"WAIT, WHAT?" Sehun and Minseok both shouted, making Junmyeon flinch and clasp both of his hands on his ears. He turned a bright shade of red as everyone in the cafe turned silent to stare at the three boys. 

This was a bad idea. I should have told them at the dorm. 

"Let me get this straight. YOU, Mr. 'I've-never-dated-in-my-life', is going out with Bae Irene?" Sehun gaped and sat up straighter, voice considerably lower. 

"How the hell did YOU manage that?" Minseok gasped, eyes wide and mouth open. 

"Wow, thank you for the boost of confidence, my friends. I'm glad you both think we're in each other's leagues." Junmyeon set his hands down. "Besides, did you not hear what I said? It's a bunch of fake dates. She's going to show me the ropes to dating so I can finally ask Yoona out. You guys know how much I've always wanted to ask her out." he blushed and stirred his unsipped coffee, trying hard to ignore the result of the mere name of hers causing an explosion of butterflies in his stomach.

Minseok and Sehun stared at Junmyeon incredulously. They knew he pined over Yoona. No secrets were ever left out between the three. They knew the moment they had caught him staring at Yoona during lunch time, eyes wide and food untouched, lost in his own little bubble that he was in deep. Not long after, the two friends had managed to get it out of him. They had even went as far to persuade him to go after her for the first two years of college but when they later realized he wasn't going to out of fear, they stopped. He'll ask her out when he's ready, they figured.

But this.....this was different. Junmyeon was going to go out with the girl everyone around campus spoke about. The one that everyone wanted but couldn't manage to get. She possesed a cold aura to her which intimidated many and a large part of that was because of the deadly stare she gave to any man that even came near her, let alone speak to her. Hell, she even seemed closed off to the girls around campus, saved for two or three which she was sometimes seen hanging out with so this was a big deal. How on earth had friendly, geeky Kim Junmyeon managed to do what no-one else had done with absolutely no effort whatsoever? How could it be that she was the one who came up with the idea? There was no way they were going to stop pestering him about it.

"You're lying right? This has got to be some sort of a joke. There's a hidden camera here somewhere, I just know it." Sehun looked around the cafe dramatically searching for a non existent camera as Junmyeon rolled his eyes. "I don't believe you." He concluded after finding none. 

Junmyeon said nothing and continued to sip his coffee. He didn't expect his friends to have this sort of a reaction because to him, it wasn't that much of a big deal. The whole fake-dates issue was merely a learning curve, nothing special or worth dramatising. If anything, he felt slightly embarassed to tell the truth; afterall this was only happening because he didn't know how to date and lacked in that area. How does one go about bragging about that? To him, a big deal would be sharing the news that he was going out on a date with Yoona but he had doubts his own friends would have made it as big a deal as much as they made this one.

Minseok was the first to calm down and come to terms with the news after a full ten minutes of the two boys exclaiming their disbelief back and forth.

"I gotta say, I never would have expected this in a million years, but....... I'm happy for you, Junmyeon." he smiled softly, his eyes still filled with the remnants of slight shock. "I hope you finally get to experience what dating is like. It's amazing."

"Thanks, Minseokie." He was happy atleast one of his friends believed him. 

Sehun was next. It took him a little longer but he finally came through.

"I'm happy for you too, Junmyeon. Sure, I'm still shocked as hell, I mean if you told me something ridiculous like I wasn't the iest person on campus, I'd find it easier to believe but this- this is pretty cool." Junmyeon smirked. Typical Sehun.

"If she dumps you, please send her my way."

Junmyeon almost choked on his coffee.

--------------------------------------------

By the time, Junmyeon left the cafe to go to class, he never wanted to hear Irene's name again. He heard it enough. Unlike everyone else, including his friends, he wasn't fascinated about Irene the way they were. Sure, she was beautiful, but she was weird and certainly no Yoona. The only reason he agreed to the dates was because it would benefit him.

Junmyeon thought of the fake dates like experiments where he could learn alot of things from. He would be able to see and learn first-hand the rights and wrongs of dating through a method which didn't include 'actually dating' so it meant no strings were attached. No added emotions or feelings would be included which was perfect. 

He and Irene decided the first experiment date would be five days from the day they decided to do the deal. It was on a weekend where Junmyeon had no assignments and Irene---well, he never knew what she got up to or whether she even did her work. It was hard getting her to stay on track when he would tutor her because she would end up asking him questions completely unrelated to the topic.  They made a plan to meet up at the library since it was their mutual meeting place (thanks to the tutoring sessions) and take it from there. Irene was in charge of everything else. 'All you have to do is be present' she said. 

