Face To Face (ChaeYu / ChaeTzu)

Ch.14 The Question Of Worth...

Tzuyu POV

Chaeyoung. 

She's all I think about. I know I love her or at the very least really like her. Everything was going so well up until Irene's party. She's been distant, not the way she was before but she never met my eyes and she always sighs exasperatedly. I try and ask what's wrong but she just smiles and tells me she's just stressed from school work or art club. The end of the school year is nearing and the days are hotter but the work load isn't all that much. Sure we have end of the years tests and finals and all of that but we don't get homework the way we used to. You'd think I'd be even more busy than everyone else because I still have dance, English tutoring, and business classes but I find myself having still a good amount of free time. I invite Chaeyoung over and she always looks like she's done something wrong. The one day she seemed alright and wasn't looking at me like she stole from me was on her birthday. After a day of hanging out with our friends, I convinced her to come to the roof of my apartment complex with me and we just lay out there until late at night, joking, before going back to my room. The next day, she was back to how she was. 

As I said earlier, school ends soon...specifically a in a month. A lot of people need to take pass tests or make up work in order to graduate and one of them is Elkie. She needs Algebra tutoring and seeing that I'm her only friend in AP Geometry as a freshman; she asked me to tutor her for two weeks. The last day of her tutoring is today and it's pouring outside. I'm at her house and we're sitting at her dining table. She's doing the work that the teacher gave her and has her notes spread out. Every once in awhile she asks me either a math related question or a random question and I usually answer all of them.

"So...is Chaeyoung treating you okay?" She asks, not looking up.

"Um...yeah," I sigh before finally saying, "She's good but she avoids looking directly at me like she's guilty. I don't know what's wrong and why she's so quiet nowadays...it's been like this since Irene-unnie's party."

"Hmph, there she goes again..." She shakes her head and scoffs, "Getting all caught up in her own thoughts and not thinking about how it affects you."

"What?" I ask and she puts down her pencil to look me in the eyes.

"Before she avoided you because she thought basically she was a nuisance and eyesore," She explains with a frown, "Now she's distancing herself from you because she's afraid and caught up in guilt for avoiding you the first time around."

"Why would she do that? We talked about all of this!" I ask rhetorically.

"Honestly, I don't like people like that..." She mutters, "People who assume to quickly but in reality don't know a thing."

"She's probably going to start avoiding me again, isn't she?" I ask and look to Elkie desperately, "I can't let that happen again..."

I immediately get up and put on my jacket. Elkie gets up and protests; trying to stop me because it's raining but I pull free. I apologize for cutting the last tutoring lesson short and run out into the rain. I recently got a bike so I don't have to take the bus and so I can get a little more exercise so I grab my bike and ride. I ride down the streets as fast as I can in this weather without endangering myself. I eventually make it to Chaeyoung' s house and I lock my bike onto the railing of the stairs to her front door. I walk up the steps and ring the doorbell. I can feel the anxiety just rising up in my entire being...Then the door opens.

"Tzuyu?" She asks, concern and confusion in her eyes.

"Can...can I come in?" I huff, slightly out of breath and she moves aside to let me in and closes the door behind me.

"What're you doing here? It's pouring out and you rode your bike here?" She asks as she hangs my jacket for me, "Plus...aren't you supposed to be with Elkie?"

"I am...but I left," I say, "Are your parents and brother home?" 

"No, my brother is at a friend's and my parents are at their 20th Anniversary of their high school graduation reunion party thing," She answers and I nod.

"Good, we need to talk," I say and I take her and lead her into her living room. 

"A-about what?" I notice her hands are getting sweaty and she appears to be getting nervous. 

"Everything," I say, "Chaeyoung, what's wrong? Why're you distancing yourself from me? You can tell me anything ,ya know?"

"I...I know I can...but," She says quietly, "Tzuyu...was I the reason you got really sad and drank with Elkie?"

"I...how did you know?" I ask and she closes her eyes.

"Elkie told me that there are some things I don't know and I started rethinking everything," She explains, "And then I remembered you told me that you drank with her because you were both really sad...and I questioned what you could be sad about that could make Elkie shoot me all these dirty looks...and I realized it's me."

"Chae...it was a long time ago," I say and take her hand because her eyes were tearing up, "Yes I was sad, and I know there are things we both regret about that time of just not being with each other but that isn't now. I don't want it to be. You don't make me sad, the thought of you not being with me does...but you, you don't. You make me so happy."

"I...don't know if I really deserve to have you..." She cries and I pull her into a hug, I can feel her tears on my shoulder, "Tzuyu-ya...can I tell you something? And can you promise that no matter what your reaction is...we'll still be friends?"

"You deserve everything, Chae..." I say, "And yeah, well, depends...if you say you like cats more than dogs..."

"Ha..no..." She pulls away and looks me in the eyes, "I love you."

The words hit me like a bullet and I can feel myself just freezing up. I gape at her and Then I just point from her to me and she nods slowly with a nervous anticipation in her eyes. I can tell she's thinking the worst so I slap my face, which causes her to frown, and I look her in the eyes again.

"I love you too," I smile and it's now her turn to panic.

"Like...love me? Like love love?" She asks and I laugh and nod.

"Is it hard to believe?" I ask and she nods her head but then shakes her head.

"Aw cool, that means I can finally do this," She says with a sheepish smile.

"Do wha-" I'm in the middle of asking her what but her hands immediately pull me to her by the collar of my shirt.

She presses her lips against mine and I can feel myself melting. The shock I feel settles in after a few seconds and I reciprocate the kiss while also putting my hands on her hips. The kiss is just as I imagined it would be: tender and soft. We pull apart for a second before making eye contact but then I just pull her closer to me and kiss her again. She yelps but then I can feel her smile into our kiss which in turn makes me smile. The kisses aren't very good but we have time to improve it all. I pull away and I cup her face.

"The question of worth...is for you to decide," I say, "But I believe, you're worth more than anything money can buy and more..."

"Well...if I'm worth that to you," She smiles, "Then you're worth more than anything money can buy and more plus one."

"Why you..." I say and tickle her down into the pillows on the couch, "I was trying to be all wise and cool."

"If it makes you feel any better," She airily laughs, "You were very cool and wise."

"Good," I huff and she pulls me down into a tight embrace.

"I love you Tzuyu-ya," She says, "And I'll always stay by your side."

"I love you too," I respond, "There's nothing I want more than to stay with you."