Jaemin the Icy Prince on Campus - Na Jaemin NCT

29. The Date

I am sitting, and writing in my bathtub, propped up against the side without the taps.

It is so wonderfully delightful to soak in the hot water, and I have just slapped a milk face mask on my face. I read somewhere that Cleopatra used to soak in milk baths to attain a glorious, glowing skin. 

Although, to be honest, I'm not too sure about my face mask.

I actually screamed a minute ago, catching sight of my reflection in the mirror. 

It has turned my face into a ghastly shade of pasty white, and I must say I bear a striking resemblance to that annoying serial killer from Halloween, that Michael dude who won't stay dead. He's been around since my mum was my age, for crying out loud. You'd think they'd have thought of a better way to get rid of him by now. But no, every movie ends with him presumed dead, nobody actually sees him die, and I'm rolling my eyes, and hollering, he'll be back, you bunch of morons. Like seriously, someone should just tip a barrel of acid over him, and turn him into compost, or something. 

Pale sunshine is filtering into the bathroom. 

It is evening, and I am alone. But not for long.

Leean is bringing me to a beach party tonight.

Leean.

The maybe-new guy in my life.

I'd bragged to Jaemin that I would find a new guy to help me get over him just as soon as I got back home.

And what do you know, Leean turned up like magic the very next morning.

He didn't give a shit that I looked like someone who had spent the whole night retching between bouts of crying, with my pinched white face, and my puffy eyelids and my red nose; instead he looked at me as if I was an angel. 

He looked at me as if I was the most beautiful girl in the world.

He told me to go out with him.

I looked at him listlessly.

"I don't feel like going anywhere. Thanks for asking, though."

"C'mon," he smiled. He was such a nice guy. I wished I could fall for him instead of moping for a guy who belonged to someone else. "It'd do you good. We could grab a bite and coffee?" 

I chewed my lip.

"I don't know - "

"There's a bonfire party at the beach tonight, kind of like a Christmas hangout for everybody who's interested...it's all over Facebook...we could check that out too if you like...it's like everyone I know is going..."

"I - "

"Hey," he said gently. "You have to get used to it...this new life of yours, it's - different now, you've got to start over. It won't be easy, but you've got to try. Baby steps."

I looked unseeingly at his kind face, the warm concern in his eyes.

He loved me. He understood. He was here for me. He came all the way back for me. I owed it to him. I owed it to myself. Kim Mina, you've got to buck up. You can't stay in your black hole, stuck in your limbo of sadness forever. There are people who love you, who are worried about you. Your mum. Your dad. Leean. Junnie. I haven't told Junnie yet. But I know she'll come running the moment she knows.

"Okay." I smiled at him wanly. Baby steps. I can do this. "But I've got to do my Physics assignment first. Later? Around 3 pm?"

He brightened up at once, his eyes were shining like he'd just won the lottery.