As you know today is my birthday and Chen, Luhan, and I will be hanging out in the morning while I have Luhan to myself at night. Right now we’re eating out at a restaurant to eat breakfast. My parents aren’t here, but they did call me to say happy birthday.

  “I’m ready!” Chen exclaims suddenly causing people to stare at us. He is sitting next to Luhan while Luhan sits in front of me.

  Luhan nudges him. “Will you stop being so loud?”

  “NO!” He says louder.

  This time Luhan punches his arm. “Knock it off!”

  Chen makes a face. “Let me enjoy myself. Gosh,” he says mockingly. “You’re so uptight when we’re in public.

  As they continue bickering, I laugh at myself. Just like old times. Sometimes I wish those days will never go away.

  “Stop hitting me!” Chen whines.

  “Well stop being annoying! We’re in a restaurant!”

  “You’re making as much of a fuss as I am! So not only are you embarrassing Xiumin, but also yourself.”

  This causes both of them to shut up. We didn’t even realize the waiter was waiting for us asking us constantly if we were ready like a broken record. I notice him first. “Oh! Sorry, yes we’re ready.”

  We order our food and eat in peace.

  “Next stop, to the mall!” Chen exclaims while pointing out in front of him.

  “The mall is this way.” Luhan points out and walks to the opposite direction.

  “The mall!” Chen shouts and spins in his heels while stiffly following behind him.

  It feels like this is just a hangout rather than a birthday gathering. I trail behind the two as my mind drifts to another world. I wonder what Luhan has set up for me for my birthday tonight. It’s going to be at my house, but I realize I don’t have anything to feed him. Crap!

  We walk around the mall just having a good time.

"What about this? I'm beautiful aren't I?" Chen shouts as he models for us.

  I laugh hysterically, nearly hitting my head against the wall as I roll back in the couch outside of the fitting room.

  Luhan gives him a 'what the look' and shakes his head. He looks up to the ceiling while raising his hands and exclaims, "Why? Why do I have a weird friend like this? We're just so lucky there's barely anyone here. Please Chen, change back."

  I still couldn't stop laughing. I grip my stomach as it's aching from this constant laughter. He just looks so ridiculous with that sparkly shirt and tight pants. Adding to that, he kept showing off with poses and making duck faces.

  He his hip.

  This causes me to go berserk. I slap my knee and my laugh becomes silent. "I can't! I can't! You look so disgusting in those clothes! They don't even match and you're expressions are priceless!"

  Chen snickers. "How about you try, Luhan?"

  Luhan's eyes grow wide. "What? There's no way in hell you're going to make me wear that atrocious attire!"

  "You don't have to wear this exactly! We're just doing this for fun, for Xiumin. It's his birthday, so we should try to make him happy."

  Luhan's thinking about it deeply as he chews the inside of his cheek. With a sigh, he gets up and walks off while saying, "Alright, but before I do, you need to change back into your regular clothes."

  "Fair enough."

  Chen and I wait patiently near the fitting room for Luhan. We don't know what he chose since he was hiding it as he passed by. Today surely has been a great day.

  "Ready?" Luhan asks us as he pulls the curtains back slightly.

  "Whenever you are!" Chen yells while chuckling a bit. He nudges me and whispers, "Now let's see if your boyfriend has chosen something worse than I did."

  Just as he said that, Luhan came out wearing these short shorts for a guy and a pretty fruity shirt. But not only that, he also added a clip on tie. I guess you could say he was trying to look like a geek, but failed miserably.

  There was a long pause from both Chen and me as we take it all in. Then all at once, we burst out laughing, giving each other a high five.

  At first Luhan frowns but laughs as he realizes how terrible he looks. It was all fun and games until one of the workers asks us politely to calm down. We do so and decide to go somewhere else.

  "Where to next?" Chen asks, "Maybe we could head to the game store and play some demos?"

  "Sure!"

  While Chen was playing, he points out, "Oh yeah, sorry that I don't have your gift right now, but-"

  "You forgot?" Luhan interjects.

  "No. No. No. No. No. In fact, I have one, but it's at home. You guys don't mind going to my house real quick before your time alone. . I died."

  "I'm fine with it." I say and turn to Luhan who was nodding his head slowly.

  "Alright. Should we get going? I think we've been here for an hour already."

  "Really? Okay! Let's go!" Even though Chen wants to continue, he gives it up and drags us out before he could go back.

  The mall was the last place we went to before we went to Chen's place.

