Class has already started, but Kai isn't here yet. It is only almost 10 minutes later when the door creaks open slowly. Everyone is already in their groups, discussing the tutorial worksheet. You glance up when the chair next to you is dragged out of the table. Kai takes a seat, crosses his arms in front of his chest and keeps his eyes away from anyone. The students at your table immediately shut up. 

"We're doing tutorial worksheet 3—"

"Yes, I know," Kai interrupts the nice girl who only wanted to infom him about our progress. 

He rolls his eyes while the others keep quiet. He pulls out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. The people at the table is wary as they watch him unfold the sheet, only to have their eyes wide when they see that he has finished the worksheet. 

"Um... So do you want to—"

"No," Kai mutters, once again cutting off another person's sentence. 

He really isn't trying his best in making people like him, you realise. It would be nice to have someone on your side, to have them understand your point of view. But with Kai, it really does seem like he just doesn't want any help, doesn't need any help. He prefers working on his own. Being independent is a good thing but not when you don't even have someone to call a friend or an acquaintance. 

"Okay..." one of the guys at the table says slowly. "Then we'll just..." 

You nod your head, wordlessly agreeing to just continue the discussion. So they start up a conversation again while you subtly glance at Kai. He is staring at you, eyes moving from feature to feature. Has he been doing that? You redden at that thought even as you shift your chair slightly away from the group, closer to Kai. He moves his body a little and you can't help but think of it as a defensive position, though still somewhat welcoming. You open your mouth to say something, anything. But then you realise that you don't know what to say. So you shut your mouth again. Surprisingly, Kai is the one to speak up first.

"Do you need help again," he murmurs, uncrossing his arms slowly. 

You are shocked, to say the least. But you don't dare to hesitate for too long. Kai seems to be a very impatient person who probably does not appreciate beating around the bush or waiting. So you give a small, shy smile and nod your head. 

"Which one," he asks softly when you shift closer to him. 

"The last four questions," you answer, hoping he doesn't snap at you for being stupid. 

He nods. As he pulls out his pen, he sympathises, "The last four were tough."

Kai, as far as you know, never sympathises with anyone or anything. Maybe except for that little kitten that was being abused. You don't know what him trying to make you feel better means. You just hope that you don't make a wrong turn and end up somewhere he doesn't want you to go, which will eventually lead to your almost-non-existent friendship to go down the drain. 

Kai explains to you patiently and softly, like he doesn't want to be heard. As you do the exercises yourself after he has thoroughly explained to you on how to go about solving it, he speaks up. 

"What kind of food do you like to eat?" 

You stop writing and stare up at him, eyebrows furrowing. Where the hell did that question come from? Nonetheless, you reply, "I like American food." 

He nods and looks away. You turn back to your working, still thinking about how weird that question was. The rest of the class consists of you working on your own, only occasionally asking Kai for help when you don't understand something. Finally, when the tutor has given out the answers to the questions, you pack up your bag, expecting Kai to go off just like how he always does the moment the class is over. There are just the both of you left at the table when you look up, noticing Kai standing there, staring down at you. You raise your eyebrows in pleasant surprise. 

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" you ask gently. 

"Can I take up that dinner today?"

"Your car's nice," you tell him, smiling. Kai looks away from the road and glances at you.

"Seats are kind of uncomfortable though," he mutters. 

He is driving a Mercedez Benz and the seats are leather. Top notch leather, in fact. They should be comfortable for anyone. It should, since it is one of the most high-end car brands out there.

"They're okay," you say, patting your seat.

"Not if you're sleeping on them."

You frown. Sleeping on them? Why would you sleep on them? Maybe he takes naps in his car between lessons. You don't respond to that, only because you don't want to ask intrusive questions. So the drive is quiet for the rest of the time. Kai parks the vehicle outside an American-style diner and you're actually amazed that there is one like this in Korea. It is a replica of the 60's retro American diner that has neon lights and checked floor tiles. It's cool. 

