Mondays. Ugh.
I finished getting ready for school and headed downstairs to wait for Jungwon, the others. Checking my phone to pass the time, I scrolled through a pile of notifications. One message caught my eye, and I couldn't help but smile.
Daniel
You up?
Sent 6:45
Me
Yeah, why?
I glanced at the time-7:00. He should be on his way to school by now.
Daniel
I'm gonna pick you up.
Me
Right now?
Daniel
Yeah, wait for me.
Seen 7:02
---
I checked my hair in the mirror, adjusting it one last time before hearing a knock. Could he already be here?
But when I opened the door, I found Sunghoon and Jay instead-weird.
"First two to arrive!" Jay announced with a grin. "I haven't been this early in ages."
He stepped inside, and Sunghoon followed, giving my hair a playful ruffle.
"Are you sick or something?" Sunghoon asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at me.
"No... why?" I replied, confused.
He shrugged. "Your cheeks. They're kinda red. Never mind." He smirked and ruffled my hair again, ignoring my protests.
Ting
Another notification. I glanced down.
"Daniel says he's here," Jungwon said, sounding surprised as he looked over at me.
"Shoot!" I rushed back to the mirror to fix my hair, feeling a hint of panic.
Jungwon's brow furrowed, his big-brother instinct kicking in. "Ash, what's he doing here?" His tone had a touch of worry.
"He's picking me up, obviously." I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, ignoring the look Jungwon gave me-the classic we'll talk about this later expression.
---
Outside, I spotted Daniel waiting and waved, quickening my steps as he smiled and waved back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said, stopping beside him.
"I don't mind waiting for you." He reached up to tuck a stray strand of my hair behind my ear, and I felt my cheeks warm up.
I cleared my throat, looking anywhere but at him. "Shall we go?" I suggested, still avoiding his gaze.
"Sure." He chuckled and fell in step beside me. "Oh, I ran into Heeseung on my way over. Seems like a cool guy."
"He is-he's a childhood friend." I glanced up at him, but Daniel looked away for a moment.
"Don't you have any female friends except the girls I met the other day? " he asked, his tone careful, but I caught the meaning.
I raised an eyebrow, letting out a small scoff. "Are you jealous?"
"What? No, I'm not!" He shifted his gaze to the ground, his ears turning red. Smirking, I moved in front of him, forcing him to look at me.
"You totally are, Dan," I teased.
"What if I am, Ashley?" he replied, his gaze holding mine for a moment, making my smirk fade.
"We're gonna be late. Hurry up," I said quickly, brushing past him, but I heard him laugh behind me.
