In Time (In Places Book 2)

#5 - Jellies and Vows

BYUN BAEK HYUN

Rain continuously poured outside the Chapters & Beans building as Jennie Kim and I began stocking books on the shelves of the store. Sipping coffee and sharing stories went first before I decided to just help the staff fill in the empty spaces of some shelves with the books I picked. Jennie offered a help and I didn't have enough plasticity in me to decline. It has been a full month since she asked if we could talk and a month and a half since she and my brother started dating. For real. 

"If you hate it so much, why don't you just tell him?" I muttered, throwing her a glance. We sit cross-legged on the floor, stocking a shelf with books by Shin Kyung-sook. I am still in my school clothes: a printed white t-shirt, black pants, and sneakers while Jennie seems to be right off the office with her navy blue blazer, slacks and stilettos. 

She tipped her head back, thinking then sighing. "I don't know," she murmured. "I guess, I want him to learn about it; know me more in his own way." 

"Didn't I tell you before, when we had coffee together, that my brother is the most insensitive bastard I know?" I rolled my eyes and slipped another book into the shelf. "You need to tell him the fact that you hate roses and prefer daisies or sunflower. He needs to be taught things like that. We're just guys, Jennie. We're not mind readers." Then I gave her a look. "You girls are so unfair sometimes. Glad Chanyeol didn't choose you folks over me." 

Jennie pouted at me. "I always pretend I like them. The roses, I mean." She bit her lip, gripping a book tight in her hand. "I just don't want to hurt his feelings, Baekhyun. Do you think I'm a bad person for doing that? I just-- I just like him a lot, that's why." When she looked at me, her face is exceptionally worried and pained. If she didn't tell me she had other boyfriends before, I would have thought Baek-beom is her first. Maybe her first serious relationship so I'll give her that.

I raised both hands in surrender. "Don't look at me like I hurt your feelings, okay? I just told you the truth." I said. "You're both still knowing each other and I'm pretty sure there's a ton of things you still don't know about him. That's part of the relationship you're trying to build. But you two must help build it right."

With a sigh, Jennie nodded her head and shifted on her place on the floor. "Thanks for being, frank, really. I need that. And you're right about everything you said." she smiled mostly to herself before sighing again. "I shouldn't be worrying about things like this. Baek-beom will know and I will tell him. Yes. I will. Everything will be just fine." Then she started murmuring encouraging words to herself and I just let her, grinning at her for being cute. If she's going to be my sister-in-law in the future, I would never mind. She is totally way better than the other girls Baek-beom used to date. They were all easy.