You are seated with Kai sitting opposite you in a booth. He is silent as he peruses the menu. At intervals, you find yourself glancing up at him, watching his eyes go through each page slowly and meticulously. He looks up finally, catching your stare.

"What," he mutters.

You shake your head quickly. "I'm ready to order. Are you?"

He shrugs but calls the waiter over anyway. Once your orders have been taken down, the waiter leaves, taking the menu with him too. Having nothing between the both of you to serve as an excuse for being silent, the air turns awkward and stifling. And it just makes you want to talk the awkwardness away. You clear your throat.

"How funny would it be if my phone actually rang while I was trying to run away from you the other time?" you laugh a little awkwardly as you choose something to say, at the same time reminding Kai of when he first encountered you. 

"It would be pretty stupid, actually," he mutters, the napkins on the side of the table. As if realising the bluntness in his words, his eyes widens and looks up at you. "I mean—"

You chuckle, shaking your head. "It's fine, Kai. I'm not offended." 

Youtry not to notice his knees slightly brushing yours from how long his legs are and how cramped the space is. Since it is dinner time, more and more tables are getting occupied. You also realise that Kai is actually kind of bad at looking at people in the eyes as you talk to him. But when he does look you in the eye, it feels intense and your heart just won't stop pounding.

But otherwise, most of the time, his head is always down, his eyes always fluttering away your face. It is as if he is shy but then you know that it can't be the case. This is Kai you're talking about. People with anger issues don't get shy or embarrassed, do they? 

Throughout dinner, you're the one always talking, only because you're talkative and Kai is the complete opposite of that. Rather than snap at you for your incessant chattering though, he listens to you. And you know he is listening because of the way he nods his head, sometimes staring at you as you talk as though he has forgotten how shy he was before. 

"Your hair..." he gestures to the ends of your hair with his finger. You look down, but can't see anything. So he takes a napkin from the holder and you move forward for him to clean the milkshake from your locks. "Can't you eat like an adult," he mutters more as an annoyed comment than a question as he holds the victimised hair in one hand, the other hand gently wiping the sweet liquid. 

Though he sounds annoyed, you can't help but think of a mother chastising her own child but her actions showing affection. Your cheeks feel hot as you watch Kai carefully cleaning at your hair. To think that a boy like him would have such an affectionate side to him. Was this the hero the abused kitten saw when Kai came to its rescue?

He sighs when he finishes, just staring at the spot your hair has turned into clumps, sticky from the milkshake. "You need to wash that," he tells you, tone a bit authoritative, exactly like a concerned mother. 

Your lips quirk into a smile as you take the napkin from him, your fingers touching. "Thank you, Kai."

He seems to be struggling with keeping a smile off his face. But he eventually allows the tiniest of smiles to present on his lips. You continue talking, but this time, Kai doesn't avoid your gaze. He actually gives you eye contact as you talk, letting you know that he is listening. But this time, it is you who cannot look him in the eyes. You're not sure why he couldn't do it, but you know you can't look at him straight in the eyes only because of the way your heart thumps against your chest. It is painful with the way it beats so fast, you almost cannot breathe. 

Despite his anger issues, Kai is extremely attractive and you cannot deny that fact. It is so real and so obvious when you can feel yourself blushing at his attention, or when the girls from the table next to you are constantly glancing this way to check him out. But he doesn't seem to know that, he doesn't seem to understand what his visuals does to girls.

In the middle of dinner, Kai's phone rings. His eyebrows furrow but that's all he does that tells you he hears his ringtone playing. Because he doesn't move to get his phone, neither does he glance at it. So you stop talking and stare at him. When he realises that you're no longer talking, he looks up at you. You dart your eyes to his phone. 

"Aren't you going to pick that up?"

"No one calls me," he shakes his head, getting a bite of french fry. 

"Well, someone is obviously calling you," you point out. He rolls his eyes but ignores you. "Answer it, Kai," you persuade softly. "It could be important." 

