20. He knows

                                    

                                          
the afternoon sun shone on the Glade, lighting up grass. As we jogged over to the hill, laughing and talking until we reached the tree which Chuck had tied some rope to the top branch and tied a stick at the bottom.
I stood at the bottom of the hill, watching Ben and Thomas argue over who would go first. Minho was off to the side, leaning against the tree with a smirk on his face, watching the whole ordeal like it was the most entertaining thing he'd seen all week.
"You go first, you shank!" Ben laughed, pushing Thomas lightly. Thomas stumbled back with a grin before grabbing the rope and giving it a good tug.
"Alright, fine," Thomas said, stepping forward with mock bravery. "I'll show you how it's done."
With that, he launched himself off the small hill and swinging out over the clearing. He let out an exaggerated cheer as he swung back and forth before finally dropping and falling into a heap on the soft grass below. We all burst into laughter as Thomas scrambled back to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes.
"That was so graceful, Tommy!" I called out teasingly.
He shot me a look and stuck out his tongue. "Let's see you do better, Y/N!"
"Ok. Give it here!" I grinned, stepping forward as the boys cheered me on. I grabbed the rope, and before I could overthink it, I took off swinging. the wind against my skin and through my hair.
For a moment, it felt like I was flying. The world spun around me in a blur. I let out a laugh, feeling the adrenaline surge through me.
But as I swung back, I realized I had misjudged the landing. My foot caught on a small dip in the ground, and before I knew it, I was tumbling forward—right into Minho.
With a surprised grunt, he caught me, stumbling back a few steps before we both toppled onto the ground in a heap. His arms were around my waist as we landed, and I found myself staring up at him, our faces inches apart. His eyes widened in surprise before his usual cocky grin returned.
"Well, if you were falling for me, you could've just said," Minho teased. 
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. "Don't flatter yourself, shank," I shot back, trying to hide the fact that my heart was pounding for an entirely different reason now.
We lay there for a moment longer than necessary, the laughter of the others fading into the background as I became aware of how close we were. I could feel the warmth of his body against mine, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. His eyes softened, and for a brief moment, the teasing expression slipped away, replaced by something warmer—something that made my heart skip a beat.
But then, as if realizing the moment had gone too long, he cleared his throat and pushed himself up off me, offering me a hand. "C'mon, before Newt starts making jokes," he said with a grin.
Before I could actually grab his hand, Ben jogged over, laughing. "Nice catch, Minho! You guys alright?"
"Perfectly fine," Minho replied with a wink. "I'm always here to save the day."
Thomas and Newt were still chuckling, clearly having witnessed the entire scene. "You two make quite the pair," Newt said, raising an eyebrow.
"Shut up," I said, but my tone was lighthearted, and I couldn't stop the smile that crept onto my face.
I looked back to Minho and took his hand, but before I could get to my feet, someone tugged my hoodie from behind keeping me down. Pulling up the sleeve of my hoodie. I yanked my arm away from Minho's grip, pulling my sleeve down, trying to stop him from seeing my arm. But it was too late. I made quick eye contact with Minho, who's smile had dropped into a wide eyed, confused expression.