Tattooed Boy. || ENG

|06|

"What exactly do you want?" I ask the rude tattooed boy in front of me.

He smirks carelessly. "You were the one who said we weren't done talking, so speak up."

I snort and push the clothes in my hand quickly in the basket next to my closet.

"Actually you are the one who still has something left to say" I remember him.

"Oh really?" He sits up a bit and furrows his brows, still with a small smirk on his face. "I can't recall that."

I groan silently. He's doing this on purpose. Probably to tease me. "Just be honest" I demand and unwillingly add a "please". He's not someone who does what he's asked to, but it may be worth a try.

"What was that what you wanted to know?" he questions, pretending to be lost in his thoughts. "What your sister thinks about you? Why don't you just ask her yourself?"

I roll my eyes. "I know what she thinks about me. But I'm curious about what she tells others."

He raises an eyebrow and seems honestly confused. Wow. He is confused. I didn't know this could even happen. "Is there supposed to be a difference?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

He shakes his head.

"Well, that's just how it is. The behavior of people differentiates in front of family, friends or in public. That's only normal. But when it comes to siblings it's even more different."

"Ah." He doesn't sound like he understands or even cares. Luckily he starts giving me a proper answer anyways. "Kelsey always says that you're too kind for this world and that you have a strange disapproval of violence."

"That's all?"

He flicks his tongue. "That's the summed up version. She refers to you a lot so don't expect me to recall it all. I'm not your spy either."

"Okay, okay" I back off and raise my hands on defense. I didn't miss his annoyance slowly growing.

A laugh slips out of his mouth. "She also said you tend to avoid confrontations." The smirk is back on his face. "She was so correct."

I feel more and more mocked with every second. He never really took me serious, let's be real. I was always the little baby sister and Kelsey's words about me apparently were the source of it. Well, thanks then.

"You may leave now" I tell Jisung and don't even try to hide how pissed I am.

"Didn't plan to stay here forever, anyway" he replies and gets up the same second. "See ya around."

The smell of his aftershave stays in the air after he walks past me and exits the room. I stand dumbly on the same spot for a few more seconds until I let myself fall onto the chair he's been sitting on.

I really, really need to keep my distance from him. I'm used to adjust to a variety of situations - difficult ones even - but I learned sometimes it's better to avoid them. And that's exactly what I need to do now: avoid the tattooed Asian and sooner or later neither I, nor Kelsey will see him ever again.

~

Two days later - while sitting in front of dozens of papers and books for studying - my sisters voice interrupts me.

"Zoe?" The door to my room opens as I look up. Kelsey sticks her head between the door frame. "Here's a call for you?"

"For me? I didn't hear the phone ringing" I point out confused.

She rolls her eyes and steps into the room handing me her cell phone. "That's because I put it on vibration mode, you dummy. Why would you hear that?"

Vibration mode? Her cell phone? Is it only me or doesn't any of this make sense?

Being impatient as she is, she drags her phone into my hand and is about to leave the room before she turns around one last time. "Bring it back to me when you're done, okay?"

I nod, still not completely sure about what exactly is going on. Slowly I raise the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Zoe."

My eyes wide in shock. Jisung? I've been successfully avoiding him the past two days so what does he want now? And why is he calling me through Kelsey's phone?

"Uhm hi?"

I can hear his stifled laughter. "Just wanted to update you about the whereabouts of your phone."

"You found it?!" No one could help me until now and Kelsey even asked Hannah to look around and to ask people about it.

"Yeah, I was cleaning my car and found it. Must've slipped out of your pocket when you fell asleep there."

I sigh in relief. I wouldn't have had money left these days to buy a new phone so I'm glad to know I just lost it and it wasn't stolen. "Do you mind bringing it over?" I ask without thinking.

He stays silent for a few seconds. Damn, why did I ask that? I don't want to meet him again. And neither do I want my parents to see him being kind so that they grow even more fond of him. It's enough that they've been talking about him during lunch and asked Kelsey to invite him for dinner some when. But on the other hand I really need my phone. Damn. Perhaps Kelsey can pick it up next time they meet. If that's happening soon enough. Damn I really need it back. And having it with Jisung while there's no pin on it, makes me even more uncomfortable. Hopefully the battery is empty.

"The timing is not the best to be honest" Jisung interrupts the silence and I breathe out loud, before quickly covering my mouth. "I only wanted to tell you quickly, so that you could stop worrying. I have an appointment right now, but I can come over tomorrow or later tonight...", he pauses shortly, "but in case you're not too busy and need it as soon as possible, you could also come and pick it up, if it isn't too much to ask for."

I mentally slap myself. Jisung found my missed phone and even bothered to call me even though he obviously is busy and I was asking him to bring it. Next to me not even really being fond of meeting him again, this was also quite a rude request. Damn Zoe, where are your manners?

"It's only a few streets away from your house, but I can just come over later, if you're busy" he adds and I immediately feel even worse as I notice that he doesn't seem to want to bother me either. My first impression of him might have been influenced by his looks but the few times we talked and saw each other already revealed how different he is. Or can be. After thinking about him the past few days - yes I admit it, I did think about him - I noticed that he's rather cheeky than actually rude. Also he was the one who helped me out so I kind of have a score to settle with him. Damn, how am I supposed to avoid this guy when my guilty conscience keeps interfering?

"No, no it's fine" I hastily say. "Just tell me where I have to go and I'll come over. Can need some time for a break anyway."

He tells me the place. "It's a tattoo studio. Not too hard to find. Just look where the gangsters are" he says jokingly and a laughter slips out of my mouth before I can stop myself. See? That's not rudeness, but the cheeky humor of his. Not that I like him more now.

"I'll be there in twenty" I tell him. Voices arise in the background.

"'kay, see ya" he replies, suddenly in a hurry, and hangs up. Okay then. Not rudeness, but business, I tell myself. Easy to misunderstand and I won't make the same mistake twice.