CHAPTER 8 - -

- - Carefree Reality

"Minho, are you that excited to go out?"

"Of course I am!" he cheerfully replied, grin curving his lips, "You're even skipping class to spend the day with me." I shook my head at his excitement as I pulled my jacket onto my arms. It was starting to get colder now as it nearing winter.

But it was true.

Today, I was skipping class so that I could be with Minho.

He hadn't even asked me to, it'd been a decision I'd made by myself and I felt no guilt over it. Well, I had at first, but that'd all disappeared at the sight of Minho's smile when I'd told him.

I wasn't even sure what we were going to do, but somehow that didn't really matter. As long as I was with him, I'd even happily watch paint dry.

I shook my head at myself.

"Is everything ok?"

I nodded at his question as I motioned for us to go to the door. He was going to think I was weird for being distracted like this, wasn't he? I sighed as I opened the door. A slight breeze passed me and I inhaled the air it brought.

Minho followed me out and to my surprise, he took the key from me and locked the door himself. I blinked at him.

"Don't the men usually do this?" he asked me playfully, "Also, from now on, wait for me to open the door for you ok?" He took on a more serious tone as he waited for my answer.

I felt compelled to nod.

He grinned, "Good. We're going to the bus stop right?"

He didn't even wait for my answer as he took my hand in his and began walking in the bus stop's direction. I hadn't even told him where we were going because I didn't even know where we were going-

He was holding my hand.

My eyes widened as I glanced down to where our hands were joined.

While it was an awkward hand hold, my hand was curled up in a fist inside of his, I still felt my cheeks warming. Since when had he been so forward? Did he even know what hand-holding meant?

Well, I certainly hoped so.

The usual ten minute or so walk to the bus stop passed by in a blur and before I knew it, we were there and there was a bus in the horizon. Usually this walk dragged since I caught the bus to university, but today it'd simply flown by.

"Which bus are we catching?" Minho asked as soon as we arrived.

To be quite honest, I wasn't sure.

Or actually, I didn't care.

I didn't care where we went, as long as we were together it'd be ok.

"Krystal?"

I smiled as I turned my head to him, "Let's catch the first bus that arrives."

Minho frowned for a moment before he shook his head and returned my smile.

"Shall we?" he spoke out, eyes twinkling, "Even if it takes us to a place you've never been?" he asked teasingly, "I won't be much help since I've never been to this part of Korea before."

I nodded, "How about, whatever number the bus is... that's how many stops we wait before getting off?" I suggested.

I really was acting so different to what I normally would.

I would normally never even consider catching a random bus and getting off at a random stop. I was normally very logical and calculated.

But not today.

Today, I wanted to get lost with Minho.

"Oh look, bus number nine is coming."

I looked up when Minho spoke and sure enough, in the see-able distance, a bus was approaching with the number nine printed on it.

"So nine stops then?" I nodded at his question.

Nine stops would be quite a distance.

However, I pushed the worry from my heart when the bus pulled up in front of us. We walked in and I paid for our bus fare. Only a few others were in the bus and they all seemed preoccupied in their own affairs. Not that I could concentrate on them because Minho was still holding my hand as he led us to empty seats.

He chose ones that weren't too far from the front and we sat down. He let go of my hand as we did, but the disappointment was short-lived as he draped an arm around my shoulders instead. My shoulders tensed at the contact I could hear him chuckle beside me and I willed myself to relax.

It wasn't my fault that I didn't have much dating experience.

I'd been too focused on work to really ever date anyone in school.

And the fact that Sulli had a knack for liking the same people I did, so inevitably, I ended up forcing myself to not like them.

I inwardly sighed.

Well, the distraction had allowed my muscles to relax and the bus was once again moving.

"So where do you think we'll end up?"

I looked out of the window at Minho's question and noticed that we were going a different route than what I was used to.

"Hopefully in Neverland," I joked in response while being half serious.

Time stopped in Neverland right?

I could relieve this day forever then.

"We might just be that lucky," Minho replied as he hugged me closer, "But since we have time, let's talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Everything and anything... like what do your parents do?"

I bit my lip at the question.

"Well... my mom is a secretary and my stepdad works as a manager for a small company in town."

"I didn't know that your parents were divorced..." Minho murmured.

I shook my head, "It happened a long time ago. My mom married my roommates father. So you'll see her soon."

