Two days later, Jihyo's on the way to the airport in the passenger seat of Nayeon's Maserati. There is a tangle of emotions that have grown roots beneath her breastbone and she's feeling the cold tendrils of regret slowly seeping in. This is a terrible idea and Jihyo knows it, even if Mina herself had extended the olive branch in the first place. Taking up Mina's offer is throwing herself into the shades of grey that have somehow coloured the spaces between them. Her heart, already battered, teeters on the edge of a cliff, just a step away from shattering after the fall.
Jihyo takes a deep breath and tries to relax. She focuses instead on the flash of city lights out the window. Nayeon is singing along to the radio, unapologetically loud and not quite in tune, like she just wants to sing her heart out without caring about the technicalities of pitch and harmony. It reminds Jihyo of days where they'd spend hours in a karaoke room - that carefree joy of their younger years.
Jihyo chuckles when the next song comes on; it's an old favourite of theirs. Nayeon is already grinning at her, a glint in her eye that is both mischievous and a challenge. Jihyo slips right into it of course (she never backs down from a challenge), singing the first verse effortlessly. It's easy because this is the cornerstone of her lifelong friendship with Nayeon - songs with hearts that carry treasured memories and a seamless harmony of their voices.
When the chorus hits, Jihyo lets her voice flow over the notes, feeling each one echo in her own heart. Nayeon's adlibs take a life of their own; it's ridiculous and familiar and Jihyo gives in to the laughter bubbling up her throat.
"You suck," Jihyo gasps when she manages to catch her breath. "Why do you do that every time?"
Nayeon shrugs, a look of concentration on her face as she switches lanes. "Because it always makes you laugh."
Nayeon says it matter-of-factly but they've been friends for so long, Jihyo can hear the layers of unspoken words and so she waits. When they finally pull into an empty spot in the airport carpark 30 minutes later, Nayeon turns to her, eyes unreadable.
"There's an exception to every rule, Jihyo-yah. And for Mina, that's always been you."
"What do you mean?" Jihyo asks, because it's not like Nayeon at all to be anything less than an open book that Jihyo can read effortlessly.
Nayeon's gaze sharpens, and Jihyo can't help but steel herself for whatever it is Nayeon is about to say.
"She went camping because you asked her to, Jihyo. And most of the time, she doesn't even want to get out of her bed to eat."
"That - " Jihyo begins shakily, heart thundering. Her fingers twist the fabric of her sweater, just for something to hold on to. "That was a long time ago."
Nayeon must be able to read the way Jihyo's thoughts are starting to fray, because her eyes soften. She reaches over, and then Jihyo's fingers are tangled in hers instead of fabric.
"Look, I don't know what happened between you two," Nayeon tells her, thumb soothing circles over the back of Jihyo's hand. "But it doesn't have to be so complicated, you know."
It's Mina, Jihyo wants to say, because there are no other words that will ever suffice. But her phone beeps, and out of habit, Jihyo swipes at the Instagram notification - and feels blindsided all over again when her mind registers that she's looking at a gorgeous Hawaiian sunset. The lyrics that accompany the photo are both steeped in nostalgia and cruel in a way that settles into the barely healed fractures in her heart.
Even if my eyes turn red, you still melt my heart
That red sunset
"You're gonna love the view from her place," Nayeon says after taking a glance at Jihyo's phone and somehow, her words anchor Jihyo back in the present.
"Did you?" Jihyo can't help but ask, trying her best to ignore the sharp pain building under her ribs. "I mean...of course you did. I remember your Instagram posts."
Something flickers in Nayeon's gaze, a flash too fast for Jihyo to understand. Then her lips quirk into a smile, the kind that barely holds together an open secret.
"Those were taken from the beach in front of The Royal Hawaiian." Nayeon's smile widens at the confusion layered in Jihyo's eyes. Her explanation that follows is gentle, like she's trying to soften the blow before it cracks Jihyo's heart open again.
"Whenever any of us visit her, Mina rents out a suite at the hotel. It's an hour's drive away. On the opposite end of the island. None of us has ever been to her place, Jihyo-yah."
You'll be the first, Jihyo hears the words as clearly as if Nayeon had spoken them out loud. The implications and the weight of Mina's address in her notebook feel suddenly too heavy to bear.
"Don't overthink it too much," Nayeon continues, nudging Jihyo hard enough to jostle her thoughts out of order. "Come on, let's go or you'll miss your flight."
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MiHyo Oneshots (AO3)
FanfictionI do not own any of the contents in here. All credits to the original owners from AO3.
