Jaehun was driving me home, and the silence in the car felt thick, almost like a third presence between us. My thoughts were still swirling around the whole dating situation. If Jaehun didn't go on a date with Serena, then where did she go? I couldn't make sense of it.
"You didn't answer me," Jaehun said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"What?" I asked, startled out of my thoughts.
"Will you be my alien?" he repeated, a hint of teasing in his voice.
"Don't propose to me like that... Do it elegantly," I said, trying to sound annoyed, but really just hiding my embarrassment. I turned my face toward the window, avoiding his gaze.
Jaehun chuckled softly. "My girlfriend must be expecting a lot from me, hmm?" he said.
"If you can't do anything, then why did you become my boyfriend?" I shot back, still looking out of the window.
"I didn't say I wouldn't do the things you want," he replied smoothly.
I turned back, watching the road through the window. If he really wanted to impress me, he would have brought me flowers, I thought. Suddenly, he stopped the car.
"We're here," he said.
"Oh, alright then," I mumbled, reaching for the door handle.
"Don't ignore me anymore, my non-dating girlfriend," he said playfully.
I didn't reply, just opened the door to get out. But before I could leave, Jaehun grabbed my arm gently, stopping me.
"You were expecting a flower bouquet, weren't you?" he asked, his voice suddenly serious, almost intense.
I stared at him, caught off guard. The way he said it was so sincere, so attractive. Then he reached into the back seat and pulled out a bouquet of white tulips, handing it to me.
"H-how did you know my favorite flower is tulips?" I stammered, completely surprised.
"Oh... it was on your profile picture," he said with a casual shrug.
"Er... alright? Thanks?" I said, still feeling a little dazed.
"You're welcome. I hope you won't ignore me anymore," he said with a smile.
I bid him goodbye and walked to my front door, holding the bouquet tightly. How was I going to explain these flowers to my family? What should I say if they ask? I couldn't just throw them away; they were too beautiful. Thinking quickly, I ran to the kitchen garden and carefully placed the bouquet on the window sill before heading back inside.
"I'm home," I called out hesitantly.
"Oh, if you're hungry, I made pasta. Go ahead and eat," my mom called from the living room.
"Alright..." I replied. I hurried to the kitchen, grabbed the bouquet again, and then dashed up to my room. Phew, no one noticed me. Not even Serena. I took a deep breath and unlocked my phone. Maybe I should send Jaehun a proper thank you. I saw that he had sent several worried messages.
"Thank you for the flowers," I texted him.
I wondered briefly why Serena wasn't home. Did she go out again? Why did I even care?
"Glad that you liked it," Jaehun replied almost immediately.
I found myself smiling at his message without realizing it.
"Are you home?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I just got home," he replied.
His house wasn't that far from mine-just a quick run down the road, turn left, and it's the third house.
"What are you having for dinner?" I asked.
"Hmm, I think my mom is making something," he responded.
"When are your parents leaving for Korea?" I asked.
"This Wednesday," he replied.
"Okay," I typed back.
"Can we meet tomorrow too?" he asked.
I stared at the text, feeling torn. Should I say yes or no? A part of me wanted to go, just to experience what dating felt like. Did today count as a date? I wasn't even sure.
"Um, where?" I finally replied.
"You really want to go?" he asked.
"It's summer vacation... I don't have anything else to do anyway," I typed, trying to sound casual.
"Then let's meet tomorrow afternoon at the park nearby," he suggested.
"Okay," I agreed.
"Do you have any wishes?" he asked.
"Wishes?" I thought, looking at my closet. Should we match clothes? Was that too much, too soon?
"Don't be shy, tell me," he encouraged.
"Can we... match clothes?" I typed quickly before I could change my mind.
I had seen so many couples wearing matching outfits on social media. They always looked so cute together. Now that I was in a relationship, why couldn't I try it too?
"Sure. What are you going to wear?" he asked.
"You first," I replied. I had no idea what to wear for a date. I opened my closet and sifted through my clothes: some tops, jeans, and hoodies. I checked my phone to see what he had responded with.
"Do you have anything in olive color?" he asked.
Yes, I did-a top.
"Yes," I replied.
"It's summer, so I'm not forcing you to wear anything uncomfortable," he said.
"No problem. Anything else?"
I considered asking about matching pants but decided it might be too weird.
"I think that's it," he replied.
"Okay then, see you tomorrow?"
"Hmm. Can't wait to see you," he texted back.
Was he already flirting? My cheeks felt warm. Was I supposed to blush? Why were my cheeks burning? I needed to take out the olive top and figure out what else to wear. Maybe some makeup, too. I decided to borrow some of Serena's makeup. I knocked on her door, but there was no response.
"I'm coming in," I called softly.
She was lying on her bed, probably sleeping. I tiptoed over to her table and grabbed an eyeliner and a lipstick. Suddenly, a branded lipstick fell from the table, hitting the floor with a loud thud. I froze, then looked over at Serena. She hadn't even moved. That was strange. She was such a light sleeper. How was she still asleep?
Should I check? I walked over to her bed and saw something red on the white sheets. This girl is never going to be okay, I thought. She must've started her period. I pulled the blanket away and said, "Hey, you got pe-"
But then I stopped. She was bleeding from her mouth. She wasn't breathing.
She... was... dead...
YOU ARE READING
Coincidence
Romance"Am I so hard to love?" "If you were, I would never wait for you." ~Enjoy~
