By the time he returned, he was carrying bags of chips and sodas, his hands loaded down with items he had no idea he had even bought. The blanket was still draped over his shoulder, and he was completely ignoring the fact that he'd already been distracted by the chaos.
As soon as he stepped into the room, Bae grinned, pointing toward the corner. "Wynter, we need more pillows for the fort! And can you move the couch over there to make room?"
Wynter, looking utterly defeated, plopped the snacks down on the table, then turned to look at the pile of pillows they had already gathered. "Whatever you want, Bae."
"Yay," Bae replied, not missing a beat. "The fort has to be perfect."
"Right," Wynter muttered. "Perfect fort, coming right up." He flopped down onto the couch, exhausted. "Somehow, I think I'll need a nap after all this."
Jax grinned as he grabbed a bag of chips. "Wynter, you're a hero, man. We'll throw in some marshmallows later. You can totally be the fort king."
"All hail!" Sydney mused. "Fort King Kwon!"
Wynter threw a pillow at Jax, and it bounced off Jax's head with a soft thud. "No one ever told me hosting a movie night would involve this much construction."
As he finally gave in and helped them move the furniture, a laugh escaped him—one that felt like it had been trapped behind his stress all night. Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the situation, or the fact that he was actually enjoying himself, but something about the chaos was oddly comforting. It was familiar. It was us.
Even if it meant he was now their unofficial butler.
Everyone chimed in, getting up to grab snacks and blankets, but as Wynter and I exchanged a look, the room seemed to fade into the background. For the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, there was something between us. Something that was slowly becoming harder to ignore.
"Hey…" I whispered to him, my shoulder brushing his. "You're doing an amazing job juggling everyone all at once."
"I'm well trained," he shrugged. "Are you…are you having fun? Do you need anything?"
"Of course I'm having fun. Don't worry, I'm all good," I reassured him, not wanting to add on to the stress of it all.
That night, Bae fell asleep in the guest bedroom all on her own. Sydney and Jax slept on the couch, tangled up, Cahya on the floor beneath them. Wynter offered for me to sleep in his bed, and my heart fell to the floor. The thought of being between his sheets was unreal, and my mind wandered into unscrupulous territory.
I would be in his bed, where he slept every night. I could feel my heart racing at the thought.
I lay there in the bed, the soft rustle of the sheets around me, trying to calm the fluttering in my chest. Everyone else had already drifted off to sleep, the house now quiet except for the occasional soft snore from Jax on the couch. I could still hear Wynter moving around the room, his footsteps light as he made himself comfortable on the floor beside me.
"I brought you something to eat. I know snacks aren't enough to fill you up," he spoke, placing a bowl of noodles next to my bed. "I made it myself, for you."
"Thanks," I sighed, sitting up in bed and taking the chopsticks and breaking them in half as he watched me intently.
"Are you okay to talk now?" he questioned.
"Yeah, sure. What's up?" I asked with a mouthful of noodles. "These are yummy, by the way."
"Firstly, I wanted to apologize for walking out on you that day. That was unbecoming of me. I will explain my actions, but I'm aware that doesn't excuse them. I was taken aback. Being in the UK, it was easier to escape everything that happened. But coming here and then seeing that poster—a reminder that no one's forgotten—was both a comfort and a terror for me. And I'm sorry for walking out," he apologized, bowing his head in respect.
"Wyn—"
"Not just last week, but summer seventeen for you too. I'm sorry for turning my back on you, on Cahya, on everything and everyone. I won't walk out on you ever again, sincerely," he insisted, and I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me.
"Oh," I acknowledged. "I appreciate your apology. Your reaction was understandable. I just think that next time you should speak to me sooner."
"I will. I figure that soon enough, you, Yesoh Yeo, will find me incredibly insufferable," he foreshadowed.
"And why is that?" I wondered.
"Because I also wanted to speak to you, to let you know that my heart has changed. I've always cared about you, deeply, so you know this. But now I wish to care for you. I was conflicted at first, but now my mind is clear as day. I want to know you not as a friend of a friend, but as the phenomenal woman you've grown up to become," he expressed, his icy brown eyes bathing me in desire. "If you'll have me."
"If I'll…" I repeated in shock. That straightjacket would come in handy right about now. "Are you crazy? Of course I'll have you— I mean, pfft, yeah, I'll see how I feel."
"Alright," he nodded. "I'm glad we're on the same page."
