365 Days of You

Chapter 19

She has forgotten this side of Nayeon exists for quite some time. She should have been used to it by now, but it still takes her by surprise.

Mina has nobody but herself to blame for momentarily forgetting how insensitive Nayeon can be when she wants to.

"I said no." Nayeon says stubbornly.

"It's just a Christmas tree, what's the big deal Nayeon-chan?" She tries again hoping to talk some sense into the older girl.

"I said no." Nayeon repeats, reclining on the couch and not even sparing a glance at the blonde.

"My family-" She is rudely interrupted before she can finish.

"I don't want to know anything about your family or whatever."

Nayeon isn't ready to hear about the blonde's family because she knows she would soften and give in.

"Its my house, my rules." Nayeon finally looks at Mina but her gaze is hard.

"Oh."

Mina swallows thickly, looking away.

They're just on a truce. Have agreed to coexist peacefully alongside each other. But they are not friends. This isn't her house.

She mentally slaps herself for forgetting her place in Nayeon's life.

"I'm sorry. You're right."

She leaves the kitchen and walks to her bedroom. She doesn't want to show how affected she is before Nayeon. She doesn't let Nayeon see the tears that are gathering in her eyes.

This will never be her home.

When she walks into the living room later because the members have arrived, her eyes connects with Nayeon for a moment.

She sees the older girl frown and hopes her eyes aren't red from all the crying she has done.

"Hello girls." She breaks the eye contact to address the people who have become her best friends.

Jihyo has this ability to read her like a book and she tries to avoid her questioning glance.

It is a few hours later when Jihyo pulls her into a quiet room. She doesn't ask her anything and pulls her into a tight hug.

That simple act is enough to break Mina and a fresh onslaught of tears assault her eyes.

"Christmas is the only time of the year I forget all my problems and be genuinely happy."

Jihyo caresses the blonde's cheek, letting her speak.

"Nayeon just made it clear that my thoughts on this matter don't count."

"I know she can be difficult Mina." She strokes her chin and looks into the Japanese girl's teary eyes. "It's really not my place to tell you this. But she hates Christmas."

"She hates everything."

Despite herself, Jihyo lets out a chuckle.

"Not you." She tugs her sweater, pulling her into another bone crushing hug. "She definitely doesn't hate you. "

Mina refuses to believe that but lets herself be held.

Nayeon is exhausted. She has been shooting an individual project continously for the past few weeks.

As she lays back against the plush seats of the limo, watching tender snow drops hit the windows, she is reminded of something else as tender and fragile as these beautiful drops.

She wonders what Mina is doing. She hasn't liked the hurt look in the blonde's eyes when she refused to have a Christmas tree in their house.

In her house.

She corrects herself.

It is Christmas eve. Everyone in the studio has looked happy and excited. She just wants to go home and get some sleep.

She exhales a soft breath and lets her eyes close for a few seconds.

When she opens them again they are in a quieter part of Seoul. Her eyes glances to the modest looking row of houses to her left.

Her shrewd gaze spots a familiar car parked in front of a battered house.

"Ho-jin oppa, can you pull over for a second?"

She calls Dahyun's phone as she gets out of the limo.

"Nayeonnie." A cheery voice answers. She can hear a lot of people on the other end.

"Hey, where are you?"

She just wants to know what Dahyun is doing in this suburb. This isn't the kind of place they visited.

Dahyun is quiet for sometime.

"I'm with my family." She whispers the reply.

That is a lie. She knows where Dahyun's family live and it definitely isn't here, in this shady neighborhood.

Why is Dahyun lying to her?? Her brows creases with confusion.

As if to answer her question, she sees members and Mina's friends walk out of the house with Mina in tow just when she is about to end the call.

They stop when they find her across the road and look at each other guiltily.

Dahyun's frozen in spot, her phone still attached to her ears.

"Did your family move here Dahyun?" She asks when they approach her hesitantly.

They don't respond.

Her friends have lied to her.

And Nayeon doesn't know what to make of it.

"They were having dinner with my family." Mina is the first one to gather herself.

"You didn't tell me about it because?" She ignores the younger girl and directs the question to the sheepish looking members.

"Because you didn't want to know anything about my family. They wanted to. That's why they're here."

Nayeon meets the blonde's eyes, putting on an impassive face.

The younger girl's eyes are back to their warm, soft, brown. They're not red anymore. They've begun to heal from the damage she has done earlier.

Jihyo sees something similar to hurt flash in Nayeon's dark eyes at Mina's words only to be quickly replaced by the aloof mask she wears.

"I'm heading home. Goodnight everyone."

She shrugs and leaves the place, as coolly and as nonchalantly only Nayeon can be.

The girls look at each other bewildered at what has just happened.