  Once there, we were greeted by his parents and were offered to eat.

  "They already ate, mom, but I'm sure they have room for cake." Chen scurries into the kitchen where his mom was cooking and disappears in the refrigerator.

  Cake? Did he bake a cake for me?

  Suddenly, he comes out, holding a small cake enough only for whoever was in the house and smiles. "Happy birthday, Xiumin! I didn't make the cake by the way, but my mom did. I hope you like it!" Chen places it on the table and gets a candle for me because he's too lazy to get sixteen. His mom lights them up and we do the usual thing: sing Happy Birthday to me.

  At the end, they tell me to close my eyes and make a wish. I do so and wish in my head, "I hope to have all these people with me with the rest of my life. I don't know what I'll do without them." I open my eyes and blow out the candles.

  Then we start eating almost like a normal birthday party except...

  "Time to get..." Chen comes up to me with a slice of cake. "Caked!" He throws his slice at me and smothers it all over my face. He laughs in victory, but I also have something up my sleeve.

  I take my half eaten slice and do the same to him.

  Then we notice Luhan backing up.

  "Don't think that we've forgotten you. Come here!" Chen chases Luhan around the dining table, but couldn't catch him, I grab Luhan as he passes by me.

  "Ah! Baozi! What are you doing? Let me go! How dare you betray your boyfriend!" He exclaims and squirms in my grasp.

  "Sorry, Hannie, but not all relationships will be easy."

  As I say those words, Luhan gets caked by Chen.

  We clean up in bathroom, shoving and pushing each other to get in front of the mirror. Did I mention that the bathroom was small?

  Poor Luhan was in the middle, being squished by us two as we fight for the side. He finally gets enough of it and gets out, leaving me with Chen alone.

  We're side by side, cleaning ourselves quietly. I wash my face, realizing that only using a towel won't get everything off especially the stickiness. As I dry my face with a towel, I turn to Chen. Suddenly it has gotten quiet.

  "Thanks," I say.

  He drops his towel and looks at me. "I'm glad you're having fun. Your smile is one of the best aspects about you."

  I blush by his comment. “You really changed a lot, Chen. Before you were so quiet and now you’re just different.

  He chuckles. “I just want to make people happy and this is the time I should change. I don’t want to be weak anymore.”

  There was a long silence before I hear, "Can I kiss you once more?"

  I stiffen. What did I just hear? I open my mouth, but no words are escaping. All that comes out was a deep sigh.

  He chuckles. "I'm just kidding!" Chen shouts while slapping my back a couple of times and a bit too hard. "There's no need to take everything so seriously! Anyways, let me get your gift so you and Luhan can have your time alone!" He leaves the bathroom as I look at myself in the mirror.

  I'm pathetic aren't I? Chen is probably hurting so much inside, but what can I do? I'm in love with Luhan, and I might be for the rest of my life. But why, why didn't I refuse Chen when he wanted a kiss? What is wrong with me?

  I walk to the living room deep in thought. I find Luhan sitting on the couch, staring off into space. I sit next to him and rest my head against his shoulder while closing my eyes. Certainly, I am only in love with him and no one else.

  "Here it is!" Chen pops up while holding a small box with an envelope taped on top in his hands. "Open it later because I'm sure you want to spend more time together." He pulls us up and shoves us out the door. "Goodbye!" He waves and shouts the door abruptly in front of us.

  I'm dumbfounded. He kicked us out so quickly! I hod the present in my hands, but I don't open it. Instead, I hold it tightly like Luhan's hand as we head to my place. Crap. I really don't know what we'll be doing at my house.

  "I'm sorry that I don't have a present, but I'll make it up to you," Luhan says as we near my place.

  I shake my head and hold up my wrist where I wore or bracelet. "This is good enough."

  He smiles slightly.

  We reach my silent house and immediately head to the living room.

  I feel nervous. I'm alone with my boyfriend with no one in the house except for us two. What should we talk about? What should we do?

  "Ah! Now that we're alone, I don't know what to do!" Luhan confesses as his cheeks turn a shade of pink. "I really didn't plan this out."

  "Ha." Ugh. Why is it so awkward without Chen? I just don't understand how things get awkward when it's just the two of us, but when there are other people, we're practically jumping off the walls.

  He kisses my cheek and whispers, "Happy Birthday, Min Min."

  This was the first time he called me by that nickname and it seems strange to my ears. I'm so used to him calling me Baozi or Xiumin and nothing else. I bite my lip, not knowing what to do afterwards. I sit on my couch and turn on the T.V.

