Three days.

It's been three days since you saw Jaemin and Nayoung together. What's supposed to be a harmless interaction became a big deal when a picture of them chilling at Starbuxks was posted by one of the seniors in NeoU.

The campus was buzzing with rumors about the two. Some were convinced they were dating, some were still in denial.

It's been three days since you and Jaemin talked.

It's mostly because you were avoiding him. You didn't know why either but every time he would approach you, you would find an alibi not to talk to him.

If I lose him again, so be it. It's not my loss. I have many good friends, you would tell yourself every time you feel guilty for dodging him.

This behavior, of course, didn't miss Jaemin's radar.

"What's with that girl," Jaemin muttered under his breath but Jeno's sharp ears still heard it.

"Which girl are you talking about?" Jeno asked. Jaemin glared at him before stabbing a slice of steak and putting it in his mouth. Tonight, Jeno cooked them dinner as per Jaemin's request.

"What do you mean which girl? As if I hang out with a lot," Jaemin said.

"The student body says otherwise," Jeno teased. "What's the deal with you and Nayoung?"

Jaemin's forehead creased at the mention of Nayoung's name. "Nayoung? Who's Nayoung?"

Jeno sighed at his hopelessly forgetful friend before explaining patiently. "The girl you had been hanging out with for the past few days. I'm surprised you two got along. It hasn't been long since she wanted to slit your throat."

"Nayoung? Is that her name? I thought it was Nayeon, or was it Sooyoung? I can't really remember," Jaemin said as he scratched his head trying to remember her name. "We don't really hangout. It's just that my professor in one class asked me a favor to help her with something."

"Oh, okay. I thought you two are hanging out. What about the photo at Starbuxks?" Jeno pressed.

"She wanted to thank me for helping her but I declined, I told her that I didn't voluntarily do it but she insisted. She wouldn't leave me alone so I granted her offer for the sake that she won't bother me again," Jaemin answered. "I wonder why everything we do is a big deal. They always assume things about us."

"Well, that's because we're good-looking and famous," Jeno said and Jaemin didn't contradict because where's the lie? "So if it's not Nayoung, then surely you're talking about (Name)."

Jaemin's ears perked at the mention of your name. He tried to hide the giddiness he felt but he couldn't hide even a single hair strand from his best friend of nine years.

"Tell me what's going on," Jeno said.

"I think she's avoiding me."

"What makes you think so?"

Jaemin, being comfortably weird around Jeno, left his seat and reenacted the scenario that happened earlier.

You were walking down the hallway going to your next class when Jaemin spotted you. He was sitting on a bench, nursing an iced coffee since it was his vacant time. He hadn't talked to you for awhile and even though he might not admit it, he missed you.

That's why when he saw you, he immediately got up from his seat and walked towards you.

Oblivious of his approaching presence, your soul almost left your body when a toned arm casually dropped around your shoulders. You pushed Jaemin away and it was too late because he dropped his coffee on the pavement.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" you apologized right away. Normally, Jaemin would have been pissed because his precious caffeine was wasted but he didn't feel any of that towards you.

"No, it's okay. It's my fault, I startled you," he reassured you before smiling. He was happy just by seeing you up close. However, that was not the case for you.

The memory of him and Nayoung filled your memory and you pushed away the thrill and excitement at the sight of him.

"I'll just buy you another one next time," you said and started walking away. Jaemin didn't take the hint and walked after you.

"Really? When?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'm still busy with my classes. I'll just give it to you when I already bought one."

"No, I wanted to come with you," he replied, flashing you a brilliant smile that almost shook your resolve.

You felt bad avoiding him when he followed you like a puppy. It hurts your heart to look away from his face every time he flashed a smile or look cheerful.

You walked faster but Jaemin effortlessly matched your pace with his long legs.

"I don't think I can give you a date for that. My schedule is full," you lied.

"Don't worry, I can wait."

Wait, huh? You thought bitterly. If there's someone who was good at waiting here, it's me, not you.

"Whatever you say, I still have my classes so I need to go. I'm going to be late"

"We're already walking plus you're almost sprinting right now, you won't get late. Besides, it's my vacant time so I can walk you to your class."

"No, thank you. Nobody will try to kill me on my way to class so it's fine."

"Well, who knows? You might get lost on your way," he teased but you didn't find it amusing. Instead, you walked even faster and never looked back, leaving him behind.

His pace slowed when he finally took the hint that you didn't want him around. He scratched the back of his head before attractively running his hand on his hair, strands of straight black hair falling on his forehead.

"What's wrong with her?"

