I was expecting Joonmyeon’s reaction, honestly.

But it didn’t cease to fill the wilting annoyance inside of me at his wide-eyed stare, that annoyance being nourished by Baekhyun’s discomfort with the look he had been receiving all day.

“Seriously? Him?” There was nothing condescending in Joonmyeon’s tone when he pointed at Baekhyun, really; only I was able to know that; however, by the many days he forced me to spend with him. That didn’t mean Baekhyun was an expert with reading Joonmyeon’s tones, not to mention the rude way he was being pointed at by him made Baekhyun even more self-conscious about himself; as he tried to melt into my side, hiding his face in my shoulder childishly.

So cute.

He didn’t need to know I thought of him like that, though.

“Yes, him, Joonmyeon,” I sighed through my nostrils, my already annoyed self becoming even more irritated than before if that was possible. “He’s my soulmate. Him. Honestly, why does this seem so surprising to everyone?”

Joonmyeon looked at me as if I was an idiot for not understanding his point, and I stared back blankly; highly aware of the heat coming from right beside me, Baekhyun’s heat. The boy kept himself latched to me like an adorable puppy deprived from skinship and affection – but knowing him as my soulmate, I realized that he truly was deprived of affection from his parents and the people around him who thought he was an emotionless entity only for a good laugh — usually, I’m not much of a touchy-feely person, since I’m not used to it or am I comfortable with it. But for him, I was willing to allow him to soak up in my own warmth.

Which would explain why he was nuzzling himself on my left shoulder, trying to hide his larger frame behind my smaller one. Aside the burning need within him to be constantly close to me since yesterday, the constant, burning stares from everyone around campus made him uncomfortable, which wasn’t as surprising as I thought it would be considering his own popularity. He explained to me that the way everyone were staring at him now was different from how they stared at him before. These continuous stares of confusion, disgruntlement, and even condescending — because I ended up being his soulmate — made him unnerved.

“I’m surprised because you two are entirely too different characters,” Joonmyeon said in a super obvious voice, as if he thought I’d know about this as well. I ended up squinting at him harshly, daring him to insult Baekhyun. “I mean, he’s too good for you.”

I sighed through my nose, noticing the small, teasing smirk igniting on Joonmyeon’s face, while Baekhyun picked his head to look up at the boy with blinking eyes, not thinking he’d say that. Baekhyun’s warm hands wrapped around my arms sent fluttering heat down my body, and I shot him a small, soft look he didn’t notice, as he was staring at Joonmyeon rather.. strongly.

“I think you meant to say she is too good for me,” Came Baekhyun’s loyal words, and I pursed my lips together so tightly not to smile like a fool in love. Joonmyeon found Baekhyun’s sudden courage (who wouldn’t notice his cowardice with hiding behind me?) appalling, and he became the blinking guy in our table. “She’s amazing.”

I didn’t want to do it, I really didn’t; but I couldn’t help my expression from forming into a haughty one, a smug smile showing on my face that I shot Joonmyeon with. His reaction was expectable, really, as he shot me an annoyed look.

“Baekhyun, how do you handle this ball of emotion apathy?” Joonmyeon decided to attack me by shooting an uncomfortable question to Baekhyun, and the boy grew nervous instantly, his panicked eyes flitting from my face to Joonmyeon’s highly satisfied one.

“So, you’re really soulmates?” Chanyeol, whom had been incredibly too quiet the entirety of our conversation, butted in before I could order Baekhyun to be quiet about that question if he didn’t find the need and will to answer it. Baekhyun, Joonmyeon and I all turned our heads to the tall male, who was wearing an extremely confused face. Oh, right, he had came inside with Baekhyun and I, and while he had been confused of why Baekhyun and I came in together, he didn’t question it, even while he noticed the curious stares in the lurking students’ faces as well.

Baekhyun and I didn’t touch on this matter until lunch period, where Joonmyun came hurling through the cafeteria to find me, and directed all sort of questions and demands until I told him about it. Since Joonmyeon never really came to the cafeteria to eat his lunch, nonetheless sit around a filled table; the curious students connected two and two together, especially with how clingy Baekhyun had been ever since this morning.

Of course, Baekhyun and his friends would be there in my lunch table, so they had all been listening to Joonmyeon and I talk silently, not a word coming out of their half-way parted lips; until Chanyeol took the initiative.

“Um, Yeah.” Baekhyun awkwardly told his friend, his posture shrinking even more, and he melted into my side again, the look of pure nothingness on Chanyeol’s eyes terrifying the hell out of him.

“Okay, this is a lot to take in,” Chanyeol murmured, mainly to himself actually; but his naturally rumbling voice was loud, and all of us could hear him. Baekhyun sent me an anxious look, and I wanted to scold him for not telling his best friend earlier, but who was I kidding? I was just like that, I didn’t tell anyone at all. Then, Chanyeol stood up from his seat, shooting Baekhyun and I a look, before tilting his head sideways, his eyes settled on Baekhyun.

