It felt weird. Being able to walk around school so freely without having to hear my name in different forms. No one eyeing me from every direction. People smiling at me every time they walk pass. It all felt wierd. But maybe a big reason for that was all because it was fake. The kindness, the smiling, they all had to do it because they felt obligated to do so. But I also couldn't say that it didn't feel good not to have people bothering me all the time.

However, even with the special treatment, I still preferred to hang in the music room because I felt a sense of comfort there; it wouldn't be too long until the rest of the crowd joined me too. The crowd being Jongin, Chanyeol, Kris and Sehun. They were great company. 

And honestly, I still hadn't gotten over the fact that me and Jongin were a... thing. It had been 3 years since my last relationship and although that didn't end badly, I knew that being with Jongin felt so much more different than the previous one. It had me thnking whether I was doing the 'relationship' thing right, because everything I've experienced with Jongin was so very new. I mean, yes, I had had my first kiss but all of a sudden whenever he, as so little as came close to me, I felt shy. But despite my shyness, it all seemed to feel right.

That day, I packed lunch for both of us. Learning that it was Jongin's actual birthday, I woke up extra early to prepare him a bento box. It wasn't much but it was the least I could do, I even earned a few burns from rushing to take out the cookies from the oven but as long as I had something to give him, I was happy. I texted him a quick 'good morning'. And from then on, my plan to act as if I had no clue that it was his birthday commenced. 

On the bus, he joined next to me with the biggest, expecting grin I had ever seen, I found it so hard not to burst out laughing, while he looked at me expectantly but I just returned an innocent smile to him. During class, I felt him nudge the bottom of my chair, he tried as much as he could to get my attention. When the first break of the day came, I avoided him because anywhere he was, there were a group of students throwing greetings at him; I ended up sitting in the toilets for break. Then lunchtime came, I hurried over to the music room and sat myself on the piano. I began to play a soft melody, when I heard the door open; my soft melody gradually molded to play 'Happy Birthday'. I ended the piece with a small smile and stood up to face him. 

He was stood there, mastering a smile so bright only Kim Jongin would be able to do.

"Happy Birthday, Jongin."

I waited a moment for a reply but not a moment longer, I was hauled up to the air, his arms wrapped around the highs of my thighs. Once he put me down, he tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and slowly placed his forehead on mine.

"And I thought, you forgot."

"I would never."

The look in his eyes told me that what I had just done