Jeno nodded after Jaemin finished his story. He was pondering deeply about your strange behavior, but what he noticed was how his best friend was so bothered with the sudden changes. Normally, he wouldn't give two fucks about a person but right now, he was having a mental breakdown with a long ass litany.

"What did I do wrong? I don't remember even doing anything that would upset her!" Jaemin asked himself loudly and it's as if he was going to be crazy.

"You actually don't remember anything. Your brain only has 1GB capacity," Jeno dissed him and he glared at his samoyed-looking best friend.

"You're wrong," he retorted.

I remember her, everything about her, he almost said but stopped himself.

"Like seriously, what did I do wrong?"

"Maybe she's dating someone so she's avoiding any interaction with other men," Jeno guessed blindly. It was supposed to be a stupid joke but he was stunned to see Jaemin glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill, he would've been buried already.

"She's dating someone?" Jaemin asked through gritted teeth. He tried to suppress the rising anger in his chest but there was something about Jeno's knowing smile that barely kept his temper at bay.

Jeno on the other hand, was loving the reaction he was getting from Jaemin. It was surprising how you could affect someone as stone cold as him so better make the most of it.

Before, Jaemin would kill him, at least.

"I mean, she doesn't really hang out with any of us lately, right? Even with Haechan. I heard she's really close to Sungchan now. It's obvious that Sungchan likes her so he probably made a move already without us knowing. There are also rumors that she and Doyoung are going out because aside from me, she's the only junior that Doyoung is the closest to."

"That's impossible," Jaemin said, more likely to convince himself.

"What's impossible with that. (Name) is amazing that's why she has a lot of admirers. If it's not Sungchan or Doyoung, it's probably from the other departments."

"No!" Jaemin stood from his seat and slammed his hands on the table. "That can't be true!"

"Why not?" Jeno asked

"Because she will tell me if she ever likes somebody!" Jaemin was seeing red now and it would only take a few nudge before he lashed out.

"Why are you so agitated? What is she to you anyway?" Jeno challenged.

"She's my--" friend. Jaemin couldn't say the word. He didn't know what's stopping him from saying it, but it didn't feel right.

"She's what?"

Jaemin took a deep breath and exhaled all of his frustrations but it did little to calm him down. "I don't want her to be with just anyone who will not treat her right."

"How will you know they won't treat her right?"

"Why do you have so many questions?" Jaemin asked angrily.

"Why are you getting angry?" Jeno asked. "Do you like her?"

The question left Jaemin dumbfounded. He opened his mouth but no words were said. His eyes were glued on his best friend and yet his thoughts were in shambles. He couldn't speak, let alone form a comprehensive thought. Something inside of him was obviously bothered but he couldn't make it go away.

"You looked like a bobbing fish," Jeno commented when Jaemin didn't say anything after opening his mouth a few times.

"I... what... who am I..."

Jeno shook his head while hiding a laugh at his best friend. The question drove Jaemin insane.

"It's okay if you don't have any answer for that question for now. But seeing your reaction, I think the question has already been answered. Just take your time to grasp it."

Jeno stood up and cleaned up the table and put the plates and glasses on the sink while Jaemin was just standing there staring into space. He was malfunctioning yet again.

"But don't take too long. Someone might be fast enough to snatch her away."

No way, he told himself.

He might not have realized the possibility for now, but he won't make it happen.

On the other side of the city, you were sulking in your shared bedroom while Giselle was trying to comfort you.

"I told him I would buy him an iced Americano then the next day, he was hanging out with Nayoung at Starbuxks," you said bitterly. You still couldn't get over about what you saw at the offical school page.

"Come on, (Name). Do you really believe what the post said? I don't think they're dating," Giselle admitted. "I don't think Jaemin likes Nayoung enough."

"But they have been hanging out a lot recently," you sulked and buried your face on the pillow.

You weren't always this sensitive and you hated the fact that Jaemin and whatever he was doing could affect you so much. You felt almost like a loser, not being able to suppress the frustration and bubbling anger within you.

"Still, I don't think they're dating. If they are, Jaemin would let you know, right?"

That's another thing you had been worried about. "I don't think he will," you said.

"Why not?"

"I..." you trailed off. "I'm avoiding Jaemin."

Giselle gave you both an incredulous and a 'what dumb shit are you saying?' look. "You're avoiding Na Jaemin? What happened?"

"I don't know! I just... I just don't want to interact with him for now," you whined and buried your face on the pillow once again only to come back up again because you couldn't breathe.

You had been doing a lot of dumb shit lately and Giselle wasn't having any of it.

"Why the hell would you avoid Jaemin when you two just got back together? I mean as friends, of course but you know what I mean."

