You knew you shouldn’t have walked into the math lab on Friday hoping for a different outcome, but you did anyway and the level of disappointment that you came as a shock. Tao stayed true to his word and didn’t showed up for another “tutoring session”. It was pointless to call them that anymore as he didn’t need the help. Hell, he was probably better at it than you. But you liked spending that time with him. You liked his stupid jokes and the way a sparkle appeared in his eyes when he was looking at you. It made you feel… well, it made you feel pretty damn special. And the way he was constantly chasing after you even when it would be easier to turn to the next girl… let’s just say that your faith in him was growing each and every day.

For an hour or so, you sat at your usual table, alone and bored, waiting for this to be the one time he really lied to you and showed up unannounced. You wouldn’t even mind the fib. You’d let it slide because – although admitting it, even just to yourself, was a little humiliating – you missed him.

Groaning, you let your head fall to the table with a hard thunk, not caring about the others around you who probably turned to see what the commotion was.

“You okay, (y/n)?”

You looked up, just slightly turning your head to the side without having to lift it up completely so you could see the intruder. It was Jae. You sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… bored.”

“Well, would you want to finally go grab that coffee?” A very hopeful look was shimmering in Jae’s gaze. Why hadn’t you ever realized before that he liked you like this? Or had he always  been so obvious in the past? Maybe you were now simply more sensitive to it. Poor thing was just a little too late.

You searched for an excuse that sounded real and not pulled out of the air, but each one sounded worse than the last. “Um, well, I-” Your phone vibrated against the table. Saved by the bell. Holding up a finger to Jae to tell him to wait, you slid the green phone icon across the screen to answer the call. “Hey, Wyatt, what’s up?”

“Hey, what are you doing right now?” Wyatt sounded jittery, excited. That was never a good sign.

“Nothing,” you replied nervously. “What’s up?”

“Good. Get your over to my place.”

You scoffed playfully. “Why?”

“Just get over here!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be there in five minutes.” You hung up before Wyatt could tell you to get there in four. Shooting Jae an apologetic look, you explained, “Sorry. Wyatt called and it’s some sort of emergency. Maybe another time?” You cringed internally at adding that open-ended suggestion at the end. Now you were digging yourself a hole that you would have to climb out of all over again in the future.

“Yeah,” Jae nodded sadly. “Maybe another time.”

“I’ll see you later.” You ran out of the math lab, guilt taking a ride on your shoulder until you finally flicked it off outside in the courtyard. There was nothing to feel guilty about. Wyatt called and as one of your best friends, he took priority over a cup of coffee that you weren’t too keen on getting anyway.

Crossing campus, you headed for the Greek court where a majority of the sorority and fraternity houses were located. When Wyatt told you freshman year that he was going to participate in rush week, you were worried that he might have been a little over his head. But the loser fit right in and had been enjoying his time with his “brothers”. You were thankful that he still carved out more than enough time for you and Kendall and he hadn’t turned into one of the huge jerks you’d seen in every college movie ever made.

As you walked into the frat house, the other members strewn across the main room simply waved at you. They knew your face enough to not stop you while you climbed the stairs to the second floor where the rooms were located. Kendall was already lying on Wyatt’s bed, scribbling notes down in a spiral notebook while glancing at the textbook laying open in front of her. Wyatt was sitting at his desk with his phone in his hand. His roommate was absent, giving you leeway to sit on the nicely made bed that was the complete opposite of Wyatt’s tornado-like chaos.

“Okay, what’s the emergency?”

Wyatt looked up from his phone, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Oh, yeah. You were not going to like whatever it was he had called you here for.

“Well, you see,” he purred, “there’s a new bar that opened up a few weeks ago. Kendall and I figured that it’s been long enough that the initial hype has died down that now it should only be moderately busy tonight. So, we’re dragging you with us to check it out.”

Hm… that wasn’t as bad as you were expecting. “Okay. What time?”

Kendall’s pencil stopped scratching against the paper. Wyatt looked at you with round, saucer-like eyes. “Excuse me?”

