I texted Sehun to meet me in front of the Department of Chemistry. Our lab technician was delighted to have someone who wasn't from our department to attend our class and she allowed him to attend.

Sehun was waiting for me at the entrance, looking slightly nervous. He smiled seeing me. I had to admit that I was nervous too.

"Did you wait for too long?"

He shook his head immediately. "No, I arrived a few minutes earlier."

"Let's go now."

He was more than amazed when we entered the lab. His eyes kept roaming all over the room, mouth opened widely.

"You come here every day?" he whispered to me in awe.

"Almost every day."

"Wow. Let's just hope that I don't break something here."

Sehun was surprisingly good. He just followed the rules and he was doing pretty good. The lab technician assigned him as my partner and he was really helpful. He didn't let me do the heating of the test tubes, saying that it was dangerous. All the girls in the lab were looking at him, more like drooling over him.

"Hey, where did you find a guy like this?" one of the girls whispered to me and I frowned.

"He's a friend", I said. It felt weird to call Sehun a friend. We were just acquaintances, or something more, I didn't know. I didn't know how to define my relationship with Sehun, but it wasn't friendship.

"Chaerin, can you pass me the hydrochloric acid?" Jongdae asked.

Just when I was about to take the bottle with the chemical from the shelf, someone's hand snatched it away. It was Sehun's. He litteraly pushed the bottle into Jongdae's hands.

"Thanks", Jongdae said, "Sehun."

I looked at Sehun in confusion. He was apparently in bad mood. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I was busy with the experiment. I could ask him later.

"Thank you for this, Chaerin. I really had a great time in the lab", he said. He was walking me to the dorms, as he insisted. 

"There's no need to thank me."

He stopped walking for a few moments. "I would like to ask you something." He was looking to the ground and gulped. "Would you like to go on...I mean go to have some bubble tea?"

I wish I could have said no to him, I wish I just walked away from him. But I couldn't. I nodded and he smiled at me. We continued walking in silence. It was already becoming awkward so I decided to speak.

"Where are your friends? Jongin and Baekhyun, right?"

"Baekhyun is in London."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's the rich kid", he chuckled. "Jongin is with his girlfriend, probably." I nodded again, now wondering where we were heading. He must have noticed that, so he chuckled. "We can go to that cafe on the river, if you like."

"Sure", I said absently.

I prayed that Minseok wasn't working in the cafe. But my prayers were in in vain. Minseok took our orders. He eyed Sehun before leaving.

"This cafe is really nice", Sehun said.

"Yes. I come here quite often."

"Because of Minseok?" He asked it almost in a whisper, and I trembled a bit. Why was he bringing that up? "I'm sorry, Chaerin, I'm stupid. Forgive me", he looked up at me. For some reason unknown even to me, tears started welling in my eyes. I gulped, looking away from him. I stared through the window, trying to think of something else.

Silence between us  was interrupted by Minseok. He gave us our drinks. I smiled weakly at him and he left. I felt so uncomfortable that I wanted to grab my drink and leave.

"I can't do this."

He sounded desperate. My confusion couldn't be described with words.

"I can't pretend like I don't care." 

"Sehun, what are you talking about?"

He heaved a sigh, lowering his head. "I can't pretend like I don't care about you. Because I do."

His words made my heart beat without control. I wanted to say anything, but my lips couldn't move.

"It took me three weeks to gather up the courage to return you the letter and apologize. I was too nervous to meet you." He was avoiding my eyes while talking. "I'm nervous whenever I'm talking to you", he chuckled slightly. "I like you, Chaerin."

I didn't know what to say. His confession was unexpected and I honestly couldn't believe that he liked me. Why?

"I like you a lot."

"Why?" The question slipped out of my mouth and his eyes shoot up at me.

"Why would you ask that? I just like you." he only thing I wanted to do was to leave and never see him again. 

"Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Now came the difficult part. I always felt bad when I had to reject someone. I hated to cause them pain, but I couldn't do anything else because I didn't feel the same.

"Sehun, I...I can't. I'm sorry."

His face fell right away. I felt sorry for him for a few moments. He bit his lip, tapping the table with his fingers. "You are rejecting me. I-I understand. It's alright." His words didn't match his expression. He looked pitiful and pained. "If you don't want to go out with me because of that thing in the cafeteria, I swear I'm different. I'm not like that", he said and it sounded as if he was pleading me.

"No, Sehun, really. I know that you are a good guy", I paused. "I just...don't feel the same." The words felt bitter in my mouth.

He looked up at me and I saw tears in his eyes. I saw pain in his eyes and I don't think I'd ever forget that view.

"I understand you, Chaerin." He got up abruptly and left, leaving me alone in the cafe.

I stared at his bubble tea on the table. Even his bottle looked sad, but I couldn't help him. I couldn't force myself to like him.