(Request from anon)

Kai walked out of the coffee shop with Sehun and Baekhyun right behind him.  He took a sip of his iced caramel mocha, squinting in the morning sunshine.

“I can’t believe it,” Baekhyun said, slapping his hand down on Kai’s shoulder with force.  “Just one more final and then we are off for the summer.  Time sure does fly.  It seems like only yesterday we were walking into class for the first time, unknowing of the horrors that awaited us.”

“Since when are you so sentimental?” asked Sehun, after a brief outburst of laughter.

“What are you talking about?  I’ve always been this way,” Baekhyun replied, with only a hint of sarcasm.

“Then our 5 year friendship has been all for nothing, because I still don’t understand you.” 

Kai was listening to his friends quarrel, but he was very distracted too.  He couldn’t stop thinking about you.  He must admit you hadn’t really left his mind since the beginning, but today, he thought about you more than usual.

“Earth to Kai.  Come in Kai.”  Baekhyun was right next to his ear.  Kai drew his gaze away from whatever he was looking at and turned to Sehun and Baekhyun.

“What?” he asked, innocently.

“Man, you have really got to snap out of it.  We know what you’re thinking.  Just confess to her already.”  Baekhyun gave his shoulder a squeeze.  They turned the corner and started for the university.  Kai turned his head away quickly, embarrassed by the suggestion.  He took a large drink of his coffee, freezing his throat with the cold liquid.

“Seriously, Kai.  You’ve been talking about her nonstop since the semester started.  It’s getting old and annoying,” Sehun piped in and Kai could’ve knocked him out.

“It’s not like that, okay.  I just think she’s cool, nothing more.”

“It’s just an exponential polynomial in the sixth order, Kai-ah.  Not brain surgery.”  You giggle to yourself at him struggling over the simple expression.

“I think brain surgery would be easier actually.  At least then I get to use my hands not my brain.”  Kai paused to think over his own strange sounding statement.  The two of you are sitting in the universities library, just hours away from the final.  Kai had been a little late, because the two dorks he called his friends wouldn’t stop pestering him about his private tutoring session with you.  Even though you both have been meeting since the beginning of the semester, there was no end to the jokes or suggestive comments said by you know who.

“Wait.  That sounded kind of odd,” Kai continued, scratching the back of his head.  You giggle again and Kai finds himself smiling, forgetting about the impossible poly-whatever in front of him.

“Don’t worry.  I understand.  Algebra isn’t for everyone and I know you’re more of a visual learner anyway.”  You smile a cute smile and Kai swallows hard.  You look so cute even though you said you stayed up all night studying.  He imagined what the scene was like.  He imagined you sitting at a desk in your dorm room with a single lamp on, leaning over some books and papers.  The low light would make your flawless skin glow.  Maybe you would be wearing glasses, with your hair up in a messy bun or a ponytail.  I wonder if she’s the type to drink coffee to stay awake?  Or maybe she’s a tea person?

“Do you want to get some coffee or tea or something?”

“What?”  Kai slammed back to reality with a jolt, as he felt your hand on his hand.  It was a gentle touch that made the butterflies in his stomach worse.

“It looks like you need a break for a bit.  Come on, let’s go grab something from the machines.  My treat.”  You pull him up, not giving him much of a choice other than to follow.

“Wait, Noona.  You don’t have to do that.  I can keep going.”  Kai could easily pull out of your grip, but he doesn’t really want to, feeling dizzy at your touch.  He thinks about what Baekhyun said earlier, “Just confess to her already.”

Confess?  He definitely wanted too.  He thinks about it every week when they are together.  But, at the same time, he is almost intimidated by You.  He thinks you’re smart and mature.  He feels like a kid every time he asks for help on a problem.  That didn’t stop him though.  When he asks for your help, you giggle and say, “Kai-ah, we’ve been over this a hundred times.  Do you really forget that quickly?”  Then you continue to go over it again and again until he gets it right all by himself.  And the look you give him when he finally gets it right makes his heart race.

“No,” you say firmly, but in a little girl voice.  “If you keep pushing yourself, you will not retain any of it.  You will only get tired and it will be harder for you to remember anything.”  Without letting go, you turn around and wag a finger at him while wearing an extremely cute “motherly” face.  Kai breaks out into a bright smile, biting his lip, holding back a laugh.  You can’t hold the look for much longer and end up laughing along with him squeezing his hand a little.  You turn back around and continue to drag Kai down the hall.

