thirty.
The Flower Boys (Three Flowers)
Sweat drenched your entire body as you moved your frame as freely against the music beside Kai and Taemin. Truly, they were the best dancer's you have ever seen. Even with 3 months of dancing under your belt, you have not even "touched" their level of dance expertise. They were quick, precise and emotional. They not only used their bodies to express the music, but their eye's and facial expression's said it all. Your facial expression's weren't as cool and sleek as theirs, but your face was slim. Your entire body was coming into a fine shape. You still had fat in those critical area's, your belly, your waist...but for the most part your body slimmed down. With all the dancing, exercising, and healthy eating, you were able to fit in a medium size school uniform.
You have never worn anything lesser then an XXL ever since you was a kid. You never felt better as you smiled when arriving at the crack of dawn at the abandoned building turned dance studio that Lay had owned. Now a days you even gotten along better with Taemin. With your feelings for Taemin totally gone, Taemin became a sunbae that taught you how to portion your meals, and how to express yourself with dance while Kai taught you dance moves and proper way's to exercise . Lay also helped out by instead of bringing out ramen to eat, he brought fruit and veggies to snack on. The three of them played a pivotal role in your transformation. Lu Han was not around at all. Ever since the exams, no one had talked to him or seen him. And Ga Eul had been staying with some relatives through out the entire break leaving you by yourself.
(She was trying to deal with Kai rejecting her.) When Ga Eul told you that Kai had someone else on his mind, you felt for Ga Eul. You wanted to tell her that it would be okay, but you know exactly what kind of position she had been in. Yet you wondered why Kai did not choose her. You thought he was quite cute with her. You never got around to asking Kai why he did not pick her, because you were keeping yourself in a positive mind set. During the break time, you gotten closer to Kai, Taemin and Lay. They became important people to you. You'd never thought that you would become friends with Taemin. Though he still had his sharp tongue and still said things that made you mad, you figured that this was the way Taemin is and that you should accept it. Even if he did not accept you when you were fat, you gave him a chance.
When the music was over the three of you stood staring at the reflections. Your hands on your waist, enjoying the view of yourself in the mirror, you laughed at them. They were just as drenched in sweat as you are. Taemin was ready to pass out. Lay became behind the three of you and clapped his hands.
"You guy's could have went harder...but I am pleased...good job." Lay said.
"Hyung...." Kai breathed with a smile.
"Ahhh I feel like I'm gonna die...this is exhausting." Taemin complained.
"Really? I feel like going over it again." You said sitting down beside Taemin.
"What? We've been over this over and over again." Taemin threw you a dirty look.
"The girl's got her head on straight. I think you guy's should go over it again." Lay said to the both of them.
"Yah ppang, what's gotten into you? Where's all this energy coming from?" Kai asked.
"I guess it's true...once you loose weight you become pumped up." Taemin said, covering his eyes with his arm.
Lay shook his head and cursed him silently. You smiled at Lay and then removed Taemin's arm from his face.
"You've been skinny all this time and you can't even enjoy all the energy within you?" You joked.
"Aiishh..." Taemin shook your hand off his arm as he grew annoyed.
"PPang...let's go and get chicken eh?" Kai convinced.
"Chicken????" You grew excited.
Kai smiled and nodded.
"Not so fast...I already prepared tofu..." Lay said to them.
"...not that again." Taemin groaned.
"Tofu is better then eating chicken eh?" Lay encouraged.
"Are you crazy? Since when have tofu tasted better then a piece of chicken?" Kai exaggerated.
You laughed at the conversation that they were having.
"Lay sunbae...it'll be okay. One night of chicken won't kill my diet." You said to him.
"Then it's settled...kaja." Kai stood up and grabbed your hand.
He dragged you out of the building with your belonging's leaving Taemin and Lay to themselves'.
"How could they leave us like that?" Taemin sat up as he watched them disappear behind the door.
"Can't you see? Kai is making a date." Lay said patting his friend shoulder.
"A date? With her?" Taemin asked.
Lay shook his head and stood up to eat the tofu dish he made. Taemin frowned in his direction and thought about Kai still liking you.
___________________________________________
Kai couldn't help but stare as you formed a pile of bones on your plate. You had tore through more then 20 pieces of wings. You missed the savory taste of the sauce and fried goodness of chicken. You did not care if you were sitting in front of Kai. Eating chicken always brightened your mood. Kai watched as you ate each piece of chicken, making sure that there was no meat on any bone. It reminded him of the you who shoved bread down at that one time. He smiled and passed you a cup of water.
"Yah....don't choke." Kai ordered.
You looked at the small cup of water he offered. You remembered that he had done the same exact gesture that time when he had brought you here before. Slowing down, you took the water and thanked him. Kai smiled bigger and began to eat again.
"You missed chicken that much?" Kai asked.
"You have no idea. