The morning of my birthday was surprisingly an exciting one. I usually don't get excited about birthdays since Dad has never been there to celebrate with me lately. However, Daddy and Jonghyun vowed to make this birthday a good one for once. 

The first of their antics was my morning wake up call. They both stormed into my room with birthday kazoos and party hats as they exclaimed, "Happy birthday!" Though I groaned internally at their loud outburst, I was throughly intrigued. 

Daddy came over and gave me a huge hug, followed by Jonghyun doing the same. 

I rubbed the crust out of my eyes as I said, "Thanks, guys."

"I can't believe my baby is turning 16! It seems so unreal."

I chuckled, "Well, it would be really weird if I stayed the same age forever."

Jonghyun nodded and smiled, "That's true."

I asked Daddy, "Hey, have you heard from Dad? Do you think he'll come this time?" Though he hadn't come in years, I was really hopeful that this year would be different. 

Jonghyun and Daddy gave each other a look that told me they didn't know. I just gave a sad smile and said, "It's ok. Why would this year be any different, right?"

"Taemin," said Jonghyun, "Let's not think about that. Today's your birthday. You're supposed to be happy. Let's be happy, ok?"

Ever since the dinner with Minho, the past couple of weeks with Jonghyun have been more pleasant than the past five years I've known him. We're not quite close yet, but we're getting there and I've appreciated him more for being a source of comfort.

Jonghyun and Daddy led me downstairs to a big breakfast full of all of my favorites. Pancakes, eggs, bacon! When I turned the corner to enter the dining room, my surprised eyes were met with someone I hadn't seen in almost a month. 

"Happy birthday, Taemin!" Jongin exclaimed with his arms wide open. 

"Jongin? What are you doing here?"

He chuckled, "Well, that's not very welcoming."

I smirked and walked up to him before giving him a big hug. "I'm sorry. I just haven't seen you in awhile. Y'know, since you've become a celebrity now. I'm surprised you even showed up."

He placed a dramatic hand on his chest. "I'm offended. There's no way I was going to let this day go by without seeing my best friend."

"Right....best friend. You haven't really been acting like a best friend lately."

He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. I'm sorry about that, Tae. I haven't been there for you these past few weeks, mostly because of work, but I also feel like I could've made a better effort to see you and text you. I'll do better, ok?"

"That's the same thing Dad says, but do you see him here?"

"Taemin-"

I quickly interrupted. "You're like a brother to me, Jongin. I just don't want you to disappear on me."

He sighed. "I'll never disappear on you, Tae. I'm just a phone call away."

I playfully punched his shoulder. "You better be."

Jongin joined me at the dining room table as Daddy and Jonghyun continued to fix our plates in the kitchen. "Who's all coming to the party?"

I shrugged. "The usual I guess. Aunts, cousins, you. However, there is a new friend coming."

"Who?"

"Minho," I said dreamily as an unstoppable grin spread across my face.

Jongin didn't say anything for awhile before groaning, "Taemin-"

"I don't want to here it, ok? He's been here more than you have lately. The least he deserves is an invitation."

"Tae, you know I can't control my schedule."

"Exactly. Just like I can't control my feelings. I want him at the party so he's coming. Take it as a chance to get to know him. Please? For me?"

He looked off as he answered, "I just don't trust him.....but it is your birthday, so I guess it doesn't matter what I think."

"True," I said before the both of us burst into laughter. 

Jongin stayed with me most of the day before the party began. He helped set up and prepare food, much to the pleasure of my father. He usually would brag about how Jongin would be the perfect son, but I guess he held off on that today since it's my birthday. 

Little by little, family members and family friends began to arrive to celebrate my birthday. It was the same old awkward thing. Grandparents squeezing my checks, uncles commenting on how big I should be because I'm "too little", aunts commenting on how cute I am, Daddy introducing me to cousins I don't remember or barely know, and my all-time favorite, the relative that comments on how they remember changing my diapers. 

It was a situation I would much rather escape, but I was actually enjoying myself due to Jongin's company. It had been so long since we'd last hung out. It felt amazing to finally spend some quality time with my best friend. 

Ok, now I take that back since Jongin can barely get a word out through his laughter as he said, "You should've seen your face! Your uncle always cracks me up."

I smacked my lips. "Shut up. I hate it when he pesters me about dating. News flash! I'm gay."

Jongin just erupted into more laughter. "Wait! Does he know?"

"Daddy has told him a million times every time the man asks about me getting someone knocked up."

Jongin calmed down on his laughter to seriously ask, "Does he have a problem with you being gay?"

