✓ SOUR SWEETHEARTS | JAKE

20 - Broken Pinky Promises

"Damn..." When Y/N pulled away, Jake ran his fingers through his hair and let out a soft chuckle, his eyes still locked onto hers. "We kissed twice in the last twenty-four hours. I guess we're both losing our dare tonight."

"You know what losing the dare means." She muttered and his eyes softened before he leaned again and pressed a kiss to her lips. 

"Yeah, I know. I fell first." Y/N's heart skipped a beat at his words, and she smiled against his lips. "I'm not as tough as I pretend to be, right? You make it hard to keep up the act."

"Really? Did the fall soften you up that much?" She looked down, her fingers tracing a playful pattern on Jake's chest when his hand slipped to hold hers.

"Maybe it did, or maybe it's just you." There was a moment of silence while they stared into each other's eyes, and in that moment, all the arguments, misunderstandings, and doubts seemed to melt away. "You still didn't give me your number. You know, for the sunset pictures."

"Yeah. I'll give you my number, but promise me you won't use it just for sunset pictures." She showed him her pinky and he laughed, clearly amused by the gesture. 

"Do you believe in pinky promises?" 

"People who break pinky promises can also break hearts, you know," She playfully hit his arm and he smiled. "I believe in this one so don't you dare break it."

"I promise," He said, hooking his pinky with hers. "No matter what happens, I wouldn't want to break either of those." Yet just as they were lost in the warmth of their promises, all of a sudden, the door swung open and someone stormed in, making Y/N's heart drop as she quickly pulled away from Jake, startled. They both turned their heads to see who had barged in and to their surprise, it was Heran, wearing a furious expression on her face.

Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her—the two of them lying on Jake's bed, their hands intertwined, and their disheveled appearance. She was clearly not prepared for this sight. "What the hell is going on here?" Her voice made Y/N swallow a lump and raise her eyebrow. 

"You should learn how to knock before you barge into someone's room." She was very fed up with the bitch behavior Heran had going on. "Actually, is this any of your business? What Jake and I do is our business, not yours."

Jake winced, trying to sit up again and failing due to his injured ankle. "Heran, I think you should leave. It's not the right time for this fucking conversation-"

"Jake!" She raised her voice, her face turning red with anger. "After everything we've been through, you'd choose her? A girl you barely know, who's been nothing but a pain in the ass? She knows nothing about you! Do you think if she knows you well enough she'd stay? I'm the only one who has seen your scars and still-"

"Heran." Jake's voice cut through her words and she finally fell silent, her chest heaving with anger and frustration. "You just crossed a line you should have never crossed. Y/N is not the one who's been a pain in the ass here. We've been through a lot, yes, but that doesn't give you the right to tell me who I can or can't be close to."

"Oh really?" Y/N watched as Heran laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "Do you think she can love you? You're delusional, Jake. I'm the only one who knows the real you, the one with the painful past and the scars your father-"

"Heran!" Y/N stood up but Heran's voice only grew more desperate. 

"You stay out of this! You're the reason he's doubting everything. You're the reason he's pushing me away! Do you know anything about him? Do you know that his father, his own flesh and blood, used to wipe him when he was just a kid? That he has nightmares about it even now? You don't know anything about him!" 

Jake's face paled at her words and Y/N stood there, not able to move or say anything. She watched as Heran approached her, her hand raised up to slap her and she watched as Seojin ran inside the room, holding her hand before she could strike Y/N. She felt like she was outside her body, watching everything unfold in slow motion as if she were in a dream. 

"Seojin," She whispered when he held her hand and pulled her behind him. His grip on her hand was tight and she knew he was angry. But all she could focus on was the look on Jake's face while he sat there, Heran's words cutting deep into his soul.

"Both of you, stay away from my sister. Jake, if you come near Y/N again, I'll fucking break your other ankle and make sure you never walk straight again." Y/N winced at his words and her eyes widened as she tried to stop him. "And you, Heran or fucking not, you need to know that if Y/N doesn't punch you out of her life, I'll make sure to do it myself." With that, he pulled Y/N with him and the two stepped out of the place, the cold breeze whipping against their faces as they left the room, leaving behind a shattered scene.

"What just happened..." She pulled away her hand from Seojin's and stared at him in disbelief. "Why did you do that? You didn't have to say that to him."

Seojin's jaw clenched, and he sighed heavily. "I couldn't just stand there and let Heran hurt you, Y/N. She was out of control. Jake needs to get his shit together and the two of them needed a reality check."

"For fuck's sake, Seojin, why did you have to be so harsh?" Y/N's eyes welled up with tears, anger, and confusion coursing through her. "I get that Heran was being unreasonable, but this is only going to make things worse."

"Well, I'm sorry for ruining things, Y/N. But this is what big brothers do. They're protective and they mess up sometimes," Seojin sighed again, softer this time, and his expression softened as he reached out to gently wipe away a tear that had escaped Y/N's eye. "Maybe I went too far, but he's not going to be around you. The two of you shouldn't be involved right now. It's just too complicated. I will book a flight for the three of us tomorrow. Areum will go back to Seoul and we're going back home."

"No-"

"We will!" He raised his voice, making her flinch and take a step back. "It's final, Y/N. Mom and Dad want you back home." With that, he tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders, trying to offer her some comfort but she pushed him away and walked away towards her room while he stood there, watching her retreating figure with a heavy heart. 

He knew he had overstepped, and the pain in Y/N's eyes had made that abundantly clear. But he was also trying to keep her away from the truth that would shatter her. He kept that truth to himself, wondering why the world was too cruel to bring the two of them together after years of being apart when they weren't supposed to ever cross paths.

The fire that took Y/N's parents' lives wasn't an accident, it was caused by Jake's father. And if Y/N kept being with Jake, the awful secret was going to come to light, tearing their lives apart in ways they couldn't even begin to imagine.