"Sulli right?"

I nodded, "Well call her Jinri first but she'll probably tell you to call her Sulli anyway."

Somehow, I began to feel uncomfortable talking about Sulli.

"What's she going to think about me staying with you?"

I froze for a moment.

That was a good question.

Neither Sulli nor I had ever had a male over in the apartment.

Sure Sulli had had boyfriends, but if they'd come over, they'd always left. Whereas Minho, he was lucky if he saw the outside of the apartment. Not to mention the fact that Minho regularly cleaned the apartment too, even when I told him not to. He'd probably seen more of it than Sulli and I ever had.

And the newly acknowledged part of me never wanted Sulli to meet Minho.

I quickly shook my head, "I'm actually not sure..." I said before biting my bottom lip.

"Will she mind?"

I sighed, "She shouldn't..." I really wasn't sure what to say because in all honesty, I didn't know.

I could've laughed. I'd known Sulli for so long, yet I wasn't able to answer this.

"Come to think of it... I don't know much about Sulli..." Minho began and I felt my heart clench. It was true - I'd barely said anything about Sulli to him. I was too scared too in case he'd start thinking about her.

"Tell me about her, we've still got seven stops to go."

I'd been dreading that question ever since the day I'd agreed to let him stay with me. If I told him about her, he was going to end up liking her. That's the way it always seemed to go. As soon as I mentioned the word 'model', guys tuned all their attention into finding out more about her.

I sighed.

Might as well get this out sooner or later right?

"Well... We're the same age," I began slowly, "And we're stepsisters." Minho nodded and I realized that I'd probably told him this before, "But we've been best friends ever since really. Done everything together basically." Well, that was at least true.

"Do her and Key get along well?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Surprisingly not. It's weird because you'd think that because they're into the same kind of things that they'd be best friends..."

"Same kind of things?"

"Ah, Sulli is a model."

There, I'd said the dreaded words.

Now I'd wait to see Minho's eyes light up, a smile a tug at his lips and new found fascination to be seen on his face.

But it never did.

"Model? You mean those overly skinny girls who wear strange things, have strange make-up done and often look like they're sleep-walking?"

Well, I certainly hadn't been expecting that one.

Really, that was a first. I blinked at him in amazement, but Minho didn't seem to understand why.

"Well... I guess you could call them that..." I spoke and shook my head a little, "But are you sure that doesn't make you want to get to know her more?"

Minho frowned at me, "What makes you think that?"

"Most guys here that I speak to jump at me when I tell them that she's a model..."

And that's when he shook his head and rolled his eyes at me, "You forget that I'm not from around here. In the countryside, a pretty girl only lasts so long. We value a hard worker more than a beauty queen because those vegetables aren't going to harvest themselves, no matter how much you bat your eyelashes at them."

My heart lifted, and it wasn't because of his bad joke or that charming smile he donned. It was because once again, Minho had proved me wrong. This time he'd changed my 'every male is the same' stereotype and I was glad.

But, I had to make sure.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, model girl at your side..."

Minho's arm around my shoulders pulled me closer and I ended up with my head in the crook of his neck, which resulted in an immediate blush from me.

"I have an even better girl at my side."

Well.

Yeah.

That was all the reassurance I needed.

- - - - -

"Re... Re... Resu... Shar... What?"

I couldn't help but giggle at Minho's horrible pronunciation.

"It's French," I told him as I walked to stand beside him and glanced at the signboard, "It says 'Les Jardins' and it means 'The Gardens.' I've always wanted to come to this place. These gardens are a gift from France."

The ninth stop had led us here, to a quiet place quite far out of the city which housed Les Jardins, a place I'd always wanted to visit but had never found the time to.

And now, here I was, with Minho by my side and I couldn't think of a better place to be.

"You can speak French?" he asked in amazement, strands of hair hanging over his forehead cutely. I couldn't resist the urge to reach out and move them to the side, an action that Minho seemed to appreciate.

"A little. In high school, I took it for a year," I explained as I moved the strands until I was satisfied.

"They didn't offer that at my high school," he replied with a wistful tone, "Not that it would be useful for farming, but the option would've been nice."

"Why?" I asked, "Plants don't understand French?"

