"Youngjae! Your friend is here!" I hear Yongguk from my room.

  I know immediately which friend he's indicating because this guy tends to visit uninvited. As I proceed to get up from my desk, I hear Daehyun shouting, "Jae! Are you free to workout today?" Daehyun and I continued our friendship after summer school, but that's not the only thing. We also made sure that we would still be workout partners whenever we're available. It's been two months since the fall semester started and since we recently had exams, Daehyun's been taking the chance and tries working out with me while we have free time.

  I poke my head out the door. Yongguk is already in his room. He's gotten used to Daehyun barging in and just opens the door for him. I see Daehyun in the kitchen, sitting at my dining table with his gym clothes on, drawstring bag, and water bottle. In his hand, he has his phone and he seems to be texting someone. I stand next to him and look over his shoulder. "Who're you texting?" I ask.

  Daehyun jumps and covers his phone with his hand. "No one. Just a friend. Are you ready?" He squints his eyes at me. "You're not working out today?"

  I scratch the back of my head. "Well, I need to study for Biochem."

  "But we don't have an exam until another two weeks."

  Oh, I also forgot to mention that we have two classes together this year. It was not planned, but when I went in the classroom, he was right there.

  "I'm studying early. I can't afford for my GPA to drop! This is a critical time for us!"

  Daehyun purses his lips. "You're right, but we're only working out for an hour. Afterwards, we can take a shower and then study in the library. How does that sound? I can drive if you want me to and you can stay in the library as long as you want. Just call me and I'll come pick you up."

  Just seeing the pleading, puppy-dog look in his eyes easliy breaks me. I heave a sigh in defeat. "Fine. Let me get my stuff."

  He grins widely like an idiot.

  I shake my head and mutter under my breath, "Weirdo."

  The more I got to know Daehyun, the more I begin to realize how dorky and quirky this guy is. I thought he would be a calm and collected type of guy, but as time goes on, he's just as much as a weirdo as I am. At times, we would be sitting in the atrium of the science building, waiting for our class, and suddenly, we make sounds to kill our boredom. Other times, we would be sarcastic towards each other, and I would constantly about how fat he is. He really isn't, but he's definitely fat at heart. He eats a lot more than I expected!

  I change into my workout clothes, and again, when I go to the dining room, Daehyun is texting with a huge grin on his face. Who is he texting anyways? Why does he not want me to see it? He doesn't even realize I'm standing next to him. "I'm ready," I announce.

  Daehyun stuffs his phone in his bag. "Let's go! I'll drive!"

  When we get to the gym, it's not as crowded as usual since most students are either busy studying or attending class. Today we're working on our arms, so we head straight to the free weights section. There, I can't help but glance at Daehyun's biceps. I've always known he has nice arms, but for some reason I'm staring at him longer than usual. Just how did he get such good arms, and here I am still working on mine.

  It doesn't help when Daehyun does bicep curls. As he brings the weights up, his muscles tense and he grunts as he's trying to break his personal record. I glance at the mirror in front of us and find out he's staring at me while I was staring at him. My cheeks flush and look down at the ground while doing my own bicep curls.

  When he finishes his first set he puts the weights on the ground and places his hands on his hips. "What are you thinking about?" He asks.

  I shake my head. "It's nothing, really." I'm done with my set and wait a bit. I refuse to look him in the eyes because I know I will be too embarrassed after staring at his arms earlier. I hope he didn't notice.

  From my peripheral, I see Daehyun checking his phone. He types something quickly before returning to his workout.

  Just who is he texting?

  By the end of our workout, I'm a sweating mess like usual while Daehyun looks perfectly fine. I wipe off my sweat with a towel and gulp down my remaining water before refilling it. For some reason, I just can't get the thought of him texting someone so happily out of my head. I mean, he texts people all the time, but most of the time he tells me who he's texting when he finds something funny or when I ask out of boredom. This time, he's not even giving me any hints!

  But then again, why should I care anyways? It's not like it's any of my business anyways. I should just not pay too much attention to it. It's just a simple text.

  "Good workout!" Daehyun exclaims.

  We make our way to the car. Again, he's texting.

  "Who are you texting?" I ask once more.

  "A friend," he utters without raising his head.

  I try glancing at his phone, but his brightness wasn't high enough for me to see. Yeah, I should really let it go. I mean, there's really no reason for me to know everyone he interacts with. We're just friends, and it's not like I'm his first friend. He has plenty of them, and I happen to be one of them. But I will say I hang out with him more than my other friends. It's weird, but sometimes I feel like we are the same person. Is that how best friends feel like?

