Love Under Pretenses | Winrina

21.

"Hey, I'll head up first and claim one of the hotel rooms with a single bed. I want to rest before we start enjoying Spain," Giselle informed me and Jimin as soon as we arrived in Barcelona and checked into the hotel where we’d be staying for the next three days.

"You’re always so quick to decide things, Giselle. Shouldn’t we at least talk about this first?" Jimin asked irritably, but Giselle just gave her a sassy look in return.

"Sorry, not sorry, but you two know your situation, right? It’s basically almost real at this point. Honestly, I don’t want to share a room with either of you. It feels like I’m the third wheel here or something. You guys can figure out the other room—byee!" Giselle said, waving her hand dramatically. I couldn't help but blush at her words, especially when I glanced at Jimin and noticed she was also turning red.

"S-so, where’s the key card, Jimin? We should probably get some rest too," I asked, breaking the awkward silence between us. It seemed like the sound of my voice finally snapped her out of her daze.

"R-right," she muttered, fumbling for the key and opening the door.

Giselle really knows how to get under my skin! She never holds back with her comments.

I was immediately amazed by how our hotel room looked, with its beautiful interior design. There was a big screen TV in case we wanted to watch movies later, and a sliding door that led to the balcony, offering a stunning view of the city outside. There was also a couch, but what caught my attention the most was the queen-size bed—perfectly sized for two people.

The thought of sharing that bed with Jimin made my face heat up again. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for something like that. Oh my gosh, I’d probably go crazy just lying next to her all night.

So, after setting aside our bags and changing into comfortable clothes and pajamas, I headed straight to the couch, deciding that’s where I’d sleep instead.

Thank goodness there’s a couch—at least I had another option if I wasn’t ready to sleep on the bed.

When Jimin noticed I was planning to sleep on the couch, she looked at me for a long time, just staring, until I started feeling awkward under her gaze.

"Jimin, I can see you staring at me, you know?" I said, turning my back to her as I closed my eyes, hoping she'd stop.

"I know," she answered briefly, which made me open my eyes in surprise.

"Why are you staring?"

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?" she shot back, which made me pause.

This time, I turned my body around again to face her.

"Maybe because I think you don’t want me next to you? Unless… you want me to?" I teased, raising an eyebrow at her. She immediately gave me a cringe-worthy look before lying down on the bed and pulling the covers over herself.

"Tsk, you’re right. Do whatever you want," Jimin replied, but I couldn’t help but feel like she sounded a bit sulky... or maybe that was just my imagination?

It made me a little sad, honestly. She didn’t even ask if I wanted to sleep next to her. Or say something like, ‘Are you crazy? Just sleep here with me and don’t stay on the couch!’

But who am I to expect something like that, right? It’s not like our relationship is real. It’s all just fake, and nothing more. So I had no right to even think that she’d ever say something like that—because I know she wouldn’t. I’m not her real girlfriend, after all.

FEW MOMENTS LATER

“Are you ready yet? Giselle’s been waiting outside for awhile now and I swear, if she complains one more time, I’m seriously going to snap,” Jimin grumbled, making me laugh out loud. You know you’ve got a solid friendship when one of you is always on the verge of roasting the other.

“Come on, just let it slide. You know how she is, right? This is her dream destination. Let her have her moment,” I said, trying to calm her down. But Jimin was already halfway out the door, completely ignoring my attempt to reason with her.

“Finally! You two take forever to get ready!” Giselle exclaimed the second we made it to the lobby, her arms crossed and impatience written all over her face.

“Oh, sorry! We were just so exhausted from the flight, so we thought we’d actually sleep like normal human beings,” Jimin replied with pure sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“So, where’s the first stop?” I asked, trying to change the subject. It still felt so surreal being in a foreign country, surrounded by people who weren’t fellow Koreans but actual Spaniards. I honestly never imagined I’d get the chance to travel like this, given my background.

“Sagrada Familia! It’s like the ultimate must-see in Spain. It looks like a giant temple, but it’s actually a church. Tons of people go there,” Giselle explained, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Alright then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!”

FEW MOMENTS LATER

“Whoa, this place is insane! Minjeong, can you take my picture here? Full body, landscape mode, and make sure the temple’s in the background!” Giselle instructed like she was on a professional photoshoot, her excitement totally contagious. I grinned as I took her picture.

“Okay, now from the other angle!” she added, not missing a beat, and I snapped another.

“Thanks, Minjeong!” Giselle finally took her phone back, looking satisfied with her mini photoshoot.

But then I glanced around and realized something was off. Wait, where was Jimin? She’d been right here with us just a minutes ago. How did she disappear so fast?

“Giselle, do you know where Jimin went?” I asked, starting to get a bit worried.

“Huh? She’s not behind us?” Giselle asked, looking confused. I shrugged because, honestly, I had no idea.

Just as I was about to start searching, I spotted a familiar figure walking toward us. It was Jimin, and she was carrying two ice creams. Where on earth did she get those?

“Jimin! Where did you go? You made me worry!” I said, half-scolding her as she finally joined us.

“Aww, look at my sweet girlfriend getting all worried about me,” Jimin teased, throwing me a cheeky grin. And of course, I blushed like crazy because, fake or not, being called her girlfriend always threw me off.

“I passed by an ice cream shop and got curious, so I stopped in for a bit. I guess you didn’t notice I was gone because you two were so busy taking in the sights,” Jimin explained casually.

She then looked at the ice cream she was holding and, a bit hesitantly, handed one to me. I raised an eyebrow at her, surprised.

“For me?” I asked, but took it anyway. It was vanilla with chocolate syrup and sprinkles—definitely something I’d enjoy.

“Would I be giving it to you if it wasn’t?” she shot back, rolling her eyes before licking her own ice cream.

“O-oh, really? T-thank you then,” I stammered, caught off guard. I didn’t expect her to think of me like that.

“Hey! What about me? Why’d you only get two ice creams?” Giselle suddenly whined, clearly feeling left out.

“I only have two hands, stupid. If you want one, buy it yourself. I’ll show you where the shop is,” Jimin said with a smug look as she happily enjoyed her ice cream.

“Ugh, you’re so mean!”

I couldn’t help but laugh and turned to Giselle. “I’d share mine with you, but, you know… I already have saliva on it" I teased.

“Hard pass on your germs, thanks! Just come with me to get my own ice cream. Where’s that shop, Jimin?” Giselle huffed, and we started walking again, the banter continuing as always.