A few months later...

   Catalina rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Again?" She grumbled. "How many times has it been this week?"

   Andrea didn't even bother to reply, not when Catalina had such a sour attitude.

   They were seated in the library group study section, a few ways away from Jae and Audrey, who were laughing and talking. The library was filled with students since it was nearing the midterm season of the winter semester and that meant there were many group projects due very soon. What Catalina didn't understand was why Jae was talking to Audrey when he had a biology midterm in two days.

   "Don't you think they've been hanging out a lot lately? If they're dating they should just say it."

   "Why, are you jealous?" Iris grinned. Somewhere along the way she'd decided to hang out with them every now and again.

   Catalina scoffed. "As if! It just irritates me. They don't care about the people around them."

   Iris lifted a brow. "They're not bothering me. Are they bothering you, 'Drea?"

   "Nope," Andrea replied while never taking her eyes off her textbook. "I couldn't care less."

   "Same. So the only one that's even slightly fazed is you, Kitty Cat."

   "Oh, shut up." Catalina hissed. "And don't call me that. It's stupid."

   "Not when Jae says it."

   Catalina groaned.

   Iris gasped. "Wait, did you end up fixing things with Philip?"

   Catalina ruffled her hair and nodded. "Yeah, we talked things through and cleared up a lot. We settled on being friends, it's going great, actually. I honestly would've never thought we'd ever patch things up, but I'm glad."

   "That's good to hear." Iris played with her pencil. "Do you think you'll get close to Jae again?"

   Catalina stared at Jae. "We are close..." She mumbled. "We've been.... Life's just a little hectic, we've been kind of keeping distance?"

   "Maybe...you should ask him out if you're ready."

   Catalina rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, I'm not going to embarrass myself. He's clearly moved on. Don't you see him? I don't blame him, I don't think I would've waited for me either."

   "Don't be stupid." Andrea dropped her pen. "Just because he's making friends doesn't mean he stopped liking you. Plus, it's Jae we're talking about, he was whipped for you. He couldn't have changed his mind in two months. It's only March, idiot."

   Catalina glared at Andrea. "I'm not an idiot. And whipped? Sure. He just liked me, that's all."

   "A hell of a lot. Look, Cat, I think, if you're honest with yourself and you still like him, you should go for it. You asked Danny out first, remember?"

   "Wait, you went out with Daniel?" Iris gasped. "When?"

   "Highschool." Catalina deadpanned. "I'm not going to ask Jae out. I just said so, he doesn't like me anymore, it doesn't matter."

   "Really?" Andrea lifted a brow. "You're gonna be petty?"

   "Petty? How am I being petty? If anything, I'm being considerate of his feelings."

   "Whatever, Cat, you know yourself best." Andrea rolled her eyes and went back to her notes.

   "Hey, girls." They all jumped at the sound of Jae's voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He smiled as he sat down.

   "No worries, Jae," Iris laughed. "How's Audrey doing?"

   "She's good. She's been a bit stressed with school but she invited us to another party."

   "Really?" Iris's eyes lit up. "I'm in! When is it?"

   "After exams. Since it's her last semester, she wanted to focus on school first."

   "What else did you guys talk about? You seemed like you were enjoying yourselves. You've become quite the flirt, Jae-Jae." Iris nudged him.

   Catalina snuck a glance at Jae and caught him staring at her. He coughed as he looked away.

   "No, we weren't flirting." He blushed. "She was telling me about how her boyfriend asked her out. The poor guy messed up a lot."

   Andrea finally jumped into the conversation. "She has a boyfriend? Really?"

   Jae nodded. "Yup, he's a friend of hers, since they were in elementary."

   "Oh my gosh! That's so cute!" Iris clapped. "So glad they got together."

   "Yeah, it's cute, isn't it?" He smiled.

   Catalina looked away when her heart pounded. It was nice to see him smiling more, especially when his smile was beautiful. She took a deep breath.

