Meet Me Here

Chapter 6: Four Words

How to tell if a boy likes you

Ye Jin tapped her fingers impatiently against the table as she waited for the page to load. Unfortunately, her house only had one computer and it was a particularly ancient one. 

They said that no one makes computers like this these days. To Ye Jin, the ancient thing wasn't a gem, it was a hindrance to her research.

After eons, the page finally loaded and Ye Jin clicked on the first article she could find. This time, the page loaded slightly faster, and she started reading the article with eager eyes. Ye Jin took in everything she could and naturally did some cross-comparisons in her head as she read.

He makes a lot of eye contact with you when you speak.

Wasn't that a given in their highly conservative society? The Korean culture preached respect and that included proper eye contact in a conversation.

He slows his walking pace to match yours.

Again, Ye Jin wasn't too convinced. Sure, Hyun Bin always walked beside her, but she assumed that it was because he dreaded going to classes. Besides, she doesn't walk that slowly either, right?

He's always joking with you.

Now that was interesting. They have been bantering and teasing each other ever since they were children. Surely, that doesn't automatically make him interested in her.

He turns his body towards you.

Ye Jin pursed her lips as she thought about that one. Does he? Recalling all their recent interactions, Ye Jin was certain that he does turn his body towards her when he was with her. She simply never noticed it until the article pointed it out. Yet, she wasn't fully convinced.

He finds reasons to touch you.

Ye Jin blushed as she recalled how their hands brushed against each other at camp and that one night they slept on the couch together. But there was no guarantee that he was – as the article claimed – finding reasons to touch her. 

Ye Jin was beginning to realise that she wasn't too good at picking up all these signs of love. Either that or the article wasn't very accurate.

As Ye Jin read on, the more she felt confused over Hyun Bin's feelings for her. Now that she has accepted that she was falling for her childhood friend, she was curious and anxious to know if he felt the same way.

Sometime during her research, Ye Jin ended up surfing on the ways one should confess to a friend. Through it all, the question that bothered her the most was whether she should risk their friendship. Should she really confess, or should she ignore her feelings?

In the end, Ye Jin gave up and decided to turn in for the night. Tucking herself in, she turned off the lights and closed her eyes. But, with a million thoughts running through her head, sleep was impossible. And the best part was, all her thoughts revolved around Hyun Bin.

Growing frustrated, Ye Jin switched her lights back on and sat up from the bed. Tired and confused, she stared at the jar on her table, her present for Hyun Bin's birthday which was weeks away. 

Should she do this? Should she really take a gamble on their friendship?

An hour later, Ye Jin finally reached over for her phone and sent out a quick text to Hyun Bin.

Are you free tomorrow morning?

☼ ☼ ☼

The next morning