“Hell no!”

“Whyyy?” Tao whines through the phone, and Xiumin can practically see the pout on his friend’s lower lip.

“You know how the last party went…” Xiumin says as he walks into a starbucks.

He’s wearing a black felt overcoat that reaches down to his knees with a stylish collar and buttons to match.

Xiumin feels a blush rise to his cheeks as he recalls the embarrassing Halloween party. During the entire event, he was hanging out with a complete stranger whom he assumed to be Tao because the latter had told him he would be in a panda suit. Turns out, by ‘panda suit’ Tao really meant ‘panda ears’.

“But there’s no costumes this time! And it’ll be fun, I swear!”

Tao’s voice continues to ring through Xiumin’s cellphone, which is now wedged between his shoulder and his ear as his hands reach out to grab his finished coffee. Xiumin thinks that Tao’s voice is so loud that even the employees can hear his conversation, judging from the sympathetic looks he’s being given. He mouths a ‘thank you’ as he picks up his drink from the counter and hums contentedly as the hot drink warms his numb fingers.

“Are you even listening anymore?” Tao shouts irritably before remembering that he’s supposed to be whiney. He sighs, “Please, hyung, please. Besides, it’s not like you have New Year’s plans anyways, right? Plus, there’ll be lots of people we know. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are hosting this year!”

Xiumin walks out of the starbucks, phone in one hand and his coffee in the other as he hums, wincing against the cold winter wind. It’s true. He doesn’t have New Year’s plans.

“Fine,” Xiumin finally sighs after a long pause, “I’ll go. Just text me the address.”

A shriek is heard on the other end of the line.

“Thank you thank you! I’ll come over to help you get ready oka—“

Xiumin hangs up the phone, shaking his head to himself as he sighs once more.

Parties had really never been his thing, to be completely honest. But, he figures it wouldn’t hurt to at least go to one for New Year’s.

He wraps his hands around his drink, finally taking a sip. He frowns with a bit of distaste because it’s already becoming lukewarm. Deciding not to finish the rest of his cappuccino, Xiumin drops the rest into a trashcan as he heads home, burrowing deeper into his coat and shoving his hands into his deep pockets.

Suddenly, starbucks wasn’t as pleasant of a memory as it used to be, and New Year’s celebrations seemed to be looking worse and worse. Maybe, Xiumin thinks, the party won’t be so bad because it’s hosted by his party crazed friends from high school Baekhyun and Chanyeol. And then again, Xiumin thinks, maybe he won’t even end up going because he figures Tao, with his overly eager attitude, will soon forget about it completely.

Yeah, Xiumin thinks with a smile as he turns into the lobby of his apartment building, maybe Tao will just forget and leave him alone.

 

It’s New Year’s Eve and Xiumin’s settled lazily on the couch, ready to spend the night alone. Tao hasn’t contacted him since a week ago when the later first asked him to come to the party, so Xiumin’s feeling optimistic that his friend has forgotten.

And that’s why he’s sprawled across the couch cushions at 5:30pm in gray sweats and a slightly oversized t-shirt flicking through the TV channels for something minimally amusing that’s not a chick flick or some historical documentary.

But then the doorbell rings and Xiumin’s confused. He’s still thoroughly convinced that the party’s been called off, so he thinks it must be a delivery boy who’s at the wrong apartment address. He shuffles lazily to the door, not even bothering to look though the peek hole.

“You must have the wrong address, I didn’t ord—“

“What are you wearing!” Xiumin’s cut off by Tao’s shriek of horror, and before he really realizes what’s going on, Xiumin feels his chest being shoved back into his apartment and the sound of his door being closed.

“What? Tao?” He asks in bewilderment as his friend continues to shove him all the way back into his bedroom.

“Christ, Xiumin. Why are you not ready?”

It’s not really a question that Tao expected an answer for, and Xiumin realizes that his suspicions were incorrect, and that the party really was going to happen.

