There was not much in my mind honestly; more than anything I was blank, unable to feel something concrete. My body was tense, but at the same time numb, receiving the kiss without much struggle. It was very strange feeling the lips of another person against mine, it was a completely foreign feeling to me at this being my first kiss, but everything became even weirder when I remembered that the person who was kissing me now so gently was Sehun, my best friend. Strangely I was not upset with that, nor necessarily repulsed by the fact that he were claiming my first kiss. And maybe part of that was because I was not feeling anything, literally there was no feelings into this kiss, it was just a touch of lips that lacked passion and affection. In fact I could almost say for sure that Sehun was forcing himself; his touch was soft and delicate but his hands were shaking, and as if that was not enough indication that this was a big farce, I could feel how the boy struggled to keep himself standing, letting me know that he was under the influence of certain spirit drink, or at least so it said his breath and his very odd behavior. Now everything started making sense.

I intended to stay still and let Sehun finish on his own, since I knew that the reason for which he was acting like this must be devastating to my best friend, so I did not want to give him more reasons to feel pressured or unwanted. Besides, it was just a simple kiss, I could handle it, albeit at the very back of my mind I silently regretted having lost my precious first kiss, after all I had been saving it for my special person. Yes, a stupid part of me was still waiting for something like that, even after discovering the horror that real love could become.

But before I could continue with my intentions, I suddenly no longer felt the lips of my best friend, nor his presence near me. It was there when I realized that Baekhyun was holding my best by the collar while he glared at him as if he had done something horrible and unacceptable. My heart almost stopped when I saw that scene; first I had not even noticed the moment in which Baekhyun had appeared, and second, I did not like the crude manner in which he was holding my best friend, who clearly did not know what he was doing, he could not even stay standing easily; in fact if it weren’t for Baekhyun’s grip on his collar, he wouldn’t be able to stand at all.

“Baekhyun, what are you doing?! Let him go now!” I exclaimed urgently, not wanting to see how my best friend was judged by that man.

“What the hell was that, huh?! Now you kiss your supposed best friend at the entrance of the door so that everyone can see?!” Baekhyun was looking at me with a frown and a red face because of the obvious anger he was feeling at the moment, for some reason. Meanwhile Sehun had his head down.

“Ok, I don’t know why you're so upset, but I have no time for you now, Baekhyun. Just let go of Sehun to deal with him by myself, clearly he doesn’t know what is happening and you're not helping at all.” I said, trying to speak calmly. Someone had to act rationally here, and I knew that I was the only one who could handle this, especially knowing how temperamental and bipolar Baekhyun was.

“You're accepting this too well, baby. Somewhat suspicious, if you ask me.” He smirked, still holding the other guy. He did not want to give in to me. I could tell he was trying to maintain a more or less civilized attitude. His smile was remarkably forced and his hand was clutching Sehun’s shirt with contained strength, making it shiver slightly.

“It's just a kiss, anyway.” I said with a shrug, as if it were no big deal when a part of my heart was against my words.

“I thought you were saving your first kiss for someone you love.” He said quietly … and was that a bit of resentment in his voice or was it my imagination?

On the other hand, how could he know something like that? I never said anything like that ... unless my sister had told him by accident.

“Baekhyun, that's-” I started to say trying to hide the embarrassment it caused me the fact that a third party knew about my childish and naive dream, especially if that person was precisely Baekhyun. But before I could continue with my sentence, my sister's boyfriend interrupted me rudely.

“This bastard stole one of your dreams.” He growled through clenched teeth, now focusing all his energy into glaring at the other guy in vain, considering that Sehun was still with his head down, probably dozing off. I was now completely sure that my best had been drinking before coming.

“He wasn’t the one who stole one of my illusions, Baekhyun. You did it.” I blurted before I could notice, once again exposing my weak and sensitive side. I had promised myself that I was going to act with indifference in front of this man, but here I was now, confessing one of my truths, something I knew that Baekhyun didn’t care in the least. Practically I was just giving him more reasons to manipulate me.

Baekhyun immediately turned his attention to me; absently letting the other boy go, making him stagger awkwardly until he finally recovered his balance, looking more confused than ever. Baekhyun's look was soft, almost apologetic, and I did not understand why I had opened my big mouth, because I could not bear to witness that kind of look, much less when it was directed at me. I refused to believe that Baekhyun was feeling what reflected his eyes, it was all a lie, a farce and I had to act with confidence to make him understand that I would not stand his stupid tactics anymore. But it was difficult, very difficult indeed, especially when I realized he was starting to walk towards me slowly, cautiously, without taking his eyes off me, as if he wanted to trap me with the power of his ever so charming and beautiful eyes.