He looks at you, takes in the worried look you have on your face, then he gives in. He sighs and wipes his hands before taking his phone up to answer the call. His face turns annoyed and sour the moment he presses the phone to his ear. You watch carefully, the way he says nothing but just listens and grunts in reply. He doesn't say a word but after a while, he hangs up and continues eating like nothing has happened. 

"You okay?" you murmur finally, concerned with the way his movements have become more jerky, like he is trying not to lose it. 

Kai shoots his head up to glare at you. But then the look in his eyes softens and he shakes his head. "I'm fine," he grits out. 

You reach out to him tentatively, your hand hovering over his. He stares at your hand before he overturns his own, opening up his palm hesitantly. You take it as a good sign, so you touch his palm lightly with your fingers. He looks focused on your touch, watching you draw lines from his wrist to the ends of his fingers in a way to calm him down. You notice his breathing become more levelled, no longer short and angry. 

When your fingers touch the tip of his last finger, you place your hand in his and squeeze. "You're not fine. And that's okay, Kai. No one is ever alright, and you can be as not okay as you want." He looks up at you, pupils a bit blown out. You smile softly at him, "Wanna tell me what happened?" 

You're not sure if it's the skinship you had just shown. Or if it's what you've just said. But something breaks in Kai and he lets out a big sigh that sounds so tired and so, so relieved. It is as if you're the first person he's telling this to, and he is so damn glad that he is able to share this burden with someone else. 

"My mother called," he muttered softly, staring at your hand in his. He clenches your fingers lightly and you have to clamp your lips together so your heart won't jump out your throat. Kai continues, "She asked if I could grow up and get my sister her favourite chocolates that she's been craving for." He rolls his eyes at you, annoyed just at the thought of it. "Do you know how expensive her favourite chocolates are? She's five years older than I am but she's still a child." 

Kai lets go of your hand, leaving you cold and insecure. He cards that hand through his hair, the recount already heating him up. He has to take in a few short breaths so as not to explode in the diner. 

"And yet my mother asks me to grow up," he finally utters. 

"Are you going to get the chocolates?" you ask softly.

He looks at you with a blank expression. "No." 

"Why not?" 

"Because she's spoilt and I hate her." 

"You don't hate her," you insist. "She's your sister."

He shakes his head firmly. "No, I hate her because she's my sister." 

"But—"

"Look," he snaps, suddenly mad. Your eyes widen at his sudden movement as he leans forward, face close to yours. "You don't know me. You don't know my family and what they're like. You don't get to say anything." Then he stands and mumbles, "I'll go pay."

You're still shocked from his outburst. But you feel bad too, for prying. You just want to make sure that Kai is okay, since he is your friend now. You just didn't want him to lose the best thing in life, which is having a family. You just need him to be happy too, just like every human deserves to be. 

You see that Kai is already handing his card over as he props his arm on the counter lazily, eyes on you like a predator watching its prey. You quickly get your bag and your phone before rushing over to him. On the way there, however, you are too focused on him that you don't notice a waiter walking towards you at your three o'clock. You hear your name being called out frantically by Kai, sounding so worried that you can only think about the way he said it. The waiter's tray tips forward and glasses of soft drinks slide off to the side, emptying its contents on your dress. 

Within a quarter of a second, Kai is already by your side, fussing over you like a mother. The waiter is apologising profusely, but Kai turns to him so quickly that you know what is going to happen if you don't stop him. So you grab his arm that is already wound back, a stance that shows that he is ready to fight. He is glaring at the waiter when the cashier comes over, holding out Kai's card to him, bowing and apologising fearfully. You don't doubt it is because of the fiery look in his eyes. 

"Let's go, Kai," you murmur, taking the card instead and dragging him out the diner. 

"Those ing brainless baboons," he spits, still turning back to glare at the diner as you walk away. 

You take hold of his hand unconsciously, pulling him to the car. "It's okay, I'll just go home." 

"Are you okay?" he stops so suddenly that you spring back to him. Kai holds you out at half an arm's length, eyes flickering all over your body, concerned and worried. "Do you have any cuts? Or—"

You chuckle, rubbing his arm. "No, Kai, I'm okay. I just need a change of clothes." 

