A Chance Encounter. Chapter Five.

Yixing’s apartment is immaculately clean. Wow, I don’t even feel like setting my foot down on to the floor. I had really expected to see a typical bachelor’s pad, with things sprawled around everywhere, dirty laundry on the floor, empty beer bottles lying around, etcetera.

“The housekeeper came in this morning,” he says, as if reading my mind. “She’s quite particular about cleanliness.”

“I see,” I reply, returning his grin with a small smile. “I had expected to see a garbage dump of sorts,” I tell, thinking about Bona’s brother’s room. I had actually expected all the men to be same, until I met Chanyeol. I admit that I used to be a little shabby, and my room used to be a mess, but after I started dating him, he sort of forced me to change some of my habits – keeping the apartment clean was on top of his list. Sometimes, I’d simply dump my clothes under my bed whenever I felt lazy to fold them and I didn’t want him to see. It used to seem like a task in the beginning, but I grew accustomed to it. And now, I even keep my desk at work organized, well sometimes.

“Well, then you should have walked in before the maid did.”

“Do you do any chores at all?” I quip. I guess I’m starting to get his sense of humor now. Well…sort of.

“I don’t really find the time.” He ponders for a while. “Does making coffee count?”

“Nope,” I reply in an instant, grinning at him.

“Oh,” he frowns. “Then it’s going to be a problem, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so,” I laugh. And he chuckles, and his dimple grazes his cheek gently. I guess it’s alright if he can’t do chores, it isn’t such a big deal. Maybe Chanyeol just raised my expectations high, and I should learn to compromise.

“Would you like something to drink? Water, coffee…Scotch? I guess I have some vodka too.”

We’re sitting here in the small balcony attached to his bedroom. The night’s a little chilly. I’ve had a couple of vodka shots from a paper cup Yixing retrieved somewhere from his kitchen. My head’s spinning a little; I suppose I’m a little tipsy…okay, maybe more than that…because I’ve been talking non-stop for the past one hour, and I usually get very, very chatty once I’m drunk. Yixing’s laughing at me for something I just said. He isn’t that bad. In fact, he isn’t bad at all. I’m totally attracted to him; he’s got this sharp jaw line with some stubble…very, very y!

Chanyeol- I think I just hiccupped…Chanyeol was always clean-shaven, like he wouldn’t step out of the house without grooming himself. He’s always been a little vain, come to think of it. That narcissistic prick…I remember we’d once made last minute plans to head out, and it was really late at night. I had tried to drag him out of the house, but he wanted to get dressed first. If I was ready to step out in my pajamas, I don’t know why he couldn’t do so. He’s a guy after all, he shouldn’t really care. And he’d answered, “I can’t be seen as someone shabby, Juyeon.” Did that mean I was shabby? Is that what he secretly thought of me?

I reach over to run my fingers through Yixing’s hair. Oops…should I not have done that? His hair’s really soft by the way. I wonder what shampoo he uses. I suppose he wouldn’t mind if I sniff his hair a little, would he? I’ve always been good at recognizing shampoos from their smell! Yixing hasn’t said a word; he’s just looking at me in his usual amused manner. I lean forward to sniff his hair, and I slip accidentally to fall on to his lap. Crap. I really thought I could stand straight.

“Are you alright, Juyeon?” Yixing asks, gazing at me intently. Why is his body so warm? Could I possibly cuddle with him? He wouldn’t really mind if I throw my arms around him, would he? Wow, he has a firm torso. You can’t really make that out when he’s wearing clothes. I mean he’s still wearing clothes…I wonder if he’d remove them if I ask him to. He sighs when I rest my head against his chest, but slowly drapes his arms around me. See…he doesn’t mind.

“Do you want to play a game?” I find myself saying, amidst my hiccups.

“Do you want me to get you some water?” he asks instead.

“No,” I say stubbornly. He’ll have to get up for that, and I don’t want to let go of him. “I’m not hungry…thirty…thirsty.”

Yixing simply chuckles. “What game is it?”

I sit up straight immediately, excited to play the game. I guess we could cuddle later. His arms are still draped around my waist, and I don’t bother removing them. Okay, no…it’s a little uncomfortable to look at him and talk when I’m seated on his lap like this. I remove his arms slowly, and settle down right beside him, sitting cross-legged.

“Ever heard of word association?” I ask him.

“I guess so.”

“Great. I’ll tell you a word; you need to tell me whatever comes immediately to your mind. Cool?” And I feel I’ve been teleported to my high-school years. I used to have sleepovers with Bona, and a couple of other friends. One time, we’d even managed to get our hands on a bottle of gin. Well, actually Bona had. She was the rebellious one, and we were her compliant followers. Now that I think of it, none of us minded that she bossed around, barking orders at us. Perhaps, we just thought of her as a role model of sorts. And now I feel stupid.

Okay, I admit that I still listen to whatever she says, and do wha