Jisung's flat is lively and childlike, Dahee observes, but it isn't messy like she initially thought it would be. Everything is neat and organized, except for the pile of clutter in the corner of the living room and a tall stack of ramen on the kitchen island. She rakes her eyes over the white walls that are filled with doodles that look like a kid's doing, and she also notices even his yellow couch is filled with them. It is all so colorful that she thinks she's in a fun house for a moment.
She is still looking at the doodles when he comes back with a vibrant orange comforter for her to use. He let her without hesitation when she asked if she could stay the night, even offering his bed to sleep in since his guest room is currently being used as a storage room, but she insisted on sleeping on his couch instead. She doesn't want to go back to her apartment and face her brother yet, needing time to heal the reopened wound his words had caused.
"Thanks." She says to Jisung and takes the comforter from his hands. She sees a white ball of fluff in the corner of her eye and she looks down to find that it is actually a puppy. "Who's this cutie?"
"Oh. I forgot she was here," he says and watches as she cradles the little creature in her arms. "She's my best friends dog, her name's Daegal. He had to visit his family in China, so she's gonna be staying here until he comes back."
She smiles, "Well, I guess I'm gonna have some company when I sleep later." She has always been a cat person, never once prefered dogs, but she might make an exception after meeting the cute little fluff ball that is Daegal.
"Are you sure you'll be fine sleeping on the couch?" He asks, shifting his feet awkwardly. "My offer still stands."
"I already told you I'll be fine here, it's just for tonight anyways." She tells him, not leaving any room for argument.
"Okay," he sighs in defeat. "If you feel uncomfortable, tell me."
"Will do," she smiles up at him, grateful. "Thanks, Jisung."
He smiles back at her before disappearing into his room. She lets out a yawn and slips under the fluffy comforter, Daegal snuggling into her side. Her mind starts to wander the moment she closes her eyes and the words that her brother uttered earlier keep replaying like a broken record, as if to taunt her. Tears start to pool in her eyes and she tries so hard to blink them away. Crying makes her feel so weak and she hates feeling vulnerable. But she is only human, and everyone has their limit; she has reached hers.
There is a defeaning silence that lingers around her as she keeps her eyes shut, but she is unable to fall asleep, even when an hour then another then another passes. Suddenly, she hears the sound of a door creaking open that tears through the quiet air. Her eyes fly open to see Jisung slowly tiptoeing towards the kitchen, probably thinking she is asleep. He freezes when he realizes she isn't.
"Um, hi?" His smile is awkward as he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"
She shakes her head, "I haven't even fallen asleep."
"Oh," he purses his lips and walks normally towards the kitchen before turning the light on. "You want me to make you some tea with honey? That usually helps me when I can't sleep."
"Sure, thanks." She yawns as she pushes the covers off of her and gets up, waking Daegal in the process. She takes a seat on one of the barstools and watches him prepare tea for the two of them.
"Here you go." He places the steaming mug in front of her and takes a sip of his own after blowing on it. The sound of sipping and the whirring of the fan fills the silence between them until he opens his mouth to speak again, "Wanna hear a funny story?"
She nods wordlessly, already used to the random questions he would ask out of nowhere to strike up a conversation. He tells her about the time his best friend adopted Daegal and he, along with Jeno and Jaemin, met her for the first time. His storytelling is ramble-y, but she doesn't mind it much and just listens intently as he describes how Jeno stepped on Daegal's poop barefoot when he came back from the bathroom.
"That's kinda gross," she says and scrunches her nose. "Why must dogs always poop everywhere? This is why they're so unlikeable to me. Except for Daegalie though, she has me whipped."
He raises an eyebrow in surprise, "You don't like dogs?"
"I prefer cats," she shrugs. "Cats are better."
A debate sparks between the two when he argues with her statement and declares that dogs are way better. She doesn't back down until she has convinced him otherwise, and he just tries not to be swayed by her strong opinion.
"Just admit you've lost." She says smugly, seeing him try to sputter out an argument to counter hers.
Not knowing how else to clap back at her, he retorts, "Ugh, shut up."
"Make me."
And to her surprise, he does.
She didn't expect for him to actually shut her up by kissing her, but he does and she actually kisses back. It is awkward though as it is her first time. Firsts are never perfect anyway, she thinks as their teeth clash together and their noses press against each other's. They pull away and burst out laughing from how bad the kiss was before he leans in again to make it better this time.
He brings his hand up to her cheek and tilts his head to the side, softly moving his lips against hers as she follows what he is doing. The awkwardness is long gone, and for the first time in her life, she feels this unfamiliar yet familiar sensation in her stomach. She assumes it is the butterflies she always hears about─the butterflies she thought she was never going to experience.
"Bark!"
She immediately tears her lips away from his, and they get back to their senses after the puppy's interruption, her innocent eyes looking up at the two who are flustered. He apologizes as soon as what just happened registers in both their minds, breathless and face burning as if it is on fire. She tells him it is okay, but she can't bring herself to look him in the eye. She knows it is not okay and that nothing will ever be the same anymore. Not after tonight, not after that kiss.
ઇઉ
i need to hit the brakes
we're moving too fast
