"Gosh dang it! I almost busted his-" You clenched your teeth, hand gripping the mouse tightly as you are overcome with frustration. This was your seventh attempt in the final level of Super Mario, and yet again, you failed to finish Bowser off once and for all. "Darn those fireballs!" You felt like banging the table, but thought better not to, considering how you were in the library among other studious students. A student sitting across the table was even glaring at you now through those thick-rimmed glasses of his, most probably because of your multiple outbursts previously. You gulped, nodded at him apologetically, and decided it was high time you got out of the game and started studying like everyone else.

u

"Super Mario. Wow." You heard a voice above you. Looking up, you saw Lu Han's head hovering above you, checking out the monitor of your laptop. Lu Han was a senior you were acquainted with in the Drama Club this year, and he also happened to be its president. Acting wasn't exactly your forte, but due to a of misfortune, your first, second and third club choices (Computer, Robotics and Anime) were somehow full and not in a capacity to accept anymore new members. Thus, you were automatically assigned to the Drama Club, much to your disappointment. Drama Club wasn't exactly a drab, but you definitely preferred doing other things than reciting boring lines from a play, and preparing costumes and props. Lu Han also seemed to have a penchant for making your days in the club more "illustrious". He always called your name out of nowhere when they needed volunteers, and you always ended up being put in the spotlight during impromptu skits. Nevertheless, being the otaku that you are, you barely had any problems adapting to this strange new environment. You also felt it strange how natural it felt for you to be put on spot and break into a random character. You wondered if it was because you were starting to emulate bipolar anime characters.

"May I help you?" You asked as Lu Han pulled a chair up beside you. He shook his head and smirked. "Nope. I'm just here to study." He looked at your laptop. "And so should you. The finals are coming." he said, raising an eyebrow. You scoffed and put the laptop away into your bag. The both of you had never been seated together in such a close proximity before. You sneaked glances at Lu Han who was now looking at his History notes. Once again, you were impressed by his features. He was very good-looking, no doubt about that, but his features were seemingly, well, flawless. You became aware of Lu Han's popularity when you entered the Drama Club. He was most probably the reason why more than three quarters of the club's members were made up of girls. "Like a manga character," you uttered under your breath. Lu Han appeared to have heard you, and looked at you questioningly. You shrugged and opened your textbook.

Still not feeling exactly studious, you let your eyes drift across the library. School had ended a couple of hours ago, and there were significantly less people in the library now than there was earlier. There were many empty spots at the tables, and you started to wonder why Lu Han chose the seat beside you. Then again, he probably didn't want to sit too near the entrance (your table was at the back of the library, near the power sources so you could charge your laptop), and he was probably bothered by the look of the sour-faced student across you to take a seat beside him.

The both of you remained at the library for an hour or so. Lu Han seemed to be engrossed in his studying, and you were starting to get a hang of this math equation that you were revising. You looked at your watch. Seeing that it was getting late, you decided to pick your books up and leave for home (eager to be home in time for the new episode of this anime that you've been following). You got up from the chair, and before you could bid Lu Han farewell, he grabbed your arm. You were startled as you felt his strong grip.

"Are you leaving already? Wait for me." He hastily packed his books, and stood up to accompany you to the library exit. "It's late, I'll walk you home."

"Err-" You took a while to take in that statement of his, and your brain was having a hard time thinking of a possible response. Lu Han laughed. He walked over to the door and held it open. "After you."

The surroundings were tinted with a shade of sepia as the sun began to set. You counted your footsteps to the gates, suddenly very aware of the person who was walking right beside you. It felt strange to have a boy, let alone Lu Han, accompany you on your way home. You weren't awkward with the other (you have plenty of male friends who share the same interests as you), but no boy has ever offered to do something like this before. There weren't many students around at this hour, except for those in the soccer team who were training in the field. "Hey, Captain!", a voice called out from a distance. You turned to see one of the soccer players waving his arms in the air, and most astonishingly, at your direction. "Ah Minseok!" Lu Han replied, acknowledging the person who called out to him. His teammates looked over too, and soon the whole team came running towards the both of you. You were confounded. That was unexpected. You didn't know Lu Han was Captain of the football team. How many other clubs was this guy put in charge of?