“I-”

“Forget it, Baekhyun. There is no time for this.” I said backing away slowly, avoiding eye contact with him, focusing my attention on Sehun instead.

“Stop looking at him, dammit!” He exclaimed raising his voice again.

“Baekhyun!” I found myself saying in frustration, finally meeting his eyes with a frown. What was wrong with him? Why he was behaving like this? Why he acted as if this was his business?

The guy opened his mouth to say something, but just at that moment we both could hear Taeyeon’s loud voice all of a sudden.

“Seulmi, why are you taking so long?!” My sister's voice resonated strongly interrupting anything Baekhyun was about to say – very timely, should I add – and before we could react, Taeyeon appeared with a confused frown.

We – except Sehun, who was still in his drunken state – immediately look at the newcomer, not knowing what else to say. She watched the scene with a critical eye; first her eyes fell on Baekhyun, who was smiling innocently at her as if he had not been about to confront a semi-drunk guy for kissing his girlfriend's little sister, then Taeyeon looked at me with an arched eyebrow waiting for me to answer her question and maybe because I did not respond quickly enough, her gaze finally fell on Sehun, who was this time making eye contact with us, but I could tell that he did not know what was happening around him because there was no sign of repentance or guilt in his face, in fact he still had a depressing air around him.

“Sehun is somewhat drunk; he made a scene and Baekhyun oppa was just trying to help me.” I lied surprisingly without hesitation. I wanted to get out of this ridiculous situation to properly take care for my best friend once and for all. I didn’t want to deal with Baekhyun’s nonsense, nor with the questions that my sister surely had for me. I just wanted to lock myself in my room and talk to Sehun for the time being.

My sister looked at Sehun for a few seconds, shaking her head as if she were disappointed in him – and to be honest, I was a little, as well – and then she turned her attention to her boyfriend, looking at him seriously.

“Baby, help me to carry Sehun to her room, the boy is unable to climb the stairs. And you, young lady, lift those bags with our food and leave them in the kitchen.” Taeyeon ordered us, walking towards Sehun quickly to help him.

All we got down to work. I dutifully lifted the bags on the floor and went to the kitchen while the other two did their thing. I hurried to do what I had to do to go up to my room promptly, because leaving Sehun alone in these circumstances made me very anxious, even though that I knew that Baekhyun would not do anything in Taeyeon's presence, I still rather be there with him. I got into my room just in time to see how they lie down my best friend in my spacious bed; the boy had his eyes open but he wasn’t really looking, he seemed very lost. I walked towards him quickly, worried and more anxious than ever, not even understanding why he was doing this.

“Are you going to be able to handle him alone?” Baekhyun asked me, clearly his whole posture told me that he did not want to leave me alone with the other guy.

My sister also looked a little reluctant to leave me alone with a drunk guy, but definitely she didn’t seem as anxious as her boyfriend, who was looking at me with worried and trembling eyes. If I were not so puzzled with his attitude I would be laughing at his expression, since it was not common to see him so nervous and vulnerable, at least not since I learned of his true personality, so it was really strange to see so many feelings residing in the eyes of this man.

“Sehun is my best friend and he would never hurt me in any way. I trust him.” I answered immediately, looking at them with a frown for doubting my childhood friend.

Taeyeon smiled in understanding. “Okay, if you need anything just let me know. When you're ready you can go down to eat with us, I do not know about Sehun though.”

“Do not worry, I'll take care of him.” I smiled slightly.

After that Sehun and I were the only ones in the room, finally having the privacy I wanted. As expected the atmosphere was uncomfortable and uncertain, neither of us said anything to dispel the tension in the air. Part of me was ecstatic to finally be in his presence, but at the same time I was anxious and extremely nervous, which was understandable considering we had not interacted for weeks now, and I was not sure if our dynamic would be the same after all this time of remaining apart. However, I was willing to make this work, Sehun was important for me, he was my family and I was not going to abandon our bond just like that and if we had to work extra hard to get back to our old dynamic, then I would do it gladly.

Sehun was lying very still, eyes on the ceiling, unblinking and his look was somewhat distant, as if he were immersed in his own imaginary world. I did not know what to do next to be honest, not knowing what to say to end with this uncomfortable situation, but I knew that if I did not act right now, then we were not going anywhere and I had no intentions of staying stuck in this situation, much less now that I had the opportunity to fix things with my best friend.

“Sehun, are you okay?” I asked clumsily, with a smooth and quiet tone of voice as to not startle him.

