Park and Violet (16 page)

      The thought made him pale. What the fuck? Did he just fucking think of Violet as his?

* * * *

      “STOP!” Violet had to shout the word out when she couldn’t take it anymore, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The way Park was walking; it was like they were competing in a freaking marathon! Didn’t the idiot realize she was wearing her favorite boots? They were adorable to look at, but they were also five inches high! they definitely weren’t designed for speed walking.

      Park grudgingly turned around at the irritation lining Violet’s voice. “What?”

      “What is it with you?” she burst out, confused and furious at the same time. “You’ve been snapping at me since we left class.”

      “It’s nothing,” he said, snapping again.

      She stomped her foot in irritation. “It’s something!”

      “It’s nothing. Now, let’s go or we’ll be late for work,” he said brusquely and resumed walking again.

      Violet rushed to his side and pulled his arm hard until he was forced to stop. “Here’s the thing, Park. I like arguing with you, but only when we know it’s not serious, okay? I don’t like this so why don’t you just tell me what’s been pissing you off—”    “Will you just shut up?”

      Violet gritted her teeth, doing her best to control her temper even though she was itching to slap him. “Don’t do this, Park. Seriously. When I get angry, I get really angry, and you don’t want that to happen. If I made you mad for any reason, just give it to me straight—”

      Park knew he was pushing it, but right now he didn’t care. All he knew was that he was in deep trouble, thinking about Violet the way he was. “Shut. Up. Do you know what that means?”

      Violet’s normally expressive face turned into ice. “Yes. How about this? Fuck. Off. Do you know what that means?” And she walked away.

      Damn.

      Park ran after her. “Violet—”

      A painful slap to his cheek greeted his entreaty.

      “Go away.”

      Shocked at the cold look on Violet’s face, Park let her go. “Violet—”

      But Violet had already hailed a cab, and with her looks, she had one instantly driving to the curb and she got in without looking back.

      When Park arrived at work, Violet was already there, all smiles and laughter with their co-workers. He walked to her and touched her shoulder. “Violet—”

      She froze him into silence and Park took his hand away. Violet turned her back to him and as if nothing happened, she said to Jun-Yee, “What were you saying again?”

      Apparently, when Violet said it was bad to get her angry, she meant it.

      Park then had to stand by as Violet spoke to everyone but him. Violet laughed and flirted with Jun-Yee, which made him grit his teeth. She cooed at Crayon, making him want to slam his fist into something. But he did none of those because he wasn’t supposed to do any of those.

      When their manager called Violet out for special instructions, Park wasn’t surprised when everyone immediately crowded around him.

      “What the heck did you do to piss her off like that?” Gladys asked.

      Park said nothing.

      “How are you going to get back to her good graces?” Midori wanted to know.

      Park wanted to know that, too.

      “Well, I, for one, am taking advantage of Park’s misfortune,” Akito joked. “I’m going to ask her out—” He caught sight of Park’s deadly glare and said weakly, “and then I’m going to ask Park out and they can go out together and mend fences.” He ended his words with a sour note, making everyone laugh.

* * * *

      Violet’s temper had sufficiently cooled down by the time they clocked out of work. Lilac had always told her she had a volcanic temper, erupting and then hibernating until the next explosion.

      When she stepped out, Violet was only half-surprised to see Park waiting for her.

      “Hey.”

      She raised a brow.

      “I’m…sorry.” The words sounded like they were torn out from him.

      Violet wanted to smile but didn’t. She wasn’t letting him get off that lightly.

      When she just continued looking at him, Park exhaled and said, “I had a little problem but I have it all sorted out now. I’m sorry if I took it out on you.”

      “What was it about?”

      “It’s already—”

      “What, I repeat, was it about?” She crossed her arms. “Was it something to do with me?”

      “Yes,” he acknowledged reluctantly.

      Violet stilled as her worst fears attacked her. “Park.” She tried to keep her voice calm even though she had an appalling urge to break down. “Is it because you’ve thought about what happened to me and you—”

      “No! Fuck, no!” Park couldn’t believe he had made Violet think that, and he wanted to beat himself up for it. “I will never blame you for that, will never be ashamed of you for that,” he told her fiercely. “And you know I’m too much of a jerk to fucking lie just to spare a person’s feelings so believe me when I tell you that.”

      Her relief was so strong her entire body shook with it. Violet asked slowly, “Then…what’s bothering you?”

      Park said reluctantly, “If I tell you the truth, it’s going to change things.”

      She almost backed out but steadied herself. She had never been a coward and she wouldn’t start now. “Stop beating around the bush.”

      “This morning, when people were teasing us, and you blew out a kiss to the small guy—”

      “His name is Tom,” she said dryly.

      “Yeah, whatever the fuck his name was.”

      Park’s disdainful tone tempted her to smile and she would have if only she wasn’t feeling suddenly nervous, too. When he didn’t say anything else, she prompted him a little shakily, “And?”

      “I didn’t fucking like seeing another guy touching you, Violet.” Park’s voice was hard.

      Violet couldn’t breathe. “Because?”

      “Because I was thinking like you were mine.”

Chapter Twelve

      “You’re right. We shouldn’t have talked about this.” She was in a daze. Park thought she belonged to him. Should she start running away now?

