Focus you tell yourself. You're starting to get off beat. You continue to berate yourself as you watch his back. Sweat has caused his white tank top to stick, highlighting the muscles in his back and shoulders. You glance in the mirror and see where the shirt is also sticking to his abdomen. His abs aren't as defined as they could be, but you're okay with it. Perfection isn't real, no matter how much you strive for it. Someone calls for everyone to stop and you realize you've been dancing without even paying attention. You guess that it's a good thing you've done this same performance at least a hundred times before.
"Why don't we take a break?" Youngbae says. "I think you need some time to get your head together," he adds to you.
You nod. There's a reason why Youngbae is your best friend. He can tell when you need a moment. "Thanks Bae," you say quietly.
"Hey SeungRi! Will you walk with me?" you ask. To your delight he leaves whoever it was he was talking to and joins you. You walk down the hall to one of the break rooms and thankfully it was empty. You grab a bottle of water and guzzle it, suddenly parched. You stand in the doorway, trying to decide if you want to say what you've been thinking.
"I love you," you say simply.
"Aww…I love you too," he replies.
You shake your head. He just doesn't get it and you don't know whether to think it's cute or get annoyed that he didn't understand. "No," you say gently. "I love you…as in, I want to be with you," you say quietly.
"Oh," he says, surprised. "I don't know what to say."
"Don't worry about it. I just felt like I should tell you." Before he can say anything else, you hustle back to the practice room. You shake your head at Youngbae who is looking at you questioningly. SeungRi came back and everyone gets back to practice
When you get home, you head straight to your room. As you lay down on your bed, you think of all the memories you have with SeungRi. You smile as the images pass beneath your closed eyelids. All of a sudden, you sit straight up, realizing what you'd done. I just ruined a great friendship. Why did I tell him that? I should have kept my feelings to myself. You continue to berate yourself until you hear a quiet knock to your door. You tell the person to come in and your heart flip flopped when you see SeungRi.
"Hey," you whisper.
"Hey yourself."
You just stare at him, unsure of what to say. SeungRi crossed the room and sat down next to you on your bed. You open your mouth to say something and he kisses you. You're surprised but delighted at the same time. You revel in the feel of his lips against yours and you feel your heart soar as you fall backwards onto the mattress.
"I love you Ji," SeungRi said. "I was never sure how to tell you, but I'm glad you said something to me today."
"I love you too," you say, kissing him again. For once, you're glad you didn't bite your tongue, and as the two of you ready yourselves to stay in your bed for a very long time, the only thing you regret is that you waited so long to say something so simple.
