The next couple months seemed to fly by in a swing of classes, kisses, and finals. We were both so busy with school that we barely got to see much of each other. Well, that was until the end of June finally came around and we were free of our torment. 

After the last ring of the bell rang out I received a text from Jonghyun telling me that he had some kind of surprise for me.

My heart immediately started to beat faster as all the possibilities flooded my mind.

Perhaps it was a spontaneous date at some fancy restaurant? Or maybe just a fun day out shopping at the town plaza? I had no idea what it could be, but I knew I'd love it no matter what. It was planned by Jonghyun after all. The person who knew me better than I knew myself.

So, I met my boyfriend outside the school as I was told. I saw him scrolling through who knows what on his phone, only to glance up at me with that purely radiant smile of his when I tapped his shoulder. 

"So what's my surprise?" I asked happily. I was practically beaming; everything just seemed to be going right for me, after so long.

"Well why don't we walk home so you can find out?" he said teasingly, locking my arm in his and skipping down the first few feet down the sidewalk pulling me along with him.

"Why must we wait until we’re there? I wanna know now!" I whined while clinging onto him with all my might trying to show him how desperate I was to know. Of course, I didn't actually care all that much, he was just fun to annoy.

"You'll see, hyung. Be patient" He tsked.

After one of the longest walks of my life (thanks to Jonghyun's incessant need to retie his shoes every ten feet) we eventually made it to his house. 

He politely escorted me to his lovely driveway where his rusty car was so nicely parked. I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, but he merely pointed to the wind shield wipers, where I noticed a pink piece of folded stationary stuck between the black rods.

Hesitantly, I unfolded the paper and immediately recognized Jonghyun's cute handwriting.

 Dear my lovely Jinki,

               I have had the incredible pleasure of getting to know you on a much deeper level than most childhood friends ever become. You've allowed me to express my unadulterated self to you and for that I am truly grateful. You are such an amazing boyfriend whom I've grown to love so much. I know we've both had a great time this year, and of course I don't want that to end. So, with summer now arriving I've planned a little trip for the two of us. Remember that lodge our families used to go to for winter break when we were young? Well that's where we'll be headed in a matter of hours (if you actually want to of course). Now I know you might have a few questions, so I'll let real life Jonghyun take it from here.

Love, your Jonghyun 

I glanced up at a very apprehensive looking Jonghyun, and quickly subsided his worries by enveloping him into a tight hug. I started laughing, just because I could and so did he. Looking into his gleaming eyes, I gave him a quick kiss before asking him all of my burning questions. He patiently answered each one, his smile never faltering once. Apparently we would be driving there in his car, and would be helping out in the kitchen there (hence making this actually affordable). We would be sharing a room (naturally to the oblivion of our parents) and it would be the best week of my life, to quote him. 

Once everything was packed up, we quickly hopped in the car and headed on our way, both of us being extremely excited to get going on our magical getaway.

As we drove past the green trees and the blossoming flowers, I rested my head on my hand and reflectively stared out the window. I thought about all the things I'd been through this year; getting the courage to flirt with Jonghyun, the several phone calls I had with Taemin about said topic, and then to more serious things like fighting with my mom about my dreams, coming out to her, and dealing with Minho's endless bullying. At the time it'd all seemed so difficult and almost apocalyptic, but now looking back I got to appreciate how nicely everything had come to be. Jonghyun was now my boyfriend. My mom had come to accept me at face value. And Minho had actually started to date my best friend, and accept everything he'd been suppressing for so long. I closed my eyes and reveled in the feeling of the wind hitting my face from the rolled down windows, the warm hand rubbing gently circles on my thigh, and the clarity of my mind. For the first time this year I felt completely at ease. I turned my head to look at Jonghyun's beautiful profile and couldn't help the smile that rose on my face. Yes, this year had been amazing- I had gone from some lonely neighborhood friend to a loved and cherished boyfriend. I'd had my first kiss, my first time, my first relationship, all with my very first friend- and some part of me just knew that I had many more first's to share with this magnificent person. And I couldn't wait. 

(A/N) So it's finally done :) Hoped you enjoyed this journey as much as I did, and as always thank you for reading.