"Ugh! It's too early!"

 Shion rubbed her face on her puffy pillow in hope of stopping the vibrations coming from her phone. Her hand slowly crawled under the pillow to pull out the vibrating device. Her thumb swiped across the screen and the alarm was closed in an instant. The lock screen displayed the time with big white numbers that Shion never wanted to witness on weekends. 

10:00 am.

Why? Why did it have to be this early? Why did he choose this particular day? Why the hell is he so inconsiderate?

 A sleepy groan dropped from as she mentally cursed her teacher. Weariness was possessing her body, and the comfortable feeling of being wrapped around soft blankets with a plushie in her arms numbed her skin. She wasn't going to get up, no way. It was Saturday and Saturdays were made for sleep, nothing else like going out with someone who likes to annoy the hell out of her was on the list. 

 But of course, he just had to ruin her peaceful day with a text to remind her of their plan, or his own plan which involved her presence. 

From: Stupid Monkey.

"Get ready and meet me at Starlight café.  Don't be late!" 

"I'll never forgive you for ruining my weekend." She silently thought. 

 She placed her phone on the nightstand, then got up from her bed after struggling with the urge to go back to sleep, and the need to take a shower and continue her usual morning routine. Stretching while yawning helped her in moving across the room to get to the bathroom. 

 It's going to be a long day, she'll definitely need that hot shower.

---

"Since he's not taking me to a fancy restaurant, I guess my outfit is okay. It's just a 'hang out together around town' date anyway." 

 A simple sky blue sweater, a pair of slim jeans that her mother recently bought for her, and minty green shoes to complete the semi colorful outfit. She doesn't remember when was the last time she included light colors, aside from white, in the clothing items she usually wear. Black and red were her favorite colors to wear but she also didn't mind other dark shades entering her wardrobe.

 Make up isn't her thing either, her face isn't that perfect yet she refuses to put on some cream or lipstick, too convinced that her bare face isn't that bad to hide it behind a mask of paints. The girl was simply careless when it comes to looking like an actual female at the age of 20. 

"Well, I better go meet him. It's 10:35 and I'm already late so, I'll just wish myself luck for today." She slipped her phone into her pocket and walked out of her room, not completely ready to face reality and leave her nest of japanese comics and animations. 

--------------------

 The weather wasn't as cold as it was the other day. It was surprisingly refreshing, the sunshine greeted her brightly once she left the house, and a cool breeze ruffled her hair as it passed by. Everything seemed lively in a winter morning, it made her wonder if the world supported Jimin's idea, or life finally decided to be kind and give her some energy on a Saturday morning. 

 As Shion finally spotted the café from afar, her eyes caught sight of someone leaning on a silver car in front of the café. The individual was well dressed in a navy blue blazer over a white shirt with black collars, and a pair of pants that were in a color lighter than caramel. His whole outfit made him look effortlessly handsome along with his light brown hair being styled upwards. At first, she couldn't recognized the male ahead of her, but after he lifted his head to show his side profile, she stopped abruptly. 

"No way. He's not him, right? I mean, did I just mentally call him handsome?!" 

 Shion wanted nothing more than to run back to her house and pretend to be sick because she just realized something, he was abnormally attractive even from a certain distance. Everything about him showed that he was absolutely ready to go on a romantic date, while she didn't even think about showing her feminine side to him, if she had one. 

 At first, she hesitated. Should she go back and cancel the date, or should she just walk up to her teacher and let the date start? But if she turns back, then her whole effort in waking up extra early and getting ready would go in vain. She shrugged, knowing the right choice would definitely be the second one. Well, at least she wouldn't have to pay for anything. 

 With quiet footsteps, Shion started approaching Jimin in a slow pace, hoping he wouldn't catch the sight of her from the corner of his eyes. But her mission failed when a sneeze came tickling her nose from the inside and she didn't have the time to completely mute it. A clear girly sneeze caused Jimin's head to snap towards it, and there she was, looking innocently at him as she hid behind the back of her hand, feeling totally embarrassed. A giggle escaped his lips before he went to her while wearing a happy grin on his face.

"Good morning, Shion." He spoke.

"Good morning, Jimin." She sniffed a little before lowering her hand and tried to smile normally. 

"I like your sweater, it looks cute on you." He complemented her.

"Thanks. Your hair looks cool." She said frugally. 

"Yeah. I'm planning on making all of the girls jealous of you for having a boyfriend like me." He smirked.

She snickered, "Keep on dreaming, big boy. You'll never have me." 

"We'll see about that." He mumbled before they both went to his car. Shion's hand nearly touched the handle if it wasn't for Jimin being the gentleman he is decided to open the passenger's door for her. After the two had gotten into the car, their eyes met before Jimin could drive to where he wanted to take her to. 

"Are you ready?"

