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( 15 ) . you like me anyway

Jake froze for a second, his face heating up. "What's... that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're nervous," Minjae replied, lifting her head to grin at him. "Why are you nervous? Its just me."

Jake groaned, covering his face with his free hand. "You're impossible."

Minjae giggled, her laugh bright and infectious. "And yet, you're still here," she said, echoing her words from the night before.

Jake sighed, dropping his hand to look at her. "Yeah, yeah. Don't let it go to your head."

But Minjae's smile softened, and she reached up to gently poke his cheek. Jake felt his heart do that annoying fluttery thing again, and he knew he was a lost cause.

Minjae beamed at him, before flopping back onto the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. "Okay, but now I'm starving. Breakfast in bed?"

Jake groaned dramatically, but he couldn't hide his grin. "Unbelievable."

"And yet, you're still here," Minjae repeated, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Jake shook his head, already swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Fine, but you owe me."

Minjae laughed, watching him as he headed toward the small kitchenette. "I'll pay you back by letting you keep being my human pillow," she called after him.

Jake glanced over his shoulder, his smirk playful. "Deal."

As he started to prepare something simple for breakfast, he realized how natural this all felt. Like they'd known each other forever.

And, for the first time in a long time, Jake felt like he didn't want to be anywhere else but here—with Minjae.

Jake returned to the bed with a tray balanced carefully in his hands. On it were two plates of hastily buttered toast, scrambled eggs, and a couple of juice boxes he'd found in the mini-fridge. Not exactly a gourmet meal, but the best he could whip up under the circumstances.

Minjae sat up at the sight of him, her eyes lighting up like he'd delivered a five-star breakfast. "Wow, Jake, this is impressive!" she exclaimed, her voice teasing but grateful.

"Don't push it," Jake said with a grin, setting the tray on the bed between them. "It's toast and eggs. You're lucky I didn't just hand you a bag of chips."

"I'll take what I can get," Minjae quipped, grabbing a slice of toast and taking a dramatic bite. "Mmm, this is perfection. I'm giving it five stars."

Jake rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips. "Like I said before, you're easily impressed."

Minjae gave him a mock serious look, pointing her toast at him like a weapon. "Never underestimate the power of breakfast in bed, Jake. It's the ultimate love language."

Jake nearly choked on his juice at her words. "Love language?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," Minjae said matter-of-factly, popping a piece of scrambled egg into her mouth. "Food is the way to my heart. Consider yourself warned."

Jake smirked, leaning back against the headboard. "Good to know. I'll just keep a stash of snacks handy whenever you're mad at me."

Minjae pretended to think about it, tapping her chin. "That might actually work. You're smarter than you look."

Jake laughed, shaking his head. "You're ridiculous."

"And yet—" Minjae started, but Jake cut her off with a playful glare.

"Don't even say it," he warned, though his grin gave him away.

Minjae giggled, finishing off her toast and leaning back against the pillows. "You know, this is kind of nice," she said, her voice softer now. "I've never really done this before—just... spent time like this with someone."