emotions | love alarm

33 ~

Chapter Thirty-Three

"No way."

"Yes way."

In-ho gapes as Ae-ri recounts a story of an earlier banquet and how someone tried to actively court her to get in their family's good graces. "That's foul how could they do that?"

"Exactly, only the lowest of lows could think that's a good idea."

Ouch.

"Hmm. Agreed."

Ae-ri offers him a gentle smile and they return to the comfortable silence they had facilitated while they had been friends. The banquet was officially in full swing and her parents had already given the introductory speech.

It was all going very well.

Except for the fact she had lost Sun-oh somewhere in the crowd and he wasn't answering his phone. The only person left she felt comfortable talking to was In-ho and he hadn't disappointed.

"Where's Sun-oh? Isn't he supposed to be here?"

He had read her gaze and the mild embarrassment of getting caught rose to the tops of her cheeks.

"Yeah, I lost him a while back; I have no idea where he is."

"Oh. I see."

She turns her head to meet his only to see the soft defeat of realizing he was just the backup option. She sighs quietly and pushes him gently, "Let's go to the photo booth station, dork."

***

After taking pictures, she begins to feel the same level of comfort she used to find in In-ho and it made her a bit sad that they only had tonight to feel this way again. She hadn't realized how much she missed his presence and had forgotten how good it felt to be friends with someone who thought just like you.

The truth slips out of her mouth before she can calculate its effects and she regrets it almost immediately, "I have missed you, In-ho."

His eyes light up instantly, and she can feel the way his body warms at the confession. He hesitates before tucking a curl into her ear and smiling gently, "I have missed you too, Ae-ri." Her love alarm goes off but they pretend to ignore it. They choose to ignore the silence of his phone as well.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was a bit manipulative," he says softly, tugging her closer so others did not hear the conversation.

"A bit?" she teases, a grin spreading across her face.

He ducks his head a bit in slight shame, "A lot. Regardless, you didn't deserve that from me. I guess I am just trying to regain some traction in your life and it all keeps coming out the wrong way."

"I see."

"You don't have to forgive me."

"Okay."

He shakes his head at her thinly veiled amusement at his vulnerability and he has to hide his smile, "But I would like to get back to this. I'd rather have some of you than not at all."

"You said that last time and look where that got you."

"Yes, but now I understand the way love works," he admits quietly.

The air grows a bit still as Ae-ri processes his words and she takes a step closer, "And how is that?"

He could smell the perfume she wore and the hair product he always loved watching her put in her curls from where she was now standing. His eyes run slowly across her face, her eyes, cheeks, and lashes, before stopping at her lips.