A/N: And we get to the actual story :) Happy reading!~

I can’t sleep.

Today was just so perfect; I can’t stop thinking about it. I mean, I knew it was going to be amazing, it always is with him, but it was even better than I expected.

Just as he said he would, Minho came walking up my front porch steps at 1:00, knocking firmly on the wooden door before stepping back and waiting patiently. I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as I opened the door, grabbing my jacket as I stepped out and looked to the standing form in front of me. He was clothed to protect himself from the early winter cold. The gray pea coat and plaid scarf matched well with the dark wash skinny jeans. How could I compare to his beauty in my stretched out sweater and worn out sneakers?

“You ready?” he interrupted my thoughts. After a quick nod from me, we were on our way; to where, I did not know. The street signs passed, and still we walked, a word had yet to be spoken. Our footsteps on the sidewalk were the only sounds to be heard. It was so weird; normally Minho’s chatter would fill the void. But now, nothing.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked. I heard a sigh and turned my head to see him looking at the sky.

“I’m not sure,” he answered, as if he realizing it for the first time, leaving me speechless. Words found him before finding me, as they often did. He asked, “Do you like tea?” I nodded. “I know a great place for that. It’s really cool; I go there a lot. It’s called Hang. You ever been?”

Hang. I’d heard of it before. But as a kid, I watched the people who went in there. They scared me with their tattoos, large gages, and cigarettes. Those things don’t scare me now, they are even kind of cool given the right person, but I really didn’t think about the tea shop anymore. I guess years of avoiding it when I was younger made me forget all about it.

So no, I’d never been.

I shook my head to answer his question. A small smile crept onto his face. “It’s cute how you’re always so quiet,” he said with a glance in my direction. I could feel a small blush accent my cheeks. Minho called me cute. It gave me… what was the feeling, butterflies?

“Just a couple blocks that way,” he pointed, “and a bit to the left." I stopped half way through another nod. Our eyes met for a quick second before we both broke into light laughter. We then continued on our walk in silence, but it was nice. Unlike before, I took pride in him being at my side as we walked the short distance to the tea shop together.

Upon arrival, Minho opened the door and gestured for me to pass through first. This place wasn’t at all scary as my younger self had believed. In fact, it was actually really cool. The entire space was really relaxed; there was a bookshelf in the back corner, cozy furniture scattered all around, and music playing out of an all-access stereo. Whoever chose the music at the time has good taste. A large group of teenagers, close to my age I assume, sat in a ring of couches, sipping drinks and chatting. Singles loned it out by themselves with books or the occasional laptop, and a couple was getting pretty cozy back by the bookshelf.

Minho pulled me from my observations with a light hand on my back. He smiled as I looked at him and led me over to the shop counter. A young worker with a gray beanie and tattoos all up his forearms smiled as he greeted us.

“Hey guys, what can I get you today?” Without even having to glance at the menu, Minho answered in that deep voice of his.

“I’ll have a hazelnut chai, and…” he trailed off and turned towards me.

“Oh, um…” I’d forgotten to choose. Quickly scanning the board overhead, I said the first thing I knew I’d like. “A classic green please.”

“Coming right up,” with a curt nod, he was off to work.

 Once we got our drinks, which Minho insisted he pay for, we found a small table to sit at along one of the sidewalls. This place was nice; it was comfortable and homey, and just a little rough around the edges. Minho fit in perfectly here.

“I like this place,” I started conversation.

“Mn,” he continued for me, “me too; I come here a lot. It’s kind of a long ways from my aunt’s house, but I don’t mind the walk. Actually, I like walking; it clears my head.” I really just can’t get enough of the way he speaks. Even when he’s not being super eloquent or anything, it’s just literally the way he speaks. Like, he looks beautiful doing it. It’s all in his eyes I think. He doesn’t just speak with his words, no; he speaks with his eyes too. They show so much soul and emotion, and they squint just a little when he does this sort of half-smile thing as he finishes his statements.

Is it weird that I notice stuff like that? …Don’t answer that. Moving on.

“What’s usually cluttering up your mind, Minho?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

“Well, I think about my parents, and what they’ve done. I think about my schooling, and my future. But recently… someone else has been filling my thoughts.”

Someone else? That had to be me right? Was it possible there was someone in his life that I didn’t know about? I hoped not.

I asked a simple, “Who?” But he didn’t answer. Instead, he smirked into the steaming cup that was brought up to his lips.

