sheâs grown used to this. itâs a refreshing half hour wedged in between insipid lectures and conversations held in passing, an exception to none but jieun in the middle of a bustling cafeteria.Â
a lesson in semantics: small talk is trite, but jaye isnât.
âhey, morning,â she smiles, quirked brow and wandering gaze picking up the obvious. âyou lookââ really fucking tired, she thinks; itâs a moot point, so she brushes past it, broadens her smile for the sake of remaining impassive to a rough morning. âiâm sorry, that sounds terrible.â thereâs laughter shaved to dust in between pursed lips, sympathetic pat against his hand before she pushes a cup of coffee across the table. "here. think you need it more than i do.â sheâs wrapping his fingers around the cardboard then, careful not to press too hard against the hot beverage, encouraging glint in her eye. âseriously. drink.â
arguing seems contradictory when she shakes her head and mirrors his smile, lazy and crooked. âyet,â she repeats, impending sigh held at the tip of her tongue. practiced fingers work through loose strands, gathering into a messy bun on top of her head. âiâve been working on it all morning, but i really wanna give up.â sheâs disgruntled, unmistakable in the frown that settles heavily across her lips when she leans forward with elbows on the table, chin in palms.Â
âshould i skip class?â she pauses, weighing her options, slow grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. âif i do, will you keep me company?â
thereâs something within her smile that gives him energy, an extra kick that does what caffeine canât. however he canât help but feel relieved when she offers him a cup of coffee. to her apology he tilts his head slightly, brows raised and eyes a tad bit wider to express his genuine confusion, âwhat are you apologizing for?â he asks, âi know i look dead, i was rushing myself this morning. honestly iâm just happy my hair looks decent.â
so he takes the drink without question, smiling in advance and nodding his head in her direction as a nonverbal âthank youâ before he brings the cup to his lips and tilts his head back. he takes a huge gulp before bringing the cup back down onto the table with a sigh of relief.Â
âhey, hey, donât say that.â while itâs evident that sheâs wanting to give up, at least for today, jayeâs not for it. his lips curl into a small frown, almost looking as if he were pouting more than anyone else before countering, ânope. iâm not gonna let you. iâll drag you to your class if you seriously consider skipping.â












