Bessoted (adj.)

-    How can one touch be so captivating?

Jinki and I decided to go to the party together. Kai was already there and he told us he’s meet us there. I admit I was a tad bit uncomfortable, not because I was socially inept, but because I’ve never been to a real college party before. New social situations tend to unnerve me, especially those that require me to interact with a variety of people. I found myself getting perturbed at the very thought of socializing over an extended period of time.

I am an introvert, and as such I have a limit to my social dealings, at the end of the day, nothing beats the calm of being alone. Hence, Jinki and I settled on coming in late – very late in fact that Kai whined about waiting for us for hours. I scoffed at the very idea of him “waiting for us” seeing as he already made many friends. One, in particular, was giving him the eye.

Jinki didn’t seem to notice my reverie; instead, he was looking somewhere else.

“Is that him?” he asked.

Because he’s Jinki, he points at someone just across the room, sitting in a loveseat with another guy. I had to squint my eyes to make out the face clearly.

I saw that exchange student from Thailand that everybody seemed to gush about. Then, beside him I saw Choi Minho.

Somehow it felt like he saw me look at him because the next thing I knew he was waving at us. Jinki waved gleefully beside me as if he’s been friends with Choi Minho all along. Despite his intelligence, I wondered if Jinki knew how goofy he comes across.

“Stop waving at him,” I said between gritted teeth.

“Huh? Why? He waved at us first,” he promptly replied. What Jinki didn’t notice was the number of people staring at us as if we’re foreigners lost in a land entirely not our own. Their eyes felt prying – judging even. I yanked his arm down and pulled him into a corner.

“People are staring. Oh my gosh. Why did we go here? We should leave. Now,” I demanded at Jinki and I pulled him towards the door.

Just then, a figure blocked our way. It was Choi Minho. I tried to bypass him but he was quick to block our way again. He was donning a mischievous smirk and was holding a bottle of beer. His face a little red, probably from all that drinking and he looked positively drunk.

“Leaving so soon? You just arrived,” he began to talk.

I would have answered him but Jinki pushed me towards him, as if urging me to actually go with him. I decided to play along. There is, after all, a fine line between peer pressure and imposition. And at that time, it felt like Jinki’s push meant an order to go with Choi Minho.

Choi Minho caught me as I stumbled towards him. I fell to his chest and he caught me by the waist. Then he laughed. I didn’t know why but that brief moment sent jitters all over my spine. I pushed him away and composed myself. I never get flustered. Ever.

“I’m sorry. My klutz of a friend here pushed me,” I said in a manner of objectivity. I hitched my thumb to where Jinki was standing. Choi Minho broke out a smile.

“I see no friend of yours there,”he said. I looked back and true to his words, Jinki was not there.

That abandoning cretin. He and Kai both. I made myself a mental note to sternly scold them after for leaving me to my own devices.

I gave Choi Minho the fakest and most sarcastic smile I could manage. He laughed again. Whether he was laughing at my discomfort or inability to blend in, it oddly never felt like he was laughing at me. His laugh was so besotting. I found myself wishing he’d laugh more.

“Oh… I should leave now,” I replied.

“No. Not yet,” he said and took my hand and pulled me away from the crowd, “Come with me.”

He led me outside where it was foggy and cold. I shivered at the sudden chill that engulfed my body. I should have worn something warmer. Meanwhile, my kidnapper didn’t seem cold at all.

“I was hoping you’d come,” he says.

I walked and stood next to him. I didn’t want to scare him by saying that I wished I’d see him here, not that I’d admit it carelessly. I didn’t want to tell him how pivotal this is. Because, despite my reservations, I still did want to know what would happen if I actually did this. I didn’t want to tell him that somewhere down the line, we were meant to fall in love.