--------------------

"Where are we?" A question instantly flied out of as her eyes scanned the place around her.

"Somewhere I used to live in." He replied.

"This place is awfully quiet. Almost like we're the only ones here."

 Shion couldn't hear anything else other than the soft whispers of the blowing wind. The neighbourhood seemed quite old, most of the buildings were losing color and some houses had obvious cracks on them. People were silently walking on the opposite pavement where shops are located. The sound of their footsteps disappeared into thin air, too faint for Shion to hear even from a short distance. 

 Her hand was firmly held by a contagious warmth which she experienced before. She didn't need to turn to know that it was Jimin's hand, but his reason was something she wanted to know as she confusingly stared at him. 

"It's an illusion. You'll slowly start hearing more as we walk down the road." 

 In a few seconds, Shion's ears recognized different sounds from every direction while they moved towards the end of the streets. Suddenly, everything was absolutely clear and loud in what she considered as a dead island. The lively atmosphere was awakened by the people who shook their surroundings with the amount of energy within their youthful souls. 

"So it isn't so quiet after all." She unconsciously smiled to herself and it surely didn't go unnoticed by her teacher.

"Keep that smile on your face because you'll be eating ice cream as an early dessert." He announced.

"Really? Yes!" She excitedly her fist in the air. 

---

"They all look so delicious, I wanna try them all at once!" 30 flavors were displayed in front of Shion and every one of them was screaming at her to choose them. They seemed like they were from wonderland for being too colorful to be real. 

"Did a unicorn puke rainbow to produce all of these awesome colors?" She thought out loud which made Jimin chuckle from her childish way of thinking. 

"How many flavors can fill up the large cone?" She looked at him momentarily. 

"Five." He answered.

"Okay then, I'll have to be wise and careful." She took her time inspecting each one of them with sharp eyes, trying to imagine how would they taste like from their appearance and name. After nearly 6 minutes of examination, she finally decided to choose what she felt like the best ones. 

 The worker, who was a young man, skillfully scooped the ice cream in a circular motion into the cone and did the same with the others. He asked Shion what she wanted as a topping, she chose the mint chocolate flavored syrup. Her eyes glistened as he handed her the cone, it looked like something that came from heaven. She instantly went to have a seat without waiting for Jimin, nothing was more important than devouring what she had in hand.

"God! It's so gooood!" Once the cold dessert touched the tip of her tongue, she saw little sparkling stars as she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. All of the flavors were sedating her senses with their undeniable sweetness, making it hard for her to think straight with her head on cloud nine. 

"What do you think?" She snapped back to the real world when she heard Jimin's voice asking her something. 

"Umm," It took her a moment, but a word popped into her mind that seemed kinda suitable to describe what she just experienced. 

"I guess you can say, it's wonderful." She eyed the ice cream proudly. 

"Can I have a taste?" She paused upon hearing his question. After a few more , she was about to give him a rude answer when she heard him mumble, "Never mind."

 As he reached out to wipe off the bit of ice cream she had on the corner of her lips, his thumb 'accidentally' brushed against her bottom lip in a slow motion. Instantly, her eyes widened in surprise and they watched him as he quickly his finger, totally unaware of what he had done to his student, or he just pretended to be. 

 Feeling satisfied with the taste, he delightfully nodded then went back to eating his own ice cream. Meanwhile, Shion was slightly blushing and kept staring blankly at her cone, still not over the little action he did to her. A small spoon swiftly managed to pass between her lips and her eyes instantly met his ones. He slowly pulled it out while keeping his gaze focused on her, then ingrained his own spoon in her ice cream.

"Eat yours before it melts." He ordered her before he stood up to go and ask for another one. 

"And try not to feed your face." He jokingly said once he returned to his seat. Shion glared at him but eventually started eating the remaining of the frozen dessert like the adult she is. 

---------------------

"Now what?" Shion asked as she kicked a stone that rolled out of her way. 

"I don't know. How about we enter some shops?" He suggested while trying to sneakily have a grip on her hand, but failed when she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Just because we're on a date that doesn't mean we have to-" 

"Oh look, plushies!" He carelessly cut her off by his sudden exclaim and grabbed her hand before she could say anything else, then pulled her into a random shop. 

"Hey! Don't interrupt me like that ...." Her voice trailed off as she realized what he had said and meant. Looking around her, the place had some accessories and toys but most of them were stuffed animals. 

"A dinosaur plushie!" She immediately went to get it from a shelf, then kept squeezing it and poking its face and eyes. Jimin was grinning like an amused father who's proudly watching his children as they slowly grow up. 

 It was always so captivating to witness this side of Shion, a side that unveils her juvenile heart which she mysteriously hides beneath thick layers of coldness and shame. Everyday, as the both of them get closer, she unknowingly gives him a glimpse of her authentic sensibility. 

