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Two days later, Kyungsoo, Jongin, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are at a bowling alley to celebrate Chanyeol's birthday five days early. A holiday is coming up in two more days and all across the country, Kyungsoo, his college-going friends, and other college-going people have a mini-vacation this week and today's the only day that they can all be together before some of them travel or spend the week with their families.

Even though Kyungsoo may not be best friends with Chanyeol like he used to be--every year he, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol have always met up to celebrate each other's birthdays and he's not breaking that tradition any time soon. For Chanyeol's birthday, Baekhyun organized this small party and got the prices of the game and rental shoes to be lower because of a birthday special that this bowling alley has. (Jongin's with them because Baekhyun had said that he wanted to meet the latter and Jongin happily accepted the invitation to join.)

Currently, the four of them are chatting at a table near the lanes--Baekhyun and Chanyeol sharing a burger and some fries, Jongin taking sips from a water bottle every now and then, and Kyungsoo munching on some nachos dipped in melted cheese. While they're all chatting though, Kyungsoo notices with a frown, how unusually quiet Chanyeol has been this entire evening.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kyungsoo asks, when the two of them are alone in the seats facing their rented bowling alley lane.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Chanyeol replies, lifting up the right corner of his lips. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him, unconvinced, and Chanyeol turns to watch as Baekhyun gets ready to bowl. "That Jongin guy seems nice."

Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow at the topic change. "Yeah, he is..."

The ball that Baekhyun just bowled rolls right down the middle of the lane and hits the center pin--causing it and the other nine bowling pins near it to fall over. Baekhyun lets out a Woo! at getting a strike and does a short victory dance and the TV screen above their heads shows Baekhyun's score and marks the first box of the first frame with an X. Baekhyun flashes Chanyeol a cheerful grin and Chanyeol smiles back in return.

Jongin comes back from the restroom less than a minute later and sits down at Kyungsoo's right--so close that their legs are touching. They smile at each other and Chanyeol gets up to bowl next as Baekhyun sits down next to Kyungsoo at his left. They all watch as Chanyeol bowls and Baekhyun lets out a Ha! when the ball falls into the left gutter.

Chanyeol then turns back around and tells Baekhyun to shut up as the TV screen shows a blank score, and Baekhyun gives him a teasing half-smile. During Chanyeol's second turn, he manages to hit one pin before it rolls into the right-side gutter and Baekhyun laughs again and taunts him some more. Chanyeol walks back over to them, and Kyungsoo smiles at their antics as they start to playfully shove at each other before he watches as Jongin gets up to bowl next.

Kyungsoo scoots over to his right so that Chanyeol can sit between him and Baekhyun, and watches Jongin's back as the latter gets a bowling ball into his hand. And he's apparently checking him out so blatantly that Baekhyun notices and stretches his arm over Chanyeol's back to tap him and mouth, Need some water?

Kyungsoo shoos his hand away and turns to watch as Jongin places his fingers into the bowling ball's gripping holes and strikes a professional-looking stance. Baekhyun playfully heckles him and Kyungsoo turns to give him an annoyed look as Jongin approaches the lane's foul-line and then releases the ball with a swing of his right arm. The ball quickly curves down the lane and rolls to hit a bowling pin at the farthest right corner, and the struck pin knocks down almost all of the other pins near it except for two at the farthest left. Kyungsoo cheers for Jongin while Baekhyun jokingly calls out, Beginner's luck!

Jongin turns and says, You wish! to Baekhyun getting Kyungsoo to smile in adoration. Jongin's score then shows up on the screen and during his second turn he manages to hit the remaining two pins. As he heads back to them, Kyungsoo gets up to bowl next and Jongin wishes him good luck as he goes back to his seat. Kyungsoo smiles and Baekhyun playfully taunts him as he grabs onto a bowling ball, while Chanyeol and Jongin cheer for him.

When Kyungsoo bowls, he ends up getting a gutter ball during both turns and walks back to his seat with his shoulders slumped. Chanyeol gives him a sympathetic smile and pats his back before turning to watch as Baekhyun gets up from his seat to bowl next and Jongin casually wraps an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulders. Kyungsoo looks up at him with wide, curious eyes--his heart beating faster when Jongin flashes him a bright smile and offers to teach him how to aim better (if he wants him to, that is). Kyungsoo smiles flirtatiously and agrees to the offer--already imagining Jongin guiding his hands around the bowling ball...his toned body pressed against his...

"Oh, come on!" Baekhyun yells in front of the lane.

Kyungsoo's eyes widen and he turns to look at what happened and sees every pin knocked down except for one in the corner. Chanyeol's laughing and teasing Baekhyun as he comes back, and Baekhyun reminds him that he's still in the lead.

"Pfft, not for long," Jongin says.

Baekhyun smirks and the game continues on.

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Around two hours later, Jongin ends up scoring the most points, with Baekhyun in second place, Kyungsoo in third, and Chanyeol coming in last place.

"I let you win," Baekhyun says to a smirking Jongin.

After returning their rented shoes and stepping back into their own shoes, Jongin ends up calling it a night. He wishes Baekhyun and Chanyeol a Good Night and Kyungsoo offers to walk him to the bus-stop and tells the other two that he'll be back in a few after Jongin accepts his offer. With a wave from Jongin, the two of them leave--Jongin reaching an arm to wrap around Kyungsoo's shoulders and Kyungsoo turning to look up at him with his distinct heart-shaped smile. Baekhyun smiles while watching them before remembering something and turning to Chanyeol.

"Be right back," he says, getting up to go to the food counter.

Even though it's late now and the bowling alley is closing in less than an hour--a request for a birthday cake for Chanyeol gets fulfilled by a worker behind the food-counter. Granted, it's a slice of yellow cake with chocolate icing on a paper plate that he had to pay for, but Baekhyun figures that it still technically counts as a birthday cake. So, he walks back over to the table and hands the cake to Chanyeol and smiles fondly when Chanyeol takes the cake into his own hands and thanks him while grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Make a wish," Baekhyun says, sitting down in the seat next to him.

Chanyeol squin