I grabbed my jacket in the dining room to bring TianMi home, I return to the living room where the girl was waiting and it was only then that I realize how messy it is.

 

I swore out loud and TianMi looked at me like I was a murderer.

 

"Holy sh*t the living room is a mess. Mum's going to kill me when she gets back..." I muttered.

 

"You want me to help you clean a little before you bring me home?"

 

"Uh well that's if you want to... It'd be great if you could though." My lips were in a straight line to suppress a smile.

 

"Cute." TianMi giggled.

 

"Hey! I'm not cute!" I complained. I reached to pick up a bowl of half eaten pretzels when I heard a noise behind me.

 

TianMi had spilled a bottle of beer on the carpet.

 

"The beer!" I gasped.

 

"I'm sorry." She apologized and quickly took some tissue to absorb the liquid out of the carpet. I went to the kitchen for a towel and helped.

 

A few minutes later, we were both staring at the carpet that was now dry, but a little yellow.

 

"Well I'm screwed." I sighed.

 

"I'm sorry~" TianMi hugged my arm and swung it side to side.

 

"Let's just clean up the rest," I sighed once more, "and don't spill any bottles of beer again."

 

"Yes sir!" She saluted me and started cleaning up everything but the bottles of beer. I chuckled and started cleaning as well.

 

After a good dozen of minutes, the living room seemed pretty spotless except for that yellow stain on the carpet.

 

"Let's go bring you home now." I headed towards the front door and gestured her to follow.

 

We were halfway to her house and, as usual, we walked in silence.

 

"Tao." She called and I hummed in response.

 

"I had a lot of fun today," she smiled, "except for that moment with FangXue, but at least I got to hit that guy right in the spot." She laughed and sort of scared me a little that she could laugh at that.

 

"I did too." I said after a moment.

 

"You did?" She smiled warmly, "Sad that Kai has to leave tomorrow morning. He was a really nice and funny guy." She turned 180 degrees in front of me and walked backwards.

 

"Nice and funny guy? Then what am I?" I crossed my arms and stopped walking. She thought for a second before beaming.

 

"You're cute and jealous." She grinned from ear to ear.

 

"No I'm not! Come here! I'll show you how cute I am." I threatened and started running after her. She squeaked and ran away.

 

I easily caught up to her and scooped her up, bridal style. She yelped as she felt her foot leave the ground and hugged my neck to not fall.

 

"Can someone cute carry you like this? And I am not jealous. Kai is just annoying." I boasted.

 

She looked up at me and we only stared at each other for a while. Our faces were so close I could feel my face burning up. I was frozen in place, eyes locking with hers.

 

I almost dropped her when she gave me a peck on the lips. I spent a few seconds staring at her face before I felt a hit on my chest.

 

"Put me down." TianMi demanded, but I was still too shocked to move a muscle. She started wiggling in my arms, forcing me to let her down.

 

"Let's go." She said and I started sputtering, unable to think coherently.

 

TianMi walked quickly ahead of me, showing the way to her house. Always one step in front of me, out of reach.

 

“I might be a bit jealous.” I mumbled, hopping she didn’t hear me. But when I bumped into her back because she had stopped walking, I realized she had heard me.

 

"Just a bit?" She tilted her head to the side as she stepped closer to me.

 

"Uh yeah yeah. Just a bit."

 

"Cute." She giggled again and linked arms with me. That seemed to snap me out of my trance, because I started complaining properly again until we reached her house.

 

***

 

A few weeks later, I was at school and cornered by the guys once again.

 

"Admit you're dating TianMi. Everyone can see you guys laughing together and hugging in the hallways. Ever since the day after Kai left, you're always with her." Yixing threatened me with a carrot at my neck.

 

"First of all, Yixing, a carrot can't hurt me." I said and he moved the carrot to his mouth to take a bite without break eye contact with me.

 

"Yum." He said in delight upon swallowing the chewed vegetable.

 

"He hasn't confession yet!" Sehun said. I admit, his Chinese was getting better.

 

"He hasn't confession yet!" Luhan mimicked Sehun, adding a gasp at the end.

 

"Did I say that wrong?" The Korean asked.

 

"Yeah, but thanks for the information." Luhan smiled, "Now go find Chen and ask him how to say that properly." He shooed Sehun towards the study freak.

 

"So, you haven't confessed yet?" Yixing gave me a creepy look. I swear I never seen his face like that before.

 

I groaned and ran my hand through my hair.

 

"It's not my fault LuMi is always with her." I gave Luhan a glare.

 

"It's also not my fault that they became best friends. Blame Kai for wanting to see LuMi at the party." Luhan shrugged and went towards Sehun and Chen to bother them.

