Love Blossom - K.Will

Fondness

It was a Monday morning, supposed to be another ordinary day for Aerin. Just like how she usually does, she was supposed to wake up late; however, she found herself being woken up at six in the morning when the sun was just starting to rise. She wouldn’t be surprised if Heegun’s face was the one that she saw first upon opening her eyes, for she knew that he would only tell her that he was going. On the contrary though, a face who she had never expected of seeing suddenly came to her blurry sight, causing for her eyes to open wide in utter shock. “Sehun?!”

“Rise and shine, Aerin!” With the male’s voice ringing through her ears, Aerin felt her arms getting pulled off from the bed rather hastily, leading her to sit up straight. Seeing as she was still unstable from the slight dizziness she acquired from waking up immediately, Aerin fell off from her bed with a loud thud. What the hell…

The action gave Sehun a mini heart attack as he held onto Aerin’s wrist tightly. “Aerin—“ Feeling guilty for what he did, he was about to help her get up but paused upon noticing the attire worn by the female. Letting go of Aerin’s arm, Sehun then turned to his back and rummaged through his bag. Upon acquiring the clothes he was looking for, he then placed it on the girl’s bed and dashed outside, but not before filling the room’s atmosphere with his alarmed voice. “Aerin, wash up now and wear that! Call me once you’re done!”

Standing up from the cold wooden floor with much difficulty, Aerin stayed still in place for about a minute, trying to register everything that just happened. Understanding what Sehun said, she then turned to the bed and saw a white short sleeved dress shirt, and a dark blue skirt—Bansong-dong’s local high school uniform for the girls. What is he up to now?

Aerin was beyond clueless about the male’s intentions, but since she was already awake, she made no more attempt in going back to sleep. Another thing that made her more confused though, was why Sehun suddenly ran out of her room with a flushed face. It puzzled her, but her question was immediately answered as soon as she saw her reflection on the mirror, letting the blood rush to her cheeks. Since it was hot last night, Aerin just wore only a sheer white tank top and black . She was used to wearing something as skimpy as her attire, but the prospect of Sehun seeing her in only that made her contemplate whether to be annoyed or embarrassed. Seriously, how can someone just enter a girl’s room like that?

She was mortified and surprised, but she wasn’t planning to lash out at Sehun. It was already done and it’s not like the male really intended for it to happen. Making a fuss out of something so small would only make things awkward and embarrassing; an ordeal she wouldn’t want to experience again, not after they’ve already made up.

Doing her usual routine inside the bathroom at a slightly faster pace, Aerin then wore the uniform that Sehun gave her. The outfit was one size bigger than her real size, but she didn’t mind—it wasn’t that noticeable anyway. The weather was too hot for her liking, and wearing something big and baggy would surely cool her down.

“Sehun, you can come in.” Aerin called, her wavy sable brown hair one last time before taking a seat on the edge of her bed. “I’m done now.”

Hearing Aerin’s voice, Sehun’s chestnut brown hair popped out from behind the door as his body slowly made its way inside the room. There was still a slight blush on his cheeks but Aerin decided to just ignore it; she knew that the male wouldn’t appreciate her doing so. “Aerin, I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s fine, just… just don’t do it again.” Aerin mumbled, almost inaudible as she could feel the atmosphere getting a tad uncomfortable for her own luxury. She then pressed her lips into a thin line as she watched Sehun taking a seat on the chair beside her study desk, looking at her as if in deep thought. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Since you weren’t answering Seongim-noona’s call, I took the initiative to just go here and pass her message to you.” Sehun said, pulling off a small smile as Aerin raised a single eyebrow.

Turning to her side table, she then got the phone that Luhan lent her and unlocked its screen. Sure enough, there were two missed calls flashing on the screen; both were listed yesterday, when Aerin was out of the house with Luhan. Having been walking all day, she didn’t have the time to check the phone anymore and just fell asleep immediately; an action she regretted a bit upon knowing that Seongim was trying to contact her.

Putting the phone back, Aerin then turned to Sehun in inquiry. “Why did she call?”

“Well, since it’s the last week of the summer classes, Seongim-noona wanted you to join us in the school.” Sehun explained, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. “I was actually the one who asked her if you could come with me. You’re not doing anything here anyway, and you said you were bored.”

“If you’re worrying about that, then it’s fine.” Aerin replied dryly, an apathetic look replacing her curious one. She wasn’t lying to Sehun when she said that she was bored, but she didn’t think that he would actually do something to keep her preoccupied. It was touching and nice; she appreciated the male’s concern for her. However, if he was going to keep making efforts for her, then she’d rather just not tell him anything. She was already fine on her own anyway, and it’s not like she’s really asking him to do something. Sehun might think that she’s being a whiny brat.

“Come on! I mean, look at you; the uniform suits you so much! I even had to borrow one from the faculty, you know, so don’t even think about rejecting my—Seongim-noona’s offer.” Sehun clicked his tongue, eyeing Aerin from head to toe with a repressed smile. He knew that schools in America don’t really require students to wear uniforms, so he thought that maybe Aerin would want to experience wearing one. However, he wasn’t lying when he said that she looked good in it. He really did think that their school’s uniform suited her that’s why he borrowed one, and being able to confirm his assumptions, he felt good. On the contrary, that fleeting moment was replaced by an amazed curiosity upon taking notice of the white box-like device resting on Aerin’s desk. “This Polaroid camera, is it yours?”

Seeing Sehun’s interest towards the gadget, Aerin reluctantly nodded; however, her lips then contorted into a slight frown upon hearing the male’s excited response. “Wow, this is so cool. Can I have it?”

Turning away from the camera, Sehun finally noticed the unpleasant look formed on Aerin’s face. He was only joking, so he didn’t think that the female would actually take him seriously. Although, considering how calm and serious Aerin always was, he should’ve expected for that kind of reaction to appear. “Okay… I understand. This must be given to you by someone special, huh.”

Aerin didn’t respond, and instead, put on an aloof facial expression. It was a first for Sehun, encountering someone who gives out blank answers seriously. The experience was new, but it was also hard; it’s as if the girl was making him guess what her answer could mean, and it vexed him. His facial expression was slowly distorting, but the sight of another fascinating thing managed to distract him. “So you post your pictures here?”

Aerin’s eyes followed Sehun as he got off the chair and walked towards her, pointing to the pin board hanging above the headboard of her bed. Realizing that Sehun’s interest was once again diverted to one of her old stuffs, she fully got on the bed and moved closer towards the window, resting her back on the wall beside it. “Uh yeah, sort of.”

“Why is there only one picture?” Sehun asked, taking a seat across Aerin on the edge of th