“Siwon, I swear to God if you flick one more elastic band at me I will tear your arm off!” Kyuhyun glared at her co-worker who was lying across the counter. It was almost eleven and they had only served two customers all day.

“Kyuhyun, don‘t take the Lords name in vain!” Kyuhyun glared again, throwing a pencil at Siwon's head. “Your friend not hovering round the shop this week?”

“No. I figured she had ogled you enough last week and told her you weren’t working.”

“Ogled?”

“It’s a real word, shut up.”

“Fine, fine… she was kind of cute, though.”

“Ok, watch me not listen to this. Watch me go away from you and put CDs on the shelves, just so I don’t have to hear this.”

Kyuhyun grabbed a pile of unsorted CDs from the end of the counter and stormed off the sort them. She was almost finished when a voice behind her spoke.

“Excuse me, I have a complaint.”

Kyuhyun practically growled; she was terrible with customers, especially complaining ones, but she put on her helpful smile and started to turn around. “If you have a complaint Miss, could you take it to the boy over… Mi! What are you doing here? It's only 11!”

Kyuhyun hugged Zhou Mi on impulse like she always did, and always wished she hadn’t because Zhou Mi’s perfume was sweet, overpowering, and Kyuhyun would be smelling it for at least the next few hours.

“Yeah, I came to apologise - I’ve got a massive report due on Monday, and I may have forgotten to do it. Going to have to take a rain check, but I will call you later to see how you are surviving?”

Kyuhyun felt her stomach sink a little. “That’s fine” she smiled, quite used to lying to spare Zhou Mi’s feelings. “You don’t have to call me though, just get your report done. Maybe we could hang out tomorrow if you manage to get it finished?” She slipped her hand into her pocket so Zhou Mi wouldn’t see her crossing her fingers.

“Sure, Kyu,” Kyuhyun's heart stopped - that smile - “but yeah, I will call you later when I'll know if I'll be finished. Anyway I'd better rush, speak to you later!”

She was gone, but Kyuhyun could still smell her perfume. “Crap…”

“Still haven’t told her yet, I take it?”

“Shut up, Siwon.”

“I just don’t see why you don’t tell her?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“So?”

“So… I don’t want to lose that. It’s better this way,” Kyuhyun raised her eyebrow at Siwon, daring him to say anything else.

***

She made it to the game store in about ten minutes, got her game in another ten, which left ten more minutes for browsing - browsing that was rudely interrupted by Heechul plucking a violent looking game out of her hands and manoeuvring her out of the shop.

“Do you mind?” Kyuhyun stopped to rearrange herself before scanning the group outside the shop. “Heechul, did you really need to bring your brother?”

“He found out we were meeting up.”

“So?”

“So I felt left out. Come on Kyu, give me a hug?”

“Get away from me Yesung, you freak,” Kyuhyun pushed the approaching boy away by his forehead. Yesung was Heechul's brother and two years younger than the rest of them. A few years back he had taken to joining them on their little outings. He was to Kyuhyun blatantly gay, and in denial, not that the boy had had much hope with Heechul for an older sister. He was also Ryeowook’s ex-boyfriend, but nobody ever spoke about that.

Kyuhyun watched as Yesung expertly began to fiddle with his hair to make it how he liked it, even taking a mirror out of his pocket to check his parting.

“How’s your little crush, 'Sung?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“That handsome boy who goes to your school that you make gooey eyes over. Kibum, was it?”

“I do not have a crush on him,” Yesung pouted, “I just think he’s cool is all.”

Heechul ruffled her brothers hair affectionately, much to his distress. “Sure you don’t,” she turned back to Kyuhyun, “what time is Zhou Mi meeting us?”

Kyuhyun remembered why she was in a bad mood. “She’s not. Uni work”

***

Heechul rather wisely had not pried, mentioned or even questioned about the lack of Zhou Mi. They had made it to the restaurant without hazard. She had even go so far as to shush Donghae's 'see, told you she isn’t real'.

As everyone else seamed to be too busy messing around, Kyuhyun decided to help the stressed looking waitress, by telling her they wanted a table for seven.

“Table for eleven.”

“Heechul, look around you. There are seven people.”

“Idiot. Eeteuk's bringing Kangin - they'll be here any minute now, and Jaejoong is on her way.”

“That’s still only ten.”

That’s when an embarrassed-looking Ryeowook was pulled forward by her arm. Kyuhyun was impressed that much blood could fill her cheeks without her passing out.

“This one has invited a date.”

Heechul’s grin could have blinded people.

“Fine, table for eleven, and 'Wook? You are telling me about him the second we sit down.”

Ryeowook nodded mutely, still bright red.

It transpired that the restaurant still wasn’t used to their rather large and ever growing party, and as a result they had to push together two tables in the corner. Eeteuk and Kangin had joined them and the group had been very noisy, so much that the next table had left very quickly after finishing their meal. Kyuhyun learnt that Ryeowook had invited a boy named Henry, who she had had a few dates with, and was hopelessly besotted with. Heechul had made retching faces behind her back, even though she herself had spent a good portion of her time cooing over the boy next to her, Hankyung, who it turned out wasn’t that bad and seemed to think Heechul was wonderful.

Jaejoong finally turned up at the same time as everyone else’s food did, looking slightly out of breath and cursing public transportation. Kyuhyun made the others move down and make room for her.

“How’s the gayboy?”

“If you mean Yunho, he’s fine, and straight. He‘ll be joining us later,” Jaejoong glared at Kyuhyun, stealing one of her fries.

“Still in the closet, then?” Kyuhyun smirked, looking up at the door. “Speaking of...,” she nudged Jaejoong and they both giggled.

Yesung was busy trying to balance a bottle on his forehead when Kyuhyun thought it was time to embarrass him.

“Yesung your boyfriend's here”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but for the last time, I’m not ga-”

“Hi, Kibum!” Kyuhyun waved at the group of boys behind Yesung. Kibum, Changmin and Shindong. The bottle hit the table as Yesung swung round to look behind him, facing the table again a bright red colour. “Join us!”

Kyuhyun was surprised she wasn’t melting from the glare that Yesung was sending her way, but she really didn’t care. This was too funny.

The table was a tad crowded; it had been bad enough with ten, but with thirteen of them sat down Kyuhyun could hardly breathe. Henry had still not shown up, and Kyuhyun couldn’t help but want to hug Ryeowook who was checking her phone every few minutes, and had hardly eaten anything. As she was about to offer her own phone in a plea for Ryeowook to just give up and call him, her phone rang and she ran outside to answer it. Heechul squealed to Kyuhyun’s right.

Yesung was blushing again; whether he noticed Kibum was doing it or not, the older boy was flirting with him. Every time Yesung lifted a piece of food to his mouth Kibum would steal it, smiling, daring Yesung to complain. Heechul stared, obviously horrified by it.

“Kyuhyun, why is that boy undressing my brother with his eyes?”

“Just leave it, Heechul. Maybe this way he will stop pining.”

Heechul probably would have complained if Ryeowook hadn’t just walked back into the restaurant with a boy that could only be Henry walking shyly behind. Kyuhyun only noticed one thing.

“Jesus, look at the cheeks on him!”

Sometimes, Kyuhyun wondered if Heechul could read minds.