Kyungsoo is at the new café downtown on the second day of her holiday. She managed to sleep in that morning, thank heavens, and received a call from her friend right after she’s taken a shower. It was Baekhyun, who asked to meet up because apparently she missed Kyungsoo already and wants to see her so bad. Her words, Kyungsoo’s not making things up.

She’s still smirking slightly as she waits for the other teacher because she’s sure missing her isn’t the (only) reason she’s been invited out. Baekhyun knows Kyungsoo doesn’t really like to leave the house; she’s lazy like that, so for her to ask Kyungsoo to meet her outside and on a school holiday at that, she hopes it’s at least worth it. Or else Baekhyun’s lunch prepared by chef extraordinaire Kyungsoo is going to be extra spicy when school reopens. 

At least Baekhyun is considerate enough to not be late. Exactly 2 o’clock on the dot, Kyungsoo’s watch says so, the vintage clock above the counter on the other hand seems to be suspiciously on a different time zone altogether, the petite girl appears through the door, clad in a simple dress. It’s been getting warmer recently so Kyungsoo too chose to wear one of her casual dresses, much to Kris’s approval based on the obvious ogling he did earlier.

She spots Kyungsoo easily who has taken the table strategically placed where anyone entering will be able to see directly. Not that that is the reason Kyungsoo picked it; it was simply the only table available.

“Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun greets, pulling out the chair across from her, “I missed you.”

Not wanting to miss the chance, Kyungsoo teases, “You saw me two days ago. Am I that good of a company?”

“Yes I know. I can’t help it. You’re the rainbow to my rainfall. The bee to my beehive.” 

An abrupt silence follows as Kyungsoo figures out what she meant, but giving up in the end.

“What in the world are you talking about?” she deadpans, “That don’t even make sense.”

Baekhyun grabs the attention of a waiter first, before turning back to look at Kyungsoo, “I don’t know either. You’re the English major here.”

A waiter comes then, so Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything, not that she knows what to say to Baekhyun. Yes she is the English teacher, while Baekhyun teaches Mathematics but then Kyungsoo isn’t always necessary good with words, especially during conversations. Another reason why she doesn’t like to leave the house, although being lazy still takes the top spot.

“So anyway, what have you been doing?” Baekhyun asks, once the waiter leaves after taking her order.

Kyungsoo pretends to think for a second, even though she really doesn’t have to; she remembers exactly what she did the day before. It’s just for show really, to make it seem like she’d been busy and that she wasn’t just laying her not so skinny on the couch in the living room all day, which really was the case. Nobody needs to know that.

“Umm I cleaned the apartment?” she answers hesitantly. She isn’t lying, she did clean the apartment. Although only the kitchen, and that’s because Sehun made a mess after attempting to make lunch. If anyone asks, Kyungsoo will say he did it on purpose, hoping she won’t ask him to make food for her ever again. Kyungsoo loves the kitchen though, so to be safe, she’ll yield to his wish.

“Why aren’t you sure? Did you or did you not clean the apartment?”

Kyungsoo sips on her latte that isn’t as good as it was 10 minutes earlier because it’s cooler now before she replies, “Not the whole apartment per se. Just the kitchen.”

Baekhyun nods slowly, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Kyungsoo shrugs and doesn’t say anything else, drinking casually from her mug. It’s only a matter of time really before Baekhyun speaks up again.

One.. Two.. Thr-

“Since you don’t seem to be busy, can the girls and I come over to your place?”

There it is, Kyungsoo thinks. The actual reason she’s there at the café in the first place. Kyungsoo knows Baekhyun since she started to work at the school; she was and still is as friendly as a facial product salesperson, minus the obligation and the thought if I have to fake smile one more time I’ll jump over a bridge.

Kyungsoo easily made friends with her and throughout the years they went through ups and downs together. It was Baekhyun that she goes to after her break up and it was in her apartment that she stayed at temporarily before the fateful meeting with Kris and consequently moving in with her current roommates.

And since then, Baekhyun has been dropping not so subtle hints, requesting for an invitation to visit Kyungsoo at her new place. Problem is, she never indulges her. Nope, with emphasis on the ‘p’.

But now it seems being busy with work isn’t an eligible excuse anymore and she can't think of any other excuse beside you won’t want to meet my roommates, one is a giant (can also be taken literally) playboy who will make your knees weak - I’m immune so it’s okay, one a cute brat that can make you do anything you don’t actually want to do and the other, well he’s mine and you cannot take him away from me.

So in the end after the long yet necessary pause, she has to finally say yes.

It shouldn’t be that bad she hopes. Maybe having her friends at her place will help lessen the growing attraction she has for Jongin. Whatever way there may be.

--

Boy, how wrong can she get?

When Baekhyun said ‘the girls and I’, she thought she’d meant herself, Jongdae and Joonmyun because those are the girls Kyungsoo always hangs out with. She's aware that it’s suspicious that all her friends’ names sound like guys’, but so does hers. Maybe that’s why they get along so swimmingly.

When Kyungsoo opened the door earlier, she was surprised. First, by the hugs she received from Jongdae and Joonmyun who’s happy she won’t have to be a lonely single mom, there’s no need to guess who told them as Baekhyun grinned mischievously from the back. When she recovered, she received another shock as soon as Baekhyun entered the apartment, with a bunch of alcohols. That, Baekhyun conveniently forgot to mention. And to think Kyungsoo had bought marshmallows and had even taken out her precious chocolate fountain from it’s box, predicting a night full of gossips and chocolate.

Both Sehun and Jongin who were lounging lazily at the couch jumped up excitedly at the sight of the drinks, embarrassing Kyungsoo in the process because that was the first time those two met her friends and they’re already acting like they’re best mates. Kris on the other hand, sashayed in all his glory towards the group, mouth twitching up on one side as he takes his time checking out each and every one of her friends, thankfully to none of their notice as Kyungsoo held herself back from castrating Kris there and then.

