𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟒 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬

{Chapter 3: Party}

"What do you mean my card's empty?"

Beep. I tap once more and the scanner just glows red, declining my card. Things just keep getting worse, don't they? I let out a mixed sigh of defeat and annoyance, but I reach for my wallet anyways.

Beep. The scanner makes a faint beep behind me. It must be the other passenger. I must be holding up the line.

Beep. I notice the one behind me swipes again. I turn around, confusion present in my face. I have to admit, I am not disappointed.

"This one's on me." Soobin tells the bus driver and turns to leave, passing me by. I stand there, still in daze and a whole lot grateful for him showing up. Thankfully, I manage to get off before the bus doors close.

His black button-up hangs loosely over his white shirt. He's wearing black pants and surprisingly the same black Converse I had on. I never thought that black would look so good on him. Well, actually he looks good on everything.

Um! I did not mean it that way.

As I mentally debate with myself, I hear Soobin call out, snapping me back to real life. "Are you coming or not?"

I then notice that I'm just standing out in the open. I give him a nod and jog to catch up beside him. I really should have worn leggings, I'm freezing. Ugh, the many things I have to give up to look stylish. Silence envelopes the two of us as we walk towards the big mansion. As we step closer, the music beats louder and louder.

Wait a minute.

We're walking. Together. Right now. To the party. I guess one way or another, I really did end up coming with him. I bite my lip to stop my uncontrollably growing smile. I decide to speak up.

"I thought you said you weren't coming." I blurt out, mentally face-palming at myself. "Um— not that I'm complaining that you're here."

"I didn't exactly say that I wasn't coming," He laughed. For the second time. "I guess something made me change my mind."

After what seems like forever, the two of us are finally at the front porch. The music is blasting everywhere. There are lots of people dancing inside, it almost feels like there's an earthquake going on. I stop in front of the door and look down at my toes. I probably shouldn't have come.

But before I could even say or do anything, Soobin grabs me on the wrist and opens up the door. The music went up even louder.

Everyone— and I mean, everyone— stops what they're doing and looks at me. At us. I look at my arm and realize that he's still holding my wrist. He seems pretty casual about it though.

"Hey— Oh, hey Soobin." Taehyun greets. His eyebrows furrow, but his mouth forms into a knowing smile. "I thought you weren't coming. What happened to the important thing you needed to do?"

"Well, um..." Soobin gently lets go of my wrist and puts his hands inside his pockets. "Yeah, it's been taken care of. Happy Birthday, dude."

Soobin's small lips forms into a genuine smile as he hugs Taehyun. And then I realize I've been standing here like an idiot. I greet him. "Happy Birthday, Taehyun."

He turns to me and shows a wide smile. "I honestly didn't recognize you earlier! You look different— amazing different!"

"Um, thanks!" I shout, but my voice is drowned out by the music. I feel my cheeks reddening by the second.

"Well, thanks for coming. If you're looking for Beomgyu, he's with some senior girl at the second floor." With a drink in hand, he points to the stairs.

"I'm sure he's pretty busy." I laugh, anxiety present in my voice. I had nowhere to go, but I didn't want to ruin Beomgyu's moment. I'm not exactly in the mood to be third-wheeling.

"Mind you, she came here with me." Soobin moves beside me. Taehyun's mouth form into a small o, before bursting into laughter. He waves goodbye before disappearing into the crowd. "Have fun!"

And it was just him and I. We stand there awkwardly, looking at the people dancing around us. I shift my weight from one foot to the other. I think I heard Soobin say something.

"What?" I yell amid the noise.

"What?" He shouts back. I laugh, because none of us can understand what we were saying. He points to the kitchen. "Let's go somewhere quieter!"

He grabs me by the wrist, a gesture that I have yet to get used to, and guides me through the ocean of people. Thank goodness he's in front of me, otherwise he'd witness the annoying blush on my face.

Once we reach the kitchen, I instantly pick up the mouth-watering scent of pepperoni pizza. Sitting on the counter is Yeonjun, one of Taehyun's friend. He holds up a slice, and asks, "Pizza?"

I nod, grateful that he asked, and he sets the slice on a small plate. He hands the plate to me and looks beside my figure. Mmm. The taste is heavenly. "Soobin! I thought you—"

"Yes, I'm already here. Get over it." He rolls his eyes in annoyance. Yeonjun raises an eyebrow at his impolite response and Soobin's cheeks shows a faint tint of red. "S-Sorry, a lot have been asking me that lately."

He just laughs it off and turns to me. Yeonjun snickers. "You should really get used to his behavior. He's so moody."

I giggle at his remark, taking a bite out of my pizza, and Soobin scratches the back of his head, showing a small smile. So this is him outside of school, huh? This side of Soobin has been surprising me a lot recently. I actually like him better this way. Well, I liked him at the first place. I-I mean— Not the like-like kind of like, but just like— Oh, what am I even talking about?

"Drink?" Yeonjun hands me a red plastic cup. I set my plate down and shake my head.

"I don't really drink..."

"Relax," he laughs, showing his boxy smile. "It's just iced tea. We're not allowed to drink here."

"Oh," I flush, taking the cup from his hands. "Thanks."

The music dies down all of a sudden and the three of us looks over at the living room. The crowd cheers and Yeonjun jumps down from the counter. "Oh, you guys can't miss this! They're playing a game of spin the bottle!"

Soobin shrugs. "Not really in the mood."

"Come on!" Yeonjun rolls his eyes, but practically begs us anyway. "Stop being such a killjoy. This is a party! You're supposed to have fun on parties!"

Soobin sighs, searching for another way out. He looks at me and back at the desperate guy in front of us. "I'll join if she joins."

Now all eyes were on me, waiting for my decision. I turn a questioning gaze to Soobin. He looks so calm and collected, as if he already knows that I'll decline. Well, let's prove him wrong. It set a fire inside of me. A daring one. I smile. "Sure. Let's play."

"YES!" Yeonjun puts his fist up in the air. "That's the spirit! You know, you should really learn from her, Soobin."

"Let's go!" Yeonjun grabs both of our hands and drags us to the living room.

Soobin looks at me like I've lost my mind. He probably can't believe I'd take such a leap and honestly it surprised me too.

I guess we'll just see how this goes.