I am sooooooooo sorry for not updating. Summer school is almost done (yay, because I will updating more often) so please understand me! I mention a movie and a song here. The movie is "We Bought a Zoo" (Cute movie). I HIGHLY are recommend the song that I mention, "Cafe Latte" by Urban Zakapa. It's sung by one of my favourite Korean Indie bands. I'd imagine that it would be sort of the xiulay pairing O.S.T. for the story. ㅋㅋㅋ The lyrics fit appropriately with the scene and I'm happy that it did. Enjoy reading. 

January 26th 2012

I'm on my way to school, writing in the car. Mom won't stop looking over...MOM IF YOU ARE READING THIS NOW, PUT IT DOWN OR I WON'T FORGIVE YOU EVER. 

Anyways, it's the first day back from exam break, and I haven't seen Minseok in a week...it's been a sad week. I felt good this morning, well I've been feeling good every morning ever since school started, which is weird. I'm determined to ask him out on a date.

Minseok and I have gotten close during the past few months. We've hugged a lot!!! Well not a lot, maybe five times but still! It feels so good to hug him. He's just so cute and huggable. Everyday has been memorable with Minseok, and I think it's about time to ask him out. I mean, I've had a crush on him for awhile now. 

........ ㅎㅎ

Kris told me that Hyoyeon asks about me. I wish I could care, but I don't. She's better off with that son of a Jongin who she cheated with anyway. What does she think? That I'm head over heels in love with her and that I'd even think about giving her a second chance? NO WAY in hell. I've done everything I can to forget her, but she still won't stop bugging me in school and through text ugh. All of the gifts, pictures, everything. I burned it all on the first day I met Minseok. 

Minseok...right. How am I supposed to tell him about Hyoyeon? He's asked about her picture that I destroyed in front of him, a few times, but I'm being too obvious now. I just don't want her in my life or even in my thoughts anymore. Yeah, I loved her. And that's what hurts the most. That's why I hate her the most.

The date...right. So I'm going to ask him out today. I mean he can't take no for an answer, right? I know he's been wanting to go out alone, without Kris for once, and just spend a day with me. I can tell. With Kim Minseok, I can always tell. 

"

Minseok bit  his nails, a bad habit he's always had, waiting for Lay on the front steps of their school. He dyed his hair the week before and was feeling a bit uneasy, not sure if Lay would like his new hairstyle. But what does it matter, why does it matter what Lay would think? He wouldn't care. I did this for me, and for me only, Minseok thought. He was lying, of course, the whole reason for dyeing his hair was ultimately to impress Lay. He clearly remembered their conversation before the exam break when they talked about it. Lay said he liked people with red hair. So it would only make sense that Minseok dyed his hair red. A black sedan pulled up at the front of the school, and he saw a familiar looking boy in the car, making a fuss with the woman driving beside him. 

"Mom- mom! Stoooop!" Lay cried as he fought his mom away who kept leaning in to kiss her son. "I'm 16! Can you please stop treating me like a kid?!" 

She poked him repeatedly until he gave in, and let her smooch his cheek, "I'll always treat you like a kid, hun." 

He released the seat belt, unlocked the door, and looked out to see Kim Minseok sitting on the front school steps. Lay's eyes widened at the sight of the handsome boy who's hair was surprisingly auburn red. He leaned back, feeling himself blush. 

"What's wrong hun?" Lay's mom leaned over and looked out the passenger window where her son was turned away from. "Oh- Zhang Yixing! You're cheeks are red right now!" She teased, making her son grow even redder. 

"Mom stop, please," he pleaded, whispering as if Minseok could hear from outside. 

She bit her lip and peered out the window at the red-headed boy, and poked Lay's nose. "Is he that boy Kris keeps telling me about?" 

Lay sighed and nodded, slightly glancing over his shoulder at Minseok who still sat on the stairs patiently waiting, a smile spread across his face. He is beautiful.

"So when will I get to meet him? Why not now?" She released her seat belt, and unlocked her car door, about to introduce herself to her son's crush. 