The team was soon gathered around the both of you, and you felt as awkward as ever to be surrounded by so many sweaty boys whose jersies were grass and mud-stained. The person named Minseok asked, "Where were you? Why didn't you show up for practice?" You turned to look at Lu Han, waiting for his answer just as much as everyone else. He didn't say anything, and instead, cleared his throat as he looked down to the floor.

The teammates looked at you, then him, before mouthing an "Ahh..." almost simultaneously. They broke into a fit of giggles, and Minseok patted Lu Han on his shoulder, whispering in his ear between giggles. Lu Han playfully hit him back, face flushed in embarassment. You looked at them strangely, a little disappointed you didn't get some inside joke they seemed to share among themselves. As the team started to slowly disperse around you to return to the field, a tall-fair haired boy bent down to whisper in your ear, "Take care of Lu Han, missy." Your brain was struggling to respond to that when Lu Han stepped in to slap his head. "Shut up, Sehun." The boy named Sehun grinned, and winked at the both of you before heading off. Lu Han scoffed. "Brat," he uttered, shaking his head.

"....what was all of that about?" You managed to ask, after being relatively lost throughout the whole charade that happened with the soccer team.

"Nothing."

You raised your eyebrows at Lu Han. He bit his lips.. "Just.... stuff."  Right, you thought.

"Let's go, __." Lu Han pulled you along, and the both of you headed out the school gates.

Lu Han insisted to walk you to your doorstep, despite your assurances that you would be fine walking home alone. The both of you walked side by side, beneath the street lamps on the sidewalk. You felt a sensation inside you, and it was itching to come out. You tried your very  best to hold it in-

"Ah- Achoo!" You sneezed. "Excuse me," you apologized to Lu Han as you rubbed your nose. The air was getting chilly, and you silently dreaded the fact that you left your jacket at home.

"Here, take this," he said. You saw Lu Han removing his jacket, and draped it around you. You barely managed to utter "Thanks" when he suddenly sped off to a convenience store just in front of you. He came out with a plastic bag in his hands. Walking towards you, he retrieved a warm can of coffee from the bag and handed it to you. "Drink it, it'll help keep you warm."

"Ahh, you shouldn't have.." You were surprised, but it moved you seeing how concerned he was. "Thank you." You smiled at him, gratefully.

"It's nothing much." He replied, while rubbing the back of his head. "Hurry, drink up before it gets cold!"

You didn't drink coffee, but you were immensely happy with the can of coffee anyway. "I don't drink coffee. But it's okay, I'll keep warm just like this." You smiled as you clutched the can in both your hands, and held it up against your cheek. The warm sensation felt so good against your skin. Lu Han blushed. "I'll keep that in mind.." He muttered.

"Huh?" You asked, puzzled.

"That you don't drink coffee, __." he replied, grinning.

"Well," you said, "if it makes things easier for you, I drink tea. But not just any tea, green tea." You laughed, and walked off leaving Lu Han behind. You heard him hurrying his footsteps behind you, and soon he was walking right beside you again. The both of you chatted heartily on the way to your house, and in the process, you managed to learn more about him (you were glad to find out that Lu Han played some of the games you loved). Despite seeing him every week during Drama Club, it was the first time that the both of you talked like this. You felt the warmth of his jacket around you, and realized how comfortable it was to be with Lu Han. Heck, you were even finding it fun to be with Lu Han, and you couldn't help wondering if you would be lucky enough to have him accompany you home again in the future.

The both of you finally reached the front of your house. You thanked him again, and said goodbye, reminding to take care of himself on the way. "Sheesh, I'm not a little boy." he mumbled, making you laugh. "Oh wait," he said, before you opened the gate to your house, "How do I contact you?"

