Flutter//Jaehyun

Chapter 4

"You pregnant? Yeah, been through that. The sickness gets better, you know." She says this while refilling an empty coffee mug of a customer who is seemingly asleep--or possibly dead, I wouldn't question it at this point. I scoff at her bold remark and narrow my eyes.

"I'm not pregnant? Jesus, Mandy." I mutter out. 

"Didn't peg you as the religious type." She laughs at her unfunny joke.

I roll my eyes and grab my stuff, making sure to snag my sad stack of 1 dollar bills of tips on the way out.

"Hey! We're still short staffed it don't matter if you're pregnant!" She bellows out to me as I rush to leave the diner.

"Taking maternity leave," I give a sarcastic smile. "See ya tomorrow, Mandy."

When I push open the door, the cool air hits my cheek and I wish to forget the overwhelming heat I felt in the diner. My eyes still stung from the emerging tears of my panic attack but wiping them, I decide to sit on the curb and wait for Jaehyun's car to pull up. I check my phone: 1:35

Why did I leave the diner early? Now i have to sit here like a damn idiot. 

"Deka?" His familiar voice springs me to my feet. "You got off of work early?"

"Why are you here early?" I say. And while sounding ungrateful, I am internally gleeful that I didn't have to sit on the dim-lit curbside and wait for a potential predator to murder me.

"Ah! I was gonna come in, get something to eat and preface our talk. It would be cute." He chuckles while pulling his wool cardigan tighter on his body. Is this a bit of embarrassment, I smell?

I decide to mess with him a bit.

"Cute? At 2 am? In a shitty diner?" I narrow my eyes at him, studying his reaction.

"Uh. Yeah, ahah. It's dumb. Lets go." 

"Where's your car?" I mumble through shivering teeth as we begin walking out of the diner parking lot and onto the dead sidewalk.

Though the days in the city were hot and populated by humming cars, the night brought out an enveloped wind which slipped easily through my thin work uniform. And of course, I forgot my jacket.

"Oh I don't have a license. I thought we could walk!" Jaehyun says, a little too optimistic. "Are you cold?"

Fucking seriously, Jaehyun?  

I decide to ignore his sweet concern as bitterness filled me from the realization that I will not be sitting in a warm car. Now I am tired and cold. 

But you're with Jaehyun, now.

I falter as a I realize that a different voice enters my thoughts just as a gust of wind slips by. A disembodied, beautiful voice. It feels as if it has spoken to me before but I am recognizing its mystifying affect now.  

I can't lose my composure again. I focus hard to make sure I'm the one who thinks, this time. So, i'm not losing my mind.

"So, why did you leave work early?" He asks, abruptly, curiosity peeking at the corner of his lips. I cringe at the thought of telling him about my near panic attack behind the crusted counter of Scratch House diner and dear Mandy spilling my sham pregnancy for the entire diner-- which to be fair is 4, maybe 6 people on a good night-- to hear. So, of course I change the subject.

"Why are you wearing a wool sweater?" I deflect. 

"Touché. But its pretty cold out, tonight." He looks at me, with what I detect is a glimmer of concern in his eyes. I want to scoff at the thought of asking for his sweater--but I can see him beckoning me with his gaze. Gross.