“Go shower,” Tao orders, shoving Xiumin into the bathroom, “And I’ll pick out your clothes. Wow, this was not what I expected when I said I’d help you get ready, not get you dressed.”

Xiumin wants to protest because Tao is making it sound like he’s doing Xiumin the favor on not vice-versa, but it’s too late and pointless to argue because the bathroom door is slammed shut in his face.

It’s inevitable, Xiumin realizes, and he figures he might as well hurry up, or be late for the party, though Tao obviously doesn’t think he’s moving fast enough because he shouts a threat through the door.

“You don’t want to know what’ll happen if you don’t get that water running now!”

And Xiumin complies, stripping down even faster as he turns his shower knob.

 

When he’s done with what he feels like had been the speediest shower of his life, Xiumin wraps a towel around his waist after wiping himself dry. His hair is still dripping slightly, but he figures Tao’s going to style his hair for him anyways.

Stepping out of the bathroom, his eyes widen because his room is a mess. Though Tao digging through all his drawers and closet, articles of his clothing are now scattered across the room.

“Hurry up and throw these on!” He hears Tao order before some clothes are flung at his face, and he nods, changing quickly lest Tao becomes even more aggressive. Why they’re friends is truly a mystery.

He’s only pulled on his pants when Tao barges in again, a bag of makeup and styling supplies in the kit that he carries almost everywhere.

“Let’s get to work,” Tao mumbles, and everything after that is a blur.

 

“You look hot,” Tao compliments, though it really sounds like he’s praising himself.

Xiumin’s wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a casual gray v-neck that makes his waist look small and his shoulders even broader. His hair’s been put up but also mussed, termed the ‘-hair’ by Tao, and he’s wearing just a little bit of eyeliner as far as makeup goes.

“Er. Thanks?” Xiumin responds before grabbing his wallet, phone, and car keys.

 

On the car ride over, Xiumin expects Tao to reprimand him for being late and unready, or to at least hear his friend talk about how the party is going to be wild and great.

But he hears none of that. Instead, Tao is gushing about some guy named Kris.

“Xiumin, he so ing attractive. He’s tall, and lean, and god his lips. I just can’t with his lips.”

When they pull in, Xiumin’s not surprised that the party’s already in full swing. A valet takes his keys and parks his car, leaving him and Tao free to head inside.

Xiumin expects to be with Tao the entire evening, but he soon loses his friend through the hustle and bustle of party-goers. He sees a lot of people he knows, for the most part, and a lot of unfamiliar faces.

When he stops by the white clothed table full of snacks after dancing with the huge mob of people, he chats with Suho.

“Hey, enjoying the party?” Xiumin asks, pouring himself a glass of fruit punch, or at least, what seems to be fruit punch. Upon further inspection, like a small sip and a sniff, he knows it’s got quite a bit of alcohol mixed in, so he passes, deciding to snack on some of the crackers on the platter. He’s never really been much of a drinker, or really enjoyed alcohol.

“Hey, long time no see!” Suho begins by greeting, exchanging a quick handshake, “Yeah, it’s good.”

They survey the continually moving dance floor, and the two performers on the makeshift stage are simply phenomenal. Xiumin also looks around at the people who aren’t dancing, and he sees Tao. His eyes widen in recognition for a moment before he realizes that his friend is practically sitting on someone else’s lap. A very attractive ‘someone’ with sharp eyebrows, an angular face, and wow, really nice lips. He chuckles because Tao seems to be really enjoying himself with Kris, and he really doesn’t blame his friend for obsessing on the whole car ride.

If he can forgive Tao for dragging him along though, is another story because he really doesn’t feel needed at the party, even if the loud music and positive mood is boosting his own mood.

Just then, the music ends and the dancers exit the stage to be replaced by another two men with microphones in hand. Suho suddenly seems more attentive, and the two attractive males begin to sing “Jingle Bell Rock”. Though Christmas has already passed, it sets the mood well, and by the end of the song, everybody’s singing along.

