Promises in Departures
Jae-in was not sure if he had heard Wendy right. The words cut through the air swiftly even through the blaring music and it stung him quickly as fast as he was interrupted. Perhaps the small slap was the factor to his sudden realization; within a split second he felt as if every ounce of alcohol was flushed out of his body. There was never a more awakened and sobered up state than he was at that moment, and still even with his mind completely intact, he still could not believe whether what he heard was the real thing.
"Did you not hear what I said?" Wendy asked in the middle of the lingering silence. "I just confessed my feelings to you, oppa… I was at least expecting some sort of a reaction from you… staying as blank as a slate is possibly the worst."
"Wendy-ah … I… I think I might have heard wrong. I'm not sure if I heard what you're meaning to say."
"Pabo-ya… I told you that I'm starting to like you… I even slapped you to own your attention…"
"No, I don't think you're… Wendy, you're drunk. You don't know what you're saying. Please keep yourself together."
"I'm well aware that I'm under the influence of alcohol… I would not deny that, but that does not mean that I don't know what I'm saying. Maybe I could even blame the alcohol why I got the courage to finally voice myself out… I've had a strong interest in you ever since you got added into the messaging group and I know that you're different from all the other guys I've dated before."
"Wendy, please… the alcohol is messing with your head. If you're trying to tell this at this time as a form of a joke, then you really got me. We should head back to the table now."
Before anything else, Wendy loosened her grip from Jae-in's neck and moved to hold his hand with her own. Then, with utmost effort, she gave huge tug towards Jae-in as if to say that she's not intending to go back to the group anytime soon.
"Look into my eyes, Jae-in. Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm joking or not."
Wendy's deadly gaze burned Jae-in's pupils from within. True enough, there was not a single trace of humour in her eyes. In fact, what he saw there was passion; a burning desire to prove that what she was saying was nothing but truth from the get-go. There was no single trace of deception and everything was built out of a pure ounce of conviction. However, even with her eagle-eyed stare back at him, Jae-in could not remove the fact that things seemed to not add up with what was going on with him and Wendy. She just had her break-up recently and it does not make any sense for her to confess to him right away. It was common sense to think the possibility of Wendy using him merely to get over her ex-boyfriend.
"Please don't think that I'm using you as a rebound," she said as if reading the thoughts inside his head. "You even said it yourself; I chose the wrong guy. Is it really my fault if I managed to find a better one due to my past's incompetence?"
"But what you said is not that easy to comprehend on the spot. I'm sorry if I'm not taking this in just yet; keep in mind that we're still drunk. Even with your assurance, I can't really believe you 100%, especially on something that is this serious. Think it through, Wendy-ah … once we're out of alcohol's influence, are you sure that you can still say the same thing about me?"
He was not sure if that was the best thing to say, let alone the best thing to do. He could be slowly walking away and making her realize how out of this world her thoughts have been, but even with that plan on the back of his head, Wendy was still a new friend and he certainly did not want to begin their friendship on a bitter note.
Wendy slackened her grip from his hand and averted her gaze, eventually settling on Jae-in's chest.
"You're right… maybe I don't need to convince you to believe me… if you won't then I'll just have to force it to prove it to you."
"What do you--?"
Without warning, Jae-in felt a soft push on his chest and it caused him to fall back towards the leather backrest. There was no much time to react as well, considering pretty much everything he could see was merely glimpses of Wendy's figure next to him as lights continued to flash overhead. He was still pondering why exactly Wendy beckoned him to rest on the chair, as well as interpret her statement before she even went on to do just that, but in the midst of all that brief chaos, he was met by a surprising action from her.
Wendy brought her legs up and around his waist until she was effectively straddling Jae-in, using her the force of her petite frame to pin him against the boathouse's backrest. It took her a couple of adjustments to get to a comfortable position, casually adjusting her thighs around his body like it's something that was normal for a situation like that. Wendy also lifted her body repeatedly to get the position she desired and in turn giving the pinned Jae-in views of her body that he thought was inappropriate.
Once she got her body right, Wendy sank her hips down and liked towards Jae-in, straddling him and resting her weight on his own. Her hands then remained to be anchored on the back of his neck all while she supplied him with a sultry gaze, piercing even through the faint light of the boathouse.
Jae-in, on the other hand, was sweating buckets with what just happened. Everything unfolded too fast that even he had little time to react to what was happening. He seemed to have been trapped under an invisible and indiscernible spell Wendy cast upon him and the next thing he knew, she was already all over him. His breathing heaved faster as his heartbeat, knowing the placing of Wendy upon himself allowed him to feel parts of her that he was otherwise not allowed to do so. The fact that their crotches were lined so perfectly, separated merely by a few articles of clothes, added a plethora of thoughts in his head that he certainly did not want to entertain; certainly not on a time when he had a lot of courage to give in to his urges.
