The four of us had been enjoying a leisurely lunch for the past couple of hours. Jisoo and I were still eating, savoring each bite of the delicious food, while Jennie and Lisa engaged in a lively conversation. Jisoo, who used to be the most talkative among us, was now silent, lost in her own thoughts.
As we finished our meal and prepared to leave, Lisa and Jennie insisted on dragging me to Jisoo's house. Despite having just returned home, I was hesitant to step into her house, feeling a sense of awkwardness that made me want to stay home.
"I have to do something," I said to Lisa and Jennie, trying to resist their efforts to pull me along. But they were not convinced. "It's the holidays, what do you mean?" Lisa retorted, holding on to me as Jennie rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, we heard footsteps approaching the door, and my heart skipped a beat as it opened to reveal Jisoo. I couldn't help but stare at her, admiring her beauty and poise as she looked at us expectantly, waiting for someone to speak up.
Jennie didn't waste any time, blurting out a request for coffee and walking straight in, while Lisa dragged me along behind her. Jisoo stepped aside, trying to fix our shoes as we kicked them off, before leading us to the living room.
"Take a seat," Jennie commanded, leaving me no choice but to oblige. Lisa scooted over to make room for me on the couch, and as I sat down, I couldn't help but notice the three coffee cups on the table. Jisoo had most likely left them there, a habit she had developed over time. Despite the cleanliness of her house, she tended to leave her coffee cups lying around, a telltale sign of her love for the beverage. As she disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds, I watched her retrieve the cups from the table and put them away, no doubt to clean them later. Moments later, she emerged with four fresh cups of coffee, placing them carefully on the table for us to enjoy.
Jennie broke the silence, asking about my recent art exhibit in LA. "I had a small one last week," I explained, taking a sip of my coffee. "It's already up for auction, and a lot of people seemed interested in buying my paintings."
Lisa chimed in, "I heard the paintings were a huge hit. Can we have one too?"
I laughed, inwardly cringing at the thought of giving away my artwork for free. But since they were my childhood friends, I didn't mind indulging their request. "I actually painted one for both of you, but it's quite big, so I left it in LA."
I couldn't help but notice how different Jisoo seemed lately. Her smile, once a constant fixture on her face, was becoming increasingly rare. As I spoke with Jennie, my gaze shifted towards Jisoo, and I caught her eyes for a moment before she quickly looked away.
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"I'll just send the painting next week," I said, trying to distract myself from the constant urge to steal glances at Jisoo. Lisa continued to talk about her trip to LA with Jennie, but my attention was drawn to Jisoo, who was now intently listening to Lisa. I couldn't help but notice how wrinkled her clothes were, a stark contrast to her usual laid-back style.
As I sat there, lost in thought, I couldn't help but reflect on how much things had changed. We had all grown up in this neighborhood, and I had met Jennie, Lisa, and Jisoo here. Our families were close, so it wasn't long before we became fast friends. We had gone to the same elementary and high schools, and had shared many memories together.
But there was one memory that stood out to me the most. In highschool, Jisoo had bravely confessed her feelings for me. At the time, I wasn't sure what to say. I hadn't fallen in love yet, and I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship. But over time, I realized that I had developed feelings for her as well. We started dating during our senior year of high school, and even though we attended different universities, we managed to make it work.
After college, things became more complicated. Jisoo had to work hard to save up enough money to open her own shop, which had become her passion and livelihood. Meanwhile, I struggled to find work as an artist in our small town. My dad had offered me a job in LA, but I had declined because I didn't want to leave Jisoo.
Now, as I sat there with our friends, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I was so used to being with Jisoo, but I knew that I needed to break out of my comfort zone if I wanted to grow as an artist. And yet, the thought of leaving Jisoo behind made me feel sick to my stomach.
I glanced over at Jisoo, who was now laughing at something Lisa had said. She looked so beautiful, with her messy hair and wrinkled clothes. I knew that I loved her more than anything in this world, and I was certain that if she asked me to marry her, I would say yes in a heartbeat.
Four years ago, my father fell ill, and everything changed. He told me he wanted me to take over his career as an artist, which meant leaving our small town for LA. I confided in Jisoo, hoping she would tell me to stay, but instead, she urged me to at least check out the opportunity. Reluctantly, I traveled to LA and spent a week getting used to the city and the job. When I returned, I asked Jisoo what she thought, hoping for a reason to stay. But fate had other plans. While we were having dinner, my phone rang. It was my father's doctor calling to say that his heart had given out. I was devastated. But the blow didn't stop there. The next day, I found the engagement ring Jisoo had been planning to give me that night, the same night my father died. She told me to go to Los Angeles to fulfill my father's dream and to take care of myself.
Breaking up is never easy, but it's even harder when you still love the other person. I've found success, but it hasn't brought me the same happiness as my life with Jisoo. Seeing her in her wrinkled shirt, the empty house we used to share, the cold coffee on the table, and the warm bed we used to sleep in brings back a flood of memories. The memories of a simple life that I loved, but now feels like it's slipping away. I don't know if it's too late for us, but I can't help but wonder.
