[Year 19 of Exile]

“Can I have one green tea frappucino, three iced americanos, as well as a green tea latte? To go, thank you.”

I placed the cash on the counter and waited for the cashier to return the change before I proceeded to the collection counter.

Glancing outside to make sure that the boys were still there waiting with the numerous bags of groceries, I motioned for one of them to come help me with the five cups.

“Psh, I wouldn’t have needed to waste my energy coming into the store to help you if I knew that she was going to place them in two bags.” Sehun mumbled as he picked four random straws from the container while I stashed a large volume of napkins into my bag.

“Oh Sehun, if you don’t wish to see the cabin ever again you are most welcome to continue yakking.” I mock-glared at him, effectively shutting him up with my threat. “You know how your Luhan-hyung listens to me.”

He blew a raspberry and I smirked.

“Thanks Jen.” The three boys simultaneously said as I handed them their drinks — iced americanos for Luhan and Kyungsoo and the green tea latte for Chanyeol.

The tallest lifted the cup to his lips and almost instantly held it away with a loud yelp.

“Ah. Looks like our dear Chanyeollie-hyung doesn’t know how to sip his piping hot latte.” The youngest remarked sarcastically and I shot him a look. He shrugged and popped the straw into his cup of iced coffee.

“Here Yeol, you can take mine first while yours cool.” I exchanged his drink for mine and he gazed at me sceptically. “You sure, princess?”

Princess.

My heartbeat accelerated and my stomach started to feel weird. Keeping my face indifferent, I nodded and brought the cup to my lips. Remembering to sip, I took in a small amount of the hot version of my favourite drink and almost gagged at the boiling warmth of the liquid.

It was when I saw how he casually popped the straw of my cup into his mouth that I realised.

Did we j-j-just kiss?!!

Well, it’s an indirect kiss. But still.

I dropped my head and I suddenly found the cup very interesting.

“You alright?” Kyungsoo’s gentle voice piped up from beside me. “Want mine instead? It’s cold.”

His iced americano appeared before my eyes and my hand reached out instinctively for it. Feeling the cold (but bitter) liquid flowing down my throat, I sighed in relief.

“Alright, we’re running on a tight schedule so let’s go.” Luhan instructed and he pointed to the bags at our feet. I mentally groaned as I recalled the arduous journey we made from the supermarket to this coffee joint. My aching arms, my breaking back as I decided to drag them on the floor instead of carrying them bloody bags like the boys did (yes, even our small Do Kyungsoo).

And to think the supermarket and the joint were only side by side.

“Luhan-hyung, how long are we away from the cabin?”

I looked up from the large, folded map in my lap to see the driver pursing his lips in annoyance at the youngest’s question.

“I swear, if you’re going to ask me one more time I’m going to throw you out of my jeep. Do you understand, Oh Sehun?”

The apparent threat in the oldest’s tone did the trick, for Sehun whimpered and went back to staring at the greenery that shot past us as we drove along the never-ending roads.

As both Luhan and Sehun had gone for the first trip out, the time taken for this trip was significantly shorter as the former recalled the mistakes in the routes he made the previous time, and he avoided those roads like plague. Also, Sehun was a brilliant navigator given how he threw directions to his hyung and we ended up at the supermarket within half a day of our departure.

Chanyeol did nothing but lug the bags onto the jeep with little (or no) effort, seeing how he didn’t even break a sweat while the rest of us were panting and breathless by the time we made it to the vehicle. I swear, I’m never going grocery shopping ever again. Never.

Kyungsoo was the boss in the supermarket. Five full carts of food items and daily home essentials. We were basically at his beck and call during the two hours we were in the supermarket that sold practically anything and everything. I bet the boy was tempted to just buy the whole mart back for himself, as I noticed how his large doe eyes flitted to every item in the numerous aisles.

I chuckled and popped the straw of Kyungsoo’s drink into my mouth. The boy had insisted that I keep it, claiming that he fell in love with Chanyeol’s green tea latte despite its throat-searing hotness. And the tallest didn’t even return my frappucino to me. Heck, he didn’t even bother to look at me after I had been discovered in my hiding spot.

My eyes fell onto the green straw in front of me and I blinked. Jen Lee…

… shared an indirect kiss with Kyungsoo.

Wait.

I just kissed him on the lips yestermorning.

Oh. My. Heroes.

Wait, heroes?

The brain freeze from the ice is getting to me.

I slapped my cheeks lightly and the boy with heart-shaped lips edged his face to mine. “Jen, you okay? Why are you hitting yourself…?”

Slotting the drink into the cup holder in front of me, his free hands reached up to mine and pulled it away from my face. His doe eyes gazed up at me and I could feel heat rushing to my face.

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