More Than You Know

7. Complication

Solji woke up the next morning, still feeling giddy about last nights events. Her date with LE was perfect, and she had really enjoyed herself. Her life seemed to be going well, a fantastic girlfriend, great friends, straight A's, a part time job. Everything was perfect. But of course, happiness was a fleeting thing, and there was always something to come back and bite you in the ass. And that something's name, was Xiumin.

Quick recap of who he is. He was a guy Solji was dating for a while, and she thought they were going to stay together forever. That is, of course, until he cheated on her. Solji couldn't name them all, there were so many, but she had dumped him immediately, and after his few vain attempts to get her back failed, he gave up. She hadn't seen or spoken to him in a long time, not wanting anything to do with her ex, but it seems fate had other plans for her. She was doing a lat shift at her workplace, a small store, when he walked in with his friends. He had that mischievous smile on his face that Solji used to love, but seeing it now made her worry. Why, of all places to go, did he have to come here?

No sooner had he walked in, he had come up the counter. "Hey there, Sol. Long time, no see," he began, placing his items in front of her. "How's life treating you?" He asked, his friends trailing behind him. "Good," was all she said, keeping her answers short. She didn't really want to talk to him, but as she was working, she couldn't blatantly ignore him. "Wow, so vague. Anything exciting happen recently? Like a new love interest?" He was beginning to agitate her. She had scanned through most of his items, but his friend, Chen, place a full basket of snacks in front of her. "These too, please," he said with a polite grin. She could never understand why the likes of Chen, who was so honest and good, would hang around with someone like Xiumin. "That's not really your business..." She tried to remain as calm as possible, but he was making it difficult.

After she had scanned his items and he had handed her the money for them, he motioned for his friends to collect the bags. Maybe if he wasn't so small he could carry them... She said in her head. He was a tiny guy, compared to his friends, and she would always tease him about it. He turned towards her, and he had that cocky look in his eye. "Well, it was nice seeing you again. And, uh..." He look down, almost nervous, with the cockiness vanishing completely, "I'm sorry. You know, for everything. I was stupid, hurting you like that. I don't really have an excuse for what I did, it was dumb and hurtful, and I should never have done it. I know you probably won't forgive me for it, but I needed to apologize. You deserved that much at least," he finished, and before he could walk away, she grabbed his arm, noticing the muscle he had had gained since she last saw him, and said," I do. Forgive you. I don't even know why, but the way you just looked at me... You looked sincere. So, I forgive you." She had no idea why she had just done that. This was the guy that cheated on her with countless other girls, yet here she was forgiving him for it. 

After he had left with his friends, she managed to calm her nerves. Talking to him after so long was weird, but his apology left her thinking about a lot. Why did he apologize, why now, why not earlier? Questions racing through her mind, she decided it would be best to just move on from today. She had planned to see LE later on, and that would be sure to make her day better. Her shift was close to finishing anyway, so she began to get ready to leave. However, there was something that she, or Xiumin for that matter, failed to see. Hani had seen everything, their talk, Solji grabbing his arm, and the small smiles they exchanged before he left. She didn't hear much of what they said, but she caught Solji saying that she 'forgives him'. What she was forgiving him for, Hani didn't know, but she found the while situation very suspicious. She was conflicted; she wanted to tell LE what she saw, but she didn't want to accuse Solji of something she might not have even done. She decided to mention it to LE, not outright accuse her of anything, just say she saw something that seemed odd.

Hey LE, I don't wanna alarm you, but I saw Solji at her work today, and I saw her talking with a guy. I didn't really hear much, but she grabbed hold of his arm, and said she 'forgives him'. You got any idea who he might be?

No... do you recognize him?

No... I just thought I'd mention it, I don't think Solji would cheat on you, but it looked a little weird to me, like some sort of tension between them

I'll mention it when she comes over I guess.

LE read Hani's text again, unable to make sense of the situation. Solji wouldn't hurt her like that. But still, she felt a little uneasy, like the calm before a storm. All she could hope for is that this guy is nothing more than an old friend, but what did he do that needed to be forgiven by Solji? LE was unsure, so she decided to wait until her girlfriend came over later, and maybe she could make sense of it all.

A/N:

So time for a little bit of conflict, and to any Xiumin fans, please do not kill me. He is a little steam bun and is too nice, and is only a bad guy for story purposes. Again, I am so sorry for not updating in a while, you'll have a new chapter for Wednesday, with a little Valentines feel to the story.