We all wanted to kiss Jaehee. I wanted to kiss her. Platonic, my ass. Even our god 707 said that you two were basically dating. So I decided to add my OWN after story :3
Enjoy!
The strong and warming aroma of coffee was quickly becoming utterly familiar and delightful to you. You never really minded coffee, and most days when you prepared your own coffee you had ignored the scent as background. Now, though, you were beginning to always notice the scent of coffee. It was an aroma that sent your heart pounding and your head turning, searching for a face that your mind automatically associated the smell with. Your body relaxed when you caught a whiff of it even as your pulse jumped with expectation. The scent of bad coffee made you scrunch your nose and you would open your mouth to jokingly comment about it to Jaehee, but she usually wasn't there.
Tonight was an exception, though. You at her house tonight, looking over some documents while she typed away on her computer. Or, rather, you would be looking over the documents if you weren't being so distracted by the chat happening in the RFA chatroom. You kept smothering your smiles at 707 messing with Yoosung considering the younger man was being forced to be Jumin's corporate slave. Or, for a professional term, his "intern". You pitied Yoosung even as you also teased him. It was just a little too funny not to mess with him.
[You should be reading, not harassing Yoosung.] Jaehee's picture and yellow text box popped up below 707's. You bit your lip in order to comment aloud about it.
[I am reading.]You wrote back.
[You are reading the wrong things.] Jaehee teased. You glanced at the back of her head from your position on the couch. She was closed enough for you to nudge her with your sock-clad foot.
[Wait . . . ] Yoosung wrote. [Are you two in the same room right now?!]
[Yes. She's visiting to help me with the planning. If she would actually read.] Jaehee shot you a playfully stern look. You smiled innocently, if a little sheepishly, back.
[I'll go now.;; ^^] You wrote. [Laterz.]
[Don't let her treat you too roughly~]
[Laterz!]
You exited out of the chatroom and ducked behind your documents. It wasn't that they didn't interest you at all (even though looking over budgets and construction supplies wasn't exactly your preferred date night), but there were many things to distract you. A good example was the sight of Jaehee's neck as a few strands of her shorter hair escaped from the messy ponytail she had up. You had done it for her yourself when she had commented about possibly being able to put her growing hair into a tie now. Most of the hair stayed up, but there were some that weren't quite long enough. You wanted to brush your fingers along her neck, but held back.
"Are you almost done?" You asked her instead, tearing your eyes from her neck to catch her eyes. She smiled a bit at you before she glanced at her phone. You could still see the chatroom up on it. Unlike you, Jaehee could multitask well. It still astounded you to see her working. You slid off of the couch in order to sit next to her. She had herself situated at the glass coffee table, two steaming mugs of fresh coffee resting next to her. You took yours and sipped at it, feeling the heat and the nutty flavor fill your senses. You sighed with pleasure. Jaehee made the best coffee.
"Almost." Jaehee admitted. Her eyes darted back and forth between her computer screen and the coffee mug you held. It was the matching set that you two had bought as a present to yourselves. Her fingers were hesitating on the keyboard, her nails tapping idly with thought as she asked, "How is it?" You hid your smile at her nervousness behind another sip of the coffee. Zen may have been one of the first people to try her coffee, but you were her new test-taster. You knew better than to mince your words for her, but you always chose your responses carefully so that she couldn't misinterpret you.
"It's very strong." You told her. "The cinnamon works well in it, but it's a bit too spicy, I think."
"That could be just a matter of preference." Jaehee immediately responded even as you could see the wheels turning in her eyes. "However," she also took a sip of her own mug and licked her lips contemplatively. You took another swift sip of your coffee and ended up burning your tongue in the process. You swallowed anyway, "I think you're right. A little less cinnamon."
"It's becoming cooler." You pointed out to her. "Maybe try holiday flavors?"
She smiled shrewdly, onto you and your casually pressing need for homemade pumpkin spice coffee, and placed her mug back down on the glass table. "There's no need to experiment with those flavors yet. The café won't be open until after the holiday season."
"You don't know that for sure." You teased, the lie slipping past your lips without any damage as you leaned closer to her and bumped your shoulder with hers, leaning on your hand so you kept in contact with her. She didn't call you out on it, but you could see she was still trying to get used to the casual touching. It saddened you a bit remembering how Jaehee never really had friends. You and Zen were working hard to change that. "Jumin is becoming very nosy with our construction company . . ."
