Guitarist Next Door (Jae Day6)

Chapter 6

Your head was pounding. That was your first thought as you woke up the next morning. The room felt like it was spinning as you sat up slowly.

The clock on your nightstand read 11am. You had missed your 10am class.

Whatever. It's not like I would've gone in this state, you thought.

Feeling around for your phone, you noticed it was plugged in.

There's no way I remembered to do that last night...

On your nightstand next to your phone was a glass of water, a bottle of Advil, and some crackers. There was a note too.

'Take 2 and drink lots of water. When you're ready to eat, start with the crackers.'

You took the Advil, praying it would kick in soon and relieve the pressure building in your skull. You picked up your phone to text Sammy.

Y/N: Thanks for bringing me home last night.

And for setting out the Advil and crackers.

That was really sweet of you

Sammy: Huh? Oh I didn't bring you home. Jae did.

Y/N: What?!

Sammy: Yeah, he offered since he lives next door.

He texted me too once you guys got back

Y/N: You just let him take me home?!

Sammy: Why? Did he do something?

I swear if he did, he's dead.

Y/N: No, he didn't. It just... seems out of character for him

Sammy: He's really not as bad as you think

Sure he can be annoying, but he's a good guy at heart

Y/N: You don't have to live next to him

Sammy: Just give him a shot to prove you wrong

Oh, and I gave him the notes from class today

He said he'd drop them off later

A knock sounded on your door. Groaning, your head spun as you stood up. You were feeling a little better now. The Advil had kicked in and you were feeling well enough to keep down some crackers. You shuffled to the door and opened it.

Jae stood there holding a notebook in one hand and a bag of takeout in the other.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sammy asked me to bring you the notes from your class." Jae gestured to the notebook, which he set down on the kitchen table.

"What's with the food?"

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No." Your stomach grumbled. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Have you been eating those crackers?"

You nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you still feeling nauseous? You can't eat this if you are because then you'll definitely throw up and I don't want to waste the twenty bucks I spent."

"I'm fine. Well mostly fine."

You still couldn't wrap your head around the fact that he was at your apartment, with food for you nonetheless. To him it seemed like no big deal, but this nice new Jae was completely different from the Jae who played loud music just to annoy you.

"I'm sorry. I'm confused. Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you hated me."

"Now when did I ever say that? I don't hate you. But it is fun to annoy you."

"But being helpful isn't annoying."

Jae waved the takeout in front of you. "Do you want the bacon or not? Because I will eat this all by myself if you're just gonna analyze every little thing I do."

"There's bacon?"

"Too late." Jae fished the bacon out of the bag and held it above your head as he began eating it.

"Hey! Give me some! That's mine."

"Technically it's mine. I was going to be nice, but you want bad boy Jae and bad boy Jae doesn't share."

"Okay fine. Can I have the sweet Jae who gives me bacon?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Please."

"Actually it was Chicken Little, but because you're hungover I'll accept it." Jae set the bag down on the kitchen table. There were pancakes, hash browns, and scrambled eggs in addition to the bacon. You grabbed plates and silverware for both of you.

Jae pushed his food around the plate with his fork. "Do you... remember much of last night?" Jae asked hesitantly. "Like anything you or I said?"

Fuzz images appeared in your head. Taking shots. Dancing. The creepy guy at the bar. Jae stepping in to save you.

"Girlfriend," you murmured. "You called me your girlfriend last night. Do you actually like me?"

Jae looked away, unable to make eye contact, and scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. That was only to keep that creepy guy from trying anything."

You didn't know why but you felt a pang in your heart. The walls around your heart started to reappear.

"Whatever. It's not like I'd actually want to date you either." You stood up, clearing away the dishes. They fell with a clang into the sink, a bit rougher than you had intended.

"Good."

"Great."

"Glad we settled that." Jae stood up, heading toward the door. "See you around."

The door slammed shut. You choked back a sob.