Coconut Head • Kim Jongin

11 || we're only friends

After Maya and Kai's encounter, they kept stealing glances at each other at the dinner party. When they walked in with each other, almost everyone watched them, and go their separate ways.

More people started showing up, and soon it was nearly crowded. Maya was shocked they had two tables big enough to fit everyone. There was at least thirty, maybe a little more, people here.

Maya was forced to meet people, and interact. She wasn't one to socialize much, but she could handle it. She met again with all the girls that were at the dress fitting. Joshua seemed to be hitting off with almost everyone in the room. He was always a crowd favorite, and could make friends so easily. Maya envied him in that personality category.

Everyone seemed to be fond of Kai also. Maya was at the chocolate fondue—not surprising— and was observing Kai. She could easily tell why everyone liked him so much. His boyish charm, gentle eyes, kind but mysterious smile, adorable-button nose, soft voice, perfect- wait what? Maya shook her head and made a face at herself. What was she doing? She repeatedly told herself in her head to stop it.

Just because she was listing off a bunch of details about Kai doesn't mean she likes him... Right?

"Hello." A hand waved in front of her face, snapping her out of her deep thoughts. "Earth to Maya." She looked towards to the person, and seemed to still have a look on her face, like she's lost in another world. With dreamy, but doubtful eyes.

Joshua tilted his head and put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" Maya laughed it off, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you kind of were in a daze, and you looked like, never mind." Joshua replied with soft eyes. "Never mind what?" Maya now faced him, and put her chocolate fondue down. "It's nothing. Really. Don't worry about it." He gave her a reassuring big smile. Maya wanted to ask again for him to tell her what he was going to say, but she decided to not push it. "Alright." She smiled back at him.

Then Joshua and Maya watched as a girl with short ombré hair walked in with her two parents. She greeted everyone with a small smile, and wicked eyes. "She's pretty." Joshua commented. "But she doesn't look very nice."
Maya nodded at his statement, agreeing. She noticed Kai looked at this girl, his eyes went wide eyed and stared longer than normal.

He then walked towards his father and pulled him aside, and said something to him, he seemed a bit angry.

"Did you see that?" Joshua nodding his head at Kai his father. "Yeah, that's weird. You think he doesn't like her or something?" Maya suggested, folding her arms, and leaning onto one of her hips. "Who knows."

"What are you two gossiping about?" Joshua's dad came over with champagne in his hand. "We're not gossiping. Just simply observing." Maya answered with a quirky smile on her face. Her uncle chuckled, and took a sip of his drink.

Suddenly, Kai's father clinked a drink, and stood up on a small stool. The room became silenced with everyone's murmurs disappearing.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone who came. And I hope you..." Maya got distracted by that girl with wavy short hair, go up behind Kai and tap on his shoulder. She gave him a sly smirk, and glided her arm from his shoulder down to his hand. Kai gave an annoyed look, and shook his hand from hers. He turned around and whispered something to her, and turned back around. She looked taken back, but then she whispered something back in his ear with a more devilish smirk now, and walked away. Maya wondered, what the actual hell is up with that?

Soon enough later, everyone was sat at the table. Somehow, Kai and Maya got sat next to each other, with one of Autumns sisters sitting on the right side of her. Maya thinks Autumn did this sitting arrangement on purpose, since well they are going to be paired up at the wedding, so they can 'meet each other'. Little does she know they've already met.

Everyone had the first course in front of them, and chatter filled up the room. Maya wasn't sure wether to ask Kai about that girl or not. She figured it's none of her business, so why should she get in involved and ask.

"Are you having a good time?" Kai nudged Maya's elbow with his gently. She looked back at him, and curved her lips into a small smile. "Mhmm." She mumbled back to him.

"Don't get too excited." Kai replied now staring at her. Maya made a small chuckle. "Maya, you okay?" He asked the girl, and she didn't realize how short she was being. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, you're not talking much."
"Just not in the mood talk much I guess."
Kai made a confused face at her, and Maya just gave a reassuring smile back to him.

"Is this because of that girl that talked to me during my dads speech?"
Maya stopped eating immediately, and turned her head towards him. To find him looking at her with skeptical eyes.
"What? No. Why would you think that?" Maya now was facing him, and waited for his reply.

"I don't know. I just thought it was a possibility." He shrugged.
"What do you think I'm like jealous or something?" Maya immediately wanted to take back those words.
"I never said that. But you did think of it first."
He now stopped eating also. "Are you?"
"No." Maya answered simply, almost offended. "Why would I be jealous of some girl putting her hands all over you like that."
"I don't know, maybe because you like me." He had a small smirk on his face. Almost like he guessed right, and is used to this sort of thing—girls being drawn to him.

Maya went wide eyed, and couldn't believe he actually admitted that right on the spot. "If you think I like you, then you're definitely not the person I thought you were." Maya then remembered what Wonwoo said about him. She felt, scared almost. "You think that every girl is just gonna be falling at their knees liking you or something? Well I'm not one of those girls okay. You're not all that you know."

"Woah, Maya. Where is all this coming from? You think that I'm like that? I know I'm not all that. You're acting like all those other girls who assume things. Why are you getting mad anyway? You shouldn't be, we're only friends." Kai responded, keeping a low voice.

Well that kind of hurt. Maya didn't realize how much those three words actually hurt. "Other girls? So I'm guessing you always just go up to girls on a beach and save them from a coconut, just so you can talk to them? Glad to know where I stand. Just with 'those other girls'." Maya threw her napkin down on the table and stood up, leaving the dinner.

"Maya! Wait!" Kai called out to her, and wanted to run after her but couldn't bring himself to do it.

Maya fast walked outside of the house, and wasn't until she was so far from the home, that she realized how dramatic she was being. She could have just played it off with him after he thought maybe she liked him. But the fact is, and she couldn't believe she was admitting. She did like him, and that's what scared her. That's what made her more outraged.

She hates the fact she likes him, when she knows he's bad news. She knows she'll just get hurt. Especially, after what Wonwoo said. Not even knowing if it's true or not though, she didn't know what to do. She was so confused. She couldn't think straight. She felt so dizzy, and lightheaded. That soon, she fell to the ground on the grass in a park, and blackness consumed her eyes.