“I asked what time you wanted to go,” you reiterated. Yes, while the absence of a fight or whine was highly unusual for you, Wyatt caught you in a rare moment. A moment where you wanted to be distracted. Staying home with your parents or even by yourself for the evening was a sure way for you to constantly be wondering about what Tao was doing and why he’d suddenly decided to stay away for so long.

Still staring at you, Wyatt leaned over and fake-whispered to Kendall, “I think she’s been replaced by a body-snatcher.”

“I can clearly hear you,” you grumbled.

“Good,” Wyatt straightened back up. “You were meant to. I was all ready to debate with you. I’d been working on the argument all morning and now all that brain power has gone to waste.” He narrowed his eyes at you. “Why the sudden attitude change about actually leaving your house?”

You ignored the obvious insult, shrugging. “Kendall said it herself. It’s our last year in college. Might as well make some memories, right?” Please, you begged internally, don’t push anymore. Tao was a secret you desperately needed to hold onto for a little while longer. Or a heck of a lot longer.

Coming to your rescue, Kendall shut her text book and slid off the bed. “Okay, we’ll take what we can get. Let’s go get dinner before the rush starts. After that, we’ll go get ready at your place, okay, (y/n)?”

You nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Wyatt started to protest. “But-”

“Just let it go. You got what you wanted.” Kendall pushed up on Wyatt’s hanging chin, closing it shut for emphasis.

The two of them may be a weird dynamic, but in this moment, you were thankful for the pair of extroverted friends you had.

**

Maybe thankful was a stretch.

Kendall and Wyatt were currently arguing over which round of shots while you sipped slowly on your fruity cocktail that was almost gone. The party crowd had apparently not gotten tired of the newest place to hang out. Occupancy felt dangerously close to fire code max, but your best friends insisted on still checking it out since you were already here. Finding a table that wasn’t claimed was a miracle and you planted your down in a seat, refusing to move in case another sharp eyes patron wanted to steal it.

“Fine!” Kendall yelled over the loud music and insistent chatter around you. “We’ll get the stupid gummy bear shots!”

Wyatt slapped the table in triumph before hopping out of his chair and pushing his way through the crowd to the bar. You snickered under your breath, thankful that the laugh was covered up by all the noise of the establishment.

Too soon, Wyatt was back, balancing three glasses that certainly looked bigger than a normal shot in his hands. “Alright, ladies. On three, we drink up.”

Rolling your eyes, you took one of the shots. “This is the last one.” At least one of you needed to remain somewhat sober and you were glad to play the part of the responsible friend.

“Alright,” Kendall agreed, very reluctantly by the grimace on her face.

“Okay,” Wyatt clapped his hands together. “One. Two. Three!” In perfect sync, the three of you gulped back the sweet, candy-like drink and slammed the glasses back down on the table.

“You were right,” Kendall laughed as she wiped with the back of her hand. “That is delicious.”

You were about to agree on actually liking the taste of that particular drink when a familiar crop of blonde hair caught your eye as it snuck out the front door.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom real quick,” you said suddenly, not even really thinking about what you were aiming to do.

Kendall started to slip out of her chair. “I’ll go with y-”

“No, that’s okay! I’ll be fine!” You were up and disappearing into the sea of drunk students before she could counter you with logic about going off on your own.

Thankfully, the bathrooms and the front entrance were in the same direction, so it didn’t look too weird to be rushing for the door. You just hoped you had enough cover so the others didn’t notice you bypassing your fake destination.

Outside, Tao was standing in the parking lot with a younger student that you recognized. Sehun, you think his name was? He’d been in the math lab once or twice, but you never helped him.

“Look, we don’t have to leave if you don’t want to,” Tao sighed. You stayed inside the alcove that covered the entrance, hidden from view as you pressed yourself against the wall. Plenty of people who were coming and going from the bar were sending curious looks your way, but you were too focused on the fair haired friends to notice or care.

“You’re no fun like this,” Sehun barked. “Ever since you met her I’ve been on my own.”

Tao’s shoulders drooped and even from here you could feel the guilt he was emitting. “I’m sorry, it’s just-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sehun scoffed. “She’s the one. She’s made you change, blah, blah, blah. If I have to listen to you talk about how much you’re really falling for that (y/n) girl, I’m leaving you here to run home.”

