Changmin’s POV

This is why I never show up early to anything. 

I sighed as I leaned against a red Porsche parked right in front of Hyukjae’s office building. 

It was just nearing 3:30, but I wished everyone would show up already. Actually, I was only truly waiting for one person, and that was the cute little bartender, Kyuhyun. 

I chuckled to myself as I remembered our last encounter. That kid was a feisty one, but that only made him more fun to be around. Kyuhyun was like the untrusting dog at the shelter. He’s always snapping at me and trying to put up a tough front, but when you look past all the death glares and pissed off expressions, you see an adorably handsome face just waiting to be cuddled and kissed. 

What? Too early on the kissing part? Not my fault. If he would stop blushing every time I , it wouldn't be so hard.  

A dog barked from somewhere across the road, bringing me out of my thoughts. I turned my head to glance up the street for the hundredth time, but there was still no signs of Kyuhyun. Another bored sigh left my mouth as I began absentmindedly rubbing my sneaker against the sidewalk. 

The streets were crowded and noisy, making me wish I hadn’t parked so far away. At least I could’ve waited inside my truck and listened to some music. But instead, I’m stuck out here among the strong smell of engine gas and the loud chatter of people passing by. But at least it wasn't blazing hot anymore. The sun was no longer punishing me with its heat, and when I looked up, I could see why. The sky had taken on a pale shade of grey, all signs of sunlight gone as thick dark clouds moved in slowly overhead. Ah, a thunderstorm. 

“You picked the tiest day for a date.”

I bought my gaze back down to see Hyukjae standing in front of me, looking a bit uneasy, but still managing to glare at me. I rolled my eyes at his oh so polite greeting. 

“Sorry. My weather radar wasn’t working yesterday,” I said sarcastically, making Hyukjae snort. 

“So where are we going?” He asked, moving beside me to lean against the red Porsche, too, to avoid getting in the way of the steady stream of people. I lifted an eyebrow at him. 

“Why are you asking me? I thought you were the one with the plan.” Hyukjae looked at me with his eyebrows scrunched together in a ‘what are you talking about’ kind of way. 

“You were the one who brought up the idea of a double date,” he stated. “I thought that meant you were going to come up with the details.”

“You’re the one who wanted to confess and whatnot. That means you’re in charge,” I said, not really paying attention, causing Hyukjae to shake his head at me in a scolding manner. 

“You were supposed to do it,” he said accusingly. “And I already did the thing yesterday,” he added, looking down the street to avoid my eyes. 

“Did what?”

“I told Donghae yesterday about, you know, how I felt.” The way he said it made it clear that he wasn't going to tell me any more details, not like I was interested anyway. I smacked him on the back proudly. 

“Nice one, Hyuk. Glad to see you finally grew some balls,” I congratulated him and Hyukjae glared at me again, bringing a hand up to shove me away as I was going in for another smack. 

Just then, Hyukjae’s eyes landed on something to my right and he smiled. 

“Donghae,” he called warmly. I turned and spotted Donghae coming at us with a happy bounce in his step and a shy smile on his face with Kyuhyun trailing behind him anxiously, wearing an unenthusiastic frown. 

Hyukjae went over to Donghae, but he didn't know what to do after that so he just opted for a generic greeting. And here I was thinking he’d gotten better at this whole dating thing. 

“Donghae, hi. Uh, you look good,” he stammered and I lifted an eyebrow at his nervousness. Wow, he must really like this kid. I’ve never seen him act so self conscious before. He was known around the business world for having a stiff face and no nice words in his vocabulary. 

As Donghae mumbled out his own shy greeting, I caught sight of Kyuhyun who was standing behind Donghae off to the side, looking at the two with a slightly annoyed look. 

I pushed myself off the side of the car and stepped around the two lovebirds to greet him. 

“Hey there, princess,” was all I had to say before he was snarling in my face. 

“Stop it with the stupid nicknames,” he snapped angrily, but I could already see a faint blush creeping up his face as he glared at me. 

