Sehun knows this plan will work but it still makes him incredibly nervous. Not only that, but he feels terrible. Having to lie to his parents like this? Not to mention, the guy isn't even gay. What if they don't believe him? He sighs as he sits beside Kai, sipping tea to calm his nerves. The paid man doesn't even seem worried.

"You worry a lot, don't you?" Kai says and rests his arm along the booth behind Sehun. 

"They're my parents," he points out. "Of course I worry." As if on cue, Sehun's parents rush through the door. When they spot their son, they smile and quickly makes their way over to take a seat.

"Sehun, darling," His mother pats his head gently. Sehun forces a smile when she looks at Kai. "Who is this? A friend?"

Sehun opens his mouth to answer but Kai steps in, smiling himself. "Kim Jongin, but please, call me Kai," He introduces himself, "I'm Sehun's boyfriend." The way he said that so naturally gives Sehun the impression he must be a good actor. 

Sehun's parents stare at him and it begins to make Sehun extremely nervous. "Sehun, you have a boyfriend?" His father asks. "Since when?"

"This morning," Kai lies. "Funny story, actually. We've been friends for months- I'm surprised he's never mentioned me."

Sehun glare at Kai. "Well, you know me," He laughs nervously. "I'm...a reclusive guy."

"Our Sehun hates talking about himself; never telling anyone even the biggest news."

"And he didn't even tell you when he got his job," Kai sighs and Sehun looks at him in confusion. How did he know that? 

"No!" She huffs. "Did he tell you?"

"Are you kidding?" He scoffs. "I had to find out all by myself- only when I went in for coffee."

Sehun's father nods. "His roommate, Luhan, had to tell us!"

"Luhan," Kai repeats and slaps the table gently. "The boy loves to gossip, huh?"

"The biggest gossip I've ever met," His mother laughs. She sighs happily. "Oh, Sehun- your boyfriend is such a nice man. I'm so glad you found someone. I wish you had told us, though. I wouldn't have tried to set you up!"

Sehun clears his throat. "Y-you know me...I uh...I was just nervous you guys wouldn't like him."

"What's not to like?" His father speaks up. "The guy seems nice, funny, smart; he dresses a little strange but that's none of our business. If you're happy, we're happy."

Sehun's cheeks warm up when Kai wraps an arm around his shoulder and pulls him closer. "That's just what I love about him. Shy little Sehun," Kye chuckles. "Isn't it adorable?" 

Sehun's parents look at each other, seemingly pleased. "Well, we won't keep you, hun," His mother says as they both stand. "We're happy for you, darling. It was SO nice to meet you, Jongin!" 

"Please, call me Kai."

"Of course, sweetie," His mother waves them goodbye, even as they're outside, through the window. Sehun doesn't stop smiling until they're out of view and far enough. He groans and sets his head on the table. 

"Ugh, finally."

"They seem..." Kai pulls his arm back. He slides out of the booth and sits opposite of Sehun. "Annoying."

"They are," Sehun admits. "But, you know. they're my parents." Kai just shrugs his shoulders. "How...did you know I didn't tell them? When I got a job?" He follows when Kai motions and leads him to an outside table. He lights a cigarette, only responding after he exhales. 

"From the way you act, you don't seem the open-book type of dude," Kai explains. "People like you don't typically tell people stuff- especially their parents. You weren't very rebellious in high school, huh?"

"No," Sehun sighs. "I barely had any friends either. I...mostly kept to myself."

"An artist, right? Painter?"

Sehun scowls at him. "How did you-"

"Your hands are stained," Kai points out. When Sehun looks down at his hands he sees old paint on his pale skin. "Is it a hobby?"

"Yeah. I've been painting since I was a kid."

"Let me guess," Kai leans back in his chair. "Your parents didn't like it and you had to hide it until you became an adult and moved out?" Sehun stares at Kai in awe.

"You're good."

Kai's laugh is deep and he seems unsurprised. "I spend most of my free time in a club, watching people; observing them. I haven't got anything else to do, really."

"You...don't have any friends?" Sehun frowns, a bit sad about that.

"Not many," Kai shakes his head. "One or two but it's fine. I like my solitude." There's a mysterious air about Kai. Like he has a lot of secrets or maybe he seems kind of lonely. In a way, he reminds Sehun of himself. While Sehun loves to spend time with his friend or his roommate, he also likes to be alone times. Spending his time painting. His headphones in and his favorite music blasting; he doesn't have to worry about entertaining anyone. Just be himself. "Hey, why don't you show me some of your work?'

