Guitarist Next Door (Jae Day6)

Chapter 8

"Hello everyone!" Jae greeted. The crowd cheered. "This next song is for a special someone of mine who came out tonight. It's called 'I'm Serious'." Jae winked at you.

Dowoon tapped his drumsticks together a few times, before Wonpil started singing. When it got to Jae's turn to sing, he looked directly at you. There was no mistaking it.

"I gave you so many hints so that you can notice, but you don't," Jae sang.

He doesn't actually like me, right? You thought. These are just lyrics. He said himself that he just likes teasing me. That's all this is. Him teasing me again.

"I try to start a conversation to figure out how you feel, trying to pass it off as a joke. But why don't you know? I'm only looking at you."

Your heart pounded in your chest.

I'm supposed to hate you, you thought. Not fall for you.

"I can't stop loving you," Jae sang. He sang with such strong emotion that you almost believed him. It was like he truly felt what he was singing.

Was this really just part of his sick joke to mess with my feelings this time? Or did he really like you?

Jae didn't stop making eye contact with you even as the song came to an end. Blushing again at his gaze, you looked away.

"Ooh, he likes you," Sammy teased, poking your ribs.

You swatted his hands away. "What? No he doesn't."

"He just dedicated that song to you. He locked eyes with you the entire time. Did you not see him when he looked you in the eyes and said 'I'm serious. My eyes say that I like you. Why don't you feel it?'"

"He's just trying to mess with me. I've lived next to him for like four months now. His mission in life is to tease me."

"Can I ask why you hate him then?"

"Because he's annoying. He's always playing loud music. He thinks he's smarter than everyone else. He's inconsiderate to those around him. Arrogant." You listed the reasons off, counting on your fingers.

"He makes your heart flutter."

"He makes my heart flutter. And I can't stop thinking about him... Hey!"

Sammy held his hands up in surrender, grinning ear to ear. "You said it. Not me."

"That's not– I don't –"

"Really? It sounds like you do."

"I don't."

"Yeah okay." Sammy rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. "Don't turn around now, but here he comes."

"What?"

"Hey Y/N," Jae greeted.

You spun around to see Jae standing in front of you.

"Jae, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I was just playing on stage. Didn't you see me?" He chuckled.

"No, yeah, I mean yes I saw you. What are you doing over here, at my table though?" You stumbled over your words, suddenly tongue tied.

"I was surprised you actually came. I didn't think you'd want to come hear the 'racket' I play."

"Well if you were bad then I'd have blackmail material."

"But we're not. So it looks like you've got nothing on me," he gloated. "I dyed my hair. Do you like it?" Jae ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it.

"It's Y/N's favorite color!" Sammy piped up.

You elbowed him in the ribs. "Umm... yeah. It looks good."

"Thanks. This crazy drunk girl suggested it, but I think she was right." You cringed, remembering your drunken adventures.

Jae scratched the back of his neck. His demeanor shifted as the confidence melted into anxiousness. "Can I talk to you Y/N? Alone."

"Consider me gone." Before you could protest, Sammy slipped away to talk to YoungK.

"So, uhh what did you think of our last song 'I'm Serious'?"

"Oh, it was good."

"Just good?" Jae's face fell slightly.

"Yeah... All of your songs were good."

You both skirted around the obvious question: Do you like me? Neither one wanting to speak your thoughts out loud in case you were wrong.

Jae cleared his throat, locking eyes with you. "Did you, umm... get any of my hints?"

"Hints?" Your voice squeaked, making you cringe.

"Yeah, the blue hair was supposed to be a hint. Dedicating the song to you. And the song itself too." Jae scratched the back of his neck, ruffling his hair again. His face looked flushed. "I like you, Y/N."

Your heart skipped a beat.

"You like me," you repeated. "For real? No jokes. You're not teasing me or saying it just to get under my skin?"

He shook his head. "No jokes. I'm serious. My eyes say that I like you. Why don't you feel it?'" He sang the last part, chuckling at his little joke. "I am serious though."

You wanted to believe him so bad.

But your head wasn't going to let your heart get crushed.

Don't flatter yourself. Jae's words from the other day popped back into your head. You had asked him then if he liked you and he was pretty clear about not liking you. So what had changed?

"Look if this is part of some sick joke to get me to fall in love with you just so that you can brag about it to your friends, I don't want any part of it."

Jae's face fell. "It's not. I promise."

"How am I supposed to trust you? Just the other day I asked you and you clearly said you weren't interested in me."

"I –"

Dowoon jogged over. He looked back and forth between you and Jae, grinning. "Hey, did the plan work?"

Your face fell for a second, but you quickly masked your pain behind your anger.

"Plan?" You scoffed. "So I was right. That was just a setup. You're just teasing me like you always do. Well this time you crossed a line Park. Stay away from me." You started to push through the crowd.

"Y/N wait! It's not like that!" Jae called after you.

You raced out of the restaurant before he could see the tears begin to fall.