  Luhan sits close beside me to where our thighs were touching.

  My heart quickens from his touch. I can't concentrate on the channels and continue to flip through until Luhan spots something.

  We watch. I'm quite agitated at myself for making this time alone like this. It seems like a regular hang out, not my birthday. I actually want something to happen because today is my day even though to others it's just a regular day. I begin thinking about things we can do, but something brushes my cheek.

  Luhan's lips were again pressing on my skin but lightly like a feather. As he breaths against me, I gulp feeling a strange sensation come across my body. His lips tickle me as he speaks, "Why don't you ever kiss me? You've kissed Chen, but not me; your own boyfriend."

  "I know. It was wrong of me, but I haven't willingly kissed someone before." I confess.

  "Then... Do you want to... Try?" He says slowly and pulls away from me.

  I turn my head towards him, eyes wide. Today he looks really handsome. He didn't anything to himself, but there was a sparkle in his eyes that captivates me. Maybe for once I'll break my barrier and let him kiss me. Maybe this time I will show him how much I love him by a simple kiss. It doesn't hurt to try.

  I lean forward and taste his lips against mine for the first time. They taste like the cake we ate at Chen's place: sweet and alluring. I pull away for a moment only to find Luhan attacking my lips once more.

  They were so soft and addicting. I get this strange tingle on my body as he moves his lips smoothly across mine.

  He wraps his arms around my waist, closing the gap between us. His fingers run up and down my back as his tongue pokes out, tracing where my lips would part.

  I, too, bring my hands around him and grip his shirt tightly. I didn't want to let go. Every part of my body refused to move as we continue kissing each other while Luhan constantly pokes his tongue out. It was quite uncomfortable, but after a while, I got used to it. However I didn't let him in my mouth. Wouldn't that be weird?

  Luhan pinches my thigh causing me to gasp. He slips his tongue into my mouth, letting me feel his warm muscle against mine.

  I let out a whimper as I force his tongue out, but he keeps coming back with a more violent push. My breath comes uneven and my body grows hot with each movement. What is this feeling?

  Luhan pulls away from the kiss, leaving a trail of saliva as we part. Even he's breathing heavily. "Wow. Who knew you could make me go this crazy for more." He pushes me lightly against the couch and lies on top of me. His chest was rising and falling just like mine. Our hearts beat in sync as we finally have our first kiss together.

  Luhan presses his forehead against mine and looks deep into my eyes. "I love you, Xiumin. Happy birthday," he says once more.

  I smile. "I love you, too, Luhan."

  He presses his lips onto mine gently, bfore parting again to say, "I'll never let you go."

  I smile. "You better not." I wrap a hand around his neck and pull him down for a kiss. I wonder how many kisses we'll do until we actually decide to do something else.

~*~

  We basically watch T.V and cuddle the whole day until Luhan decides to go home. I walk him out and give him one last peck on the cheek. Our kisses never lose their spark, but it worries me because it gets harder to part with him every moment.

  “Bye, Baozi. I’ll see you later,” Luhan says while after the kiss and giving me a tight hug. “Happy Birthday,” he whispers one last time.

  “Bye, Hannie,” I say, “And thank you.” I close the door when I no longer saw him. Just as I sit on my couch, I remember the gift Chen gave me. I haven’t opened it yet! I find it on the floor next to the couch as I remember myself holding it until Luhan kissed me, causing me to melt inside.

  I take the envelope and take out the card. It reads:

  Happy Birthday, Xiumin!

  Hope you have a great birthday and I wish you good luck. I’m sure having a boyfriend is troublesome, but don’t forget, not everything will run smoothly! And if you want to beat me next year, you have to study more!

            -Chen

  I laugh. I’ve always wanted to beat him in my classes, but I never can. He’s always on top while I’m right behind him and Luhan’s right behind me. We’re competing to see who’s the smartest in our group and so far, Chen is.

  I unwrap the present and take out a Rilakkuma Steam Bun phone charm. But as I take it, something else slips out. I pick it up to find a photo of the three of us and written on the back was, We’ll always be together forever no matter how many obstacles come our way.

  I don’t know why but reading those words made my heart ache. Could we really be together forever? Will that really happen? Or will time bring us apart? Surely, I don’t want to lose the people I’ve grown close to especially Luhan and Chen. Why? Why does Chen always make me feel guilty?