Hate To Date You ➤ Jake

|| A Different Kind of Comfort

Jay finally spoke, his voice lower now. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And did it ever cross your mind that maybe Jake was trying to do the right thing, too? That maybe he was terrified of hurting me?"

Jay swallowed, guilt flashing across his face. He looked away, running a hand through his hair.

I exhaled, my anger slowly giving way to something heavier. Something more painful.

"You don't get to decide who I love, Jay," I said quietly. "And you don't get to make decisions for me like I'm some helpless little girl."

His shoulders slumped, the weight of my words finally sinking in.

"I love him," I said, the words coming out softer this time. But they felt so right. Like I had always known them to be true.

Jay's head snapped up, eyes widening slightly.

For a second, neither of us spoke. The words hung between us, undeniable and unchangeable. I loved Jake. And now Jay knew it, too.

"I—" he started, but I didn't let him finish.

I shook my head, stepping back. "I don't want your apology right now, Jay. I just... I just want you to understand what you did."

Jay looked like he wanted to say something else, but I didn't give him the chance.

I turned on my heel and walked away, my heart pounding, my mind racing.

The moment I stepped into my room, I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, closing my eyes. My heart was still pounding, my chest tight with emotions I wasn't sure how to process.

Jay's words replayed in my head over and over again, but none of it mattered. He thought he was protecting me? No. All he did was break something that had barely even started.

I let out a shaky breath, running a hand through my hair.

I needed a distraction. Anything to keep me from spiraling again.

So, without thinking, I grabbed my phone and tapped on Minji's contact.

She answered after two rings. "Sooah?"

I let out a small breath, feeling some of the tension leave my body just from hearing her voice. "Hey."

"Oh my god, finally!" she exclaimed. "I was about to show up at your house and force you to talk to me."

A weak smile tugged at my lips. "I know, I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize," she said quickly. "I just—are you okay? You haven't been yourself lately. And Jay's been acting all weird too. I feel like I missed something huge."

I hesitated. I had wanted to tell her everything for days now, but I couldn't. Not when I didn't even understand what was happening myself.

But now... I needed to talk to someone. And Minji had always been my person.

I climbed onto my bed, pulling my knees to my chest. "I have a lot to tell you."

"I'm listening," she said, her voice softening.

And so, I told her.

I told her everything—how the bet had turned into something real, how I had fallen for Jake without even realizing it, how he had broken my heart that day in his room, and how I had found out the truth. I left out the part about what Jay had held over him. That wasn't my story to tell.

Minji didn't interrupt once. She just listened, letting me get everything out.

When I finally stopped talking, there was a beat of silence before she spoke.

"That idiot," she muttered.

I let out a choked laugh. "Which one?"

"All of them," she huffed. "But mostly Jay. Like, what the hell was he thinking?"

I sighed. "He thought he was protecting me."

"Protecting you from what? Being happy?" she scoffed. "I swear, boys are so stupid sometimes."

I hummed in agreement.

Minji sighed. "But... what about Jake? What now?"

I swallowed. "I don't know."

Because I didn't.

Jake and I had spent the whole day together. We had kissed, we had laughed, we had finally been us again. But none of that changed what happened. None of that changed the fact that Jay had been able to break us so easily.

"What do you want to happen?" Minji asked.

I stared at the ceiling. "I just want to be with him."

It was the most honest answer I could give.

Minji was quiet for a moment before she said, "Then be with him."

My breath hitched.

"It's not that simple," I murmured.

"Yes, it is," she insisted. "You love him. He loves you. That should be enough."

Love should be enough.

Shouldn't it?

I closed my eyes, thinking about Jake. About the way he had looked at me this morning, like I was something he was afraid to lose again. About the way he had begged me to stay the night.

About the way he had always been there, even when I didn't realize I needed him.

Maybe Minji was right. Maybe this was enough.

I exhaled, my mind feeling just a little bit lighter.

"Thanks, Min," I whispered.

"Anytime," she said softly. Then, after a pause, she added, "And Sooah?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated. "I know you probably still want to kill Jay right now, and honestly? Fair. But... he is your brother. And he loves you, even if he's a dumbass about it."

I bit my lip, my emotions twisting inside me again. "I know."

And that was the worst part.

Because no matter how angry I was at Jay, no matter how much he had hurt me... he was my brother.

And I wasn't sure how to hate him.

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A/N: we love jay <33