Jihyo is not the kind of person that could openly be herself no matter where she is. She is just an introvert, preferring to see things from a distance. She hates meeting new people because she would never find the right things to say to them to make a good first impression. She is always cautious on every single detail she is going to say. The words that uttered from are mostly mumbles and whispers because she thinks no one cared enough to hear what her opinions are and what her interests are. She did not shut herself from the rest of the world just because she wanted to. She did that due to her past experiences, some things that have shaped her to be who she is today. Mostly her family asked her to be more confident, to be more like the successful sibling and to be a social butterfly but at the same time, be herself. All her life she have gotten confused and scared because she thinks she is never good enough and maybe because of that, she shuts herself down. She prefers to be a wallflower, watching people and things from the side lines. Even if she notices everything, she will never get noticed.

Well, except for one guy…

Luhan never expect to be so interested in a girl that no one even knew. Despite his high interest on Jihyo, he never dared to tell this to anyone, not even his friends. It is best to watch her from afar. He first took notice of her during the very first day of high school, when he bumped into her accidentally, making her files and registration slips dropped from her grasp. He helps her of course like a gentleman he is but what made everything changes is when he looks into her eyes. Her innocent looking eyes that made Luhan wanted to protect her from all evil in the world and her soft voice that have made Luhan’s cold heart feeling warmth it has been missing.

“Let me help you! It’s my fault anyway”, Luhan said, guilt evident in his voice.

The girl just shook her head while giving him a small smile. “It’s okay. I’m fine by myself.”

Her smile… It is the first time that he had ever felt his heart beats in a weird manner. Her smile still haunts him to this day and his heart is still thumping weirdly whenever he thinks about it. Only that smile could give such an effect to him and he still craves to see it more but the chances of him getting hit by a car is higher than seeing her beautiful smile again. It crushed him to know he’ll never see those pink luscious lips curved up to a smile.

Just as Luhan was thinking of Jihyo, the said girl just passed by him as if he is a ghost. The faint smell of vanilla is in the air and he knows it is her because that’s her perfume scent, her signature scent. He sounds like a creepy stalker somehow but really, he is just curious on what his feelings for her really are and he intends to find it out, whether it is a crush or just merely a curiosity.

****

Luhan finished his practice later than usual. He sighed as he fished out his motorcycle keys from his pockets and walk towards the door when he noticed a familiar figure. He stopped his pace and takes a closer look on the girl, who looks fidgety with her cellphone.

He coughs awkwardly. “Uh, you okay?” he asked.

The girl turned to him and it made his heart skip a beat. Beautiful.

“Uh, no. It’s j-just no one at h-home to pick me up. I-I don’t want to walk back h-home”, she stutters. It took him awhile to understand what she is saying. It is rather weird, hearing her stutter since she hardly stutters when he bumped into her that day. He doesn’t want to make her feel any more uncomfortable so he decides to ignore her stuttering, like a decent human being would.

“Let me send you home then”, Luhan said while giving her a cheerful smile. She tilts her head sideways in confusion. “But you don’t know me-“

“I know that your name is Jihyo, Song Jihyo and come on, just let me send you home.”

She just raises her eyebrows and bites her lips, as if she didn’t know what to say. Luhan’s heart is thumping fast and it is out of control. Maybe it is not a crush, maybe it is not just a mere curiosity.

“I always have noticed you”, he blurts out.

Maybe all this time, it is just blossoming love.

-

Ever since then, Luhan have always stuck by Jihyo’s side like glue. At first Jihyo found it burdening because all the other students think it is just plain weird that the most popular guy in school is close to a nobody. They found it cliché and they keep making fun of Jihyo, ignoring how much pain that she might have felt by their words.

Luhan have noticed this straight away when he heard people whisper to each other whenever he walked beside her but he still stays, giving everyone who gives her a bad time threats and little by little, Jihyo is grateful for having Luhan by her side. It is as if she has a guardian angel, a very beautiful one in fact. They have gotten closer and Luhan is more infatuated with Jihyo as days passed by. She is so much more than just a wallflower. She is so much more than that but she failed to see her potential, to see how much greatness that she can achieve and all that is lost due to her fear.