   Jae looked down at his watch. "Crap, I should get to class. I'll see you girls!" He jumped up from his seat and ruffled Iris' hair before he fist bumped Andrea and offered Catalina a wave and a smile.

   "I should also be off." Catalina gathered her books and slung her bag over her shoulder. She headed off and managed to make it to her class on time. She'd already spotted Philip sitting where they usually sat, saving her a seat as people trickled in. She skipped stairs as she hurried up to meet him.

   "You've made it just in time." He grinned. "How was lunch?"

   "It was fine, I spent it in the library, and you?" She asked.

   Philip shrugged. "I ate a single apple. Sadly, I forgot my debit card at home."

   "Oof, sucks to be you."

   He chuckled. "Sure does."

   "I'll get you a smoothie after class, how about it?"

   "Yes, please! I'd be ever thankful, my liege."

   Catalina rolled her eyes. "Ew, why are you so cringey?"

   "Memery is my passion." He laughed and gave her a nudge before the professor walked in, Catalina responded with a chuckle.

   By the end of class, Philip, rather than listening to the professor, had been debating for a whole two hours between a Strawberry Banana or a Mixed Berry. "So, what am I allowed to get?" Philip asked as they packed their laptops and notebooks.

   Catalina shrugged. "Whatever you'd like."

   "You sure?"

   "Oh, come on, snake, you got me a bagel last time. Let's go before you make me change my mind." Catalina pulled her bag over her shoulder and pushed Philip towards the stairs. "We don't have all day, buddy."