It’s been two hours since then and everyone, including Kyungsoo who drinks only to let out the stress, is pleasantly buzzed. She thinks (hopes) everyone is still in their right mind, and will not start to do anything stupid. Sing from the bottom of their hearts in Baekhyun and Joonmyun’s case, telling everyone’s secrets in Sehun’s and most importantly and the only one that matters to Kyungsoo is Jongin who from experience, always takes off his clothes, leaving only his boxers on but only because by then, he’s already fallen asleep wherever he decided to strip.

Since that fateful day when she fell in like, she has successfully avoided looking at Jongin’s torso whenever he works out or even on his trip from his room to the bathroom in the mornings. It’s bad enough that she hasn’t had any action since that-dark-era-that-must-not-be-mentioned; she doesn’t need anything or anyone to frustrate her even more. Especially not tonight when she thinks her self-control is lacking due to the alcohol.

But thankfully, and also surprisingly, Kris orders everyone to stop drinking. There’s a chorus of complaints of why not’s and hey! I was just telling Baek noona about that time Jongin- and consequently a minor scuffle between the two youngest guys.

If she had been a hundred per cent sober, she’ll be able to tell that Kris has an ulterior motive by stopping everyone from drinking, but then again she doesn’t have to because not long after Jongin and Sehun stops their tickle fest, he announces, “For now. Stop drinking, for now. Let’s play truth or dare first!”

Cue groans from Kyungsoo and enthusiastic clapping from the other girls. Jongin doesn’t seem to have caught up with anything yet and well Sehun being Sehun looks at Kris as if the guy’s motive in life is to torture him.

Conveniently, there’s already an empty glass bottle so they use it as a pointer, placed at the centre of the makeshift circle they made. To her disappointment, Jongin sits across from her. She’d been hoping that if he sits next to her, and if she chooses dare, she might be asked to kiss the person next to her. And all will be well. But instead, she has Baekhyun on her left and Joonmyun who seems flustered by whatever Kris is saying to her on the right.

Kyungsoo reminds herself to always pick truth.

The first one to choose is Sehun, who despite his earlier reluctance, bravely takes on a dare. Later, Sehun climbs on top the kitchen island and Kyungsoo forces a smile, she just cleaned it yesterday dammit, and he starts dancing to whatever obnoxious song Kris is playing on his phone.

Joonmyun’s next and she predictably chooses truth and as a result, has to tell everyone (three of whom she barely knows) her first time, which she cutely misunderstands as her first time, when Jongdae actually meant her first kiss. She blushes deep red as Kris coos at her.

Almost forty-five minutes into the game, everyone except Kyungsoo and Jongin had had their turns, the bottle had even point towards Joonmyun twice already. It may have been on purpose though since Kris is the one spinning the bottle and who seems to be hoping for her to pick dare. Kyungsoo makes a mental note to give Joonmyun a box of chocolates the next time they meet. Two if Kris manages to traumatize her by the end of the night.

At last the bottle points at Jongin and he surprisingly chooses truth. Both the other guys before him had picked dare so it’s safe to say everyone expects him to choose dare too. He smiles as he says it and adds a wink for good measure, “I’m different from them.”

It’s Baekhyun’s turn to ask the question. She takes her time to think of one as everyone waits patiently, that is as patient as people who’re falling asleep can get.

If Kyungsoo is in her shoes, she’ll probably ask, “Do you ever have any inclination to jump your only female roommate?” Or “Do you ever think of me as more than a friend or a roommate? And no, your personal chef doesn’t count.” But since only one question is allowed, she’ll have to ask, “Do you like like me?”

In the midst of Kyungsoo thinking of possible questions for Jongin, Baekhyun found hers and she blurts it out, “What do you think of Kyungsoo?”

Whatever question she was expecting Baekhyun to ask Jongin, it definitely wasn’t that as she looks at her friend, eyes wider than it’s default large size and mouth agape. She swears she never mentions anything to Baekhyun on her sudden liking to Jongin and she doesn't think it’s that obvious anyway.

But she cannot ponder on it any longer because Jongin is staring at her, lovingly if Kyungsoo has to pick an adverb, gaze not faltering even when the girls start to ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’s. She’s thankful for the redness on her cheeks due to the alcohol so the actual flustered blush won’t be apparent. But she can’t keep her eyes fixed on Jongin long because she might just faint so she giggles with the rest of them.

Jongin sends Kyungsoo one of his shy smiles, which a week ago Kyungsoo won’t even notice as much, before he says, “She’s a wonderful housemate and friend.”

If she listens closely, she’ll be able to hear the sound of her heart shattering. Or perhaps just the sound of Sehun accidentally dropping the glass bottle on the floor while trying to juggle it. He probably sees three bottles in his drunken state.

But she does feel her heart breaking. Friend, he said.

So much for the loving and adoring gaze, Kyungsoo thinks. He sees her only as a friend. She returns his smile albeit reluctantly but keeps shut.

When it’s Kyungsoo’s turn, she chooses dare. Who cares if she’s asked to kiss one of the other girls, heck she'd even kiss Kris, as long as she won’t be asked anything to do with her currently non-existent love life.

Since it’s Jongin who gives her the dare, she has it easy. At least Jongin said so. That is easy for a dancer to say as Kyungsoo struggles to imitate the moves to A Pink’s NoNoNo choreography, much to the enjoyment of everyone. Except Jongin who just stares thoughtfully, not in the very least amused, as if she isn’t just randomly swaying her hips around. Kyungsoo is too busy being embarrassed to notice.