She have this growing fear inside of her that people are going to judge her or just waiting for her to make a huge mistake, to fall flat on her face. She was always traumatized that ever since she was a little kid but everyone told her that doesn’t matter at all since she was just a kid. They just don’t understand. They only could understand that Jihyo is weird and unbothered to know the real depth of her. They think it is stupid that she got her anxieties and fears from her childhood. They are unbothered to know the reason why because maybe they just don’t care enough. She hardly told anyone about this and she never shows the different side to her to anyone and then, Luhan came along as if he have just fallen from the sky and is destined to be her guardian.

And by that Luhan feels special. He feels special because he could see this other side of her that she kept hidden from everyone. He knows everything about her. He has never forced her to tell him anything. Every secret she told her happens naturally and he couldn’t help but feel giddy inside and he have this growing feeling to protect her and it keeps growing every time she leans onto him whenever she feels like falling apart. He gave her words of encouragement, comforting hugs but most of the time; he was there for her even when she told him to go away.

During the times when she is showing her happy side to him, he still loves her the same. He loves it how she whines every time she lost a video game with him, he loves it how he can talk almost anything to her and she would just listen even if she barely talks, he loves it how she tends to get excited like a little kid when they once go to the amusement park together with his friends, he loves it how the wind blows on her long silky black hair and she would tuck in her strand of hair behind her ear, he loves it how she secretly smiles when she looks at those rare nights where the skies look like a painting of stars, he loves it how she tends to hit him whenever she laughs…

He just… loves her.

But maybe… the girl didn’t love him back.

“Hyung”, Sehun called out to Luhan, making him a bit startled. Sehun sighed as he takes a sip on his chocolate bubble tea with Xiumin eating his steamed bun.

“You should just confess to her”, Xiumin said, sounding a bit frustrated. Luhan creased his eyebrows and just glares at Xiumin. He said it as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. Luhan have many times have thought of a confession but he is just afraid. He is just afraid that he might get rejected by the first girl he has ever loved.

“I heard Kai takes a liking on her too”, Sehun shrugged. “By the way hyung, are you going to drink that?” Sehun said as he points to Luhan’s taro flavoured bubble tea.

“Wait, what?” Luhan asked, turning his head to Sehun. Sehun smirks slightly as he steals away Luhan’s bubble tea and the older doesn’t even realize it because he was so distracted.

Poor deer.

“Yeah, Kai adored Jihyo since like-“

“Forever. It’s true, Luhannie. I’ve seen the way he looks at the both of you whenever you guys hang out”, Xiumin interrupt him while munching on his favourite steamed bun.

“Rude, don’t interrupt me and isn’t that cannibalism?!” Sehun half shrieked.

After that, both Sehun and Xiumin are not bothered to talk about Kai anymore but instead they talked about cannibalism and how many times Xiumin told Sehun that his nickname is ‘baozi’ and that he is not an actual bun but Sehun refused to believe so and he kept on pinching the older like the bratty maknae he is.

Luhan on the other hand is still bothered by the fact maybe one of his best friends is in love with Jihyo too… and the fact that his two friends are arguing over something useless…. Again.

This is just getting too cliché.

******

Jihyo have started to opening up more but she is still afraid to talk to her classmates. Funny how she is so comfortable talking to Luhan so fast. She smiles as she thought of Luhan. These days, only he takes over her mind. She cannot stop thinking about him and she isn’t sure whether it is because she really likes being friends with him or…. Because she is insecure for Luhan’s flawless facial features because really, put a wig on that ‘manly’ boy and he would passed as the most beautiful girl in school.

“Hey, Jihyo!” Kai greets him as he holds Jihyo by her shoulder. She gulped as she tried to walk away but Kai have a tight grip on her shoulders. Ever since she has gotten closer to Luhan, Kai have been awfully trying too hard to be close to her too. It is not that she hates Kai but she feels really uncomfortable because when Luhan have first saw Kai did that, Luhan looks like he is going to murder him or something so she really didn’t want to be the reason why they fight.

“Uh, h-hey Kai”, Jihyo greets back bashfully.

“I was wondering if you and I could, you know, grab a cup of coffee or something. I heard you like drinking coffee. I hate it really but if you like it, I don’t mind drinking it with you”, Kai said, with slight enthusiasm in his voice.