“What? It’s cute, just like you,” I innocently flirted and Kyuhyun looked like he was ready to hit me. 

“So where are we going,” I heard Donghae ask Hyukjae shyly. I turned my attention to him. 

“Well, little one, your ever so brilliant boyfriend over here forgot to plan anything so I guess we’re just winging it today.” I smirked when I saw both of them begin fidgeting uncomfortably at being referred to as boyfriends. 

I could tell this was going to be fun. But I wasn’t planning on sticking around them too long. I had my own date with my little bartender planned out and it didn't involve those two. I just hadn’t figured out how to lose them yet. All in good time I guess. 

“Can none of you numbskulls plan a date correctly?” Kyuhyun looked positively peeved, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “First that stupid rabbit man and now you two. It’s like all of you business freaks lack common sense.”

All I heard, though, was the fact that he called this a date. Hyukjae had told me that he hadn't mentioned the word ‘date’ to Donghae because he was worried about freaking him out. 

“So this is a date, is it?” I grinned. Kyu sputtered angrily for a moment as he searched for something to say before he gave up and pointed an accusing finger at Donghae. 

“Hae kept saying this was a date!” Donghae looked at Kyuhyun like he’d just outed his biggest secret. 

“Kyu!” He exclaimed before turning to Hyukjae. “T-That’s not t-true. I—” Hyukjae looked pleased with the turn of events, though, and smiled at Donghae. 

“I was actually thinking the same. I wouldn’t mind calling this a date.” 

Donghae looked at him and blushed the brightest red I’ve ever seen on a person. But I wasn’t about to stand here and listen to them exchange love endearments all afternoon, so I interrupted. 

“Anyone have anything in mind?” It was silent for a while before Kyu spoke. 

“I’m hungry,” he grumbled quietly and I smiled. 

“Alright. I know this really good Mediterranean place just a couple blocks down.” I looked at everyone for approval and they all seemed to agree. I nodded and gestured for Hyukjae and Donghae to walk in front of me and Kyuhyun. I know I was supposed to be leading, but I wanted to hold Kyuhyun’s hand and there was no way he was going to do that with Hyukjae and Donghae walking behind him. So in front they go. 

“I’ll tell you where to turn,” I said when Hyukjae looked unsure. He seemed satisfied with that and gestured with his head for Donghae to walk next to him. As the two started walking up the street, I started behind and Kyuhyun fell into step beside me. 

From here, I could see Hyukjae’s hand twitching hesitantly, unsure if to hold Donghae’s hand or not. I rolled my eyes. Those two had a long way to go. 

I glanced down at Kyuhyun to see him eyeing the little shops and boutiques as we walked by. I took that as a good time to try and discretely grab his hand. My plan failed, though, because he noticed and right away jerked his hand out of my grasp, sending me a threatening look. 

“Come on. Just this once, humor me. If you don’t like it, we don’t have to do it again,” I promised, and Kyuhyun actually looked like he was considering. I did a happy dance in my head when he huffed out ‘fine’. 

He stuck his hand out and I took it in a firm, but gentle, hold. I tried not to show him how happy I was, but a smile still found its way on my face. Kyuhyun didn't see, though, because his eyes were pinned in front of him, as if he was attempting to act nonchalant about the whole thing. But I could see the blush coloring his cheeks and my mood took another shot upwards. 

Looking up ahead to see how Hyukjae was doing, I noticed it wasn't going that well. Hyukjae’s hand was still at his side. They weren't talking either and it made me want to go over there and help break the awkwardness. 

As we approached the intersection, I called out for Hyukjae to turn right and he and Donghae complied. This street was quieter than the bustling avenue we were on just now. That was because the buildings here were mostly residential. The restaurant we were headed to was hidden among them and most people didn't know about it. 

Just then, a girl with chestnut hair and super short shorts walked past us. I thought I recognized her as one of the new staff members I hired last week, so craned my neck to look after her. I think she was the new web developer I added to the marketing team. 

Suddenly, I felt Kyuhyun give my hand a harsh tug and I glanced down at him questioningly. 