"He doesn't need me to be his friend anyways. He has Jeno now. They've been friends for nine years and he literally forgot about me. And now he has Nayoung. They have been hanging out with each other a lot. I'm sure she knows a lot of things about him now more than I do. Plus, whenever he's with Nayoung he's always calm and relaxed and I don't think I have ever seen him that way with me. I don't want to force him to be my friend again. I have you now, and the three girls, and Haechan. I should leave Jaemin in my past."

After your rant, you were breathless. You finally let out the things that had been keeping you up every night and it was both nice and frustrating.

"Are you jealous?"

Your eyes snapped at Giselle. "Why... just why would I be jealous of them?" You looked away before Giselle could see anything that might give you away. She playfully sat on your bed while twirling the ends of her long hair as if mocking you.

"Really? Then what about all the things you've said?"

"What about it?"

"Tell me, (Name). Are you jealous of them because they're getting closer or are you jealous because you like Jaemin?"

You looked at Giselle as if she had said the craziest thing you've ever heard. "What the hell are you talking about? Me? Liking Jaemin? That's the craziest idea to ever exist, Giselle. I couldn't find myself liking that person. I mean, it's insane, right?"

Giselle only shrugged her shoulders. "Insane, but not impossible."

You found yourself stuck in the library again because you had a lot of notes to read for the upcoming midterm exam. Time flew by so fast and it's already the exam season for the first semester. Few months ago, you had been nervous as to how your journey in the city and life as a college student would go and now here you were.

You had a circle of incredible friends, a dork dorm mate which you also considered your best friend, Sungchan who had his eyes on you, and Doyoung which happened to be your ideal type.

And of course, you had been reunited with your childhood best friend after nine years though his memories turned bleak.

As you were reminiscing the past while scanning the spine of each book, someone who had been trying to talk to you for days finally found you.

"(Name)," Jaemin called you in his deep, husky voice that you were so familiar with.

You turned around and met his gorgeous set of eyes boring into you, his black hair was slicked back, revealing his smooth forehead and the first two buttons of his polo shirt were unbuttoned. He was a beautiful sight to behold and you hated the fact that he could easily captivate you without trying.

"Jaemin," you greeted back and awkwardly pat his arm which was a wrong move because the moment you touched him, jolts of electricity shoot through your body and you pulled away.

"Can we talk?" he asked in a serious tone which made you nervous.

"Now?" you asked and your tone raised a bit high and you immediately shut your mouth. "I need to review for the upcoming exam!"

"Is that another excuse you're trying to make to avoid talking to me?" he asked and you could see in his eyes how serious the situation had become. And by the looks of it, he wasn't going to let you go anywhere.

His lean arms were propped on both sides of the shelves, trapping you in the corner where you were standing. You didn't notice that he was already so close to you and his perfume permeated the air, making you lightheaded.

"What do you want, Jaemin?" you asked, finally giving up. You knew better than to resist, which in the first place, you couldn't.

"I told you, we need to talk."

There was something hot about the way he said it, or he was just hot in general. Either way, you couldn't stop yourself from staring at his glossy lips.

"Okay. Let's talk, then."

"Why are you avoiding me?" he askes right away.

"Geez, that's straightforward," you muttered under your breath.

"There's no point of denying it when you can't even meet my eyes," he said. "Besides, I know when you're lying."

"How so?" you challenged.

Jaemin clenched his jaw, unaware that he was exposing himself again. "That's not the point. I needed to know why."

You had forgotten about me and now you're demanding for an explanation why I'm avoiding you, you snickered to yourself.

"Did you miss me?" you asked jokingly to diffuse the tension but it only sent you into shambles when he answered.

"Yes," he said without thinking twice or even blinking. For once, he wanted to be honest with himself. "I hate it when you're being like that. I'm trying my best to get your attention and you're doing your best to avoid me. I hate it but what else can I do?" He ruffled his hair in frustration and you were caught off guard on how vulnerable he looked right now. "I hate it but the choice is up to you. Do you still want me in your life? Do you still want me as your friend? Just say whatever you wanted me to do and I'll do it."

The last sentence was enough to sent you orbiting. It wasn't supposed to be romantic but your heart and mind wouldn't stop buzzing. Also the sincerity in his eyes, it was something you couldn't look away from, too afraid that you would miss it.

"I still want you to be my friend... it's just that, these days had been really difficult for me and I'm..." You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

Deep inside, Jaemin was in a state of panic. He realized how close he was to you and it was intoxicating him. His eyes went down to your slightly parted lips and he automatically licked his lower lip, feeling the sudden dryness. He looked away before you could even catch him.

"I won't force you to tell me the reason why, but let's hang out again. I kinda missed your crackhead energy."

