“it’s not your fault that i didn’t let you be there for me,” sunni quickly spoke with a saddened tone. “i mean, people view me as this always upbeat and doesn’t give a fuck about anything kind of person. i’m always having fun, going with the flow, and it’s just this imagine i’ve created that, when something actually happens, and it ruins that image? i’m afraid it’ll ruin how people see me, and maybe they won’t really like me anymore. which is so fucking stupid, and i know that, but it’s all i’ve got.” she quickly realized how much baggage she actually had weighing her down, and byeol barely even scratched the surface of what all that baggage was. how was she supposed to tell her about her mom? her ex? her mistake? her feelings. there was so much to talk about, she had no idea where to even begin. it was hard watching byeol try to force a weak smile upon her lips, and it made sunni realize just how much she missed her genuine and warm smiles that always made her smile too. you never truly know what you have with someone until it’s gone. “yeah, we should be honest,” she agreed with a small nod. “but it’s…a long story, and i don’t really even know where to begin but, if you don’t mind me invading your home for the millionth time and telling you the story of my shitty life, then i’d be happy to let you in, fully.” sunni reached her hand out to grab the others, soon walking the two toward the other’s familiar couch and making themselves comfortable. her heart was racing out of control with how nervous she felt. this was the second time she’d be letting down her walls for someone, and after the recent events of letting someone in, only to watch them leave, it didn’t help the situation at all. yet, there was a strange amount of trust she had in byeol, which is why she seemed more willing to get this over with than anything else.
her gaze travelled down to her fingers as the fidget in her lap, her bottom lip sinking between her teeth as she wondered where the hell she should even start. “byeol, i…okay, so i like you, like a lot.” her eyes finally lifted to meet the other’s gaze, a small blush now hinting at her cheeks as she just realized to admitting to feelings she thought she’d never tell the other. “i’ve always had this crush on you that i just never acted on cause i was so deep into my ‘fuck feelings’ rampage, and i just honestly thought that you’d never feel the same way anyways, so what was the point, y’know? we had a genuine friendship, and we were both down for getting physical, but it seemed we were both okay with just keeping it there, and i didn’t wanna ruin that between us. i thought that’s just how it was supposed to be between you and i, and that i’d get over these feelings eventually. so when pj came into the picture, and when he started to show his feelings for me, i figured that was my sign to move on to someone else, though honestly that’s a whole other story in itself. the short version is that it didn’t work out. we both wanted different things, some harsh words were thrown around, he left, and i was heartbroken. i was so deep into my own thoughts and feelings that i was too embarrassed to let people see me this way, and that’s why i left for awhile. i just…i was too scared to let everyone see this raw and broken side of me, and i figured i could just fix things on my own and come back and be the same sunni everyone seems to enjoy more than this emotional piece of shit, y’know?”
she hadn’t even realized the tears that started to sting the corner of her eyes, suddenly feeling very stupid for getting so emotional about the whole thing all over again. her gaze shifts away from byeol for a moment as she tries to dap the corner of her eyes to make them stop. “i just drove until i couldn’t drive anymore. i stopped for gas a few times, and ended up on some beach in south carolina. i felt so stupid, because i should have just told you from the beginning how i felt, because maybe things could have been different, but i always seem to fall for the toxic ones. the ones that make me feel so good at first, and then just rip my heart out like it’s nothing. i just ignore all the good people because a part of me genuinely thinks i don’t deserve to be with someone. like, falling in love, or whatever, it just isn’t meant for everyone, i guess. maybe i’m just a part of the unlucky few who just gets with everyone in town and that’s the only form of love i’m willing to accept. i dunno, i just…i’m lost, in all honesty. i’m tired of pushing people away, but i’m tired of opening up and then shit hits the fan. i don’t know how to cope with my emotions, and i feel like i’m nothing but a burden to everyone and should just go back to my old self cause everything just seemed so much more simpler.” she let out a small chuckle as she felt a few tears stain her cheek, quickly wiping them away and shaking her head. “like i said, it’s complicated. there’s a lot more to my past that explains why i feel the way i do, but i won’t bore you with those details.” her gaze finally lifts back to the female beside her as her shoulders shrug for a brief moment. “just know that i care about you, more than you know. i’m sorry it’s taken me so long to admit it, but you’ve always been special to me, and if you don’t feel the same, then i understand.”