"Oh just add me up on Steam. My username is-" you said, not looking at him as you fumbled with your keys.

"S-Steam?" he asked, eyes widened.

You felt silly after you realized what you just told him. "I'm sorry... My friends and I usually chat on this Steam app. But I guess not everyone has it," you said, biting your lower lip. "I'll just give you my number then." You stopped fumbling with your keys, and the both of you exchanged numbers on your cellphones. Satisfied, Lu Han said goodbye, and turned to walk away, not without looking back to see that you've safely entered the compound of your house. 

The drama club was going to participate in the annual school festival, and a meeting was called to gather ideas for a play to be performed on the day of the festival. You casually read a manga hidden behind a textbook as you sat through meeting. You were getting more and more absorbed in the sequence of events that took place in the manga when you heard your name being called. "___, what do you think?" You looked up, realizing that Lu Han was talking to you. You had absolutely no idea what had taken place during the meeting, except for the fact that there would be a play involved. You started panicking as you felt all eyes in the room bore into you, and without thinking, uttered "Y-Yes, I think it's a good idea." 

Lu Han smiled. "All right then, I know we should be taking votes for this, but I think everyone should agree with me that ___ should be cast as the princess. She has shown tremendous talent in recent meetings, and I think that she is fairly suitable for the part. Any objections?" He asked. You gaped at him. What? 

No one raised any objections, but you noticed how some girls were glaring at you now. You gulped. You glanced at Lu Han. What was he thinking? And what was this all about? What princess? You sat there listlessly, confused and wary about your fate during the school festival. 

"Alright then, so we'll be doing The Princess and the Frog for the play." announced Lu Han, as he read through the notes of the meeting to wrap it up. "Lina will be in charge of costumes; Chen in charge of props; Baekhyun in charge of lighting and sound systems by Minah." He flipped to the next page before he continued, "And now the actors. The frog prince: me." He cleared his throat, and glanced at you before announcing, "The princess: ___." You were speechless. You knew how the story of the princess and the frog goes; but what filled you with apprehension was the fact that there is a kiss involved. 

"Today's meeting shall end here. Thank you all for your hard work, let's make this happen!" said Lu Han as he concluded the meeting. The members of the drama club started to leave the club room, but you decided to remain there to have a word with Lu Han. You were determined to pull out from the play; acting or not, a kiss was way out of your league. You felt your heart thumping loudly. You've never had your first kiss before, and now it looks to be that you would most probably have yours in the play. Moreover, Lu Han would be your kissing partner. You felt queasy. You've never felt this way before, and you weren't sure if you liked this feeling. 

The room seemed ghastly quiet now that there were only the two of you left in the room. Lu Han didn't leave with the rest of the members, and he appeared to have wanted a word with you too. The both of you stared at each other as you walked towards him, and there was an awkward silence between the two of you. You noticed that you weren't the only one flustered here; Lu Han seemed a little uneasy too; he couldn't stop fidgeting with his hands. The both of you opened your mouths almost simultaneously, and upon noticing this, stopped short before any words were spoken. "You go first," you told Lu Han. He shook his head. "No, you." he said.

You took a deep breath, and said, "I can't play the princess." Lu Han stopped fidgeting and looked at you strangely. "Why not? You have amazing talent as an actor, and you should know that."

"No, that's not it... I don't think I fit the role. I mean, you should've given the part to a...a cuter girl." You couldn't think of another excuse.

