After putting both bouquets in a vase, I offer the  brothers something to drink. Neither of them respond with what I expected.

"Actually, Minho needed your advice. Maybe we could talk about that first," Dariel acknowledges.

Minho's lips part, but no sound comes out for a solid minute. Was Dariel not supposed to say that or is he just flustered? Probably both.

"Oh? Advice on what?" Interested, I sit back down across from them.

"He has a crush on this girl named Sophie, but she's dating someone else. Is that right?" Dariel glances at him.

Minho nods.

"That sucks," I begin, unsure what to say. "Can you share the whole story? And you need my advice on...? You want to know how to impress her?"

He nods again. "Eh, alright. So... she and I share a few classes. She sits next to me in one of them. We talked now and then, and I don't know, I just fell in love with everything, even though I didn't know her that well. But this guy named Luke was faster than me and is currently dating her. They make a good couple, yet it doesn't change my... love for Sophie."

"Is the guy nice?"

"I mean, he can be intimidating and he will definitely kill me if he catches me making a move on Sophie, but other than that, I guess so."

"Right..." I touch my chin. That's a tough situation. "And you really love her that much? Can't let go of her?"

He shakes his head heavily. "They started dating two years ago already. I haven't gotten over it since."

My eyebrows fly up. "Damn. Ehm... okay. What kind of girl is Sophie?"

"Kind, loyal, maybe a bit oblivious, and decently creative," he summarizes. "She's quite similar to you so that's why I considered asking for help."

"I'm honored." I snicker. "Okay. On one hand, I think you should let it go. I mean, they're happy, and we don't want unnecessary trouble. On the other hand, I totally get you. You love her and you want to show that."

Minho's knee bounces nervously, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. He glances at Dariel, whose face is calm. A stark contrast to the nervous energy radiating off Minho.

"If she's really as kind and loyal as you say, then she'd never want to hurt anyone. That kind of girl wouldn't leave someone she's already been with for two years unless something was really wrong." I pause. "But... if you're that into her, and you think she'd be happier with you, maybe you should ask yourself what you're willing to do for her. Are you willing to wait? Be patient? Or..."

"Or make a move?" Minho finishes for me.

I catch the way Dariel's jaw tightens just slightly. Something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on it. "Well, yeah. But only if you're certain it's worth it. I mean, it's not just about you, right? It's about her, too. Would this make her happy, or would it just ruin things?"

"I've been asking myself that for two years."

"So the question is what I would do? Since we're similar?" 

Minho nods slowly. His gaze locks on mine. It throws me off. Why is he looking at me like that? I glance at Dariel for a reaction, but he's unnervingly quiet.

He leans back in his chair, arms crossing casually over his chest. But his eyes don't leave Minho. It's as if he's trying to piece something together.

"Yeah," Minho murmurs. His throat bobs as he swallows. "That's indeed my question."

Dariel shifts in his seat. His gaze narrows ever so slightly on his brother. "You said Sophie's boyfriend is intimidating, right?"

Minho freezes, just for a moment, but long enough for it to be noticeable.

I tilt my head at Dariel, confused. "That's what he said, yes. And that's what makes this hard as well."

His eyes stay glued to Minho, studying him. And then, one corner of his mouth quirks up—not in a friendly way.

"Oh," Dariel says. "That's interesting."

Minho's head snaps up, his eyes widening. "Oh?" he repeats.

"Can we go back to the subject?" I interrupt. "Again, you should just be patient. Become her friend. Try to talk to her. Do something that makes her have to choose between you and her boyfriend. Do something that makes her realize you're better. Patience isn't easy, but if you really think she's the one, it's worth it. Just don't do anything reckless. Respect her relationship, even if it's hard for you."

Minho nods.

Dariel leans back in his chair, crossing his arms, and his smile returns. "So, what's so special about Sophie? I mean, two years is a long time to crush on someone. Even one year is a long time."

"She's just... different," he says quietly. I shoot Dariel a warning glare. He's getting Minho all embarrassed, while it's brave he even talks about his crush in the first place.

I glance back at Minho, expecting him to add something, but he stays quiet. The silence stretches.

"Two years?" Dariel repeats.

Minho nods.

"Why have I never heard you mention her before?"

"Because we're not close," Minho's reply contains a questioning tone.

