∆ Cross My Mind || ChaeDa [ © honeyeji ]

06

"PROCLIVITY for the BELOVED is PROCLIVITY for ALL"

"You've been ignoring me," Chaehyun says when she sees Dayeon hanging out in the same part of the library she spends most of her days in.

"What? No." Dayeon yanks an earbud out, and lets it hang on the sweater Hikaru bought her for her birthday. "I've just been... y'know. Busy."

"Busy? With what?"

Dayeon fumbles. "School?"

Chaehyun looks unimpressed.

"I had this really big paper due," Dayeon starts to say, and then kinda stops. "Sorry, Chae."

"What's really wrong?" Chaehyun says. "I'm getting a degree in psychology, Dayeon, you can trust me."

Dayeon bites back a smile. "I'm mentally okay if that's what you're asking." It's a lie. She cried in Yujin's arms two nights ago, but Yujin didn't suspect much because they had just finished watching a sad animated movie. ("I didn't think you'd cry so much," Yujin said, astonished.)

"I missed seeing you," Chaehyun says. "Like, a lot. You're my favorite customer, remember?"

Dayeon can't help but blurt, "what about the girl who gave her number to you?"

Chaehyun has a weird look on her face. "What?"

"Nothing," Dayeon says, mortified.

"It's not nothing."

Dayeon looks away first, at her shoes like a reflex. She's been religiously scrubbing at the eyes, to the point that the doodled flowers are started to fade at the edges. "I saw a girl give you her number. She winked at you. It's dumb. Can we forget about this entire conversation?"

The weird look is replaced by a determined look. "No. When we had that argument and you told me that me avoiding topics wouldn't make me a good psychologist, I knew you were right. I had a breakthrough." Chaehyun's eyes are practically shining. "You need a breakthrough. Right now."

"I'm good on break-throughs."

"Dayeon, do you think I was flirting with that customer?"

"I'm not answering these questions."

"Were you jealous?"

"Woah, what?" Dayeon feels her face warm, her eyes widen. "Um. What kind of breakthrough is this supposed to be?"

"Dayeon, I like you," Chaehyun tells her, matter-of-fact, her cheeks pink. "The only customer I want to flirt with is you, and I can't do that if you're not there."

"Sorry, can we go back to the I-like-you part?"

"Oh. If you don't like me back, then--"

"NO! Sorry, I just-- I like you. A lot." Dayeon lets out a breath of air. Saying it out loud was something she didn't know she needed to do. "Chaehyun-unnie, I like you too."

Chaehyun reaches over, and they hug, Chaehyun awkwardly standing while Dayeon perches on her butt to reach Chaehyun properly, but it's not a bad hug, because it's Chaehyun and she smells like cake and vanilla and her laundry detergent that she swears is scentless and the way she's holding Dayeon, like she's so precious to her, makes Dayeon hold her even tighter.

When they let go, Chaehyun entwines their fingers together, and pulls her to a standing position.

"C'mon," Chaehyun says, eyes sparkling. Her bangs are disheveled, so Dayeon fixes them for her. "I have carrot cake for you. On the house."