"Why? Because I'm better than your coffee?"

"Don't cross the line. Know your place," he answered jokingly and you hit him in the arm with the book you're holding.

Everything was going smoothly between the two of you. You started talking to each other again and you two were almost inseparable. It was obvious that you missed each other without actually saying it.

What you didn't know was that it was the calm before the storm.

You were walking down the hallway with Jaemin beside you, talking casually about how your day went when Nayoung appeared in front of you out of nowhere.

"Hi!" she greeted with a bright smile before her eyes fell on Jaemin. "Hello, Jaemin."

Jaemin nodded at her in response and your temper began to rise for an unknown reason.

"Nayoung," you called her name and gave her a fake smile. Her eyes were glued on Jaemin while Jaemin was only looking at you. Nayoung saw that because her expression changed when she looked at you.

"I was wondering why Jaemin isn't hanging out with me anymore. I guess I know why," she said. Your temper flared and you could have punched her unprovoked.

"Is there a problem with that?" you asked. It took everything in you not to be rude and yet you failed.

"Nothing," Nayoung answered and gave you a sweet smile.

"We're not hanging out. I'm just helping her with something because my professor asked me to," Jaemim answered truthfully. You felt triumphant. The question you had been dying to know was finally answered. You smirked at Nayoung after hearing that.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Nayoung asked you before glancing at Jaemin. "Just us two."

Jaemin was suspicious about Nayoung's request. He was about to open his mouth and say something when you beat him to it.

"Okay," you answered then turned to Jaemin. "You can go ahead. You'll be late for your next class."

Jaemin knew better than to resist so he did what he was told. However, he couldn't push away the nagging feeling. He wasn't stupid not to notice that something was off.

He was afraid that it would affect your relationship with him.

Nayoung brought you to an open field and sat on the bench. It was the same bench where you fell asleep on Jaemin's shoulder. It disgusted you to think that the precious memory was now tainted because of her.

"What do you need to say to me?" you asked without hesitation. Every second you spend with Nayoung only increased your unexplainable hatred towards her, and you wanted the conversation to be over for both of your sakes.

"What's the rush? Do you miss Jaemin right away? He wouldn't like it if you're too clingy with him," Nayoung joked but you knew damn well that punching her wouldn't be a joke anymore.

"I am too busy to have any leisure conversation with anyone at the moment so please get straight to the point."

Nayoung sighed before clicking her tongue and looking at you dead straight into your eyes. You took note of the changes in her. She was no longer the sweet girl with a friendly smile. There was something cunning underneath those eyes, something dangerous.

"Don't you want to talk to your friend?" she asked.

"I don't talk to my friends when I'm busy," you answered.

Nayoung gave you a sarcastic smile. "Did you ever even consider me as you friend?"

"Were you even a real friend in the first place?"

Her right eye twitched. "There's no point on making a small talk with you. I'll get straight to the point then," she said. "I noticed that you're close with Na Jaemin even from the start. You see, he's the type who appears cold but he's actually the caring type. He exceeded my expectations and I noticed all of that during the time we spent together..."

Your eyebrows furrowed and anger rose as you saw how happy she was reliving those memories. "What do you want?" you asked.

Nayoung gave you a sickening sweet smile. "I want him, so please, give him to me. I want to get to know him more and I couldn't possibly do that when you're... tailing him around. So, can you stay away for awhile until he's mine?"

You barked out a hysterical laugh. It wasn't humorous, but the kind where your sanity was only hanging by a few loose threads, threatening to break. That's exactly what you were feeling right now. Nayoung looked at you as if you went crazy.

"What are laughing at?" she asked.

The laughter died down and all she could see right now was a dangerous expression. "Are you sick?"

"What?"

"'Are you fucked in the head?' is what I mean but you didn't understand when I'm trying say it in a nicer way," you answered. Nayoung didn't expect the hostility in your voice. "Is this the reason why you joined us? To be close to him? Is that why you tried to be rude to him? So you can catch his attention? So he will remember you?"

You laughed once again, clutching your chest with your hands. You had gone mad, that's for sure.

"Jaemin isn't an object or a property that you can claim whenever or however you wanted. He has feelings, and clearly, he doesn't feel anything towards you. I hate to break it to you honey, but, you should stop trying so hard. You're not the main character. You can't get someone you like by being rude to them," you said. "I won't let you have him. Ever."

Nayoung's face was unfathomable. She was looking at you with no expression and you couldn't tell what she was thinking.

You thought you won, but that was just the beginning.

The next day, a post on the official garnered so many attention from the student body.

It was a picture of you and Na Jaemin in your elementary yearbook picture.