“Come, I’ll have a small word with you.” And then he was walking away, expecting the smaller boy to follow behind him.

Baekhyun gave me a clueless look, his eyes wide and panicked, and I took the arm he was clinging to out of his grip, so that I’d be able to brush his dark black locks away from his eyes, shooting him a comforting look, hoping my eyes would convey the feelings I was trying to send him.

“He’s your best friend, I know he’s not angry. He just wants to have some personal questions that I’m not sure you’ll be comfortable with answering here.” Well, I wasn’t as sure as I sounded, but from what I know of my soulmate’s best friend, he was a wonderful, reliable guy. Baekhyun’s panicked look was uncalled for, but I understood his fears. He probably thought Chanyeol was angry with him for not telling him about me.

When Baekhyun still looked distracted, I sighed and boldly wrapped my arm around his neck, so that I could pull him down and place a small kiss on the corner of his head, shooting all sorts of tingles down my lips; all the way to my body. I’m not a skinship girl, that is a given; but somehow I didn’t care that everyone was staring at me while I gave the fidgeting boy a kiss.

“C’mon, he’s waiting,” I mumbled softly in the shell of his ear. I could literally feel Baekhyun’s breathless sigh and the shudder going through his body. He was overwhelmed with my action, I could tell; more for the fact I did it in front of everybody than anything else. “It’ll be fine, I promise.”

It was only when Baekhyun gathered his courage and left towards his friend’s direction with small, mousy steps; did I give the remaining friends of his a glance. Of course, like I expected; they weren’t looking at me, an awkward sphere hanging around them and me. The tanned guy, and the two girls I memorized their faces in the back of my head easily. Truthfully, I wanted to ignore them and pretend they hadn’t heard anything from the conversations of Joonmyeon and I, and settle with talking with Joonmyeon, but once I did look at the boy, his eyes were pointing at the group with murderous intentions gleaming in them.

I scowled, knowing that he wanted me to socialize with Baekhyun’s friends and get on their right side, something I’m obviously not very good with. However, his harsh eyes kept on looking at me, and then at them; urging me to just ing get it on.

“So. What are your names?” I huffed through gritted teeth, trying to soften my eyes – that I knew were igniting with flames at being forced to do what I don’t really want to – I noticed the way they all deflated with relief, like they’ve been waiting for that question to break through the thin ice.

“Took you long enough to ask,” the tanned guy cheekily said, and my eyebrows flew to my hairlines when I realized he was joking with me. I never heard his voice speaking to me before, and now he was jesting? “A year, to be exact.”

“A year?” I was stupefied. They have been coming here to my table for a year and I still didn’t know their names?

“This is Jongin,” The girl who seemed extra worried about Baekhyun that day, told me, pointing at the tanned, cheeky guy with a soft smile, her eyes melting into a warm puddle of hot chocolate. “I’m Rina, and she’s Jooyong.” She pointed at the last girl, whom sent me a small wave with a smaller smile, her cat-like eyes seeming slightly suspicious of me. Not like I cared, she had every right to be suspicious of me, since I’m.. me.

“I’m Joonmyeon, this idiot’s best friend.” Joonmyeon all but introduced himself with a giant smile, and the girls in the table seemed to grow awkward with that; knowing what kind of reputation he had. I didn’t blame them for that either, any sane person would grow weary of Joonmyeon.

Of course, he wasn’t my best friend. I didn’t find the need to correct him though.

Just as usual, like every atmosphere I was in; the air grew awkward, intense, and extremely silent. Joonmyeon’s usually playful personality would have a restraining order around it in my presence, something that made it harder for him to.. socialize. While I, on the other hand, was born from awkwardness and anxiety themselves. I couldn’t create a nice, smooth sphere if I slaved for it days and nights; and my blank face made it exceptionally hard for people to grow some balls and talk to me. It was something that had bothered me in the past – how people found it hard to approach me, rendering me a lone wolf most of the time – but it didn’t bother me nearly as much anymore, although I still wished occasionally for others to involve me with their gossip.

“Um,” Finally, Joonmyeon dared to speak, breaking the sphere and forcing all eyes to fall on him. It’d have been uncomfortable for me if I was in his shoes. “I have a party tonight. Maybe you should come.”

Their faces brightened at the mention of a party, and the heavy air melted away like a pudding, as everyone started to talk about his party, what they should wear, and Joonmyeon’s address. I realized that it felt nice to have your friends fit in with your soulmate’s friends.

-

“Are we.. going?”

I paused in my strides towards Baekhyun’s vehicle to take a glimpse at him, sensing the strange uncertainty glowing up in both his face, and his voice.

“Going where?” I asked with surprise, trying to search my brain for the answer to his question. His facial features turned into a funny expression, his eyes looking past my figure before focusing on my face. I noticed him searching through my eyes, as if he could find something he was looking for inside of me.

“Joonmyeon’s party.” He told me with his tender voice, as he and I paused in the midst of our strides to look at one another, I kept my eyes settled on him, taking in the sweet honey brown of his iris; and having this deep, abnormal urge to kiss them.

