Chapter 22: Her First Date, Pt. 1

“I wondered what happened when you offered yourself to someone, and they opened you, only to discover you were not the
gift they expected and they had to smile and nod and say thank you all the same.” ― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper

Today wasn’t the best day of Ahri’s life, but it was indeed a happy day. She was dressed in a sky-blue dress, which seemingly showed her curves, but nonetheless, it came out cute yet gorgeous for her. Her legs swung excitedly, the momentum enough to propel her body off the swing as her black cone heels scuff the grass beneath. She wore a toothless grin – a type of smile she rarely wore, that stretched from ear to ear as she placed her book down on her lap. Her imagination is running wild, creating new tales that carried her from faraway places faster than she can process. She was sitting on her favorite spot – the swing, which seems like Kai and Ahri’s official meeting place.

You may be wondering what’s happening right now. Well, nothing much, except the fact that today is Ahri’s first ever date in her entire lifetime. Kai texted her last night that they should go for their first date today since it is Saturday, and they have no classes. He told her that she should think of where they should go and he would follow, but the last destination would be Kai’s surprise.  Ahri agreed, although she debated whether or not to accept if for 30 minutes; eventually, she gave in. She can’t help but feel giddy and excited as it is her first time after all, although the thought of Kris still lingered on her mind. Her smile faltered a bit at the reminiscence of the past, but she immediately composed herself as she saw the figure coming from afar. She argued with herself on whether to smile or to show off her infamous pokerface, but due to Kai’s long legs, she reached Ahri faster than she expected, so she did what first came to mind, which is to smile brightly.

“Hey,” Ahri tried to smile as bright as she could, but it ended with an awkward smile.

He chuckled, “Hey. You ready?” Kai scratched the back of his neck – a habit Ahri noticed he usually does on awkward situations, like what is happening right now.

“Err…. Yeah. Let’s go.” She didn’t feel like chatting for a moment as she was really feeling excited, so she dismissed the conversation and told him that they should go already.

Ahri wanted to mask her excitement, but she failed miserably. Kai noticed, but he didn’t tell her as he didn’t want her to get embarrassed. Sweet, right? He looked at her from head to toe. Not that he was judging her or something, rather he can’t help but feel like he’s with the most beautiful girl on Earth. He scanned her but stopped as soon as he saw her heels.

“Ri, are you fine with walking in those heels?” He asked and tsk-ed as he racked his head in frustration, “Aish. I should’ve brought my car.”

Ahri slightly flinched at the nickname. She wasn’t used to people calling her Ri except Tao and Kris, or maybe just Tao since it’d be awkward if Kris called her in the first place. “I’m fine. I’m used to wearing heels. Besides, they’re just 3 inches high. Nothing much.” She waved him off and continued walking.

Kai’s eyebrows were knitted together, a bit frustrated by the matter, but eventually, he sighed, giving up. He didn’t want to ruin the date. Furthermore, he didn’t want to deal with a pissed Ahri. Who would anyways?

Ahri lead the way while Kai was obediently following her like a lost puppy. They rode a bus to Hongdae. They didn’t really converse on the way, but it wasn’t awkward, maybe for Ahri at least. Kai was a bit feeling awkward. He dated before, yes, but this one was a bit different than his previous dates. He was used to the girls throwing themselves on him. Let’s make this clear though, he was not a playboy. He was just too nice to reject girls before, although he learned how recently, with the help of his ‘EXO’ friends.

A few minutes of awkward silence later, they finally reached the busy streets of Hongdae. Kai looked around the streets that was filled with couples their age, looking happy and content. He noticed that almost all of them were holding hands, so he mustered up his courage and confidently held Ahri’s hand. Ahri was surprised and her face flickered almost immediately. Her gaze fell down to their intertwined hands, then back up to Kai’s face. She didn’t know what to feel. Should she feel happy? Angry? Sad? Excited? She didn’t