   "Well, I'm sorry, missy."

~~~

   Catalina stared at her phone, waiting for Andrea's call. She'd been waiting for about twenty minutes now in the pier's coffee shop. They'd agreed to have coffee there during the sunset, but Andrea was nowhere to be seen. She tapped her nails on the cafe table and sighed, one hand running up and down the empty coffee cup.

   She was thankful the coffee shop was warm, although it was already spring, the weather was constantly fluctuating, and it was still pretty cold on that particular day. Soft R&B music played throughout the coffee shop and danced along with the smell of fresh coffee and pastries. It was the jingle of the bell over the door that caught Catalina's attention. She immediately looked up from the wooden table. Her eyes widened.

   It was Jae.

   What was he doing there? Was he on a date? Did Andrea set her up?

   Jae looked down at his phone and then around the coffee shop before he spotted Catalina in the corner. His lips stretched into a bright smile and he shoved his phone in her pocket before he walked to her.

   "Hey."

   "Hey." She awkwardly waved her hand.

   "What're you doing here?" He tilted his head,

   Her gaze fell as she fidgeted with her ring. "Andrea called me here..." She looked up at him. "But she stood me up. I've been waiting for twenty minutes and she won't answer her phone."

   "Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Danny called me here, he said he needed advice."

   "Advice?" Catalina raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

   "Mind if I sit?" He asked, tilting his head.

   Catalina nodded. "Yeah, go ahead."

   "Thank you," he mumbled as he slipped off his long brown wool jacket. He looked handsome with the turtleneck sweater and his hair parted down the middle. He ran a hand through his growing hair and gave her a smile. "He said it's a secret."

   "When are you meeting him?"

   Jae glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes ago. I couldn't find parking, so I'm a little late, but it's okay because he's still not here."

   Catalina nodded.

   "So, how have your classes been going?" He asked as he fixed the sleeves of his sweater.

   She sighed. "They've been...going. It's stressful. I'm going to take another year at this rate."

   "So, I'll see you here next year." He winked.

   "Yep."

   They fell silent, avoiding eye contact and checking their phones every so often. It wasn't long before Catalina's phone vibrated and she received a text from Andrea, soon followed by the vibrating of Jae's phone.

   "Andrea dipped."

   "So did Danny..." Jae sighed. "Nice..."

   Catalina pushed her hair back and blew a raspberry. "I guess we should head home now..." Catalina began to slip into her jacket and gather her things. "I'll see you later, bye." She gave Jae a smile.

   She was already stepping towards the door when Jae took her wrist. "Wait."

   She turned. "Hm?"

   Jae stood from his seat. "Do you wanna...walk with me?" He asked, looking out the window. "I know it's kind of chilly, but we could grab a coffee and walk the pier? Get caught up? We haven't really spent much time together this semester..."

   Catalina stared at him. Her heart skipped a beat. His hand was warm against her wrist. Now that she thought about it, it'd been nearly two months since they last spent time together alone. They'd grown apart at the end of January as Catalina was trying to focus on herself.

   "Uhm, yeah...yeah, sure." She nodded.

   "Great, cool. So, caramel latte?" He pulled out his wallet.

   "It's okay, I can buy it."

   "My treat, please."

   The smile on his lips made Catalina smile back at him. He'd changed so much over the months she'd known him. She recalled how hard-hearted he could be and it almost seemed foreign now, he was as warm as the comfy coffee shop they stood in. He was now so attentive, sweet, and bright, nothing like how he'd been before.

   The bitterly cold wind bit at their cheeks and nose, but the soothing sound of the crashing waves made it bearable.

   Jae sniffled as he took a sip of his apple cider. His knuckles were freezing and he was trying to down the drink so he could shove his hands back in his pockets. It wasn't as cold as that time they'd spent by the lakeshore in the winter, but it was still very cold.

   "Are you going back to Korea for the summer break?" Catalina asked, hoping to break the awkward silence.

   "Only for two weeks. I'm taking some summer courses." He threw the paper cup into the garbage and rubbed his hands together before he turned to her. "Are you heading to Colombia?"

   "Not this summer." She shook her head. "But I wish I could've gone." Catalina shivered as the wind picked up and the lake got evermore unsettling.

   "Why is it still so cold?" Jae pouted as he popped up his collar and drew into himself.

   Catalina giggled. "That's winter for you. It won't get warm until May."

   "Ugh, that's horrible."

   Catalina looked up at the dense gray sky. She frowned. Now that the sun had set she hadn't noticed how dark it was. The problem was that it looked like the clouds were heavy. "It looks like it's gonna rain, maybe we should head back?"

   Jae looked up as well, analyzing the clouds. "Yeah, we should. Where did you park? I'll walk you."

   "Oh, Pao dropped me off. I'll have to call her to pick me up, I was counting on Andrea to take me home." Catalina pulled out her phone from her small crossbody purse.

   "I'll drive you." Jae smiled.

   "It's okay, Pao doesn't mind."

   "We're going the same way, it's no problem. Plus, if it starts raining, you'll get wet just waiting for her."

   Catalina contemplated the offer but as she was doing so, the clouds rumbled and the soft pitter-patter of the rain began. Immediately Catalina shoved her phone back into her purse and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

   The rain got stronger and soon enough it was pouring. Catalina and Jae ran towards a lone pavilion where picnic tables were stacked upon each other. They were drenched once they'd reached cover. Water dripped from Catalina's hair and Jae's wool jacket, the sound drowned by the loud rumbling skies and rain.

   They were silent for a while before Catalina burst into laughter. Jae soon followed.

   "Just our luck, huh?" She turned to him.

   He let out another laugh when he saw her.

   "What?"

   He covered his mouth. "Sorry, but your mascara is running."

   Catalina gasped. "That little shit said it was waterproof. Those damn liars." She turned away from him and rubbed the mascara off from the bags under her eyes. "It is gone?" She looked back at him.

   He tried to hold his laughter in. "You just made it worse." He reached out towards her. "Here, let me fix it." Since she didn't move away from him, he cupped her face and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs a couple of times, as gently as he could while trying to rub off the running mascara.

   "There we are," he mumbled, but his hands didn't fall from her cheeks.

   Catalina blinked at him. Her heart skipped a beat.

   The thunder rolled above them, snapping them out of the trance they were in. Jae pulled his hands back to himself and turned to look at the pouring rain again. "Do you think it'll clear up any time soon?"

   Catalina peaked out as she drew a shaky breath; the fact that they were soaked to the bone made them feel as if they were starting to freeze over. "No, I don't think so. Our best bet is to run to your car..."

   He sighed. "I parked it really far." Jae shook his hair and gave another sigh. "Okay. Let's go." He took off his jacket and draped it over them both. "Stay close so you won't get too wet."

   "But won't you feel cold?" She furrowed her brows.

   He shrugged. "We'll get less wet this way. Plus, once we get to the car we can turn the heater to max."

   Catalina nodded.

   "Ready?" He asked.

   "I guess?"

   They ran out into the rain, Jae's wool jacket protected them as best it could. Their shoes squished? With every step they took; they tried to avoid big puddles and muddy ground, but it was slightly difficult because they were in a park. Once they made it to the street, they ran about two more blocks before Jae's car came into view.

   They were panting and laughing as Jae reached into his pockets to take out his keys so they'd get into the car quickly.

   "Come on!" Catalina whined. "We're getting drenched."

   "I'm trying!" He pouted. "I can't find them."

   "Don't tell me you lost them."

   "Oh!" He sheepishly smiled. "They're in my jacket."

   Catalina groaned.

   "Sorry," he chuckled before he pulled the jacket from their heads and allowed the pouring rain to fall on them more. He pulled out the keys and jingled them before they kept running.

   They made it to the car, not without Catalina nearly having slipped twice on the journey. The rain thudded against the frame of the car as they settled into their seats. It was a sweet sound of relief when the engine roared to life and Jae turned on the heating.

   "Sorry about the leather..." Catalina mumbled under her breath.

   Jae laughed. "It's okay. We can stop by my place and I could lend you some clothes first, since it's on the way, that way you won't get sick."

   "Um..."

   "What time do you need to be home?" He asked.

   "I still have three hours..." She glanced at the time on the car radio.

   Jae smiled. "So we could have some tea and warm up, what do you say?"

   Catalina looked out at the pouring rain and gave a small nod. "Sure."