The crowd cheers for an encore and it’s given, this time in a joint performance with the dancers, and before Xiumin even realizes, it’s 11:30pm.

The singers and dancers finally exit the stage with their last performance, and then the huge television monitor on the wall is on and it shows the count down until New Year’s.

Xiumin’s surprised to see one of the singers sidle up shyly next to Suho, and he can tell at once that they’re a couple, especially with the way that the singer’s face has a soft blush from Suho’s possessive arm around his shoulder.

“This is Kyungsoo, Xiumin. And Kyungsoo, this is Xiumin.”

Xiumin nods and smiles, but it’s apparent that the couple probably want to spend some time together, so he waves a hand before turning to leave.

“Hey!” Suho calls out, and Xiumin turns around, greeted with a familiar smile, one that he’s seen many times in high school. “Keep in touch, okay?”

And Xiumin nods before shouting over the still-playing music, “You got it!”

Xiumin weaves through the crowd, hoping to head towards the front of the room where the monitor is to watch the celebrations onscreen in New York when he finally stumbles into the party hosts.

“Hey, Xiumin!” Chanyeol greets, and Baekhyun does the same soon after. Xiumin feels himself being enveloped into a tight hug before he even has a chance to respond the greeting.

“Hey, nice party guys,” He comments, because it really is a nice party. It really is, but not being a party kind of person, Xiumin can’t find himself enjoying the atmosphere as much as if he were just alone at home, left to his own devices.

“I saw Tao around, did you drag you here?” Baekhyun asks as he hands a party hat to someone walking by, “I remember you didn’t like these sorts of things.”

Xiumin chuckles and nods, watching with a reminiscent smile as Chanyeol’s arm wraps tightly against Baekhyun’s waist to keep his smaller boyfriend from getting swept up in a stream of passerbys. It’s amazing, he thinks, that his friends have stayed together for so long, and at the same time he’s touched.

“I think I’m going to head to the front,” Xiumin yells over the music, which has gotten louder in order to ramp up the mood before the countdown, “Good to see you guys!”

“You two!” Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun smile in response.

“Wait! Take this!” Chanyeol shouts, his deep voice easily cutting through the background noise as he shoves a little party popper into Xiumin’s hands, and Baekhyun shoves a glass of something that looks like champagne.

“No, Baekhyun, I don’t li—“

“It’s just sparkling cider! Don’t worry, I remember you don’t like alcohol,” Baekhyun chuckles, a hand pushing Xiumin towards the front, “And have fun with no regrets!”

Xiumin finds himself smiling to himself as he finally makes his way to the front, because his friends are really the best. He thinks that he should really keep in touch with everybody, and that he definitely doesn’t want to lose them.

Finally beginning to enjoy the party, Xiumin sips at his drink and sways his body along to the rhythm of the music, and before he knows it, Chanyeol’s voice is booming over the microphone.

“Let’s start the count down!”

“Ten!”

“Nine!”

“Eight!”

“Seven!

“Six!”

“Five!”

Everybody’s fully shouting now.

“Four!

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Xiumin pulls on his popper alongside everyone else’s before downing his sparkling cider, and there’s a collective roar of applause and cheers as golden streamers and multi-colored strips of confetti drift down from the second floor where other cheering party-goers are throwing endless bags of the stuff down.

He’s smiling and laughing at nothing in particular with the mood of the crowd when he’s startled by the sight of a very attractive blonde up in his face. He feels hands on his cheeks, and when he blinks, there are lips on his own. The empty cup in his hand drops to the floor as he’s robbed of all the air in his lungs, and his heart is pounding against his chest.

The kiss feels like an eternity, and he feels his own eyes shutting for a moment before the feeling’s gone.

“You’re cute~” The slightly tipsy stranger coos, giggling softly afterward, and his breath and lips have traces of alcohol that Xiumin normally detests, but he finds himself really not caring. The streamers and confetti fall around them like a picture perfect scene as they make solid eye contact, with Xiumin entirely entranced. It’s like he’s under a spell that he’s all too willing to succumb to. Unfortunately, all too soon, the hands and lips are gone, and Xiumin’s left completely clueless because,

“What the hell was that?” he murmurs to himself in shock, and he feels robbed. The stranger has disappeared, but his face is engraved forever in his memory.

