Kyungsoo was so tired, he had barely made it up to the apartment, so Jongin had let him have the bathroom first. Jongin would probably not get a story read by Kyungsoo tonight, but he had gotten something much more lovely. His brain had their kiss on constant reruns, he could not stop thinking about it.

Kyungsoo was taking an awfully long time in the bathroom. When Jongin couldn't wait any longer, he softly tapped on the bathroom door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, this time a little bit harder, but still there was no answer. He started getting worried, so with his pulsating heart in his throat, he very slowly opened the door.

It creaked ominously. Jongin expected Kyungsoo to blow up on him at any time, slamming the door in his face for being so inconsiderate as to walk in on him while he was doing his toilet-type-things. But nothing happened.

Jongin stuck his head inside, finally letting his overused breath out at the sight of Kyungsoo, sitting on top of the closed toilet, sleeping with his toothbrush still in his mouth.

Jongin could almost hear himself swooning. That was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Kyungsoo was so fast asleep, his head was bobbing up and down, his beautiful face more relaxed than ever before. Poor guy. He had been working so hard, no wonder he was exhausted. Jongin felt a wave of pride well up inside him. Kyungsoo really was an amazing guy. He had clearly been having a hard time, but instead of complaining, he even agreed to host dinner to set Sehun and Suho up, just because Jongin had asked him to.

Jongin watched Kyungsoo's closed eyes, his delicate eyelashes resting peacefully on the lower eyelids, a serene look on his face. And then he realized what it was that he was feeling. Maybe, just maybe, he had fallen in love with Kyungsoo. And maybe, possibly, hopefully, Kyungsoo loved him back? Or at least, liked him? He felt a pang of desperation as he tried to figure out the likelihood of Kyungsoo accepting his feelings.

Jongin took a deep breath, tiptoed over to Kyungsoo and carefully picked him up. He wasn't that heavy. Come to think of it, Kyungsoo had lost a lot of weight recently. Had he been that stressed out? Poor, little thing. Jongin held him tight in his arms, as he carried him into Jongin's bedroom. He was going to have to pay more attention to him. Like Kyungsoo always seemed to take care of him, Jongin was going to have to take care of Kyungsoo. He had always thought Kyungsoo was so strong, a rock that could withstand anything, but holding him in his arms, he could feel he was just as human as he was. Even a rock couldn't withstand the pressure of a thousand waves.

Jongin gently laid him down in his bed and tugged him in, tightly. And then for the longest while, he just stood there, watching him sleep.

The next couple of days were insane for Kyungsoo, he didn't even come home, and Jongin was pretty sure he hadn't slept a wink either.

The night of the opening Jongin spent hours choosing the right clothes to wear, and doing his hair just right. He wanted to look good for Kyungsoo. But apparently Kyungsoo was more popular than he had imagined, the place was packed with people, and there was even a line outside of people waiting to get in. Kyungsoo was so busy, he didn't even have time to say hi to him. He looked cool though. A professional hotshot chef with a face like a stoic statue, magnificent but slightly somber.

Everyone was raving about the food. Since the restaurant was so tiny, the tables had been removed and it was a standing hors d'oeuvre kind of thing. And Kyungsoo had prepared all kinds of things to sample, each and every bite better than the previous, taking your mouth on a true adventure.

Somehow Kyungsoo managed to be in a hundred places at once. He had one foot in the kitchen, making sure there was enough food and that everything was being prepared properly. Thankfully, he had given up and taken Jongin's suggestion about hiring some help for the evening. And then he was mingling, being sure to say hi to every guest that came through his door. Every single one, except Jongin. Jongin couldn't helpt but feel a little hurt and ignored, but he tried to convince himself that he was so special to Kyungsoo that Kyungsoo was comfortable enough to ignore him, without worrying about the consequences.

Jongin was awestruck. Kyungsoo was so courteous and proper, no matter who stood in front of him. He was a true star. Here was a guy that was clearly more introverted than a shy turtle who spent its whole life inside its shell, and communicating with people obviously cost him a lot, and yet he persevered and went after his dreams, no matter the cost. He inspired Jongin to do the same. From now on, Jongin was going to become even more serious about his future dancing career. He was going to make Kyungsoo as proud of him, as he was of Kyungsoo. He promised himself that.

The opening night had created quite the buzz in the foodie world. Kyungsoo didn't want to deal with the endless stream of phone calls, trying to get a reservation, so he just unplugged the phone and decided not to offer reserved tables. And so, there was a line outside his restaurant every single day. Some people showed up early in the morning to get a good spot in line. It was so popular, it even ended up in the news. The idol chef, Kyungsoo was called, for his good looks and popularity. He already had a fanclub and everything.