He nods quickly, this time leading the walk back to the car. He tells you, "I have a clean shirt in my car. It might not cover up much but it should be big enough to cover you up like a mini dress or something." He turns to look at you and he scowls when he sees you grinning. "What?"

You shake your head, chuckling slightly, "Nothing." But it is something. It is the way he is still gripping onto your hand and the way he is rambling, fussing over you like you're a child. 

He narrows his eyes on you but doesn't say anything. When you get back to the car, he lets you enter shotgun first before he goes around the car to get his shirt in the car boot. When he slides into the driver's seat next to you, he holds up the shirt. You smile and take it from his hands before he starts getting out a front sunshade for the car. Kai sets it up so that it is obscuring the world from looking in. Then he stares at you. 

"I don't have anything to cover the side windows..." You open your mouth to tell him that it's okay, but his eyes widens. "Ah! I'll just use my file." 

So he turns around to get out a file from the backseat. He hands it to you but you don't take it. You laugh, "Kai, I can't hold it up and change. I don't have an extra pair of arms." He makes a face, so you ask shyly, "Can you hold it up for me?" 

"How?" he frowns. He moves forward, leaning over you so that he is pressing the file to your window, his body in front of you. "Like this?" You nod and the both of you blush. He swallows and hurries, "Okay, be quick."

So while Kai looks away from you, you quickly pull doff your dress, sometimes accidentally bumping into Kai's arm. He is patient in this position until you've worn his shirt and say, "I'm done!" 

Kai still doesn't look at you, nor does he move from his position when he confirms, "Are you sure?"

You laugh, placing your hands on either sides of his face bravely. You turn his head to make him look at you and he drops his eyes to your body where you're fully covered by his big shirt. He drops his arms and goes back to his seat, staring at you. 

"You look nice in my shirt," he mutters, like he doesn't understand how.

You blush and busy yourself with folding your dirty dress. "Thank you...?" you murmur shyly. Then you glance up at him. "Are you bringing me home now?"

He gives you a once over. He shakes his head, "Not like this." He wears his seatbelt and shifts the gear as he tells you, "We're going to get my sister's chocolates."

You look at him in surprise. "Really?" 

He glances at you, "Yeah, only because we need her help."

"Got your chocolates," Kai mumbles, throwing the box of chocolates on his sister's bed. You've been with him to get the chocolates from a chocolate boutique and it is indeed very expensive. You wondered if they use gold chocolate to make the sweet treats. "Can I loan a dress from you." 

You realise that he hardly asks questions. If anything, he states them. His sister looks up from her computer, eyes landing on Kai before they flicker to you standing behind him. Her eyes widen slightly.

"Who's that?" 

"A friend of Jongin's," his mother enters the room, going over to the closet. 

"Jongin brought a friend home after not coming back for three days?" his sister gapes at you and you give her a nervous smile. 

"I know," his mother laughs happily. "Even his therapist couldn't do anything to help his friendless problem." 

You frown. Firstly, so you don't know this Jongin person. But you're not daft either so you realise that it's just Kai's birth name. Secondly, why is his family talking about him like this? Like he is not just right there.

Kai was nice enough to bring you into his home so he could get a dress for you from his sister. You realise that a Mercedez is nothing compared to the other cars you've seen in the car porch of his home. His house is huge, almost close to a mansion. You never would have thought he was this rich, but then again he doesn't show much and neither do you know a lot about him. But you finally understand the meaning of having servants when a lady opens the door for you, when a butler greets Kai and when the cooks ask him what he wants to eat for dinner. 

Presently, Kai's mother hands you a dress from her daughter's wardrobe, smiling at you. She looks so motherly, so sweet. But why does she treat her own son like he is nothing to her? It bugs you even as you thank her politely. Kai grabs your elbow, his grip a little too tight. He drags you to his room, where it is neat and clean and bare. You wouldn't have thought this room belonged to anybody. There isn't even a photo frame in sight, or a trophy or medal to boast Kai's athletic skills (Junmyeon does that so you'd think every guy does the same thing). 

