eclipsed | sim jaeyun

20.

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The weekend arrived quickly, bringing with it an unexpected invitation. 

rikiii😋

rikiii😋
we're going bowling saturday
u in? 

haeri🐵
who's going

rikiii😋
me
sunwoo
jake
jay
giselle nd yunjin
and jungwon if he's not busy

haeri🐵
SIGHHH
i'll go😜

—

When Saturday rolled around, I found myself regretting my decision almost immediately. The bowling alley was loud and chaotic, and the tension between Jake and me was palpable from the moment I arrived. 

"Team game!" Niki declared, clapping his hands together. "Girls versus guys." 

"No way," Yunjin said, shaking her head. "We need at least one guy on our team to make it fair." 

"Fine," Niki said. "Jake, you're with them." 

Jake's head snapped up. "What? Why me?" 

"Because you're terrible at bowling, and we don't want you dragging us down," Niki said with a grin. 

Jake glared at him but didn't argue, and before I knew it, he was standing next to me, holding a bright orange bowling ball. 

---

The game turned out to be more fun than I'd expected. Jake wasn't as terrible at bowling as Niki claimed, but he wasn't exactly a pro either. Watching him fumble through his turns was unexpectedly entertaining, and by the end of the first round, the tension between us had started to ease. 

"You're not bad," I said as he returned from the lane, a faint smile tugging at my lips. 

"Not bad?" he repeated, feigning offense. "I just got a spare." 

"Exactly," I teased. "Not bad." 

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue, and for a moment, it felt like old times again—before everything got complicated. 

As the night went on, I found myself laughing more than I had in weeks. Jake's quick wit and dry humor were impossible to resist, and I caught myself glancing at him more often than I should. 

But every time our eyes met, I was reminded of the invisible wall between us, the unspoken words that hung in the air like a weight. 

When the game ended, Jake walked me to the exit while the others lagged behind, still arguing over scores. 

"Did you have fun?" he asked, his tone casual. 

"Yeah," I admitted. "It was nice." 

He nodded, his gaze flickering to the ground. "We should do this again sometime. Just us." 

I glanced at him, surprised by the softness in his voice. "Maybe." 

He looked up then, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, it felt like the rest of the world had faded away, leaving just the two of us standing in the glow of the streetlights. 

But before either of us could say anything, Jungwon's voice called out, shattering the moment. 

"There you are! Come on, we're getting ice cream!" 

Jake stepped back, his expression guarded once again. "See you around, Haeri." 

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me standing there with a whirlwind of emotions I couldn't begin to untangle. 

-

Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, but my mind wouldn't let me have it. Thoughts of Jake—his laughter, the way he'd looked at me under the streetlights—lingered far too long, seeping into every quiet moment. 

I spent the morning with Yunjin and Giselle, catching up on homework at a café. Yunjin seemed determined to draw out more details about the bowling night. 

"Was it awkward being on the same team as Jake?" she asked, stirring her iced Americano with a straw. 

"It was fine," I said vaguely. 

"Fine?" Giselle arched an eyebrow. "That's it?" 

"What do you want me to say?" I sighed. 

"That you two didn't bicker for once," Yunjin said. "It's progress." 

Giselle leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Be honest, Haeri. Do you think there's a chance he likes you?" 

I froze, my pen halting mid-sentence. "No. Why would you even say that?" 

"Oh, come on," Yunjin said. "It's so obvious he treats you differently." 

"Differently how?" 

"For starters, he doesn't tease anyone else as much as he teases you," Giselle pointed out. 

"That's because he enjoys annoying me," I countered. 

"Or," Yunjin said with a smirk, "it's because he likes the attention he gets from you." 

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