The most dreadful part of having a Mom in the house for the first time that she was more meticulous when it comes to cleaning to prepare yours for her coming visitors tonight. And because you had the absolute worst luck of being the eldest, you were supposed to help her more often than not.
And just to not be fair to you - she actually wakes you up so early in the morning at a sembreak while Daniel is living his life still asleep until at noon. Maybe you need to look into his things that would help increase your luck. If only your mom knew, you're getting sick of waking up too early when you could still dream of Tom Holland in your sleep.
Continuing to dust off some of the appliances in one of the guest rooms, you squatted down a bed and began a thorough inspections under. Satisfied and making a note to say to Mom that your task is done, you rose to your feet quickly and pick up the rag from the floor. But, spying the person appearing up in the doorway, you slowed your steps slightly.
Your mom stood there, looking around the room as if to make sure you do your job correctly. "Aren't you scared, Y/N?", she asked after a long moment, taking you by surprise.
"Scared?", you repeated, watching her carefully.
She gestured at your figure, then to the loud laughters of Jungwon from the kitchen, "Of everything about him and the other boys?"
"I was at first", you confessed it with a shrug, finding it easy to open up to her. "But it's something you kind of have to get over or else I'll be hiding now in my hole. I'm not really scared anymore. Besides, this boys were all nice to me in their own ways"
You waited for her to say something: whether she would be continuing the conversation or ending it. She needed to say something for this progress because you really did need to answer to whoever is texting in your phone, causing for it to vibrate in your back pocket.
Eventually she did speak. "But I'm sure you're still scared of some factors and that's why you haven't made up your mind.. yet"
"To what factors, Mom?"
There was a smile in her mouth, barely there and flickering away before she says, "I mean, you're scared of hurting some of them because you only need to choose one, not all. You're a damn heartbreaker, Y/N"
"Which couldn't be avoided", you insisted, a bit surprise at the awe in your mom's voice. Like the thing you were talking about is surprising.
Slowly, hesitantly, you started to walk towards the living room and she followed you. "Regardless, I'm just here to say that things like this doesn't end well"
"How?"
She nodded and this time, her smile completely fades. "You said you already have a fake boyfriend named Heeseung and that they don't really know about that is not real, but they're still going for you"
"Well, I never told you that I revealed it to Jay this one time", you admitted, and shrugs again, evading her eyes that were insistent on watching you.
"This is a side of you that I never expected", she commented when you finally got to sit at the couch. She lingered before you and the two of you listened to the noises from the kitchen. "But I supposed because you're already a grown up and when I was your age, I'm confused as you are"
"Does it really makes sense in the end?", you murmured absentmindedly, counting a minute to fish out your phone. Heeseung and Jake was messaging you at the same time.
Heeseung:
Can I take you here at our house? I'm still alone as of the moment.
I just want to hang out.
Jakey:
Are you really going out on a date with Sunghoon?
When we would we have one?
From in front of you, your mom spoke up, getting the gist of it from your smile alone. "Maybe I could allow you to hang out with one of them just this once", you turned curiously towards her, watching as a confident smile flickered over her features. "We'll see who you really want between this two today"
And as soon as she said it, it was as though a tidal wave of realization had been released within you.
"I know now who", you whispered, and your fingers physically twitched of it's own accord, closing around the phone as you finally let it reply to the one you choose for today.
You believe that this pull of this boy merely isn't curiousity or attraction, but something that runs much, much deeper than that.
You had been hesitant to try, but with the support of your mom in this situation, you couln't resist him at all.
💌 _________________________________ 💌
The next hour found you knocking on his front door and Heeseung was smiling at first, but it began to shake the second he spotted your mom at your dad's car. With mild curiousity between the two of them, you watched and expected Mom to step out to lighten the atmosphere, but she just waved at him and Heeseung was left to waved at her in return before she drove away, not without reminding you to go at home early.
Heeseung stood on their doorstep after that, a mug of something in his hands before he pulled you inside and locked the door. His mouth parted as if to speak and you contemplated calling your mom to come get you back in the car.
"That's a surprise", he said finally, raising the mug to his lips. "Is it really okay for her knowing that you'll be alone with me here?"
"I trusted you", you answered and it was explanation enough. It was definitely an off statement, given the quizzical furrows of his brows. "I trust you Heeseung to not do anything that I may not want to me"
"Great, just let me bring this to the kitchen and we can go watch Netflix in my room"
And that was the start of something new between the two of you as you found yourself next sitting on the carpeted floor of his room, your back against the side of his bed. Heeseung was now choosing among the selection of movies, repeatedly avoiding the romantic ones.
"Do you think if a guy and girl have been dating in Highschool, they would automatically be together until the end?", you asked, taking a sip of the lemon juice that Heeseung handed you a minute ago.