Shaking his head, Tao starting walking away towards his car. Had that been here when you arrived? Surely not. You would have honed in on it right away. “Like I would ever let you drive my car.”

“I bet you’d let (y/n) drive it,” Sehun yelled at Tao’s back. You didn’t hear the reply, but whatever it was, it made Sehun scrunch his face in a mocking fashion. Tao started the car and roared the engine, even inching the car back like he was really going to leave his friend there. Sehun jumped into the passenger’s seat and the two of them zoomed off down the street.

The whole way back to your seat, you were grinning. Each step was light and airy. You would have probably been skipping if you had any room. The words you’d overheard weren’t too different from the ones Tao had already said to you, but hearing them in that context – unfiltered and honest – was giving them a whole new meaning. You could hardly believe that he really felt that strongly, so much that he was changing, even to the point of his friends noticing. Normally, you would have taken that exchange with a grain of salt, but you couldn’t. You were in too deep. Maybe it was just the alcohol making you giddy.

“Was it a fun trip to the bathroom?” Wyatt asked with a raised eyebrow when you reached the table again.

You blinked. “What?”

“You look like you just met your favorite boy band.”

Honestly, you weren’t even sure if that could top what just happened.

You shrugged. “I think the alcohol is getting me. I should probably stick with water for the rest of the night.” Looking towards the bar, you took your chance and headed for the straight path that was open to you. You weren’t lying about needing to stick with water from now on, but you needed to get your face under control. But how could you when Huang Zitao couldn’t even enjoy a night out because of you?

**

On Monday morning, you were still up on cloud nine. Somehow, not even the droll of the weekend spent on the couch doing absolutely nothing (besides the occasional spout of homework) could bring your mood down. While you could now keep the beaming of your smile at a normal level, the swelling inside your chest couldn’t be beat down.

While you were walking innocently through the courtyard, a pair of arms snatched you up, lifting you so your feet were no longer touching the ground. A squeal escaped from your throat.

Tao’s laugh that you almost had memorized now echoed behind you. The initial fear you had was replaced with delight. Finally.

Putting you down, he let go of you and stepped back. You turned around, feigning irritation. “Well, someone’s in a good mood today.”

Tao was practically glowing. And you didn’t mean his naturally sun-kissed skin. was particularly attractive today. There was something different about his whole aura, but you wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to what could have changed over the course of a few days. He seemed… taller? No. That wasn’t a good way to describe it. Lighter, maybe?

Oh, well. Whatever it was, you were glad for it.

Tao eliminated the space between you in just one step. A predatory look was present in his eyes, but you weren’t wary or scared of it. With his hands on your hips, he held you in place. He leaned down until your faces were just centimeters apart. You could feel your eyelids already starting to close in anticipation.

But the kiss that you were really wanting to experience never came.

“Can’t I just be happy to see you?” When he pulled back you in your lips to keep them from pouting.

Damn it. You like him too much. You got in just like you told yourself not to, just like you swore you wouldn’t. But your cares were all gone. Because you like the warmth from his hands as they rested on your sides. You liked how safe you felt with him, how easy everything became when you were around him. There was a mystery behind this strange connection you had with him and you wanted to explore every avenue to solve it.

You nodded, no longer able to hold back the smile that was begging to be released. “Okay, I’ll take that.”

Tao frowned, his eyebrows pulling together so tightly they created a deep line right between them. It was cute, but the intensity in his stare was a little troubling.

“What?” you asked cautiously.

Tao laughed for just a split second. “You haven’t once pushed me away or slapped me or told me that I was invading your space.” He playfully put his hand to your forehead. “Are you okay?”

You scrunched up your face, grabbing his hand and pushing it away, but not really letting go. In each place where his skin met yours, there were sparks of electricity dancing off the surface, warming and addicting. Now what was causing that?

“I’m perfectly fine,” you insisted. “I just… I missed you.” Crap. Did you actually say that out loud? Now you were in for it.

“You did?” Tao questioned softly. You nodded. “Does this mean I can finally take you out on a date? A real date? No more forced tutoring sessions.”

“Yeah, I guess it does,” you sighed. You’d kind of miss those tutoring sessions. It was several hours of uninterrupted conversation with him. Whether you knew it at the time or not, you liked having this boy all to yourself.