At first he did not answer, too distracted to put me attention. He only deigned to answer me after repeating the question for the fifth time.

“I feel confused, frustrated, betrayed, repented and heartbroken.” He replied monotonously, but I still could perceive all the feelings he had mentioned very marked in his voice. “So no, I'm not okay, Seulmi.”

My heart was cruelly crushed when I heard those words. My heart ached for my best friend, who was clearly in a state where he did not know what to do and I felt really useless. I did not know what to do to ease the burden he was feeling at the moment, I could only watch and somehow assure him that I was here to listen to his hardships.

“Why? What happened? You can tell me anything. Always.” I tried to encourage him to tell me the reason behind his sadness.

“I just ... I cannot believe how stupid I've been all this time.” He said bringing his hands to his face to massage his temples as he closed his eyes tightly. I was sure that the effects of alcohol were already taking effect. His cheeks turned red, his eyes turned glassy and I suspected that his head had begun to ache. He could still speak with some clarity though, and for that I was sincerely grateful, since I really wanted to talk to the guy in order to fix all this drama, but I did not want to take advantage of his alcohol resistance. Sehun needed to rest a little and then we would talk.

“Sehun, why don’t you get some rest? You are not in the best conditions to talk about this, we can discuss later. I'm surprised you can talk and walk after drinking actually.” I remarked his hair gently to make him relax.

The boy opened his eyes and looked at me with weak and sleepy eyes. I could clearly tell he was struggling to focus on the conversation.

“Okay. I'm exhausted and I do not want to scare you, but I'm starting to see double.” He complained with a grimace of discomfort. “Oh God, my head is spinning.”

I frowned with concern. Rarely had I seen my best friend under the influence of alcohol, because he usually knew how to control himself, therefore I was not used to deal with a situation like this, so I could not help feeling extremely concerned about his well-being. The only thing I appreciated in a situation like this was the fact that Sehun didn’t get lost in time and space as other people; he could actually recognize his surroundings and remain relatively immutable. However, after a few hours his body began to resent it, such as now.

“I guess I can get you some medicine for your headache.” I offered him still his soft dark brown hair.

To my surprise, the boy shook his head weakly. “I think I'll just take a nap first.” He muttered quietly. “Are you going to be here when I wake up?” He quickly asked, looking at me with big, innocent eyes, which made me smile instantly at the tender expression on his face.

“Of course. I will be here.” I promised him with a smile.

That was all he needed to hear to finally close his exhausted eyes and let himself go. I – in the other hand – was determined to fulfill the promise I had made, so I went to my desk – which was in a corner of my spacious room – with the intention to distract myself a little surfing by internet, maybe I could watch some videos on YouTube and write some entries in my blog, which I had not done in months now.

Nevertheless, the hunger I had been feeling since hours ago continued to increase gradually, and as a manifestation of that, my stomach had started growling, demanding loudly some food. Therefore, I decided to finally go down and eat something very quickly to be with my best friend as soon as possible.

Two pairs of eyes focused on me when I set foot in the living room. My sister and her boyfriend were eating sitting on the floor around the coffee table, the food was scattered carelessly on its surface. My stomach growled again upon seeing the delicious appearance of the food, which made my sister laugh, amused, while Baekhyun just looked at me intently. With cheeks flushed and a little pout, I sat next to my sister, who immediately settled down to give me more space.

“So, how is Sehun?” Taeyeon asked curiously as she pushed her plate towards me to share her food with me, which was not unusual for us; knowing how to share was a duty between siblings, wasn't it?

I let out a weary sigh, feeling worried at the thought of his situation. “He’s sleeping right now.” I answered while looking for something to put in my mouth and finally satiate my hunger.

“I had never him seen like this though. He really looked devastated. Poor Sehunnie.” My sister commented with evident pity in her soft voice.

“I know. I just want to know what happened to him. I don’t wanna see him like this.” I said with watery eyes and a lump in my throat, although I refused to cry in front of Baekhyun, who still had his eyes fixed on me as he ate his food silently.

Taeyeon started my back gently while I chewed my food as tried to calm my impulses to cry. I could barely enjoy the taste of the Mexican food in this state. “I don’t want to see him like that either, Mimi. But everything will be fine. At least now he has you to support him in everything he may need. I’m sure that’s all he needs for now, your understanding and love. That kid adores you, after all.” My sister said gently.

I just nodded slowly, unable to speak without bursting in tears. Taeyeon noticed it, so she quickly offered to bring me a glass of water, leaving me alone with her boyfriend.