“I-“

“No, Kai. We have plans together, isn’t that right Jihyo?” Luhan said as he pulled Jihyo back. Wait, where did he even came from?

“Um-“

“We have that History project together and we better get going if we want to finish it faster!”

Jihyo couldn’t even retort back whatever Luhan is saying as she got pulled away by him. Her mind went to focused on his hand tightly grabbing her wrist instead. Luhan didn’t even realize when he even grabbed her wrist. It is an act of impulse and he cursed himself for being stupid. Why? Well, he could have grabbed her hand but instead, he grabbed her wrist. Even though he lost the chance to hold her hand, but it still made his heart go warm and fuzzy.

And he is in love with this feeling.

“Luhan, we already finished that History Project, remember? Can you please let go?” Jihyo asked as she tugged her arms.

Luhan bites his lower lip. He doesn’t want to let go. He doesn’t want this warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart disappear. He just… really doesn’t want to see Jihyo in another guy’s arms, especially in Kai’s arms. It would break his heart when he saw them but if Jihyo is happy, he is happy too.

Luhan let go of her wrist and turns to see her, the girl who have made his heart flutter, staring right into him. Jihyo played with her fingers, a habit of hers when she is trying to think of what to say.

“I don’t understand why you don’t want me to be friends with Kai, I mean; he is your friend too… right? And I… I just, really don’t… what, I hate this so much, I-“

She got interrupted… again but this time, it is because there is something soft pressed against her lips.

It was Luhan’s.

She tried pulling away but Luhan only pull her closer and kissing her lips lovingly, despite Jihyo being unresponsive to his kisses. Luhan feels like he is in a dream, kissing her like this. He feels as if there are fireworks behind them and his heart feels like it’s going to burst. He loves this so much, he have been dreaming about this since he have realized his feelings for her but then…

Maybe Jihyo doesn’t even have feelings for him.

He pulls away and as he is about to say sorry, what Jihyo did next surprised him.

She holds his hands while grazing on his thumb, making Luhan blushed.

“I’m scared Luhan”, she whispers.

“Huh?”

She looks up and meets Luhan’s doe eyes. “I’m s-scared that you might realize that we’re too d-different. A-and I-“

She got interrupted again by Luhan when he pecks on her lips. “Don’t you hear that saying? Opposite attracts? And besides..”, Luhan trail off then kissed both of her cheeks. “We’re not that different, Jihyo-ah.”

Jihyo was a wallflower, a girl who would rather look things from afar as she is afraid of engaging with other people. She is a girl who notices everything but never gets noticed, until the popular guy, the big man in the campus, noticed her. He saw her for whom she truly is and yet, treats her like he has always treated her, like a princess. He always encourages her to speak out and to talk things out with her family and she did. Her family then realized that forcing her to be someone else instead of encouraging her to be comfortable in her own skin is wrong. So they support her to be who she truly is and accept her, they even accept Luhan in Jihyo’s life. Surprisingly, it helps to boost her confidence and she hardly stutters now. She still has anxieties when she is in the crowd and is still afraid of being judged but Luhan is always there for her and somehow, it has made her worry less, knowing that he is there for her. Luhan brings a sense of comfort to Jihyo and Jihyo brings a sense that makes it feel like home.

There are days in their relationship where things doesn’t go its way but no relationship is perfect is it? They fight, they cried, jealousy is always in the way and miscommunication is always the problem but they always find a way to make things better. Luhan rather stay with her, handling all the little things about her rather than lose her. Losing her would be like losing half of his soul.

It is funny how back then, Luhan used to ponder on what love would feel like. He has never experienced it before but he did watch it himself. He used to define love like how Sehun loves his bubble tea and how Xiumin loves his precious steamed buns but now, he sees that as an obsession rather than love. He has seen Sehun deprived of bubble tea and he really doesn’t want to see that again…

 Anyway… it is funny how a girl changes all of that. He now lives for her smile and laughter, because those little things made his heart soar high.

 “Jihyo, please remember you are not alone. I’m here for you”, Luhan said as he holds her hand.

Jihyo gave him a small smile. “I know”, she said while caressing his cheek. “You were always there for me whenever I needed you.”

He smiles and pulls her into a deep loving kiss. They have been together for years and he still wants to spend many years to come with her.

Because she is the girl that changed him and he is the boy who made her better.