You could hear a pin drop in the silence that had taken over the room.  Baekhyun stared at Ella, with his mouth slightly open, evidently, he had not expected her to slap him with such force.  Ella gazed wide-eyed at Baekhyun, with slightly open, in utter disbelief at what she had done.  And Alex, whose mouth had dropped open the widest, was starting back and forth between them, unable to comprehend what had happened. 

Slowly Baekhyun lifted a hand to his face, it where she had hit him, mouth still agape and gave Alex a side-wards glance.

‘I like her.’ He grinned shattering the tension in the room. 

Alex broke down into a fit of hysterics.  Ella continued to stare at Baekhyun disbelievingly, as he added, ‘This kitten is ferocious,’ he roared to emphasize his point and grinned wickedly at Ella, who composed her face, narrowed her eyes and said very plainly, ‘Don’t call me Kitten.’

‘Sure, thing Kitten,’ he laughed winking, turning his back on her and helping himself to the food.

‘She’ll hit you again you know,’ Alex had tears running down her face from their first interaction.  It wasn’t what she had expected from Ella, but it was typical Ella behavior.

‘As long as she doesn’t use her claws,’ he grinned through a mouth full of chicken.  Giving Ella an innocent look, ‘don’t harm the money maker,’ he told her batting his eyelashes, producing a smile from her.

They relaxed then as they all began to eat their way through the mountain of food.

‘Why do you order so much if you don’t want me to come over?’ Baekhyun teased Alex.

‘Why you do always take delivery of it?’ She countered smiling, feeling better than she had all week.

‘Why do you have it sent to our apartment?’ He mocked offense.

‘I do not!  The delivery guy is stupid.’ She cried back.

Baekhyun snorted into his chicken, making Alex suspect foul play.  Giving Ella a knowing look she shoved Baekhyun.  ‘What did you do?’ she demanded from him.

‘Nothing.’ He composed himself quickly and feigned innocence, but she wasn’t buying it. 

‘Baekhyun,’ Her tone was warning. 

‘Ok, so I intercepted the delivery guy this time.  But I still paid, and you still have enough food, and you love me.’ He grinned with a triumphant look in his eyes. 

‘I don’t know why I put up with you.’ Alex told him, as she helped herself to more chicken.

‘Should I smack him again,’ Ella teased looking at Baekhyun.

‘Now claws away kitten.’ He put his arms around his face to protect himself. 

‘One more time and I swear –‘ Ella cautioned, with the edge of a giggle.

They finished all the food, and then Baekhyun made them watch hours of anime, obviously not ready to leave yet.  Ella loved it, since she watches Anime anyway, but she was getting annoyed with Baekhyun’s incessant chattering all the way through, so eventually she made him turn it off. 

‘So, I hear you have a crush on Kyungsoo.’ Baekhyun told her playfully in the absence of the TV.

Ella gave Alex a glare that could only convey that she was about to die a painful death.

Raising her hands in protest Alex said ‘I didn’t use those words. In fact, I didn’t say anything of the sort.’ Alex protested in Baekhyun’s direction.

He laughed at his own prowess.  ‘Ok, so didn’t but we think Kyungsoo has a little crush on you, so I wanted to see how you felt about that.’

Ella glared at the pair of them, the heat rising in her face. 

‘Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun.’ Baekhyun said rubbing his hands together. 

‘What’s tomorrow?’ Ella asked him, curiosity getting the better of her embarrassment. 

‘We- Alex began, but Baekhyun cut her off.

‘We are all going out to have fun, You, your twin here,’ he pointed at Alex as if she wouldn’t know who she meant, ‘me,’ he pointed to himself, ‘and Jongin, Junmyeon, Jongdae, Minseok, Sehun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo.’

‘What?’ Ella looked like a stunned deer. 

‘You like soju right kitten?’ Baekhyun asked, his face relaxed and innocent with his eyebrows risen half way up his smug face.

Alex and Ella both shoved him off the sofa at the same time. 

The next morning Alex woke early.  It was clear Ella was still asleep, and after having a long flight, and then dealing with Baekhyun, she deserved the sleep in.  Leaving her a note, she tip-toed out of the apartment to go to the gym. 

The first thing she saw as she stepped through the double doors, was Minseok and Sehun, though they did not see her.  They were in the far corner, focused on whatever workouts they were doing together.  Alex slipped in quietly onto the stepping machine.  She wasn’t deliberately trying to avoid them since she would apparently be spending the evening with them, but she was biding her time, trying to pluck up the courage to apologise for her attack on Minseok while under the influence of soju.  

She didn’t have much time to prepare, from the corner of her eye she caught Sehun looking over, and very indelicately pointing her out for Minseok, who grinned widely giggling as he clearly regaled Sehun with what had happened.  ‘,’ Alex cursed under her breath, realising now she had no choice but to approach them, or forever be humiliated by her drunken actions. 

Getting down off the stepping machine, her legs shaking a little, either from the effort she had put into the workout, of which she was out of practice, or else just from simple apprehension, she walked over to them, holding hers