Thousands, or perhaps even millions, of red flags were signalling from all sides just from what they were doing. It was easy to screw up at that point; surely any patron of the penthouse who would end up seeing both of them would think differently, especially since they were on the farthest end of the house secluded from everyone else. He wanted to move; he wanted to ask Wendy politely to get off from him yet he was silenced from all sides, rendered weak to whatever spell Wendy wrought over him.
All efforts and hopes of heading out were thrown off the window when his eyes met Wendy's. There was a pause; a silence emanating between them as if one wanted to talk silently to another. And then, just as Jae-in thought that that evening could not get any crazier than it has already, Wendy 's face slowly approached him while her eyes closed. It got too close for his comfort, yet he could not do anything about it. It was only a matter of time until…
Jae-in's lips were eventually overwhelmed by Wendy's.
---
Jae-in's POV
Wendy's lips were soft… probably even the softest lips I have ever kissed in my lifetime. I have been kissed in the past but this… this soft exchange was filled with passion and raging emotion as we broke off and went on in again. Each lip lock became more heated than the last and it evolved to us wanting to get more of each other. I was totally unprepared for it, yet everything got a lot more intense and the next thing I know I was kissing her while I had my hands both on her hips and giving it a soft caress. The way that she dressed herself that night unintentionally gave me access to a lot of her exposed skin, and so before I could lose myself by being too hungrily attached to her, I broke off and tried to sway the heightening mood away.
"I… that… that was my first kiss ever since I graduated high school," I blurted out without thinking.
Fuck… that was NOT what I had in mind when I said I wanted to sway the mood away.
"Is that true? If it is, then I'm honoured… please allow me to do it again."
Wendy pulled me in for another one. The first one was already intense and filled with passion, but even with that she managed to surpass what we already did. This time, I felt her pulling me in closer to her body in order for me to feel the heat of the moment. We were hugging in the middle of the dark, exchanging burning, intimate kisses that evolved from mere lip locks to a torrid make-out session. Her tongue infiltrated my mouth and in turn, I used mine to explore hers. We were lost. We were in our own world, but just as how fast she brought us in that situation, it was also her who broke off first before I even got carried away.
"S-sorry… I didn't mean to…" I excused, a poor attempt to redeem myself of her impression that I probably tarnished.
"It's okay, Jae-in… I… I liked it…"
I fell silent, honestly quite unsure how to talk to her after all of that. I have a feeling things might get awkward after this one.
"Jae-in…" I heard her begin after the brief silence. "Is there a possibility for you to like me back?"
"Wendy-ah… I… I don't … I don't have the answer to that just yet… I'm so confused right now and I can't even make up a decision right on the spot… I'm really sorry…"
"Did I go too fast? I'm sorry…"
Wendy's head drooped down and shrouded her face with her short, blonde hair. Still, she remained seated on my lap with her arms around my neck. There was a part of me that was thankful that we weren't seen by anyone in this state just yet, but somehow another side of me wanted the thrill and possibility of getting caught making out.
"Wendy… when did you feel that you're starting to like me?"
"Don't ask me about that… because I really don't know the answer to it. I'm sure if you're going to ask any person who's fallen in love, they would say the same answer no matter how smart they are.
"It's no secret that I had asked a couple of questions to Thomas when we first got introduced. Admittedly, among all the new friends that I got introduced, you were the one who piqued my attention the most. Why? I guess because you were different. You weren't trying too hard to be attractive, and I think that's one of your best traits and one of the reasons I immediately fell for you. I was so fascinated how you managed to keep a relationship for almost two years in the past! In our age, that's already a huge achievement! It just goes to say how much of a caring boyfriend you are and your future girlfriend would be so lucky to have you.
"I'd admit; when you said earlier that I was dating the wrong guy, I came into a huge realization… I was so miserable on how my past relationships ended… maybe it's not the guys that are wrong but also me entirely as well. When I first heard that you were a huge keeper… I figured that you were the perfect person any girl could have asked for. I heard that you're not interested on relationships at the moment because you're still traumatized by the past but… I saw beyond those lines, Jae-in. You broke every standard I set for myself; you were like a dream to me and I think I can show you the love you've been yearning since your last one."
I never felt so flattered in my life. I wanted to reject; to protest, but I was just too stunned to even speak.