He cleared his throat. “Are you okay, Mimi?” He broke the silence. “Did he try to do something to you up there?” His tone of voice told me that he was really interested in hearing an answer to that question.

I remained in silence, not wanting to talk with him at the moment. I was upset with him, since I didn’t appreciated his apparent obsession with my business really, and as if that were not enough he was now judging my best friend's intentions. I could understand to a certain point the doubts he had about Kai – after all, the boy was indeed a playboy – but Sehun was another case, he was nothing like Kai in that sense and he had never done something to hurt me, so I couldn’t tolerate that Baekhyun were trying to put him in another light.

The guy beside me sighed when he noticed that I wasn’t going to talk. “I’m just worried about you. I told you before, baby. All men are wolves, and Sehun is no exception, I don’t think he is.”

“Not everyone is like you, Baekhyun.” I said before I could stop myself, looking at him with cold eyes.

I was expecting him to feel my growing rejection towards him through the power of my gaze and my words, but I forgot with whom I was dealing, because the only thing that I got in return was an amused smile from his part.

“You are so naïve, baby. Everyone is ed up in their own way.”

Even though I didn’t want to be affected by him any longer, those words gave me chills for real. The meaning behind them was so dark and cruel. And I couldn’t help but feel kind of sorry for him, because it was obvious that he felt like that. In other words, he didn’t trust in this world, he thought that everyone was fake. It was understandable with his past and all, but didn’t he feel lonely thinking like that?

I was about to refute and say that it was not true, that the world was not as bad as he made it look like and certainly that my best friend was not part of that. Yet, suddenly, I remembered that I was trying to avoid him, so I remained silent, ignoring his comment. I would not continue entertaining him any longer; I knew what he was doing with this.

I knew he wanted to tell me something else to continue with our small talk, but just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, my sister was already giving me the glass of water, making him shut his mouth instantly to focus his attention on his plate, avoiding any eye contact between us. Generally I was the one avoiding his invasive stares, but this time it was him who gave in first, which certainly puzzled me a bit, albeit it wasn’t unwelcome, that was for sure. With Sehun’s situation I had enough emotional burden and I did not need to deal with Baekhyun right now, he only gave me more stress.

Sehun woke up from his nap later than I had expected, but despite of how exhausted I was, I kept my promise and I was just beside him when he opened his eyes. I was lying on the other side of the bed, facing him, and as if sensing my presence before he returned to his senses, he turned his face in my direction. My face was the first thing he saw when he woke up. At first we didn’t exchanged a word, we were just making eye contact. Despite his rather long nap, Sehun still looked exhausted, but at least I could tell he was more relaxed and aware of himself, so I assumed that these hours of sleep were not entirely in vain.

“Hey, Sehunnie, how are you feeling? Better?” I asked with a warm smile, although I could not hide my tiredness.

My best friend blushed slightly and I guessed it was for having heard the nickname that I used with him when we were kids. It had been a while since the last time I called him like that. Only now I realized how much I missed it.

He nodded slightly with a small, lazy smile. “What time it is now though?”

“It’s late.” I merely answered fighting a yawn. Just by thinking about how late it was me it made me want to give in to my fatigue after a long day.

“And even then you stayed here waiting for me to wake up?” He asked touched. His dull, monotonous eyes lit up slightly.

“Of course. I would do anything for you, Sehunnie. You're my best friend.”

“Thank you. And I'm sorry for having kissed you.” He took the opportunity to apologize sheepishly, ashamed for having done what he did.

The truth was that the kiss was the least of my worries now. Sure, it was totally unexpected and somewhat crazy, but what I really wanted to know was the reason behind the clearly depressed state he was under, because I had never seen him like this, and I wanted to help him. I could not tolerate it. This was not the usual Sehun and that was killing me. Nonetheless, I remained silent, letting him continue without any interruptions. It was obvious that it was difficult for him to talk about it and I was not going to pressure him more than he already was.

“I don’t know why I did it, really. I just know that I missed you so much and everything was ed up. I started drinking and suddenly I found myself at the entrance of your house. When I saw you the only thing that I managed to do was kiss you.” He explained awkwardly, with his eyes fixed on my face, trying to figure me out, but when he realized that he couldn’t guess what I was thinking, he added quickly, “Are you mad at me?”

“If I had been mad at you, I wouldn’t be awake waiting to talk to you.” I answered easily. “So, would you mind telling me what this is really all about?” I could not help touching the main theme here. I wanted to give him more time, but I could not wait any longer. I was anxious to know what had happened to my best friend.

Sehun sighed shakily, as if he was preparing himself to open up to me.

