by V. Muñoz
“Yah, Chinhae-ah!” Namjoon hid his face in his hands as he laughed . I hooked arms with him before I leaned my head on his shoulder, making him relax again.
“I’m just telling the truth, Joon-ah! So, my point: I always hoped that these two crackheads would end up together sooner or later . I mean. look at them. That’s what I call love. To my best friend Joon-ah, who still is the biggest klutz I know. And to my precious queen Valentina, who is still gracefulness in person .” Chinhae winked at me before he held his glass up high and then gulped it in one go and everyone else took a sip of the expensive champagne.
The music started playing again and people got up from their seats and began dancing, leaving Chinhae, Namjoon, Nari and I alone at our table. Nari quickly excused herself because even though she belonged to our clique, she still respected the closeness the three of us shared.
“God, I can’t believe we’re really sitting here at YOUR wedding.” Chinhae chuckled to himself and shook his head. “Look how far we ’ve c o me – from snobby high schoolers to married men. And you, Valentina. Who would’ve thought that of all people it would be YOU who tames the beast?”
The sarcas m in Chinhae’s voice made me frown at him. “ChinChin, are you alright?” I leaned over to my best friend and wanted to lay my hand on his, but he quickly pulled away. Namjoon was also worried about the unusual behavior, but Chinhae reassured us that everything’s fine.
“Sorry guys. Don’t worry about me. Just had a couple of drinks already.” He gave us a small smile and before I could say anything else, he was already up on his feet and left the table. I leaned back in my chair with a loud sigh . Namjoon glanced at me from the side.
“Valentina, Namjoon. It’s time for your last dance before you head off to the airport for your honeymoon.” Namjoon’s stepmother tapped me on my shoulder. I thanked her, and Namjoon didn’t waste another second before he got up to his feet and held his hand out for me.
We made our way to the dance floor and everyone made room for us and looked at Namjoon and I with expectation. He placed his hands on my waist, I wrapped mine around his neck. The music started and I began moving, but my mind was still clouded by Chinhae’s recent behavior. Namjoon knew it too, so he took the initiative.
“Don’t worry too much about Chinhae’s behavior, he’s probably just a little drunk.” He gave me a playful wink.
“I know, I know. It’s just… he looked hurt, Joonie.” I tried to make sense out of it, but it just confused me even more.
“Maybe he’s just pissed that you and I are going to spend more time together from now on. Come on, don’t think about it too much, princess.” Namjoon nudged my cheek with his nose before he captured my lips in a passionate, yet short kiss.
“You’re right. Let’s not think too much about it and enjoy our wedding.” I smiled against his lips as we continued dancing like no one was watching.
Chinhae
I sat on a chair next to the dance floor, watching Valentina and Namjoon slow - dancing. Nari was nowhere near me and everyone else was too busy watching the bridal couple, so no one paid attention to me . I was deep in thought because seeing her with Namjoon like that still felt wrong to me.
Namjoon, Valentina and I had been best friends for ages , and I always thought that none of us had kept any secrets from the others. But I was so wrong – we all had our own wishful thinking. Some of them came true and some didn’t.
If the incident that had led to her to marry Namjoon had happened just a week earlier, I’d have married her without hesitation. If I hadn’t been married to Nari, things would’ve been different. If I’d ever confessed my feelings for her, maybe she’d look at me the way she now looks at Namjoon. If only I’d done something… things could’ve been different.