When We're Together [양정완]

09.

He sat on the floor, leaning on the couch as he waited for the girl to return with a different shirt. A minute later, the girl returned holding an oversized navy blue hoodie and another fuzzy blanket. She had also changed into an oversized T-shirt and sweat pants, he noticed. She handed the hoodie to the boy and he went to the bathroom to change.

He returned to the room a few minutes later to see Aera curled up on the couch, watching a show on the TV. She glanced at the boy when he returned. Somehow, the hoodie fit him perfectly.

"Whose is this?" the boy asked as he sat leaning on the couch again.

"Mine," Aera said as she passed him the other blanket she had brought for him. "It's a men's hoodie though. I just like to wear oversized clothes."

The two sat in silence as they watched the show playing on the TV screen.  Suddenly, the boy felt the girl playing with a piece of his hair. Startled, he tilted his head up to look at her.

Aera averted her gaze to the floor and put her hands back in her lap seeing the boy look at her. "What?"

He smiled as he looked back to the screen. "Do it again."

"Huh?" Aera could hear the smile in his voice.

The boy reached back and grabbed the girl's wrist, placing her hand on his head. "Do it again." He repeated as he felt her run her hand through his hair again. He liked it.

Aera crossed her legs and scooted to sit directly behind the boy. She brushed her fingers through his brown hair again. 

She could tell the boy was smiling even from above. She bit her lip as she felt the corners of her mouth rising.

Jungwon felt relaxed as the girl ran her fingers through his hair and played with it. He tucked his hands under his legs as he tried not to make it too obvious that he was enjoying it.

Suddenly, the two were interrupted by none other than Chae Haru. The middle schooler walked into the room, looking at his phone, but stopped immediately upon seeing his older sister playing with some strange boy's hair. 

Aera quickly tucked her hands into her lap so her brother wouldn't misunderstand, but it was too late. He stood staring at the two high schoolers with a disgusted expression, looking as if he had walked in on a couple making out. 

"Aera, who is this?" he said as his eyes darted between the unfamiliar boy and his sister who was awkwardly staring at the wall.

"This is my friend, Yang Jungwo-"

"Friend?" The boy scoffed. "Doesn't seem like it."

Aera picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at him. "Shut up, Haru." she muttered annoyedly as she felt an embarrassed flush coming to her face.

Jungwon tried as hard as he could not to laugh. He bit his bottom lip and looked away from the girl's brother as the two siblings bickered with each other.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Chae called from downstairs, saving the girl from the awkward situation her brother had put her in.

~~~

Aera and Jungwon sat across from each other at the dinner table. Mrs. Chae had cooked tteokboki, and the boy's mouth was watering just from the smell.

As they began eating, Mrs. and Mr. Chae asked Jungwon about his family, about his friends, about school, and about basically anything they could think of. Aera chuckled as the boy shyly answered every one of her parents' questions. 

"Are you in Aera's class?"

"No, sir. I'm in class one."

"Oh? How did you two meet then?"

Aera froze and nervously bit her lip. Why did her dad have to ask so many questions? She glanced up at the boy with a nervous smile. He seemed to take the hint.

"We met in the library and I started helping her study after school." The boy glanced over at the girl, nervous he had said something wrong, but she smiled normally and nodded to her parents.

"Ah, so you're the study buddy Aera had been talking about?" Mrs. Chae smiled.

Jungwon looked at his lap as he tried his best not to show his smirk. He stole a glance at the girl beside him who was trying to change the topic.

At last they finished eating and the two high schoolers headed back upstairs as they waited to see if this rain would stop.