Elated at your agreement, Tao slipped his fingers in between yours and started walking with you. Unfortunately…

“Um, Tao?”

He stopped turning to look at you. “Yeah?”

“My class is in the other direction.” You pointed towards the business college where your first period was going to start in fifteen minutes.

Tao huffed, but let go of your hand. “Okay. I’ll come find you later then. I’ll take you to dinner tonight. Some place nice.”

You your lips in an attempt to calm down the giggly grin you were sporting. “Okay. My last class gets out at four-thirty.”

“Good. See you then.” It was a little bit of a let down that all he did was wave, but you kept your mouth shut, waving back before turning around and heading off.

You only made it a few steps, however, before Tao pounced on you from behind. He encased his arms around you and rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Have a good time in class,” he whispered in your ear. Then he pressed his lips against your cheek before letting you go.

“You,” you turned around, but he was already gone, “…too.” Blowing your lips, you frowned. How did he disappear so quickly?

With tentative fingers, you lifted your hand to your cheek. He surprised you with that sneak attack, but it just you even gigglier. Heading back in the direction of your class, again, you only made it a few steps before you stopped. But this time, it wasn’t Tao that halted your steps.

It was Wyatt.

He was standing about twenty feet away. The look on his face said exactly what you feared: he’d seen everything.

Putting your head down, you hurried to class, knowing that lecture hall was now your safe haven.

All throughout the hour and a half, you fidgeted, worried if Wyatt immediately ran off to tell Kendall before you got a chance to explain. What could you even say?

Gosh, you just hoped he didn’t hate you.

No. He probably just thought you were an idiot.

You were only marginally surprised that Wyatt was leaning on the wall across from where you came out of the classroom once you were dismissed. Neither of you said anything as you walked down the hall. You continued to follow Wyatt, knowing exactly where he was going. There was a small coffee shop on campus in the English hall that rarely had anyone in it since most preferred the more high end coffee offered in the student union.

“So,” Wyatt clicked his tongue as the two of you sat down at one of the tiny, sticky tables of the shop, “care to explain?”

You cringed. “It’s kind of hard to….” Wyatt gave you a look, making you sigh. “Okay, look. I don’t know how to explain it, not entirely. One day, he started coming in for tutoring sessions. And… things evolved from there.”

“You do realize that you’re just another conquest for him, right?” Genuine concern was evident in his tone, but classic snarky Wyatt was still coming through.

“It’s not like that,” you insisted. “I know you just think of him as this player, but I’ve seen sides of him that you haven’t.” Memories of Tao with Daeyoung and what he’d said outside of the bar on Friday night made you smile softly. Wyatt would be surprised to know that the playboy came over to your home and took care of you while you were sick.

“(y/n), we’ve all seen his backside.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m serious, Wyatt.”

“I am, too.” He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “When I said give guys a chance, I didn’t mean start dating Tao.”

“Technically, I’m not dating him. He hasn’t even taken me out on a date.” Yet. But you didn’t want to know Wyatt’s reaction if you mentioned your plans for tonight.

“Well, it definitely looked like you are.”

You sat in silence for a little while, unsure of where to go from there. Yeah, it probably did look pretty affectionate from the outside, you and Tao. You hadn’t meant to be like that. It just came naturally to you when you were with him.

“Are you actually wanting to go through with this?” Wyatt asked, completely serious for once.

Slowly, you nodded. “He’s not who you think he is. There’s so much to him behind the rumors. And I want to see more. I want to see where this goes.”

“Okay.” Wyatt huffed, leaning forward onto the table. “I won’t tell Kendall. As long as you’re sure. She will eventually find out, though.”

“I know.” You wanted to put that off for as long as possible. When you first started letting Tao get close, you were determined to make him run. You never really thought about getting revenge for Kendall, that would have been childish and useless. He wasn’t John Tucker. But Kendall was still your best friend. Would this hurt her? Would she consider things from your point of view? You didn’t know, but you hoped in the far distant future, she would be okay.

Wyatt gave you a very sympathetic look. “It’s going to be hell when she does.”

Whimpering, you laid your head down on the table. Looks like you were finally knocked down a few clouds.