The sound of the music playing for the show was beating against his ears and Zen leaned against the chair, closing his eyes. The rap played ongoingly in his head and he his lower lips before reaching for his phone, glancing at the time. _____ was gone for ten minutes, that was abnormal for her. He sighed and continued to wait before the door slammed open and he saw his best friend stride in with an intense look on her face (not like she wasn’t always intense, which she was.). He raised an eyebrow at her, tilting his head to the side, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “What has gotten your into a twist?” He joked, seeing the look on her face. Her eyebrows her knotted and she was pacing back and forth, her slim body constantly moving.   Emotional turmoil, Zen thought, as he observed the way she was acting. Of course it had to be something like that, it was the only reason why someone like her would act this way.   “Well…” Zen’s voice trailed. “Are you going to tell me or are you going to keep it away from me and tell me like a year later like you always do?” She raised a hand to him, while breathing, her lips in a straight line- a sign for him to shut up. After a few minutes of him staring curiously at her, she put her hand down and started pacing the room again. “I talked to Mark.” She mumbled under her breath and Zen leaned forward, not getting out of his chair because he was lazy- but damn, was she talking so softly. “What?” He asked. “I talked to Mark.” She repeated, her body stopping in the middle of the room. Zen nodded, waiting for her to go on but when he didn’t he sighed. “So? Are you going to tell me or is the that you talked to him? Because that would be one boring story.”   “He said he liked me!” “......” Zen blinked, tilting his head to the side as he listened to her ramble. “He said he liked me and that he can’t stop thinking about me!” She threw her hands in the air, obviously exasperated before she turned to him with accusement in her eyes. “Are YOU in love with me too?”   Woah. Okay.   “Yes. Yes, ______, I am in love with you. How’d you not realize that all these years?” He replied, the look on his eyes deadpan. She froze and her eyes scanned his face before she relaxed and watched as her best friend explode into fits of laughter. “Jesus, Zen. This is not the time to joke!” She raised her voice, her cheeks red and he chuckled, motioning her to come closer. “Honestly, I’m not even surprised. I told you he liked you.” He spoke regarding Mark and I growled at him before he smiled. “So what is it that’s stressing you out? The fact that he confessed and now everything will be awkward?”   Her eyes grew big and she turned to him, like she just figured something out and that it was the worst thing she had thought of all day. “RIGHT?! Won’t we be awkward from now on? Zen, why did he have to say anything?” “Because, unlike you, people actually like feeling emotions, you robot.” Zen answered, rolling his eyes at her lack of EQ. “What did he say?”   She frowned and looked down, remembering what Mark said and how she reacted, recalling everything she could to Zen without sparing any details.   “What do you mean by that, Mark?” She asked, her voice uneven for she feared what he would say. “I mean- I like you, _____-ssi.” He answered, clarifying her worst fears and he took one step closer to her. “I mean I keep thinking about you, what you’re doing, how you’re doing and who you’re with. I just can’t stop thinking of you and it’s horrible and nice at the same time because when I do get to talk to you… It’s the best feeling in the world.” “........” She stared blankly at him, her face with no expression. They stood like that for a good long while before she cleared and blinked one more time before speaking, her voice stiff. “So…. Mark…. What do you-” She paused, finding the words to fit her sentence before continuing for what people call a “textbook question”. “What do you want me to do with this kind of information?” Mark looke