The stranger was a little shorter than he was, Xiumin thinks, barely remembering the other’s petite figure. But what he remembers vividly is the tufts of blonde hair and bangs that were above a pair of smoky doe eyes, accompanied by the cutest button nose and pretty pink lips that he’s ever seen.

The rest of Xiumin’s night is a complete daze, and he heads home without even thinking that he gave Tao the ride there. (Luckily, Tao spent the night with someone else.)

 

Xiumin dreams that night of the stranger. The memory is vivid in his mind and when he wakes up the next morning, it’s with a strong resolve.

Screw New Year’s resolutions, he thinks. He knows he’s got to find that man from the night before who gave him the most breathtakingly perfect kiss of his life.

 

The first one he calls is Tao, the one who dragged him to the party in the first place.

His friend picks up with a groggy, “Hello?”

“Hey, Tao. I need your hel—“

The line rings dead as Tao hangs up, and Xiumin winces from the harsh sound of the dial tone. Looking at the time, he decides that it may have been just a bit early to call anyone after New Year’s Eve. Regretfully, he decides to wait, trying to distract himself with some college work because break’s about to be over, but he really doesn’t know how long he can wait.

 

The next day, when he’s sure that at least everyone will be sober and not hung over, he calls Tao.

“YOU ER,” Tao screams after picking up the phone, and Xiumin winces again because of the harsh noise, “WHY WOULD YOU CALL ME THE MORNING OF NEW YEAR’S DAY. I WAS A KRIS’ AND—“

This time, it’s Xiumin who hangs up. Perhaps he should wait just a bit before calling his easily agitated friend.

But before he can call anyone else, Tao’s calling him back, probably just to finish screaming at him. When Xiumin picks up, his predictions are right, and he endures the insults for the sake of his search for the blonde stranger from the party.

“Okay, I’m done ranting. Why’d you call?” Tao asks, his temper back to normal.

“Do you remember a blonde, doe-eyed guy from the party yesterday?”

Tao hums, because not that many people have blonde-dyed hair, so someone like that should have been at least noticeable, right?

“I don’t. Maybe someone else at the party saw? I mean, I was a little preoccupied at the party…” he admits, and he sounds sheepish. He was probably off ing with Kris before midnight even hit.

“Oh,” Xiumin sighs in disappointment, “Will you text me Kris’ number? Maybe he’ll know.”

“Sure. But why is this such a big deal anyways?” Tao asks curiously, “Why are you looking for someone if you don’t even know their name?”

“It’s…” Xiumin trails off, trying to find the words to describe how he felt the moment the blonde kissed him, but he can’t and ends up shaking his head, “Never mind, I don’t know how to explain it.”

When they hang up, Xiumin’s phone buzzes soon after from a text from Tao. It’s Kris’ phone number.

 

When he calls Kris, it’s a few days later because he’s scared that it’ll be weird for him to even be calling and it took a little time to build up his courage.

“Hello?” A surprisingly deep voice answers, and Xiumin nearly loses his nerve and hangs up, but his desire to find his stranger, yes, he’s now referring to the blonde as his stranger, is too strong.

“Hi, this is Xiumin. I got your number from Tao?”

“Oh, right. What can I help you with?” Kris asks, and he sounds a lot nicer than when he answered the phone.

“At the New Year’s party, nearly a week ago, there was a blonde with doe-eyes at the party. He was pretty short, too. Do you know him?” Xiumin asks, his hope showing through his voice.

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t,” Kris responds, and he sounds apologetic, probably because Xiumin’s hope was pretty obvious from the sound of his voice. He tries to hide his disappointment, but it’s really not anyone else’s fault but his own for being so dazed in the moment.

“No! Don’t be sorry, and don’t worry about it.”