Lu Han's eyes softened. "____, you're cuter than you think you are, trust me." he said. "You might not notice this yourself, but you're quite popular among the guys-" He stopped when he noticed you staring at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. He bit his lip and fidgeted some more. "Well, let's just say you'll be fine as the princess." ha said, clearing his throat

"Can't we make do without the kiss?" you asked, desperately. Lu Han didn't seem to get your question, and he raised his eyebrows at you. "We can't just make do without the kiss, I mean, it's the of the story when the princess magically transforms the frog back into a prince-" 

"Yes, yes, I am very aware of that," you interrupted him, feeling impatient and annoyed that he didn't seem to get your point. "I can't do it! I've never done it before and I don't think I want my first kiss to take place in a play. It doesn't work that way!" you blurted. Still trying to get your point across, you continued, "and certainly not with someone like you! Kisses may mean nothing to Mr. Lu Popular Han, but not to me!"

"Oh, so what do you suggest then?" asked Lu Han, clearly irked by your outbursts, "How do you expect to reverse the curse on the frog prince then?"

"Just create some deux ex machina or something, who knows?" you snapped.

"You're making too big a deal out of this," Lu Han fumed, before stomping off to the door and slamming it behind him. You covered your mouth with your hands, remembering all the terrible things you had unconsciously blurted out just now in the spur of the moment. You felt foolish and immature. You didn't mean to hurt Lu Han, and that was exactly what you did just a moment ago. Your heart hurt, and you didn't know why.

You played with your food on your plate. It was lunch break, and the murmur of voices could be heard everywhere as students packed the cafeteria. You stared in the distance lifelessly, and didn't bother joining in the discussions your friends were having about the latest episode of Iwatobi Swim Club. "Is everything alright?" Jess, your best friend asked. You grunted. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if that's a yes or no, but I'm taking that as a no." she said, eyeing your downcast eyes. You gave in. You had to tell someone, and who better to turn to than your ever-understanding friend. You told her everything; the play, the princess role, the kiss and most of all, Lu Han.

"Oh god, this sounds like a shoujo manga," Jess gasped. You side-eyed her.

"No, I'm serious. You have Lu Han, the resident popular bishounen senpai of the school-"

"Jess.."

"-and then there's you, the airhead heroine who is super oblivious and dense-" 

"What are you talking about-."

"-who doesn't realize that he's overwhelmingly in love with her-"

"Excuse me?"

Jess shook her head and tsked. "Wow, you ARE dense. Poor Lu Han."

Despite the heavy inclination to smack Jess in the head, you started wondering about it yourself. Could it actually be the way Jess described it to be? You've seen the various signs, and you might've overlooked them. Did Lu Han really...? 

But most importantly, could this bittersweet sensation in your heart actually mean something?

You stood up from your seat, and excused yourself from the table, much to your friends' surprise (Jess cheered). You were determined to sort this feeling inside of you, and it would have to be now or never. You looked around, trying to spot Lu Han in this impossible crowd of students. You walked to and fro, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. You saw Sehun from the corner of your eye (thanks to his height), and walked towards him to find the other members of the soccer team gathered there, including Minseok, but unfortunately still no Lu Han in sight. They were surprised to see you approach them.

"Can we help you?" Minseok asked, still chewing on a bun.

"I- I was wondering if any of you has seen Lu Han," you asked.

They looked at one another. "I'm sorry, but we thought he was with you." replied Sehun, brows furrowed.

You pursed your lips. "Ah never mind. I'll look for him somewhere else, thank you," you said, and your heel to leave. Sehun pulled your sleeve. "You know, I'm here if things don't work out between the two of you," he said, winking at you with a grin smacked across his face. You forced an awkward smile at him, and tore away from his pull as Minseok slapped the back of his head.

You walked everywhere, but Lu Han was nowhere to be found. The bell rang, and you made up your mind to look for him after school. You sighed, and headed to your locker to retrieve some textbooks for the next class. To your surpeise, you saw a note stuck across your locker. It read, "I'm sorry. Meet me at the tree next to the library. Lu Han". 

It was a cloudy day, and sunlight peeked through the clouds to form lovely streaks of light in the sky. You sped out the school's main building to the library, and headed to the oak tree beside it. You were overjoyed to see a figure sitting beneath the tree from a distance. He seemed restless a little while ago, but he got up as soon as he saw you speeding towards him. You stopped in front of him, gasping for breath. Lu Han rubbed the grass off the back of pants as he struggled to find the words to say to you. "Y-you're here," he said.

