CONNECT |Enhypen's 8th member|

Chapter Eight: Confessions

Jake had noticed it.

At first, he thought it was simply admiration or respect. But when he found himself looking for her in every room, hoping to make her laugh or smile, he realized it was more than that. Her jest several days ago was becoming true, and he didn't know what to do about it.

This was his predicament as he watched her, rather than the screen showing what their next mission was going to be. He vaguely heard something about a dance team and a vocal team, but couldn't seem to pull his gaze away from her deep, coffee colored eyes.

That is, until Sunghoon noticed and met his gaze instead, making the boy snap his head the other direction shamefully.

"So, who should we choose for each team?" Seon asked, opening the discussion. Many people suggested Heeseung for both teams, but knew he could only be in one. K was chosen for the dance team, and many people wanted to be chosen along with him, including Daisy.

She was nearly selected until K caught a glimpse of her ankle and halted everyone. "Daisy, you're bruising. Did you hurt yourself?" She looked down in confusion before noticing that he was right. Her ankle was both red and purple on the side.

"I didn't even notice, I don't know how that happened."

"How do you not notice something like that?" Jungwon questioned. With a frown, Daisy knew the answer was mania.

"You're not dancing this week," Sunghoon declared. Although she wanted to fight it, she knew it was probably for the best, and resigned to relaxing and leaving her fate in the hands of her teammates.

Jay, K, and Jungwon were chosen for the dance mission. Heeseung and Geonu were the vocal representatives. Everyone else, except for Daisy, split into groups to practice as well in case anyone needed to be switched out.

As for Daisy, she was seen by some staff for her ankle and given crutches and a wrap for the time being. It was merely sprained, but it was still not the best thing to walk on. Despite having crutches, Sunghoon insisted on carrying her to her room. In reality, he wanted an excuse to be alone with her.

He laid his head on her chest, cuddling into her warmth with a content sigh. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, love."

They sat in comfortable silence for a long time, relishing each other's company. "Are you okay? And Jay? I don't know what it was like down there, so..."

"We're okay," Daisy assured, giggling internally that he showed so much concern for Jay as well. "I've been having some hypomania here and there, but relaxing this week should help."

Sunghoon nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Before she could stop herself, the question spilled from her lips. "Is something going on between you and Jay?" He jolted away, flushing in surprise.

"What? No, why the hell would you think that?"

"Relax," she laughed, pulling him back toward her. "You've just been closer than usual lately, and you both keep asking about each other. Seems a little fruity to me," she teased.

"Ha ha," he sarcastically replied, calming down some. "He's your partner and I'm your partner, which in some weird indirect way means I have to worry about him too. Besides, he's my friend. We've known each other even longer than we've known you."

"I know that," she gently said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. It's just been on my mind." Sunghoon sighed.

"I'm sorry for getting defensive. But no, there's nothing going on between us."