“Do you want to go? We can stay if you don’t, I’m not much of a party person anyway.” I managed to say through my distraction from his pretty eyes, and Baekhyun’s soft-looking lips curled upwards in distaste.

“I don’t want to go, not in the mood; but Chanyeol and everyone else wanted to.”

Oh.

I didn’t get to ask about what he and Chanyeol talked about when they went away from our table; but guessing from the soft twinkling of his eyes, I understood that whatever that went between them wasn’t bad, and Baekhyun’s worry had been for nothing. I did intend to ask still, but I forgot once we started walking outside the building.

“So? We can ignore them and hang out in your apartment. Or, we can head to my house and introduce you to my family.” I said, not very much liking the idea of having to introduce him to my family, but I couldn’t postpone the inevitable too. Minseok had been dying to know the guy I spent the night with, and didn’t stop bombarding my phone with text messages. I guessed Seulgi or Sehun had filled in the details to them while I was super busy cuddling with Baekhyun to sleep.

Baekhyun’s face flashed with surprise, then panic settled real quickly; and he clutched my arms in his hands, pulling me close in the process without him realizing. But I did realize, since his face was suddenly in my personal bubble, and his body heat oozed out of him and crashed over me like a blanket of warmth in a winter day. I caught my breath in my lungs; my eyes falling on his cute, red lips that I had kissed yesterday with burning passion. I wanted to kiss him again.

“Your family? Wouldn’t Minseok kill me? Or Sehun? I remember you telling me about them and they—“

“Relax,” I pulled myself away from his grip only so that I could draw his cheeks closer to me with my hands; my palms immediately heating up at the soft texture of his skin touching mine. Baekhyun instantly relaxed at my words, closing his eyes slowly before taking the remaining steps he needed to invade whatever left of my personal bubble, dropping his head heavily on my shoulder, and wrapping his arms around my tiny waist; entirely enveloping me with his undeniable warmth. The words I had readied in my head to comfort him with all drowned inside me. “The.. I.. you shouldn’t..”

A deep, throaty chuckle came out of the boy that was holding me, noticing my embarrassment; and the blush I haven’t really had the pleasure of meeting in my life greeted me on my cheeks, my heartbeats rocketing inside my chest in an unsteady rhythm. Baekhyun — fortunately or not, I’m not really sure — let go of me so that he could look me in the eye, and I glared at him so that he wouldn’t notice my cheeks.

“Are you gonna finish your sentence?” A cheeky smirk formed on his lips, and I gaped at him in bewilderment at the playful side he just showed. I got over my shock quickly, however, and pounded my hand to his chest.

“Don’t play with me, sweetheart,” I threatened with a low-pitched sound, yet Baekhyun’s smile only grew. “I was going to say Minseok and Sehun aren’t the ones you should he worried about. It is me.”

“Really now,” He teased even more, and I didn’t know if I liked how my stare didn’t affect him, or hate he wouldn’t be easy to scare. I decided that I liked it much, much more that he wasn’t scared of me. “I can’t believe you with that, KitKat, you’re as harmless as a newborn kitten. You just had everyone else fooled by this strong mask you’re wearing.”

“You know me too much.” I dejectedly sighed, knowing from our years of talking with each other, he was able to collect tons of information about me, and knows what kind of a person I truly am. Baekhyun once again came forward to hug me in his arms, and I squirmed in discomfort a little before relaxing, leaning on his chest and taking a deep breath from the soft smell of clothes’ softer, cologne, and aftershave. He was smelling heavenly.

“By the way,” I kept the conversation going. “If you knew who I am, then why did you offer me a KitKat bar that day?”

“Oh, that.” He released a soft chuckle at the memory, his hands rubbing soothing patterns on my back, and I melted shamelessly on him. “It was a huge clue on my identity, baby, you just at catching them.”

My heart fluttered at the baby he called me with, that exact same baby I had found cliché and overused. God, I’m clearly whipped for him, and I didn’t even care that much. He was starting to thaw the ice in my heart, changing my previous No’s into Yes’s, and the worst thing that I was wholeheartedly allowing him.

Because I knew he was trustworthy, that he wasn’t going to be a disappointment as I thought he would.

“Okay, so family?” I murmured in his chest, feeling like I could stay in his arms forever and I’d be just fine, as cheesy as that sounded.

“Err,” He still sounded nervous, and I lifted my head on his chest to look up at him. He peeked down at me as well, his cheeks painting with redness. “I guess I can’t ignore it forever, and I’d rather be with you and your family than being in a party.”

Without my will, or his, actually, we started smiling at each other.

-

The ring of the bell continued to echo in my ears in the same period of time I kept my finger on the button, Baekhyun shifting between each of his feet nervously beside me, his eyes drifting from the door of my house, down to my smaller frame with frantic eyes.

He was adorable while panicked.

“Coming, coming. Sheesh, stop ringing the damn bell so much as if no one lives here.” I heard Se