FLOWER | Winrina

Chapter 36

"You're crazy," Aeri said, narrowing her eyes at Minjeong, who was fiddling with her hands in her lap. Her legs were crossed as she sat in the middle of the brunette's bed. Aeri was sitting at her desk, having turned away from her schoolwork to face her friend. "It's not going to be that bad."

"But her mom is crazy, A!" Minjeong exclaimed. "For all I know, this is all a ploy so that she can murder me! Do you have any coffee?"

"No," Aeri deadpanned, even though she obviously did. Minjeong huffed, crossing her arms. "Look, Minjeong. You're allowed to be nervous-like, it's almost kind of like your first real-time meeting her mom. The other two times were totally not legit. But here's the thing - it really doesn't matter what Jimin's mom thinks about you. That girl loves you probably more than she cares about her mother. Not to mention, how could anyone not love you?"

"Thanks," Minjeong bounced back, rolling her eyes.

Aeri rolled hers right back. "Min! You can't be all freaked out when you go over there for dinner! Jimin will die if you're freaking out! This is like her reunion with her mom, and you need to be her rock. She'd do the same for you if your mom randomly appeared. And if she was nervous about it, she'd pretend like she wasn't. And if you even think about telling her that you can't go-"

"I'm not going to lie so that I don't have to go, Aeri," Minjeong interrupted.

"I didn't think you were, but you've done crazier things," Aeri claimed, though her voice was slightly teasing now. "Look, it's going to be fine. When do you have to be over there?"

"Well, dinner is in two hours," Minjeong answered, "but I told Jimin that I would come over an hour earlier. She's really nervous."

A smile of encouragement appeared on Aeri's face. "Everything's going to be fine, alright? Even if her mom does have a secret ploy to murder you, I don't think Jimin would let it happen. And if it all goes really badly for some reason, say you have to go to the bathroom and text me and I'll keep you from destroying their coffee machine."

Minjeong tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing. "I don't understand the coffee machine thing."

"You're clueless, you know?" Aeri said, laughing suddenly. "Actually, though, to be honest, I didn't even notice until Jimin pointed out that first time I got her to be all mushy about you to me."

"Wait, what?" Minjeong asked, even more confused now. "Pointed what out?"

"You only drink coffee when you're nervous, and Jimin thinks it's adorable," Aeri answered. "Have you really never realized that you only crave coffee when you're in the middle of freaking out about something that's happening or that you have to do?"

Minjeong's lips turned into a small frown that was probably near to a pout. "No. I guess I just thought I was somehow more tired on days that I had to do important things." Aeri let out a loud laugh again. "Clueless. But I mean, Jimin can see right through to your inner soul, so it doesn't surprise me that she noticed."

Minjeong thought to argue that Jimin couldn't see into her soul, but she knew it would be a lie. Jimin was the best person at reading her, and Minjeong knew it even if the dark-haired girl didn't comment every time she made some realization. It was the look in those brilliant brown eyes, the one that just said "I understand, don't worry", and obliterated the worry that Jimin might not know what she meant.

"If you need to go back to your house to get all primped for your meeting with the Evil Queen, might wanna go now, so you don't leave your girlfriend waiting in fifty minutes," Aeri suggested, turning back to her desk and her schoolwork.

"The Evil Queen?" Minjeong questioned.

"Yuuto and I started calling Jimin's mom that. Comes from the fact that he calls Jimin Princess, I guess," Aeri answered, shrugging. "Hopefully she'll be able to effectively obviate that title. For your sake and Jimin's."