ONE; Yugyeom

Fluff; mildly aggressive kissing; real-life situation

“Did you tell her?” Mark asked as he sat down next to his younger friend. Yugyeom pushed his food around on his plate as he sat there and looked at it. He didn’t know how to answer Mark, mostly due to the fact that nothing happened, as unfortunate as it was. Yugyeom swallowed harshly and eyed the other males around him.  They were busy in conversation except for one particular individual, Jaebum.

Jaebum’s ears perked up at the second half of Mark’s sentence. He peered to the side, noticing the two of them, the youngest and the oldest sitting there talking about a girl that Yugyeom liked, he presumed. Jaebum’s ears snuck away from the current conversation to eavesdrop on Mark and Yugyeom, trying to figure out what was going on while still appearing engaged in the other conversation.

“No, I didn’t tell her!” Yugyeom replied harshly but quietly, dropping his utensils back to his plate. “I was going to, I was there, she was there; I took a breath to speak and tell her but… but I chickened out,” he told Mark, dropping his hands to his lap. Mark gave the young male a half smile as he patted his back.

“Hey, that’s alright. You’ve got plenty of chances! I was just checking up on you to see how you were doing with it. Liking a girl is tough and it’s emotionally taxing, I know, trust me,” Mark laughed slightly, trying to lighten the mood. “You’ll get it, I know you will. And you know what? She’ll totally dig your courage.”

Yugyeom looked down at his food. He wasn’t very hungry anymore, not that he really was to begin with.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I just don’t even know if she likes me. I don’t even know if she’s available. She’s too old for me anyway. What if she’s taken? I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I had told her and she was. What if her boyfriend was watching me? That was probably it. That’s probably why I chickened out,” Yugyeom said, slightly panicking.

“Yugyeom,” Mark said, getting the slightly frenetic boy’s attention. “What if she’s not? What if she is available? What if you just tell her anyway and take your chances? It might pay off for you.”

Jaebum, having heard enough of the conversation, excused himself from the conversation he was previously in before sliding over to the other side of the table where Mark and Yugyeom were sitting.

“Hey,” Jaebum said softly, barely getting Yugyeom’s attention who raised his head only to see who it was. When he realized it was Jaebum, who just looked at him with a soft smile, he knew he should be paying attention, that Jaebum had something interesting to say.

“Is that your girl over there?” Jaebum asked, motioning his head in the direction to his back left. Yugyeom’s eyes shifted from Jaebum to look in the direction the elder was motioning. His eyes scanned the area before coming to a table of girl’s, easily being able to pick out the girl the three of them were talking about—she was the only one with shorter hair at that table.

“The one with the short hair, huh? Is that her?” Jaebum reiterated, getting Yugyeom’s attention back after noticing that the young male was staring dreamily. He had even brought his hand up to rest his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand.

Yugyeom looked at Jaebum with a nod and a bigger grin broke on the elder’s face.

“She hasn’t stopped looking at you since she sat down. Neither has her friend next to her. I bet you they’re talking about you. She smiles a lot and shyly looks away from you. Go talk to her, we’re all rooting for you,” he encouraged with a nod.

“The thought makes my stomach hurt,” Yugyeom commented.

“It’s just nerves. You can do it!” Mark cheered, patting him on the back once more.

“You’re never going to know if you don’t go ask,” Jaebum reasoned, still trying to encourage him.

“You guys are right,” Yugyeom finally said.

“Yugyeom,” a female voice rang through his years like a sweet song. He would be able to recognize that voice a mile away any day of the week.  Mark jumped out of the way after looking at the girl who was barely his junior as she quickly approached the table. Jaebum looked over, watching the short-haired girl approach.

Yugyeom looked up just soon enough for her to sit down on the bench, facing the opposite way of Yugyeom as she took the back of his neck, pulling him over to plant her lips firmly against his. Yugyeom’s nervous hands shook, his eyes wide open as he looked at her angelic face, barely able to comprehend what was going on. He could hear his seniors cheering in the background—not just Mark and Jaebum, either. All six of his buddies were paying attention right now, but Yugyeom drowned them out as his eyes finally fell closed, not feeling like she was going to pull away any time soon.

His strong large hand cupped the side of her neck and jaw, holding her tenderly; his long fingers rested against the nap of her neck as his lips molded to hers even when his face contracted a very light pink blush. Yugyeom moved one of his legs out from under the table to straddle the bench, his other hand finding the other side of her neck until she pulled away. Her light caramel eyes met his dark chocolate eyes. There were a couple of moments of silence before Yugyeom spoke.

“Hi,” he breathed, a small smile finding his lips.

“Hi,” she replied, the same smile teasing her lips as her hands held onto his wrists, his hands still holding her gently. A new emotion washed over him. He wasn’t nervous anymore; he was happy, so very happy. He pulled her back in gently, his lips meeting hers once more, her slender right hand cupping his chin as her brow drew together—this kiss much more controlled and calm.

Yugyeom pulled away slowly, but let his lips linger for only a few seconds before he finally told her. “I like you, Ara,” he said, his eyes meeting hers once more after drifting from her lips.  

“That would be why I’m here,” Ara replied with a soft chuckle. “I like you, too.”

“That’s my boy!” Mark hollered, high fiving Jaebum. Their celebration caused Ara to blush and look away from Yugyeom but he took her chin, diverting her gaze back to him.

“Just ignore them,” he laughed; his free hand laced with one of hers.  “I had figured you too old for me or in a relationship already,” he told her.

“I’ve been waiting for you since I first laid eyes on you, Yugyeom,” she informed him. “Besides, age is just a number; if you really like someone, it will work itself out. The only number I’m concerned about is your height,” she laughed, standing with his hand still in hers to drag him to his feet.  

“I’m not that tall,” he replied. “Just under six feet.”

Ara was wearing wedges that day—her head barely came up to his chin.

“You’re perfect,” she told him with a smile, her free hand grabbing his forearm as she leaned forwards, her head at perfect height for him to plant a kiss on her forehead.

“Guess that means I’m yours, then,” he spoke against her head as his hand squeezed hers.

“I’m perfectly happy with that,” she said, her hands leaving his to wrap her arms around his middle, resting her head against his chest. One of Yugyeom’s arms came around her shoulders, the other hand cupping the back of her head against his chest as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

“Our little Gyeom is growing up,” Mark said, wiping away nonexistent tears as he hugged Jaebum who comforted the elder male with a grin. He winked at Yugyeom.

Job well done.