Jaehee rolled her eyes briefly, and you grinned a bit more at the sight. You didn't think she was the type to roll her eyes before she had quit working for Jumin. Maybe even before that. It just went to show how relaxed she was now. "Mr. Han . . . Jumin," she corrected herself with brief hesitation, "feels that he must control even this aspect. I don't know why, though. I have assured him that this company is the best that I can afford."
"He wants to help, maybe?"
"That is doubtful." She responded bluntly. You couldn't quite agree, though. Jumin didn't show his appreciation for Jaehee in normal human ways. It was too bad he couldn't tell that Jaehee preferred to have the café be one hundred percent hers rather than Jumin's. Actually, you corrected yourself mentally, ours. Your body tingled with electricity. This was yours and Jaehee's project. Excitement bubbled in your chest and you leaned forward a bit more to duck into her vision.
"Are you excited?" You asked her somewhat breathlessly. Jaehee blinked in surprised as she was jolted from her work trance again. The smile that spread across her face warmed you more than the coffee did as her face softened.
"You know that I am." She told you. Her hand idly brushed your long hair back and over your shoulder from where it had fallen onto her arm. You watched as her eyes met yours and familiar desperate feelings built up in you. You had known her for only a little over three months, but your feelings for her hadn't abated in the least. It was hard some days to be like this with her when all you wanted to do was get closer and hold her hand. Maybe even risk kissing her. You were bold, but you weren't sure you were that bold. Jaehee had already said before that the two of you were friends.
Jaehee didn't consider dating in the past because she had been so totally focused on working that she didn't have the time nor the pleasure to see anyone on the side. She had, essentially, been dating her job much like Zen was. Now, though, she was currently unemployed and she spent quite a bit of time with you. Whether it was in the chatroom or on the phone, you always talked to her at least once a day. You had yet to confess for fear of making her uncomfortable and she appeared oblivious to your feelings (as well as her own), but the others of the RFA had already begun to notice. It was quite the quiet scandal among the boys, and it was embarrassing enough when Jumin had bluntly asked you about it. It was good to have their silent support, but it felt a lot like they were all watching the two of you with bated breath like an expectant audience.
"What is it?" Jaehee asked, noticing your staring and your silence. A tiny confused frown was on her face. Your breathing felt a bit too heavy for you.
"I . . ." You stopped. You had to pull back and give her space, but the burning need was there. Your throat felt thick. You really shouldn't be thinking about your emotions when you were so close to her like this (your self-control wasn't the best at times), but you had fallen into the trap once again. You had almost confessed to her in front of a crowd of people at the last party. The other night you had very nearly kissed her hand when she had gripped your own in a show of appreciation. Now the air smelled of coffee and her warmth was right next to yours and her face was close. You wanted to kiss that tiny frown off of her face.
"Are you alright?" She asked, concerned now at your hesitation.
You should just confess to her. Or, at least, try to express some of the depth of your emotions for her. It was only fair that she knew. You two were business partners and close friends, but it would be unfair for her to go into such a committed relationship without being aware that you had other feelings for her. It felt like you were lying to her some days. Most days you just wanted to tell her and to know. Because some part of you . . . you could sense the possibility there. You could tell she felt something else for you (she had all but confessed that herself, although she didn't seem to know what those feelings were), so perhaps you should just give her a nudge in the right direction?
You didn't even know if she really liked women. You had never really considered yourself as a person attracted to women either, but you found yourself drawn to Jaehee. She appeared hesitant to become too close to a woman, and you certainly were unsure about how to approach another woman romantically as well, but you wanted to try.
Determination filled you. You would give her time to back out if she wanted to, but you couldn't resist anymore. Your hand found her cheek without your permission and you turned her head gently towards yours. Her eyes widened, and her pale cheeks colored a bit at your touch. Confusion filled her voice as she quietly called your name. You smiled and brushed one of the loose hairs of her fringe back and behind her ear.
"Jaehee, I . . . I want to . . ." Get it out, you commanded yourself. You're already so far in. Just tell her! "I want to . . . to kiss you." You confessed to her.