"NO!" Lay cried, grabbing her arm and pulling her back in the car. "Mom, he's been the only one that I've ever liked since the break up and I want everything to be perfect with him. I want you to meet him at the right time, and I want him to like you and all, but please just stop." 

She grinned at Lay who had "mom I will kill you" written all over his face. "You really like him, don't you? Ahh alright. Today, right? You're asking him out today, that's why you asked for an advance on your allowance?" She smirked at her son who's jaw dropped. 

"You were so looking at my diary awhile ago weren't you?" Lay was shaking his head in disbelief as his mom chuckled, "You'll meet him today. Please just act normal for once." 

He hopped off the car and stuffed his diary into the seat compartment, making the "I got my eyes on you" signal to his mom who winked back at him. She drove away, and Lay walked towards the beautiful boy who stood up to meet him. 

With no words, they found themselves in each other's arms. Lay wrapped his arms around Minseok's head, which was buried in his shoulders. Minseok hugged back tightly, his arms squeezed around Lay's waist. He heaved in Lay's scent, and smiled as the angelic boy held him in close. They stood for awhile which seemed like forever and they didn't let go, until someone ruined the moment. 

"Gross." Kris separated the boys, wrapped an arm around each other shoulders, and walked them up the stairs. 

"Thanks for ruining it," hissed Lay, elbowing Kris' waist. 

"If you wanna do PDA, get a room." 

"It wasn't even PDA!" 

"Uhm, guys? I'm right here." Minseok waved up at the boys, jokingly. They reached the top of the stairs, and Lay broke out of Kris' grasp. He walked over to Minseok's side, and ruffled his hands through the soft, red hair that now occupied the boy's head. 

"I like it." Lay whispered, making Minseok blush. 

"Same." Kris leaned over, mocking Lay in the same, romantic whisper. They burst out into laughter and playfully hit each other. 

"Well, how were your guys' breaks?" Minseok asked, organizing his already organized locker. 

"Good. I visited my mom in China. It was hard to say goodbye again." Kris fixed his hair using Minseok's small magnet mirror. 

"I miss China too. You should've taken me with you." Lay tried to see himself in the mirror, but Kris hogged it. 

"We should all go together one day," said Kris, walking over to the lockers opposite Minseok, "Bucket list." One of the things Kris always said was "bucket list." Whenever he thinks of something he wants to do in the future, he'll say "bucket list", but then forgets it all anyway. 

Lay and Kris began to quietly speak in Mandarin, and then all of a sudden, Kris bid his goodbyes. 

"Oh, leaving so soon? We didn't even get to catch up yet." Minseok grabbed his book for first period, looking over at Kris who began to walk away. He turned around to face the boys, now walking in reverse.

"I'll see you in class! And you both at lunch!" He called winking at Lay, and then waving at them. He was bumped by a group of students walking Lay and Minseok's way, and they just kept walking, not even apologizing. Minseok could see Kris scoff at the group, but he turned around, and continued on walking. He closed his locker shut, and began to redo his code. Lay grew awfully quiet, and he was looking down at his toes. Minseok looked over his shoulder at the group of people who bumped into Kris earlier, now closer to them. He knew why Lay was quiet all of a sudden. 

The blonde girl, Kim Hyoyeon, was holding hands with the leader of the most popular boy in school, Kim Jongin. A group of boys followed them, and they all gave Lay dirty looks. The girl, in particular, was staring at Lay, but was slightly pulled away by Jongin's hand, tugging her over. She smiled up at him and kissed him on the cheek, but all at the same time, she looked back at Lay, and her eyes grew of sadness. 

They watched the group walk by, and he caught Lay purse his lips. His eyes were still glued on the ground, until the last person in their possy passed by them. Lay finally breathed, and then rubbed his hands over his face, sighing.

Minseok wanted to comfort and ask him what was wrong, possibly even get him to talk about Hyoyeon. He already knew about Hyoyeon. Other than the fact the Kris told Minseok everything, he remembered her picture and their text messages near the beginning of the school year. He wanted Lay to be able to open up to him, so that he wouldn't be bothered anymore, but he didn't dare. He assumed that Lay didn't want to talk about her, so he never brought her up. But Minseok was dying to know. 

