"Danielle, do I look bad? Be honest." My first official date with Haerin is soon and I feel like I'm gonna explode. What if I act like an absolute fool and she just leaves halfway through...no, Haerin wouldn't do that. She's too nice. She would stick it out till the end then tell me she never wants to see me again.
"Jesus christ Minji you've asked her seven times! You are going to the movies, not the Met Gala." Hanni throws one of the pillows off my bed right at my head.
"You look great, simple and cute!" Dani walks up and gives me a big hug and pats my head. I told Haerin to dress pretty casually since it was just a movie, but I don't know. What if she shows up really dressed up and I'm just in a pair of jeans and a cropped shirt. That would be so embarrassing.
"I have never been this nervous in my life. I feel like I'm going to throw up." I fall back onto my bed next to where Hanni is sitting.
"You are The Kim Minji! Everyone wants to be you and everyone wants to date you! You don't need to be nervous if Haerin knows what's good for her she'll love you." A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I listened to Hanni go on and on about how amazing I was. It's different this time. I've never felt this way about someone before, not even Jake.
"Thanks, I'll text you after I drop Haerin off and tell you how it went."
"Yes and please don't spare the intimate details." Hanni wiggles her eyebrows at me causing me to giggle a little bit. There is no way any of 'that' is going on tonight.
"Hanni stop being so vulgar. Get up, we are leaving so Minji can go get Haerin." Dani pulled Hanni off my bed and they said their farewells to me and left my house. I look at the time on my phone, 6:30. The movie is at seven so I better get going and pick up Haerin.
-
I am able to get into Haerin's house much easier than last time since she informed the guard at the front gate I would be coming. I still hate that asshole. I pulled into Haerin's massive driveway and parked my car. Should I knock? Do I text or call her? As I'm getting out of the car deciding it would be proper to knock, Haerin comes busting out of the front door. Why is she in such a hurry? I take a minute to look at the girl and she is wearing a cute denim skirt with a sweater. She looked so cute like a cozy cat. Before I could even greet said girl she dragged me back to my car ushering me in.
"C'mon let's go!" Jesus christ are we on a time crunch? I look at the frantic girl next to me whose leg is shaking.
"Are you okay? What's going on?"
"Minji please my dad doesn't know I'm going out. I'm supposed to be studying." I just nod at the girl and pull out of her driveway as fast as I can and begin the journey to the theater.
"You're dad doesn't know?"
"You know I can't tell my dad. I'm not supposed to be going out unless it's with Niki or a school affiliated event." I just sigh. That's all I can do. I can't argue about this with her. If this is the only way I can be with her then so be it. Okay Minji let's just try to have a good time. It was a few seconds of silence before Haerin reached over and grabbed my hand that was on the middle console, interlacing it with hers. I glance over at the younger girl and she just gives me a little smile before tightening her grip and turning her attention out the front window.
"Do you like scary movies?"
"Honestly I haven't seen many movies. I don't think I've ever seen a scary movie." My eyes widened comically wide at the younger girl.
"Are you serious? Not one?" Haerin just giggled a little bit and turned to face me again and poked my cheek. I felt heat rise to my cheek where Haerin touched.
"Why did you do that?" I touched where she poked to make sure there was not anything on my face.
"I just wanted to. You looked cute when you made that face." If I wasn't blushing before I definitely was now. When I felt the temperature of my face cool down a little bit I looked over at Haerin who was already looking at me. She is always already looking at me.
"You are the prettiest person I know." I could tell what I said shocked the younger girl because she removed her hand from mine and covered her red face with both hands. "Stop covering your face! It's true you look amazing everytime I see you. I don't understand, it isn't fair." Haerin uncovered her face and gave me an odd look. Why is she looking at me like I just grew another head?
"It isn't fair for you? You are literally the hottest person in school. In fact I think in all of Korea." Oh my god. I felt myself choking on literal air from Haerin's comment. Jesus christ I'm not making it through the night.
We finally arrived at the movie theater and I bought our tickets and food. Haerin tried to pay for the food, but I told her since I invited her on this date I'm gonna pay. She finally agreed after a lot of puppy eyes. No one can resist my puppy eyes. We walked in the theater and I was following Haerin so she could decide where we were going to sit. There was almost no one else in the theater beside a family and another couple in the back corner. Haerin walked directly in the middle of the theater and plopped down there. Well I guess that rules out us making out...not that I thought that would be happening. Because I wasn't...