Just as Xiumin’s about to hang up, he smirks, deciding to give a few last words to Kris.

“And good luck with Tao. He’s softer than he seems,” And with that, he hangs up, cutting off a slightly surprised Kris.

Xiumin chuckles at his own antics before he remembers that he failed once again in his search.

 

The day after, now a full six days since the party, Xiumin decides to drop by Baekhyun’s house.

When he walks in the front door, he’s not surprised to see the house still a bit messy, but he is surprised to see how much of it is already cleaned up.

“Hey, Xiumin!” Chanyeol’s voice booms from a corner where he was picking up garbage, “What are you doing here? Helping to clean up?” he chuckles, and Xiumin shakes his head.

“I actually had a question. There was a blonde at the party. Do you remember him?”

Xiumin bites his lip as he watches Chanyeol think and he can’t hide the sigh of disappointment that escapes his lips when he receives a “No, I don’t. Sorry” for an answer.

“No, no, don’t be sorry,” Xiumin replies, smiling weakly at yet another failure.

“Hey, maybe Baekhyun will know? He did most of the party’s arrangements. If you don’t mind waiting, that is. He’s at the store right now, but he should be back in around an hour?”

Xiumin smiles and nods, feeling optimistic again as he picks up a black garbage bag.

“Yeah, I think I’ll wait,” And he decides he should at least help clean up.

 

With his mind full of the blonde from that night, Xiumin finds himself imagining ways that he would meet the stranger.

Maybe Baekhyun would know him and then he would get the blonde’s phone number. Or better yet, maybe Baekhyun could set them up or something.

And before Xiumin even realized it, an hour and a half flew by as he and Chanyeol made progress in the living room when Baekhyun returned.

“Oh! Xiumin! What are you doing here?” Baekhyun smiled, setting the groceries on the kitchen counter before dropping his keys down.

“I actually have a question,” he says, a grin on his lips because Baekhyun must know who the blonde stranger was.

“Do you remember a blonde, doe-eyed guy from the party?” Xiumin asks, setting the garbage bag down.

Baekhyun hums in thought before his eyes widen, “I do!”

“WHAT WAS HIS NAME” Xiumin practically shouts, face about to split into a smile because if Baekhyun remembers, then he must know his name, right? And then he must have his phone number, and then Xiumin can finally, finally meet the man who stole his breath away and—

“Oh.” Baekhyun’s expression drops, “I’m sorry, I never knew his name…”

And then it feels like Xiumin’s world is crashing down again and it’s impossible for him to hide his disappointment. His mood immediately swung from a strong high to an impossible low, and his expression and sigh voiced his flurry of negative emotions.

“But, I remember who he was talking to, if that’s useful?”

And then Xiumin’s looking up away from his toes again, eyes wide as he nearly pounces on Baekhyun, eliciting a deep chuckle from Chanyeol.

“Really?! Who?” Xiumin nearly shrieks.

“The dancers. Here, I’ll give you their contact information.

 

Xiumin leaves their home with two new numbers in his cellphone, and he walks back to his car in the darkness of the evening with a newfound resolve. He regrets nothing of the hours he spent waiting and cleaning at Baekhyun’s house. He regrets nothing.

 

Xiumin calls the dancers the very next day.

“Hello? This is Sehun,” a voice answers.

“Hey, this is Xiumin. I saw you at the New Year’s party and I got your number from Baekhyun. Do you remember a blonde, doe-eyed boy from the party?”

“Oh, yeah, I do.” Sehun responds after a moment of thought, “He was a cute one, wasn’t he?”

And then Xiumin feels jealousy run through his veins, a jealousy he shouldn’t even be feeling over a complete stranger he shared a single tipsy kiss with.

“Such a shame I didn’t get his number,” Sehun remarks, though it sounds like he’s really just thinking to himself, “Hell, I didn’t get his name. God, he had such a nice too and—“

That’s where Xiumin hangs up, an anger rushing through his body. The moment he knew Sehun didn’t have any information to give, he knew he wasn’t going to stay on the line any longer.