 

"Should we try the ribbon again?" Xiumin suggested. Before I could retort, Kris spoke,

 

"If you want him fuming again like last time, do it." He shrugged and left to find somewhere comfortable to sit with his phone.

 

"You have a ribbon?" Yixing asked Xiumin and the latter shook his head.

 

With that, Yixing let go of me and took a bite of his carrot again.

 

"I have something planned up my sleeve! Don't think you got away with it!" He pointed the carrot at me before walking off.

 

***

 

Classes ended and I was finally free for the weekends. I waited until the guys in my class left before going over to TianMi's like I promised her. Not like my friends even attended class. Oddly, even Chen, the study freak, didn't attend as well.

 

I frowned when I didn't find her. We clearly promised to meet in her class. Where could she have gone? I walked over to her desk to find a piece of paper on her desk.

 

Sehun said you were really busy after school so I think we should meet a little later.

 

Why would Sehun say that? I took the paper and put it in my backpack after folding it neatly.

 

When I arrived home, the house was empty and there was a note on the kitchen table from my mum, telling me to dress very nice and meet her at a certain restaurant. She also mentioned that the reservation was under my name.

 

Again, very odd. My mum usually cooks at home. I guess it was some special occasion or something. Checking the time I needed to meet her, I had a lot of free time so I went to the gym for half an hour before showering and dressing nicely.

 

Standing in front of the restaurant with my red hair down with black pants ripped at the knee and a white button up with Sehun's red scarf and black jacket, I looked in with my jaw ajar. It was pretty fancy and my mum would never reserve a table at a fancy restaurant.

 

I carefully walked in, trying to avoid the inevitable stare from the host.

 

"Uh, reservation for Tao." I said with uncertainty.

 

"Follow me, sir." He beckoned me over and I followed him.  

 

Walking past a few business men discussing something and a couple that seemed so rich, I evidently got a lot of stares for my outfit. Not my fault my mum didn't precise we were meeting at a fancy restaurant. He brought me to a room with only one table for two. When he left, I started to wonder if he made a mistake or something.

 

I sat down at one of the seat, looking around the luxurious room until I heard someone come in. I wasn't expecting TianMi to walk in here, looking gorgeous, I must add.

 

"Oh wow. You reserved a table at a really fancy restaurant." She smiled as she sat down in front of me.

 

"Uh. Yeah. It's under my name, isn't it?" I did not reserve anything, especially a table at a fancy restaurant. I'm starting to think I got set up, but from who? My question was answered when a certain waiter walked in.

 

"Hello, I am Zhang Yixing and I will be your waiter tonight." He bowed with a smirk.

 

"I didn't know you worked here." TianMi said.

 

"Oh I do." He answered her. I gestured him to come closer to me and he did.

 

"What the hell are you planning?" I whispered in his ear only to have him squirming.

 

"The faster you confess, the faster you get out." He told me after recovering, "And don't worry, the bill is on my tab and there's something else planned that might help you if you don't confess after half an hour into the meal." He backed off and smiled at TianMi.

 

"When you're ready to order, call me, baby~" he winked at the girl and I had to restrain myself from throwing a punch.

 

I facepalmed as soon as he left causing TianMi to laugh.

 

"Why did you send Sehun to tell me to come here?" She asked sipping on the water left at the table, "You could have just called me."

 

"Well... My phone was dead." Lamest excuse ever. I mentally facepalmed. I was going to have a word with Sehun once I find him.

 

After ordering our food, we chatted to pass the time waiting for the food to come. However, just like Yixing said, after half an hour into the meal, he came waltzing into the room with a bouquet of red roses in his arms.

 

"Miss Yun, I believe these roses are for you." He said giving the flowers to TianMi.

 

"Who are these from?" She asked.

 

"Who else?" He cocked his head towards me and I tried to keep myself from groaning. He's going to get a beating after all this is over, "Enjoy your meal." He chimed as he left the room. I could see him mouthing "Confess already pipsqueak!" to me before he closed the door.

 

"Tao! It's so pretty. Thank you." She smiled warmly at me. I couldn't help but to feel that the smile wasn't for me except that it really was, but for something I didn't personally do.

 

"TianMi, I have to tell you something," she looked at me, expecting something, "I didn't get you those roses. In fact, I didn't even reserve this table in this fancy restaurant. I didn't do any of this romantic thing." I told her.

 

"Oh." She lowered the bouquet of roses to the table, next to her dish. She seemed pretty disappointed.

 

"Look, I can explain." I rose up from my seat, "I at being romantic and... And all this is probably planned by Yixing with many, many accomplices, because... Because..." I walked until I reached the side of her chair. My mind was swept clean of words.

 

She stood and slowly gathered her purse. She turned to leave, but I gently grabbed hold of her hand. She looked at me with glassy eyes.

