The Real Us

. chapter 21 .

The girl quickly ran to open the door and let the dark haired male inside. "Sorry for calling so last minute," she apologized as the male took off his shoes and followed the girl to her kitchen.

Hyejin had called the male only a half hour prior and asked him to teach her how to cook "something impressive" for a shoot she had the next day. She had been invited to join a handful of other beauty influencers on a show where they would be having a cooking competition, but the girl had only been added that day because a different influencer had fallen ill and was unable to attend.

Point being, she needed to learn how to cook so she asked the only person she knew who was good at cooking to teach her.

The two tirelessly prepped the ingredients and assembled the structure for Jay's favorite dish, the Beef Wellington. After what seemed like ages, they finally slid the uncooked dish into the oven. The two smiled at each other and high-fived.

"Now, we wait." the male said as he pushed some buttons Hyejin didn't understand on the oven. The girl dusted herself off and made her way to the living room couch with the male right behind her.

As the two scrolled mindlessly on their phones, the boy noticed the female beginning to drift off into sleep. He grabbed a pillow from beside him and placed it on his lap. Gently placing a hand the girl, he allowed her to lay with her head resting on his lap.

He observed from the corner of his eye as he watched her eyes gradually close and her breath became slow and soft. She really was pretty. No wonder she's a beauty influencer, he thought to himself.

The male shut his phone off and allowed himself to just look at her. She looked so peaceful and he could feel her heart beating due to their closeness.

Suddenly, her eyes opened. The two looked at each other in silence for a moment before she spoke.

"Jay?" she said softly, her eyes still tired. The male hummed in response.

"I like you." The boy felt his heart do a little flip in his chest hearing her finally say those words. He couldn't help but smile a little as he responded.

"I figured." There was another short silence before the girl spoke again.

"Jay?" she repeated. This time she propped herself up on her elbows, waiting for his response.

"Yeah?" the male breathed, his eyes still fixated on her face. The girl took a deep breath before responding.

"Do you like me, too?"

The girl could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she both anticipated and feared the male's response. She could feel his eyes looking into hers, then she saw as their focus slowly shifted to her lips.

The male suddenly shifted his body, positioning himself almost on top of her. He could see her so clearly and he felt his heart beating faster as he licked his lips. He leaned into her, pressing his lips to her forehead. He heard her breath retract sharply as they made contact with each other.

He pulled away after a few seconds and looked her in the eyes once more. "Does that answer your question?"

The girl didn't answer. She was too focused on what had just happened and on the male's soft, pink lips. Before she knew what she was doing, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in for a real kiss.

As their lips made contact, she felt the boy's hands caressing her head and she could feel the warmth of his body on hers. They were so close they could feel each others' heart beats. Both were quick and loud as they pulled apart.

The girl could feel the male's jagged breath on her as he pushed himself up and off the couch. "I think it'll be ready soon," he muttered, clearly a bit flustered. Hyejin wondered how it was possible for anybody to be so hot and cute at the same time.

"Wait, it's only been like 15 minutes," the girl giggled as she stood up to chase after the male.