Seungwan tried not to notice as Soojung sighed for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. They were sitting in one of the empty lecture halls that evening after classes and had already gone through a few poems but clearly they weren’t to Soojung’s satisfaction as she kept sighing and turning in her seat like she was bored and frustrated.

Kyungsoo and Seungwan were all up for working on the presentation, but after a whole day of classes, they were a little exhausted and Seungwan couldn't get herself to fully immerse in the activity. And even though she had no problem with the English poems Soojung was asking them to read, she hadn't read any of them before and neither had Kyungsoo, it appeared. They both still tried their best to follow through, but even they were a little frustrated because they were somehow not hitting the right note with any of them. She was about to tell Soojung to just take her place instead when she heard the girl read out the name to the next poem, “Having A Coke With You”

“Oh, I like this one”, Kyungsoo said and Seungwan smiled, because she’d read it before too.

"You people know the drill right? One line each. And please remember, occasional eye contact is very important. You need to.....entrance the audience", Soojung explained to them, dramatically spreading her hands to which they both nodded.

"Having a coke with you – “, Kyungsoo started, glancing at Seungwan. "- Is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona"

"Partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian", Seungwan continued, the words rolling out perfectly from .

"Partly because of my love for you-", Kyungsoo looked up as he said the words, and as their eyes met, for a second she stopped breathing. It felt as if he’d meant those words as he’d said them and her heart started thumping looking at him, at the earnestness in his doe eyes. He swallowed and continued. " - Partly because of your love for yoghurt"

She had to force herself to look away. Focus! "P-Partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches"

"Partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary", Kyungsoo smiled, his expression softening.

"It is hard to believe when I’m with you, that there can be anything as.......still”

As they read on, Seungwan felt like she was in another world, a world that only had her and Kyungsoo in it.

"And the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint", Kyungsoo chuckled lightly and Seungwan beamed as she read the next line. "You suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them"

 "I look at you – “, His gaze found her’s again," - and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world"

Seungwan was sure that if we she was standing, she would have wobbled at the intensity of his gaze. Their eyes remained locked for some moments, until Seungwan finally looked away, taking a deep breath. Since when had he started having such a profound effect on her? Or maybe it's always been like that, she thought. Only she had been fooling herself that he didn't.

The next few lines passed in a daze. Seungwan felt like his eyes were magnets and she was falling in deeper and deeper into an abyss she didn't want to come out of. Like the words they said, meant and felt so much more than just scribbled elements of speech on paper.

"And what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them"

"When they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank...."

They were so in sync now, that a person observing them could never have guessed they were the same people who couldn't even look each other in the eye straight, a few weeks ago.

"It seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience"

"Which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I’m telling you about it", Kyungsoo ended the poem and they both looked out the window. It had started raining, and it felt like it was announcing something to them. That this was exactly where they were meant to end up all along. Along with the pitter-patter of raindrops, they shared a silence that spoke volumes in itself, bringing on a serenity with only their heartbeats echoing in their ears.

_

Taeyeon scolded herself for the umpteenth time that day for frowning, as she checked her cell phone and didn't find any notifications from her father. Why do I keep bothering, when he doesn't care? She didn't know why but a small part of her always had this strange flicker of hope, every birthday and every Christmas that maybe he would remember and wish her this time. She hated herself for it.

Group: Media Society

Real-PCY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRRHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR TAEYEON SUNBAE! HAPPY CHOGIWAH TO YOU! HEHEHEHEHE

ChenChen: Happy Birthday Taeyeon sunbae! May you have many more!

Kyungsoo123: Happy Birthday 🙂 Have a good one.

Real-PCY: Weeeee're sooooo happy for youuuuu!

Xiu-BaoZi: Happy Birthday Taeyeon shii! Are you okay, Chanyeol?

ChenChen: Plz don't mind him, he's drunk.

Kyungsoo123: What?

Taeyeon opened the group chat and smiled seeing the birthday wishes. She hadn't been able to meet them during the day at uni due to their different schedules, but she was glad they still remembered.

Taeyeon_ss: Thankyou everyone 🙂

Taeyeon_ss: What happened to Chanyeol?

Real-PCY: Nothing...weeeeheee.....I'm just celebratingggggg on youuuuuuurrr behalf! ChogiCheers!

ChenChen: We are out with Baekhyun to get arrangements done for tomorrow's party, He’s booking a karaoke now. Chanyeol here decided to get a few drinks it appears.

Xiu-BaoZi: @ChenChen Why didn’t you stop let him?

ChenChen: What am I? His babysitter?

Kyungsoo123: Why is he still on his mobile? Take it from him!

ChenChen: I'm trying! He isn't letting me! This giant istg! I wonder how much longer Baek's going to take, I seriously cannot deal with his tantrums any longer!