I'd never been known to crack jokes. Honestly. I wasn't a humorous person, but hadn't I already discovered that Minho made me a completely different person? (Or maybe he made me... me. But I wasn't going to admit that).

The grin that tugged his lips made my heart jump, "Not with the bad accent I'd have."

I then, for a moment, imagined Minho trying to speak French. I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my lips. I soon covered my mouth with my hand, but I was unable to quell the laughter.

However, Minho didn't seem offended. In fact, he soon joined in the laughter.

Was this what carefree felt like?

The thought almost stopped my laughter as it rendered my mind useless for a moment.

Carefree.

A word I'd used before, in essays and when talking to others, but it was never a word I'd used to describe myself. I had cares, things I couldn't be free from. Such as my father's death, my fear of selfishness and the debt I owed to my parents. I'd always thought that carefree meant that you ignored your responsibilities, that you became selfish.

But it didn't.

"Well, we've stood at the entrance long enough, shall we go in?"

Minho's question woke me from my thoughts.

I shook my head, waking myself fully as I nodded while smiling brightly, "Yeah, let's go."

While intertwining our fingers, Minho led me into the Garden.

If I could describe a day as beautiful, this would one would definitely be that.

The flowers and various other vegetation in the garden were beautiful, utterly gorgeous even. They somehow still managed to maintain their vibrant colours despite the oncoming winter. The trees however had begun to lose their greenness, instead fading into shades of red and brown - but it'd all contributed to the simple beauty of the nature.

The garden had been relatively quiet, considering that it was a weekday, but it'd been perfect. Minho and I had often found ourselves in a secluded area where we'd simply taken in the sights and Minho had explained some of the shrubbery. Being a farmer's son, he didn't only know vegetables.

We'd also embraced our inner child quite often -playing an awkward version of hide and seek, I Spy and touchers. Touchers had been unfair though, I wasn't the most athletic human ever and Minho had easily been able to catch me. He, however, could pass for an Olympian. He was incredibly agile and nimble, dodging my attempts to tag him almost half-heartedly.

And then, once our antics were over, we'd collapse next to each other on the grass below. Sometimes we'd stare above, at the cloud formations, at the wildlife around us or sometimes, at each other.

Just like now.

My breathing was beginning to even out once again, but my heart was still pumping just as furiously. Minho and I lay on our sides, facing each other with only centimetres separating us. It was slowly turning to dusk, but that was honestly the last thought on my mind -

Minho's eyes.

The shape of his nose.

The curve of his mouth.

It was all I could focus on.

If I could stop time-

"I'd stop it now."

I hadn't said that.

My eyes widened slowly, had Minho just finished my thought? Had I spoken aloud?

"Krystal," he said softly while shifting closer. Close enough that I could feel the heat of his exhales.

My heart beat faster.

"Do you remember why I'm here?"

My breath hitched.

"Ye... yeah," I croaked out, "To find someone right?"

He nodded, a trace of a smile tugging his lips, "You pay attention." His eyes found mine.

"I think I found them."

My eyes widened and I was unsure what to feel right now.

Time truly had stopped.

"Who?" was all I could whisper out.

But he heard me.

A smile curved his lips, "You."

And then, before I could answer, he'd fully closed the distance between us and placed his lips on mine.

Shock enveloped me.

What- what?

But my mind was unable to process further. Minho's lips were on mine. Kissing me. That's all I could think of.

He wasn't pushing the kiss, but I felt myself submitting so easily as our lips began to move against one another. I'd never known that a simple sensation could be so consuming, so overwhelming.

I wasn't sure how long we kissed for, all I knew that was when we pulled back, we'd somehow managed to intertwine our hands.

"You know, I could stay like this forever. Just being here with you... like this."

I nodded in agreement, untrusting my voice.

But there was a question I needed to ask.

"This..." I started, words crowding my throat, "Isn't a dream right?"

The touch of his lips on mine again felt too real to be and the whisper of 'nope' against my lips confirmed it.

I am back.

Well, yes xD It's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm so sorry. But I'm finally finshed with uni for the year so I have time to actually write. And write better chapters than this. I'm so sorry if this isn't what you all wanted or imagined it, but my brain isn't processing too much right now and I have another story begging me to write it. A minstal one too so it isn't easy xD It's also something a little closer to Immoral, but I promise I'll try finish this first before typing it out or something. 

Thanks for all still caring and asking when I'll update <3