Junmyeon had to mentally prepare himself for it in five days.

----------------------------------------------

"Myeonie" 

Silence. 

"Myeonieeeeeee" Sehun said louder. 

Silence. 

"Junmyeon." 

"What?" 

"Wow, you really not going to answer everytime I call you that?" 

"Only my mother gets to call me that. Are you my mother? No." 

"Well, I could be, if you have a mommy kink." Sehun wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and winked while Junmyeon muttered a disgusted "I need to get a new best friend." 

They were relaxing for the rest of their afternoon in Sehun's dorm room. Minseok had gone out with his boyfriend Jongdae to celebrate their first anniversary so it was just the two of them. Sehun lay on his own bed while Junmyeon sat on the only chair in the room. It wasn't the most comfortable chair but Junmyeon preferred it over sitting on the floor (Sehun had once told him how he had gone to third base with a girl on his bedroom floor) or on Sehun's roommate's Jongin's bed. There was just something wrong with sitting on a man's bed without his permission. 

"What if she's using you?" Sehun said suddenly. He had been staring at the ceiling in silence for the past ten minutes while Junmyeon had been reading a classic Charles Dickens book.

"What are you talking about?"

"Irene. What if she's using you?"

Junmyeon put a bookmark on the page he had stopped at and closed the book, turning his full body towards Sehun. He had a slight frown on his face. 

"What do you mean, Sehun? Why would she be using me?" He was confused and his tone was evidence of it. 

Sehun took a deep breath and sat up. He had been thinking about this since last night. At first when he heard Junmyeon was going out with Irene, he had been shocked. He'd be lying if he had said he didn't feel envious of his friend but that quickly disappeared after he heard Baekhyun was single and ready to date again. Baekhyun was a catch Sehun tried hard to get and so far, it looked promising. He felt happy for his friend for bagging a beautiful girl like Irene even if it was in the means of a few fake dates. Which person in their right mind would pass up on having their first dates with someone as beautiful as Irene? Junmyeon had struck gold and won the jackpot and Sehun couldn't be happier for his friend. 

He had tried to get with Irene a couple of times but it proved to be fruitless each and every time. 'Maybe she just hates college kids', Sehun had thought when he had failed to catch her attention. God knows there were too many rumours about her breaking hearts and using older men for her own selfish needs to rule out the fact that she didn't date anyone and that's exactly what caused the sudden worry in Sehun's mind. He worried for his innocent friend. The one who had never gone out with anyone before. The one who was too kind for his own good. Suddenly all the rumours bombarded him. If word on the campus was she was a heartbreaker, what if she did that to Junmyeon? What if she was using him for her own needs like everyone says she normally does? 

"It's just......." Sehun sighed. "Look, I told you that Irene doesn't have a good reputation, right?" 

Junmyeon nodded. He wasn't a judgmental person. He never believed in rumours until he saw evidence or heard confirmation for himself. 

"I heard she breaks hearts." 

"There's no feelings involved in this, Sehun. She can't go breaking my heart if I'm not into her." 

Sehun hummed in agreement. He knew Junmyeon only had his heart set on Yoona. 

"I heard she uses a lot of people."

"What on earth could she use me for? I have nothing apart from student loans." 

They both cracked a smile at that and Sehun's mood seemed lighter.

"You know rumours doesn't bother me, Sehun. I'll be fine." Junmyeon said softly.

"Yeah, I know. Just be careful, bro." 

Junmyeon thought carefully about Sehun's words. It was true, he had nothing worth being used for. He wasn't rich nor insanely popular. Sure, his name was mentioned around campus but that was only for being clever and hard working. No-one would date him just to have something to brag about because it really wasn't something to brag about in the first place. Junmyeon inwardly smiled at the thought of Sehun's worry for him. Sehun rarely ever worried. He was the most laid back person Junmyeon had ever known so to have Sehun worrying for him left him touched. He didn't think Sehun worried for himself as much as he worried for Junmyeon.

"Awww, you really care about me"

Sehun nodded solemnly. 

"You know I'd go gay for you, bro. Just ask. I'd leave everything and everyone. Clothes ripped, out.The whole works."