      “I told you so.” Park snorted.

      She glared at him. “Stop rubbing it in.”

      Park shook his head. “What the fuck are we going to do now?”

      “Quiet and let me think,” she snapped.

      “You never think,” Park said seriously.

      “Shut up,” she said without heat.

      “All right,” he said, but he grabbed her hand and they walked back home in silence.

      He really thought she was his? Violet couldn’t believe that had been Park thinking. “Are you in love with me?” she blurted out.

      “God, no!”

      She glared at him. “You don’t have to sound so disgusted.”

      And because he was wary of making her angry again, Park said hastily, “It’s not that. It’s because I don’t like falling love in the first place. You know that.”

      “Why don’t you like to fall in love?” she asked. “I let you know about Andrew,” she reminded him.

      He nodded. “Fair enough.”

      She waited.

      About three minutes passed before Park found the right words to say. “I was pretty young when it happened. I met her when I was sixteen and fell instantly in love. I asked her out, she said yes, and later on, when I told her I loved her, she said she loved me, too. She was a year older than I was and she left for college first. It had only been a month since she was gone when I got this call from her.”

      Violet almost told him to stop because she felt like she knew what he was about to say.

      “She said that we two didn’t suit anymore. Just like that, she told me that she had fucking fallen out of love with me.”

      He remembered the day clearly as if it had only happened an hour ago. He had been excited then, thinking that Vanessa had decided to surprise him with a visit. Well, it had been a fucking surprise, mostly because of how bored she sounded as she broke up with him. Park had a feeling that moment would live him forever, scarring him in a way that would never heal.

      Park turned to Violet, his lips twisting in cynicism and bitterness. “I was depressed for months. I couldn’t understand how she could break up with me just like that. She had fucking fallen out of love? What the fuck did that mean? We had been going out for almost two years and then just like that, after one month of separation she had fucking fallen out of love?”

      Her heart ached for him. “I’m so sorry, Park.”

      “It’s nothing. I mean, after I learned what that fucking little shit did to you, what happened to me was nothing—”

      She shook her head. “Heartbreak is heartbreak, Park. It hurts, no matter the reason.” She squeezed his hand.

      He smiled humorlessly. “Well, that’s it. Simple, huh?”

      “It’s usually the simplest reasons that make us cry the most.”

      Park gave her a mocking look of shock. “When did you get so smart?”

      “Just a flash of brilliance,” she quipped. “But now I’m a brainless bimbo again.”

      He frowned. “You’ve never been that, Violet, and I don’t want you to refer to yourself like that again.”

      When they reached the street leading to their dorm, Violet ventured, “Is it because you’re afraid of getting hurt that you don’t want to fall in love again?”

      She looked so seriously concerned about him Park was tempted to kiss her frown away. But talking about the past had made him feel volatile, and he didn’t trust himself with her like this. “How can I explain this? I loved her, and she loved me…at the start. But after what she did, I also realized that love just isn’t enough. Neither is it built to last. Sooner or later, you will get hurt. So why should I risk it?”

      “But Park…” Violet gazed at him searchingly. “You really think it’s smart to let the past prevent you from falling in love again? Are you really fine being alone forever?”

      “I’m not saying no to a relationship,” he told her evenly. “I’m just saying ‘no’ to the illusions–and delusions–of love.”

      “Like love without the words.”

      “Or companionship without pretensions.”

      She nodded. “I got it now.” They were back inside their dorm and she tiptoed to kiss Park on the cheek. “Good night, Park.”

      He didn’t call her back to stay with him in his room, and Violet hadn’t expected him to. She didn’t want him to because she did get it now, and it gave her a lot to think about.

      What Park had described he wanted—a relationship minus words of love—was also exactly what Violet had with him.

      She was in love with Park.

      All along, she had loved him, without saying the words or without even realizing it. Was it the same for him? Did Park not yet know he was in love with her, too? And if he did find out, would he ever admit to it?

      When she woke up the next day, she knew that everything was going to be different. Today wasn’t just a new chapter starting in her life. It was practically a new book, one that promised such incredible changes Violet couldn’t help but feel afraid.

      She was in love with Park.

      Violet was as sure of it as she was sure that Park was just as in love with her—without even being aware of it, too. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. How crazy was that?

      A glance at her watch told her it was only nine in the morning. There were no classes scheduled today for either of them, and Violet felt a little giddy, thinking about what they could do together before work.

      She grabbed her clothes, shoes, and bag, locking the door behind her before rushing down to Park’s room. She banged her fist on the door. It took Park about a minute to open the door. Again, he was bare-chested and wearing the sexiest pair of black boxer shorts. His hair was tousled and he was glaring and squinting in grogginess at her at the same time.

      Oh God, but she so loved this guy.

      “What the heck are you doing here this early?” he growled. But sleepy as he was, his mind couldn’t help but register how delectable she looked, in her camisole…Park’s eyes widened. What the fuck was she thinking, wearing something like that in public?

      “Hey!” Violet exclaimed in shock and bewilderment when Park suddenly hauled her inside and slammed the door behind her. “What?”

      “Why the hell didn’t you change first before coming here?”

      She glanced down at herself in confusion. “But I always—”

      He gritted out, “It’s different now. Didn’t we just talk about this last night?”