Heeseung looks away from the screen, suddenly interested. He tosses the remote aside and says, "Why? Are you thinking that maybe it could happen to us if you'll agree to me?"
"No, it's just about my mom and dad, you see", you smiled wryly before admitting, "They've been dating eversince then and it makes me wonder"
He glanced away then, eyes settling somewhere far beyond your shoulder and seemingly staring off into his space. "What makes you wonder?"
You shouldn't have asked. You should've kept it to yourself. But you asked, anyway, "What if I find my own highschool sweetheart among you?"
He looked at you then, holding your eyes for a fraction of second before he was looking away again and staring at your hand. Slowly, like he was ashamed of being judged, he confessed, "I don't really want to talk about that, but I wish it was me and yet I know, it can be the others instead of me"
"What makes you think that I wouldn't choose you?"
He just laughs, but it sounds too fake in your ears. "Jungwon will win, I'm sure of that", he says, pushing away from the bed and puts his head in your lap, and you go completely still.
You try to make your voice sound normal as you say, "You're in a really strange mood nowadays"
He raises an eyebrow at you. "What kind of mood am I in?", he asked, which surely doesn't help your nerves insides. "Is it because I am too serious today?"
"No, you're not forcing me into anything anymore", you say and he laughed for real this time at the reminder.
"I guess I don't want to scare you away from me", he closes his eyes and snuggles agaisnt you, as if it was just a normal thing. "Sing me a lullaby, Y/N"
For a long moment, he layed in your lap, his head propped up to look at your face and watching you. You held his eyes, seemingly unable to look away. You weren't certain you wanted to, either. He breathed out slowly, and extended a hand towards you. You watched, mesmerised, as he trailed a soothing finger over your cheeks.
But there was something almost calming about the way his gentle touch mapped out your skin.
"What are you thinking about?", you asked softly to him.
"Us", he admitted slowly, like he was confused at your question. It wasn't the same, but he breathed out and finally drew his hands away. "I'm glad I got your letter, that I got to be with you like this"
"Even if we didn't really speak much about all these years?"
"Even then", he offered you a smile, one you returned. "We've must make a difference if only I tried to talk to you, though"
"Well, it's not like we can't turn back time. It's too impossible"
He scoffed a laugh, "You can say that again", and suddenly you were wishing you hadn't say anything at all.
And without another word, he just return to searching movies again in Netflix, the weight of his words ringing loud in the silence that crashed down on you like the waves of a deepest ocean.
A part of you hoped he wouldn't come talk about that topic again. Another part of you wanted to get to know him more.
💌 _________________________________ 💌
Following on from your afternoon with Heeseung, you didn't expect to actually find Jake in your porch, talking to your mom amiably and she was even laughing at some of his jokes. Whatever he said to her had her smiling, but ushering him away, to approach you once he was done to their conversation.
Looking to him with expectant eyes after you waved to Heeseung at his car, you waited for him to say something. But it was no surprise when he didn't give you an explanation until your fake boyfriend left. Instead, Jake just grabbed you by the sleeve and hauled you out of your family's sight when Daniel and Dad started heckle to something that you didn't quite make out.
When the two of you made it a three houses away, you started together in the direction of the convenience store in silence. As you walked, you continued to sneak glances at Jake, knowing that he must've something he wanted to say. Whatever it was, it had him wringing his hands together in a nervous gesture that you had rarely even seen from him.
"Jake, just what did you want to say to have you go here personally at our home?", you asked. For a moment, he didn't respond until he eventually looked at you with a nervous smile.
"I heard you have a date with my bestfriend", he teased playfully, nudging you with his shoulders as you approached the little steps that led to the convenience store beside a gasoline station.
You glanced down at the tables outside to search for a vacant one and went to ask Jake something - when one of the familiar face in the neighborhood - a male schoolmate - who you just knew a trouble from a smirk in his face - said something he shouldn't have.
"Really Y/N. I get that you're showing your true colors now from stealing Heeseung from Yana, but to cling yourself as well to a transferee of all people?"
If you were on your own, you would have ignored him and continued on your business, while really thinking about it deeply in your mind. But, because you were walking with Jake, you knew things wouldn't end so easily. To say something so offending while you were with one of the boys who's serious about you was like asking for a fight.
And sure enough, you didn't expect for someone who is always so relaxed around everyone to lashed out.
In the blink of an eye, Jake grabbed the guy by the collar and hauled him out of his table towards him. He stand literally toe to toe with the guy, and he glared dangerously down at the shorter boy and held him firm. Even as the boy struggled against his hold, Jake wasn't letting him get away like that easily. His friends tried to intervene, stepping forward to help but it took one single look from Jake to make them doublethink.
They were really right when they said the nicest ones was always the most scary when they're angry.