“If you want to check out other people, that’s fine by me, but don’t do it while I'm standing right here,” he said angrily, looking down at the sidewalk, but I could see the hurt dangling in his eye as he tried to pull his hand out of mine. It took me a moment to realize what he said. I grinned like an idiot as I gripped his hand securely so that he couldn't escape.

“Ok. For the rest of the day, you’re the only one I’ll look at, princess,” I teased and I saw Kyuhyun’s blush return as he glared heatedly at the sidewalk, giving up on trying to free his hand. 

It was quiet for the rest of the walk, and when we arrived in front of the place, Kyuhyun pulled his hand out of mine before the others could see. I already missed the feeling, but didn't act on it and lead everyone inside. 

It was a relatively small place that was decorated very homey, with deep greens and bright blues being the theme. Smells from the kitchen filled the entire space and the slightly dimmed lighting gave off a cozy atmosphere. The hostess lead us over to a booth by the window. A quick glance outside showed it had gotten considerably darker as more storm clouds gathered, but I didn't mind. As long as it didn't start raining, my plans for later were still in tact. 

I let Kyuhyun slide in first before I sat down next to him. Donghae sat across from Kyuhyun with Hyukjae right beside him in front of me. 

The hostess left and a waiter came by. He passed out four menus before leaving us to decide what we wanted. 

I didn’t need to look at the menu, though, because I already knew what I wanted. The other three took some time figuring out what to get and then we signaled the waiter back over. After writing down everything, he left towards the kitchen. 

Hyukjae and Donghae kept sneaking glances at one another and I rolled my eyes at their shyness. I kicked Hyukjae under the table and he shot me a glare. I nudged my head towards Donghae, hoping he would get the hint that I was trying to tell him to start a conversation with his date. Thankfully he understood, or so I thought. He awkwardly cleared his throat. 

“How was your day?” He asked, addressing everyone at the table. I shook my head at him in mock disappointment, but answered first anyway. 

“Productive, actually,” I said, getting excited as I though back on my day. “I was in the break room watching the season finale of Supernatural when an idea hit for the next game in the Dark Project trilogy. You guys probably don’t know what I’m talking about. It's one of my highest selling games- But I guess all my games sell pretty well... Anyways, I spent the day getting most of the ideas down on paper, and tomorrow I’ve gotta meet with my head game designer to see if he likes the idea. I feel like this is the best one I’ve come up with so far.” 

I took pleasure in the way Kyuhyun was looking at me like I was the best thing on the planet. He had the same reaction when I had told him what my company does. Maybe he’s a gamer. I’d have to ask later. 

It was quiet again before Donghae answered this time. “My day was ok. Didn’t do much,” he said timidly. 

Everybody at the table then turned to Kyuhyun who was the only one left. He looked like he really didn't want to be a part of the conversation, but reluctantly spoke up when we all wouldn't quit staring. 

“Slept most of the morning. I had call my boss to tell him I couldn't come in for work today because I had to be here instead,” he said shooting Donghae a pointed look. “Had to sit threw a fifteen minute lecture listening to him rant about me not taking my job seriously. Not fun,” he grumbled miserably. 

I reached out my hand to pat his shoulder sympathetically, but he wiggled his shoulder as a sign for me to get off. I gave him my best puppy dog face and he wrinkled up his nose in distaste. I found the gesture incredibly adorable and couldn't stop myself from reaching over and ruffling his hair playfully. I admired the way the soft bouncy locks glided between my fingers before Kyuhyun was once again snapping at me and pushing my hand away. 

The two seated across the table looked once again uncomfortable with the amount of affection I was showing. I kicked Hyukjae under the table a second time and he gritted his teeth like he was trying his best not to jump across the table and beat me in the head. I tried as secretively as I could to point at Donghae and mouth ‘talk to your boyfriend’ to Hyukjae. 

But Donghae caught me and turned all shades of red while Hyukjae was stuck sending me another threatening glare. Geez, all that glaring and his eyes were going to end up sticking like that. 