~~~

   Catalina shook off the dripping water before taking a step into the apartment. Her clothes were starting to dry, but not by much.

   "Here, I'll get you some dry clothes. You can go ahead and take a warm shower. The towels are in the bathroom already."

   Catalina smiled. "Thank you."

   They slipped out of their wet jackets and hung them on the coat hanger before they slipped off their soaked shoes and socks. Jae led Catalina up the stairs to his room.

   "What would you like to wear?" He asked her.

   She shrugged, playing with the hem of her black shirt. "Whatever's comfortable."

   Jae pulled out a white shirt and some sweatpants from his closet, as well as some fuzzy socks with foxes on them. "Here, you go on ahead. Oh, and when you turn the shower on, you have to pull the lever thingy for the water to run; left is warm."

   Catalina nodded. "Thank you."

   "Just come downstairs whenever you're ready."

   "Okay. But aren't you also going to take a shower?"

   He nodded. "Yeah, the guest bathroom has one. Take all the time you need." He waved at her before he pulled out a pair of clothes for himself.

   Catalina entered the bathroom and closed the door behind herself. Once she looked in the mirror she gasped. She looked like La Llorona; her mascara had left black tear stains on her cheeks, her under-eyes were as dark as when she'd pulled three all-nighters in a row because of exams, and her hair looked like a wet mop on her head. She grunted in dismay and immediately washed her face after analyzing which one the bottles on the sink was the face wash.

   Once she'd scrubbed the mascara stains off and the remainder of her eyeliner and foundation, she took a shower. The warm water was enough to ease her nerves and subside the cold she felt in her bones. She spent quite a bit of time in the shower before she stepped out and dried herself off with one of the folded towels. It didn't take long to change into the clothes Jae had given her. At this moment, a wave of relief washed over her that her bra hadn't gotten that wet and it wouldn't be a problem if she wore it. It was mostly her back that got wet in the rain anyway.