-

Math class was long and boring. Lay had finished his exam first, in hopes that his teacher would dismiss him early, but he was to stay until at least half of the class was finished. He wanted to be the first in the lunch room, so that he could prepare to ask out Minseok before he gets too nervous and before he can make any mistakes. But that wasn't the only reason why he wanted to leave the class so bad. 

She was concentrated on her test, tapping her pencil against the table and her eyebrows burrowing together. Hyoyeon was the only one making noise at her desk, and the people around her looked annoyed, but she didn't stop. She found concentration through always tapping, always moving...it explains her ability to dance. 

Lay sat in his desk, patiently waiting to be dismissed. He casually glanced at Hyoyeon, but almost jumped when he saw her already looking. She giggled. Pretending to clear his throat, he stood up and walked over to the teacher. 

"Mrs. Choi-" 

"No, Lay. Just wait for a few more people to finish. I can't just send you out alone." 

"But-"

"Zhang Yixing." She squinted her eyes, and looked up over her glasses that rested at the tip of her nose, at Lay who was seconds away from falling to his knees, ready to plead. He sighed and bit his lip. 

"Mrs. Choi, look. Today is a really important day for me, and I need you to let me go because I still need to prepare myself and calm my nerves and-" Lay glanced at his classmates behind him who were all looking at him (Hyoyeon included), shocked that the quietest boy in class was almost yelling at their teacher. He looked back at Mrs. Choi. "Please."  

"Fine." She grabbed Lay's test out from under the pile, and held it out under his nose. "If you fail this exam, Im not doing early dismissals for you anymore." Lay grinned, and nodded furiously. She let him go, and a few of his classmates that also finished walked behind him. 

He ran upstairs to his locker and began stuffing his books inside. The locker was a mess. He didn't have time to clean it, and he wouldn't end up cleaning it anyway, so he just brought his backpack with him, and carefully pulled out the rose he bought for Minseok last night. He brought the rose to his nose, and closed his eyes as breathed in the heavenly scent, a grin forming on his face. He shut the locker door close, and turned around, only to bump into someone. 

Hyoyeon and Lay made eye contact with each other, and at the same time, they both looked down at the rose. In unison, they reached down for it, and both held on to it. Hyoyeon let go of the rose and stood up, watching her ex-boyfriend gently wipe the clear plastic that was wrapped around the red rose. 

"Sorry Lay.." She began. She reached out to hold his hand, but he shook it awy, his eyes still on the rose. 

"What do you want?" 

Hyoyeon was taken aback by the way Lay spoke with such seriousness that she's never seen in him before. "Uh..nothing- actually- yeah. I want to talk to you, Lay. I want to get things straight. I know what I did was stupid-" 

"Oh you know?" Lay scoffed, looking straight at her this time. "If you knew it was stupid, why did you keep doing it? I mean once, yeah it could have been a mistake. But twice? Three times? I don't think so." Lay began to walk away, shoving her shoulder as he passed by her. 

Hyoyeon's eyes filled with tears, but she grasped his arm and turned him to face her. "I know that I'm the last person you want to talk to, but I want you back Lay. I want everything back-" 

"STOP!" Lay pushed her away, her arms already draped around his neck, their lips, inches away. "Just stop. I don't want anything to do with you." 

-

Minseok walked into the lunchroom, eyes gazing to their table where Lay sat, turned around. Kris was still poking him, bugging him since first period. He was telling Minseok to "get ready" and was constantly making kissing noises. Obviously, he had an idea that it had something to do with Lay. Maybe he's going to confess? No, no... It's too soon. 

Kris pulled him away from the line when he paid for his hot meal, and locked Minseok's tiny head around his arms. They walked closer to the table, and glanced at each other before sitting down, speechless at the sight of Lay's red eyes. 