Jongin tried not to get jealous, but he ended up joining the fancafe, just to keep an eye on things. But it was clear that Kyungsoo was no longer the best kept secret in the world. The secret was out, and everyone wanted a piece of him. Jongin realized that if he wanted to keep him, he was going to have to confess his feelings for him. Sooner rather than later.

But that was easier said than done. After the opening, they kept such different hours that they rarely saw each other anymore. Kyungsoo came home later and later, and since Jongin had promised himself to shine bright enough for Kyungsoo to notice him, he went out extra early in the morning to get in some practice before classes.

He was starting to really miss Kyungsoo. He missed how things were before. When it was just the two of them, awkwardly figuring out how to live together. When he agreed to this arranged marriage deal, he would have never believed he would end up wishing Kyungsoo was home more. That he missed him reading for him every night. That he even missed how annoyingly he was when it came to cleaning and organizing the home.

Things couldn't go on like this forever. He had to do something.

“Welcome home.” Jongin forced his tired eyes to stay open.

“Why haven't you gone to sleep yet?!” Kyungsoo gasped. It was the middle of the night. Jongin had decided to wait up for him, to finally confess to him that he liked him, and that he missed him and wanted to spend more time with him.

“I.. uhm... I have something to tell you.” Jongin announced.

Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks and just stared at him. Ah, he had missed the way that little weirdo looked at him. He always made him feel special. Jongin couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but Kyungsoo had this odd way of making him feel nervous and calm at the same time.

“So ehm... I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now...”. Pearls of cold sweat popped out of Jongin's forehead. This was harder than he thought it would be. After all, they were only words. Why was it like trying to push a huge truck up a steep mountain?

“I ... I... “.

“You...?” Kyungsoo repeated, trying to help him continue the sentence. He looked kind of intrigued, but at the same time apprehensive.

“I like...” Jongin threw the words out of his mouth before he could back down.

Kyungsoo's eyes quadrupled in size.

“I like when you read me to sleep.” Jongin heard himself chicken out. Agh! Coward!

Kyungsoo sighed, his face turning soft. He dragged Jongin into the bedroom, picking up the book that was gathering dust on the nightstand and got into bed fully dressed. He wasted no time, and started reading in his low, thick, charming voice.

Ah. Jongin had missed this.

So much.

The next day, Jongin stopped by Kyungsoo's restaurant after class. He had to get this off his chest. The longer he waited, the more difficult it would become. And if last night had taught him anything, it was that he wanted Kyungsoo in his life. He wanted to share all the mundane, little things with him.

“I've got to tell you something.” he declared the moment he entered the kitchen.

“I know.” Kyungsoo nodded, putting a batch of desserts into the oven and dragging him out back with him, so they could speak in private.

“You know?” Jongin's jaw unhinged.

“This can't go on like this any longer. I know that, and you know that.” Kyungsoo said in a really serious voice.

“I do? You do?” Jongin was so surprised, his brain wasn't working properly.

“I'm going to shorten the opening hours of the kitchen. The reason I took the arranged marriage money from my parents was so I could have the type of quiet restaurant I wanted, so I could live the life I wanted. I don't want to just work and be too tired to enjoy it. So I've decided. From now on, I'll be home every night to read you to sleep.” Kyungsoo said determined, fire in his eyes.

All Jongin heard was that the only reason Kyungsoo agreed to the arranged marriage was the restaurant, and not him. His heart sank, deeper and deeper.

Kyungsoo stayed true to his word, and was home before midnight every single day, and the first thing he did when he came home was to read Jongin to sleep. It became Jongin's favorite time of the day. He woke up not knowing how he was going to handle waiting the entire day for that sweet moment when Kyungsoo's mesmerizing voice would sneak into his ear and light his nervous system on fire. He was completely and utterly hooked.

After a number of failed attempts, Jongin gave up on confessing with words, and decided to confess with food instead.

He made Kyungsoo promise to take a day off, but refused to tell him why.

Jongin was going to cook for him, for once.

He had chosen a rather simple recipe, since he hadn't really cooked before, except for ramen, which he almost always entrusted to Taemin. The thought of Kyungsoo eating his cooking made him more nervous than before a big performance on stage in front of hundreds or even thousands of people. He desperately wanted his approval. It was a ridiculous wish, since Kyungsoo was a professional chef and Jongin couldn't cook to save his life, but still he yearned for Kyungsoo to acknowledge his cooking. Or maybe it was more about getting some kind of acknowledgement from Kyungsoo, any kind.

