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Kitty was sitting in the front row of senior seminar approximately seven minutes before class began when Dae hurriedly slid into the seat next to her. Normally, he sat in the back of the class, but today was different. For the first time in almost three weeks, he was speaking to her again. Willingly.
"Dae!" Kitty exclaimed through a wide-eyed grin, pleased that he actually wanted to sit next to her again. "What are you doing here? How are things with--"
"Kitty, we don't have much time, and there's something that I have to talk to you about," Dae quickly commented. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, I just really want to make sure we can mend things. It's really important to me to do this right."
She raised an eager eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Look... I'm really sorry about the welcome party. I reacted harshly, and it wasn't fair to get so angry at you and Min Ho. I know you can't help the way you feel, and I don't want to get in between the two of you. It's still sort of a sore topic for me because it isn't an easy thing to really talk about, but I want you to know I'm okay with it," Dae explained, words spilling from his mouth like he'd planned them for days- which he had.
Kitty blinked slowly. "Okay with what?"
"You and Min Ho," Dae said through a half-forced smile.
That earned a frown from Kitty. "Me and Min Ho? But we're not--"
"I know you're not dating right now, but I know that you want to, and he obviously does too," Dae admitted, chuckling humorlessly.
Kitty shook her head. "Dae, it's not that simple. Min Ho and I haven't even really talked to each other recently. It's hard to explain, but... I don't know if things are going to work out with him."
For what felt like less than a second, Kitty's eyes flickered to Min Ho as he entered the classroom. He was confident and sure of his self, not smiling, but the corners of his lips were turning up into what would surely be a smirk as he chatted with a fellow classmate. How radiant and perfect was the boy that she so fully cared about more than anyone else in the world and wanted to--
Dae crossed his arms as a deep frown etched itself into his lips. "Kitty."
She blinked harshly, her attention snapping back to Dae. "Sorry. I just..." Her voice trailed off, enamored by Min Ho's mere presence.
"Kitty," Dae spoke gently, reaching out to lightly touch the back of her hand, "talk to him."
Her brows furrowed as she stared back at Dae in confusion. "What?"
"I know you've been avoiding him. I talked to him the other day. We're good. I want you guys to be, too. Your friendship shouldn't have had to suffer just because of my actions," Dae shyly admitted, shaking his head in regret.
"But I don't know what to say," Kitty said, frowning.
Dae offered an apologetic smile. "Just talk to him. He misses you. You're his best friend, and I know he's yours too. Just talk to him."
"But he's not... he hasn't..." Kitty's voice trailed off. He hasn't confessed his feelings. He hasn't told me that he feels the same way.
Her friend understood just by watching her sadness reflect on her face. "Kitty, it's okay. I promise Min Ho feels the same way. If he didn't, he never would've told you how much he cared on the plane. Please, just talk to him. If not for Min Ho, for me."
Raw, gnawing anxiety chewed at the bottom of Kitty's stomach as she nodded. "Right. For you... and for Min Ho."
Moments later, the teacher proudly stalked before the classroom and announced the beginning of class, and Dae slid back out of the seat to go sit where he usually did in the back. On the way back, he caught Min Ho's eye and flashed him a quick smile and worded, "We're good. You're good."
Min Ho comfortably leaned into the back of his chair, releasing a weighted sigh of relief. Finally. Finally, things could happen between him and Kitty.
~~~
At lunch, Min Ho didn't hesitate to sit next to Kitty at the cafeteria table with their friends. She offered him a kind but reserved smile in response, and he raised an eyebrow. She wasn't so eagerly chatty as he thought she'd be after making up with Dae. Why was that?
Q smirked from across the table. He feigned a stretch and a yawn. "So... anyone have any major breakthrough moments this morning? Or, I don't know, any unblockage of things that were blocked for a hot minute?"
Kitty shot him a silent death glare. There was, in fact, a reason for her odd quietness. She was nervous- and not the regular "Oh I'm nervous, so I'm antsy," kind of feeling she could shake off. Min Ho's presence was practically eating her alive. What was she supposed to do?
Her feelings for him were there. It's not like they had magically disappeared. She wanted to clearly communicate to Min Ho that he needed to communicate his feelings to her, but there was no good way to do that outright just yet. She needed time to think of a way to do that. In the meantime, she wanted to fix their simple friendship. But that was hard when she still wanted to be much, much more than just his friend.
"Kitty?? Anything you have to tell... anyone?" Q indiscreetly asked.
She kicked his shin under the table, and he yelped like a helpless puppy. "Hey! What was that for?"
"You feeling alright, Covey?" Min Ho asked, re-raising his eyebrow.
"Yeah!" She exclaimed a little too fast. "Doing great! Q's just being rude, so I had to kick him."
Min Ho rolled his eyes, smiling to himself. "If you say so."
