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Legend says if you hit that star in the lower left corner, a leprechaun will grant you $13800586064710 πŸ€—πŸ’΅πŸŒˆ

I continue to bawl in the changing room, my forehead nested in my palms and fingers parting my roots. I hear the door open behind me,

"What happened? Gretchen just went home cryiβ€”" Winters voice stops abruptly when I reveal my tear streaked face.

Her expressions soften before shuts the door and sits down beside me. She wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into her chest and smoothing my back. At first her muscles are tense, like she's not used to doing this, but in time she relax and her embrace becomes comforting.

"She hates me..." I cough up, "I knew she'd hate me..."

"She doesn't. Give her some time to cool off."

I get startled when my phone vibrates in my back pocket. Swallowing a ball of air and holding my breath, I pull away to fish it out.

My vision is so blurred by tears that I can barely make out the caller ID. Rubbing an arm across my eyes pretty much replicates a windshield wiper caught in a blizzard, but I manage to clear my vision enough to make out the name.

"It's Tye." I look up at Winter. She nudges her head, signaling me to answer. I clear my throat and sniff,

"Hey. What's up?" I disguise the nasally-ness in my voice.

"Hey babe. Just calling to check up on you. How you' feeling?"

"Huh? I'm fine w-w-why would you ask that?"

"Well the last time I saw you was the dinner, and you weren't in the best of spirits then. I hope you're not still down about Trishaβ€”"

"It's not thatβ€” I-I mean it's not anything. I'm okay. I have work now, gotta go."

"Yeah me too. I'll call you back later then, love you."

My face remains blank, phone becoming frozen to my ear as I clutch my grip and gulp.

"I... That's sweet, speak to you later." I instantly hang up. As soon as I do, more tears escape my eyes. Winter lowers her head to meet my eyes with a confused look.

"Look at me... I can't even say I love you to my own boyfriend!"

"Lilo... Are you even still in love with Tye?"

Those words trigger a switch in me to release more tears. I shake my head with tight lips,

"No."

*:ο½₯゚✧*:ο½₯゚✧ ☁️
β€”TYE'S POVβ€”

I look down at the ended call with furrowed eyebrows. That was strange... She didn't say it back?

I had held off saying those words for so long, because I wasn't sure when she'd feel comfortable hearing them after discovering my past with Trisha. I wanted to wait until I could say it with no bad history attached. I thought now was that time.

Maybe she's still not ready... I'll discuss this with her when I call back later.

I tuck the phone into my coat pocket and continue down the sidewalk until I get tapped on the shoulder from behind. I immediately unplug my earbuds and turn around to see a girl with her hands behind her back.

She has dark hair and a slim figure, her smile stays nice and wide. She's quite attractive.

"Hi. You're Tye right?"

I look around the empty street in confusion for a moment, "Yeah... You are?"

"A friend of Lilo's. Mulan." She holds out her hand, to which I shake. "So, you're really Lilo's boyfriend?"

"Uh huh..."

As soon as I answer she looks at me with a pitiful look and pouts like I've just told her my dog died. The expression suddenly makes me feel unsure about my response, "Why...?"

"You poor thingβ€” I mean, nothing just... I'm sure she'll tell you eventually. Sorry forget I said anything." She walks past me with her head low. I crease my eyebrows, suspicion filling my squinted eyes before I catch her wrist.

"Wait. What do you mean? What will she tell me?"

She spins on her heel, as if expecting my response. "I shouldn't... You seem like such a nice guy, I don't want to possibly ruin anything between you... But there has been something she's been keeping from you."

"What? What is it? What has she been keeping?" I grow impatient.

"Well... I don't want to get myself involved, but if you must know... It's better I show you rather than tell."

She pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through her camera roll. I tilt my head as I watch, genuinely clueless for what I'm about to see.

Finally, she presents me with her phone and hits play.

It looks like two people in a room. The qualities pretty low due to the dim lightingβ€”

"Is it because I'm your boss?" *smooch*

"Is it because of Mulan?" *smooch*
"Hmm?" *smooch*

"For once, forget about everyone else Li..."

"Tae..."

My forehead creases as soon as I hear the female voice. Immediately, I snatch the phone and watch the screen more closely.

"You still want me to stop?"

".......No."

My eyes crash open. That voice too... Those silhouettes... I recognize them. What I see next makes my heart drop and intestines tangle with nausea.

He kisses her deeply. I watch the way she wraps her arms around him and combs his hair... Her legs crossing over at his spine... And the way he whispers into the ear of my girlfriend... MY GIRLFRIEND.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS?!" I shout furiously, not baring to watch another second and slamming the phone back into her hand. It takes me every cell of resistance not to crush the device into the pavement.

"I knew you would be upset. I told Lilo she was making a big mistake, I tried to stop her but she's just impossible to reason with. She only cares about the money, and agreed to seeing her boss for a promotion. She even threatened to keep my mouth shut or else."

I feel my heart whither away piece by piece, decaying into a void of emptiness. None of this sounds like Lilo... But I guess I had her all wrong. I can't believe how little I knew of my own girlfriend... I thought she would be the girl I brought to college, moved out with, started a life with... But I was being played the whole time.

That conniving bitch.