“I’m really sorry, Mimi ... for everything.”

“Oh, stop it, you. It’s nothing.” I said his cheek, thinking that he was apologizing once again for the kiss.

“I'm not talking about the kiss.” He explained bitterly as if he had read my mind.

“Then why are you apologizing for?”

“I already know everything, Mimi.”

My eyes widened in surprise and my heart started beating wildly. Could it be ... ?

I watched his face and I was surprised to see the repentance that was emanating from his expression, as if he were carrying a huge guilt on his shoulders. Then, suddenly, the atmosphere around us became tense.

“What are you talking about, Sehun?” I said quietly just for the sake of asking, because I already had an idea of what all this was about. It all made more sense now.

Almost with solemn attitude, he sat on the bed as fast as he could and looked at me with resolution. He was determined to tell me everything I needed to know to understand his circumstances. But I could also see vulnerability radiating from his usually tender eyes.

“Sohee told me everything, Mimi … absolutely everything,” He started to say with a frown, “Ever since you started ignoring me I started to feel really lonely and everyone around me could tell that I was not being myself, and that obviously includes Sohee. She tried so hard to cheer me up, but nothing seemed to work and I kept thinking about what I had done wrong for being pushed away from my best friend’s life all of a sudden.” When I heard that part I felt instantly guilty. I had really given him a bad time. “So eventually I started to distance myself from her little by little, since I intended to confront you for you to let me in again, but Sohee didn’t like the fact I were isolating myself just for thinking about you.” He paused as he smiled sadly, and that was when I knew that the worst was yet to come and I was ready to listen and give him all the support that I should have given him from the very beginning.

“She started acting strange after that, I had never seen her like that. She told me to stop thinking about you and told me to focus on her once and for all, that you were not worth it and to let you go. She tried to convince me that you were a bad friend for having neglected me without any reasonable explanation and that you no longer needed me now that you had Kai. Basically she said bad things about you and that I should just get away from you. At first I thought she was just taking my side as my girlfriend, trying to protect me, but as time passed I realized that she was too obsessed with this issue and that she really seemed to despise you. I always knew Sohee was jealous of you since you are a important person in my life and she wasn’t afraid to show it, but this came to a new level, Mimi ... for a moment I couldn’t see in her the girl that I'd fallen madly in love with and I was afraid ... afraid of being with a person who I didn’t seem to know at all. Yet, for a moment, I tried to convince myself somehow that this was all a misunderstanding. Though I couldn’t continue with that farce any longer, not when I started to distrust entirely of my own girlfriend. Finally, I faced her about it, and after insisting over and over again, she told me everything. She told me about her disdain for you, about how she had treated you all this time and ... about how she had threatened you to keep you away from me.” He finished narrating, uttering the last words with a trembling voice.

I couldn’t help but feel somewhat satisfied to hear what had happened, after all I had waited so long for Sehun to notice the true nature of his girlfriend that all I wanted to do right now was jump, laugh and celebrate at the sight of everyone. But I couldn’t focus on that right now, I could not be so selfish. The boy needed comfort now that he had suddenly discovered the twisted intentions of the girl he loved, and I understood more than anyone that horrible feeling of loss and betrayal that entailed from discovering the inner monster of a person extremely precious for you. And from my own experience I knew that Sehun was going through a state of denial and deep loneliness right now, since knowing that his own girlfriend had been practically manipulating much of our relationship and that she had played an important role in our separation must be very painful. It was difficult to accept something like that, especially at the realization that the feelings towards a person couldn’t end by the knowledge of their faults; Sehun would continue loving her no matter what, and that was the painful part ... or at least that was what I could tell from my own experience.

“I broke up with her.” He announced with weak and shaky voice, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “Sohee will not bother us anymore.”

“Sehunnie, I'm so sorry.” I said sincerely, truly regrettable that everything had to be this way.

“No, I'm the one who's sorry. I never believed you. I was always on her side and I never thought about your feelings when you had to deal alone with my ex-girlfriend. I’m so sorry, you were right all this time ... she’s not who I thought. Mimi, can you forgive me?” He asked me with a small smile, a weak and uncertain smile.

“There is nothing to forgive. Actually I’m the one who has to apologize; I chose to chicken out and follow her ridiculous instructions rather than fight for you, can you forgive me for leaving you and make you feel that way?” I asked back, offering him a sweet smile of consolation while I held his big hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“There is nothing to forgive.” My best friend repeated my words with a tender smile, taking our entwined hands to his mouth to kiss the back of my hand sweetly.

