Kiss & Make Up | Lee Jeno

9.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

"and then he said he'd text me!" Areum finished explaining the situation in one breath, her words tumbling out.

Harin's jaw dropped, "He said that?!" the girl gasped, "He's totally into you dude!"

Areum immediately shook her head, flustered. "No way. That would be crazy," she said, already trying to calm down her racing thoughts.

"I'm serious!" Harin insisted as she pulled into her friend's driveway. "Why else would he randomly ask for your number? He's definitely a little interested."

Rolling her eyes, Areum unbuckled her seatbelt and gathered her things. "Stop feeding my delusions. This is so not good for my mental health." Taking a deep breath, still trying to calm herself.

Harin grinned, "Okay, but seriously, what if he is into you? And, like, asked you out on a date? Would you say yes?"

Areum paused with the car door half open, staring at her friend in disbelief. "Girl, he's Lee Jeno. Who in their right mind would reject him? Honestly, he'd have to reject me first."

Harin giggled, leaning her chin on the steering wheel. "Maybe you should make the first move and text him first."

Areum shook her head vigorously. "Nope. I gave him my number, I don't even have his yet. I just have to wait til he texts me."

"Aw man!" Harin said, leaning back in her seat. "You should've made the first move. You could've, like, totally seduced him."

Areum burst into laughter, grabbing her bag from the back and slinging it over her shoulder as she walked to the front door.
Not hearing Harin walk in behind her, she paused, frowning slightly when she realized Harin wasn't getting out of the car.

"You're not coming inside?"

Harin shook her head, waving from inside the car. "I've got to stop by my grandma's house. Family stuff."

Areum pouted, stepping over to the car again. "But what if he texts me while you're gone?!"

"Then text back, dummy!" Harin laughed.

"What if I don't know what to say?! You always help me with that!" Areum's voice grew desperate. "What if the conversation ends or I say something weird?!"

"He's texting you, not me! So stop asking me to text for you." Harin laughed, giving Areum a playful nudge. "You'll be fine. Stop overthinking it. Remember, he's just a regular guy who happens to be famous. You've got this."

Areum groaned, still filled with nerves. "But what if I embarrass myself? What if I say something stupid and totally ruin it?"

Harin couldn't resist teasing her, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. "Oh please, it wouldn't be the first time you've embarrassed yourself in front of someone you like."

Areum threw her head back in exasperation, letting out a dramatic groan. "You're supposed to be helping me. You're making it worse!"

Laughing, Harin waved off the comment. "I'm just saying! You're funny when you panic."

"Go away!" Areum cried, flipping her friend off as she stomped toward the door. "You're absolutely no help!"

"Love you, Reumie!" Harin shouted after her, still grinning as she got back into the car. "Good luck!"

Areum turned around to give her friend one last glare before rolling her eyes with a smile. She waved dismissively, watching Harin pull out of the driveway.

"Tell me everything later!" Harin called out from the window, her voice fading as she drove off.

Areum walked inside her house, shutting the door with a soft thud behind her. She placed her bag down with a long sigh, her mind replaying the whirlwind of events that had unfolded that morning.

"What a day..." she mumbled, running a hand through her hair as she slowly made her way upstairs to her room.

She plopped down on her bed, the soft comforter welcoming her tired body. The afternoon sunlight filtered through her curtains, casting warm streaks across her room, but all she could think about was how drained she felt.

It was only noon, yet Areum felt as though she'd lived through an entire week in just a few hours. The stress of waking up early and rushing through the chaos of the studio weighed heavily on her. The excitement mixed with anxiety from her interaction with Jeno and working with her favorite group hadn't exactly helped either.

"Should I take a nap?" she wondered aloud, glancing at her bed longingly.

Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as her body relaxed against the sheets. A nap sounded so tempting, so peaceful. But just as she was about to give in, her eyes snapped open as a sudden thought hit her.

"Oh wait, what if he texts me and I'm asleep?"

She sat up quickly, blinking away the grogginess, her mind now racing. What if Jeno texted her while she was sleeping? What if she missed it and took too long to respond? What if he thought she didn't want to talk to him?

Areum bit her lip, glancing at her phone sitting next to her on the bed. The screen was dark, no notifications lighting it up.
She picked it up, unlocking it and scrolling aimlessly through her home screen, half expecting to see a message pop up any second.

"Should I stay up? I don't want to miss anything..." she muttered to herself, her fingers tracing patterns on her phone case as she considered her options.

But what if he doesn't text at all? What if he changed his mind?

Her heart sped up a little at the thought.

No, he wouldn't do that, right?

She remembered how confidently he'd asked for her number. Surely, he wouldn't back out now.

Deciding against the nap, Areum got up and tried to keep herself busy.

She wandered around her room, picking up a book she'd been meaning to finish, but couldn't focus on a single word. Every few minutes, she'd glance down at her phone, only to be greeted with silence. There were a few notifications here and there. One from a group chat with her friends, a text from her mom asking how her day was going, but nothing from an unknown number.
Nothing from Jeno.

She sighed, placing the book down and checking her phone once again. Still nothing. The seconds dragged on, the silence between notifications only making her more anxious.

"Okay, relax," she told herself, setting her phone aside for the fifth time in what felt like an hour. "He's probably busy. It's not like he has to text me right away..."

But the anticipation gnawed at her. What was he doing now? Was he even thinking about texting her? What if he completely forgot?

With a frustrated groan, Areum flopped back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't stop the anxious thoughts from swirling around her head, even though she knew she was probably overreacting. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

Just let him text when he wants to, Areum. You don't have to overthink everything.

But even as she repeated the words in her head, she found herself glancing at her phone again, the screen stubbornly blank.

It was going to be a long day.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
____________________________

Areum babe, calm down.
SHES SO CUTE I CANT. 🤭

Jeno, my man, you better text her😾

I know I said this last chapter but Renjun is back guys. I cried in the car on the way back from school. I'm so happy. I better see them at Jingle ball in december 😌

7DREAM IS BACK BABYYY💚