 Deep down, she was just a flower with fragile petals. Too insecure to blossom into a beautiful masterpiece with all of her flaws and weaknesses, and nearly powerless to stay on her roots when others were dying to take her off her ground. She felt unwanted, nothing was even close to being good about her. As if she, herself, was a huge mistake.

 She buried the best part of her humanity for being too afraid to face reality with a soul, thinking that her scent was never good enough for others to enjoy inhaling. But now, she started watering herself with laughter and smiles that she had forgotten about. It was him who encouraged her to open up a little and let her pure fragrance take over his lungs along with his mind. He wanted to be blown away by her true innocence and eternal youth, and he was more than just astonished. 

"Why can't I have you for free?" 

 As he lost himself in his own thoughts, a whiny cry distracted him and he immediately grinned once he saw Shion returning the dinosaur plushie back on the shelf, then walked away from it while pouting like a baby with her head hanging low. "How can this adorable little girl be 20 years old?" He thought. 

"It's okay, I can find a better friend for my Keroppi." She spoke to herself, trying to convince herself that a dinosaur isn't suitable to be a friend for her precious frog plush. Once she lifted her head and continued exploring the shop, something big that didn't look like a toy was placed in the corner. Shion advanced towards it and saw what it was, a claw machine. 

 An instant flashback of the last time she played with the machine came running into her mind. The scene was playing in front of her, a 10 year old Shion with her father betting on their last points in the card in hopes of getting a small bear. When her father led the claw to a random spot, it went a little deep so they both thought it wouldn't be able to catch something. But they were wrong.

 Right when the claw rose, it pulled out a bear, but it wasn't brown like all of the others in the machine. It was blue, and it even held a red heart. They were filled with joy, luck was waiting for them and they surprisingly caught it, even though it was unexpected and better than what they wanted at first. 

 A weak smile curved her lips with a hint of sadness. It was just a memory, a word she wished it didn't exist in a particular meaning which slightly stings her heart at the mention of it. But she already accepted how her life turned out, even when she was too young to experience such emotions. People's decisions were never too easy for her to deal with, yet she let them get away with it. 

 Once the images of her past vanished before her eyes, she turned around and almost bump into someone. She took a step back and looked up, and of course, it was Jimin. 

"Do you want the plushie?" He asked.

"What? The dinosaur one? No." She replied while shaking her head. 

"You know," He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned down to her ear, "I can tell you're lying." He whispered teasingly. Shion stood still for a few seconds, feeling goosebumps spreading on her arms.

"You don't have to believe me." She remarked. When he straightened himself, he gave her hair a quick ruffle then walked pass her with a smirk on his face. 

"Let's go."

--------------------

 The rest of the date went quite smoothly. They entered a few shops and had fun looking around the interesting items, though it was mostly Jimin annoying Shion but that was actually the fun part, well at least for Jimin. But her fun part was when he took her to a japanese restaurant, and she ordered sushi and it was so delicious that she ate 13 pieces and still wanted more. 

 Her stomach felt heavy after all of the food she had devoured, but she still insisted on buying bubble tea and sitting on a park where they both watched some children play together. It was only after an hour of doing nothing that she felt tired and asked him to walk back to where he parked the car, which was a little far. It was already 4:15 pm and the sun started to lose its brightness along with its heat. 

"What a long day!"

 She stretched her arms and yawned as they slowly made their way to his car. Her energy has reached their limits, all she wanted to do was throw herself on her bed and sleep until the sun rises again to announce a new day. She never thought she would move around and and waste her time randomly wandering with someone who actually enjoyed her company. She didn't want to admit it but, he was what she needed, a friend. And she was glad to have him by her side, at least he's not a bad person with bad intentions. 

"Did you enjoy it?" He calmly asked her.

"Yeah, i enjoyed the food, especially the one called Crunchy Crazy." Her answer made him chuckle quietly. 

"No, I mean the date." 

 She abruptly stopped walking once the last word was added to the sentence. He stood in front of her with a patient smile on his face, looking straight into her eyes. She almost uttered her answer when a strong wind interrupted her and changed her hairstyle into a bird nest.

 With a soft sigh, she lifted her hands to fix the mess on her head only to dropped them to her sides once she felt his fingers running through her hair. All she did was stare, the feeling of his gentle movements left her speechless. Just when she thought he was done, he pulled out a hair clip with a pink ribbon on top from his pocket and pushed her bangs to the right, then secured it by the hair clip. 

"You look more like a female now." He commended which surprisingly made her blush just a little. 

"Why did you, I mean where did you get it from?" She questioned him. 

"A girl gave it to me, she told me to keep it until I find the right girl for it." He answered truthfully. Her light blush grew dark but she instantly looked away to avoid his gazing eyes. She didn't know what actually made her feel timid, and it really bothered her that she couldn't find a way to hide it. 

"Why me?" She shyly asked. 