Real-PCY: Helloooooo Kyungiieee! Wat's cracking?

Kyungsoo123: Your neck if you don’t stop drinking.

Taeyeon wondered if Baekhyun was managing well on his own. He had told her he would get all the arrangements done, she need not worry and much to her disappointment had completely refused to take her with him when she asked. She hadn't insisted seeing as she would only be a liability. Why did I have to get myself injured!

Suhorang: What the hell Chanyeol? Stop him right now Chen!

ChenChen: Why don't you come and try do that, hyung?! I am exhausted already.....

Suhorang: Happy Birthday Taeyeon shii!

Taeyeon_ss: Thankyou Suho.

Taeyeon_ss: Does anyone know where Lay is right now? Can’t reach him.

XiuBao-Zi: He went out the dorm an hour ago. Isn't he with you @Suhorang?

Suhorang: Yeah we are out shopping in Hongdae. He went off in a different direction a little while ago...

ChenChen: We are at Hongdae too, hyung! The same bar that we visited last time! Plz come here and help me!

Suhorang: Fine......

Real-PCY: Anyyyywayys, whattt do you want as Chogi gift Taeyeonieeeee subabbbbbe?

Taeyeon couldn't help chuckling at Chanyeol's old 'Chogi' jokes. It reminded her of their conversations back in High School. Maybe not a lot had changed.

Taeyeon_ss: Right now I just want you to stop drinking, Chanyeol. You’re going to have a really bad hangover dude.

Real-PCY: OOOOOooohhh! I get ittt! Why did lijkhb even ask?

Kyungsoo123: You're giving me a headache Chanyeol. Without even being here physically!

Real-PCY: I guess I'll just pack up Baekhyun and give him to you sunbae! I know that's what you really want hehe 😉

Taeyeon felt her cheeks heat up, despite herself.

ChenChen: LOL Chanyeol!

Suhorang: I'm here you troll!

Suhorang: I'm talking to you, Jongdae! Look behind yourself!

ChenChen: What?

Taeyeon_ss: What's going on?

Suhorang: Chen here may or may not have been posing to be Chanyeol. He definitely has the guy’s mobile in his hands.

XiuBao-Zi: LOL Jongdae! You should get an award!

What?! 

Taeyeon_ss: Was it you all along, Chen? Seriously?

ChenChen: No, I just took it, I swear! You people told me to!

Taeyeon_ss: Getting very comfortable with me, aren't you?

ChenChen: No sunbae. I was just kidding. Peace 🙂

Taeyeon smirked, seeing the message from Jongdae and decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. .

Taeyeon_ss: Well too late. I just asked Luna to come join us at the party tomorrow.........

Park Sunyoung (Luna) was Jongdae's classmate and Taeyeon had gotten acquainted with her last year when they’d both been in the Debate Society. She was a really nice girl, but scary if someone got on her nerves (which Jongdae had somehow) something Taeyeon had come to know about recently. Now Jongdae tried his best to stay away from Sunyoung not wanting to get himself beaten, unless interaction was of absolute necessity and Taeyeon knew Jongdae would flip if she invited her.

ChenChen: What?! No!!!!!

Taeyeon_ss: Haha. Just kidding. What's the deal with you two anyway?

XiuBao-Zi: Jongdae got drunk when we went out to celebrate after the elections and blabbered about having a crush on her and then passed out on her shoulder 😀

ChenChen: Hyung! I swear I'm going to eat all your steamed buns once I reach the dorm!

Taeyeon_ss: So that was you huh? LOL. Good luck though. She might be scary but she'll forgive you if you apologize sincerely.

ChenChen: Really? Thanks for the tip sunbae 🙂

Real-PCY: Kyungiiieee whyyyy don't you go see Whhheeenndy, she'll take away youuuurrr head pain....

Suhorang: Oh no! He's woken up....

Kyungsoo123: We need to have a talk tomorrow, Chanyeol.

ChenChen: *Kyungsoo sharpening his knives* LOL

XiuBao-Zi: Don't bring him to the dorm plz! I don't want bloodshed here! 😀

They are still the same, Taeyeon smiled thinking. Just then she received an instant message from Baekhyun.

Baekjerk: Can you tell me the approximate head count for tomorrow? Any extra people you're inviting? Lay hyung already told me about Sehun and Yerim.

Me: I invited Hyuk, Tiffany and Yuri apart from our immediate friends. Lay's with you?

Baekjerk: Yeah, he was in the vicinity so I asked him for some help.

Me: Okay.

Taeyeon was actually planning to talk to Baekhyun, but decided to delay it considering he was still busy.

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

A/N: What did you guys think? A shorter chapter but I'll be updating the next one soon, so stay tuned. 'Having A Coke With You' is one of my all-time favorite poems and I'd really wanted to write something with this poem in it and so I did! I hope it came out good :)