Q crossed his arms dramatically. "And somehow I'm the rude one," he muttered.
"You are," Kitty agreed with a shrug.
He shook his head passionately and immediately pointed a finger at her. "Okay, no. That's it. I'm leaving. You two, talk. I can't stand this anymore! Let's get over all of this awkwardness and just to back to being pining lovers who actually speak to each other!"
Min Ho's eyebrows shot up, and his jaw dropped in offense. "How could you--"
"Q!" Kitty gasped in horror as he stood up and carried his food tray away. She shook her head, still watching him walk across the room. "He's evil."
"He truly is," Min Ho agreed through a frown.
A minute of silence passed over the two of them, and the tension was too much for Kitty to handle. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to collect her calmness. "He's right, you know. We should talk. But... not now. Not here. Maybe later? After classes?" She asked skeptically.
Min Ho glanced over at her and nodded, offering a smile in agreement. "Yeah, after classes. When we're not in the middle of scarfing food down."
"You're the only one here scarfing food down," Kitty scoffed.
Rolling his eyes, he said, "First of all, that's rude and quite frankly untrue because of how many people are eating in this dining hall. Second of all, that's a bold statement coming from someone who literally just downed an entire box of juice."
Kitty shook her head, tsk-tsking. "You're so dramatic."
"Yes, I'm definitely the dramatic one in this relationship," Min Ho sarcastically muttered.
"Mhm," Kitty hummed in response. "Because who yelped like a dog with a broken ankle when the water was too cold? And who wouldn't eat that one mixed dish in Scotland because it was too potent?"
"And who didn't talk to me for two and a half weeks because she was afraid of what one person would possibly think?" Min Ho shot back.
Kitty flinched. He was right. "Touché."
After classes, Kitty practically ran to the boys' room to meet up with Min Ho before Q or Dae could show up. Somehow, when she got there, Min Ho was already there, luxuriously resting on the couch with wrists crossed. "Took you long enough."
She rolled her eyes and slipped her shoes off. "There's no possible way you didn't ditch class."
"I didn't, actually. Dr. Maeng let us out early," Min Ho commented, sitting up. "So, can we talk about... you know."
Kitty nodded firmly. "I mean, that's what I came here for."
Min Ho nodded. "Yeah. Do you want to sit or..." His voice trailed off, motioning to the seat next to him on the couch.
She silently walked over and plopped next to him, inhaling a deep breath of confidence. "I'm sorry I avoided you. I shouldn't have."
Min Ho's heart dropped. He really wasn't expecting her to be so frank. His voice was quiet but pure when he asked, "Why did you?"
"I mean... I tried to explain it to you when I did, but it wasn't fair. I didn't want to hurt Dae, and I just thought it was better to avoid talking to you all together so that he didn't get the wrong impression," Kitty admitted, shifting a little uncomfortably.
Min Ho swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. "So, you're not angry at me?"
"Angry at you?" Kitty asked through a frown. "Why would I be angry at you?"
"For not..." His voice trailed off. "I don't know, for not trying harder. I should've tried harder to get through to you."
"Min Ho, no," Kitty spoke firmly as she turned to fully face him. "I shouldn't have avoided you at all. It wasn't anything you did. I was just scared. I'm so sorry. I never even thought you would've thought something like that. I'm really, truly sorry."
Min Ho's face melted into a tender smile. "It's okay, Covey," he laughed softly, pulling her into his arms. She squeezed him extra tight just because she could. They hadn't shared a real hug in almost a month. It was way overdue. "I missed you," She murmured into his shoulder.
He gently rubbed her back, nodding warmly. "I missed you too, Covey. Just please don't go nonverbal on me for weeks again. That was a scary time."
Kitty chuckled nervously as she pulled away, her face flushed to the very tip. "So. We're officially good?"
Min Ho nodded, reaching his hand out for her to shake. "Yes, Covey. Friends?"
Kitty couldn't help it. The smile that spread across her lips was more than genuine- it was filled with humor. "No."
"No?" Min Ho asked, raising an eyebrow, laughing softly.
"No," She confirmed, nodding. "Not friends. Best friends, thank you very much."
Min Ho rolled his eyes and pulled his hand back, taking back his polite offer. "Yes, of course. How could I forget, Katherine? Best friends."
"You took your handshake back?" Kitty asked, frowning.
"You said we weren't friends," Min Ho shot back, raising an eyebrow.
"Because we're best friends," said Kitty.
"Fine, handshake?" Min Ho asked, offering her his hand.
Kitty nodded proudly, pleased with herself, as she confidently took his hand and pulled him into another hug. "I missed you."
An unexplainably joyful warmth spread in Min Ho's chest as he pulled her close, gently kissing the top of her head. "I missed you too, Covey. A lot."