FOURTEEN
Irresistibly Wicked
Have you ever felt the impact of being caught red-handed? Your state of thought suddenly shuts down and your heart jolts as if it got punched in the inside?
That's what is happening to me at this very moment.
I’m mortified, irrevocably lost for words. Sehun tilts his head, eyeing me with his glazing brown eyes. I start to panic internally. How on earth did he know my name?
No. He couldn’t have known, could he?
That’s impossible.
And even if that’s the case, he should be the last person to know that Jaera actually has a sister—a twin sister to be exact.
His eyes fall to my hands. I have been apprehensively scratching my thighs again, very rapidly underneath this round mahogany table. His eyebrows irk up in wonder. I swallowed.
He takes another sip of his coffee without moving his gaze away from me, his eyes sheer dark and unreadable. I couldn’t even guess what he’s thinking right now. My heart drums in my chest at our disconcerting contact. I clear my throat.
Oh no, he’s waiting for my answer.
“Speak.” He quips.
“I uhh… wha-what a-are you talkin a-about?” I stutter, unable to control my anxiety as I try to avoid his eyes.
He his head again. “That guy…” He tips his head up, pointing towards Mr. Manager’s direction, “He called you ‘Jaemi’ a while ago.” I turn, and that is then that everything drains to make sense. HE WAS THERE.
SCREWED!
Oh gosh! I should’ve known that Mr. Manager will recognize me as Jaemi right away. People who have grown acquainted to my family, or my dad’s affairs, will instantly know how to differentiate Jaera and I apart. Simple as our taste in fashion completely contrasts from each other; Jaera never leaves the house without looking the most stunning goddess in the planet, and as for me, I completely am UN-JAERA-LIKE! I don’t even know how to comb my hair properly!
Serves me right.
But who would even expect that this guy is going to be here at the same time as I am?!
Don’t tell me this is coincidence.
This is bad luck.
“We’ll uhh.. it’s uhh.. like uhh.. you know.. it’s sort of a nickname.”
“Nickname,” He purses his lips, eyes inquisitive and assessing.
“Y-Yeah...” I try to sound as certain as possible.
“You two then seem to be close for him to address you in your nickname.”
My breath hitches in my throat. The way he mutters the word “nickname” is unnervingly pointy. He is back on studying me with his masked eyes, as if I’m a specimen for observation. I force myself to act as natural as I can, but I’m miserably failing.
He positions himself in a laid-back position against his seat, thinking deeply.
I feign a chuckle to ease the tension he’d built or maybe it’s just me being paranoid, but I have to get away from here.
About to stand up, I reach for the cake over the table. “I think I-I have to go, I still have to–“
But he catches my wrist.
It stings.
“You said you wanna talk.”
I swallow hard. Not anymore. This guy scares me. He might utter just a few words but they register to me in a beguiling manner, like there’s a concealed meaning behind what he‘s trying to specify.
I look at him, his usual cold eyes striking me.
“Y-Yes I-I do but I-I remember that I still have t-to do s-something... a-at home.”
“Like what?”
“I uh,”
“You are stuttering.” He taunts, letting my wrist free.
“Please I have to–“
“And now you’re pleading."
I sigh deeply. He’s keeping me off-guarded.
“Park Jaera stuttering?... That’s new.” He remarks with sarcasm, as if he’s mocking me.
Hissing frustratingly, I bow my head low so that he wouldn’t see my embarrassment. I just wanna evaporate in here. I just want to get away from him.
and his eyes.
How can I escape this? He’s scrutinizing everything I do. What is with him? The last time we encountered, he was treating me indifferently, so indifferently in a loathsome way. Now he’s acting like he’s gotten interested, no I mean, attentive… about me.
Just endure this Jaemi! This is your last encounter with Mr. Prince Charming (Grumpy Version) and you will never see him again after this. And if he’s finding you so peculiar today, it’ll just be momentary and it’ll go back to the usual the moment the real Jaera comes back. No more lies and tremors after this.
“I really have to go.”
I stand up quickly, grab the cake, and bow at him politely. Yes! I didn’t stutter!
Sehun squirms, his thin lips setting in a grim line, stretching to one side. I turn my back at him, too eager to escape his presence.
“You are definitely hiding something..” He says with a tone of wickedness. I stop on my tracks but I didn’t look back at him. My mouth drops.
“Jaemi..”
*
As I finally
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