I blushed slightly at that, but I couldn’t stop smiling or making eye contact with him, I was so happy and giddy with excitement. Sehun had always been an affectionate person, especially to me, but when he started dating his girlfriend the skinship between us decreased substantially for obvious reasons. So it was not usual for him to do things like these anymore. However, it was very welcome, it was nice to have my best friend back in every possible way.

Now that we had already discussed the matter finally my conscience was in peace and I could tell that Sehun also was relieved for having shaking off the burden off his shoulders. So clearly this wasn’t the best situation to talk about the other thing that had me worried and anxious, not when finally the atmosphere had lightened up. My best friend had finally peace of mind, so Kai’s issue would have to wait for another time; setting limits to the enmity between the two boys will have to remain pending for now.

The first thought that came to my mind when I set foot in the house of my sister's friend, was how noisy the atmosphere was; the music resonated strongly everywhere and the laughter and shouts of people were even noisier if that was possible. The atmosphere was rather heavy too, and I did not feel in my zone, obviously. Everything was too much; the alcohol, the overwhelming number of people, the loud American music, the smell of sweat that was in the air and the unnecessary rubbing of bodies.

I was walking fast and uncomfortably around the house, following my sister’s footsteps obediently while trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Taeyeon was excited, so her steps were hasty. I knew she was trying to find Tiffany, but it was difficult with so many people cramming the place. Meanwhile I was just trying to keep up, but it was hard not to lose track of her when we were literally going through a sea of people. However, despite my efforts to follow her closely, suddenly my sister seemed to have disappeared into the tumult, leaving me behind in a blink of an eye. Immediately and with frantic eyes, I started looking for her desperately, not wanting to be among strangers without any company, but it was useless, all I could see were unfamiliar faces, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth, which made me think that – once again – I had made a bad decision. I knew I should not have come when Kai had told me he could not come for being sick. Yet, my sister ended up convincing me to come anyway, that it would make me some good to go out occasionally and stuff like that, but here I was regretting everything. I had thought of inviting Sehun – as a replacement for Kai – with how much he needed to distract his mind, but surprisingly, he rejected my offer apologetically, saying he wasn’t in the mood to go out for the being time, he still needed time alone to cry the loss of the girl he loved after all. I understood what he was going through, so I did not insist and gave him the time he needed to assimilate what was happening in his life, it was the least I could do for a friend. But thanks to that, now I had to face this horrific and totally unnecessary situation all alone.

And without warning, I feel like someone wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. I was startled at the sudden grip, at the same time also releasing a sharp gasp

“Wanna dance, cutie?” A male voice asked in my ear, turning me around in my place.

I found myself face to face with a stranger, who smiled at me almost creepily as his grip on my waist tightened. The guy was looking at me seriously, possibly waiting for a positive reaction from me, but I could not trust in his intentions, after all he was a stranger. So, determined to get away from him before things got more serious, I place my hands on his chest to push him away from me. However, he did not budge and instead began to move slowly to the rhythm of the music, almost forcing me to do the same.

“Stop, I don’t wanna.” I whined shakily while pushing him away. I was so nervous since I had never involved in a situation like this one.

He completely ignored me, not wanting to let me go. He was just dancing as if nothing was happening right now, as if I wasn’t trying really hard to get away from his disgusting embrace.

“Let me go! Now!” I finally exclaimed, this time with more determination.

“Oh, darling, relax. Let’s just have some fun.” He purred in my ear, giving to my earlobe a suggestive .

That was when I freaked out.

“No!” I shouted, desperately trying to get away from him.

I thought that that had been enough to make him understand that I wanted nothing with him because suddenly I couldn’t feel his hands around my anymore. Yet, soon I realized that the creepy guy hadn’t stopped just by the power of my words, but literally he had been pulled away from my body by force by a third party. It did not take me long to recognize the newcomer as Baekhyun, who with evident aggressiveness insulted the other guy vehemently. I was not listening what they were saying; the music was too loud and I was too confused and stunned by what was happening. In first instance Baekhyun had literally appeared out of nowhere – something that seemed to happen quite often these days really – and secondly, I could not understand what he was doing here. According to my sister Baekhyun had refused to come to the party with the excuse that he had things to do – I did not know exactly what, but my suspicious mind thought the man in question just wanted to have time alone to sleep with other women taking advantage that his girlfriend would be busy – hence that explained the reason why only the two of us were here.

“Are you okay, baby?” I came out of my trance when I heard his voice so close to me, falling into account that the guy that had been molesting me seconds ago had disappeared and it was just Baekhyun and me. The latter was closer than I would have liked and his eyes were studying my face carefully, showing his deep concern.

