Boyfriend and Girlfriend

Chapter 7

Moonbin doesn't say anything for a good five minutes. We sit there, staring at each other. I feel like crying again but I hold my tears back. After seven minutes pass, he finally opens his mouth. "Nari." He breathes.

"My real name is Hyun Mi. Not Nari." I say quietly. He hasn't let my hand go.

"What name would you prefer to go by?" I shrug my shoulders. "Whatever is easiest for you."

"Do you think you can tell me what happened? I promise I won't run away." I blink back tears and nod. Taking in a shaky breath, I close my eyes and let the words flow out of me like a waterfall.

After explaining the situation, tears fall down onto his hands. "It really was an accident. I just, I didn't want to go to jail." He nods his head slowly.

"I can understand that." He goes quiet before looking at me again. "When I asked you about your mental health, is that why you didn't want to talk about it?" I nod my head slowly.

"I have schizophrenia, just like my father. He died a while back when I was young. He said something really weird before he took his life. 'Finally, the voices will stop.' I didn't understand what he meant but when I turned 12, I finally understood where he was coming from."

"You developed it too?" I nod.

"The voices started a little after my 12th birthday and when I told my mom, she kinda shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal." I look at him. "The voices started to get worst as I got older and eventually after my sister died; I tried to take my life again for the second time." His eyes look sad. "So, my mother decided to send me away because she didn't know what else to do. She didn't want her new boyfriend to know that I was developing the same thing as my Father. So. Here I am." I say, chuckling.

"What did your mom do about your sister and her sister?" I shrug my shoulders.

"I kinda disassociated after the whole thing so I don't remember much after Mom found me covered in blood." I sigh. "I've been trying to keep all of this to myself. Since I've been taking my meds, I've been doing better." Tears brim at my eyelids. "I wanted a fresh start. I lost a lot of my friends because I stopped attending when I was 14." Moonbin squeezes my hand and I suck in a shaky breath.

"I'm not going to say that I understand because I don't. I do know; however, I care about you. I was really worried about you after Minjun started avoiding my questions whenever I asked about you. Then I called you and you didn't answer me. Even Nayeon said you've been acting weird. I had to make sure you were okay." He smiles a small smile. "I'm sure it's been hard for you. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what you told me. It stays between you and me." He lifts my chin up, staring into my eyes. "I promise." I nod my head quickly. He hasn't let my chin go and my heart is beating quickly.

He tilts his head to the side as he leans closer to me. My eyes widen. Is he about to kiss me? He's so close, I can smell his breath. Minty with a hint of kimchi. I close my eyes as he gently presses his lips on mine. He doesn't let go of my hand as we sit there kissing. When he pulls away, my face is red and hot. He smiles a small smile.

"Let's date." He says. I look at him. Is he crazy? I literally tell him my biggest secret and he wants to date me? He smiles. "Will you go out with me?" I look at the ground.

"Are you sure?" I ask. He chuckles.

"Yes." He squeezes my hand and I look down at them. "What do you say?" I chew on my bottom lip.

"Okay, don't blame me when I have an episode." He laughs and kisses me again.

"Worth it." I giggle and he pulls me into another hug. This time, I hug him back. He pulls back and glances at my backpack. "So, you need help? Studying?" I laugh.

"No. I think I'm going to head back to the dorms." I stand up and slip my pills back into my bag. "You wanna walk back with me?"

"C'mon. Let's hang out in the courtyard for a bit. It's only 5:30 now." He stands up and holds out his hand. I hesitate for a second. "Couples hold hands, you know." I smile, taking his hand in mine. His fingers interlock with mine. "Perfect. Shall we?" I nod my head as I sling my bag over my shoulder.

We don't say anything as he exit the library and head into the hallways. A few students stop to stare at us as we head down the stairs and towards the student lounge. I must look terrible and that's the reason everyone is staring at us. Just as we are about to step outside; Chan calls after us. "Whoa ho! Are you guys dating now?" Moonbin smiles.

"We sure are." He says, holding our hands up. I blush. Why do we have to announce it so soon? Minjun walks over to us. He glances at me and then at our hands. Is that disappointment I see?

"Congrats you two." He says, smiling at us.

"Nayeon is going to lose her mind when she finds out. Especially since she called it." Chan says, a smirk on his face. Nayeon. I should probably apologize to her.

"Where are you guys headed?" Minjun questioned.

"Just the courtyard. It's a beautiful day out." Moonbin says. Minjun glances at me.

"Are you alright?" He asks. Chan squints at me.

"Yeah, your face is puffy. Have you been crying?" He questions. Moonbin chuckles awkwardly.

"Alright, see you guys around dinner!" He calls as he pulls me outside. I squint my eyes to the sunlight. My eyes hurt. Moonbin sighs and pulls me over to a bench while I block the sun with my free hand.

"Thanks." I say. He slings his bag on the floor and pulls out his sunglasses.

"Here, that should help." He says, sliding them on my face. I blink my eyes a couple of times before looking at him. It definitely feels better. "How do you feel? Overall, I mean?" I shrug my shoulders.

"A little numb if I'm honest." I look at him. "A bit more grounded though since I have you." I say, smiling a small smile. He smiles.

"I'm glad." He digs around in his bag and pulls out the yellow notebook. "I don't want to forget this." He says, handing it to me. I take it out his hands and slip it in my bag. "Feel free to write whatever is on your mind. I'm here for you. No matter what." I nod my head and he reaches for my hand again, interlocking his fingers with mine. "You know something? Every since we went to get Korean food Saturday, I've been wanting to ask you out." I giggle.

"You wait until the day I tell you my biggest secret to ask me out? What are you? A weirdo? You like the crazy girls?"