He was quietly sniffling and wiping a few tears away from his face. He looked up at Minseok who slowly sat beside him, his comforting smile making Lay feel better already. He clenched the stem of the rose that he hid under the table as Minseok leaned over and wrapped one arm around him. His eyes grew heavier, and he wanted to cry it all out. But he held it together when he felt Kris grasp his thigh, nodding at him and gesturing at Minseok who was still hugging him. He knew what Kris was trying to say. Man up Zhang Yixing. Don't let one girl ruin it all.

Lay smiled as Minseok broke their hug, and he kept his hand rested on his shoulder. He didn't want to ask if Lay was okay. He was always okay. "What happened?"

He shook his head, grinning and wiping his face over and over again. "Nothing." He smiled reassuringly. 

Minseok pushed his hot meal towards Lay. "I know it's not nothing." 

Lay had a feeling that Minseok already knew about Hyoyeon, other than the fact that Kris had the biggest mouth, he acted different whenever she was around. He still wasn't ready to tell him about her. Though he probably already knew, Lay knows that Minseok was waiting for it to come out of his own mouth. 

"Hyoyeon?" Minseok whispered, looking up to see Kris making an 'x' symbol with his arms and shaking head, mouthing NO. DO NOT TALK ABOUT HER.

"You know you can tell about...those things." He continued, disregarding Kris who was going crazy, his hands flailing in the air. 

Lay looked up at Minseok and then at Kris who stopped acting crazy, and coughed instead. "You told him about her?"

Kris hid his face behind his balled wrist and slowly nodded. 

"You couldn't just wait until I told him myself?"

"Lay, it was me who asked about her." Minseok piped, diverting his attention to him. 

"I just don't need to talk about her right?" Lay sat up and sighed. "She's already gone from my life, and I want to keep it that way." 

Minseok nodded, and gave Lay's neck a final squeeze before digging into his own food. He didn't even want to know about Hyoyeon. He just wanted Lay to open up to him, and let him know that it's not a crime that he dated before. He wanted to hear it from Lay himself. 

The silence grew louder than the laughing and yelling students around them, and the atmosphere became tense. Lay was focused on his food, but kept one hand down on his lap the whole time. Minseok and Kris made continuos eye contact, gesturing each other to talk, and break the silence. After five minutes, it was neither Minseok nor Kris who spoke up, but it was Lay who stared at his two friends, mouthing at each other in front of him. 

He laid a single stemmed rose in front of Minseok, and cleared his throat. "Will you go on a date with me?" 

Kris' jaw dropped slightly and Minseok's eye grew wide, his cheek flushing. "Uh-"

"Bad timing." Kris whispered,breaking into laughter. It wasn't only the legitimate bad timing that Lay asked Minseok out, it was also because Jongin's group had just walked by that instant, Hyoyeon, gazing at the rose that Lay handed Minseok, watching the two smile endearingly at each other, a frown on her face. Lay could care less. 

He shot a look at Kris, and a smile that he couldn't help spread across his face, "Shut up big mouth." He looked over at Minseok who was also gigging along with Kris, "Minseok?" 

He picked up the rose, and looked at it lovingly. He nodded, and his big smile sent butterflies exploding in Lay's stomach. Everything he planned a week before all turned out wrong. Kris was even supposed to help him properly surprise Minseok with the rose, but even though it came out at the worst possible time, he said yes.

-

"So after the movie, you're cooking for him at the house?" Lay's mom asked as she drove the car to her son's date. 

"Yes, you don't mind just...preparing some of it right?" He was fussing over the small mirror of the car, constantly fixing pieces of his bangs. 

"No way, and then you'll take all of the credit?" Lay pouted at his mom who jokingly hit his cheek, "Of course I'll help hun. Okay, make a good first impression. Go, go."

She watched her not-so-little-anymore boy, walk up the front steps of his date's house, dressed up, and happier than ever. She's never seen Lay this excited before. Hyoyeon used to be picked up for dates a lot, but he was never this giddy. She remembered taking him and Hyoyeon out on their first date, a year ago, to a concert of a band that he hated, but she loved. But just seeing the way he was fixing himself and getting everything prepared, she could tell that this time, it was different. The thought had never crossed her mind, the fact that her only child is gay. But whatever made him happy, made her happy. 