Sehun looks up. "Huh?"

Kai motions towards his hands. "You paint, right? Why not show me?"

"I..." Sehun blushes. "I don't paint...infront of people."

Kai stands up and shrugs. "Then just show me stuff you already painted. We'll learn about each other while we walk; we'll need to if your parents will keep believing us."

Sehun watches him carefully. He grabs his jacket, sliding it on before joining him. "You have a point."

"So let's start with simple ," Kai begins. "Favorite color?"

"White," Sehun answers, leading Kai to the direction of his apartment. Luhan should be in China by now, so it'll be empty. 

"Wow, boring," Kai snorts and Sehun frowns.

"White isn't boring," he says. "It's like an empty canvas. It's empty but it has hundreds, if not thousands of possibilities. You can do anything with the color white."

"Fair enough,"

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Kai huffs.

Sehun stops to unlock his apartment door. "I should get to know you too." He can't see Kai's expression, but he remains silent for a minute. 

"Blue."

Sehun laughs as he sets peels his jacket off and hangs it up. He tosses his keys on the kitchen counter, leading Kai inside. "I wasn't expecting that."

"What were you expecting?"

Sehun shrugs. "You don't dress like your favorite color is blue."

"You don't dress like your favorite color is white. You look like you like...I don't know, the rainbow."

Sehun takes two water bottles from the fridge and hands him one. He takes a brief second to read the message Luhan left on their whiteboard. He talks about how he shopped before he left, leaving plenty of food for Sehun. Luhan tells him to eat properly and that he'll bring home souvenirs. "What can I do with a rainbow?" He responds. "Rainbows are already complete..."

"What? You don't like rainbows?" Kai snickers and Sehun assumes it as a subtle gay joke. But he doesn't feel like it was supposed to be offensive.

"No, they're boring." Sehun heads down the hall, towards his bedroom. It's a bit boring since he doesn't spend a lot of time in here. The walls are white and the flooring is wooden. His bed is always made and his laundry always folded. Aside from his bed, he has one or two paintings hung up, two nightstands, a dresser and bookshelf that Kyungsoo had boughten him when he first moved in. Luhan's room is a lot more filled out. With posters and decorations everywhere. Sehun is surprised Luhan didn't take this room for himself; due to the small balcony beside Sehun's bed. But when he asked, Luhan says it seems like a nice place for a painter. Which he is not. Although he's tried; making a strange, childish panting of a house.

"You're kind of plain, huh?" Kai says after examining the room.

"I don't know," Sehun admits. "I don't spend much time here. Only to sleep or get dressed. If I'm home, I'm in the living room or on the balcony, painting. I don't think it really...represents me."

"Again, fair enough."

Sehun opens his closet up and glances over at Kai. He seems a bit judgmental. Maybe not judgment but quick to assume or to judge a book by it's over. On the other hand, a person's room and clothing usually reflects who they are. So he can't really blame the guy. He pulls out one of his old paintings, setting it against his bed. "I get too shy to paint in front of people, so I always use pictures as a reference." He pulls out another one, a more fresh one. "This one is for Baekhyun and his upcoming anniversary."

Kai walks over to observe it. He takes a step back and tilts his head, crossing his arms. "You've got talent, that's for sure," He compliments. "It's a painting of Baekhyun and his boyfriend, right? That big guy?"

"Chanyeol," Sehun says for him. "Their anniversary is in two weeks and this is all I can afford," He admits. "It'll look GREAT beside Kyungsoo and Junmyeon's expensive presents," He says sarcastically.

"You can go buy someone a painting as a gift," Kai starts to explain. "But how often do you get things specifically made like this? Just for you? Friends don't have a price tag, kiddo." Sehun crosses his arms, pouting at the nickname. But Kai has a point. It won't make him feel any better about it but he's right. "Maybe you should try painting someone for once."

"No, I can't," Sehun sighs as he sits on the edge of his bed. "I've already tried."

"Even someone as handsome as me?" Kai asks playfully, giving him a wink. It causes Sehun to blush and look away. His eyes are bit intense, making them hard to look at. Everything about Kai is intense and bold. He's everything he's not used too either. Confident, wild, and dangerous looking. He looks like he lives the most exciting life and Sehun lives the world's most boring one. But he has an idea that somehow, during this coming year, Kai's about to make his life a whole lot more interesting. 

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Sorry for the short chapter! Things will really pick up soon, I promise!