"Is this okay?" Haerin raises an eyebrow at me and passes me my drink.
"Yeah of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Haerin again poked my cheek then reached over and kissed the same spot she poked.
"Nothing, you just had a weird look on your face when I sat down here." Haerin just smirked and plopped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. Jesus christ she can't read my mind can she? No...Can she?
"Uh I don't think so. I think I looked normal." I gave Haerin a big smile and she just chuckled, giving her attention to the big screen before us playing movie trailers.
It was about halfway through the movie when things were starting to get really scary. Clearly Haerin wasn't scared; she was just cooly eating the popcorn and drinking her drink and here I am internally freaking out. Usually I am not that scared of horror movies, but this one is driving me crazy. Luckily I don't think Haerin can tell how scared I am. Just as I was thinking about how to stay calm for the rest of the movie without giving myself away, there was a big bang and a jumpscare causing me to literally jump in my chair and yelp. I fucking yelped like a dog that just got hit by a car. This is so embarrassing. I looked over and Haerin was looking at me with a smirk on her face. Oh god.
"Are you okay? Do you want to leave?" She still had that cute little smirk on her face. She is totally making fun of me right now.
"Absolutely not! It's not even scary!" I whisper yelled at the younger girl and she just snickers a little bit.
"Are you sure because you really caught some air a minute ago." Before I was able to defend myself Haerin grabbed her drink from the cup holder and moved it to the one on her left and liftend the arm rest separating us. What is she doing? The younger girl scooted closer where our sides were touching and she wrapped her arm around mine and interlaced our fingers then laid her head on my shoulder. Oh. "You won't be scared now right?" I felt a big smile grace my face when the cat-eyed girl looked up at me.
"No. I won't be scared now." The younger girl snuggled closer to me and let out a big sigh. A few minutes later I looked down and realized she fell asleep on my shoulder. I froze for a second trying not to wake up the sleeping girl. I wish it could be like this forever.
-
The movie ended five minutes ago and now the credits are rolling. Everyone else already left, but I'm too scared to move because I don't want to wake the sleeping girl. She must be so tired. Suddenly Haerin started moving on my shoulder.
"Minji?" She looks up and yawns showing her cute little fangs. I love her fangs. I hum and wrap my arm around Haerin's shoulder pulling her closer to me. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah, you fell asleep about halfway through." Haerin sighed and leaned closer to me causing butterflies to fly around in my stomach. I'll never get used to being this way with the younger girl.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." I just shook my head at the cute sleepy girl telling her it was okay. "Do you want ice cream?" I raise my eyebrow at her. She wants ice cream as soon as she wakes up?
"Yeah let's get some." I stood up pulling the shorter girl up with me and grabbed her hand and walked out of the theater towards my car. Once we were settled in the car and on the way to get some ice cream, Haerin started giggling.
"What are you laughing about?" I smiled and glanced over at the still giggling girl.
"Can I tell you a secret?"
"Absolutely! You can tell me anything." I reach over and pat the younger girl's head before putting my hand back on the steering wheel.
"I have had a crush on you since I started going to Ador Prep." WHAT? Thank God we are at a red light because I feel like if I were to drive right now I would crash.
"Jesus christ are you being serious?" Haerin just smiled and nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?!?" The girl just huffed and hit my arm gently.
"Minji you didn't even know I existed until a few weeks ago. Plus you were with Jake." That's true. I felt a smug smirk come onto my face.
"You had a crush on me? That's so cute. Was it because I'm so sexy?" Haerin hit my arm gently and turned her face away from me.
"No! I just thought you were pretty and nice and then I got to know you." What the hell? "And now I just think you are annoying." My jaw was probably on the floor. Haerin again was laughing. When did she become such a jokester?
"Shut up, you love me." We both became silent after that. Fuck why did I have to say the L word. Thank god we arrived at the ice cream parlor soon because it was starting to get awkward.
-
We had our ice creams and were sitting in the back corner of the shop. I had chocolate brownie and Haerin had strawberry. We were talking about nonsense. Nothing of importance, when I saw K.H. engraved on the hair pin in her hair.
"How have you been doing this week since it was your mothers passing anniversary." Haerin's beaming face soon became solemn at my question. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. "Sorry I didn't mean to pry!"
"No, no it's okay. It's been hard, but you're a nice distraction from it." She gives me a small smile and takes a huge bite of her ice cream. Cute.
"If you don't mind me asking...how did she die?"