"Only the pretty ones. I like them with puffy eyes the best." I laugh and he smiles. "All I ever wanna hear is your laugh and see your smile." I smile at him and he smiles back. "I don't have much to say, just wanted to hang out with you on a pretty day." I lean my head on his shoulder.

"I'm exhausted after all that crying. I think I could fall asleep here." I whisper.

"I'll wake you when it's late." I close my eyes and before I know it. I'm snoring gently.

When I wake up, I'm in bed. I sit up quickly and look around. How did I get here? I look at my nightstand and see Moonbin's sunglasses laying there. In my desk chair, is my bag. I look towards Nayeon's bed but she's not there. I wonder if she's avoiding me. I guess after someone snapped at me like I did, I wouldn't want anything to do with them either. I get out of bed and head towards the desk where I put my bag on the floor and take a seat on the chair. I pull out the yellow notebook and open to Moonbin's entry. I love his handwriting. It's so perfect.

Lily,

You know, when you know. You just know. I'm actually glad we have gotten close like we have. I think it's probably because we are both new students. Either way, I'm glad we met. Let's continue to make lovely memories together just like we did that day. I'm sorry if asking about your mental health was going too far. I was just curious. If there is anything I can do to make you feel better, please don't hesitate to let me know. I hope as long as you live in Korea, you'll learn more about your Korean culture. I don't mind helping you. You saying that about my status really means a lot to me. Whenever I'm feeling worried or anxious about things, I'll remember what you said, so thank you. When is your birthday? Mine is January 26th. So, I'm recently 16. How about you? I actually play video games as well. PC of course. Do you play console or PC? I'll remember your likes and dislikes. Winter is a fun weather of mine because my birthday is still winter. I'll make sure you grow to love it. OOF. NYC doesn't sound like a fun place to live. How do you feel about being in Korea? Do you like it? Is it better than NYC? If you're my cheerleader, I know I can do anything. So don't forget you said that. Saturday was fun, I hope I can make lots of memories with you Lily. Sleep well, and don't feel bad about texting me. I am always on standby to hear from you.

Moonbin

P.S. What would you say if I asked you to date me?

I smile as I stare at the last sentence. What would you say if I asked you to date me? I'd say yes, just like I did today Moonbin.

"I'm back." Nayeon calls as she flings the door open. I nearly jump out my skin as I slam the notebook shut. She smiles at me. "So, rumor has it that you're dating Moonbin. I asked Chan to confirm it." I chuckle awkwardly.

"Yeah, we are." I say quietly. She squeals, closing the door behind her and running over to me. She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tightly.

"That's such great news! I am so happy." She says. I sit there, embracing her hug. I'm uncomfortable but this is the least I can endure after being so cold to her. She lets me go. "So, that means you and him are going to the dance together, right?" I shrug my shoulders.

"I actually don't know. He said he wasn't going to go."

"Because he wanted to go with you. Duh. Don't you know anything about guys?" She heads to her bed and lies back. "I wish someone would ask me out." She says. I giggle and clear my throat.

"Hey Nayeon. I wanted to say sorry to you. I shouldn't have been so rude to you earlier today." She waves her hand in the air.

"Don't worry about it Nari. I was just worried about you but I have to remember that everyone needs some space." I smile a small smile.

"Thank you." I whisper. She sits up.

"We should get ready for bed. It's almost time for lights out." My stomach growls. I didn't even eat dinner. I also just woke up. I doubt I can go back to sleep.

"Sure, I have to write my journal entry though. So I'll finish and then go to bed." I say. I slip the yellow notebook in my bag and pull out the purple one. I'm actually curious to know what Felix wrote.

Hyun Mi,

I thought, why use your fake name when I already know your biggest secret? I wonder what other things you are hiding. I'm only going to share a little bit with you, so don't expect for us to become close or something. Cause I would rather boil in hot water than be friends with a murderer. -sigh- My name is Lee Felix. I am from Australia if you haven't noticed yet. My parents are Korean and I came here when I was seven. I'm 17 and my birthday is September 15th. I'm going to assume your father is Korean and your mom is American. ?? Did I nail it? At your little comment concerning Sara, I suggest you shut the hell up and drop it. You don't know her like I do, therefore you have no right to lecture me. Remember, I can ruin your life. >.> My hobbies include, listening to music, dancing, shopping, traveling, and beatboxing. I'm pretty good at beatboxing too. Too bad you'll never be able to hear it. Oh, I also wanted to throw out there, that I'm a junior. So, the fact I got paired with you to do this stupid assignment is bullshit. But whatever. By the end of the school year, you might not even be here anymore. I'm leaving. Bye.

Felix

I glare at the notebook. The fact that he thinks he can just down talk me like whatever really pisses me off. I open my drawer and reach for a pencil. Just as I'm about to write him back, I stop myself. If I let my anger get the best of me, I might really be ruined. I sigh and push the notebook to the side. I wonder how he found out. The only person that keeps popping up, is Mister Kim. I should confront him tomorrow. I mean, that's a student's personal business. He shouldn't be telling other students about anything concerning another student.

"Lights out everyone!" A voice over the intercom says. Nayeon yawns and turns her nightstand lamp off. I head to the bathroom where I quickly get ready for bed. Crawling into bed with pajamas bottoms and a t-shirt, I turn my light off and stare up at the ceiling. My phone buzzes under my pillow. I pull it out and see that it's a text from Moonbin.

Moonbin: I changed ur name in my phone to lilypad.

I stifle back a laugh.

Nari: ur cute. you should sleep soon. classes tomorrow.

Moonbin: i just wanted to tell you goodnight. see you tomorrow, I hope you wrote in the journal too. <3

I smile.

Nari: I did, I'll give it to you tomorrow. sweet dreams my moon. <3

I put my phone back under my pillow and turn on my right side. I'm surprised at how fast I fall asleep.