I thought for a brief moment, and my primary concern was to bring us back to the table with everyone else. Talking in this state was uncomfortable and I don't want to immediately make a decision while she's straddling me, so I went for the easiest way out; a safe route that would not assure her of anything and also give me time to think for what I want to do.
"I'm sorry Wendy-ah … but I don't think I can give you an answer now. I don't want to be unfair to you, and so I want that when I decide, I'm certain. Please don't get me wrong."
"It's okay, Jae-in," I felt her hand cup my cheek. "I know it's too much to take in and I'm sorry… I saw the chance to say it and I didn't want to let it go. I might not get the same chance again."
"Thank you."
"But you know what… I think we have a chance to work out."
"What made you say that?"
"Your presence here says exactly just that; you didn't run away when I stole a kiss from you… or even when I confessed. I guess it's a good start. Maybe soon this would work out."
It was true though… I could not ignore that she's actually having a good point for this one. If there's anything that's concerning to me… this is a new friendship circle in a new semester. Everything that I'd be doing with Thomas and the others would always involve me considering Wendy's feelings from now on. I was not sure if I was up to that certain intensity or not, but for now I'm just happy that I didn't get to screw up what was just beginning for both me and Wendy.
"Shall we go back?" she offered.
I nodded in response and beckoned her to dismount my lap. However, before she could do that, Wendy made sure to give me one swift peck on the lips before jumping behind her and landing on her feet. On the way back, I felt her pull me by the wrist again similar to how she brought me to the far end of the penthouse only this time, she's doing it to bring us back where we initially were.
---
"HOLY SHIT WHERE HAVE THE TWO OF YOU BEEN?"
A large uproar of the awaiting table greeted Wendy and Jae-in as they approached, holding hands and equally blushing with the awkward situation. Vincent was the one who was the least drunk out of everyone else, which was natural since he's been absorbed with a lengthy conversation with Katy since the session began. Jae-in had no idea how long they've been gone, but apparently it was enough time to get the newcomer Katy passed out with Jayden equally asleep on the other end of the table; empty glasses filled with then-melted ice surrounding his defeated body. Thomas replaced Jared on being the one absorbed in a phone call; with Vivian notably back on the table, clearly bored and sleepy as she supported her jaw up with her hand while seated opposite Jayden.
"Damn, Jae-in; you're honestly the least person I'd expect to get laid tonight!" Vincent teased as they approached, earning a look of disgust from Vivian near him. "You two should not have settled for a quickie! We would have understood it if you took longer for your small private session!"
"You're goddamn disgusting. Just shut the fuck up," snapped Vivian before she finally succumbed to the effects of the cocktail, eventually landing her head on the table with a soft thud.
"There's nothing that happened. Whatever you're thinking, it's not it," said Jae-In flatly.
"We didn't… we didn't do it…" whispered Wendy.
"So what's the deal then? You two go missing in the middle of the night and come back holding each other's hands. Go on, give me a good explanation then otherwise you two made a baby in my mind."
Jae-in was about to respond, a bit forcefully this time, to Vincent's blatantly alcohol-fuelled teasing when he was duly interrupted by the arrival of Thomas. Of all of them, even with Vincent's judgement slowly getting clouded by the alcohol, Thomas seemed to show little to no signs that he even drank.
"You two are back," he said, blatantly ignoring what Vincent was trying to imply on their disappearance. "If Jae-in had not left his bag here, I would have thought that you went home already. I would have gotten really upset with you; leaving without even telling anyone else here. Where have you been anyway?"
"They made love, I told you," blurted Vincent once again and Wendy and Jae-in turned tomato-red.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET THEM TALK!" Vivian interrupted as she once again raised her head from the table just to glare at Vincent. "YOU KEEP ON FORCING DISGUSTING THINGS ON THEM. WHY DON'T YOU JUST LISTEN TO THEM FIRST?"
Jae-in felt Wendy tug on his arm and moved to whisper.
"I'll have to apologize. Vivian's like that when she's really drunk. She's so loud."
Jae-in nodded and supplied a smile.
"I'm not even fucking talking to you," snapped Vincent back to Vivian's collapsed figure. "You're drunk, so you shut it or else we won't be paying for your cab home."
Vivian quickly raised her hand towards his direction and supplied him with a middle finger. However, as he brought her arm down, she swung it further because of being too loose with the alcohol, and she ended up hitting a couple of glasses and knocking them over, effectively breaking some with the force of her falling arm.
"Oh shit," she quipped, yet she was too drunk to even move a single inch of her body.
"Fuck," muttered Thomas as he stood in front of the table facing them, effectively using his body to block the view of the broken glasses. He then turned towards Vincent who seemed to have sobered up with the chaos. "Cover it, quick. Check how much glass has been broken."
