WHY DO YOU LOVE ME? - riki

✧ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 18 - ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀsᴛ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ✧

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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭𝟴 - 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘

𝙃𝙒𝘼𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙂 𝙋𝙊𝙑 -

"Play some music-"

"No."

I groaned and just opted to look out of the window on the way to the mall. We were in Riki's car on our way to our first date. It still felt weird to know that we were going on a date and that I was going to have to miraculously fall in love with this brickhead.

Once we got to the mall I hopped out of the car and skipped to the mall in excitement with Riki trailing behind me radiating miserable energy. I was excited for today, I had a bit of money to spend and even though Riki was dragging the mood down, I would have to continue being happy to ensure that I could feel something today. If I can feel a tiny sense of love then that means I'm doing it right and I'll be free from this curse soon.

"How about adding a bit of pastel green to your miserable home hmm?" I asked and Riki shrugged handing me a dark green cushion he found on one of the shelves. "Yeah no." I picked up a small fluffy cushion from a few shelves beside the one he'd just picked and threw it into our trolley. "Cute no?"

"Um, sure."

"Riki please I'm actually trying," I muttered to myself hoping at the slim chance my words would be heard by him and he would start trying. "How about flowers? Or plants or something." He suggested and picked up a small cactus in a cute plant pot with a face on it. "See that is the spirit." I grinned and put the cactus into our trolley before walking into another aisle filled with kitchen items.

"How about a tiny fried egg teddy? You know to join you while you cook."

"I don't eat."

"Well I guess he can still keep you company... some other way. When you watch me cooking perhaps." I suggested and Riki grinned before throwing the teddy into the trollet with all the other stuff we'd chosen. "Why this?" He asked abruptly and I swiftly turned to face him before answering, "I don't know. I just think a house holds lots of memories so if you see little items that remind you of me, you'll fall for me." I jokingly winked and he just shook his head and rolled his eyes before picking up a random candle.

"Is this your scent? Berry and honey?" He asked and I cocked a brow in confusion. He walked up to me and pulled me by the wrist towards him as he burrowed his face into my neck. I froze and felt all the blood in my body rush to my cheeks. What was he doing? Why was I so flustered by his movements?

"Nope. I guess you're more of a vanilla and wood girl." The corner of his lips curved into a smile as he put down his first chosen candle and put another into our trolley.

"You two are quite the adorable pair!" An old woman chimed from beside us and I turned to give her a quick smile and thanks. "How long have you been together for?" She asked whilst placing a candle in her own trolley and switching her gaze between the two of us. "Um, not that-"

"A year. I really am lucky aren't I?" Riki grinned like a baby receiving candy and the old woman chuckled at his comment before giving him a little pat on the back. "You are. She's a beautiful young woman and she's lucky to have a loving man like you." The woman chuckled and waddled away to another aisle in the shop. "And the Oscar goes to... Riki!" He whispered and bowed to an imaginary audience as I chuckled. He's not so bad.

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𝙃𝙀𝙀𝙎𝙀𝙐𝙉𝙂 𝙋𝙊𝙑 -

I was visiting a friend at the restaurant he works at since we would both be hanging out after his shift ended in 20 minutes time. However, when I walked through the glass doors and looked around for somewhere to sit, I didn't expect to see Hwayoung there with the same guy from a few weeks ago.

She was facing away from me but I could still see a bit of her side profile so I knew it was her. The guy she was with sported an all-black outfit and was just smiling at her with every word she said. His attention not drifting away from her for even a second. It seemed as if they were on a date.

She told me she wasn't interested in dating. Yet here she was. With a guy. On a date.

"I like you a lot Heeseung... as a friend and co-worker. I'm so sorry, but right now I'm not interested in dating."

Maybe I was jumping to conclusions by thinking that it was a date, it could just be a friend, cousin or anything else really but knowing Hwayoung as much as I do it probably wasn't any of those options. What did he have that I didn't?

"I like you a lot Heeseung... as a friend and co-worker. I'm so sorry, but right now I'm not interested in dating."

A sour taste rose up to my throat and I felt like just crumbling in my own heartbreak. Hwayoung had always been so sweet and so beautiful since the first day she started working with the rest of us boys. She would always laugh with us and tell us to stay healthy. She would always clean up and lock up last and said it was because she had the least amount of responsibilities compared to the rest of us. Which was never true. But still.

I chuckled thinking about all the good times. Sure things wouldn't really change between us and I'd been pretending that her rejection didn't but it did. Quite a bit. But I knew respecting her and her wishes was the right thing to do.

"I like you a lot Heeseung... as a friend and co-worker. I'm so sorry, but right now I'm not interested in dating."

"Hee, you ready to go?" My friend called out to me and I nodded, getting up from my seat and sparing one final glance at Hwayoung. This would be the last time I looked at her romantically, hoping that she would be mine because it was clear there was someone else. I just wasn't them.

So with time, the hurt will go away. And I'll look at her as just a friend because that's what she is to me. Just a friend. A small smile crept its way up my face. I wasn't the right one for her, this was the end of this chapter, and the beginning of a new, different one.

- 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟖𝟎 -
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AUTHOR:

I actually really loved writing this chapter

I think that it is deffo the cutest

and heeseungs outro part is a really good piece of writing from me

what do yall think??

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