Kai sits on his bed, looking extremely out of place in this room. He looks awkward too. He eventually sighs, not looking at you. "I don't come home a lot. Never with friends, too."

You pad closer to him so that you're standing before him. His eyes moves slowly along your bare thighs, up to your face. You give him a sad smile and murmur, "I can understand why."

He gives you a smile. A genuine smile that makes your heart pump so hard against your chest that you're a bit dizzy. Then he points to the dress in your hands, "Wear that so I can bring you home." Then he turns around to give you privacy. 

You change out quickly. The dress is a little tight for you, since his sister is slimmer and taller. But it still brings out the curves in your body. There is a zip at the back though, and you cannot reach it. So you tap Kai on the shoulder.

"Can you help me with the zip?" 

He turns around tentatively, taking in your dressed appearance. You would have thought he is blushing and his eyes are dancing, but you brush it off because there is no reason for Kai to react like this. You sit primly on the bed next to him and bring your hair over to the side. Kai's fingers are gentle when they brush against your skin. He zips you up slowly and carefully and when he's done, you turn around to see him staring at you with a soft look in his eyes. 

You can't stop yourself when you blurt, "Do you want to come home with me?"

He frowns. "But your brother won't like that."

"He's not here. He won't know," you say softly. "Stay with me until he comes back."

"Really?" he sounds shocked but his eyes are lit; excited, relieved.

You nod, smiling, "Yeah." Then your eyebrows furrow slightly, "I understand why you don't come home." 

He gives a humourless chuckle. "Now you understand, huh?" You nod and he chuckles again, this time more real. He stands and takes your hand in his, "Let's go, then." 

You also finally understand what he meant when he said his car isn't comfortable for sleeping in.

So Kai brings a whole set of clothes enough for a week. He brings all his school materials as well, too excited to leave his home. His mood has greatly lifted when you're on the way to your apartment. He talks to you normally, like a friend. You don't feel the need to tiptoe around him and he doesn't seem to be offended by the things you say. It is as if letting you into his house, catching a glimpse of his dysfunctional family and inviting him to stay with you have made his walls crumble almost down to nothing. You're excited to meet this new Kai and you can't wait to get to know him closer and better.

"Do you need help with your zip?" Kai asks when you're about to enter the bathroom. 

You turn to him, "Oh, yes!"

He gives a small smile and walks over to you, sweeping your hair to the side gently. He s the dress as carefully as before and you thank him when he is done. The both of you take turns to shower and when you're both finally refreshed and clean, it is already nine in the evening. You're sitting on the bed, staring at Kai ruffling his hair as he pads into your room. 

"Do you want to sleep in my brother's room?" you offer. A look crosses his features for a passing second but you caught it. So you tell him, "Or you can sleep with me?" 

"Do you mind?" he murmurs. 

You shake your head, shifting in your bed to pat the empty spot. He hangs his wet towel and climbs onto bed, leaning his back against the headboard. You're staring at him and his lips screw up in discomfort. He brings a hand to your eyes, glancing at you. 

"Stop staring." 

"Your hair colour has faded," you point out, pulling his hand down. 

"I don't look as good anymore," he concludes from your comment. 

You laugh lightheartedly, shaking your head. "You always look good Kai. Even with your... attitude." 

At one point, this remark might have made Kai explode at you. But now, he only clucks his tongue, nudging your temple with the back of his hand before dropping it. "Sweet-talker." 

You giggle, "Let's buy the hair dye and I'll re-do it for you tomorrow." 

"Yeah?" he smiles at you, his eyes twinkling in a way you've never seen before. They look brighter than the stars outside. 

Your voice comes out breathless when you bob your head and say, "Yeah."

Author's note:

I was so lost in this fic, so I couldn't update... I wanted to write a whole new chapter but while doing so, I realised that I didn't really have to. I added and edited some stuff though. Hope you liked this.

Till next time
xoxo