 

It takes a few moments to calm himself. And by a few moments, Xiumin really means a few hours.

Just thinking about Sehun’s cocky voice talking about his stranger made him want to sock the guy in the face.

But, when he finally had his jealousy and anger under control, Xiumin called Kai, the other dancer.

Surely at least one of the two would know who the blonde was, right?

Right?

 

“OH MY GOD WHAT ING S” Xiumin screams the moment he hangs up on Kai, because the latter was just as bad as Sehun, if not worse.

The rage that’s running through his veins is something he knows that won’t be easily calmed within the span of a few hours, and the anger is unparalleled with the one he felt just hours earlier.

He can still hear that Kai remarking about his stranger’s perky little , and his innocent big eyes, and his plush pink lips.

Xiumin’s trembling as he even thinks about it, and his anger only shows his possessive feelings over the adorable blonde boy. It takes all his will power not to throw his phone at the wall.

The 7^th day of Xiumin’s search ends with his difficulty to fall asleep, kept awake by Sehun’s and Kai’s words, and the fact that such crude language could ever be used to describe an angel like the blonde he met on New Year’s Eve.

 

The entire next day, Xiumin sulks. He really doesn’t accomplish much of anything other than lying hopelessly on his couch, flipping through TV channels in an attempt to find something that might lift his mood, similar to the night of New Year’s Eve before Tao knocked on the door, only that on the Eve he was in a good mood to begin. Not the ty, hopeless one he’s in now.

Xiumin groans as he flips through a second time through all five hundred of his available TV channels through his cable provider. It’s a long night.

 

The next day, Xiumin finally finds the motivation to do something, though it’s probably rally because his refrigerator is empty and his stomach is growling.

It’s when he’s at the supermarket, a red plastic basket in hand as he’s grabbing a loaf of bread that he sees someone familiar.

His eyes widen, seeing a familiar face from the party, and he hesitates for a moment before approaching.

“Hey, you were at the party on New Year’s right? At Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s?”

Xiumin feels like he’s going to get slapped because the outright question is bound to sound creepy.

“Oh hey,” The other answers, “I remember you,” and he chuckles a bit awkwardly.

“Do you remember a blonde at the party? He had doe-eyes, and he was a little shorter than me?” Xiumin asks, and he really doesn’t know what to expect, but he’s hopeful nonetheless.

“No…sorry.” The stranger says, and he immediately bows and backs away. Xiumin really doesn’t blame him for wanting to get out of there; the situation was weird enough as it is, let alone Xiumin asking a question about a man whose name he doesn’t even know.

And he’s all depressed and disappointed again as he continues shopping off his long grocery list.

But, it’s when he’s grabbing a jar of peanut butter of the shelf when it hits him. He pats his pocket for his cellphone, but it’s nowhere to be found.

“,” he curses under his breath, realizing that he must have left it at home, and he rushes through the self-check-out line, the only items in his basket being the bread and a jar of peanut butter.

Xiumin’s panting when he opens the door of his apartment. He sprinted all the way from the market to his apartment building, where he proceeded to run up the three flights of stairs with the intent of calling Suho.

Why he didn’t think of that possibility earlier, he really doesn’t know, though it was probably because he couldn’t see through his haze of anger from the inappropriate comments of the dancers. Granted, they really weren’t inappropriate at all, some might have even found their comments flattering, but Xiumin just couldn’t suppress the possessive emotion that suddenly overtook him.

When Xiumin finally grabs his phone off the counter, he’s already dialing Suho’s number before he can even catch his breath.

“Hey, Xiumi—“

“DO YOU REMEMBER A BLONDE AT THE PARTY” Xiumin nearly screams, and there’s a silence after the question is asked, other than the sound of Xiumin trying to catch his breath.

“E-er, what?” Suho asks, shocked, and Xiumin’s about to repeat himself, hopefully in a calmer fashion, when a voice in the background is heard.

