When We're Together [양정완]

16.

Yang Jungwon immediately paused his homework when his phone buzzed. He flipped it over and smiled, realizing it was a text from Aera. He had waited for 20 minutes and she still hadn't met him, so he opened the message, expecting some sort of update, but instead:

Aera:
I can't study today. Sorry.
read at 3:52pm

The boy blinked at the screen with a furrowed brow. Why did she seem so curt? Usually Chae Aera was the type who sounded happy in every message and texted back with amazing reactions, but this was so unlike her.

Jungwon:
Did something happen?
*message could not be sent*

The male sat staring at his screen, now even more confused. Something was definitely off. He sent a few more messages, but the same happened. None of them were going through.

The boy sighed and began packing his things. He wasn't annoyed. In fact, more than anything, he was worried. He had known Aera long enough to know that she was like him; she liked to keep her emotions to herself. But, he knew first hand how terrible that could make you feel.

The next thing he knew, he was on his way to her apartment. He remembered the way from the times he had walked her there after the night he had stayed. He had a hunch of where she might be.

A few minutes later, the boy opened the door to the apartment's rooftop to find exactly what he knew he would find. Chae Aera.

The girl was leaning on the raining at the edge of the building. Her back was to him, but he could tell she was crying. He stood quietly for a moment as the girl sniffled and raised her chin to the sky before hanging her head again.

"Aera?"

Startled, the girl quickly whirled around as she frantically wiped her tears. She managed to force a small smile. "Jungwon? What are you doing here?"

The boy didn't say anything. He felt his heart sink seeing her cry, but somehow, it hurt him even more to see her faking a smile for him. He sighed and put his bag on the couch.

Aera's smile began to fade as she bit her bottom lip to keep from embarrassing herself by crying in front of the boy a second time. She turned back towards the view as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

She wasn't upset because Park Haneul had yelled at her, she was upset because she knew she felt like she was being pulled away from the boy she had known all her life. Her first love, Min Yuhan.

The two had already been spending less and less time together since her confession, months ago, but now it really felt like their friendship had slipped right through her fingers, and now there was nothing she could do about it without hurting him in the process.

She felt her vision becoming blurry again. Suddenly, she saw the boy who had come to find her lean on the railing just beside her. He still didn't say anything. He stared towards the view of the city she had been staring at just a few minutes ago.

The girl looked at him with misty eyes and bit her bottom lip. He noticed tears starting to roll down the girl's cheeks.

Aera tilted her head back to stop her tears, but suddenly she was pulled into a hug. Her eyes widened as the boy who had been quietly accompanying her wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Aera. You can cry."

She felt all the tears she had been holding in begin to flow out like a river as she hid her face in the male's uniform sweater. She wrapped her arms around him as she let her tears flow freely.

After a few minutes, she pulled away. Her eyes and nose were red and puffy, and she had tear streaks on her cheeks, but she looked up at the boy who peered back down at her.

She avoided his gaze as she muttered, "How did you know I was here?"

He smiled a little. "You brought me here, remember? I just had a feeling."

Aera let out a quiet chuckle and she found herself smiling a bit. She had always wanted to be alone when she was upset or angry, but now, she regretted ever having wanted to cry alone. Somehow the boy's presence comforted her and made her feel safe.

She turned away from the boy as she patted her eyes and face dry.

"Why are you turning away?" Aera could tell the boy was pouting, even if she wasn't looking at him. She let out a soft giggle.

"My face is puffy," she said as she continued patting.

"So?" the boy tried to peek at her face but she turned again. "Hey-"

Aera started walking away, then jogging, then running as he chased her around the large, flat rooftop, laughing.

"Let me see!" Jungwon called as he ran after her.

"Nooo- I look so bad right now," she half laughed, half sniffled as she ran. After a few seconds, the boy caught her arm and pulled her onto another outdoor couch on the other side of the roof. He gently turned her shoulders to face him and looked at her post-cry face.

"What are you talking about? You look pretty right now."

Aera froze and blinked, not knowing how to respond to the boy's comment. Her mind went completely blank. A million questions ran through her head but the only thing she could manage to get out was, "H-huh?"