"I couldn't find a better girl." He replied with a low tone. 

"Besides," He placed her hand on her head, "I've noticed how your hair is bothering you lately." Slowly, he started patting her like a little kitten. She hesitantly let her eyes fall into his tender gaze, and it immediately hypnotized her. For a moment, they stood in the same spot on the pavement with no words to share. The loudness of their unsaid thoughts was easy to detect from the deep stare which they lost themselves in. But with a genuine smile, he slid his hand to her cheek and pinched it playfully. 

"You look prettier when your face is fully revealed." He complemented her to add more redness to her cheeks. She tried grinning like a normal human being to hide her embarrassment, but it turned out really awkward, as if she never smiled with her teeth showing before. He giggled once he saw the stupid expression she did, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started approaching the car again. 

"You really are adorable, aren't you?" He pulled her closer to his side.

"Let's just go back, okay? And remove your arm from around me!" She slapped his arm away, but he didn't even bother to react or even listen to her.

She sighed, this guy really knows how to irritate her. 

---

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" He asked her once he stopped the car in front of the café. The sun was beginning to disappear and he was worried that it might be dangerous for her to walk to her house in a time like this. Yet she does it three times a week right when the sunset is about to end, so it shouldn't be a big deal.

"No, I don't want you to stalk me." She gave him a fake smile. 

"Okay then, you can go now." He averted his gaze, feeling a bit disappointed. And when Shion saw what her answer did to him, she decided to admit something that will bring back his cheerfulness. 

"Thank you, Jimin." She spoke, a little hesitant about saying it out loud to him, but he deserved to know what she truly felt. No rude or cold attitude, just honest feelings. He brought his eyes back to hers, wide and surprised.

"I did enjoy the date. I had fun hanging out with you, even though you're a pain in the neck but still, I'm glad I spent a good time with someone like you." 

 A grateful smile appeared on her face, and Jimin reflected it in an instant. It wasn't like her to let her emotions be expose in such an appreciative way. But she allowed herself to express what was supposed to be known to him. 

"So am I." He muttered. 

 They both waved to each other once Shion stepped out of the car, then turned to make her way back to her house. As Jimin watched her take a few steps further, he noticed how her hands were rubbing her arms and how her fingers were curled on the end of her sleeves. She was indeed feeling cold as the weather suddenly changed due to the decreasing heat. Without thinking too much, he grabbed his black hoodie from the backseat and hurried to catch up to her. 

"Shion, wait!" 

 As soon as she turned around, he was standing right before her, holding out the hoodie for her to wear. 

"Put this on before you get sick." 

 She politely accepted it with shivering hands and slipped her arms into the welcoming warmth. When she was about to thank him for saving her from freezing, he suddenly took a step closer to her and deliberately zipped up the jacket. His eyes found hers as he covered her head with the hood. 

 She witnessed something within his orbs that caused her heartbeats to increase gradually. It was strangely unfamiliar, yet it seemed pure and guileless. He cupped her face with his right hand, and started to fondle her cheek tenderly with his thumb. His affectionate gentleness made her blink a few times, she opened to say something but nothing came out.

 Excitement and impatience were encouraging him to go ahead and capture those rosy lips of hers. With a light breath, he began to inch closer to them with carefulness. The lack of space between them made it hard for her to keep a straight mind, she was panicking because she was sure he wouldn't back off this time. But when their lips brushed against one another, she let her eyelids fall and forgot about her messy thoughts. 

 Once he locked his lips with hers firmly, everything around them just seemed to have stopped for awhile. The soft feeling of his plump lips being pressed against her smooth ones was breath taking. He wanted to deepen the kiss and have their lips move in such an addictive way, but he knew he might not be able to hold himself once he reached to that certain level.

 When Jimin finally broke the kiss, he rested his forehead on hers and exhaled deeply. He did it, he kissed her and it felt awfully great to accomplish something he tried to do but failed twice. A proud smile crossed his face, he didn't regret it and probably wouldn't, not even if she got mad at him for being so careless with his actions. 

 But this wasn't all he had in store for her, a few words should be making their way to her ears by now. He backed away to take a look at her, the shock was still visible on her face but also confusion was easily spotted in her eyes. He stared directly at them and without waiting for her to at least recover from what had happened, he said what he should've said earlier.

"I think I'm in love with you."

--------------------

OMG ASFGHKPPITDDXVNKLKKUGG HE FINALLY KISSED HEEEERRRR!!!! 

Well, that's actually the best part of this too long for no reason chapter lol. 

I apologize if my writing skills are getting worse ㅠ_ㅠ I'll try to do better in the next chapters. 

Exams are waiting for me next month and I seriously just don't want to study but I have to graduate with good grades so....

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this long chapter! Thank you for subscribing and for the comments!! :D

\@-@/

N.T.K ~♢