The guys were all facing Ara with huge grins on their handsome faces. That is, except for Kris, Sehun and Naeyong. Both the two men were leaning against the wall with pokerfaces on while Naeyong was plainly trying to ignore Ara while keeping a death grip on Kris's arm.

" Here. " Chen dropped a rusty key on Ara's palm. " This opens the door on the third floor. "

" It's from all of us, enjoy! " Tao added in before winking at Ara.

She glanced at Kai for support while he nodded gently. " I have a fair guess of what that might be so just go ahead. "

Ara smiled shyly at them before ascending the stairs. She could feel all of their eyes on her retreating back. Sure enough, there was a door right at the corner of the third level. Ara bit her lip apprehensively before sliding the key in. A click sounded before the door swung opened. There was nothing but a huge empty projector screen on the wall. She stood still while facing the door, not knowing what to do. 

" Girl. "

Ara whipped her head around at the familiar sound which sent an ache to her heart. Her parents were on the screen gazing down at her lovingly.

-

Ara smiled as she wiped the tears with the corner of her sleeve. The guardians had arranged for a short video session with her parents and Ara could not have asked for more. Hearing her mother's sympathetic voice and seeing her dad's proud face had made her the happiest since god knows how long ago. It had taken all of her will to not break down in front of them. 

" How was is? " 

Ara tilted her head up to come face to face with Kai. His expression was a mixture of understanding and worry but his eyes were soft.

" I really missed them. "

" I know "

Ara remained silent, still trapped in the emotions of seeing her family again. Kai gazed down at her worridly. He had wanted Ara to see her parents for her sake but at the same time, he had been worried that she might miss home more after seeing their faces. 

" I'm fine, really. I'm glad you guys did that for me. "

Kai exhaled in relief after seeing a sincere smile appearing on the girl's face. His eyes travelled on her face before stopping at her lips. Kai knew that he was falling in love with the girl before him and honestly, he had not minded one bit. Granted, he had always been the one to scoff at the mention of love. Kai remembered rolling his eyes when Kris declared his feelings for Naeyong. Somehow, all his beliefs didn't seem to matter anymore when it came to Ara.

" Happy Birthday " Kai whispered before leaning down to Ara's lips. The girl gasped when she realised what his intentions where but before she could stop him, Kai pressed his lips gently against her's. He pulled away quickly though. It had just been an innocent peck. Ara reddened as she tried to organize her thoughts. 

" Why- "

" Just a kiss for good luck. Since it's your birthday. " Kai lied, smirking at her face.

Ara relaxed immediately and her tensed face re-arranged into a smile. 

-

Kris growled when he saw Kai leaning in on Ara. His fists clenched unknowingly while he struggled to remain composed. The guys had sent him up to check on Ara but he had not been prepared for such a scene. The man scoffed when Ara appeared to believe Kai's lame explanation of good luck kisses. What kind of a fool are you.

Kris turned to leave sourly. He knew that if he didn't, he would not be able to control himself from pulling Kai away. In addition, Kris had not wanted to continue seeing Ara smile at Kai that way. 

" You love Naeyong. " he reminded himself in determination as he tried to steer his thoughts away from Ara and Kai.

-

Ara collapsed on her bed. She smiled to herself as she remembered her day, it was definately all thanks to Kai that she was able to enjoy herself. Something gnawed at her however. Even though she had been grateful towards Kai for everything that he had done, she somehow still felt a little empty. Ara did not want to admit to herself that Kris was the one who she had hoped to be by her side. The girl quickly shook her head. Kris belonged to Naeyong and she felt extremely horrible and guilty of her thoughts. An unfamiliar object sitting on her desk made Ara jolt upright in suprise.

" Who could have left this here? " Ara thought wonderingly to herself as she dragged her hands lightly over the music box. It was crafted in turqoise shades and had silver hearts lining it. Ara opened the lid gently and a soft music tinkled, breaking the silence. She tilted her head as the melody rang. It was beautiful. A slip of paper dropped out from the box and Ara picked it up in curiosity. The words Happy Birthday was scrawled in an elegant manner. Ara scanned the paper eagerly for a signature but there was none. Pouting to herself, Ara played the music over and over again until she finally drifted off to sleep. 

It was past midnight when Kris groaned in fustration. He had been tossing and turning for the past few hours. Ara's face kept appearing in his thoughts. 

" You had been messing with my mind. Now you're messing with my sleep. " He groaned again while tousling his hair in anger. The anger that he felt when Kai kissed Ara had not faded away. In contrary, it was now burning strongly in his heart. 

Just a short update for now. Thanks for your comments! <3 It seems as if most of you prefer Kaira. To be honest, I love both of the pairings. One is beyond y and one is just god-like. homg