Sweet Bites

Chapter 05: Sleepover

…

"Done," Seoyeon murmured, placing a small plaster on Johan's lip. The sound of the heavy rain outside filled the apartment, obscuring whether he'd heard her or not.

She rose from the couch, heading to the kitchen, returning with an ice pack. "For your face," she said, gesturing to the red handprint. She sat back down, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Silence settled between them. Johan looked down at his phone, scrolling through messages from his friends, asking his whereabouts. He replied before checking the weather app.

"s**t," he muttered, causing Seoyeon to look up sharply.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his puzzled expression and the hesitation in his eyes. "Tell me," she insisted.

He held up his phone, displaying the weather forecast: Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms from 4:20 PM to 7:00 AM. The advisory urged people to stay home.

Seoyeon's POV

What? Seriously? Looks like luck isn't on my side today. Ugh.

"Well, I guess you have no choice but to stay here for the night," she said, massaging her temples to ease a sudden headache.

"It's okay if you don't want me to stay," he mumbled, looking down, rubbing the back of his neck. He seemed shy. Wait, am I seeing things?

"And what will you do? Get soaked on your way home? I'm not heartless. I may hate you, but I don't want you to get sick," she said. Surprise flickered across his face, followed by that amused smile, those dimples…

Damn those dimples.

If he weren't a pervert, I think I might have a crush… Wait, no! Why am I even thinking that? It's a big NO!

"You hate me, but you still care," he said softly, giving her that soft gaze. She stood abruptly, turning to leave.

Why did I say that? I need to get out of here before things get awkward—

"Seoyeon."

She gasped, looking down at his hand on her wrist, then up at him.

"W-what?" Why was she stuttering?

He opened his mouth, hesitant.

"Um…" he began.

What's he going to say?

"I just… I just wanted to say thank you for letting me stay," he mumbled, releasing her wrist. She nodded slowly. She didn't know what to say.

Two hours later…

After a surprisingly pleasant dinner—no awkward tension at all—and a change into her pajamas, Seoyeon headed to the living room with pillows and a blanket. They’d talked about random things, nothing too personal. She learned he loved art and reading. I'm surprised we have so much in common.

"Hey," she said, approaching him on the couch, already changed into one of her father’s shirts. He looked up, offering a small smile. "You can sleep in the other room. It's fine," she offered, gesturing to her parents' room. He shook his head.

"No, I'm fine here. Thanks," he said, settling the pillows. "I don't want to sleep with a spider," he mumbled, but she heard.

Shoot, I forgot about that spider!

"Um, Seoyeon?" he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"About our IED activity. The deadline is tomorrow," he reminded her. She nodded, heading to her room for her bag, then back to the living room with another blanket.

"Thanks for reminding me," she said, sitting on the floor, pulling out her textbook. He sat beside her, opening his bag.

"What's the topic again? Sorry, I forgot," she said, nervously laughing, looking down at her book. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as the night grew colder. She hadn't been able to focus on Mrs. Hyun's lesson because of him.

"It's about 'Proper Condom Use and Birth Control'," he stated confidently, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She almost choked.

What?! Okay, this is awkward. Just be open-minded, Seoyeon.

"Okay, then," she said, flipping through her book until she found a relevant section on page 69.

Even the page number sounds gross.

"Find something?" he asked. She showed him the page, and he leaned closer, then turned to his notebook, jotting down notes.

"Any ideas?" he asked, looking at her innocently.

"I'm not sure. You're the pervert, so I guess you know everything," she muttered, but he heard.

"Yah! I'm not a pervert," he protested, eyes wide. She playfully rolled her eyes. He was clearly in denial.

"Tsk. Not a pervert? Then why did you kiss me?" she asked, crossing her arms, waiting for his answer. He was taken aback, his expression softening.

I deserve to know why.

"I thought we were okay now?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No, we're not. You said sorry, but I didn't accept it. Remember?" she reminded him. "If you want me to forgive you, tell me why you did it."

He sighed. "It was a bet," he mumbled, looking directly into her eyes. The words stung. Who wouldn't feel hurt?

"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes full of sincerity.

She considered. Should she forgive him?

"Okay," she said.

"I know it's hard to—what?" He was unsure if he'd heard correctly. She almost laughed at his reaction.

He's kind of cute.

"Apology accepted. I forgive you," she said, smiling as his face lit up.

"Wah, really? Thank you," he said, pulling her into a hug, her head thudding against his chest.

My nose! He's going to break my nose! She tapped his shoulder repeatedly until he pulled back slightly, noticing her flushed face.

"Seoyeon, are you okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"After you smashed my head into your chest, you ask if I'm okay?" She playfully smacked his chest, earning a chuckle. "And don't hug me, pervert," she added, pulling away. His face turned serious, his arms tightening around her waist.

"I'm not the type you can just tease," he muttered, his voice husky, leaning close to her ear. "I'm trying to be nice." His hand moved lower, resting on her hip. A shiver ran down her spine. His eyes locked with hers. "It's just us here. Don't wake the beast."

Why do I feel that electric shock? She mentally slapped herself, summoning her courage.

"I swear, Johan, if you don't let me go—" he cut her off.

"Or else what?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow.

She smirked, moving her hand lower, to his belt. His eyes widened, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. He was clearly battling something internally.

"Or else," she said, gritting her teeth, "I'm going to rip off your balls without mercy." His eyes widened in fear, his hands flying to his groin as he recoiled.

She maintained her serious expression. This pervert needed to learn not to mess with her.

They returned to their discussion, Seoyeon impressed by his intelligence and open-mindedness. She was drowsy but forced herself to stay awake, leaning back against the couch, the textbook resting on her lap. He looked down at his book, explaining something, when she felt her eyelids growing heavy. She fell asleep.