With a loud sigh, you sat down and leaned heavily on Kris's shoulder. "I hate school," you complained.

You knew he was smiling; you could feel him chuckle. "What happened this time?"

"Teacher Kim picks on me all the time," you said sourly. "I don't understand how he's so oblivious to the way Miyoung and Sooyeon pass notes to each other."

"Maybe it's because he knows you know the answer," Kris answered, shrugging lightly. You sat up and glared, annoyed that you'd lost your spot. In response, Kris patted his leg and you obeyed willingly, turning your face away from him to hide your blush. You weren't a stranger to physical contact, but there were some times when you felt displays of affection with Kris were a little too intimate for friends. Now was one of those times.

"Thanks," you murmured, shutting your eyes gratefully. Kris played with strands of your hair, and you blushed again. It was no good dwelling on how nice it felt, so you shuffled around into a more comfortable position.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" You recognised Luhan's voice and opened your eyes expectantly.

"Yeah?"

"I need your help," he admitted, and you heard a waver in his voice from nerves. At your sharp look, he continued, "There's this girl that I really like, and I've liked her for a while now. And I want to confess to her today."

You barely noticed the way Kris tensed before you sat up, staring wide-eyed at Luhan. "You like someone?"

Your exclamation quickly drew attention from the rest of the group, and they crowded around you and Kai, chattering excitedly. "Luhan has a crush?"

"Who is she?"

"What's she like?" The question came from Kyungsoo, and you shushed everyone, eager to hear the answer.

It was adorable watching Luhan grow flustered. "She's really smart and really nice," he admitted, a tone of wistful admiration in his voice. "And she's really pretty."

"Who is she?" you asked excitedly. "Do we know her?"

Luhan nodded slowly. "Actually, Kris knows her."

You opened your mouth to begin your interrogation but Sehun beat you. "Is she as pretty as Luhan says?"

"Yeah, I think she's really pretty," Kris said dismissively. His tone bothered you a little, but it was his words that hit home. He was acting so strangely about Luhan's crush, but you couldn't figure out the reason why.

"So why did you need my help?" You posed the question to Luhan in an attempt to forget about Kris.

"I actually wanted to confess to her today, after school," Luhan said quietly, and you couldn't help but coo at his shyness. It was clear that he really liked this girl, and you were happy for him. "I don't know if she'll accept me, though."

"What girl wouldn't accept your confession?" you teased. "I bet you'd make a great boyfriend - you're cute, caring and you have a romantic side."

The other boys nodded supportively, save for Kris who had a curiously blank expression on his face. "Thanks," Luhan said dryly, though you were pleased to see that your words had cheered him up. "But I think I'll need some support before I do it."

Sehun shook his head ruefully. "I'm sorry, I have a lot of homework to catch up on."

"I have an appointment in the afternoon," Minseok added.

"Kris, what about you?" Luhan turned to Kris hopefully.

You mimicked his actions, facing Kris expectantly. He looked strangely ill, a little paler than normal. "I-I can't," he stuttered, not meeting your eyes. You reached up and pressed your hand against his face, frowning worriedly.

"Are you okay?" you murmured softly. Kris shook your hand off and gave you a tight smile.

"I'm fine."

"I guess I could help you, Luhan," you offered, smiling brightly. "After school, right?"

Luhan nodded. "Yeah, near the school gates. I was thinking of taking her out to one of those cafes nearby and…"

Absorbed in Luhan's plans to confess, you barely noticed as Kris stood up and left the group.

The bell rang, signalling the end of school. You jumped up and left the class as soon as possible, determined to reach Luhan as fast as possible. You were really excited for him, and you hoped that he would at least point her out before you left - you were always a er for romance, and besides, you wanted to meet (or at least catch a glimpse of) the object of Luhan's affections.

As you walked past an empty classroom, someone grabbed your arm and pulled you inside. Too shocked to scream, you stood there, stunned, only to realise your kidnapper was Kris. Rolling your eyes, you demanded, "What the hell was that? You freaked me out!" You crossed your arms and scowled, before noticing how worried he looked. You softened immediately, stepping closer.

