The moment those words escaped his mouth is the moment her world stopped spinning; her heart literally skipped a beat and her breathing halted for a second.

Every second was painfully long as she processes what just happened.

And then he pulled his face from leaning on her forehead. She still can't find her voice as they look at each other, with him still holding her face, still so surprised. There's something in the way he looks at her and all she can feel is how she wanted to melt on the spot, thankful for his hold.

And he started leaning into her with those closed eyes.

Closing the distance.

Three inches.

Two inches.

One.

And that's when Seulbi shot her eyes open, waking up with an erratic breathing.

It was just a dream.

She clutched her chest while gawking at her ceiling, as if holding her chest will prevent her heart from beating too fast. It was just a dream... but it felt too real. She absentmindedly lingered her fingers on her forehead, remembering his kiss on that dream. And also the part wherein he's about to...

Just thinking about it made her blush. Setting the feeling aside, she reached for her phone on ber bedside table to check the time. She doesn't even know if it's morning or what but upon unlocking the device, it's not the time that surprised her, but the message on the notifications.

Those were the best cookies ever.

Cookies... It's five in the morning and seeing a message from her neighbor about cookies that he sent last midnight makes no sense, she made cookies in her dream—

Seulbi dropped her phone immediately. Thank God her room's carpeted but for the moment, even if it's not, she won't care at all because she just realized something important.

It was no dream.

* * * * *

Sehun furrowed his brows at the girl still on doorframe of the house. She has been so weird since breakfast; putting the maple syrup on the eggs? Seriously? Also almost pouring orange juice on her half-full glass of milk? Sehun could just roll his eyes on her absent-mindedness.

"Are you just gonna stand there or you'll go to school with me?"

He watches her blink, as if she was brought back to her senses. After that, she proceeded walking to him at the gates, head hung low; probably because of embarrassment. Sehun just shrugged it all away, clumsy Seulbi wasn't old news anyway.

But he just found himself narrowing his eyes on his cousin.

It was when she immediately clutched his right sleeve upon entering their classroom. As if she's anxious... asking for protection. He didn't take her grip off his arm—even if it'll definitely create creases on his perfectly ironed coat. Instead, he carefully eyed everyone or everything inside that could be the stimulus for such reaction.

Could it be because of the scandal? Something familiar? Something disturbing? Someone disturbing—

"Sehun," he felt a tug and pause and he immediately looked at her.

"Can I change seats with you?"

Sehun wasn't the type to interfere if it's irrelevant, but seeing that look from Seulbi didn't let him think about it twice. He stared at her for a while, studying her, but still nodded. Seulbi knows what he's doing yet she still stared back at him without breaking the contact.

He nodded—because the moment he heard her say those, he already knew the answer to his question.

Or he assumes he knows.

* * * * *

why r u at the back??

It was a text from Luhan. Seulbi sighed as she locks her phone on her lap and gave her attention to the teacher. She decided not to reply right away for she's still thinking of an alibi.

So far, Luhan was the only one asking her that, literally, but she could also feel her other classmates asking her, figuratively, through those questioning glances. Seulbi had a hard time focusing on the teacher for it requires her to face the front—and she can see in her peripheral view a person giving her quick glimpses every now and then. Baekhyun keeps on looking at the back and he's worried he's the reason why Seulbi exchanged seats with Sehun.

Yesterday, he didn't had a formal answer from her; Seulbi stayed rooted on her spot after his confession, as if she's frozen cold. To be honest, it alarmed him, thinking that the shock was caused by something negative. Baekhyun took a step backwards and gave her ample space to think and breathe. He decided to just give her time to answer him, saying that he's not rushing her. Maybe that's half of the reason, but the other half is that he's afraid. So after giving her a smile and taking his bag from the ground, he bid her goodbye, repeating his reminder that he's not rushing her.

Meanwhile, the guy sitting behind Sehun—that's supposed to be her seat—didn't spare her a glance. Actually, Seulbi wasn't really sure if Minseok really didn't give her any look at all because she didn't bother—or can't—look at him. What she didn't know is that the said guy has been itching to talk to her since yesterday... but he can't.

Sehun could just snort on the tension he's feeling on that seat. He continues to play with his pen on his finger, his eyes on the teacher, but his mind on works of thinking how he could save his cousin from the cowards surrounding that seat.

* * * * *

Luhan frowns and stabs his meal as he stares at the table meters away from them. Minseok trailed the sight of the guy in front of him just to see the Oh cousins eating all by themselves, and Sehun's glare at him when he noticed they're looking at them didn't escape his eyes. Minseok pursed his lips into a line and averted his gaze from them, deep in thought. Does Sehun know?

"Seulbi's so weird," he heard Luhan says as he put food in his mouth. If it was a different situation, he could have been laughing right now on how gross Luhan looks like. But Minseok's not in the mood to do so. "She's supposed to be eating with us now but look at her, I don't know if it's just me," and Luhan took a drink before continuing, "but it seems like she's avoiding someone."

This took Minseok's attention and he unconsciously paused eating. Luhan narrowed his eyes on what he witnessed but shrugged it off after a second, continuing to eat while talking. "What's with her? Did she really have to change seats with Sehun? Seriously, if this has something to do with yesterday—"

"What happened yesterday?" Minseok inquired, his eyes all on him. Luhan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he put his chopsticks down and leaned on his chair, blatantly eyeing Minseok. "Come to think of it, you were the one with Seulbi yesterday."

Luhan watches as Minseok's jaw tensed, his mouth opened