What We can't be?

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A Few Days Later


Late afternoon light spilled over Jungkook as he stood outside Lisa's apartment, his hand hovering mid-air, nerves twisting in his stomach.

He took a shaky breath, grappling with the weight of his thoughts.

What was he supposed to say? That he'd been a coward, an idiot, and that he already missed her presence more than he'd anticipated?

Before he could knock, the door swung open. Lisa stood there, dressed in a sleek black off-shoulder dress that hugged her figure perfectly.

For a moment, he lost his train of thought.

She looked stunning and confident-nothing like someone who'd just laid her heart bare days ago.

Lisa: "What do you want, Jungkook?" she asked, an eyebrow raised as she crossed her arms.

He swallowed hard, feeling a familiar heat in his cheeks. Jk: "I... I wanted to talk."

Her gaze swept over him, and he caught a flicker of hurt mixed with frustration in her eyes.

Lisa: "Isn't it a little late for that?"

Jk:"I just need to explain," he said, shifting his weight as she regarded him, unimpressed.

Lisa sighed, stepping aside to let him in.

He moved past her, the warmth of her apartment wrapping around him-a sharp contrast to the emotional chill that had settled between them.

His gaze fell on a framed photo on her dresser, one from their freshman year: them, side by side, arms around each other, beaming.

He picked it up, tracing a finger over their younger, carefree selves.

Jk: "We were different back then," he murmured.

Lisa: "Maybe you were. For me, it's been the same," she replied softly.

Her words stung, landing hard. He glanced over to see her staring at the photo too. Jk: "I didn't know... I didn't understand."

She shook her head. Lisa: "No, you didn't want to understand. It was easier to keep things as they were."

Her indifferent honesty agitated him.
Jk: "Don't say that." He stepped closer, feeling the pull of her presence.

Jk: "You mean a lot to me, more than anyone. You're my best friend."

Lisa: "Best friend?" she scoffed, bitterness tinging her voice.

Lisa: "Four years, Jungkook. I gave you loyalty, friendship, and... it was never enough."

He clenched his jaw, her words cutting deeper than he'd anticipated. Jk: "I never asked for that, Lisa."

Lisa: "And I never asked to feel this way about you," she shot back, her voice breaking as she looked away, biting her lip to hold back tears.

Silence enveloped them, thick and heavy. He took a breath, bracing himself.

Jk: "I don't know how to do this, Lisa... feelings, commitment. It scares the hell out of me."

Lisa: "Scares you?" She met his eyes, disbelief flashing through her frustration.

Lisa: "And you think I'm not scared? But I was willing to risk it all because I thought..." Her voice wavered, the sentence hanging unfinished.

He closed his eyes, guilt pressing down on him.

Jk: "It's not fair to ask you to wait while I figure myself out," he admitted, the weight of his shortcomings, settling like a stone in his chest.

We can't be friends - lizkookWhere stories live. Discover now