DING DONG. Lay's knees were shaking as he held a bouquet of lilacs for Minseok's parents near his chest. He wasn't dressed too formal, but he was dressed nicely. He wasn't sure if his hair looked good, he had it styled by Kris that afternoon after class. He wasn't sure about anything, and he was thinking too much now. 

The door swung open, and behind it was a middle aged couple. They were both smiling at the handsome man who would be taking their son out on his first date. They looked at each other, and then back at Lay, as if he were a precious baby delivered on their doorsteps. 

"Come in, come in. Lay, right?" The dad spoke up, making room for Lay who wouldn't stop bowing over and over again to the couple. The woman giggled, and placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from bowing. 

"Yes, Mr And Mrs. Kim. I'm Lay. It's very nice to meet you." He handed the mom the bouquet, and she gushed over them. 

"Aigoo, you're so respectful. So how long have you and Minseok been friends?" Lay followed her into the living room where she placed the flowers into a vause. 

"Since the start of this school year." Lay replied, taking a seat in the leather couch. 

"How come I've never seen you around before?" The dad took a seat across from him, his smile, just like Minseok's.

"Oh..well, we've spent time together with our other friend at my house and his. But, Minseok told me that you both prefer no permitted guests to come over..." Lay was now in a state of whispering, when all of a sudden, Minseok's parents burst into laughter.

"Ah, that punk. We never said that!" They continued laughing, Lay joining them. "We just don't want a whole bunch of his friends coming over without permission. We were starting to get worried when he brought no one over."

They conversed for almost fifteen minutes before they heard thumping footsteps coming down the stairs. "Yah! You made your guest wait! Come here, quick quick! Picture." Minseok's mom held out her phone, and pushed her son over to Lay. Minseok was blushing furiously, scratching his head. 

"You look great." Lay whispered, putting his arm around Minseok's shoulder, holding the boy against his body. He saw Minseok look up at him, smiling, and all at the same time, his mom squealed as she took the shot. 

"You too." Minseok whispered back, now facing the camera, making peace signs. 

"Aigoo! My son's first date! I'm posting these up in my Facebook right away." She continued taking pictures of the two boys who's mouths began to ache from smiling so much, until Minseok's dad cut in, and stole her phone. 

"Get going, get going!" He pushed them toward the door, holding up his arm high enough out of his wife's reach of her phone. "Have fun! Be careful!" 

-

Lay held open an umbrella for them before escaping Minseok's mom's picture session. The rain began to pour after they climbed into the back seats of Lay's mom's car. Minseok politely greeted himself and held out a box of turtles chocolate towards her. 

"Oh, my gosh. Lay, I like him already." She thanked her son's date for the box of her favourite chocolate. "So, do you know how long Lay took planning out this date?" 

"Mom." Lay hissed. He looked over at Minseok who was smiling at him. 

"I'm just kidding, relax!" She mumbled, stuffed with chocolate. "Call me ayi, by the way." 

"Okay. Ayi." Minseok attempted to copy the Chinese accent she said with it, and he blushed when Lay clapped his hands. 

The car drive was long and fun thanks to Lay's mom who wouldn't stop talking. Minseok lived in the suburbs, while Lay lived in the city where all of the good places were. He thanked his mom for keeping the atmosphere fun in the car, but he wished she would stay silent for at least just a minute (which he knew she couldn't). 

They pulled up in front of the cinema and waved goodbye to Ms. Zhang. "Sorry about her..."

"Sorry?" Minseok chuckled, "You're mom is great!" Lay pulled him in closer, under the umbrella that he held, and then they ran in to the cinema in the pouring rain. 

-

Minseok was reckless, fidgeting here and there as he waited for Lay to bring back food. He worried how the night would go. Would they hold hands? Maybe kiss? No way... Minseok wasn't ready. He grinned at the sight of Lay running up the stairs to the very back seats where he sat. He grabbed the big bag of popcorn and dug right in. Lay took his seat and began to fix his jacket on the other seat.