“What is going on?” Kyungsoo came running through the door, flabbergasted by the sight that greeted him as he came home.

So apparently, cooking was harder than it looked. Jongin had decided on a simple Japanese curry dish, but there was nothing simple about it, he found out. He had cut himself trying to slice those harder than stone carrots, his eyes were red and swollen from all the crying while cutting the onions, the potatoes boiled over and flooded the stove, and at the moment, after looking away for just a second to take care of the flooding problem, there was a big fluffy cloud of black smoke gathering over the pan with the curry sauce.

“I'm cooking for you!” Jongin gave Kyungsoo a quick grin as he removed the pan, that was literally on fire, throwing it in the sink.

“Ah, hang on, I'll help you!” Kyungsoo threw his stuff on the couch and rushed to the kitchen.

“No!!” Jongin loudly refused. “No! I want to do this alone! I want to do this for you. You just relax. Sit down and take a load off on the couch, I'll bring you a glass of red wine in a moment.” he insisted.

Kyungsoo didn't look convinced, but he did as he was told.

After securing both the flood and the fire, Jongin ran over to Kyungsoo with a glass of wine, but he had poured a little too much into the glass, spilling some on the floor on the way over. Kyungsoo giggled heartily.

“What?” Jongin pouted. Even though it was the best sound in the world, Kyungsoo's laughter, he was a bit peeved that he was laughing at him when he was doing his very best.

“Nothing... you're just... sweet... to do this for me.” Kyungsoo looked him right in the eyes and smiled at him with such sincerity that it melted all of Jongin's resentment, and the rest of him too.

Ah, sometimes Kyungsoo was so cute, it killed him.

Jongin scrambled back to the kitchen to try and salvage the ruins, determined to make Kyungsoo a meal that would make him fall for him. Kyungsoo's eyes kept haunting him, they were so beautiful and mysterious. He felt like he could look into them forever without ever getting bored.

“Ta-DA! Done! Let's eat!” Jongin called Kyungsoo over to the dinner table.

“Huh.” Kyungsoo mumbled as he sat down at the table, staring at Jongin's creation.

Confessing with food instead of words hadn't been as simple as it had sounded, the plate of half burnt curry and overcooked rice not really capturing how infatuated he was with Kyungsoo. But it contained his true feelings, and he hoped Kyungsoo would taste that, instead of the bland-bitter-burnt taste that lingered in the air.

Kyungsoo picked up a spoon, and looked at Jongin as if he was wondering whether he was trying to poison him or not. Jongin watched Kyungsoo with eager eyes, barely able to contain his excitement, urging Kyungsoo to go on and take a bite.

There was absolute silence while Kyungsoo put a spoonful of curry into his mouth, you could hear a pin drop. Kyungsoo frowned slightly, but swallowed. Kyungsoo had eaten the food he had prepared especially for him! Jongin was beside himself with joy. He grinned widely.

Kyungsoo chuckled, making himself another spoonful, but hesitating slightly before putting it into his mouth. Another frown, but it was barely noticeable.

Without a word, Kyungsoo finished off his entire plate. Every. Last. Bit.

Jongin had been so busy watching Kyungsoo eat that he hadn't had a single bite himself, but it had to be good for Kyungsoo to have finished it all, right? His chest started inflating with pride. He didn't want to fish for a complement, he wanted it to come voluntarily from Kyungsoo, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. He was dying to hear what he thought, what Kyungsoo's answer to his food confession was.

Kyungsoo wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and stood up. Jongin's heart started sinking, since he thought he was just going to leave without saying anything, but Kyungsoo circled the table and snuck up to Jongin's side, whispering in his ear.

“Thanks for dinner.” his velvety voice caressed the inside of Jongin's ear, giving him goosebumps. And then Kyungsoo bent forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, before disappearing into his room.

Jongin's cheek felt like it was going to burst into flames. He rubbed the spot where Kyungsoo had kissed him. What did that mean?

Jongin was going crazy with this not knowing. Kyungsoo kissed him at the restaurant, but then he was drunk out of his mind. He kissed him sober now, but only on the cheek. People said that if someone eats your food with gusto, then that person is into you. Kyungsoo finished every single grain of rice on his plate, he almost it clean, but he didn't do it with gusto.

The results were so vague. Did he like him or not? He was getting some seriously mixed signals.

Jongin sighed, glancing at the kitchen, which looked like a bomb had gone off in it.

The only thing Jongin was sure of, was that regardless of whether Kyungsoo liked him or not, he was going to kill him in the morning if the kitchen still looked like that.

And so, with a confused heart, Jongin stood up and rolled up his sleeves.