“I’ll be your best friend if you buy me a puppy.”

“You are my best friend and you’re allergic to dogs,” Jongdae replied with a grin.

“Then why don’t I sneeze when I’m around you?” Sam asked innocently, peering up at the taller boy with big eyes.

“Oh, you’re bad…” he hummed out, smirking at her.

“No, no brotha. I’m good,” she replied suavely, lowering her sunglasses from the top of her head to shield her eyes.

“I’m not buying you a puppy, but I’ll buy you a parrot,” Jongdae told her, repaying his best friend with an equally innocent and sickeningly sweet gaze and removing her sunglasses from her face.

“Why a parrot? I don’t want a bird, they’re mean,” she said with a grimace.

“You never shut up. Now you’ll have someone to talk to,” he replied sheepishly, awaiting the slap that followed.

“Jerk. Besides, why do we need a bird to talk our ears off, we already have Baekhyun,” Sam offered, taking another sip from the coke Jongdae bought her.

“That is the truest statement I’ve ever heard,” Jongdae deadpanned staring at the kids throwing a frisbee across the grass in front of them. “Ok, I’m not getting you a puppy or a parrot, but what do you want for your birthday?”

“I don’t know…” Sam said looking down into her coke can. “I don’t really want anything…”

“That’s a lie and we both know it,” he said shooting an unconvinced narrowing of his eyes towards her ear. “What’s Jongin getting you?” he asked.

“Why does that matter?” she asked back, looking up at him. He just widened his eyes at her and laughed.

“Because I need to think about what he’s getting you and get you something the exact opposite.” He laughed again. “Ok, so what’s he gettin’ ya?” he bumped her shoulder with his own and nearly pushed her off the bench.

“How should I know?” she laughed, pushing him back. “Probably something pink with sparkles,” she said with a grin.

“Or zebra print. Or a mirror ‘cause he knows how vain you are,” Jongdae joked. “Or better yet, a picture of himself, so you can look at him whenever you miss him,” he added, making kissy faces at Sam. In retaliation, his forehead was abused by a very brutal finger-flick.  

“Ok, ok! I concede! Stand down, Commander!” he yelped at her, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re lucky I like you…” he glared hard at her, fixing his hair and adjusting his glasses.

“Aw, you like me? I’m flattered, but I’m taken,” she said, grinning so fakely, her eyes closed with the rising of her cheeks.

He laughed, somewhat convincingly and was thankful and relieved when she couldn’t noticeably detect the way the laugh was forced out. “Duly noted,” he replied, acting as if his heart hadn’t frozen over again. She smiled too, although this time her smile wasn’t nearly as bright as before. It never seemed to be when she was talking about Jongin…

“Sammy, look: puppy,” Jongdae said cheerily, changing the subject, when he saw the dog running across the grass. She instantly perked up at that and the glint in her eyes returned as she leapt off the bench and sprinted to the dog. Jongdae watched her talking to the owner and petting the animal softly, talking to it as if expecting an answer. Jongdae giggled when she sneezed. Sam didn’t care if she was allergic to dogs; she loved them too much to care.

That was the thing about Sam, Jongdae thought. If she loved something, she didn’t care how much harm it brought to her. Jongdae called it her fatal flaw. Sam called it her passionate nature. Baekhyun called it stupid.

As the minutes ticked by, Jongdae found himself growing more impatient with his own thoughts and pulled out his old beat up journal and his lucky pen and began to write, occasionally looking up to acknowledge his best friend’s giddiness.

#7

I know I’m an idiot and a coward for not being able to say this to your face, but I think I’m jealous of a dog. Haha, no really. Watching you in front of me, looking at that dog in the park… holding its face, kissing its nose… I might be crazy or I might be head over heels. Maybe both. But I’m not stupid when I say you’re perfect. Even if you’re just as insane as me. Maybe more. But I think that’s the best part of you. You’re crazy over everything you love… Well, so am I…