when the stars align | sim jaeyun

33.

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The days after our kiss were a little lighter. There was no pressure, no expectation. We didn't force anything, and that made everything feel easier. I found myself looking for Jake in the halls, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

We started talking more—really talking. The kind of conversations we hadn't had before, not the teasing, not the banter, but real, honest moments. I learned things about him I never had before. Like how he used to play soccer before he joined the football team, or how he liked to cook in his free time. He wasn't just the cocky jock anymore, and I wasn't just the perfect, put-together girl. We were something else, something raw and real, and for the first time, it felt right.

I didn't expect to fall for him the way I did. I didn't expect to let him in, to let myself be vulnerable with him. But each day, I found myself feeling more and more like maybe we were meant to be more than what we had been.

It was one afternoon, when Jake showed up at my house. I was in my room, getting ready to study for a test, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called absentmindedly, assuming it was one of my friends.

But when the door opened, it was Jake, standing there with a shy, almost unsure smile on his face.

"Hey," he said softly, like he wasn't sure if he was intruding.

I blinked at him, momentarily thrown off guard. "Jake? What are you doing here?"

"Your mom let me in.. and I, uh... I wanted to see you," he said, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

I raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at my lips. "You wanted to see me? To what? Tease me some more?"

Jake grinned, but there was a warmth in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. "No, not this time. I just wanted to spend some time with you. If that's okay."

I felt a flutter in my chest at his words. I had never expected Jake to show up at my house like this, and yet, here he was, looking more vulnerable than I'd ever seen him.

"Yeah, of course," I said softly. "You can stay for a bit."

He stepped into my room, the door clicking softly behind him, and for a moment, it was just the two of us. No more games, no more pretending. Just Jake and me, two people who were still figuring out what this—whatever this was—meant.

And for the first time, I wasn't scared. I wasn't scared to take this step, to see where it would lead. Because maybe, just maybe, I didn't need to have all the answers right now. Maybe I just needed to enjoy the moments with Jake, one step at a time.

He walked over to my bed and sat on the edge, looking around my room with a curious glint in his eye. "Nice place you've got here. It's... cozy."

I laughed, a little nervous but feeling the tension between us start to fade. "Thanks. It's nothing special."