Dancing in the dark

Chapter 30

"What do you mean took me three years and a a half?" Nayeon's whole face scrunched up in confusion.

Sana's corner of mouth lifted into a half smile as she pointed to Dahyun. "I'll let her handle the slideshow."

Dahyun fumbled in the cabinets for something and dropped couple of photos on the wooden coffee table before Nayeon.

Tzuyu placed her mug of coffee on the table, her eyes focusing on Nayeon. This was going to be fun.

"Exhibit A." Dahyun started, sitting on a bean bag in front of the stupefied older girl. "This a picture of you four years ago. Do you recognize the two blurry shapes in the background?"

Nayeon's lip twirled in disgust. "Selene and Yerene."

Chaeyoung picked a fluff off her top, eagerly listening to the conversation.

"This is another photo taken at the same party." Dahyun pointed to a picture, "You're looking at someone. Whoever this person was has you completely bewitched. And I bet a million dollars it was Mina."

Nayeon's eyes went round as she stared at the picture. They were right, Ari was right, she was looking at Mina with heart eyes in the picture.

"And that's only the second time you met her." Momo snorted, "Smitten already."

"Third time." Nayeon mumbled as she gazed at the picture with her mouth parted, "I met her at the fan sign before this."

"What was she wearing at the fansign?" Jeongyeon enquired, hiding a smile behind her lips.

Nayeon's eyes became glazed over as she thought back to the past with a wistful smile on her face, "She was wearing a beige jumper, blue jeans, white shoes with a little star and a stri-"

Jihyo's eyes bored into Nayeon as she she cut her off, "See you remember even the little things about her!"

"Exhibit B. I took this picture of you and Mina at your twenty second birthday party." Chaeyoung remarked proudly, joining by Dahyun's side. "You can't see Mina because she has her back turned to the camera."

Nayeon scrutinized the picture with awe, because in the picture she was holding a gift in her hand and looking at the younger girl before her like she knew the cure to cancer.

"Now this is a paparazzi picture of you in a airport." Dahyun tapped at a grainy photo she had cut off from a magazine, "You see that dopey grin on your face? You see that girl in the distant background?"

Nayeon's mouth twitched into a fond smile. The photo was too grainy so nobody can really make out who the girl was, but she still remembered like yesterday how happy she was when she saw Mina at the airport after touring for months. "That was Mina."

"No shit Einstein." Sana chuckled, "The stupid smile plastered all over your face says enough."

Dahyun pulled out pictures after picture through the years, and when she was done she expected Nayeon to be happy but instead she found the older girl sulking, looking miserable and sad.

She lifted a questioning brow.

"In all these pictures it's me who looks smitten." Nayeon explained, her eyes skittering downwards to gaze at the floor, "I don't think Mina feels that way about me."

"You were too caught up in your own emotions Nayeonnie," Chaeyoung lifted her chin with a finger as she looked into her pained eyes, "You never noticed she looks at you the same way too."

Nayeon tried to hang her head again because why would Mina like her, the entire Hollywood was knocking at her doorstep for her time and girls were throwing themselves at her.

Mina was everyone's dream girl.

And she was just another face in a band.

Chaeyoung held her face that was drooping again with both her hands when she voiced out her thoughts, "You are not just another face to Mina."

"Also let's pretend that your ugly mug didn't win the most beautiful face in the pop industry for two years in a row now." Jeongyeon rolled her eyes.

"Jeongyeon," Chaeyoung warned, making the girl throw her hands up in the air in mock surrender.

"You should tell her how you feel," Jihyo declared, patting her shoulder soothingly, "What have you got to lose?"

Mina's friendship, Ari, her heart, she could lose everything.

"Have faith Nayeon-chan." Momo wrapped her arms around her neck from behind. "Love will always find a way."

Nayeon lost her way instead when she got home that night to see Mina and Samantha kissing at their doorstep.

Her heart broke slowly as she rested a trembling hand on the wall to steady herself.

"Nayeon-chan?" Mina asked, her warm brown eyes flickering with confusion and something else as she finally noticed the older girl on the stairs.

She put some distance between Samantha and herself.

"I'll get out of your way." Nayeon replied, giving Samantha a polite smile and made her way past them, nursing a shattered heart inside her chest.