 

"It's because I'm such a fool and I don't know how to confess that I want you to be my girlfriend." I confessed, "That's why Yixing prepared all this so that I confess to you."

 

She pulled her hand away from mine to hit me on the chest.

 

"You are a fool. What a lame way to ask me to be your girlfriend." She couldn't help but to smile. "Yes I will be your girlfriend." She hugged my torso. Once again, I stood there completely frozen. Did she just say yes?

 

"Hug me back you awkward panda." She muttered in my chest. I let out a chuckle and did what I was told.

 

***

 

It had been a rough year, graduation is finally over and all the seniors were officially free from high school. Some started working, some prepared for college and some went home to see their family. Sehun was one of those that wanted to go home, along with Chen and Xiumin.

 

Sehun had his suitcase ready and was trying to convince me to see him go. When I hadn't agreed, he called TianMi to come instead. Of course she called me to tag along with her. Sehun was getting pretty sneaky after spending so much time with Yixing and Luhan.

 

"Gege~ Come to the airport to see me go! Please? Even your girlfriend is coming. I'm going to steal her if you don't come!" Sehun begged as he hugged my leg. I sighed. The boy was almost completely fluent and he knew very well that what my weaknesses were.

 

"Ok ok! I'll go! Stop hugging my leg already." I pried his arms off my leg.

 

"Hehe. Thank you Gege!" He giggled like a little kid and ran off to check if he had forgotten anything.

 

Around an hour and a half later, I found myself with Sehun and TianMi, along with Xiumin and Chen, checking in their suitcases.

 

“It’s going to be nice going back home again,” Chen sighed, Xiumin nodded. I forgot that the two of them haven’t been home in four years. They probably really missed Korea, I knew I would miss China if I was gone that long.

 

“We need to meet up back in Korea.” Sehun put his arm around Xiumin’s neck and the elder glared at him.

 

“I will miss you guys!” TianMi suddenly broke out into tears and pulled everyone into a group hug.

 

"Hey hey, no hugging too long." I warned.

 

"Pfft. You're so overprotective. It's not like I'll steal her and take her to Korea with me." Chen snorted.

 

"I heard you were crushing on me in the first year." TianMi innocently said.

 

"You told her that, didn't you?" Chen eyed me.

 

"I told her that." Sehun said, just as innocent as TianMi.

 

"I'm going to make you relive those oval nightmares during the plane ride." He poked Sehun's chest.

 

"Oh my god Sehun. Why did you say that?!" Xiumin threw his arms in the air, "I won't get a wink of sleep!"

 

TianMi giggled, probably remembering the moments she spent struggling to explain those ovals to Sehun in a language he could barely understand.

 

"When are you going to come visit?" I asked Sehun.

 

"In a month. Why are we still talking in Ch—"

 

"Oh My God. Really?!" TianMi excitedly grabbed his arm. A little too excited to my taste.

 

"Tao looks like he's about to kill." Chen commented.

 

"Oh I'll deal with him later." She nonchalantly waved off as she fished out a piece of paper from her back pocket and placed it in Sehun's hand.

 

"What's this?" Sehun asked.

 

"Give it to Kai. It's—"

 

"So now you're trying to flirt overseas?" I scoffed as I pulled her away. She punched my arm.

 

"It's from LuMi. Let me finish my sentence awkward panda." She glared at me.

 

"Wow. Talk about violent and fierce couple." Xiumin commented.

 

"Oh and can you buy me some korean brand makeup and skin care products? And maybe some extra so I can give some to LuMi?" She asked Sehun, grabbing his arm once again.

 

"Alright. We're out of here." I said and hugged TianMi from behind and lifted her off the floor. She yelped and quickly recovered from her shock.

 

"Bye Sehun! Bye Chen! Bye Xiumin! I'll miss you!" She waved at them as I walked away, after twisting her body around, "Tao! Say something!" She hit my arms around her waist. I spun around, still hugging her.

 

"I'll call you guys one day!" I yelled and resumed my walk out the airport.

 

Once I reached the bus stop, I finally put TianMi down.

 

"You're stupid." She muttered.

 

"What? It's not like we'll never see them anymore. Besides, we could always fly over to Korea. I speak fluent Korean if you didn't know." I boasted.

 

"Show off."

 

"I've always have been a show off." I smirked and when she whipped her head around, I placed my own lips on hers lips, ever so lightly. She was a little shocked, but still kissed me back. Her eyes closed and she leaned in, I followed her lead.

 

Despite being dragged into a bunch of drama at the beginning of the year, I loved her so much.

 

“I love you,” I whispered, pulling away. A shy smile spread across her lips and her eyes fluttered open.

 

“I love you too.”

 

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