I Used To Be Alright

Chapter 25

Yeji

It didn't hurt as much as she expected. In fact, she went home feeling a little lighter.

Yeji has been in the shower for the past 20 minutes – taking her time in recalling the event that happened earlier in the day.

She had imagined their meeting to be weird, chaotic, and confusing. And it was – weird. But not chaotic at all. It was overwhelming to hear the familiar "hey" after months of nothing. And she appreciated that the brunette didn't force anything out of her during the whole exchange.

Looking back at it, Yeji realized that they didn't even exchange apologies. Not that she's expecting any. She wouldn't even know what to apologize for. But something like that should be expected in a falling out, right? Or is that what they had?

She shook her head for a second and paused.

I need to stop bringing myself more confusion.

So she opened her eyes and continued the trip down the recent memory.

It must've been one of the few times that she saw Ryujin so guarded. Like she's calculating everything. She's aware of it because she was doing exactly the same.

They didn't talk about or even mention what happened – and even Yeji stopping by her apartment when she was sick wasn't mentioned. Instead, they focus on catching up on each other's lives like good friends. And Yeji was okay with that.

When she got to bed, she got a hold of her phone and almost texted the brunette.

Almost.

She has gotten used to it whenever they'd hang out before. She had to remind herself that it's not the same now – but still, she has a tiny bit of hope that it will still get better.

The week after Lia's birthday, Yeji started going to the library again. And although her two best friends would still tail her most of the time during breaks, she got her alone time back at her usual library table.

She has been hanging out a lot inside her dorm and in the coffee shop with Jiwoo, but nothing beats smelling the familiar pages and enjoying the solemnity of the peaceful space.

In the middle of reviewing her notes, her phone chimed with a notification.

Hey. Are you around?

Says a familiar name on her screen.

It was the first text she received from her in months – despite having seen each other at the party days ago.

She stopped and deliberated on how she'd reply when a typing bubble appeared.

I was at the fair the other day and randomly came across some stones. I got you some.

"Stones?" Yeji whispered to herself.

Another typing bubble appeared.

I mean, if you want it.

"What does she mean..."

Her brows crossed – trying to figure out what the brunette meant. Before she could type in a reply, another message came.

Oh, I see you now.

Yeji whipped her head towards the door and surely, the brunette was walking towards her with a timid smile.

"Hey." She greeted first, this time.

"Hi."

The brunette paused in front of the table.

"I came to study for a quiz and saw you. Would you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is kind of occupied."

It's a lie. Yeji could see multiple vacant tables even from her peripheral view. She smiled and shook her head, anyway.

"I don't mind at all."

When the other girl was settled, she pulled out a small cloth out of her bag and handed it to Yeji.

"Here, your stones."

With a questioning look, the feline eye accepted.

She opened the cloth and found different sizes and shapes of nephrite jades – all green and shiny. Her eyes widened and an involuntary smile spread across her lips.

"Oh my god, these are so beautiful."

She looked at the brunette and saw her grinning and looking back at her – eyes shining like she won something.

"They are. Aren't they?"

Yeji nodded and continued to appreciate the gift.

She lifted up a pear-shaped one and showed it to the girl in front of her.

"So cute."

Ryujin chuckled and shook her head a little.

"Yeah. I'm glad you like them."

They fell into a comfortable silence after a small chatter. Yeji got into her usual concentration and Ryujin surprisingly did the same.

The afternoon was serene – nothing but the sounds of flipping pages and hushed tones while mouthing whatever's on their notes. Occasionally, they would steal glances when the other was busy reading or had their eyes closed while memorizing.

By sunset, both of them started to wrap up and got ready to leave.

"Surprisingly, I was able to cover a lot today." Ryujin remarked.

"I think... this calls for a celebration?"

She playfully smirked at the confused Yeji, brows arched.

The brunette continued to arrange her bag and waited for momentum before blurting out:

"How about dinner?"

For a few seconds, they paused, staring at each other.

"With me."

Yeji paused, she felt her throat getting dry.

She felt dizzy because of a sudden recollection – all those past invites that she thought meant something else. The last date in the park that turned out to be a not-date, after all. The unnecessary bumping of arms when they walked, the stares, and the smiles, and the subtle jokes that she mistook for something that they aren't.

And the silence.

Ryujin's silence when she laid her heart out.

She was brought back to consciousness by a tap on her arm.

"Yeji-ah? Are you okay?"

She flinched a little, and the brunette was quick to pull her hand back.

"S-sorry. I have some things to take care of." Yeji tried her best to sound calm, but she knew that she sounded the complete opposite.

Ryujin stepped back and gave her space. She put on a small smile and nodded.

Yeji walked away without looking back.