For keuriseuwu ^^ ~ Sorry this is so overdue, I encountered quite a bit of writer's block but I hope this turned out okay... 

~

There’s something off about him. Maybe it’s in the way he carries himself, the way he laughs that ticks you off. You can’t point your finger on it, but you know that underneath his friendly, chill exterior, there is a part of Hansol Vernon Chwe that bugs you more than you can find reason for.

-

“There’s something off about her,” Vernon shakes his head at Seungcheol who just chuckles.

They’re in the middle of getting ready for your best friend’s birthday party, the big event of the week that the whole group had been anticipating. You, along with your own group of friends, have been close with the boys for a while now. Mainly because Seungcheol has been dating your best friend for a good few months and the couple is still going strong.

Vernon doesn’t know how Seungcheol twisted the conversation enough to talk about you. He could’ve sworn they were just discussing Seungcheol’s present for his girlfriend, but somehow his friend has him admitting his random dislike for you.

“Really?” Seungcheol smirks. “But you’re so buddy-buddy with her whenever she’s around.”

Vernon shrugs his shoulders. He contemplates his reply in between glances at his reflection in the mirror, pulling at his flannel shirt and touching up his hair.

“We’re not that close. I guess she’s nice and all, but I’m just playing along. I don’t want to stand here and completely bad-mouth your girlfriend’s best friend, but she’s not my type. I swear, she seems kind of… fake.”

“Wow. That’s a little harsh man, sorry I asked. We all thought - I just thought you two had something between you.”

The statement makes Vernon scoff. It’s not that he absolutely detests you. To be honest, he doesn’t have a clue why he feels this way. You haven’t done anything horrendous to offend him, or vice versa. There’s simply this force in the universe that makes him keep his guard up around you.

“I don’t know what made you think that.”

-

“How could you possibly think that?”  

You’re holding your hands up defensively because how on earth does your best friend ‘sense’ that you like Vernon, when you know yourself it’s the complete opposite.

“All right, all right. Just chill. Why are you so worked up over that? I just asked.”

You apologise, you don’t know why either. It's not the time to worry about things like this, you decide, so you shrug your shoulders and change the topic.

"Is everything ready?" You ask, clearing your throat.

It's a good day for a get together. Midsummer brings its warm weather to the table, along with a gentle breeze that visits more frequently as the sun goes down. The rest of the guests would start arriving soon. You have been here at your best friend’s house since early morning helping to prepare and decorate, with barely enough time to get yourself ready. Your best friend catches you staring down at your outfit for the umpteenth time and sighs.

"Stop that, you look great. And yes, everything is set! Now, we just wait for everyone. I'll text Seungcheol to ask where they are right now."

When the boys arrive, your cheeks flush at the embarrassment of thirteen awkward hugs. They're all fumbled and uncertain, especially Seungcheol's because how close should you be with your best friend's boyfriend? Vernon's is the last weird embrace. But for some reason, and you're not sure why you take note, his seems to last almost an eternity more than the others’. If you could even count that extra second. When you break away, he has the fakest smile you can imagine plastered on his face, and you replicate it.

Some things are hard to explain. Sometimes they're math problems. Or science. Or perhaps the meaning of life. Or how you ended up sitting on the couch staring at Vernon from across the room, talking a random girl from school out of asking him out.

"You don't want him, trust me." You shake your head sternly. "Not that he is for definite, but he seems like he could be cocky and annoying.”

The girl beside you raises an eyebrow. It’s been a couple hours into the party and you’ve spent most of it sitting on this couch watching everybody else have fun. Surprisingly, your first real conversation tonight is with this girl, probably a year younger than you, crushing on Vernon.

“He doesn’t seem like that. I think, and I’ve been noticing him since I started school, that he’s really sweet and of course, he’s so cute. To be honest, my feelings for him won’t change. And I only came up to you to ask for your permission to approach him, seeing as you two have some history together.”

You almost choke on your own saliva.

“What?! No, we do not!”

-

From the corner of his eye, Vernon can see the guy he just told off walking closer and closer to you. He just spent the last ten minutes going off on a rant about why the guy shouldn’t flirt with you. There’s nothing special about you, he said himself. You come off like you hate the world and everyone in it, including Vernon himself, under that pretty little smile of yours. So, why is the guy still approaching you with a smug grin that Vernon wants to punch off of his face?

“Hi."

Another unfamiliar face catches you off guard. This time it's a teenage boy, maybe around your age. He's smiling really cheesily that it almost makes you shiver. Or vomit.

"Hello," you hesitate.

The other girl doesn't even spare him a glance until something catches her eye. When she lights up, you realise it's because of the image of Vernon running towards all of you, or specifically, this stranger.

"Hey, Taeyong!" He places a hand on the stranger's shoulder, laughing awkwardly between breaths.

"Don't mind me, Vernon, I'm just trying to strike a conversation with this pretty lady."

Your face scrunches in disgust when the guy isn't looking. All of a sudden you hear another voice chirp up beside you and sit in silence as the girl whose name you still don't know heightens her pitch.

"Vernon! Can I talk to you alone for a few minutes?"

She's making googly eyes that give you second-hand embarrassment.

"Now, that's a good idea!" Taeyong blurts out. "Go so we can also be alone."

"Actually, I think it's better if you and I could continue our conversation, Taeyong." Vernon fake chuckles.

"But Vernon!" The girl whines.

"Go ahead and leave us alone already." Taeyong is just as persistent.

You, on the other hand, haven't had any input since Taeyong first walked over. The back and forth exchanges continue as your head aches.

"Vernon, I just need a few minutes!"

"Yeah man, just leave!"

It starts becoming too much to handle. You all begin to attract everyone else's attention. The heat of an unwanted spotlight paints your cheeks red and you hate it. You hate the feeling of judgemental stares on you.

"You can't have him!"

"You can't have her!"

Neither Vernon nor you notice that you both lashed out at the exact same time until seconds later when you realise that everybody has grown completely silent.

"What? I thought you hated me!" You both exclaim again.  

The room erupts into a symphony of whistling and cheering when Vernon gently grabs your arm and pulls you into the kitchen for more privacy.

"Okay, let me get this straight," he starts. "You don't hate me?"

There's a glimmer of hope in his eyes that you've never seen before.

"I kind of did... Only because I thought you hated me."

"Only because I thought you hated me. I thought you secretly had something against me because you acted different around me. I mean, you still tried to be nice but I could tell there was something wrong."

"Same... I guess it's just that I feel uneasy around you."

"And I feel uneasy around you." He pauses to sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Do you ever stop to think that maybe we're just misinterpreting the symptoms?"

You bite down on your lip. This whole situation has your heart beating like crazy.

"Like what do you mean?"

"Like, maybe Seungcheol and the others are right. Like, maybe, and just maybe, I have a crush on you instead."

You gulp. With your heart still thumping quickly in your chest and the sudden butterflies in your stomach, you finally come to a realisation.

"Oh my God, I have a crush on you, Vernon."

This time, when his lips curve into a smile, it's real. And you don't hesitate to replicate it.