"I don't know. You're a little... vague for someone so in love. Kind, loyal, creative... You're describing her like she's someone we already know."

I blink. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important," Dariel says quickly, waving me off with a hand. "Just teasing my little brother."

Minho lets out a nervous laugh, but it's forced.

"So what's the plan, then? How's Minho going to win over Sophie?"

"Dariel, calm. You're making him nervous. We're supposed to give advice—"

"I'm just wondering if Sophie exists at all."

"What?" Minho's voice cracks. "Of course she exists. Why the hell would I make her up?"

"I don't know, Minho. Maybe because it's easier to talk about a fake girl than the real one you're actually in love with?"

His eyes wide again. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sophie's not real. You're just using her as a stand-in for someone else. Someone who's sitting right here."

My heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach as Minho's face drains of color, and he stammers, "That's not true! You don't know what you're talking about."

Dariel's expression doesn't change. "Oh, I think I do. You've been in love with Luciana this whole time, haven't you? Sophie's just a convenient excuse."

I turn to Minho, searching his face for some kind of explanation. "Is that true?"

"No, it's not true. I swear! Sophie's real—she's real, and I'm in love with her."

Dariel is clearly unimpressed. "Right. That's why you're describing her like you're reading off a script."

Minho slams his hand on the table, making both Dariel and me jump. "I'm not lying!" he yells. "Why do you always have to ruin everything? Why can't you just let me have something without making it horrible for me?"

The room goes silent. Minho's chest heaves, his fists clenched on the table. Dariel's smirk falters lightly.

Minho whirls to face me, panic written all over his face. "He's wrong," he says quickly, his voice desperate. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. Sophie is real, okay? She's real, and I love her, and—and Dariel's just being a jealous, paranoid asshole!"

Dariel's arms are still crossed, but there's a flicker of something softer in his eyes. Maybe regret. Maybe pity. I can't tell.

"Minho, calm down," I say. His outburst catches me off guard. I'm not sure how to handle it. "Nobody's accusing you of anything. Let's just talk."

Minho doesn't look at me as he steps away from the table. "You always do this," he tells Dariel. "Every time I have something, you rip it apart. Every time I want something, you take it. You—" He stops, choking on his words.

Dariel's face stiffens. "That's not what I was trying to do."

"Then what were you trying to do?" Minho snaps. "You pretend I don't exist half of the time. You're ashamed of me. You—"

"I'm not ashamed of you—"

"No! Don't pretend you care now," he spits. "Just when I thought you were being nice enough to help me out with my problems with Sophie, you embarrass me again. Or was that your plan all along?"

Dariel stares at his brother. It looks like he's going to argue, but then he sighs. His posture softens as he gets up from his chair and walks around the table, towards Minho.

"Okay," he says, the gentleness vague but there. "I was wrong. I'm sorry. Sophie is real."

Minho doesn't respond. His head is bowed, and I can see tears pooling in his eyes, threatening to fall. My heart aches. He wouldn't start crying had Sophie been fake—no, it rather seems like he's crying because of Dariel's sudden comfort.

He hesitates before placing a hand on Minho's shoulder. Minho flinches at the touch, but Dariel doesn't let go. Slowly, Minho's resistance crumbles. His face crumples as he lets the tears fall.

"You ruin everything," Minho chokes out, but there's no more hatred in his voice.

Dariel pulls him into a hug. Minho stiffens at first, but then he collapses into Dariel's arms, sobbing into his chest.

"I'm sorry." Even though he looks uncomfortable while hugging Minho, Dariel's voice is sorrowful. "I'm sorry, Minho. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Minho doesn't respond. He just clings to his brother, his tears soaking into Dariel's shirt.

I sit frozen in my chair. It feels like I shouldn't be here for this, but I can't bring myself to leave.

After a long moment, Minho pulls away, wiping his face with his sleeve. He avoids looking at me, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I'm going home."

"Let me drop you off—"

"No. I'll go on foot," Minho decides. He leaves as fast as lighting, leaving us unable to protest.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

A/n: erm yeah okayy

Besides the fact Minho was lying his ass off during this whole chapter, the crying thing was actually real

Just a disclaimer lol

Anyway you guys are slaying in the comments, I love them. Especially in chapter 5. The comments just rushed in really fast and I loved reading them all. Thank you!! Hope you enjoyed xx