“Baekhyun.” I whispered quietly, somewhat in disbelief, but relieved to see a familiar face, even if it was the same person who I was trying to avoid at all costs.

I did not think he had heard me, but his smile told me otherwise. He seemed relieved by my reaction, perhaps he thought that I was going to ignore him; that was what I really wanted to do though but I did not want to be alone in a place that I clearly was not comfortable in. Reason why immediately I grabbed Baekhyun’s jacket in my hands, looking for some familiarity between this overwhelming tumult ignoring my pride just for now. I was not necessarily scared, but it never happened to me something like that, and it took me completely by surprise. So, why was I shivering slightly? If I was not scared, then why I was clinging to the jacket of my sister's boyfriend as if my life depended on it? Why did I feel so relieved to see him here with me when I should ignore him for being a hypocrite jerk all the time?

Baekhyun wrapped my wrists between his hands gently, keeping my hands in place as he the surface of my skin with his two thumbs gently; gesture that eventually calmed me down gradually. Unconsciously my head leaned into his body to rest my forehead on his shoulder as I closed my eyes.

“What are you doing here, Baekhyun?” I asked him out loud, in the same position.

I heard him release a deep sigh. “First, let’s get out of here. The music is leaving me deaf.” Without waiting for my answer, he pulled away from me, and still with one hand on my wrist, he dragged me through the place quickly.

Baekhyun was walking quickly, passing through the mass of people nimbly as he dragged me gently even though his grip was quite firm. I did not realize where we were until I could feel fresh how air filled my lungs. When I looked at my surroundings I realized that we were actually in the backyard of the house of the birthday girl; it was spacious, full of vegetation and also had a big pool. In short it was a typical house in the suburb. There were not many people out here; the vast majority was inside enjoying the music. I took the opportunity to look around thinking that my sister and Tiffany could be here too, but luck was not on my side, apparently.

“Finally, some peace.” Baekhyun announced finally coming to a stop – making me stop as well –, positioning under a beautiful, leafy tree. “Are you okay, Mimi?” He asked again releasing my wrist to grab my shoulders instead, bowing his head slightly to be at the same eye level as me. “Did that bastard hurt you?”

I looked into his eyes shyly, because I hadn't feel this vulnerable in his presence for some time now, and it bothered me to be in this position after so long. I could force myself to act as a strong independent girl and tell him that I didn’t need his help, I could refuse to recognize his presence and act as if nothing had happened over there. Nonetheless, I did not want to be alone, not in a place like this, not when I did not feel confident enough to be at a party on my own. As much as I did not like to admit it, Baekhyun’s presence was certainly welcome this time.

“I’m fine. Thank you for helping me.” I answered honestly with a small smile, letting him know that I was really grateful for what he had done.

He seemed kind of puzzled by my reaction, in fact he frowned as he did not understand anything, but after a few seconds he returned the smile with joy, smiling innocently at me as a small child. His smile was so sincere and beautiful that my heart was crushed by an invisible force, pounding hard trying to get out of my chest. It’s been a while since the last time I felt like this in his presence and it was strange after so long. It was just a smile, but it was so heartwarming that I almost couldn’t contain my giddiness.

“I thought you weren’t coming, Baekhyun. That’s what you told my sister at least.” I remarked quickly, not liking the fact that my body were betraying me like this. I needed to stop reacting so clumsily in his comforting presence.

“Well,” He started saying as he straightened, dropping his hands to his sides. I tried not to think about how disappointed I was to not feel his hands on me anymore, “I decided I didn’t want to come as her date this time, but I wanted to be yours. I know you don’t like parties, Mimi, but I also know about your inability to say no to people, especially to your sister. I just wanted to protect you and from what I witnessed I did the right thing.” He replied casually as he rested his back against the trunk of the tree, looking at me with a hint of mischief. The man that was smiling like a cute little kid just seconds ago was gone.

“So you lied.” I emphasized clumsily, feeling under his gaze.

The guy chuckled softly, making me giddy all over again. I just adored the sound of his laugher. “Don’t act as if it were something surprising. It’s not as if it were the first time I do it, right?” He cocked his head acting innocently when his words were saying the opposite.

“Yeah,” I murmured quietly, “Not the last, either.” I added absently as I appreciated his appearance. I hadn’t had the opportunity to observe him as a whole, but now that we were in a more peaceful place and with enough light, I could see him in all his amazing glory. He was wearing black skinny jeans that perfectly fitted in his nice hips, a white colored V-neck shirt that showed part of his clavicles and his long, milky neck and a black leather jacket. His beautiful droopy eyes were lined with black eyeliner and his newly dyed black hair showed off his gorgeous, flawless skin. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that Baekhyun seemed an ethereal creature, too beautiful for this world, too bright for my mortal eyes and too dangerous.

