Me, Myself & I (Catnipz)

Maybe because I like you

 I pressed the button that unlocked the car and deactivated the alarm so we could get in.

"Where are we going?" Sihyun asked, smiling.

"We're going to the mall," I replied. "To find the prettiest dress."

The trip to the mall was fun; Sihyun asked me about things like my favorite color and animal. Unlike her older sister, she was genuinely interested in getting to know me.

We went from store to store, and we didn't leave any without bags, just as we didn't leave any where my card didn't slide. We sat on a bench to rest, well, I did because I was carrying all the bags.

"Haerin, we only came for a dress," the little one said, laughing.

"I think I got a bit carried away," I replied, also laughing. "Did you like them?" I asked as we were on our way back to her house.

"I loved them," she replied with a huge smile. "My mom liked the ones with little flowers."

"Did she like them?" I asked.

Sihyun continued, "Min says she's in heaven... taking care of us with my dad." She smiled. "They will really like the dresses you bought me." She looked at me, and I did my best to hold back my tears.

"Of course they will, beautiful." God, I had a terrible lump in my throat.

That explained part of Minji's tough demeanor. Working, studying, and also taking care of her little siblings. Despite being shocked by Sihyun's comment, the ride back was filled with her innocent questions about her sister and me.

We got out of the car, and of the nearly twenty bags in Minji's trunk, half or more than half were Sihyun's. She took some, and I took the rest and a bag of mine with a "special purchase." We reached the door and rang the typical three-bell chime. It was Minji who answered.

"It's three in the afternoon," she informed us, sounding reproachful.

"three?" I asked, surprised. We had only taken three hours to shop. "Hurry, Sihyun," I said, speeding up. "The party starts at four," I said, remembering the time marked in pink letters on the invitation.

We both ran upstairs, completely ignoring Minji. I followed the little one to what would surely be her room. Her bedroom was decorated in pink with white furniture, and the pale pink bed was fit for a princess, with a thin veil cascading from the ceiling, truly beautiful.

"What a lovely room you have," I said while arranging the veil covering the bed to put all the bags on it. She just let out a slight laugh. "Well, go take a shower," I said, and she nodded before going into the bathroom.

I started putting away all her new clothes; indeed, she had dresses, but it was obvious at first glance that she didn't have many. I put everything away, leaving out a pink dress with white flowers, just like Sihyun and her mother liked, along with some white sandals. I left the room for her to dress. Once she was ready, she called me, looking beautiful.

"Come here so I can fix your hair," I said, starting to arrange her hair, so similar to her older sister's. "Ready?" I asked, and she nodded with a huge smile. We were about to leave when I remembered. "Wait!" I said, pointing to my bag with the "special purchase," and Sihyun started laughing.

I sat on the bed, took off my heels, and took out a pair of black boots from the box in the bag.

"They'll surely like them," the little one said, still laughing. "But you hate them," she was right. I detested them.

"You're right," I added between laughs. "But they're comfortable," they had to have something good about them.

We hopped down the stairs, and halfway down, I saw Minji watching us from below.

"Here's your princess," I said, the little one bursting into laughter.

I looked at Minji expectantly, hoping she'd say something, at least a "You look pretty," but her blunt response was to lift Sihyun in her arms and kiss her on the cheek.

I changed my "expectant" look to a glaring one, silently articulating to her, "Say something."

She obeyed. "You look beautiful, my love," she said, and Sihyun wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Go call Jongin to come pick you up," she said, putting her down, and she went back upstairs to call her brother. "I see you more..." she was probably going to say 'low,' then looked down to find my heels, but they were gone. "And what is that?" she laughed.

I took a step back to climb the first step and be closer to her height.

"Well, since you always criticize me and call me 'airhead' for my way of dressing," Minji continued laughing. "Maybe..." I paused. "This will make you stop calling me 'stupid'," I smiled. "Because we both know you know I'm not."

"I don't understand why you're so interested in pleasing me," she took a step towards me. "Can you explain that to me?" she stared at me. "Can you tell me why you're so interested in me?"

"Maybe because I want us to be friends..." I ran my hands through her hair. "...or maybe because I like you," it was more than obvious that I wouldn't say, "Because of a bet I made with Danielle."

"Me?" she laughed. "Like me? Please," she said ironically. "You like those snobs, with money, popularity, and sports cars," she accurately described Eunchae.

"You criticize me a lot without even knowing me," I started stroking her hair.

"I don't need to know you more to know what you're like," she replied confidently.

"I've already told you, Minji," as I leaned in slowly towards her lips. "I'm going to make you eat your words," I whispered over her lips, which she slightly parted, expecting me to kiss her.

But instead, I let go and jumped down a step. Avoiding her, I walked towards the door. In seconds, Sihyun and Jongin were coming down the stairs.

"Min..." the little one said. "Can I go to Demian's house?" Perfect, we would have the house to ourselves.

"Okay, but I'll pick you up at the same time as Sihyun," she said, and Jongin smiled.

"Cute boots, Haerin," Jongin said, laughing.

"You see...?" I gestured to Minji. "You're the only one who doesn't appreciate them," I complained.

"Sure," she said sarcastically. "You know very well that you're dying to put on your shoes and throw those away," she was right.

After stopping at a toy store to buy a gift, we left Sihyun at the birthday party and Jongin at his friend's house. The party ended at eight in the evening, so we would have almost three and a half hours alone.