"Ah, I forgot the straws, I knew something was missing." He ran back out, and left Minseok once again. 

Minseok shook his head and giggled. He loved how Lay was trying so hard for everything to be perfect. If only he could tell him that everything was fine, Lay would probably feel less tense. Minseok inspected each kernel before eating it. He looked around and noticed that not a lot of people were watching the movie, and then he realized that it was a couples-only special night. Everyone was kissing, cuddling, and doing...couple things. Minseok began to eat the popcorn faster, in chunks, trying to ease his nervousness away. He couldn't deny that he was just as nervous as Lay was. 

It was their first date, alone, ever. They've hung out numerous times along with Kris, and Minseok thought it wouldn't be much different than that. But, everything was like foreign to both Lay and himself. He knew Lay had had these types of dates before, no doubt. So he didn't see why he was so nervous. Minseok, on the other hand, has never had a date before. He's never experienced love, and he's never even had a crush until Lay came along. 

"Psst. I'm back," whispered Lay as he brought the straws to his cheeks, cutely displaying them. He poked it through their large drink and took a big gulp before getting comfortable in the seat next to Minseok who pretended he was focused on the movie. 

They both sat uncomfortably with a small amount of space that separated them. Half an hour into the movie, and all of the couples around them were kissing passionately. Lay cleared his throat when the woman beside him was leaning against his shoulder as her lover kissed her hard, pushing her against Lay. Minseok held back his laugh, and teased Lay who was trying to push the touchy couple away from him. 

He had so many opportunities to just grab Minseok's hand and hold it, or to pull him in and cuddle. But Minseok either clenched onto the seat handle, or hid in in between his thighs. With about ten minutes left of the movie, Lay mentally yelled at himself to just do it. 

He slid his hands through Minseok's arm, and lifted it up from in between his thighs. Their fingers met, and interlocked, and Lay watched Minseok smile down at their hands. The way Minseok held his hand so tightly to the point of sweating palms made Lay nervous. He was sure that Minseok could feel him shaking. But he admired the ten minutes of their frozen positions, holding hands so awkwardly. He thought the movie part of their date would be a flop, but it worked out at least. He held Minseok's hand. Finally.

-

Lay's mom opened the door for the boys and hurried them in before they were soaking wet from the rain. 

"How was the movie?" She rushed to kitchen, and then back to the washroom where the boys were drying off. 

"Good." Lay replied, smiling at Minseok.

"Mmhm. So tell me what it was about then." She smirked. 

"It was about- well it started off like- uhm..." Lay eyed Minseok desperately, hiding his face while he dried his hair. 

"It was about a family who moved to a zoo, basically." Minseok replied briefly. 

"Wow, seems like you boys really paid attention." She took their towels and ran up the stairs, "I'll leave you two alone! I'll be in my room if you need me!" 

Lay breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally gone. He pulled Minseok into the kitchen where the table was decorated in a beautiful and romantic order. Rose petals covered the white table cloth, and a Chardonnay sat in the middle of the table with two wine cups. Minseok raised his eyebrow at Lay, and he smiled. 

"Wow, you prepared all of this?" Minseok gushed at the dim-lighted dining room setting, following Lay who pulled him in. 

"Yes." Lay whispered, praising him mom for doing him a huge favour. "Here, sit. I'll be cooking for us tonight."

"You're really up to par with the dating game, I mean, Chardonnay? Wow." Minseok inspected bottle while Lay the stove to prepare the steak. 

"Yeah, that was my mom- I mean, I asked her to get the best one." 

"Your mom is the best. She's letting us drink underage." Minseok popped open the cork and brought the brim to his nose. 

"I can't let you get drunk though. Your parents might not let me see you anymore." Lay joked. Minseok stood up from his seat, and leaned over the counter where Lay was mixing the salad. 

"My parents like you. They wouldn't do that to you." 