“You know me well, Mimi.” He winked at me as he smiled haughtily. I knew he had realized the way in which I was staring at him, the awe I felt could be seen in my expression, I was sure. He had always known of the effect he had on me and he liked to play with that ... no, he liked to play with me in general.

“That’s not true.” I tried not to think about the fast beat of my heart, since this was not the time to be distracted by his undeniable beauty. It was not a good idea to get carried away by his charms. Although it was very difficult when I could feel how my heart softened at his apparent tender eyes, which were looking at me with purpose. “I never knew the real you, Baekhyun. I never did it.”

Something changed in his eyes and in his posture. Now his eyes no longer reflected mischievousness like before, but they became hard, inflexible and dark. At this point I should be used to these changes of atmosphere whenever he changed of attitude, but as surprising as it was, it was still somewhat disconcerting.

“I see, so that’s why you were gossiping about me with my brother last week, huh. You wanted to know about your sister’s boyfriend, right? You were so excited that you didn’t consider the fact that you were ing butting in my ing business, right sweetheart?” He said harshly, surprising me with the hostile tone of voice he was using to express himself, because despite his confused attitude, he had never spoken to me so indifferently before, and for the first time I was really scared in his presence. I had never felt truly threatened by him, but his words were loaded with poison.

“H-How did you know?” I whispered in a low and uncertain voice, looking at him submissively, not wanting to trigger his fury.

“You think I'm stupid? You guys weren’t very discreet about it. Also, let’s say I used some tactics to extort the boy. Did you really think I was going to let you avoid me without doing anything? Did you really think you had the power?” He asked cruelly. He was staring at me with repressed anger. I did not find words in my mind to express what I was feeling at this time.

Now Baekhyun knew that I knew about his past, about his circumstances and I could understand to some extent what he should be feeling with that. If I were in his position I would feel terribly uncomfortable knowing that a third party knew about my hidden past from the mouth of other person who wasn’t me. Yet, I was not really expecting him to react so aggressively, because clearly he was not taking it calmly. I was scared, not only for my well-being but also for Chanyeol, making me feel a little guilty for having involved him in this mess. I could not help but wonder which had been those tactics Baekhyun had talked about. Did he use his fists? Did he threaten his brother? Or something much worse that I couldn’t even think of? …

Only seconds ago I had felt so safe and relieved in his presence and now I felt just the opposite. I had a feeling that he was going to explode at any moment, and I did not want to be here, so close to him, to witness something like that. I had never distrusted in him to the point of feeling real fear, but I could not say the same anymore when I felt his cold, calculating look fixed on my face, scrutinizing each of my features with almost morbid intensity, trying to warn me of something with the sole power of his eyes.

“What did you do to Chanyeol?” I found myself asking quietly, afraid to disturb him even more with my voice. “It’s not his fault, I insisted. I pressured him and almost forced him to tell me about yourself, your intentions, because ... you are too confusing, Baekhyun. I don’t know what you want and I don’t know what to do with you either. I feel like you have so many secrets ...” I added hesitantly.

“So you've been avoiding me just because I have secrets?” He asked calming himself down instantly, adopting a totally different attitude. Now he sounded somewhat incredulous, like he didn’t believe that I was ignoring him just because of that.

I just nodded, not knowing how to respond when he asked that with that mocking tone of his, as if I had been a fool to just considering being away from him for being so mysterious, hypocritical and confusing.

“Oh, baby,” He came up to me taking three steps slowly, captivating me with his eyes like a predator, and once he was close enough to me, he raised his hand to my left cheek softly, and with a suffocating sweetness and somewhat sarcastic tome of voice, he told me, “That's very unfair of you, missy. After all, everyone has secrets, you know. Your friends, Chanyeol, your beloved older sister,” When he mentioned Taeyeon he smiled widely and his eyes became more suggestive as if he wanted to emphasize the fact that my sister also had a side that I didn’t know of, but quickly my thoughts diverted from that when I heard the words that he said next, “Even you, Mimi. You also have secrets, am I right? One secret that you have been hiding ever so apprehensively. ”

“W-What…?”

“Come on! Don’t look so surprised, you're not exactly hard to read, Seulmi. So tell me, how does it feels to be in love with your sister's boyfriend?” 

Finally edited.

And we have some kind of progress over here, huh