I need to talk about something else and grab another beer.
"Jackson, do you want a beer?" I ask walking around the car handing it to him.
"Thanks my lovely." He says with a cute smile before kissing my cheek, making me giggle. I turn to Jaebeom and he is heading to his tent where a couple of bags are now sitting outside.
She comes out and holds herself around his neck. He's acting cold and she can tell. She stares at me. Why do I feel sorry for her? She betrayed me, got the guy and now she's getting dumped. I'm sure she's gonna think it's my fault even though it's not. I don't care about what she thinks anymore!
He puts the bags in his car and she waves at us.
"Bye guys. See you back home. We'll have a big party at my place before term starts again."
"Sure. Safe journey." Jackson says in such way that I know he knows.
I turn around and get my bags out of my car.
"Am I sleeping with you Jackson?" I get a lifted eyebrow and a smirk from him, which makes me laugh. I know he's thinking about something else than accommodation.
"Yes! Yes! And yes!" He states assertively.
"No! You're sleeping with me." I feel goosebumps.
Jackson turns to Jaebeom who suddenly reappears. He is as shocked as I am, as we thought he was in his car ready to leave.
"Why?" Jackson asks.
"Because I said so. Is she your best friend?" He asks with authority.
Jackson breathes in deeply and kicks the ground childishly. I stroke his arm, feeling pretty good. Either way I'd be pleased but there is something about Jaebeom claiming me that satisfies me.
He stares at Jackson waiting for confirmation.
"Fine!"
"Okay. I'll see you guys later. Get some dinner for us three. We're meeting the others at the bar after 8pm."
He returns to his car and swiftly leaves.
Jackson grabs me in his arms again as if he was sneaking a hug now that the boss is gone.
"Argh! I missed you so much Katie!"
"You're so excessive." I chuckle.
"I mean it." He says looking down at me which, with the intensity of his gaze, unsettles me. Has he realised something? Is he gonna make a move? I am starting to feel excited. Damn! No! It's Jackson! As soon as the next babe shows up, he will flirt like there's no tomorrow and that's going to annoy me. No.
"Shall we go get some food? Beomie will be back in half an hour or so."
"Yeah. It will probably take him longer, I think."
"So you know."
"Yeah. To be honest I'm surprised he stayed with her that long."
"Two months is long?"
"With that kind of girl? Yeah."
"I don't know how he used to be with his ex to be honest."
"Always needed to be challenged, would argue very often, drama and extreme love periods." He mimics being sick. "Weird to see him so hooked during these periods."
"That would exhaust me. I mean I am all about challenges and extreme love periods but the arguing and the drama? No thanks."
"Yeah well I think that's what he's looking for too."
Funny that! Hehe!
"Right, let me take my bags in and I also need to stop by the office to see Jeff."
"I'll take these through." He says, rushing to them.
"To Jaebeom's tent." I tell him, just to be sure, he won't be cheeky.
"Oh don't worry, I'm not gonna argue with him. I know better."
After stopping by the office where I sort out my stay, we walk to the village centre and stop by the pizza place. We order and after texting Jaebeom, we sit on a bench and start our feast. By now a few more friends have joined in. I am the only girl and I quite like it. His car appears and he parks next to the village square before joining us. I watch him walk, taking his shades off and I get lost in the view. He's so freaking handsome.
"Hey. Did you leave some for me? Pizza? Argh!" He looks disappointed.
"Stop complaining! I got you chicken." I reassure him.
He looks at me with tenderness and bumps into me while sitting down.
"Thanks." His cute grin when he starts to eat is adorable.
After a good meal, we all drive to the bar, parking on the other side of the road, just opposite. We see a few people from the campsite that I hadn't seen since the last time I stayed, and I am glad.
I love this bar. It's quirky, the floor to ceiling windows completely open and the terrace is adjacent to the road, so we can see friends arriving from far. The owner likes us, mostly because of Jackson. She has a thing for him for sure. He shamelessly flirts with her and even though she knows it's for fun, she enjoys the attention.
The bar is pretty busy because tonight is Karaoke night but the terrace is empty so we find a small table outside and I sit next to Jaebeom, my back facing the street, the others sitting around.
Jackson comes back to us with beers and we talk for a while. I catch up with some of the guys I met last time I came over at a party on the beach. Jackson is all over me and I do like the attention but, at some point, he disappears when a song comes up on the karaoke machine, shouting it's his turn next.
The night has now fallen, the terrace lit by the street lights and little tea lights in coloured jars on the tables. Jaebeom has been a little quiet but I need to make sure he's okay.
"So."
"So?"
"How did it go?"
"She cried. Asked what she did wrong." He looks pretty blasé.
"What did you say? 'It's not you it's me'?" I joke.
"Kind of." Oh. "I just said that I didn't feel what I was hoping I would. That she was a nice girl. We talked for a bit longer."
"About what?"
He looks at me and I know he doesn't want to elaborate. We stay silent for a while, before he continues.
"Do you remember that night on the bridge?" I feel anxious about where he is going with this.
Flashback:
It was a week after he broke up with his ex (we'd know each other for no more than three weeks) and he joined me and my friends in a bar. I was so surprised he agreed to come alone. My friends were observing him as they knew I had a crush and confirmed to me he definitely showed signs of weakness towards me, that I wasn't crazy. Before going home, he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk to my friends delight. The two of us strolled around the city and ended up on that pedestrian bridge. He opened up about his insecurities and I listened carefully, heartbroken to hear so much doubt, desperate to reassure him.
"You are joking right?" He stared at me quizzically. "You're wonderful! Talented, caring, interesting..." And then I got carried away. "Funny, charming... handsome... and your smile..." I smiled at myself just thinking about it. He stared at me with that same smile and I realised what I just did. After a few quiet seconds, he spoke.
"Are you..." He hesitated before continuing and leaned over the rail, just next to me. I stopped breathing, feeling my cheeks flushed, knowing I completely and utterly exposed myself. But what the heck! I liked the guy. I'd been in similar situations before and never had the audacity to be so up front so quickly. "Are you flirting with me?"
Shit! What would I say now? Was it too late to back out? If he was interested, would he have asked?
"Me?!? Haha! No! No..." I felt that I could see disappointment on his face? He was looking out to the cars driving below us... I wasn't sure. "Maybe? What if I was?"
He smiled and seemed to be searching for the right words. Was it good? Or bad? The suspense was killing me and I was desperate for an answer.
"I'm... I'm really flattered Katie." I could already hear a 'but'. "But right now, I think I need to find myself. See who I am now. I was with her for so long I can't remember who I was before." I nodded. Well, the positive was that he didn't laugh at me or make me feel like a fool even though I just got rejected... again. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I find a guy who wanted me too? "Mostly, right now, I need a friend, someone I can count on, who doesn't have to take sides. All my friends are hers and it can get quite lonely because I don't want them to have to choose."
"I understand. I am your friend." Other guys in the past had rejected me with a 'Sorry is see us as friends', 'I don't want to ruin/lose our friendship' and then never called me again, but somehow I felt that he was sincere.
He looked at me with kind eyes and came closer, giving me a hug. It felt nice but something told me he was the one who really needed it.
"Shall I take you home?"
"I parked my car at my friends. If you can drop me off there, that'd be great." We returned to his car, talking about this and that and, after he dropped me off, he kissed my cheek and left me. The rest is history. He called me to hang out and we became inseparable, my attraction for him growing by the day, repressed by my loyalty to him as a friend.
End of flashback.