  As I'm lost in my own world, I stumble on an uneven sidewalk. I lose my balance and find myself falling forward. Before I can land on the ground, Daehyun grabs my arm and pulls me up. I look around and notice a few students glancing at me before returning to their daily lives. Ah, c'mon. Why am I so embarrassing? I straighten myself and still feel Daehyun's hand around my arm. I can't help but be captivated those chocolate eyes. My heart beats faster. "Thanks." He can let go of me now.

  It takes him a moment before he releases me. "You really need to watch your step, Jae. What if I wasn't here or what if I didn't see you? You would've fallen flat on your face!"

  "Yeah. I know."

  "I mean, I'll probably laugh first, but then I would help you."

  "Yeah. I know."

  "You always know everything," he remarks and makes a face.

  I punch his shoulder lightly. "Oh, shut up."

  He rubs his shoulder and pretends to be a hurt puppy. "You really should stop punching people. It's a bad habit."

  "I only do that to you because you tend to annoy me."

  "I'm not that annoying. You're just grumpy all the time."

  "I am not!"

  "Yeah, you are. Don't deny it." He pauses. "Anyways, I know I'm handsome and all, but you were really staring at me today. Was there something weird on my face or my body or anything? You were really deep in thought."

  Again, my cheeks flush and my whole body gets warm. I fiddle with my fingers. "It's nothing. I was just worried about Biochem and how much I need to study. And then I have to work on my Physics homework and remember how to draw the DNA and it's bases. There's just so much to do and so little time!" That's honestly not what I was worried about the whole time, but it works.

  Daehyun throws his arms up. "You really need to relax sometimes. You're too tense!"

  We reach Daehyun's car. I climb in and so does he. It's pretty hot inside as it is still considered summer and his car was parked outside in the heat. Let us not forget that he has leather seats. Daehyun lets the car run for the A/C to cool down the interior and opens the windows just a bit. Outside, I see students walking to their next class or their cars. I can feel sweat dripping down my forehead due to this heat. I quickly wipe it away with my hand, hoping Daehyun doesn't notice.

  Suddenly, I feel strong hands on my shoulder as he gives me a little squeeze.

  Out of reflexes, I jump and swat his hands away. "What are you doing?" I'm still sweating here and he's willing to touch me!

  "I'm giving you a massage."

  "Why?" Isn't it a bit strange to just suddenly give someone a massage without their knowledge?

  "Because I told you to relax, and your shoulders looked tense. C'mon, Jae. Just let me do it while we're waiting for the car to cool."

  "I prefer waiting until we get home." It feels weird because someone could be watching. Sure, this is just a simple shoulder rub, but you never know. People can get the wrong idea if they don't get the full story, and I don't want them talking about me. 

  Daehyun shrugs. "Alright. That's fine by me." With that, he drives off to the apartment.

  I enter my unit and find Daehyun following right behind. I give him a quizzical look. "What are you doing?" I really do feel like he was a puppy in his previous life. There never seems to be a moment where he doesn't want to be left alone, and if he is, he always finds someone to go with.

  "I'm going to give you a massage."

  Why does he keep insisting on this? "Well, I'm fine now, so you can go home and take a shower. We'll just meet up later to head to the library." I just really don't want him touching me while I'm this sweaty. It's just gross. I probably stink, too.

  Daehyun insists. "A simple massage doesn't hurt. Let's head to your room." He doesn't let me answer and barges in my room. Typically, I hate it when people enter my room without my permission, but I was more confused than angry. Daehyun isn't this assertive. Sure, he makes a lot of the decisions, but today he's more persistent than usual. Is he always like this with his friends?

  Luckily, my room is clean, so I don't feel embarrassed about him being in here.

  I sigh in defeat, knowing he won't change his mind and sit on the edge of my bed. "Fine. Just for five minutes and then we'll have to take a shower and study. I really, really want to get A's on all my classes this year."

  "Yeah, yeah. I gotchu." Daehyun grins and hops on my bed behind me. I hear a notification on his phone and feel my heart drop. Is he going to be texting that person again?

  To my surprise, he rubs my shoulder and ignores his phone. He gives light pressure as he runs his hands all along my back. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. I guess it's nice to receive a massage once in a while. Plus, I don't usually get them, so this is a nice feeling. My body relaxes as I smile to myself. My eyes are still closed. Ah, this really does feel nice. Maybe I should tell him to massage me longer. I hum in delight.