I shrugged. "I don't see why he would. I mean, he's Daddy's big brother. He seems perfectly fine with the fact that he's married to
Jonghyun. He even hangs out with Jonghyun on a regular basis, so I don't know. I really don't care."

"You never seem to care about things."

I sighed and patted his shoulder kindheartedly. "Life's too short to even care at all, my friend."

"Taemin!" Daddy's voice got my attention. He was standing by the front door and ushered me towards it, Jongin following close behind. 

"What is it?" I asked once I reached him. 

He beamed, "Your friend is here." He pointed to the window, and there, I saw Minho approaching the house with a rose in one hand and an envelope in another. His mom and dad followed behind him. 

"Oh my..," I trailed as my heart rate quickened the closer Minho neared the house. 

Daddy quickly opened the front door before Minho's dad could ring the doorbell. "Hello," he greeted. "Thanks so much for coming to Taemin's birthday party."

Minho's dad chuckled, "No problem. It was all Minho could talk about for the past week and a half."

Mrs. Choi nodded with a kind smile. "It's true. I believe our Minho has become quite smitten with his new friend-"

"Mom," Minho groaned from behind his parents, which caused the adults to laugh. 

"Aww, how sweet," Daddy replied. "Come on in. I have refreshments in the kitchen."

Minho's parents excused themselves as Minho approached me nervously. "Hey," he smiled. 

I smiled back, wondering if there were a twinkle in my eye. "Hey."

He raised the rose, "Happy birthday, Taemin." 

I took it as my heart pounded louder in my ears. "Wow, thank you. You didn't have to-"

"But I wanted to. I also got you this," he said as he gave me the envelope. "I know you can't eat sweets, so instead of buying you chocolates, I put thought into something else. Don't open it now though."

My heart melted and I chuckled lightly. "Why? Would you be a little embarrassed if read your note aloud?" I teased. 

Minho instantly choked up while quickly saying. "Just read it when you get some time alone."

Before I could wittily respond, I heard a squeal of excitement, the squeal being my father who I could've sworn was gone by now. "This is so sweet," he gushed. Jonghyun came and dragged Daddy away in embarrassment. 

I ignored them and remembered that Jongin was still standing awkwardly next to me. I cleared my throat smiling as I grabbed Jongin's arm. "Minho, this is my best friend, Jongin. Jongin, this is Minho."

I noticed Minho's eyes glance at the hand I had on Jongin's arm, instantly quirking my interest. 

"Hey," Jongin said without excitement. "Nice to finally meet you. Taemin speaks highly of you for some reason." I immediately elbowed Jongin. 

Minho must've picked up on Jongin's vibe since he sarcastically replied, "Oh, really? Funny. I don't remember hearing much about you. Oh wait. Are you the friend that acts like he's too good to even give Taemin a simple text? Oh, I think remember you now."

Jongin glared, "Look, I promised Tae that I would be nice, but I don't like you-"

"Good to know because I'm starting not to like you myself.

"Dude, you don't even ing know me."

"I know enough. I know what Taemin has told me. How you've neglected him for ing fame. You should be ashamed."

This was going horribly wrong. 

Jongin got worked up. "Me? Ashamed? You're the motherer that caused Taemin to be grounded most of the summer in the first place all because you wanted to get high and drink at college parties."

Before Minho could say anything, I quickly intervened. "Guys! Please stop this. I know I can't force you two to be friends, but it's my birthday. Please just be cordial."

I knew Jongin had a problem with Minho, but I'd never known that Minho had built up resentment against Jongin because of what I told him. I, in no way, ever wanted my two closest friends hating each other. 

"I'm sorry," said Minho. "You're right. It's your birthday, so let's celebrate."

And celebrate, we did. 

Despite the awkward tension between Jongin and Minho, and The fact that Jongin was the third wheel, I was having the time of my life. We played games, ate the delicious food Daddy cooked, and Minho got to meet a few of my family members, the few that I actually like. Thanks to Jonghyun and Minho's parents, Daddy was able to stay distracted long enough to not embarrass me as always. 

"Taemin," my granny called from her seat on the couch. 

I approached her with Jongin by my side and Minho following behind. "Yes, ma'am."

She reached into her purse and pulled out some money. Five hundred dollars to be exact. "I forgot to give you your present. Happy birthday, baby." 

"Oh, wow. Granny, I can't accept this. You just being here is all I need."

She waved in dismissal, "Don't stress yourself, honey. This is a gift from me and grandpa." She glanced at Jongin and Minho. "Aww, Jonginnie! I haven't seen you since the last birthday. It's nice to see you." She opened her arms and he bent down to give her a hug. 