"She was always really sick when I was younger and during my eighth grade year she passed from cancer." I reached over and put my hand on top of Haerin's trying to comfort her in the only way I knew I could. No child should lose any parent that young. It had to be so hard on her. "My father, when she passed away, changed. He was always strict and money driven, but he became more so after her death. He also drinks a lot more now, he's always drunk when he's not working." The younger girl looked almost in pain with how she was speaking about her father. I hate that man.
"Is he hurting you Haerin?" Haerin quickly retracted her hand from mine and shook them.
"No no. He never touches me. He just expects too much from me and I don't want to disappoint him." I just nod at the younger girl. There isn't much I can say. I don't even know what to say.
"I understand that. My father wants me to join the family business after college and take over after he retires. I don't want to do that." I look down at my ice cream and swirl it around in the cup as it becomes a more liquidy texture.
"What do you want to do?" I looked up at the cat-eyed girl and shrugged. She looks so interested in what I have to say. None of my significant others have ever looked at me like this before. I'm almost embarrassed at how intently she was looking at me.
"I don't know. I'm not particularly good at anything. I don't really have any passions either. I just knew from a young age my life has already been planned out for me." Haerin just nods. I know she understands because she is going through the same thing just in a different way.
"You're young Minji. You don't have to figure out what you want to do right now." I know she's right, but does it really matter when my life is already chosen for me. Maybe it is better that way.
"We should just run away together." I said it as a joke, but the more I think about it the more pleasing it sounds.
"We can't do that." Haerin gives me a small smile and plays with her ice cream. Almost mirroring what I am doing to mine.
"Why not? We can drop out of high school, find part time jobs and just live our lives. Together." Haerin frowns for a second seemingly considering it.
"They'll just find us." She was right. They would.
"Well not if we go to the moon." I said in a joking manner trying to lighten the mood, which seemed to work by the little giggle Haerin let out.
"Can you fly a spaceship?" She quirks an eyebrow at me.
"Oh absolutely. Actually I have one parked in my backyard ready to go whenever you are." A big smile spreads onto the younger girl's face causing me to do the same. Maybe one day we can run away together.
-
We finally made it back to Haerin's house and it was pitch black outside. I put the car in park and just looked over towards her. She is playing with her fingers not making any motion of getting out of the car.
"Are you oka-" Haerin smashed her lips onto mine. I felt her wrap her hands in my hair pulling me closer to her. Damn the center console separating us. Her lips taste like strawberries, probably from the ice cream. Haerin was kissing me with so much hunger that it was honestly making me a little light headed. I tried to pull away a little to catch my breath but she just immediately pulled me back in. I felt her climbing over the console and she sat in my lap tugging me impossibly closer by my hair. My hands find there way to her hips and deepen the kiss even further. God I could do this all day. Haerin pulled away from our kiss with a pop between our mouths. I look up at the girl sitting on my lap and I want to scream. She looks breathtaking. Her hair was a little tousled and my lip gloss smudged on her lips.
"Sorry. I've been warned to do that all day." She leans down and kisses me gently this time. Less aggression and more sweetness. I pull her face away from mine and kiss her nose.
"You don't ever have to apologize for that. Like honestly, whenever you want to do that by all means do it. I'm not gonna stop you." Haerin just giggles and leans her forehead against mine.
"Even if we were in the middle of a math test."
"Honestly even better. I much rather be doing this than calculus." Haerin laughs and I feel her breath on my face causing me to smile.
"Why are you smiling like that?" She leans back a little careful not to hit the steering wheel. I reach towards her and put a strand of hair behind her ears.
"I like you a lot Kang Haerin."
"I like you a lot too Kim Minji." Just as Haerin was about to lean back in to kiss me her phone rang. We both looked over towards it and of course...it's Niki. She looks at me and frowns. I know she feels bad about it but I wish she would just stop talking to him. "I'm sorry I have to take this." I just nod and the younger girl reaches over and answers the phone.
"Yeah. I know. Yeah I can come then. Okay bye."
"What did he want?" Haerin again frowns and kisses my cheek.
"I told him I would help set up for Jay's Halloween party next weekend." I roll my eyes and turn away from the younger girl, which is hard to do since she is still sitting on my lap. "You know it has to be this way Minji, it's the only way we can be together." I just nod and stroke the solemn looking girl's face.
"Promise me after high school it won't be this way anymore." Haerin leans in and pecks me on the mouth.
"I promise."
-