It’s time for lunch and what’s happening to Baekhyun right now is not what he expected. He expected that he will be a loner to his first day of school because no one will talk to him. He expected that his classmates will bully him because he’s too grumpy. But with Kyungsoo and Jongdae with his side, it’s like he’s just a normal student with friends, laughing and eating together at the cafeteria.

“For a skinny guy like you, you sure eat a lot.” said Jongdae, eyeing Baekyun’s tray of foods.

Baekhyun looked down, crimson painted in his cheeks. “I don’t know why I don’t get fat.” he replied simply.

Kyungsoo nudge him at his side. “Why are you always looking down? You flush a lot also. You don’t need to be shy around us. We’re friends now so don’t be too awkward.”

Jongdae laughed at him. “Look who’s talking, Kyungie! You’re like that too when we became friends in middle school. When I approached you, you always look down and bite your lip. Just like Baek, you’re too cute when you’re shy.”

Kyungsoo picked one piece of French fries and threw it at the latter but he just continued laughing. Teasing Kyungsoo is like a cup of coffee for Jongdae. He can’t leave a day without teasing Kyungsoo.

All of them turned their head when they heard a loud laughter coming from the group sitting in a table not far away from them. Baekhyun noticed the grey-haired boy named Chanyeol. He’s laughing again like an idiot. He’s banging the table with fist while laughing his off.

“Oh, what an .” Baekhyun whispered but Kyungsoo managed to hear.

“Who?” he asked curiously. Jongdae leaned to them to hear what they’re talking about.

Baekhyun didn’t answer. He just watched Chanyeol as he listens to his friend’s story. He didn’t realize he’s staring again. He’s just enthralled how Chanyeol listens to his friend attentively. Chanyeol is looking at his friend’s eyes directly and nodding his head like he’s saying that he’s catching up to the story.

“Park Chanyeol, huh?”

Baekhyun snapped his head towards Jongdae. He has a wide grin on his face that emphasizes his high cheekbones. “H-Huh? N-No. I-I just…”

Kyungsoo slapped his back playfully but Baekhyun almost fell from his chair. He glared at Kyungsoo but it seems like he’s too preoccupied about something.

“You have a crush on him?” Kyungsoo whispered to his ear.

His eyes widen. He shook his head vigorously that they’re afraid that it will bounce off from his neck. “No! Why would I have a crush on that arrogant giant?” He rolled his eyes. “Just look at him, the way he laughs, it’s as if he’s doing that on purpose.”

Jongdae and Kyungsoo’s mouth turned into an ‘o’. They looked at each other and smirked secretly.

“So you can talk a lot,” Jongdae grinned. “It seems like Park Chanyeol can make you use that mouth of yours. Oh, I’m pretty jealous.”

Baekhyun ignored Jongdae. He just shook his head. Another laugh was heard coming from Chanyeol. He looked up and started to stare at the giant boy again. He doesn’t know why he always ends up staring at Chanyeol. It’s like there’s something pulling him to Chanyeol. He mentally slaps his self. What a cliché thing to say.

There’s no magnetic pull. Shut your brain, Byun Baekhyun.

Baekhyun blinked once, twice, thrice and he almost flipped the table when he realized that he stared at Chanyeol for too long. Now, Chanyeol is looking at him with a big grin on his face. He instantly looked away. He looked down and shut his eyes tightly. He prayed to God. Please, don’t let him come near me. Please. Please. Please. I don’t want attention so PLEASE!

“Hi, midget!” All the chattering inside the cafeteria stopped. The place was suddenly wrapped in silence. The only thing that Baekhyun hears was the loud beating of his heart.

Baekhyun slowly looked up and fought the urge to cuss. “W-What?” I stammered again!

Chanyeol was smiling at him broadly. An apple was placed in his right hand. It has a small bite. “I saw you looking at me so I thought I should greet you,” He sat at Baekhyun’s side. “You want some?” He offered the apple he’s holding but Baekhyun just shook his head. “By the way, it’s nice seeing you again.”

Baekhyun looked away. He can’t breathe. It’s as if Chanyeol took his oxygen away. He hates it. He hates this giant beside him. Not because he looks much smaller than ever (maybe, it’s one of the reasons) but because he hates this giant. He doesn’t know why. He just hates him. Do you feel like you hate someone even they’re not doing anything wrong towards you?

“It’s the worst for me,” he stated. “Please, go away.” Baekhyun looked around. Everyone’s looking at them. Suddenly, he felt smaller and smaller and smaller ‘til he felt like he became a dot. He doesn’t want to be stared at (though he has done it thrice to Chanyeol today).

“Why? I’m not doing anything wrong. I just want to have conversation with you.”

Baekhyun ignored him. It’s the best thing to do. If he doesn’t want to be the center of attention, he needs to take no notice of this giant beside him.  But Chanyeol is one hell of an importunate guy.

“Yah, Baekhyun. Yah! Yah! Yah! Yah!” He kept on saying ‘Yah’ ‘til Baekhyun had enough.

Baekhyun stood up and glared at Chanyeol. His bad temper is now on critical level. He felt like he’s going to explode.

“Will you please stop annoying the out of me? If you want someone to talk to, go to your friends. I don’t want to talk to the likes of you.”

Some students gasped including Jongdae and Kyungsoo, some of them are like there’s nothing happening right now and some of them laugh.

Chanyeol looked hurt for a moment but Baekhun must be imagining it because the giant stood up and just smiled at him.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk to me,” He leaned at Baekhyun and whispered. “Byun Baekhyun, you looked hot when you’re angry.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen but he can’t ignore the hot feeling in his cheeks. He covered his cheeks with his hands. He sat down and looked away from Jongdae and Kyungsoo that were smiling widely at him.

