Heeseung was counting the seconds until class was over. He inched his hand closer to hers, as close as he could without being obvious. 

As soon as the bell rang, he grabbed onto her fingers. 

"Come with me," he whispered, trying to plead through his eyes. "Please?" 

Aera looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "Okay," she said softly, pulling her hand away and gathering her things. "But you're not going to make us late for practice, are you?" 

"I'll try my best not to," he promised, taking her bag and swinging it onto his shoulder, and then interlacing their fingers. 

This time, she didn't pull away, and he couldn't stop the giddy smile from rising to his face. 

I like you. I like you a lot. 

But he was scared to tell her that again. He was scared that she wouldn't believe him. 

And honestly, he didn't blame her. 

So now he was going to start showing her how much he cared. So that when he confessed again, there wouldn't be a doubt in her mind. 

"Where are we going?" she asked as they walked out of the school grounds. 

"Just wait," he said, bouncing up and down a little as they waited to cross the street. He couldn't wait for her to see what he'd prepared. 

"You seem very excited today," she commented softly, a small smile on her face. 

"I'm happy because I'm with you," he told her honestly. 

Aera looked down at the floor, her smile fading a little. "Do you really mean that?" she asked softly. 

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I'm really sorry. Can you forgive me please? Can we at least be friends again, for now?" 

"For now?" 

"Because I'm going to make you fall for me," he whispered, half teasing. "Then we won't be friends, we'll be lovers." 

"Gosh, you're terrible," she laughed, bumping her shoulder into his. 

"I'm happy to see you laughing again," Heeseung sighed, squeezing her hand. "You're the prettiest when you smile, or laugh." 

"Stop teasing," she complained, walking across the street and pulling him along. 

"I'm not teasing," he insisted, staring giddily at their hands. 

He'd made her smile again. And that made him happy. 

For now, that was enough. 

***

A/N

Eeeeeek, next chapter is my favorite😇 I can't wait to share it with you but... tmrrow😉 I'll publish it tmrrow💖

Also, isn't Heeseung with glasses just the cutest thing?🥺