[CONTENTID1]Chapter 23[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]"Following the light from the moon, you continue to wander looking for tomorrow,"[/CONTENTID2]

 

[CONTENTID3]           Sena gets a call from an unknown number hours later.

 

           "Hello?" She answers, suspicious.

 

           "Sena!" Baekhyun's voice cheerily greets her over the phone. Her body untenses after she recognizes the voice. "It's me! Your dearest friend Baekhyun! I have a question I need answers to!"

 

           "It's a bit too late to ask me to help you with math, Baekhyun. School's over."

 

           "Not that," he chuckles. "I want you to meet me at this great dinner place tonight at nine. I'll pick you up. Please?"

 

           She hesitates, but agrees after a second of silence.

 

           "Great!" He beams. She can imagine his flirty smile on the other side of the phone, and feels even guiltier. "It's a date!"

 

           An hour later, the doorbell rings and Sena's heart jumps out of her chest. Baekhyun was here, no doubt about it.

 

           "So," the snowy-haired girl opens the front door to reveal a smiley Baekhyun. His hair is brick red now; a soft, dulled hue that suited him well. "Where's this place you're taking me?"

 

           "Willa's Milkshakes," he takes her hand and leads her outside. "It has great milkshakes."

 

           "I never would have thought." Entering his expensive car, she smiles awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. It was never this awkward with Lu Han. Taking a deep breath, Sena decides to treat this like a business meeting, and composes herself as Baekhyun drives to Willa's Milkshakes.

 

           She regrets coming, but she knew that if she wanted to end whatever he thought they had, not showing up wasn't an option. The blonde girl needs to do it today, and in person.

 

           The radio was on, filling in the uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable to her, at least. Baekhyun doesn't seem bothered. He seems to know how dates work, after being on so many, no doubt. Sena sighs, cursing her lack of experience.

 

           She's about to be a junior in a few months, and she's never dated anyone. The thought of it just hit her. She's only had one crush in her entire life, and he's an engaged man. To say that she's a rookie when it comes to love is an understatement.

 

           They parked near the front of the shop, and Baekhyun opens the door for her. She wants to say that she could've done it herself, but all of her snarky comments got lost when he smiled so endearingly at her. She might not have liked him, but even she could admit that Baekhyun was incredibly handsome. So handsome that he made her heart flutter.

 

           As they walk to the restaurant and took a seat, Baekhyun takes her hand in his and looked at her with sincere eyes.

 

           "These couple of days have been rough for you," he frowns at her with worry, "are you okay?"

 

           "Besides getting jumped for flirting with you," Sena snorts, "I'm doing dandy."

 

           The boy in front of her laughs. "No, really," he grins. "I hope you can forgive Mina for this. I know she was the reason you got hurt, but it was her impulsive friends. Well, ex-friends."

 

           "Yeah. Don't worry about it, dude. She and I are great friends now."

 

           "I'm glad. I know Mina and I didn't end on the right foot, but she's a good person," he sighs. "I want the best for her, you know? Our relationship was never going to work anyways. It didn't matter how much I liked her. She was never going to return my feelings, even if she forced herself to."

 

           Something told Sena that he knew—he knew about Mina's uality, even though he won't admit it. She had to give it to him; the boy was smart and eerily observant under all those jokes and airheaded questions he hid behind.

 

           They order milkshakes and burgers. Baekhyun made her laugh, made her forget all of today's troubles—if he wasn't so enamored by her, he would've been such a great friend, she thought wistfully. They had a great time, really. The awkwardness from the car ride was gone, replaced with light laughs and a strong bond.

 

           He doesn't try to force anything on her the entire date, which she was grateful for. As he drives her home though, the atmosphere changes. He walks her to the front porch, and clasps her hands in his.

 

           "Thanks for tonight," he smiles cheerily. "I had a lot of fun."

 

           "I did too," Sena confesses. She stares into his light brown eyes, and, for a moment, was bewitched. They continue standing there in pleasant quietude, until the red head chuckles and leans in closer to her. They were practically the same height, and it took her a moment to figure out what his intentions were. By then, he was an inch away from her face, and, instinctively, she turns her head away so his lips met her cheeks instead.

 

           He quickly pulls away, his beautiful eyes flicked with hurt. An arrow pierces through her heart, seeing him like this.

 

           She didn't want this. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

 

           "I'm sorry," Sena mumbles, embarrassed. It was just a kiss. Nothing special. Then why did she get so flustered and turn away?

 

           "No," Baekhyun shakes his head, laughing awkwardly. "No. It's fine. I should hav