i would wait (forever and ever)

IX

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too soon

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"hey, i've been trying to reach you since the party."

you let out a sigh at the voice coming from your side, the same voice you've been hoping not to hear at least for the entire day at school.

but who are we kidding? it's momo. and momo, apparently, is just inevitable in your life.

"nayeon-chan, are you okay?"

no, you wanted to tell her. instead, however, you only went on with shoving your things inside your locker silently, taking your sweet time and hoping that it will eventually drive momo away.

it didn't.

when you close the door of your locker shut, she was right behind it, the thin line formed by her lips prior to seeing your face pulled upwards at each corner upon you, turning to face her.

"hey," she raises a hand up weakly, a gesture of greeting. your gaze followed even when she used it to hold onto the strap of her backpack after she did. "so, uh, how are ya?"

you so badly wanted to tell her. so badly wanted to let her in on your little, secretive thoughts.

so, so badly wanted to confess to her about the ugly feeling at the pit of your stomach when you saw her and chungha at the party the other night.

but you didn't. you knew better.

"yeah, i'm fine. why?" you smiled, barely caring how fake and odd and stupid it felt on your lips.

"oh, yeah. right," momo breathes out a chuckle as she looks down, obviously avoiding eye contact with you. "no, i was just— i thought you were mad at me."

it was hard forcing yourself to shrug nonchalantly. "why would i be mad at you?"

"nothing. i just think, uhm," she shakes her head again before looking up at you again. "nothing. nevermind."

"okay," you say, tone rather indifferent, (and it has never been indifferent with momo before). "i have class, so..."

"right." momo visibily steps aside to make way for you, a small smile plastered on her face. you had a hard time reading her eyes, what the look in it actually meant, and it pained you.

silently giving up, you attempted to walk past her if it wasn't for another voice coming from behind you. this time, a different yet slightly familiar one.

"nayeon, wait up!"

both you and momo's heads turned to the direction where the male voice came from, and you immediately saw the guy from the party running towards you with a smile.

"hey," he breathes out, scratching the back of his neck the second he managed to claim the spot right in front of you. "uh, jinyoung, again. from the post-game the other night?"

"yeah, i know," you didn't, but you lied, anyway. (it was kind of worth it after seeing momo's eyebrows furrow next to you.) "what's up, jinyoung?"

"oh, i was just gonna ask— i mean we were sort of interrupted back at the party, so... anyway, do you, like, wanna be my date to the freshman formal next week?"

you didn't expect that. and momo, either. you guessed because you saw from your peripheral vision the way her head tilted to the side confusedly.

you cursed at the butterflies going wild in your stomach, mainly because they reacted that way to momo instead of jinyoung, as if she was the one who asked you to the formal, not the other way around.

so, so stupid.

"yeah, okay," you say after what feels like forever to the poor boy, who visibly let out a sigh of relief the moment you responded to his question.

"oh, good. i thought you were gonna turn me down." jinyoung clutched his chest as a breathy chuckle escaped his lips. for a second there, you wished his sweetness caused the butterflies, instead. "so, i'll see you later? i'm kinda running late for class."

nodding, you smiled at jinyoung one last time before he finally sprints away, leaving you in the now empty hallway next to a still and silent momo, who hasn't muttered a word throughout the entire interaction.

when you turned to face her, it was as if she was snapped out of her daze, so she cleared her throat, using her thumb to point towards the opposite direction jinyoung disappeared into.

"uh— i'm actually kinda running late now, too," momo nods as she speaks, as if it's going to make her statement more convincing, (it didn't). when she turned around and attempted to walk away, you failed to stop yourself from asking,

"who are you gonna come with?"

it effectively made momo stop on her tracks. however, it had to take at least five seconds before she turns to face you again, which kind of worried you about what her response was going to be.

"to the formal, i mean," you felt like the silence was too loud, so you had to fill it in.

"right," momo says, looking down as her hand clutched tighter on her backpack strap. "i'm not really sure, yet. i mean, it's still kind of soon to ask people, don't you think?"

"the dance is next week, mo."

"exactly," she breathes out a chuckle before looking back up and sending you her signature charming grin. "too soon."

momo winks at you before walking away completely, leaving you glued on your spot, watching her retreating figure and enduring the uncontrollable thumping inside your chest.

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