Jae-in and Wendy finally let each other go as they helped Thomas to conceal the mess with a couple of tissues; all in the hopes of disposing the broken glasses before even anyone in the penthouse would notice that something was wrong. Clearly, with the context of Jared paying for everything, adding another reason for them to pay in spite of that was the least concern.
"We better bill out and go," he remarked, sweeping the shards of broken glasses onto a small, open tissue paper. "We all look like crap anyway and everyone else is asleep."
He tied the ends of the tissue paper with a rubber band given by Wendy before handing the mess to Jae-in.
"Please hold this and keep it in your bag. Throw it somewhere once we're out of the hotel. I'll be back and make sure we pay up before they notice a thing."
"Dammit if only Vivian was not that too much of a ruckus herself, none of this would have happened," Vincent added as Thomas headed off; completely unaware that Vivian heard him full-force. She supplied him with another, slower, middle finger. Vincent ignored her and turned towards the sleeping Katy.
"I don't think she's waking up soon, too. She's knocked out cold," Wendy said before turning towards Vivian. "How about you, Vivi; can you walk?"
"I'm fine, I'm just really sleepy but I can walk."
"Are you good?' asked Jae-in from the other side of the table, managing to wake up the sleeping Jayden. He replied with a soft nod and a curt thumbs-up even through his red, sleepy eyes.
"How are things? Is Katy still not waking up?" Thomas said fresh from paying up the bill for the rest of them. "Damn, she's knocked out… I don't think I can wait long enough for her to wake up because I need to go. People are already calling me."
"I'll stay behind," volunteered Vincent. "You took care of everything already, and I was the one who invited Katy here and it makes sense for me to be the one to lead her home too. There's no reason for all of you to be held back by us."
"Hey, you better not do anything to her," chided Vivian. "We know that you're the last person who was with her."
"Trust me, Vivi. I got this. I'll stay with her."
Vivian stood up and gave Vincent one last glare before joining the rest of the group.
And just like that, even amidst the chaos and the mess that ensued, Jae-in's first night out with his newfound friends finally concluded as they made their exit from the penthouse, leaving Vincent and Katy surrounded by empty towers and glasses.
---
The group took a couple of minutes walking until they reached the nearest cab stop. Wendy and Jae-in were notably on the furthest back of the group, still holding hands as they carefully watched the figures of Jayden, Vivian, and Thomas walking about. Thomas Doh, being the person who was the most eager to head home, stood in front of the group in the hopes of catching a cab for everyone else. The cab stop was this small shed on the top of an uphill crossroads, illuminated merely by a small lamp post overhead.
"I'm sorry that I can't accompany you back to your apartment," said Jae-In towards Wendy, amidst the commotion of Vivian and Jayden on the back.
"I understand, Jae-in. You've done way too much for me already. Besides, Thomas and I share the same route home and I'll just share the cab with him."
"Don't worry, Jae-in," added Thomas from the front. "I'll update you when she's home."
He then turned towards the still-sleepy Jayden and the sleepy-eyed Vivian from behind.
"How about you two; is there anyone of you who wants to ride with us as well?"
Jayden shook his head.
"I think I'll go for a walk. I can't go home like this. I'm still a bit drunk and I'll loosen it up a bit," Jayden replied.
"I think I'll do the same," supplied Vivian. "I'll just make sure that Jayden here won't do anything stupid. You can join us, Jae-in. We can grab something on the way home."
"I'll have to decline on that. I'll wait for the next cab because I need to head home already. If my sister's home, she's going to kill me. Thanks for the invite though."
"Okay then. Have a safe trip."
All of them bid their respective farewells to each other just in time as a cab pulled over. It was Vivian and Jayden who ventured first off into the night, waving in farewell as both Wendy and Thomas boarded the cab. Once they were both comfortably seated on the inside, Thomas brought the taxi's window down and moved to speak to Jae-in.
"Hey, message me when you're home, okay?" he reminded Jae-in.
"I will. Please take care. Thanks for the night."
"Take care, Jae-in!" Wendy's voice trailed off as the cab finally zoomed of into the night, disappearing in a trail of red-tail lights before it turned a corner and finally out of sight.
Luckily, Jae-in no longer needed to wait as a second cab pulled over shortly just after the previous one drove off. He calmly seated on the back of the car and gave the driver his apartment's address, before resting his head on the backrest and closing his eyes. Jae-in pondered on how lengthy and unexpected his first drinking session with his new friends took a large turn, and at the end of all this there was one thing he could piece out for that night's events:
He can never look at Wendy the same way he did ever again.