   Catalina tried her best to dry her hair with the towel and brush it with the small comb in Jae's washroom; luckily, she didn't tear her hair much. The long white t-shirt he gave her was very comfortable and the sweatpants were a little too big so she had to tie them with her hair tie so they won't slip off. She wiped the fog off the mirror and fixed her hair a bit more before curiosity got the best of her and she looked at the many things Jae had lined on the sink's countertop.

   She spotted a small black bottle and she picked it up. "Dior, huh?" She shook her head and opened the cologne. The smell was strong, but she liked it. She remembered it to be the one he always wore. She set the bottle down and looked at all the skincare products he had, no wonder his skin was nearly flawless.

   Catalina took a deep breath and pushed away from the counter before exiting the bathroom. She jogged down the stairs and caught sight of Jae in the kitchen, pouring hot water into a teapot. She stepped towards him and took her place next to him.

   "Why are these huge?" She asked, looking down at her outfit.

   Jae set the pot of warm water back on the stove. He shrugged. "It was the style a few years back, I used to tie them tight too," he laughed, "You look adorable."

   Catalina rolled her eyes as she leaned against the counter. "I look like I'm drowning in these."

   "What tea would you like?" Jae asked, opening the cupboard and analyzing it. "Matcha? Blueberry?"

   "Blueberry." She stepped closer to him and looked inside as well.

   He pulled out the jar of tea bags and took one out before he closed it and left it back in the cupboard. Jae reached around Catalina for two mugs and let the tea steep for a few minutes before he offered her a cup.

   "Thank you," she mumbled and took the mug from his hands.

   Catalina looked down at the steam coming from her mug. Her heart began to speed up at the thought of saying something to Jae, of possibly asking him out. A pit formed in her stomach and she gripped the ear of the mug tighter as the tea sloshed lightly.

   She took a deep shaky breath. "Jae..."

   "Hm?" Jae gulped as he drew the cup of coffee away from himself.

   Catalina dared not look him in the eyes. She nibbled on her lip. "I've thought about it a lot... You know, like you asked..."

   Jae set his tea down on the counter.

   "I mean, I don't think I'm still completely happy with myself, or completely love myself yet...I mean it takes longer than a few months...right?"

   Jae nodded. "Yes, it does..."

   "But," she sighed, "I've healed quite a bit." She swayed her head. "I think." She too set her mug on the counter. "I think I've made a lot of progress."

   "I'm glad to hear that." He landed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

   Catalina smiled. "So... what I want to say is...uhm, I still like you."

   "Really?" Jae couldn't hold his smile back.

   "Yeah," she nodded. "And, like, I get if you've moved on. I mean, I would've if I were you; I'm too much to handle."

   "Cat..." He gave her an even look.

   "But...in case you still liked me...I...uhm, I wanted to ask if you..." She gulped, "if you'd like to go out with me?"

   Jae half-laughed. "I thought you'd never ask." He took her face in his hands and pulled her closer. His thumbs brushed over her flushed cheeks. He too was blushing by now.

   She pouted. "Well?"

   His smile widened and he leaned into her. He kissed her without any hesitation.

   Catalina, on the other hand, cautiously reciprocated the kiss.

   They pulled away from each other.

   "Is that a yes?"

   "Of course!" He kissed her cheek and then rested his forehead on hers. "If you think you're ready, and you'd have me, I'd be honoured." He intertwined his fingers with hers and gave her a kiss on the back of her hand.

   Catalina giggled and wrapped her arm around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

   Jae let his hand slip from hers and wrapped his arms around her. "So, it's for real this time, right?"

   Catalina laughed. "Yes. You're my real boyfriend." She was glad. After all, this had all started with a dare, and now, after the many ups and downs the school year held, they were actually together. It only took them long enough.

The end

epilogue to come...