"It's nice to see you too, Grandma Kim."

"Taemin, who is your new friend? I don't think I've met him before."

I looked over at an adorably nervous-looking Minho. I grabbed his hand and pulled him in front of my granny. "This is my friend Minho. Minho, this is my granny."

Minho smiled and held out his hand, but was surprised when my granny dragged him down into a hug. "We give hugs around here. It's nice to meet you, too. Oh, you're a handsome one."

"Granny-"

"Taemin, is this little friend of yours more than a little friend?"

My face instantly heated as I searched for an answer. "Wha- No!"

"I don't see why not. He's quite handsome and muscular. If I were your age and I hadn't met your grandfather yet, I would've pursued this fine gentleman myself," she laughed loudly to herself. 

I groaned because that's all I could do to cope with the amount of embarrassment coursing through my body. 

I called Jonghyun over to distract granny by talking to her so me and my friends can sneak away. Of course, the plan worked because Jonghyun could talk for hours about one subject. 

"Your grandma's cute," said Minho as we walked to the backyard. Jongin had left us to talk to one of my cousins he's friends with, leaving me and Minho alone, not that it bothered either of us. 

"Cute? She's just as embarrassing as Daddy. She's my granny though and I love her dearly."

"I can tell. That was the most respectful I've ever seen you be to someone," he joked. 

I nudged his shoulder playfully. "Well, she's done so much for me, especially when I came out to my family. She was the main person I ran to with my problems."

"Really? Why not your parents?"

"Well, I was angry a lot around that time because I was confused and frustrated. I was mainly mad with myself, but I took everything out on them. So we didn't really have such a great relationship to talk about things so personal. So I always went to my granny for advice. She would always tell me to be myself. Don't worry about satisfying other people. Worry about satisfying Taemin. Then one day, someone will come into my life and love me for me."

"Hmm," Minho hummed in thought. "She right about that."

"About what?"

He stared down at me and grabbed one of my hands. "Someone's going to love you for you. Don't ever change, Taemin."

It was at this moment, that I new I needed to follow my heart. I keep pretending like I'm ok with just being friends with Minho. I can't pretend like a part of me cringes on the inside every time I refer to Minho as a friend. It's true that relationships scare me. They always have ever since my parents divorced, but for some reason, in this moment, with Minho holding my hand and staring into my eyes with that brilliant smile, everything seems alright. 

I stepped closer to him, closing the gap between our bodies. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned closely. 

He grabbed my waist and whispered, "Taemin, we're friends."

I smiled slightly. "I don't care about that anymore. I know I'm the one that's been pushing you away, but now, everything seems right. Perfect even. I just.... I'm not scared anymore to try this with you, Minho. I really like you. I want to give this a shot."

Minho's excitement showed in his eyes and his smile. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."

Then he slowly leaned forward and connected our lips for the first time. Magical isn't a word I would use to describe it. It's something more. Something pure. It's hard to explain. It's not my first kiss, but yet, it feels like it is. Maybe it's Minho. He has the power to make me feel this way, to make me feel so conflicted about my own self, yet so accepting of myself at the same time. 

I pulled away first, not believing any of this actually happened. "Wow," I whispered. "That was quite something."

Minho chuckled, "Words can't even explain how happy I am right now."

I pecked his lips, still getting used to the feeling of his lips on mine. "This is the perfect birthday gift. Thank you for being such an amazing guy, hyung."

We just looked into each other's eyes taking in the moment. Minho eventually broke the gaze by laughing. 

"What's funny?"

He wiggled his brows. "I knew you couldn't resist me."

I smacked my lips and lightly hit his chest, "and the moment's ruined."

Minho burst out laughing and tightened his grip on my waist. "I'm just kidding," he said before kissing my cheek. 

I placed a hand over his cheek and caressed it, still not believing that I'm allowed to do this now. "We should be heading back inside now. I don't want anyone worrying about the birthday boy."

He nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

We involuntarily unwrapped our arms from around each other and headed back inside, but not before stealing a few more kisses. 

As we walked back inside, it seemed as if no one noticed us being gone, seemed being the operative word. 

As we headed into the living room, I saw Jonghyun glancing at me. He tilted his head slightly to signal that he wanted to speak with me. I nodded and tugged on Minho's hand to grab his attention. "Hey, I gotta go talk to Jonghyun really quick, but it shouldn't take long."

"Ok, I'll just be hanging with granny then." He threw a wave my way and headed over to the couch to sit next to granny. 

I walked to where Jonghyun was standing by a window. "You wanted to see me?"