"I saw the note," you replied, still panting. "Lu Han, I'm sorry for what I said to you, I wasn't thinking straight-"

"No, I'm sorry," Lu Han interrupted you, and he looked down to the ground briefly before looking up at you again. "I was, well, insensitive. I forced you to do something you weren't ready to do, and I should've understood that, umm, a kiss is very important to you and should only be done with a person you actually like."

You felt horrible for hurting Lu Han with your words today, but it felt even more horrible to hear Lu Han apologize in your stead. Your head was a mess now, but there was something you needed to find out there and then. "Lu Han," you asked, "do you like me?"

Lu Han widened his eyes. He did not foresee that question from you. He took a deep breath. "Do you really want to know?" he said, stepping in closer to you. You nodded.

"Yes, I do. For the longest time." he said, gazing into your eyes. You heart thumped loudly right after he uttered those words, and strangely enough, you felt happy. You didn't know when you started feeling this way about Lu Han. Perhaps a month, a week or a day ago, who knows. But that is irrelevant now.

"I like you too," you said, voice trembling. Lu Han smiled dejectedly and hung his head slightly. "Of course you'd say that, but I'm pretty sure my like and your like are different."

You cursed yourself for being oblivious all this time to the point that Lu Han even doubts your feelings now. But you weren't going to let that happen. "No, you idiot! I like you! I really really like you!" you raised your voice, and the possibility that you might be disturbing the peace and quiet in the library next door didn't cross your mind at that moment. Lu Han himself was astonished by your sudden outburst, but that astonishment quickly translated into a wide grin across his face. "...really?" he asked meekly. You smiled, face flushed with embarassment. "Yes." you said.

Lu Han couldn't stop grinning. "Then I guess it'll be fine to do this?" He leaned his head down nearer to your face, and before you knew it, you had your first kiss, beneath the oak tree.

The school festival attracted more patrons than you imagined. Visitors included family members and students from other schools. The night was lively and bustling with activity. Coloured lanterns lighted up the school compound, and stalls and booths were set up at every corner. The play seemed to be a hit among the patrons too, and tickets were sold out within a few hours. You were in the dressing room, among other actors, getting ready for the play that would be starting in a few minutes. The drama club had been holding rehearsals almost every day to prepare for this night, and you nervously hoped that everything would go well.

You looked at your reflection in the mirror. Lina did a great job with the costumes. You wore a pastel pink, sleeveless chiffon dress, that had pretty little red roses on its bodice. Lina also made sure to make a matching rose tiara for your head, and you blushed as you thought how the costume made you feel like a real princess. You had help from a few girls in the drama club to "doll yourself up" (make up was a foreign notion to you), and you were impressed how a few touch-ups could change a person's appearance this much. Your long hair was curled into large wavy curls and let down to lie on both sides of your shoulders. You never really paid much attention to your appearance before, but today, you thought you looked pretty.

"You look amazing." You turned around to see Lu Han at the door, his eyes studying you from top to bottom. You couldn't hide your amusement to see him in a green frog costume. "Well, you've always looked amazing," he added, scratching the side of his head. "And you look handsome as usual." you said, giggling. Lu Han mockingly striked a princely pose, and the both of you had a good laugh.

"10 minutes till the show starts!" reminded the teacher coordinator as stuck his head into the dressing room, "Everyone stand by!". You got up from the chair, took a last look at yourself, and took Lu Han's outreached hand. "Are you ready, my princess?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe I am, your amphibious highness." you replied, as you gave a ittle bow. Lu Han laughed. "Well, you better be. After all, you're going to need all the magic in the world to transform me into a prince with our second kiss."

"You mean our third," you proclaimed, before lunging forward to give Lu Han a little surprise peck on his lips.

FIN