"Really? So I can bring you home tonight while we're both tipsy?" They broke into laughter. 

"Are you suggesting that we should? All my mom would do is take pictures of us puking!" Minseok joked and Lay threw a peace of celery at him. 

They sat at the table, and Lay poured a small amount of Chardonnay in their glasses. He served Minseok, and put the well done steak on the plate and made sure to give him a lot of salad. Minseok watched him lovingly. He reached out for Lay's hand, and squeezed it tightly. 

"Thank you for tonight, Zhang Yixing." He hesitated before doing so, but Lay already held his hand back at the cinema. It was only right that he did something first. 

Lay squeezed back, and his dimple appeared on his face, following his angelic smile. "Thank you for making it right." 

They talked about their lives as children back when Lay was still in China and when Minseok still lived in the province. They talked about how Kris was most likely drowning his parents' credit card from online shopping so that he could show off how much he "had a good time without them." And then the topic of exes blurted out of Lay's mouth by accident. 

Minseok pursed his lips, and waited for him to continue. He finished his remaining Chardonnay and reached out for the bottle to pour himself, but Lay reached out and stopped him.

"No way, we already had two." They averted their eye contact away from each other, and ate silently. 

Lay peered up from his plate and sighed quietly. This seemed like the perfect chance to finally tell Minseok about Hyoyeon. He squeezed his eyes tightly and his words came out before processing it in his mind. "She was my first girl friend." Minseok looked up with his wide eyes and a grin began to form. 

"Listen, I want to tell you everything but I just don't how-"

"Hey," he smiled and rest his hand on Lay's. "It's okay, just... Tell me what you want me know." 

"I don't want you to know anything about her though..."

"Yeah, but you can't just forget the fact that you dated. It's always going to be a touchy topic, but it'll just be more awkward if you don't open up." Minseok found himself seeming desperate, so he stopped himself before he made himself look stupid. "How about..your first date together?!" Minseok's pitch went high, and he saved them both from the tense atmosphere,

Lay raised his eyebrow and shook his head laughing. "Are you for real?" Minseok nodded furiously. "Ugh, I can't say no to you."

"Okay, how did you two meet?" Minseok placed his chin on his hands cutely. 

"I thought you wanted to know about our first date." Lay said with a straight face, but Minseok pouted, and he still couldn't say no.

"Well, I met her two years ago, at the 2010 dance fest. She was one of the senior volunteers for workshops, and she was my instructor along with my first best friend...Kim Jongin. Anyway, yeah, first date? Well, Kris set it up for us, and she first introduced me to him. We just had a picnic by the school's lake at midnight and that's when I asked her out, yeah it was really soon but I wasn't thinking back then. And yeah, there you go." Lay didn't want to talk about her anymore. Memory lane was a painful one for him, but he smiled at Minseok who nodded his head. 

"That's it- no, no way."

"Minseok, please. I don't want her in my life anymore, so I don't see the point of even talking about her." 

"Oh come on. Okay, one more thing?" Minseok puppy eyed his date who sighed, and nodded. "Why did you break up?" 

Lay hesitated before answering, his eyes falling down at his hands that he fidgeted with. "She cheated. On our anniversary too." He saw Minseok's jaw drop and his head shake in disbelief. "Yeah, she gave her ity away to...Jongin a month before, and then I walked in on them-" 

His eyes began to feel watery but Minseok interrupted, "It's okay, I understand. You don't have to bring her up anymore." 

But he kept going, "That's why Jongin and I aren't friends anymore. It's been...almost a year. And Kris, he's been by my side ever since. And now... I have you-"

"I'm sorry for bugging you about it...but, thank you for telling me."

"If anything, it made me feel better." And it really did. The weight of his hurtful past was finally less painful even though it was still there. He was now able to breathe. Being able to tell Minseok felt better than writing about it in the old diary he burned. At least he knew now. "You deserved to know."

-

It was half past ten, and the rain was still pouring. They lounged in Lay's room and sat on either side of his bed. The place was very cleaned up and tidy, another blessing from Lay's mom. Lay pulled out his guitar and sat closer to Minseok. 