“Suho? Who is it?” Xiumin hears Kyungsoo ask, remembering the singer from the party.

It’s already apparent that Suho has no idea what Xiumin’s even talking about, so in his frenzy, Xiumin decides to ask Kyungsoo.

“Suho get your boyfriend on the phone!” He commands rather impolitely before correting himself, “Please, I need to ask him a question, please!”

“Oh, um. Okay, Xiumin,” Suho says, confused, but he also chuckles because it’s reminiscent of their high school days as trouble makers.

“Hello?” Kyungsoo’s shy voice comes on the line, and Xiumin continues to pace in circles in his apartment.

“Hi, Kyungsoo,” Xiumin speaks, trying to calm himself so not to freak out his friend’s boyfriend, “Do you remember a blonde being at the party?”

He hears Kyungsoo humming, and the wait is simply unbearable.

“No, I don’t. I’m really sorry,” Kyungsoo replies, and for some reason, Xiumin’s really not surprised, though he still feels a wave of disappointment. “Maybe my friend Chen will know? He was the other singer. Maybe he saw someone like that while we were singing?”

“Really?” Xiumin asks, hopeful once again, and at the same time braced for another disappointment.

Kyungsoo hums an affirmative over the line.

“Yeah, I’ll send you his phone number, maybe he’ll know?”

“Thank you!” Xiumin says before hanging up, “And explain to Suho what happened. I was just a bit…well, over excited?” he admits sheepishly, and he hears Kyungsoo laugh softly.

It doesn’t surprise him that Suho and Kyungsoo are a couple. They seem to match each other perfectly. The thought only makes Xiumin sadder, considering his own lonely life, though he’s still only in college.

 

 “Hello?” Chen answers, and Xiumin nearly erupts into cheers.

Since the day Kyungsoo gave him the number, he’s failed to connect the call. Xiumin’s tried for 4 straight days, and he honestly was just about to give up.

“Is this Chen? I got your number from Kyungsoo,” Xiumin says, almost anxious that the call might disconnect. Maybe Chen is in another country and that’s why he hasn’t been picking up?

“Oh, yes, it is. He told me you’d be calling, but sorry I couldn’t contact you. I was out of the country,” he says, and Xiumin can tell he’s apologetic.

“I just have a question to ask,” Xiumin begins, and he’s crossing his fingers, hoping that please please please let Chen know, “Do you remember a blonde at the New Year’s Party a while back?”

“Oh, I do!” Chen responds, and Xiumin feels his heart skip a beat. “I think he came with one of my friends, though I don’t actually know who he is. Would you like the number of my friend, Lay?”

And Xiumin nods furiously before he realizes that Chen obviously won’t see his actions, “Yes! Please!”

Chen must be able to hear the desperation, and he chuckles softly. Xiumin’s way too past feeling embarrassed or nervous in his search for his perfect little blonde stranger.

 

It was the 13^th day when he called Chen.

It is the 13^th day when Xiumin calls Lay.

“H-hello?” Lay picks up after Xiumin calls, and he can tell the other has an accent, “This is Lay.”

Maybe he’s Chinese, Xiumin thinks, and he can only hope that the other knows enough to communicate with.

“Hi, this is Xiumin, I got your number from Chen,” Xiumin enunciates, making sure to speak slowly and clearly enough, especially since the phone quality isn’t too great. “I was wondering if you remember a blonde, doe-eyed boy from the New Year’s Eve party?”

There’s an extremely long pause, and Xiumin lets out a breath he realizes he’s been holding as the other makes a noise of thought.

“Uhh,” Lay thinks, and Xiumin thinks he’s about to pass out from the wait. “B-blonde?”

“Yes,” Xiumin confirms, and then there’s another agonizingly long wait for an answer.

Xiumin’s really about to lose his nerve, now. As the other thinks, he recollects just how much he’s searched, endlessly searched, and failed again and again.

It’s actually surprising that he hadn’t given up early, Xiumin thinks as his mood progressively gets worse, and his patience continually wears thin. Xiumin makes a consensus as he’s on the line with Lay, and he accepts that it’s impossible.