"Sorry about that," Kris said, sounding only a little bit apologetic. "It's just- I really need to talk to you."

"But I need to meet Luhan soon," you reminded him.

"Please, I have to talk to you," Kris said anxiously, biting his lip.  

You fidgeted uneasily. "I'm sorry, Kris, but I already promised Luhan I'd be there," you said softly. "I'll call you afterwards, and we can talk then, okay?" You turned to leave, but Kris caught your hand.

"Please, don't go to Luhan," he said, his voice rough and ragged with desperation. 

You paused, letting the pieces fall in place. Kris knowing Luhan's crush, admitting that she was pretty, and being so reluctant to help him.  "You like her, don't you?" you said quietly, although it was more of a statement. "You like the same girl as Luhan."

Kris exhaled loudly, looking faintly relieved. "Yeah."

You paused, letting it sink in. "You must like her a lot," you surmised, remembering the look in his eyes when he'd called her pretty.

"I do," Kris said. "I like her a lot. In fact - " he broke off, looking pale again "-I think I'm in love with her."

"You're in love with her," you repeated blankly, testing out the words. Kris is in love with another girl. Fighting off your own nausea, you smiled and said, "Well, at least tell me her name! I deserve to know, I'm your-"

The next thing you knew, Kris was kissing you.

You froze, staring wide-eyed and barely comprehending how close he was to you, how his eyes were shut, how soft his lips were. He pulled back a moment later, cheeks burning red and eyes filled with panic. “I am so sorry.”

There were a million things flying through your mind, mostly confusion and shock at the fact that Kris had just kissed you. Kris had just kissed you. Kris has just kissed you. Kris has just kissed you. It hadn’t been unpleasant – the opposite, actually – but it had happened so quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly – which was ringing alarm bells in your head –  that your brain was struggling to keep up as he continued.

“I’m so sorry, I should have asked you first. It won’t happen again. I just… You wanted to go to Luhan so badly, and I was so jealous,” Kris blurted. “He would forgive you if you left now. Just… let me know when you’re ready to talk? I know you’ll probably need some space right now.”

“Just give me a moment,” you said faintly. He snapped his mouth shut and you took the opportunity to puzzle through your thoughts. Distantly, you observed the way he stood and shifted his weight, ruffled his hair, fidgeted uncomfortably as things began to process.  “Ok. Let’s talk,” you said finally. “I need to sit down though, because there’s a lot of things happening.”

Kris nodded jerkily as you both pulled up chairs. You stared down at your hands as you spoke. “You kissed me. You kinda sprung it on me and I don’t like that,” you said firmly. “But you know that it wasn’t a good idea in the first place.”

“It’s never going to happen again,” he promised quietly.

“Ok. That’s good,” you said, relieved. “The next thing…” Swallowing nervously, you barrelled on. “You were jealous of Luhan, because you like the same girl. But then… you kissed me?”

“Yeah,” Kris said gently, and when you dared to look up at him, his face was still flushed. “I like you. And I have, for a really long time. And…so does Luhan.” He cleared his throat. “I meant what I said earlier. Luhan is probably still waiting for you. You should go. Sorry. I should go.”

He turned and began walking towards the door, and his long strides meant he had nearly reached the exit before you found your courage.

“Wait!” you called, hurrying towards him so quickly you nearly tripped. With a gasp, you managed to catch yourself, your next step coming down harder than usual and you bumped into Kris, who had turned towards you. Standing so close to him, you were reminded of how familiar he was to you – that he was still Kris, your best friend and you loved him – maybe as something as more.

Giving in to impulse, you wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his chest. “I always thought that you were just this nice to everyone, you know. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. But…I like you,” you said softly. "I want to be with you."

The best thing in the world, you decided then, was the feeling of Kris’s arms around you, safe and secure as he pulled you closer.