Friends Who Seem Like Lovers • Day6 • Jae x Reader

5. Letting Go

  "When you can't look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark."  

Staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror, you take a deep breath and try to ignore the immense pain in your chest. This is not how this date is supposed to go. You were never supposed to let anyone know you were anything less than delighted to be ice-skating. You were never supposed to lose your temper and let your jealousy get the better of you. And, you were certainly never, ever, supposed to let your heart beat your logic to smithereens and confess to Jae in the most excruciatingly honest and vulnerable way possible. And now, as you try to scrub a hot chocolate stain out of your brand new jacket in vain, you're trying your very best not to fall apart completely.

Biting your lip as another wave of tears threatens to overtake you, you squeeze your eyes shut and try to clear your mind. It's hard when Jae's rejection is still ringing in your ears, loud and clear. You wish you could just run away or make up an excuse to go home early, but you know that in a matter of minutes you have to pull yourself together and face Sungjin and Grace. Somehow you don't think either one of them will be able to accept you bailing again.

Wiping your eyes roughly, you take a shaky breath and exit the restroom. As you approach the three of them, you're relieved to see they're talking and laughing, a normal expression on everyone's face. Letting out a sigh of relief, you realize nobody knows about your confession except for Jae. And he's doing a fantastic job of smiling, joking, and teasing like his normal self. Already having finished their drinks, Grace suggests you all leave to get something to eat. Sore and fatigued, you have no regrets leaving this place behind.

For the rest of the night, things go smoothly. You apologize for snapping at Jae, and Grace even offers to give you some soap she swears will remove the stain from your coat. The only person who seems a bit strange is Sungjin. He's still his happy, charming self, but you notice he's just a little bit quieter than before. When you ask him if everything is okay, he says he's just tired. When everyone is finished eating, you and Sungjin say goodnight to Jae and Grace and slowly start walking towards your place.

The night is cold but clear. There are still lights in some of the trees, and the frost has left a thin layer of glitter over everything. You and Sungjin walk silently, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable for some reason. When you finally reach the front door of your building, you turn around to face him shyly.

"Thank you so much for coming. It was a lot of fun, and I had no idea you were so amazing at ice-skating. I swear, you must be talented at everything," you say.

Sungjin gives you a small, humble smile, but it's followed by a serious expression. You can tell he wants to say something, but he's hesitating. Staring at him patiently, you're relieved when he finally speaks.

"You like Jae, don't you?" he asks quietly. His voice isn't jealous or angry, just matter-of-fact. Your expression must be shocked, because he continues on hastily.

"It's not that I'm upset or anything, it's just, if you have feelings for another guy, I probably shouldn't spend any more time planning our next date."

For one moment you consider denying everything, but you know you owe him more than that. And you don't want to take his feelings for granted.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry," you confess quietly. "But if it makes you feel any better, I didn't realize it until after our first date, and even then he rejected me anyway."

Sungjin gives you a rueful smile before responding.

"I know, I kind of accidentally saw you kissing, and your confession...everything," he says, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.