The smell of fresh waffle cones lingered in the air, a sweet distraction from the heaviness in my chest.
My hands moved mechanically, scooping ice cream and ringing up orders, but my mind wasnât at The Hive. Soobinâs words kept replaying in my head.
âIf youâre not dating him, then Iâll try to sway you.â
It wasnât just his challenge that weighed on me, but the fact that Yeonjun didnât know about it yet.
And I wasnât sure how to tell him.
I mean this wasn't something like the usual hey how are you doing conversation.
And I didn't think Soobin meant anything by it - at least I hoped for it.
But at the same time not telling Yeonjun seemed like I was keeping a secret from him and I definitely did not want to that.
We were already tangled up in trying to figure out how to navigate our lives with everything going on and I didn't want to add another tension on him.
"Yuri, youâre zoning out again," Miaâs voice snapped me back to reality.
I looked up from the counter, startled, and caught her staring at me with a mix of amusement and concern.
"Sorry," I muttered, shaking my head. "Long day."
Mia was a freshman from my previous school filling in for Woojin. She was alright - a little more chattier than I would appreciate her to be but she was a good person.
At least that's what I deduced from our limited conversation. 90% of our conversation revoked around Royals High since she waged to apply for a scholarship next year.
I had no qualms about helping her but a lot of her motivation came from meeting the Royals themselves and I didn't have the heart to tell her that they are not all who they seem to be on the news and tabloids.
Before Mia could say anything else, the door chimed, and I instinctively glanced toward it.
My breath hitched when I saw Yeonjun walk in.
He stood there, casually dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, his dark hair messy in the best way. His gaze swept the small shop until it landed on me, and his lips curved into a familiar smile.
My chest tightened.
It had only been a couple of days since I last saw him, but it felt like forever.
"Is that Yeonjun?" Mia whispered beside me, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Since when does he come here?" I could feel her curiosity across from the counter.
"He's... just a customer," I said quickly, avoiding her gaze.
Her skeptical hum was followed by a sly smile.
"Wow, I have not seen him here before. He is one of the Royals right?" She whispered even though I am sure Yeonjun wouldn't be able to hear us even she wasn't whispering.
I ignored her and forced myself to walk over to the counter. If I engaged with her now, it would lead to at least a 20 minute discussion on Yeonjun.
"Hey," I greeted Yeonjun softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey," he replied, leaning casually against the counter.
"Thought Iâd stop by for my favorite Minto Choco ice cream. You know, see my favorite person at the same time." He passed me the eased smile that I knew made a lot of girls' heart flutter, including mine.
"Flattery will get you nowhere."Â A small smile tugged at my lips. I tried to fight it but it was though.
"Won't it, though?" he teased, his dark eyes sparkling in the soft light of the shop.
Rolling my eyes, I turned to scoop his ice cream, grateful for something to do. My hands shook slightly as I worked. I knew I needed to tell him about Soobin, but I dreaded how the conversation would go.
"Here you go," I said, sliding the cup of Minto Choco across the counter.
Yeonjun took it and gestured to the small seating area by the window. "You have a minute? Or do I have to sit here looking like a weirdo eating ice cream by myself?"
Mia shot me a look and IÂ was sure she was eavesdropping on the entire conversation. I didn't tell her that I knew the the Royals first hand and any hope I had of avoiding that topic was out of the window anyway now. I gesture her to take care of the customers and sighed, knowing I was going to be a part of a long interrogation .
"Fine. Let me just finish up here first." I promised him that my shift will end in less than 30 mintues and he agreed, thank fully.
After I wrapped up my shift and waved Mia goodbye, I joined Yeonjun at the table. He was halfway through his ice cream, but his focus was entirely on me.
"You look stressed," he said, his tone gentler now.
"Whatâs going on?" He nudged my shoulder.
I hesitated, fiddling with the hem of my apron.
I wasn't sure how to tell him but I knew I had to.
"Thereâs something I need to tell you."
"Okay. What is it?" Yeonjun straightened, his expression shifting to concern.
I took a deep breath.
"Soobin saw us that night."Â I let out.
"Saw us? You mean... us, together?"Â His brows furrowed.
"Yeah. He knows, Yeonjun."Â I nodded.
"What did he say?" He set his cup down, his jaw tightening.
"He asked if we were dating."
"And what did you say?"
"I didnât say anything," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I didnât know how to respond" I admitted. I don't know why but saying the words aloud made me sound guilty and I didn't like the way Yeonjun was looking at me either.
His eyes narrowed slightly, frustration flashing across his face.
"Why not? Why couldnât you just tell him the truth?"
"Because I wasnât ready," I said, feeling defensive.
"When did this happen? Why not just tell him that youand I are together and end the conversation?" He looked agitated.
"Itâs not that simple. I didn't want Soobin the first person to know about us. I have not told Saehi or San yet and they don't even know that girl you kissed on the beach was me. I want them to know first, before I tell anyone else" I said honestly.
Yeonjun leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"Yuri, weâve been keeping this a secret for weeks. How much longer do you want to keep pretending thereâs nothing between us? And it's not like the rumora of me kissing some girl at the beach is dying down anytime soon. How long do I have to pretend that I am a fuckboy who just kisses random girls?"
His words stung, but I knew they came from a place of hurt. And that was the reason I couldn't be mad at him.
"Itâs not about pretending," I said quietly.
"Iâm scared, Yeonjun. Iâm scared of what people will say, of what theyâll think. Iâm scared of how itâll change everything."
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
"Youâre not scared of what theyâll think. Youâre scared of being with me." He accused.
My eyes widened at his accusation and my spine stiffened.
"Thatâs not true and you know it" I bit back.
"Then why does it feel like it is?" he snapped, his voice rising.
"Every time I try to bring this up, you shut me down. Iâm tired of hiding, Yuri. I donât want to keep sneaking around like this."
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
"Yeonjun, itâs not about you. Itâs about me. Iâm the one whoâs scared. Iâm the one whoâs insecure."
"Then why wonât you let me help you?" His voice softened, but the hurt in his eyes was unmistakable.
"I love you, Yuri. Iâm not ashamed of us. I want to be with you, out in the open. But it feels like you donât want the same thing." His voice carried more hurt than what I felt in my heart and it broke me to see him hurt this way because of me.
"I do," I whispered, my voice breaking.
"I love you too. But I just... I need more time." I didn't want to lie to hima nd say that I was okay with the news of us spreading like wildfire in the school.
And who knew whether it would be limited to school?
"How much more time?" he asked, his tone laced with frustration.
"I donât know if I can keep doing this, Yuri. Itâs exhausting, pretending like I donât care when Iâm around you in public." He looked at me with a pained expression.
Guilt washed over me, and I reached for his hand.
"Iâm sorry, Yeonjun. I donât mean to hurt you. I just... Iâm trying to figure everything out."
He looked at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighed and pulled his hand away.
"You need to think about what you want, Yuri. Because I donât know how much longer I can handle this."
The finality in his tone shattered something inside me.
He stood up, grabbing his now-empty cup, and looked down at me with a mix of love and pain.
"I love you," he said quietly.
"But I canât keep hiding. Not anymore."
And with that, he walked out of The Hive, leaving me sitting there with tears streaming down my face.
A/N: hello lovely people! Sorry I have been MIA and have not uploaded for a long ass time. My work has been very demanding and I have been traveling non stop on work trips. Hence the delay. Even now as I type this, I am at a hotel room getting ready to leave for another trip.
Hopefully I'll share the next chapter by next Saturday.
Also what has been up with you all. I miss your comments and know what is going on with your lives.