Bitterly, Sweetly

Jealousy Bites

Surprise emitted over his face. "Sehun?"

Blinking down, Namjoo threw him off. "Never mind."

What might Chanyeol think if she was poking around? He wouldn't assume she was interested in his brother...right?

"Well," Chanyeol started unaware of her trickling thoughts, "he's my dad's son, so step-brother you can say, but I don't like the sound of that. I consider Sehun a real brother. Calling him step-brother makes him sound like an outsider."

"You share a father?" Namjoo repeated. She hadn't expected to hear that.

Chanyeol nodded thoughtfully. "He's never lived with us, but we went to school together. Considering our parents are kind of at odds, I'm glad we get along. He's like my best friend and most reliable person. If you get to know him, I know for certain you'll become best friends and gang up on me."

Chanyeol teasingly grinned at her. At this Namjoo struggled her best to smile in return. Though really, she wanted to say, "I slept with him, Chanyeol, and I think I'm attracted to him. I'm so sorry."

In the end, she packed up her food to go cutting Chanyeol's dinner short. Guilt plundered her as he walked her to the car. An evening sky shrouded over them as well as her troubling thoughts. Dark and heavy. Her 100% person was turning out to be more than those numbers she'd placed on him. And she couldn't be half of that for him anymore.

"So, I know we planned to have dinner with your parents this weekend," Chanyeol explained, "but my training seminar might be switched up to earlier."

"You won't make it?" Namjoo couldn't tell whether she was relieved or disappointed.

"I'll talk to my boss tomorrow, see if we can rearrange it, but from how it looks, the higher-ups on their side gets the final say." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you're looking forward to it."

Trying to smile a bit, she assured, "It's fine. Just because it happens once doesn't mean it'll happen again."

It sounded contradictory to what she'd said about mistakes. Then there was Sehun. One mistake will mostly lead to another.

She faintly thought about the night in the hotel. Coming to terms with it now instead of trying to bury it deep in her mind. Actually, Namjoo reminisced about it a little more often than necessary.

"Better jinx it." Chanyeol affectionately rubbed the top of her head. "By the way, how about lunch with Sehun tomorrow?"

The half-smile on her face melted. Something noticeable in her chest drummed. Uneasily or anxiously she couldn't decipher.

"He's just staying at a hotel right now. I'm pretty sure he's sick of it but won't say and I want you two to get to know each other better." Chanyeol suggested. He playfully warned, "But no teaming up on me though."

Namjoo giggled just to lighten up as the dismay swarmed through her like a broken beehive.

Giving her a quick peck, Chanyeol bid farewell. "Goodnight. Love you. Text me when you get home."

Namjoo waved as he jogged toward his car. The pretension no longer as Chanyeol had turned away. Nervousness swelled over her like a thick, dark cloud as she drove home.

The following day when she approached her office, the same McDonald's breakfast and coffee sat on her desk. Except none of her coworkers had gotten their generous coffee from the so-called boyfriend leading Namjoo to assume Sehun was finally leaving her alone.

She was wrong.

Peering left to right Namjoo heard a phone ringing from somewhere, but no one was in the hallway. Closing in on the desk Namjoo noticed a yellow post-it stuck to the bag. To the left of it was her very notepad. A page taken from it supposedly. The Sharpie pen capped right beside it.