He threw a gentle smile my way. "I'm glad you found someone you really care about, Taemin."

My eyes widened, "You saw that?" Jonghyun saw me and Minho outside?

"Don't worry. I wasn't eavesdropping or anything. I just caught a glimpse of you guys in each other's arms and I knew from the look on your face what was going on."

I groaned because this was the nth time today that I've been embarrassed. "You're not going to tell Daddy are you?"

He chuckled. "Of course not.....because you are."

"But-"

"Hey, we both know what happens when we keep secrets from Kibum and he finds out." Yeah. It's not pretty. "Look, I'm not saying tell him now, but you'll have to eventually. Meanwhile, enjoy yourself with Minho. He's seems like a nice kid. Just be careful, Taemin. I care about you dearly and I would hate for you to end up hurt."

I took his words to heart. They were so sincere and I could really feel that he cared for me. I caught him by surprise by giving him a thankful hug. "Thank you so much, Jonghyun." 

He quickly reciprocated the hug. "Anytime, bud."

About two hours into the party was when Daddy brought out the cake. Before the party, he had warned me to only eat one slice to watch out for my health, but one slice is better than no slice. 

Jonghyun announced, "Everyone, let's gather around the dining room table to sing the birthday song." 

I mentally facepalmed because of course this is what Jonghyun and Daddy looked forward to the most. 

As everyone moved to the dining room, I noticed Daddy glance at his phone before quickly running out of the dining room to make a phone call. 

"Jonghyun?" I asked getting his attention. "What's going on with Daddy?"

He looked over his shoulder surprised, just noticing that he was gone. "I have no idea. I'll go check up on him." He addressed the guests, "Kibum and I have to handle something so please feel free to go back to whatever you were doing. When we come back, we'll start singing the song."

Some people groaned from frustration and annoyance, but I didn't care. I was worried about my father. 

"Taemin," Jongin got my attention. "Are you ok? You look troubled."

I smiled, "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just a little confused about Daddy."

"Maybe he had to make an important phone call. It seemed urgent, so maybe it's work-related."

I shrugged. "It could be."

Minho surprised me by placing his hands on my shoulders fully facing me. "Don't worry, ok," he said in the most soothing voice. "Like you've been saying all evening, it's your birthday."

"Yeah. It is."

I didn't think much about Daddy's actions until five minutes turned into ten. Then ten minutes turned into fifteen. Eventually when twenty-five minutes came rolling around, I was worried. 

"Something's wrong," I said as I began to walk in the direction Jonghyun and Daddy went. I paused and turned around to face Jongin and Minho. "Please try not to kill each other." They only nodded as they tried to busy themselves with their phones. 

I'd walked around the house until I found Daddy and Jonghyun standing in the garage. Jonghyun had his arms wrapped around Daddy. From the looks of it, Daddy was crying. I heard him mumble something about me being too young and not ready to know about something, but I'm not sure. 

I approached them slowly. "Daddy, what's going on? Are you having one of your dramatic episodes again," I joked. My smile ceased to exist as he turned around with a tear-stained face and the most heart wrenching expression on his face. 

He quickly got out of Jonghyun's arms and ran to hug me. "I'm sorry, Taemin. I'm so sorry."

I slowly wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back confused. "Why are you sorry? It's just a silly cake. The birthday song doesn't matter-"

He pulled away and placed both hands on my face caressing my cheeks. "It's not about the cake, baby." He sniffled. 

I scrunched my brows in utter confusion. "Then what is it?"

He couldn't even answer me. He just pulled me in for another hug as he cried. "I'm so sorry for what's about to happen to you. You're not ready to know the truth."

"The truth?"

We were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I turned my head toward the direction of the front door. "I guess I'll go get it-"

"No," Daddy stopped me from moving. 

"Daddy, please stop acting weird. You're worrying me."

The doorbell rang again and I decided to go ahead and walk to the living room toward the front door. Daddy and Jonghyun were close behind. I still have absolutely no idea why Daddy's crying or what's so important about me opening he front door, but I'm going to find out. 

I swiftly opened the door and paused upon seeing who was standing there. No. This couldn't be. Is this a joke?

Tears weld up in my eyes as I stared dumbfounded at the man in front of me. 

I gasped before whispering, "Dad?" 

Hey, people! I know it's been forever since an update. I was so busy preparing for college all summer, then I became depressed and lost all motivation. Now I'm back! I can't promise speedy updates since my college classes have started, but I can promise that I haven't abandoned this story and a ton of ideas just popped into my head. 

So please stay tuned and leave comments ^.~