After he set the ceramic down, he surprised me with, “How is your tea?”

There was a pause in our conversation. Why wouldn’t he answer me? I thought he told me everything…

“It’s good,” I stammered out as I took a small sip.

Despite our slight falter, Minho had me conversing and laughing soon enough. At one point we made a game out of making up stories about the people in the shop. Remember that couple in the back corner? Yeah, I believe we decided the girl was secretly a man who rented the other man from a brothel because he/she is an exhibonist. And before we got there, the shop keeper already yelled at them for getting to frisky, so they resolved to face with the hopes that they could sneak off to the bathroom if things went too far. It was all made up of course, but man was it fun to brew that up together. Other customers were looking at us funny because we were laughing much louder than what was to be considered courteous, but we just couldn’t help ourselves.

And later, Minho told me more about himself. Today he told me about his love life, or lack thereof rather.

“I’ve just never had the time,” he explained. “And, I don’t know, girls just haven’t really interested me. My dad used to bug me about it a lot, always asking when I would finally bring a girl home. Sometimes it makes me feel like I’m not good enough for him. But then I remember, he’s a tool, and I shouldn’t make it my life goal to please him.”

I think it was the first time I heard about something that actually bothered him. Pride washed over me due to his willingness to tell me. I know he isn’t used to being in a vulnerable position like that, so it’s nice to know he’s comfortable enough around me to put himself there.

But I wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to tell me. I got that he’s not into girls, but that could go in a lot of different directions. Did he mean he doesn’t like girls yet? He never will? He prefers guys instead? I didn’t know. But I didn’t push for answers either; he would tell me when he felt it necessary.

Before we knew it, our tea was long gone, and multiple rounds of varying customers had come through. Time for us to go. Together, we made our way to the counter, and placed our cups in the wash bin. And then, something caught my attention; there was a sweet, warm smell sifting through the air and stealing my senses.

“Something smells really good,” I stated, breathing in the sent.

“Oh yeah, they are probably baking something in the back.” He stopped to take it in. “Aw man, you’ve got to try their pastries. Here,” he walked over to the display case, “pick one, I’m buying.”

I followed his lead and scanned the case for the perfect morsel. All of them looked so enticing, yet so simple at the same time. Eventually I decided.

“That one,” I pointed to a strawberry-cream filled pastry. Looking back, I saw that Minho was smiling at me.

“Alright then. Excuse me,” he turned to the shopkeeper, “can I get one strawberry cream, and one chocolate pastry?”

“Sure thing.”

I know Minho was laughing at me as I beamed at my treat when it was passed to me. He on the other hand, nodded a thank you and paid with a nice tip.

When he finished, I asked, “Do you want to sit down again?”

“Nah,” he looked to the door to see a large crowd coming in.  “We’ve been here a while. How ‘bout a walk to the park?”

I smiled and nodded yet again. I love the park; I used to go there a lot all throughout middle school. It was the spot to hang out at that age for our part of town. Not that anyone ever noticed that I was there. I usually just sat alone at the top of the tower, overlooking the small trees and stealing a peak into the corporate city. I hadn’t been there in years; it would be fun to go back.

The walk there was relaxing. A light frost hung in the air, and a calm quiet settled between us. The few times either one of us spoke led to smiles and laughs, and I couldn’t help but notice how close he was to me. Not that I minded. In fact, I was rather enjoying the close view of him. From this angle, I could see the swift cut of his hair, and the smooth edge of his jaw line. He caught me staring once; perhaps I had looked a few too many times.

After just a few short blocks, we stood at the edge of the rubber mats used as the playground’s foundation. The tower I used to call mine stood there, tall and proud just like I remember it. After all these years, I’d climb its stairs again; only this time, I wouldn’t be alone,

“Come on!” I called just before sprinting off towards the tower and bounding up the stairs two at a time. The top neared faster than I remember, but I reached it and leaned against the guardrail with my forearms just like I used to. Catching my breath, I waited for Minho and looked down at the half-eaten pastry in my hand. Honestly, when I took my first bite, part of me wanted to turn back into Hang and buy a dozen more of these things. I swore they were the taste of heaven. The pastry itself was crisp and flaky, but still chewy on the inside. And it had a perfect amount of filling, which was a nice balance of strawberry tartness, and cream cheese sweetness. It’s a wonder how I didn’t just devour it after that first bite. But Minho didn’t need to see that so I restrained.

