Haewon and Selena arrived after the bus had left, as Selena had hoped since she had once again changed her mind about approaching him.
For the sake of Haewon and Ivy, she tried to look sad so they wouldn't really know that her action had been deliberate.
Selena looked at Ivy, and she could tell she wasn't happy with her, so she decided to speak first.
"Where is he?" She asked, pretending to look around.
"As you can see, he has left. What kept you so long?" Ivy asked with a frown.
"I had a runny stomach. How could I have missed him? I really wanted to talk to him," Selena said without looking at Ivy, and both Ivy and Haewon exchanged a knowing look.
"We should get going. We will just have to find another way for you to meet him," Haewon said, and Selena's heart skipped a bit.
"What other way?" She asked as they all headed to the car.
"Maybe you could chat him up on Instagram," Haewon suggested before Ivy could.
"I don't think that's a good idea. People like that rarely respond to texts. Besides, I'd rather approach him physically," Selena said, and Ivy eyed her.
"Yet you had a runny stomach just a few minutes to the end of the game," Ivy said, and Haewon bit back a chuckle while Selena eyed her.
"Do you think you want to see me reunite with him any more than I want? Do you have any idea what it felt like watching him play so well and realizing that my once best friend is now a celebrity out of my reach?" Selena asked, on the verge of tears.
It wasn't a lie, after all. She did want to get in touch with him more than anything, and that's why she tried searching for him in the first place, but after her findings, she was feeling reluctant about approaching him because she was scared that she might be the only one holding on to their friendship. And scared that he might not be the Nath she knew. If he were just a successful businessman, then perhaps things would have been different. But she knew for a fact that nobody goes through what he did, becomes a public figure, and still remains the same.
"It's okay. We could try again whenever his team is playing next time. I'm sorry I took it personal. I only wanted you to be genuinely happy," Ivy said as she went ahead to hug Selena, and Haewon did the same.
Once they got to their car, Selena drove them home since she always insisted she drive because she was the oldest and best driver amongst them.
The drive home had been a silent one, and the moment they got home, Selena headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up while Haewon and Ivy went to the kitchen to heat up their dinner.
"I'm beginning to think that we may be pushing her too much. She is right, you know? I'm sure she wants to reunite with him much more than we want her to. Shouldn't we allow her decide the right time to do that on her own?" Haewon asked when she was sure they were alone.
"You sound like you don't know Selena. If we leave this up to her, she might take the next ten years before approaching him, or worse still. She might never do so. You know? Because she loves to nitpick and overthink things. Haven't you seen her back out of going out on dates several times at the last minute?" Ivy asked, and Haewon sighed.
"You have a point. You are right," Haewon said with a nod.
"Yes, I am. And I have a feeling that Gabriel might be part of the reason she doesn't want to be in a relationship," Ivy said, and Haewon raised a brow.
"Why do you think so? Do you think she is in love with him?"
"I don't know. She could be. Didn't you hear her talk about the ladies that hang around him being beautiful models and actresses and stuff? If she saw him as just being a friend, why would she be so concerned about his romantic interests?" Ivy asked, and Haewon pursed her lips.
"You might be right. Maybe he is actually her first love but just doesn't want to admit it to herself or us," Haewon said, and Ivy nodded.
"Yes. That's why we have to do whatever we can to make sure she meets him. The earlier she hooks up with him or dismisses him, the better for her. That way, she can finally be with him or someone else. She is twenty-eight. I don't mean to sound like old or anything, but I don't think she should be lacking an active love or sex life at this age," Ivy said, and Haewon rolled her eyes.
"What you mean is that she should be married by now. We both know you're a church girl and doesn't subscribe to premarital sex," Haewon said, and Ivy shook her head.
"This isn't about me. That I don't subscribe to it doesn't mean Lena doesn't. So back to the subject. I got his autograph on the jersey," Ivy said with a grin, and Haewon raised a questioning brow.
"How? Did you talk to him?"
"Yeah, I did. But he was kind of in a hurry, so he couldn't talk."
"Can you just go straight to the point and tell me what happened?" Haewon asked impatiently, and Ivy giggled as she went on to give Haewon the details of all that took place.
"Then, he must have remembered her," Haewon said excitedly, but Ivy shook her head.
"I'm not very sure. But I was thinking, what if we try and find out?" Ivy asked, and Haewon looked at her skeptically.
"How?"
"Well, we could send him an Instagram message like you suggested earlier. It will be just between you and me. If he doesn't remember her or want to reunite, we will discourage Selena from meeting him so that she doesn't get hurt. But if he does, we can find a way to bring them together," Ivy said, and Haewon considered it for a moment.
"What if Selena finds out?" Haewon asked, and Ivy frowned.
"She won't unless you plan to tell her ab..." The rest of Ivy's words trailed off when Haewon's phone started ringing.
When Haewon saw that the call was from Jake, her face lit up with an involuntary smile, and Ivy could tell who it was on the phone.
"I have to take this," Haewon said as she quickly left the kitchen to take the call.