Her eyes widened even more, speechless. Her mouth fell open a bit. Your eyes only dropped briefly to her mouth before you returned to her eyes. You wanted her to see that you were serious. She didn't respond, though. You struck her speechless quite a bit, but this was something completely new. You couldn't sense any dislike or revulsion on her face, though, so you took the chance and leaned in. You paused just short of kissing her as your hand dropped to the side of her neck, before you pressed forward to complete the action.
It was a dry chaste kiss with only some pressure to it, but your eyes fell close anyway as your heart raced in your chest. You felt Jaehee's arm drop to the floor, although you weren't sure if it was shock or not, before you pulled back a couple centimeters and opened your eyes warily. You were delighted to see that her own eyes were opening as well although her face was filled with wonder and confliction. You hadn't seen an expression like that since she had tried the licorice coffee, you thought to yourself rather dizzily.
Her body turned more towards you, her legs brushing your knees as she said your name again in a tiny confused voice, before she found your lips again. You didn't hesitate to put more pressure into this kiss, sensing different but similar intentions behind this one, as you shifted to place your other hand on the other side of her, barring her body between your arms. Your eyes fell shut again as the two of you tested the moment together, mouths brushing and pressing and separating from each other in short swipes. Your body hummed as the scent of her hair and the sweetness of her lips invaded you, her chest pressing to yours. Her hands trembled lightly as she first found your hands, and then ran her hands up to your elbows and then shoulders where they decided to stay briefly before finally she wrapped her arms under your hair and around your neck. The small sigh that escaped you was loud in the quiet room as you shifted to lean your arms on the couch cushions instead. Her body reclined against it some as her entire presence seemed to surround you. Even the soft bings of messages from the chatroom weren't enough to distract the two of you.
The passion of the moment crested and then broke gently as you both slowed and finally pulled back. Your hair had fallen again from over your shoulders, feeling a bit like a curtain separating you from the rest of the world. Her cheeks were a soft pink as her brown eyes sparkled. You wanted to kiss her again, so you did briefly. A smile threatened and then broke upon your face as you waited for judgement.
Jaehee stared at you, mind clearly trying to play catch up, before her arms carefully left your neck. They instead clenched briefly in the material of her loose shorts, worrying the legs there as she glanced away. "I . . . I didn't realize that . . . you held such regard for me." She finally said, her voice quiet and a bit roughened. You weren't quite sure if it was from the kisses of her own entanglement in her emotions.
"I like you." You confessed boldly, startling her as she blushed a bit harder. "I've . . . I've liked you for a while. Since before our first party. But you said you didn't want to date . . . and you were just happy to be friends." You were beginning to ramble. A bad habit when you were nervous. "And I'm fine with being friends too! I just . . . I just wanted you to know how I feel about you first. Because I do like you, Jaehee. I . . . I think I love you."
Jaehee was again speechless, but she wasn't looking at you at all. You pulled away to give her more space, sitting back down properly beside her. You considered moving so the two of you weren't touching, but you couldn't quite bring yourself to do it. She would let you know what she wanted to do. It was all up to her now.
Finally she recovered some. She took a breath before facing you. Her eyes were still a bit troubled. "I . . . My feelings for you . . . are difficult for me to understand. Being friends with you is . . . honestly wonderful. And I like you so much. But . . ." Jaehee sighed, her hand coming up to brush the strand of her fringe back again. It was too short to stay behind her ear and it fell back into her face again. "I've never considered . . . something like this. I don't know what I want."
You smiled even as a small part of you clenched. It wasn't a rejection, you told yourself. Jaehee always needed to think these sorts of things through. You could wait. "I understand." You touched her hand. She didn't immediately pull away, and that brought comfort to you. "I just wanted you to know. No matter what you decide, I want to continue to be your friend, okay?"
The relief on Jaehee's face was enough to comfort you knowing that you had taken some of the pressure off. You definitely didn't want her to make a hasty decision (it would only end badly for one or both of you), so you made sure to smile brightly. "Thank you." She breathed. Her eyes flicked back to her phone as it binged again, this time with an email. You squeezed her hand before releasing her to grab your mug again and to shift your documents over so you could continue to look over them. Jaehee watched you for a few moments longer before she grabbed her phone and went to answer all of her messages. The franticness of her typing clued you in that she may actually be talking to the other RFA members. You wouldn't look at the messages for now. You sipped your somewhat-cooled coffee and sighed again at the taste. You could definitely wait for her response.