"You'd do it even if I didnt ask. I mean, you do it anyway. I've seen your  more than I'd like to admit." Junmyeon practically gagged. 

Sehun had no shame or care infront of anyone much less Junmyeon and Minseok. He was confident in his body and it showed everytime he stripped infront of his two friends. It wasn't like Jumyeon hadn't ever gotten  infront of them, but that wasn't to say he stripped at every chance he got unlike his friend. He shuddered as he thought of the first time he was exposed, a game of 'tag-you're-it' lead to Sehun chasing him around Minseok's backyard. Sehun was always overly competitive and liked to play dirty. He couldn't rest until he had tagged Junmyeon and made him 'it', even if it meant pulling Junmyeon's pants down in the process and exposing his bare to slow him down from running. 

"Yeah but its nice to get asked every now and again, you know?" he mumbled back with a sigh.

Junmyeon resisted the urge to smile and opened up on the calender app on his phone to check the date: 2 more days left. 

------------------------------------------------

A series of buzzes diverted his attention from his book breaking the peaceful silence in the room. He was sitting on top of his bed on a Friday night at 10:00 o'clock continuing the Charles Dicken's book he still hadn't managed to finish off because of the amount of assignments given to him. This was his free time and he intended to enjoy every last bit of it. He deserved it after spending the last two days and nights researching and typing away to ensure his assignment was as best as it could be in the limited time his professor had given. 

Sehun, Jongin, Minseok and Jongdae had gone off (after trying hard and failing to get Junmyeon out of the dorm) to a local club which was located near the campus. It was a small but trendy club which mainly made money on fridays and saturdays when the influx of students would come lining up to 'refresh their minds after a stressful time' as Sehun would say which also happened to be his excuse for wanting to go to the club this time round too. Junmyeon wasn't sure why Sehun of all people would say that when he hardly ever did his work on time. He was a pro at sweet talking his way out. It didn't help the professor was a woman who liked her men younger and saw something in Sehun that Junmyeon couldn't comprehend. She liked Sehun and he used it to her advantage, getting extensions on his deadlines just by batting his eyelashes and giving his professor a sweet smile.

Junmyeon closed his book to check his phone. A new number he didn't recognize along with a series of messages was staring at him. 

Message from: 010-8280-7052 

-Wear something comfortable but presentable tomorrow. 

-On second thoughts, don't-

-I have a fear you'll come rocking up in a suit and tie or something.

[sent at 10.02pm]

Junmyeon rolled his eyes. He knew who it was already. The 'tomorrow' was a dead giveaway not to mention the shade that was thrown at him. He decided to add her name to his contacts first before replying, spending a few seconds debating on what to save her on his contacts as before saving her as a simple 'Bae'. They weren't close enough to be on first name basis yet since they were technically still strangers to one another and it felt weird to call her Tutor Girl. Before he could even type out a response to her, another series of buzzes interrupted him. 

From: Bae

-Wear something nice & light

-MayB borrow some clothes from ur friends since u don't seem to own any nice ones

[sent at 10.03pm]

From: Junmyeon

-First of all, hello to you too. 

[sent at 10.04pm]

-Second of all, insulting my clothes will only make me want to wear them more to spite you. Besides my clothes are 'comfortable'.

-Third of all: Why does it matter what I'm wearing tomorrow? Where are we going? 

[sent at 10:05pm]

Junmyeon couldn't pinpoint where his openess was coming from. He was normally reserved and shy (even on text) but he felt it was nonexistent when he was texting Irene. For some reason, he felt comfortable with her and liked to annoy her back the way she annoyed him.

From: Bae

-First of all, why are u texting like this? I didn't realize this was an essay. U realize texts are supposed to be less formal right? 

[sent at 10.06pm]

-Second of all, since I'm unfortunately going to have to stare at you tomorrow, I don't want to be gagging at the sight of your clothes like I internally do during tutor sessions. Have mercy on me, this time round

[sent at 10.06pm]

From: Junmyeon

Since you said please so kindly, I'll be sure to definitely wear my most embarassing clothes tomorrow. 

[sent at 10:07pm]

Junmyeon smirked and added an extra smiley face emoji.

From: Bae

-.

-Remember YOU need me

-If you dress up in embarassing clothes, I'm searching up the nearest zoo so I can throw your to the hungry lions to be eaten.