"Do you really want to get involved when you don't know a thing?", Jake asked before shaking the guy roughly, paying no heed when you tried to calm him. Rather when you approached, he made him face you and says, "Apologize now or else I'm going to do something that I'm not going to regret"
"Jake", you pleaded, grabbing the arm he was using to hold the guy. You tried to look at his eyes, but he wouldn't look at you. "Jake, please stop and let him go"
He refused, holding firm and in the face of the guy's desire to not say sorry, you actually thought that he was going to punch him. If that happens, you will not know what to do if things escalated that far.
"Jake", you called to him once more, loud enough for him to break him out of the anger that had fallen over him and his eyes finally met your own. "I said for you to let him go"
"Y/N-"
"Please, for me. Just do it"
Finally listening and thankfully releasing the guy without doing anything else, Jake released a deep breath. He stepped away as if he needed a space to clear his head, and he probably did, he looked away from the guy who clearly didn't appreciate being humiliated in front of his friends.
When he made to move towards Jake, you stepped in his way and put raised your hand up as if a preventive measure.
"Enough, okay? I don't need your apology seeing that it's not even a part of your small vocabulary", you started slowly with a patient smile, trying to make him see sense. "You don't want to see what he cannot regret for you, do you? So let's just all get going. Okay?"
Despite all his glaring at your clear warning, he walked off after being pushed by his friends. They walked around Jake who still seemed a little riled up. Only when they disappeared from the vicinity, did you stop smiling and reached out towards Jake. You swatted at his arm repeatedly, drawing him away from his anger.
But by the time, he was looking at you again, his eyes was irritated as he catched your hand in his. "You need to stop including yourself in my own trouble -"
"Because you don't react and just let them say whatever they want to say about you!", he insisted, following as you once started back to your house, not wanting to hear it.
"I react - in a way you don't want me to react", you said. Jake, still muttering about the boy was startled when you grabbed him by the sleeve and force him to quickly walk beside you. "Now stop sulking and tell me why are you here"
Coming to a stop to see a Park Sunghoon in a car stopped by a few houses from your house, you almost had a heart attack to realize that it's obvious that he's waiting for someone out there. With your heart jumping in your chest, you breathed out sharply and shoot a warning glance at the grinning Jake. The boy from Australia was looking far too pleased with himself.
"Why are you really here?", you demanded when he swanned towards you and placed an arm around your waist.
"I needed to talk you", he explained as you walked slowly back to your house and each step was ridicously slow, making you think it was his idea all along.
"What is it?", you prompted at his extended silence.
Jake sighed, peering down at your face and you knew instantly that it wasn't going to be a pleasant topic. A part of you already knew what he was exactly talking about. "Have you heard about the new rumors that Yana Lin was starting about you?"
Of course you had. This morning you wake up to a lot of your classmates asking if you aren't really a virgin anymore and who you had lose it to, but you ignored them. Even shut your phone to not receive any notifications from anyone.
Jake, at your silence, breathed out an annoyed sigh. "You do know them and you're just letting it happened"
Nodding, and hoping that was more than enough of an answer, you prepared to walk in silence before his curiousity grew again. You didn't make it to the spot of the fence around your house when he started to speak again.
"How are you enduring it all alone?"
You shrug out of his arms and offered him a smile. "I just ignored it until it all goes away, which is really a bad way of coping when it wasn't even stopping"
The sight of his hand approaching your face, had you slowing in your steps. He matched your pace, his hand lingering in the air, level with your head. When it became obvious that you weren't going to move away from him, Jake reached out with a touch as soft as feather, tucked some of your hair behind your ear.
That prompted a smile from you - one that you give if you're greatly comfortable to a person doing it.
Jake smiled too - small and slight as if he didn't really want to do it, but he can't help it. "That smile of yours, when I first see it in Dwight, is enough to get anyone to fall for you"
To save yourself from freezing in front of him, you pushed him a little away from you and continued to go at the gate of your house. Or rather, you tried to. But Jake was there, his hand catching your elbow to still you. Being surprised at the contact, you looked curiously towards him, and the smile died down from your mouth at the intensity of his eyes.
You couldn't look away because, well, it seems to work in hypnotizing you to look more, more deeper.
"I really meant it", Jake said, and for a moment, you couldn't understand what he was referring to. Realising this, he repeated once more, gentle and quiet that you might have missed it if you weren't always such hyperventilating at his presence.
"Your smile is enough to get anyone to fall for you"
You could only watch him in surprise, not knowing what to do. How can anyone response if Sim Jaeyun or Jake said something like that to you?
Especially when it looked like he meant every word he spoke.
💌 _________________________________ 💌
Okay, I can say that the Extra from Forty Two hadn't had the same reads as Forty One, but I will inform here that one is an important part as well.
Sunoo and Sunghoon will shine in the next chapter.
What do you think of this one?
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