Now and for the Last Time

27 장

"There he is," Gayeon said, her voice low. "Act cool."

This had to be the worst thing to say to a nervous person. I thought about telling her so, but I was too nervous watching Kyungsoo making his way across the crowded living room. Instead I asked, "Whose party is this, anyway?"

"Jackson from GOT7," she said, sipping her beer. "His parents have that truck with the star on it? They sell the hottest hot sauce in town. People have been hospitalized."

"Wow," I said, as Kyungsoo stopped to talk to two girls who had their backs to us. He had on a white button-up, short sleeve, and no apron. Not that he would wear an apron to a party. Okay, I was nervous and crazy. I took another sip of my beer, which was warm even though I'd only just gotten it. "Ugh, I feel so out of place. Why did I agree to this again?"

"Because barista is cute and you want to beat Sehun," she replied happily, adjusting the neckline of her dress. "Speaking of which, there he is. I guess he found it after all."

I looked over to where she was looking. Sure enough, there was Sehun in the kitchen, popping a beer open on the countertop. When he saw us, he waved, pushing that curl from his forehead. Vivi was on the deck outside, being petted by a group of girls holding red cups. This time, he had on a polka-dot bandana. Apparently, this was his signature look now. "Found it?" I questioned.

"Sehun hadn't heard of the neighborhood when I told him about the party."

Now I turned, giving her my full atttention. "You invited him?"

"Yeah, when I gave him a ride the other night." She was scanning the crowd, not looking at me. When she realized I was staring at her, she blinked. "What?"

"I thought you couldn't stand him."

She flipped her hand. "Oh, that was just a first impression. He's okay."

Between his and Wooyoung's prosciutto date, I suddenly felt like no one was telling me anything. "You gave Sehun a ride? When?"

"Last week," she said easily. "I was doing register for my dad downtown, after the bars closed, and I saw him and his dog walking. I couldn't just drive past them, especially at 2 a.m."

"Im surprised he was alone," I said, as Kyungsoo looked up and saw me, waving a hand. I waved back, and the girls he was talking to both turned to look at me. I drank more of my beer.

"He said that he dodged some girl at a club," she replied. "Crazy story. Had to run out the back door."

"I think I heard about that."

"I'm sure you did." She took another sip. "Anyway, I just drove him back to his sister's. He invited me in for a snack, but I said no. Being around food all night in close space and all. Plus I felt super greasy."

"He asked you in?"

"Yeah." She was looking around again, and took a second to meet my eyes. "Why? Is that weird? You guys are just friends, right?"

"Not even that," I said quickly. "We're just co-workers."

"And make bets together."

"That's strictly for bragging rights," I told her, thinking about what Wooyoung had said.

"That's what I thought." She tucked a piece of hair behind one ear. "I don't think he's my type anyway. Too carefree. Not a varsity jacket in sight."

"Remember how that worked out last time, though," I reminded her. "Maybe it's not the best indicator."

"True," she agreed. "I guess you never know."

Kyungsoo had wrapped up his conversation and was now making his way toward us, passing by the growing crowd. My date, even though I wasn't supposed to call him that, and yet now all I could think was Gayeon and Sehun, together. It would never happen. Would it?