"I know who your crush is." You choked on a piece of grape and instantly gasped for air. His taunting laughter immediately beamed through the other side of the line.
Moments later in a timed remark, he added in amusement. "You okay there, babe?"
You...
Have you ever been so embarassed that you wanted to jump off a cliff?
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For years, Daniel had been your closest friend. Someone who had been there everytime you felt sad or lonely. He'd come over to your house to pull you out whenever you shut out everyone else. Even though it was weird since most of the other kids in your neighbourhood were boys, Daniel didn't let that fact stop him from being your friend.
There were a few times when you wondered to yourself; was Daniel just unbelievably friendly or did he only do this for you? It was true that he befriended almost every kid he ever met, but none of them could ever be as close as you were to Daniel.
After your parents had left you with Woojin's family, he was the only one there (besides Woojin) who made you feel loved and wanted.
Maybe that was the reason you began harbouring feelings for your best friend. And that was probably one of the worst decisions you've made in your life.
Daniel was a bad decision, but no, he wasn't a mistake.
He had seen in your most embarrassing moments before, and yet here you were, hesitating in front of him as if you've never spoken to him before in your life.
"You okay? What did you want to talk about?" Daniel asked, eyebrows slightly furrowed in worry as she constantly shifted your body weight between your right and left foot.
"Yeah I just," you took in a deep breath. "Give me an moment," you leaned back against the wall and closed your eyes.
Daniel followed suit and stalked to your side. "Time passes too fast, don't you think? A year ago we were having the time of our lives together. And now I'm leaving," he said the last sentence like a whisper, as if he can't bring to accept it himself.
You smiled bitterly. "People grow up. You just happened to be older than me.
Daniel laughed and folded his arms. "I wished you could come with me."
That hit you harder than you thought it would. It shouldn't even hurt this much. Daniel was just a friend, a best friend. Nothing more, nothing less. But why were you wishing that he was more than that instead?
You clenched your fist. Maybe if you squeezed your hands a little harder it would hurt a little less? "You don't mean that."
"I do," Daniel assured. "You mean a lot to me, Sol. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Don't you have Sejeong to help you forget me?" You meant that to come off as a joke, but Daniel didn't laugh. He lowered his head and a long sigh slipped between his lips. "You don't like her, do you?" He asked. As if your opinion on that would matter.
You shook your head. "I like her. She's a good person. There's nothing not to like."
"Sol," Daniel called. When you turned around, he was already staring at you. "What's this about?" The way he looked at you felt foreign. The usual sparkles behind his eyes were dimmed and you suddenly felt so vulnerable. As if your armour had been stripped off leaving you weak and exposed to the one person you cared about the most.