"I've prepared a song for you." Lay tuned his guitar and pulled out music sheets. He cleared his throat and met eyes with Minseok who was blushing. He began playing the guitar intro.

"괜찮아 네가 없는 나도 괜찮아 It’s alright, I, even without you, I’m alright

가끔씩 생각나는 날도 괜찮아 Even some of the days when I remember, it’s alright

사실은 아직도 실감이 안나 나봐 Truthfully, I don’t think I still believe it

 이렇게 오늘처럼 비오는 날엔 In a rainy day like today

우리 함께 즐겨 들었던 이 노래 Together we listened to this song

한참을 멍하니 그렇게 웃고 있어 I stare into space for a while and smile

Baby baby 그대는 (you're my), Caramel macchiato

여전히 내 입가엔 그대 향이 달콤해 Still, near my lips, your scent is sweet

Baby baby, tonight..." 

He stopped, and looked up at Minseok again who was swaying along with Lay. "No don't stop there!" 

"It's too corny though!" Lay pouted, his chin resting on the body of his guitar. 

Minseok admired Lay. His voice was angelic, and his guitar playing was perfect. He prepared such a perfect evening, the first perfect date for him. He couldn't ask for more (well maybe he wanted more of Lay's serenade). 

"No one's ever serenaded me before." Minseok sighed, fixing his position on the bed so that he laid on his side, facing Lay. "I feel guilty. I didn't prepare anything for you, but you made this night so...perfect." 

"I didn't ask for anything. Im happy enough that you're here with me." Lay ran his hand through Minseok's red hair, and ruffled it, like he always did. 

"You're cornier than the song..." Minseok whispered. 

Lay's jaw dropped in disbelief and they tackled each other playfully, until Minseok landed on top of Lay who held his waist tightly. He could feel his hyung's heart beat grow rapidly against his chest as they froze in their position. Minseok moved off of his chest, and lay beside him. He was pulled in by Lay, who allowed him to rest his head on his shoulder. 

"That song should be our theme song. Couples have theme songs, right?" Minseok wondered, innocently. 

Lay chuckled and held him closer. "Yeah, our theme song," he agreed. 

He looked down at the boy who was snuggled under his arm, careful not to hug back too tight. He wished Minseok had at least wrapped his arms around his waist. But he didn't care if Minseok was holding back. He appreciated and admired his sensitive side. One day, he'll be able to hold my hand or hug me back without feeling awkward. Lay knew that one day, Minseok would be able to. 

He closed his eyes, and prayed that the rain would continue to pour endlessly. He wanted that moment to last forever. Minseok cuddling beside him in silence and him holding the boy against his body... nothing could be more perfect. 

"Our song." 

"

Success! Tonight was perfect. I don't know how else to describe it. It might have been a bit weird in the cinema, but we finally held hands. I met his parents too. They were awesome, and I can't wait to meet them again. 

I made sure to only refill our glasses twice, ugh mom is crazy for letting us drink. But now, she's going to make me remember everything she did for me tonight so that she has a valid reason to ask me for favours too....I'm so screwed. 

I sang him my favourite song too, and I didn't mess up!!! My pronunciation still needs work, but he said that he liked it at least :) it's our theme song now. It's our song!!

Oops, my pencil lead broke from writing so hard o.o ㅋㅋㅋ 

I also told him about Hyoyeon. I finally got it off of my chest. I don't want to talk about her again though. 

I'm falling for Kim Minseok. I like him a lot. But I don't want to confess yet, even though it's already obvious. I'm waiting for our 50th date. I read on the internet that it brings luck...or is it unlucky.??? Ah I don't remember but, anyways, I SWEAR on my diary that I will confess on our 50th date. 

"

I hope you liked their first date entry! If someone can do me a favour, and help me with hyper linking, I would very much appreciate it. I reaaaally wanted to link the song, but I couldn't. Give it a listen, and imagine xiulay. Hehehe thanks for reading!