“W-What are you staring at?” he asked.

“Chanyeol has interest in you, Baekhyun. What a lucky bastard,” Kyungsoo exclaimed.

“Who’s lucky? Him or me?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “You! You didn’t know? Chanyeol never shows interest to someone other than you. All girls are drooling over him. They do everything to make Chanyeol notice them but no luck. All guys tried to be close to him but only five were qualified to be his friends and they are Oh Sehun, Kim Jongin, Kim Minseok, Zhang Yixing and Huang Zi Tao.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “Ridiculous,” He looked at Chanyeol’s table furtively and found the latter continuously eating with his friends and laughing at the same time.

“What you mean is he’s showing interest in me by bullying me.”  He wants to say but he chose to stay quiet. He’s not fond of talking but he didn’t realize that there will come a time where he can’t stop talking (mainly because he was annoyed).

“Yo, guys!” Baekhyun looked up and saw a guy who’s actually looked like a girl. Huh?

“Hey, Luhan. You skipped three subjects in the first day of class. What a lazy bum!” Jongdae exclaimed.

Luhan sat down beside him and gave him a peace sign. “I overslept,” His eyes shimmered when his eyes landed at Chen’s hand holding a burger. He instantly took a bite. “Oh, heaven!”

Jongdae smack his head. “Yah! Why don’t you buy your own food? You always eat mine!” he complained.

Luhan chose to ignore him and looked at Baekhyun. “Who is this cute little guy over here?”

He looked away. Complimenting him is listed in ‘What Baekhyun hates the most’, a list in his mind. He has low self-confidence. It’s too hard for him to accept compliments from others because he always thinks that he’s not like that. He’s not cute. He’s not handsome. He’s just an ugly potato.

“Is he mute or something? Can he talk?” Luhan asked.

Kyungsoo threw the crumpled tissue paper to Luhan. “No, he’s just too shy to talk,” he said. “By the way, Baekhyun, this is Luhan. He’s our friend way back middle school.”

Baekhyun slightly bow his head to Luhan and Luhan smiled back.

“Oh, did you see my Sehun?” Luhan smiled and looked around ‘til his eyes landed at Chanyeol’s table. He put his chin in his hands and stared dreamily. “What should I do? He’s so handsome.”

Baekhyun looked at Jongdae and Baekhyun confusingly. He wants to ask who Sehun is. He knew that he’s one of Chanyeol’s friends but he doesn’t know Sehun’s face.

As if reading his mind, Jongdae, using his index finger, pointed at the guy with a black hair. Just like Luhan said, he’s handsome. His skin is so white and looks so smooth.

“Luhan have a crush on him since grade school. You know what, they’re actually childhood friends but they go on separate school and Sehun moved in Seoul first. They met again here but it’s not the same as before anymore. Sehun became cold and he’s not the sweet boy Luhan knew anymore.”

Luhan looked at Jongdae incredulously. “You really knew a lot, Kim Jongdae.”

Jongdae paved his fringes away from his forehead. “Of course. You cried on me while saying,” He started to sob and wipe the imaginary tears from his eyes. He’s imitating Luhan. “He’s not the same Sehunnie anymore! He forgot about me! He never loved me like the way I loved him! Jongdae, help me! I’m in pain!” He burst into laughter followed by Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun bit his lower lip to stop his self from smiling. He knows that it’s not good to laugh at someone’s misery and heartbreak but it’s too hilarious because Jongdae imitated Luhan so well. It only proves that they really knew each other for so long.

“That’s where you’re good at, making fun of me!” Luhan pouted. “I just can’t accept the fact that Sehun forgot our friendship like that. Now that he found new friends, he considers me as nothing but a childhood friend now. Or maybe he doesn’t care anymore.”

Baekhyun drifted his gaze to Sehun. His friends are laughing but his gaze was fixated to the table like he’s in deep thinking. He suddenly looked up and his eyes went to Luhan. Baekhyun, now looked at Luhan whose still whining about how Sehun forgot him entirely but Baekhyun is sure it’s not like that. He wants to tell Luhan that Sehun is looking at him but he stayed quiet. It’s not his business anyway.

Lunch break was over and they’re heading back to the classroom. Jongdae ang Kyungsoo went another way because they have class to attend to and Baekhyun is not part of it. He walked side-by-side with Luhan because he found out that they have the same schedule which means they will be classmates in all the subjects.

“Say, Baekhyun, why are you so quiet?” Luhan asked.

Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just not fond of talking.”

“Hmm, I’ll guess,” Luhan smiled at him. “You’re afraid of making mistakes by talking, am I right?”

“How did you know?”

“Kyungsoo was like that way back middle school. He doesn’t talk much. He always wants to be alone. But when we became friends, he started to change,” Luhan went on talking about how Kyungsoo change as time goes by. Baekhyun realized that Kyungsoo and he were very alike. They have the same way of thinking. They have the same perspective about the people around them. The only difference was that, Kyungsoo is not like that anymore and he still is. “You should open up to us more. We can help you to overcome your problems. It’s not that we’re going to change you for who you are but if your personality is being a problem to you, talk to us. Talking will not hurt you. Not one bit.”

Baekhyun just smiled and didn’t say anything. He felt warm after Luhan say those words to him. Finally, there are people who can understand why he’s like this.

***

The pacing of the story will be slow 'cause I don't want to rush things between them. The update will be slow~ Mianhae~ I hope you enjoy!