“it’s because some of them don’t want to see past that. i do. i might be a hypocrite, though... -- i didn’t let you see me at my worst, either. but, i think i am willing to do that, whenever something bad happens to me again, i will make sure to let you know -- i trust you, a fucking lot,” this might not have been something sunni wanted to hear at the moment, but byeol felt like it just needed to be said. ever since they both started opening up to each other, she had never let the other woman see her vulnerable side, just some parts of it. it was a weakness, and byeol knew it should have never been considered as such, but with growing up around hardened criminals had taught her to never show anything on the surface, burying it so far down for no one else to see. she was aware that this could have backfired in any time soon, but she never knew any better. “--- what i’m saying is that you don’t have to pretend that you’re doing fine when you’re with me, when we both know it’s not the truth -- i can’t offer much support, but i will do my best to always be there for you, even if i won’t exactly know how to help. i know it’s hard to deal with things on your own, and i know it’s hard to be so honest about it, as well...” byeol trailed off, letting sunni speak. even if it was still somewhat hard to show it on surface level, she couldn’t help but feel her heart breaking. if she had known how much the other was struggling earlier, she wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to her and be there whenever she needed someone the most. with a one, quick nod of her head, she complied and walked over to the couch, immediately sitting down. her intuition was telling her this was going to be a long night filled with confessions and anything else that came along with it. she didn’t mind.
out goes the heartbreak, and in comes the heartache. she could tell how hard was it for sunni to admit something so important, and yet... she still did it. in all honesty, byeol had no idea that it was how going to happen so soon, or at all, even. a part of her felt relieved that she wasn’t the only one that buried their feelings for one another, the other just wanted to run. this is what she was getting for being an emotionally reserved person, for never allowing herself to let anyone in. she doesn’t even know how this woman managed to sneak past the metaphorical walls she had built in order to protect herself from getting hurt again. but she did. she had found herself a place in her heart, and byeol couldn’t be mad at that, even if she tried. she wished she could have said something on the matter, that she feels the same and there was no need to feel terrified, but at this point, she believed that it was better to stay silent and listen. they had time. it could wait. when pj came around, she felt like she had already lost. and in a way, she was right. even if she didn’t act on it, byeol knew that there was no point in trying to achieve something that didn’t seem plausible right from the start, as if he was a sign, telling her that she needed to stop, and move on from something that had no chance of happening in any time soon, or at all. once the mention of harsh words being thrown around was up in the air, she clenched her fists and shook her head ever so fondly -- who in their right mind would have the guts to say something so vile to a person that clearly did not deserve it ?? sure, it was mutual. there was no need to push the knife even further, aiming to adding more pain to that, though. pushing past the breaking point should have never been an option for one to consider. maybe if she was sober, she wouldn’t be as silently furious, but she digresses. it’s not something someone should be dealing with alone, no matter the fact that they might think otherwise.
it took a lot of her might not to reach out and pull sunni into her embrace again. she could tell there still was something she wanted to say, and who she was to stop her from it ?? what if she wouldn’t want to open up afterwards ?? what if she broke down in front of her ?? byeol would blame herself for making her feel that way even more. in a way, she still was a person behind a small part of sunni’s pain, and now that she’s aware of it, she needs to make sure not to hurt her any further. everything she does from now on needed to be looked at from a different perspective, making it byeol’s new priority. it wasn’t going to be easy, but she has to adapt. “everyone deserves to fall in love, even those who think they are not worth someone’s time,” she began, hesitating for a brief moment before looking down at herself as if she wanted to say that she was one of them. “i just want you to know that you’re not the only one who feels this way. whatever you feel for me, i can feel it, too. it’s mutual. i didn’t want to say anything because i wasn’t sure what i wanted -- i think this time we’ve spent apart had taught me something.” a pause. byeol took a deep, deep breath and looked away in an attempt to stop her eyes from welling up. god, that was... embarrassing. she almost felt like she was a teenager who was about to confess something to their long time crush. in a way, it was essentially how they both felt, wasn’t it ?? she was just glad they were getting it off their chest now. she was afraid that if she waited any longer, she would only end up losing all her deeply hidden hope for anything to happen. but... was anything even going to happen now ?? only time could tell. “it’s not easy for me to admit that, because i have sworn off anything that had to do with having any feelings for anyone. you just... -- you just had to come along and make me feel things, didn’t you ??” a light-hearted joke, this was all she could muster up at the moment. her own words earned a silent laughter. it was a bad attempt to lighten the mood up, even if just a little. “i’m not mad about that, though. everything that involves the both of us, moving forward is not going to be easy, and i am sure you know it. but... i’m all in. whatever it is, i would like to try and make it work.” byeol had tried to make everything sound as open-ended as she could, leaving the room for sunni to have her own take on things, because that’s how it worked, right ?? even if nothing ever comes out of it, she was glad that she doesn’t need to hide anything, anymore. an equally shaky hand reached out to gently caress the other woman’s cheek, brushing away the tears with her thumb, “you’ve already told me a lot, and i know that it was a big deal for you. whenever you’re ready, i will be there, waiting. no rush, no pressure, no... anything. it’s okay. you have no idea how brave you are -- opening up to someone takes a lot of strength, it doesn’t come easy, and it’s fine. thank you for having so much trust in me. it means a lot.”