unsend ; jake

eighty two: only one

Jay sighed, letting the words sink in. "Wrong." he paused, "You got it all wrong Suyoung. I care for her just like I care for everyone else. It's nothing special."

Suyoung shook her head in denial, "I saw it. I always have. And I'm not the only one who has thought so." 

"Listen to me, please. She's like a sister to me, and nothing more. I don't even like younger girls like that! Brotherly instincts that's all. You know, back when her mom passed away, we were in 8th grade..."

Suyoung listened intently, wondering why he suddenly brought it up. It was something Yunhyo always hated being brought up, so none of them ever mentioned it. 

"She was in 7th grade? She didn't know whom to go to. She cried to me a lot that night. I accompanied her to the funeral as well. It was after that that I started feeling responsible for her. She has her dad, of course, but she's not that close with him. She never showed it, but she always needed someone to rely on. So, I mean it when I say she's like a sister to me." 

The tears that had stopped a while back, flowed again from Suyoung's eyes. She broke down, feeling overwhelmed. There was not one thing Jay could ever do wrong. "I'm sorry." she mumbled between her sobs and sniffles, "I'm sorry I had no idea. I didn't know it was like this."

"Hey, shh. It's okay" Jay's one hand made its way to her back, patting her soothingly. 

"I got it all wrong. I feel so bad."

"It's okay, honey. You did nothing wrong." 

She buried her face in her hands, crying away. After a while she slowly became calm, her sobs gone, her sniffles silent. She accepted the tissues he offered, wiping her cheeks and nose. "Get up now, your knees will get sore."

"I'm fine. Plus I can see your face better from here." He smiled teasingly in response. She made a tch sound, no more space for a blush on her cheeks as she was already red from the crying. 

Jay slowly brought one of her hands near his face, placing a kiss on the back of her palm, startling her. She inhaled a sharp breath, staring at him wide-eyed. He smiled gently at her, "Do you remember how we first met, Suyoung-ah? First day of school in 5th grade, I had just shifted back from the US. You and Yunhyo had approached me because you both saw me crying near the school gate."

Suyoung giggled at the memory, it was the only time she'd seen Jay cry. Yunhyo and her weren't friends back then, they just happened to find him there at once. 

"She was very persistent about befriending me, and not gonna lie, I used to find her quite annoying back then..." Jay's smile widened with each laugh he got out of her. "No seriously! She was so talkative, and I just wanted to be left alone. But the reason I let it go was because you were there. You used to be everywhere she was, standing behind her like a shadow. Even when she used to come to talk to me you would just stand and listen. I wanted to talk to you and get closer to you. It was always you that brought me back to her." 

She just stared at him, butterflies rupturing in her stomach. "That's so cute!" she chuckled, and so did he. 

"Well, the whole point of me saying this was that it has been you, Suyoung. The only one in my eyes. From the start." 

"Jay..." she stopped a tear from rolling down her cheeks once again, "It does make me feel better, but I have no clue what you mean by all of this."

"I like you, Suyoung. Always have. Even when I was dating Dongho. Well, I feel bad about that part but he was the one who cheated, so... but no, that's not the point."

"Jay- you-"

"I like you. Like crazy. Everything about you. And you were always so nice to me, it kept me in this hope that... that maybe you liked me back as well. Tell me, am I wrong? Am I ruining our friendship, Suyoung-ah?"

Suyoung couldn't help but notice the slight tremble in his voice. "No, Jay. Not at all. I've liked you too, for years."

"You have?"

"Yes. Even when you dated Dongho. Even when I tried to set you up with Heeseung. I hated myself. I never tried to do anything about my feelings because I was scared I would lose you as a friend. I kept it all to myself. I still can't believe this." She smiled at him, a heartfelt genuine smile, squeezing his hands in her grip.

He let go of their hands, standing up and pulling her into a tight embrace. She fell into it, her hands wrapped around his body, her fingers gripping his shirt. They stayed like that for a while, swaying back and forth a little. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck and his chin was perched on the top of her head. 

"So you're my boyfriend now? And I'm your girlfriend?" she asked, her voice muffled. 

The two of them giggled as he answered, "Hell yes. I love how that sounds."