"Why are you stuck to your phone? Hey, come on, we need to leave" San reminded me and I put my phone in my pocket.
"Is there something going on?" San asked me with a raised eyebrow.
"No, nothing at all. Why would you say that?" I defended.
Even though it was a lie, I hope I was convincing.
The truth was, I was texting Yeonjun. Ever since that ki- night at the beach, we didn't really have the time to actually talk.
The next morning all of us boarded the bus back to the city and from there, he was with his brothers and I was catching up with San and Saehi. The most we could do was wave and pass a smile at each other.
Also, I wasn't sure whether we were saying other people that we were together. I mean... we confessed we had feelings for each other, we kissed, held hands and watched the fireworks, and talked about everything and nothing before biding each other goodbye but we didn't talk about exactly how we would navigate this in the school.
I wasn't sure where to start that conversation with him.
What if he didn't want anyone to know? What if he regretted everything that happened that night?
But that didn't mean we were not talking. He kept texting me and it always made me smile when my phone vibrated it was his name on the screen.
I thought I was being stealthy but clearly San had noticed a difference.
"Why are you stuck to your phone? Hey, come on, we need to leave," San reminded me, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Right, sorry." I quickly shoved my phone into my pocket, my face still in an uncontrollable smile from Yeonjun's last text.
"Is there something going on? You can tell me. You seem a little out of it ever since the trip" San raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he stared at me.
"No, nothing at all. Why would you say that?" I blinked, trying to keep my expression neutral.
I am perfectly normal. There is nothing wrong with me. I just miss the vacation. I didn't know I needed a break and now that it is over, I kinda miss it" I said, a little too quickly, my voice rising in defense.
I didn't know why but sharing the details about that night with San made me queasy. Was it because I knew he would disapprove? Or maybe he could support me in my decision if I explained him everything.
But how was I supposed to explain him when I didn't understand it all myself?
"I don't know. Maybe because you've been glued to your phone since this morning. You're acting all... weird" He narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying it.
Weird.
Great. I hadn't realized I'd been so obvious.
"I'm not acting weird," I protested, though it felt like I was trying to convince myself more than him.
"I'm just... tired. You know, from the trip and all. And now we're back and Royals High is not a distant thought anymore" the last part was true though.
"You sure? You can tell me if something's up, Yuri "San's gaze softened a little.
"I'm sure, I'm fine, San, really" I lied, flashing a smile that I hoped looked convincing.
Even though it wasn't the truth, I prayed it was enough to get him off my case.
I needed to have a real conversation with Yeonjun first and come to a conclusion on how we were going to handle this. Whatever this was.
It had only been a day since the trip and it wasn't like we were on constant talking terms so I didn't understand why it seemed that it had been so long since I saw him.
But that definitely didn't stop us from texting. He messaged me throughout the day, little things that always made me smile when I saw his name light up my phone. I tried to be discreet, but apparently, I wasn't as stealthy as I thought, because now San was staring at me like he knew something was up.
"Alright. If you say so. But if you're keeping something from me, I'll find out eventually" San sighed, finally breaking the silence.
"Good luck with that" I laughed, a little too loudly.
"Whatever, let's go. You're gonna be late for your shift"Â He rolled his eyes.
We stepped out of my parent's shop and into the cool evening air. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the area as students hurried about, heading to study groups, people returning from their jobs, some street vendors setting up their stalls and few people loitering around ideally.
"Actually, I wanted to tell you something" San quips once we start walking. I look curiously at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Well, it is not my place to say anything. I am not sure if you're even interested or not or whatever is going on between you and Yeonjun but..." he trailed off, looking unsure.
Yeonjun's name caught my attention and I patiently waited for him to continue.
"Okay, I don't know how to sugar coat it so I'm just gonna rip off the band-aid. I heard a few girls talking during our bus ride back. And they were gossiping about Yeonjun" he waited for my reaction but I didn't know the premise of how I should react.
"Were they saying something bad? It's all just rumors' anyway, and even if it not, people should mind their own business" I jump to defend Yeonjun, even when I am not sure what I am defending him from.