-It's what you'll deserve

[sent at 10:09pm]

Irene added a smiley face emoji for extra measure and Junmyeon cracked a smile at that as he leaned back to lie down on his bed. The mental image of a small and petite Irene throwing him to the lions for wearing ugly clothes amused him immensely. He would pay to see it happen. He decided to do something he never did and play around with her. This also counted as a learning curve, right?

From: Junmyeon

-How did you get my number? 

-If you were that desperate for it, you could have just asked.

[sent at 10:10pm]

From: Bae

-I realize that's a wet dream of yours but sorry, it didn't happen that way

[sent at 10:10pm]

Junmyeon blushed. This was new terrority for him. He had never really texted a girl before (or spoken to any, for that matter, for anything that wasn't educational) let alone talk text one talking about his fantasies, even though he knew Irene meant it as a joke. Junmyeon thought about it for a minute. He could easily stop this conversation or continue it. He decided to go out of his comfort zone and replied with shaky fingers. 

From: Junmyeon

-You wish you could appear in one of mine.

[sent at 10:13pm]

From: Bae

-You took ages to reply

-I'm totally convinced you envisioned me in a fantasy just now

[sent at 10:14pm]

From: Junmyeon

-That would be very brave of you since I really didn't and would never like to.

-Sorry to break it to you but, you, are not my type.

[sent at 10:15pm]

From: Bae 

-I wouldn't wanna act in one of yours anyway tbh

-Bet you bust a nut over the periodic table in your dreams

-That's not something worth starring in

[sent at 10:15pm]

Junmyeon laughed out loud before quickly trying to smother his laughter by putting his hand over his mouth. Somehow he felt like Irene had won this round. She wasn't that far off. There was something seriously y about someone who could recite the full periodic table without looking at a book. He knew only one person who could and he felt his mind wander off to the time a talent show was held by the school and Yoona had taken part by reciting the periodic table by heart. Sehun yawned and had fallen asleep on Junmyeon's shoulder halfway through and Minseok was too busy concentrating on the fly sitting on the head of the person sitting infront of them but Junmyeon....Junmyeon was enthralled. No-one else had managed to captivate his attention at the talent show like she did. 

From: Bae

-Your silence speaks volumes

-Back to the original question

-Your friend gave your number

-The blonde, tall one with the resting face who looks like he's in Top Model

[sent at 10: 19pm]

From: Junmyeon

-Wow.

-Sehun really gave it to you? 

-That's kind of hard to believe since he's the type to slyly give you his own number instead.

[sent at 10:20pm]

This time it was Irene's turn to take a while to reply. He waited patiently until he saw little bubbles appear on his phone which indicated she was replying. Strangely, he felt a little elated that she was still replying to him. 

From: Bae

-Well, I may or may not have stolen his phone when he wasn't looking during lunch

[sent at 10:24pm]

From: Junmyeon

-Ha-Ha. Very funny. 

-It was Minseok wasn't it? 

[sent at 10:25pm]

From: Bae

-Maybe. 

-Anyways I need to go out now so I guess I'll see you tomorrow

[sent at 10:25pm]

From: Junmyeon

-Have fun and be safe

[sent at 10:26pm]

Junmyeon cringed at his reply. He sounded like a parent. He was too used to saying that to Sehun and Minseok. He quickly typed another message.

-I think I'll head to sleep now anyway

[sent at 10:26pm]

As if that was any better. He rolled his eyes at himself. 

From: Bae 

-You realize it's a friday night, right?

[sent at 10:27pm]

From: Junmyeon

-I'm aware, yes. Why?

[sent at 10:27pm]

From: Bae

-Uhhh... just that normal people would be out partying or something but now I'm thinking I should've known better

-Every princess needs their beauty sleep, I guess.

[sent at 10:28pm]

From: Junmyeon

-I would say you should take notes but everyone knows what the beast is like

[sent at 10:28pm]

Talking to Irene felt a little like joking around with Sehun and Minseok. It was comfortable and.....felt nice. 

From: Bae 

-You wound me

-Night, . Have dreams of me

[sent at 10:29pm]

From: Junmyeon 

-I'm going to have to take a pass on that, I don't want nightmares

-Goodnight, Irene.

[sent at 10:29pm]

From: Bae

-Night, Johnny

[sent at 10:29pm]

From: Junmyeon

-It's J U N M Y E O N 

[sent at 10:30pm]

From: Bae

-Goodnight, J U N M Y E O N

[sent at 10:30pm]

That night, Junmyeon found himself smiling before he fell asleep.