"Because they're cute and squishy!" Ari cooed, giggling as she inched closer, clearly delighted by my growing fluster.
Before she could smother my poor cheeks with her dangerous affection, a familiar voice cut through the moment.
"Aww, you two look adorable," Gigi teased, her tone dripping with mischief. "What are you two lovebirds doing?"
Before I could even process her words, I felt someone slump onto my back. Of course, it was Shu, flashing me that all-too-familiar mischievous grin.
Thank God. Saved at last.
I never thought I'd see the day when I felt genuine relief at the sight of my two idiot best friends. But here we are.
But of course, Ari didn't stop. She leaned forward and finally pinched my cheek with a triumphant grin. "I was just telling Yuu how cute and squishy her cheeks are," she said with a giggle.
With Shu practically draped over my back and Ari still happily squeezing my cheeks, I officially gave up. I was too tired to even try defending myself at this point.
"How come you let Ari squeeze your cheeks and not me?" Shu whined from behind, shaking me playfully. I didn't need to see her face to know she was pouting.
Why do I always get stuck in these weird and awkward situations?
At this point, I'm seriously considering reevaluating my choice of friends.
I didn't even bother responding to Shu's whining as she continued to grumble behind me. Meanwhile, Ari was still gleefully puffing out my cheeks with both hands like they were her personal stress balls.
All I could do was sit there like a mindless doll, completely at their mercy.
Gigi must have sensed my silent plea for help because she mercifully started a new conversation.
"By the way, Ari, did you and Jun talk? He was looking for you earlier," she said casually, but it immediately caught Shu's attention.
Thank God. Shu's attention span is like that of a three-year-old. One down, one more to go.
"Oh, yeah!" Shu chimed in with her usual teasing tone. "Did he ask you out?"
Ari let out an awkward laugh, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden questioning. She finally let go of my poor cheeks, but not before giving them one last squeeze for good measure.
You have no idea how close I am to having a full-blown heart palpitation right now.
I exhaled a breath of relief, only for Ari to chuckle softly before turning her attention to Gigi's question.
"Yeah, he did," she said simply, as if it were no big deal.
My two idiot friends, however, reacted like hormonal fangirls, letting out high-pitched squeals that made my ears want to detach themselves and run for cover. For goodness' sake.
Meanwhile, I busied myself with my cola, desperately trying to replenish my rapidly depleting energy. At this rate, I was going to need all the sugar I could get just to survive this night.
"So, are you going?" Gigi pressed, her eyes gleaming with curiosity, with Shu chiming in right after.
Ari paused for a moment, clearly drawing out the suspense for their benefit.
And then, completely catching me off guard, she looked directly at me and said, "No. I'm not."
Her words left the two idiots staring at her in disappointment, bombarding her with questions almost instantly.
What completely threw me off were the next words that came out of Ari's mouth.
"Yuu doesn't like him, so that's why," she said, casual, like it was no big deal.
I nearly choked on my drink, barely managing to avoid a full-on spit-take.
Ari, meanwhile, gave me a sly smirk, her eyes glinting with amusement. Oh, she was definitely enjoying this.
Gigi and Shu, on the other hand, were utterly flabbergasted. They exchanged confused glances, clearly trying to piece together an inside joke they had no clue about.
They immediately started bombarding both me and Ari with questions, their demands for answers were relentless. And I thought this was my cue to jump in and defend myself.
"I never said I don't like him," I scoffed, trying my best to sound nonchalant. "I just said I don't like his haircut."
Though, if I'm being honest, it wasn't just his haircut. I didn't like Jun—period. He was rude, and if first impressions were supposed to count for something, his didn't exactly win me over.
"What's wrong with it?" Shu asked, glancing over at where Jun was standing. Naturally, Gigi followed her lead.
Meanwhile, Ari was already laughing in the corner, clearly delighted by the chaos she'd stirred up. I shot her a glare, silently cursing her for putting me in this situation.
"Yuu said it looked like an uncircumcised head," Ari managed to say through her laughter, barely holding it together.
It took a second for my two idiot friends to process what she'd said, but when it hit them, they burst out laughing so hard they nearly doubled over.
And there I was, trying my best to look unimpressed—arms crossed, glaring at them. But eventually, their laughter got to me, and I couldn't help but laugh along.
Honestly, as chaotic as it was, nothing in this moment was more disastrous than Jun's hairstyle.