the yin to my yang [everglow] ✩

nine

It was a little too late when Yiren found out she had feelings for Aisha.

Sure, it was only a few weeks after the two have started hanging out together, not that deep into an actual friendship. But still, it was too late as Yiren thought the two have had a bond.

She noticed the way Aisha would always glance at her while she drove, as if making sure Yiren was fine, despite the latter being completely comfortable the whole time. She noticed how Aisha always kept a protective arm around her whenever they went somewhere Yiren wasn't familiar with. How Aisha would often smile at her when she thought Yiren wasn't looking, and how Aisha would purposely say and do things to make Yiren laugh. All the small, almost unnoticeable things Aisha did affected Yiren and her feelings towards the older.

Yiren liked Aisha, and she didn't really blame herself. Who wouldn't? Aisha was an amazing person. Sure she didn't do things Yiren would approve of, aka illegal things. But everybody had faults. And besides, Aisha was getting better due to Yiren's influence. Instead of bawling down the nearly empty streets late at night, Aisha only drove ten miles over the limit. That was a start, right?

It wasn't a problem in the beginning. Yiren figured her crush would either go away or stay small and innocent until someone else caught her attention.

Oh, how wrong she was.

The crush grew. It grew, and grew, and grew like a wildfire. It was out of control, and Yiren couldn't do anything about it. Every day Yiren spent with Aisha, every moment they shared, every second they were around each other only further pushed Yiren into uncharted territory of her heart. Little flutters of her heart turned into whole skips or rapid heartbeats, her palms were regularly moist with sweat, she grew alarmingly aware of Aisha's presence. Every movement she made was noticed by Yiren, and Yiren wasn't sure if she hated it or not. She wanted to be closer to Aisha, even when she was well-acquainted with Aisha's friends. When Aisha went to go smoke with a few of the guys, Yiren automatically wanted to follow her, despite hating the smell of cigarettes.

Thankfully, Aisha thought nothing of Yiren's odd behavior and how the younger looked like she was struggling with her entire existence. She'd ask if Yiren was okay and Yiren would half-lie and say that she was.

But her behavior wasn't completely brushed off by one person.

"Yo, what's up?" Seoyeon cornered Yiren one night.

They were at, yet another, party. Ever since that night Yiren was made uncomfortable by the nameless guy who wouldn't leave her know, Aisha didn't dare let Yiren go anywhere without her or at least one of her friends. But Yiren managed to sneak away to get some fresh air, only for Seoyeon to follow her.

"I need air," Yiren said. Out of all Aisha's friends, she was definitely the most comfortable with Seoyeon.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I meant."

And for a moment, Yiren didn't know what Seoyeon meant. She just gave the other a confused look, because she honestly needed the air. But when Seoyeon raised her eyebrows and glanced at Aisha over on a crowded couch, laughing at a joke Jisung told, Yiren could feel herself start to get hot and sweat almost immediately.

"It's not super obvious," Seoyeon continued when Yiren made it clear she wasn't going to say anything, "but I noticed."

As if that was a good thing. Yiren didn't want anybody to know about her crush. She thought she was doing a pretty good job with hiding it, but apparently she wasn't discreet enough. And even though Seoyeon said it wasn't obvious, others could've caught on and never said anything—Aisha could've caught on but didn't say a word. The thought terrified Yiren enough to have her stomach start to feel queasy.