Soon enough, my boyfriend joined me at the top. He did the same as I and leaned on the railing. And we just stood there, together, in a clam and quiet solitude. Side by side, we ate away at the morsels in our hands and looked out across the streets and buildings. I was just about done eating when Minho broke the sound barrier.

“Taemin,” he looked over at me, and I returned the favor, “you do know I like you as more than a friend, right?”

…I swear that God himself looked down and rendered me speechless, because damn him I could not find words. Eventually they came around.

“I-I hoped you would,” they stumbled out of my mouth.

Those eyes of his that speak so well curved along with his lips to create a pure image of happiness. A deep chuckle escaped his lips before he spoke more perfect words.

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I do.” We both paused and just basked in the glory of our shared feelings. From there he continued, “In just the few months we’ve known each other, you’ve become so important to me. When I’m around you I just kind of forget about all the that’s going on, and all I can think about is how happy you make me.” I turned to face him, a little too overwhelmed with emotions to know exactly what to do.

“You make me happy too,” I eventually whispered. And it was true, all I needed was the thought of Minho to keep me fighting through the tough days, or make me believe all those years of loneliness were worth it because now I had him. Beautiful him, who, at this time, stepped towards my nervous form. Inching closer and closer to me, he looked straight into my eyes, wiping my mind blank of anything but him. His strong hands fell low on my waist, and though it startled me at first, I couldn’t have felt more safe. I watched as his gaze shifted down to my lips, leaning closer in the process. This was it. With my eyes now closed, I felt his warm lips pushed gently against mine, so soft, careful, and inviting. It was a better feeling than anything I had imagined. He brought a hand up to cup the side of my face just before pulling back from our kiss to rest his forehead on mine.

“I’ve wanted that for a while now,” he breathed. Finally opening my eyes, I was met with his peaceful, closed ones.

After circling my arms around his neck, I said a small, “me too,” before tilting my chin up for something more. His lips parted when met with mine, but only enough to allow me a small taste. Just as I wanted, it was deep, but not at all messy or rushed. I could taste the chocolate from his pastry, as well as the lingering strawberry from mine. All of that was accented by the pure taste of Minho. Now this was the true taste of heaven. And I loved how he just held me close the whole time, didn’t push for anything more. Not that I thought he would; he’s too sweet for that.

Eventually, we had to pull away and give our lungs the air they demanded. I was surprised when he pulled me closer, just holding me there. But I liked it, and he let me snuggle up into his toned chest. We actually stayed that way for quite a while, just resting in each other’s arms, chatting about anything and everything, until the sunlight began to fade, which was all too soon this time of year.

So as the sky turned to pinks and golds, he walked me home, every once in a while saying that he was so happy or that he was so excited I liked him back. About half way home, I gathered the courage to reach for his hand, to which he responded by flashing me a smile and bringing our clasped hands to his lips for a chaste kiss across our knuckles. It got me all fluttery again. But alas, we had to reach my house at some point. Our date had to come to an end. We had prolonged it for as long as possible, but he too had to walk home, so we had to leave enough time for that.

“Are you sure you will be ok walking on your own?” I asked for maybe the third time; really I just didn’t want him to leave.

“I’m sure,” he soothed, “Don’t worry about me.”

“But it’s getting dark, how can I not worry?” At this, he chuckled.

“I can handle a little darkness.” He pulled me into his arms, which felt so warm compared to the cooling night air, and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Sleep well, ok?”

“Ok, you too.”

Then he had to go. Down the pathway, he walked, leaving me alone on the porch before I found the sense to go inside. And as it turns out, I lied when I said I would sleep well because ever since he left, all I can think about is how great today was. I haven’t had a truly enjoyable day like that in a long time. And the kiss, ah, I’m just lying here playing it over and over in my head. I didn’t want to tell him, but that was my first kiss, and it was so much better than I had even hoped for. That’s just how Minho is; he will always surprise you in the best of ways. And that makes it exciting.

There is no way that sleep will be finding me tonight, there are too many things running through my mind. For the first time, I really feel accepted be one of my peers. But Minho is much more than that. He’s mysterious, caring, thoughtful, and mine. Right? I don’t know; but there’s something about the idea of it that is so…sweet.

A/N: Comment and tell me how it was! Haha, I really want to do well in the contest; wish me luck! Thanks for the support and the subscriptions! Have a nice night.~