Citrus

Chapter 41

The lamp posts lit up as the sun started to set. Darkness slowly engulfed the skies and the crowd was slowly decreasing. While the people exits the shrine, Nayeon was the only one entering while running.

"Jeongyeon-ah!" She called and panted as she was catching her breath. Please still be here. She continued to run until she reached the other side of the shrine; trees were surrounding a narrow road and several lamp posts and empty stalls can be seen on the side. She ran up to an arched bridge and there she saw the one that she had been looking for- Jeongyeon.

Jeongyeon was walking alone and was heading somewhere. Nayeon released a heavy sigh of relief as she continued to catch her breath and smiled. "Jeongyeon-ah!" She called the younger girl. The said girl stopped on her tracks and slowly turned to face the older girl. I finally found you.

The scene goes like this: Nayeon was standing on the other side of the arched bridge while Jeongyeon was standing a few meters away opposite to her. Both were still wearing their usual uniform with their bags hanging on their back. Jeongyeon was wearing her black scarf.

"Why are you here?" Jeongyeon coldly asked while staring at the older girl with her sharp, piercing gaze. Nayeon gulped before responding.

"I... there's something I have to try and tell you one more time." Jeongyeon was surprised, but then she purposely ignored the older girl and walked away. She already know what Nayeon would say to her but she was scared.

"There's nothing left you could say to me."

"Wha— hey! Yoo Jeongyeon, wait!" Nayeon tried to call her but the latter just fastened her pace. She immediately ran after her, but the younger girl also ran away. "Jeongyeon-ah!"

But then, another wave of an unexpected crowd crossed the bridge all together, which made Nayeon lose her track in following Jeongyeon, but still has her eyes on her. She bumped on several shoulders with her own and it became sore, but she didn't care. Her eyes didn't leave Jeongyeon's back as she was struggling to get out of the crowd.

"Wait!" She shouted as she finally managed to get out. She ran as fast as she can, trying to catch Jeongyeon. "Yoo Jeongyeon! I want to tell it to you this time! Jeongyeon-ah, I don't get you at all!" Tears started to form on her eyes. "You pushed me down and kissed me out of nowhere! You suddenly get all clingy! And just when I think you're being kind, you give me a condensing, cold look! Nothing you do makes no sense!"

Nayeon didn't know where they were headed until she noticed that they were somewhere inside the shrine where not a single person can be seen. Jeongyeon ran down the stairs, but Nayeon surprisingly jumped down, slowly catching up with the former. "But, you feel the same way about me too, don't you!?"

Jeongyeon was surprised with Nayeon and slowly looked back while running that made her slow down. But Nayeon was too fast that she couldn't control her speed and crashed into Jeongyeon.

Nayeon was on top of the younger girl as both of them were groaning because of the impact. Jeongyeon caressed the back of her head and tried to sit up, but Nayeon moved and sat on her thighs, that's why she used her elbows to lift herself up. The only source of light illuminating on them was the dim moonlight and the two lamp post standing on each side of the narrow road they're at. Both of them stared at each other, panting.

"That Christmas Eve... my heart was racing for you... and you made me really happy, but... I wasn't listening to your feelings... so I couldn't accept them." Flashbacks on that Christmas Eve when she rejected Jeongyeon for the second time. "That night appa came home, too... I regretted it, got upset, and agonized over it, but didn't do anything to fix it." Flashbacks of the night of their most intimate scene and also the night Nayeon rejected Jeongyeon for the first time.