  I don't know how long it's been, but as his hands rubs up to my shoulder, he stops. I hear the bed creak. As I turn my head back and flutter my eyes open, I'm met with deep, chocolate brown eyes. My body freezes at his close proximity and my jaw drops. The beauty mark under his eye is prominent and his thick lips are just centimeters away from mine. His hot breath tickles my skin. My heart pounds in my chest and I can't breathe. Why is he so close to me? "Uhm. Dae-"

  I didn't get to finish my sentence before feeling his plump lips pressing against mine. I'm taken aback and sit there unmoving with my eyes wide open. My mind runs in circles and my stomach does loops. Wait. What's going on?

  Daehyun pulls away and opens his eyes slowly. Soon, his eyes widen and he draws back. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He struggles to get out of my bed and gets caught on my covers. He doesn't even get off my bed when he trips and faceplants on the mattress. I can't help but laugh at his clumsiness.

  "Dae, you're an idiot." He's an idiot for suddenly kissing me and for tripping all over the place! I'm still in shock, but a part of me is a little too happy about this. I've always thought Daehyun was attractive, but because I didn't know what his preference or type was, I did my best to suppress any kind of feelings beyond friendship.

  Daehyun simply buries his head in my covers and nods his head. His words are muffled, but I can clearly understand him. "I know I am."

 Since he is laying behind me, I plop down and rest my head on his back. I reach over and ruffle his hair. "Don't you think you're moving a little too fast?" I tease. Part of me is screaming like a fanboy, but then the other part of me is a little suspicious. Why did he even decide to kiss me in the first place?

  He nods again, but says nothing.

  I roll on my side. His back is a little sweaty, but I didn't care. His ears are bright red and I can hear his heart pounding as my ear is against his back. I poke his cheek. "I thought I was the embarrassing one."

  Daehyun turns his head to the side and I can see his eyes are a little watery. "Shut up. Don't even talk about it. I just thought that you- Your lips- You- Never mind. I don't want to talk about it. You probably don't care because you're awfully calm about this."

  That's not true! I'm happy, but I just don't want to show that much excitement. "You did catch me off guard."

  He raises his head to look at me but since I'm on his back, he is unable to do so. Instead, he plops his head down and yells into the covers.

  I roll on his back until my head is at the nape of his neck. We've been friends for quite a while. A part of me was attracted to him, but I held back. I held back for the fear of him not thinking about me the same way. Him kissing me made all those fears go away. However, I did want to take things slowly. It just doesn't feel like the right time to be anything further than friends while we're still trying to pursue our dreams. At the same time, I don't mind being more than friends. I poke the back of his neck.

  Daehyun shivers. "That tickles."

  "Oh, really?" I poke him again and watch him squirm. I laugh. This time, I seriously tickle him by wiggling my fingers on the side of his neck.

  He twitches and swats my hand away, only for me to return and continue my movements. He turns around so that my head is now on his chest. Since his reflexes are much faster than mine, he grabs my hands before I can get up. His eyes grow wide, trying to be threatening. "Hey! I told you that tickles! Stop that." A bright smile is on his lips.

  I stick my tongue out. I try escaping by sitting up, but Daehyun has the same idea and he crashes his forehead on the back of my head. We both fall back on our original position and groan in pain. We both rub our heads in pain.

  "What the hell, Dae. That hurt!" I sit up and punch him on the shoulder.

  "Ow! Didn't I say it's not nice punching people?"

  I roll my eyes. "Whatever."

  We glare at each other. He really is an idiot.

  Soon, our glares turn into laughter. This whole situation was just weird, but I wouldn't change the world for this day because this is the day where I realized that if I didn't go to the gym during summer, I would have never met Daehyun the way I did, and we would never have had this fitness connection. Ah, it looks like no matter what we do and how long we'll know each other, we will always end up in an awkward and embarrassing situation. And, honestly, I don't mind that.

  Daehyun props himself up with his elbows. "Uhm. About the kiss..." His eye trail to the side.

  I lean towards him and press my lips against his forehead. "Don't worry about it. I'll return your feelings with one condition."

  "What?"

  I grin. "We have to continue being workout partners first and make our way into becoming partners."

  Daehyun scrunches his nose and gives me a look, but then smiles and chuckles. "Alright. Whatever, you say, Partner."

Author's Note:

  THE END! I hope it wasn't cringey haha I'm so used to writing angst that I kinda try so hard to put fluff. I hope you enjoyed this little story. I just wanted to write this for the heck of it. I thought it was a fun slice-of-life kind of story. Thank you for reading!

With Love,

LokiCraze123