He’ll never find that perfect blonde boy from the party, and he shouldn’t even dwell on it. Who knows what could have even been, anyways.

Just because he took his breath away, Xiumin thinks in an attempt to convince himself to give up, not wanting to suffer much longer, doesn’t mean that anything was ever meant to be.

In fact, if they were destined to be together, Xiumin thinks, he would have already found the blonde.

“Actually, Lay, never mind. I don’t need your help anymore. But thank you anyways,” Xiumin concludes with a final sigh as he hangs up. He tells himself to smile, because at least this way, he won’t feel that heartbreaking pang of disappointment that follows hope, but he can’t help but feel a little sad that he’s willingly giving up the chase.

 

“Oh!” Lay says, not realizing that the line had already went dead, “I remember! That was my friend, Luhan,” he says in a heavy accent, but it’s too late. Xiumin’s already hung up.

 

It’s the next day when Xiumin decides to go to starbucks, because maybe coffee will lift his spirits again. Tao calls him again, and it’s a coincidence because it’s exactly two weeks from the last time Tao’s called, and Xiumin also happens to be just walking into starbucks.

“What’s up?” Xiumin asks, a little gloomy but not depressed as he waits in line for his order to be finished.

“Hey, did you ever find that guy from the party?” Tao asks, and Xiumin simply sighs in response. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Xiumin smiles slightly as he rubs his hands together in an effort to warm them up. Again, they’re freezing from the winter wind, “It must not have been meant to be if I still couldn’t find him, and the two laugh together good naturedly.

“I’m glad you’re not too sad or anything,” Tao chuckles before he’s gossiping about his own life again, “But you won’t believe what Kris did.”

Xiumin chuckles and plays along, his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder as he reaches for his cup of coffee.

“What did he do?”

And he’s really not listening as Tao speaks, just nodding and humming along as he focuses and grabbing the hot drink and keeping his phone from clattering to the floor.

Xiumin looks outside for a brief moment, deciding against walking in the cold back home. He has some free time, and he figures there’s no rush.

Deciding to sit down and enjoy his drink, he scans the seats, now holding the phone with a blabbering Tao in one hand, and his drink in the other.

And then, something catches his eye.

It’s a blonde head snuggled warmly into a large overcoat and a thick scarf, but the figure’s back is to him and Xiumin can’t see his face.

Curious, he tries to move to get a better view, but the figure has a seat facing the outside by the window.

“Hold on, Tao, I’ll call you back,” Xiumin murmurs, hanging up before Tao can even interject or argue back.

Holding his drink in both hands, Xiumin thanks any higher being that may exist, because the shop is fuller than he’s even seen it, and he has an excuse to talk to the blonde head.

He knows it could just be another stranger, but he’s already gone through so much, so why not once more?

“Hey, is this seat taken?” Xiumin asks, and he receives a soft “no” in response.

“Thanks,” he says, sitting down, and the moment their eyes lock, it’s as if Xiumin’s breath stops.

He can feel his heart pounding in his chest, pounding so hard that he thinks everybody within a mile radius can hear it. He sees the blonde bangs accompanied by the cutest button nose and the softest pink lips he’s ever seen.

And in addition to that, he sees the doe-like eyes that aren’t smoky with makeup but just as beautiful, in Xiumin’s opinion.

He sees recognition flash in the stranger’s eyes, and his assumptions are confirmed when he sees a pink tint fall upon the blonde’s unblemished cheeks.

Xiumin smiles, surprisingly calm despite his excitement and energy in his past search for his stranger. It’s because he’s simply entranced, and it’s all too nostalgic. He’s under yet another spell cast unintentionally by the blonde, and he’s hooked.

“Hey, stranger,” Xiumin grins, “You don’t know how long I’ve been searching for you.”

And then the blonde’s pretty pink lips curl into a smile, eyes gleaming bright.

“Call me Luhan.”