"You're not alone." Mulan rubs my arm in a friendly manner, "Taehyung cheated on me too. Neither one of them can be trusted, it's best that you know that. I probably won't be in Lilo's good books anymore, but I'd rather go solo than be friends with someone as manipulative as her. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

Every word she speaks makes my fists ball and shake with fury until they turn cold with rushing blood. I've never been so livid, I swear I could just punch someone. And I AM going to punch someone.

"No... no, thank you. I'm glad I know now."

"If you maybe want to talk over coffee sometime, I'd be more than glad." She smiles.

I soften at the girl and nod,
"Sure, that would be nice."

*:ο½₯゚✧*:ο½₯゚✧ ☁️
β€”TAEHYUNG'S POVβ€”

The lights in the diner are all off, indicating that the girls have gone home. I make my way downstairs before entering the kitchen when I hear a pair of feet.

My eyebrow arches as I tilt for a better insight of the dark room, that is until Gretchen emerges with a nervous smile and a green frosted cupcake in her hands. She doesn't wear heavy makeup or skimpy clothes like the last time I saw her. This time she looks like her regular self.

"I Uh...," she tucks a loose strand of hair away, "I apologize for skipping work today without warning. I was hoping we could talkβ€” b-but if it's too late then that's okay. I made you this cupcake..."

I look at the gift with an idle expression, making her instantly blush and retract her hands.

"S-s-sorry, I just thought because you're a baker you'd likeβ€”"

"I love cupcakes." I shake my head and take the treat from her grasp, making her freeze up. "So what's this about?" My back leans on the counter to slant my body. It doesn't take me long to stuff half of the cupcake in one bite.

Her fingers weave together nervously before she takes a deep breath.

"...I have something to confess. I've held it in for a long time now, and whether you reject me or not is totally fine, I will not be angry or upset. I will not conceal my features, dress in outrageous clothes or change my name to garner more attention. I just feel it is something I need to get off my chest in order to move on... and that is I'm in love. W-with you, Kim Taehyung."

I already knew it was building up to this moment, but I didn't expect her response to sound so certain. My eyebrows raise in slight surprise.

"I-I know it is unprofessional as an employee to her boss, but I can't help thatβ€”"

"Gretchen it's fine."

She snaps up to me in shock. "Don't apologize for the way you feel, you finally know you're worth and I'm impressed that you told me like this. I'm sorry that I can't feel the same way back, but you should be proud of yourself."

She looks down again, licks her lips and nods before looking up with slight water in her eyes and a smile. "That's fine. Thank you for listening to me anyway."

"You'll find a guy who suits you way better than me, then you'll be thankful this happened."

"...You're right. Now that I have closure, I'll wait for him." She stands up straight with a smile and bows before waving. "See you at work."

I raise my hand when she leaves the cafe, sweeping it through my brunette locks with a sigh.

Before I can make my way upstairs, the door knocks. I turn around and enter the dark diner, grabbing the handle and pulling it. Gretchen must have left something behind.

I open the door, but before I can even make out the person clearly I feel a hard-knuckled pain in my face.

My body collapses onto one knee with my form bent over the floor, a cold numbness taking over my nose. That's when I look up to meet Tye's fiery gaze and clenched fists.

"Forget about everyone else HUH?! IS THAT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN PUTTING INTO HER HEAD?!"

Hisses escape my teeth as I stand back up and block my nose. "Aghh... What are you even going on about?"

"You and Lilo! You think I wouldn't find out about you two?! You think you wouldn't see the video of your little affair?!"

"What video! And why do you even care it's not like you're with her anymore." I continue to sweep the blood leaking down my left nostril.

"Are you screwing with me right now?? Stop acting innocent!! I warned you bastard! How dare you even THINK about touching my girlfriend when she doesn't belong to you!!"

"Wait wait..." I furrow my eyebrows, "Your girlfriend? ...As in you two are still dating?"

"NOT ANYMORE! The two of you can go rot in hell together for all I care because I'm DONE! I mean hooking up with your employees?! A MAN WITH AS LITTLE MORALS AS YOU DESERVES A SLUT LIKE LILOβ€”!"

It doesn't take me long after those words to give him a punch harder than the one he gave. His body instantly falls to the ground.

"You're a dirty hypocrite. You've cheated before too, so what's the difference? Your problem is that you don't know how to accept karma, and if Lilo knew about you, she'd want nothing to do with you either. The fact that you came straight to me instead of settling this with her just shows how guilty of a boy you really are. The next time you speak about Lilo that way will be your last."

And with that, I slam the door.

I try to push back the unwanted information sinking into my mind, but the weight of it all is too heavy to restrain.

I had fallen for Lilo. I even admitted it to her. Something I've never done for a girl...

Yet this whole time she was still seeing someone else. Telling him the same things she told me. Like how she loved me. Yet she couldn't even love me enough to be with me only. She had to keep him around.

Mulan was right. Why did I ever open up to her..... She only wanted me out of sympathy. I knew it. God how could I have been so stupid?

A weird sensation takes over my heart... One that I'm not familiar with. It's weak and numb at first, but overtime blazes into a ball of fiery loathe.

I wipe underneath my nose one more time and watch the bright red blood smear across my finger. I don't know why... But the sight makes me smirk tremendously.

That bitch isn't going to like the next Tae she sees.


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