✓ | cool for the summer, sim jaeyun

𝟎𝟒. ( why? )

THAT SAME NIGHT, Isabel Park woke up from her slumber in a pool of her own sweat. It was an uncomfortable feeling, really and she couldn't help but feel grossed out by it, and so she ripped the thin sheet from her body and stepped out of bed.

The house was silent, indicating that everyone was asleep, the only thing that could be heard was the floor boards creaking as Issy walked down the corridor and made her way downstairs.

She got herself a glass of cold water and quickly gulped it down, in a hurry to get changed and then get back into bed, though just as she placed her glass in the sink, her eyes caught sight of the front door slightly ajar.

Immediately, she furrowed her brows in confusion, and couldn't help but feel a slight sense of panic in her chest as she slowly approached the open door. Had someone broken in? Or had someone forgotten to close the door after coming back from the swim?

As Issy got closer to the door, her nose was soon filled with the smell on cigar smoke, quickly making her even more confused than she already was. So, without another thought, she opened the door entirely, and her eyes slightly enlarged at the sight before her.

It was Jake sat on the top step of the porch stairs. He was clad in a white, long sleeved t-shirt, though he had the sleeves rolled up to above his elbows, and he wore a pair of denim jeans. His hair was damp, and messily sitting on his forehead, though that (surprisingly) wasn't the cause for Isabel's widened eyes — no, it was the cigarette he held between his fingers as he looked out at the ocean in front of the house.

For a moment, Issy didn't know what to do. She didn't know whether to leave him be, or to strike a conversation (the latter being something the old Isabel would've done.)

"Why aren't you sleeping, Isabel?" His voice asked, instantly breaking the girl from her thoughts and causing her cheeks to heat up with embarrassment at the realization of her being caught.

Gulping, Issy took a step forward and hesitantly sat on the steps with him, though she left quite a large gap between them, bringing her legs to her chest as she turned her head to look at him. "Why are you smoking?"

A smirk formed on Jake's lips as he then brought the cigarette up to his mouth and blew out a string of smoke in the opposite direction to where Issy was.

"Why not?" He shrugged.

"It's bad for you, Jake." Isabel warned, disappointed at his actions. The old Jake wouldn't of done something like this, so why had his ways changed? "What about Football?" She questioned and the boy let out a long sigh, leaning back on his arm.

"I can still play, Isabel, don't you worry." He chuckled, and Issy rolled her eyes at him. She hated whenever somebody called her Isabel, however when the name left Jake's lips, she no longer seemed to care.

"Did you have fun at the beach?" She wondered, moving on from the previous topic. The Park girl watched as Jake bowed his head slightly, biting his lip before turning to look at her.

"Yeah," He shrugged again. "I guess. It would've been better if you were there." The boy huffed out, taking another drag.

Immediately, Isabel felt her heart explode and it felt as if a swarm of butterflies were flying around in her stomach, tickling her insides, and she felt her cheeks heat with fluster.

She hated when Jake would say things like this. He was always aware of the effect he had on her, and he liked to say things that would drive her into a frenzy which she hated. She knew he was playing around with her — the old her. Not now, she wouldn't let him get to her, and so, she took a deep breath and turned to look at him once again.

"Glad you had fun." She sighed, completely ignoring the statement before and about to stand up, though the boy stopped her as he spoke once again.

"You look pretty, by the way." He complimented, and Isabel's breathing hitched and she shut her eyes for a moment, the boys words doing things to her that she couldn't explain. There was no teasing tone to his voice. Had he really meant that?

Gathering herself, Issy nodded and stood up. "Whatever, Jake." She spoke just above a whisper, about to head inside.

"I mean it, Isabel." He looked behind him, looking up at the girl who had now halted her movements, her hand resting on the handle of the door. "You look beautiful."

The younger girl instantly quintet her eyes shut as she tried to compose herself. Why was he doing this? Why now?

"Goodnight, Jake." She ignored him again before entering the home and heading back upstairs, her body more sweatier than before.

✿

The next morning, Isabel and Jay's parents had gone out to go and say hello and catch up with the neighbors, whilst everyone else had decided to head down to the beach for the day.

Isabel was wearing a black bikini, with a pair of denim shorts covering her lower half. She had her towel in her hand and her book and headphones in the other as she walked through the sand beside Niah, behind everyone else who had hurried off, dumping their towels on the floor and rushing into the sea.

The two girls set up their space under one of the many community parasols, and once they were happy with it, they sat down; Issy opening up her book to the page she last left it on, whilst Niah watched the boys splashing around in the water.

"You're so lucky." Niah sighed, looking over at Isabel, who slowly detached her eyes from the words on her page and placed them on Niah. "You have two great brothers and Niki." She softly chuckled, and Isabel cocked a brow.

"Two brothers?" She questioned, confused, as she was more than sure that her parents only gave birth to her and Jay.

"Jake — you guys are like siblings, right?" Niah asked, looking up at Issy, whose lips were now slightly parted as she nodded her head slowly.

"Right." She bluntly answered, ignoring the pang of annoyance in her chest. There was no way she viewed Jake as a brother, and there was no way she ever would.

Silence took over, and quickly, the two girls got back to doing their own thing. Jake, Jay, Niki, and Sunghoon had now left the Sea and decided to join in with another group that were playing Football on the sand, and Issy couldn't help but watch them, thinking back to the times she'd watch Jay and Jake's Football games when they were in High School.

As time continued, the girl soon got bored of watching and directed her attention back on her book — however, that was a bad idea, as she was unbeknownst to the ball that was now flying her way, aiming for her face.

✿