"Yeah right. I want you to remember this. It can just be a rumor and that is why I wasn't sure if I should tell you this but I am not sure what your stance is with Yeonjun right now and I saw you guys spending a lot of time together during the trip so I wanted to be aware of it so that you're not blindsided by it in the school" he says tentatively.
"What is it exactly?" I ask, my patience wearing a little thin.
Why was he acting this way? It feels like he is the one hiding a secret and not me.
"The girls claim they Yeonjun kissing some girl on the last night of the trip. Hyejin had already left by then and we were all out for the bonfire and the fireworks but Saehi told me you were not feeling well so you were in your room. I thought you should know" he looked guilty for sharing this with me.
Well, not as guilty as I felt right now.
I try to hone my expression to as neutral as possible.
"Oh, okay. I mean, good for him right?" I say and I want to knock my own head for lying to him. Why wasn't I coming clean? I could have just told San that the girl was me. Yeonjun was kissing me that night.
But something held me back.
I had thought we were far away from the crowd and prying eyes. Guess not.
I mean of course the Royals had people watching their every move. That night was no exception.
If the word was already out, did that mean Yeonjun knew about it as well? Did he correct anyone? Did he tell anyone?
Or did he deliberately not correct them?
There was only one person who could answer all this and he was not here right now.
"You sure, you're okay?" he ask softly and I shrug.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? This is no news. I thought you were going to share something huge" I dismiss the topic and San gets the hint.
I glanced at San, who was walking beside me with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his usual carefree demeanor a little off than usual. He made all of his achievements look easy, masking the fact that he was probably heading straight for cram school after dropping me off. And then he would head to the swimming pool for another training session.
"You still going to that cram school later?" I asked, more to distract him than anything.
"Yeah, unfortunately. Can't escape the clutches of academia, you know? My parents are gonna kill me if I don't bring up my math scores"Â He groaned.
"Good luck with that" I smiled, nodding sympathetically.
"You know, you could come with me. It's not too late to join. I hear you can never be too prepared for exams"Â He shot me a look.
"Hard pass. I already have my hands full with Hive, tutoring session and not to mention Royals High"Â I wrinkled my nose.
"Fine, but don't come crying to me when finals roll around"Â San smirked.
We reached the front of the Hive. The yellow font greeted me and this - me standing in front with my uniform on felt the most normal to me after the last couple of days I had. The glass windows were fogged up from the warmth inside, and the familiar hum of conversation filtered through the doors.
"Well, here we are, You good from here?"Â San said, stopping in front of the entrance.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for walking with me"Â I nodded.
"No problem. Have fun serving overpriced coffee to rich kids" He shrugged, glancing up at the sign above the café.
"Oh, I will. Have fun solving math problems"Â I laughed.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, waving as he turned to leave.
"Text me if you need anything, alright?" he smiled at me but there was an uncertain concern beneath his smile and I felt guilty keeping this secret from him.
I was a bad friend.
"I will," I called after him, mirroring his smile, watching as he disappeared into the distance.
I took a deep breath, pulling open the door to the café and stepping inside. The warmth hit me immediately, and the familiar smell of coffee beans and baked goods filled the air. I waved at my coworker behind the counter before heading to the back to grab my apron.
As I tied it around my waist, I pulled out my phone again, my heart skipping a beat when I saw a new message from Yeonjun.
Yeonjun: How's work going? Bet it's not as fun without me there.
I smiled, typing back quickly.
Yuri: Just started my shift. I have the closing shift. And definitely, it is full of fun without you.
I bit my lip, staring at the screen for a second before hitting send.
Maybe we didn't have everything figured out yet. Maybe we didn't know how to navigate whatever this was at school. But we were talking. And for now, that was enough.
We'll figure rest of it out eventually.
As I tucked my phone away, the bell above the door chimed, signaling the start of my shift.
A/n:updatee!!!
The trip is finally over and Yuri is back to her normal life. We are almost 2/3 done with this story and I am feeling some kind of way. Somehow I don't want this story to end.
What do you think will happen next?