Just in time to save me, however, came our waiter, carrying two of our meals in his hands, the other two being carried by another waitress who came to help out. When the plates were set in front of us, Kyuhyun immediately started shoveling food in his mouth. I lifted an eyebrow as I watched him eat shamelessly. I guess he wasn't lying when he said he was hungry. Donghae rolled his eyes at his friend’s lack of manners. 

Soon we were all eating, although silently. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m a person of conversation. If no one speaks, I get anxious. And that’s why I tried initiating conversation several times, but my little group would only give one-sentenced answers and then go back to munching quietly. I gave up after the fifth try when I asked everyone if they’d seen the latest Avengers movie and all I got was a collective 'no'. 

Not talking lead me to finishing my plate rather quickly, and it seemed so for everyone else, too. As Hyukjae twiddled with his fork, he glanced over at Donghae. 

“Sungmin was telling me that colleges are beginning to open up soon. When do you guys start?” He asked out of the blue, looking mostly at Donghae as he spoke. Oh, right, I forgot how young these two actually were.

Donghae blushed at the attention Hyukjae was giving him, and answered timidly, because of course he would want to speak to his boyfriend and not me. I rolled my eyes.  

“First day of classes are in a week and a half,” he said, making Kyuhyun perk up like he’d remembered something important. 

“Did you send in the housing form?” he asked intently. Donghae gave him a blank stare as he thought about it, but then paled. He gave Kyuhyun an ‘I’m so sorry please don’t hurt me’ look, but Kyuhyun wasn't having any of it. 

“Hae, the deadline for those was two days ago. You said you were going to do it,” he whined. His voice sounded like he wasn't really mad at his friend, more just worried about what to do now.  

“What’s this housing form?” I asked, genuinely curious. Kyuhyun glanced at me sideways before dropping his gaze to his plate as he pushed the leftover food around with his fork. 

“It’s a form you have to submit to the college so that they can place you somewhere appropriate in the dorms. If you don’t do it on time, it’s difficult to chose your roommate because most double rooms are already filled up,” he said worriedly. 

“So you and Donghae are going to get split up since you guys didn't send in the form to request rooming together,” I said slowly, making sure I understood correctly. Kyuhyun nodded, sending a guilty looking Donghae an angry pout. 

“I really don’t want to room with someone else,” he said miserably. 

“Well, that’s how you make friends,” I said, trying to help the situation, but it looked as though my help was unwanted because Hyukjae threw me a glare and surprisingly enough so did Donghae. I held my hands up defensively as Donghae tried to reassure Kyuhyun. 

“We could always rent a place together off campus,” he suggested, but Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. 

“Speak for yourself, Hae. Those apartments in the city are way out of my budget, even if I was only paying half of the rent.”

“I’ll pay for the whole thing,” Donghae stated. Kyuhyun glared at him in a ‘you’ll be doing no such thing’ way and Donghae sighed. 

“Come live with me then,” I blurted out randomly, suddenly loving the idea. “I live around that area so it’ll be the same thing. You’ll just have to pay me in kisses and dates,” I grinned. Hyukjae rolled his eyes and Donghae cringed at the idea. Kyuhyun’s eyes glinted with interest for a millisecond before he scoffed. 

“I’ll have to pass on that,” he replied coldly and I sighed. Hey, at least I tried. 

Donghae gave Kyuhyun another apologetic look and mumbled quietly to him that they would talk about it later. Hyukjae shifted uncomfortably in his seat from the awkward conversation. 

“So,” Hyukjae started, and I thought he was finally going to say something worthy of a man on a date. 

“How was the meal?”

I mentally face palmed. That’s not how you impress your date, Hyuk. 

Seriously, who is this guy sitting across from me? Because I thought he was the powerful CEO that marched around with his head held up high. But the person in front of me was acting like a middle schooler being around their crush for the first time. 

I felt sorry for Donghae. He’s stuck with a helpless idiot. 

I can’t wait to get away with Kyuhyun and actually start our real date.

next chapter will be part two of this for when eunhae and changkyu split up.