“So, when are your finals?”  He asks, enjoying your slim hand gripping his and the tug on his arm to follow.

“I have three today, two tomorrow and two on Saturday.”

Wait.  How many?

“Say what?  You have 7 finals?  How could you take 7 classes?”  Kai catches up to you so he can see your face.

“I actually took 8.  One was a lab and we ended class a couple weeks ago.”  You talk about it as if it’s nothing.  You two reach the machines and you begin looking over the options.

“How can you deal with that?  I think my head would explode with all the information.”

“Well, you learn to manage your time and prioritize your assignments.  Sometimes you go without sleep for a couple days and you don’t exactly get to hang out with friends, but the grades at the end are always worth it.  I always love to see my grade point average.  It makes me feel like I’m doing something right and something my parents can be proud of.”  You look at Kai as you explain.  He gazes at you with admiration.

“Wait, Noona.  You said you have three finals today.  Why are you tutoring me when you don’t even take this class.  Isn’t studying for your own finals more important?”  Kai leans up against the wall and lets his head rest against its hard surface.

“No way silly,” you say slightly laughing.  “That’s why I was studying all night.  I wanted to make sure I was completely prepared last night, so I can spend as much time as I can with you to help you study for yours.  I want to make sure you do well.”  Your focus returns to the list of drinks on the side of the vending machine.

Kai felt like a stupid little kid.  Noona stayed up all night to study for her finals today, so she could focus on helping me now.  Man, did he feel stupid.  Why did he need so much help with this final?  He didn’t know you did all this for him.  He never knew that you put so much more pressure on yourself unnecessarily.

“Noona, you don’t need to keep tutoring me if it causes you too much trouble.”

“Trouble?  Are you kidding me?  I love tutoring you.  I love seeing you progress and I really want you to do well.  And if I can be a part of your success, that’s all the reason I need to keep helping you.”

If the previous feeling of stupidity could have gotten any worse, it just did.  Here you were helping him study every week and instead of focusing on what you were teaching him, he only studied you.  He would stare at your beautiful eyes when you were trying to describe an equation.  He would stare at your hands as you drew diagrams and graphs.  Instead, of sleeping or spending time with her friends, she’s always here, just to help me.

“I’m sorry.” 

You look at him.  Kai is biting his lip looking down at his feet embarrassed and feeling guilty for not being a better student.

“What for?”  You take the drink you just purchased and held it out for him.  He didn’t take it immediately.  You draw closer to him, noticing the distress he seems to be struggling with.

“You do so much already and you still take time out of your schedule to help me study.  And you never send me away.  You stay with me until I understand it no matter how long it takes.  I’m sorry because I take up too much of your time.”

“Kai-ah, you don’t have to…”

“Not just that, Noona.  I’m sorry, because during our tutoring sessions, I don’t actually pay attention to what you are showing me.  I focus on you.  I notice small things about you.  Like the way you twist your pencil when you thinking or the way you look at the ceiling and close your eyes while doing simple problems in your head.  I’m a horrible student and I’m sorry.”  He looks up at you slightly, his heart full of guilt.

How could I ever think that I would be good enough for her?

“It’s about time.”

Kai’s head shot up, wide-eyed.  You are blushing slightly.

“What?”

“Did you think I couldn’t tell?  Of course, I saw how you always steal looks at me while you were supposed to be focusing.  I didn’t want to say anything, because I thought I would embarrass you.  I’m glad that you finally admitted your feelings.”  You hold the drink out to him once again.  He replaces it with his own hand, holding it softly and running his thumb across your smooth skin.

“Now that it’s finally out, is that a yes?”

“I don’t believe I remember a question being asked,” you tease.  You see Kai relax and smile.  He looks better this way than all tense and nervous like he’s been all day.

“Noona, I think I’m in love with you.  Will you go out with me?”

“Sorry, but my head is so full of information for finals that I can’t think straight,” you reply with heavy sarcasm.  “Maybe once their over I’ll be able to comprehend the implications of your question.”

Kai starts laughing out loud, before he hears a shush coming from a nearby room.  He covers his mouth and looks at you as you try to suppress your own laughter.

“One more question,” Kai manages, after catching his breath.  You hum a questioning reply, stepping closer to him.  “Can I kiss you?”

You draw back a bit, feeling the blood rush to your head.  Your breath hitches, causing a small gasp to break the silence.  Before you can reply, Kai leans down and gives you a soft kiss, making you forget everything you studied.  Oh well.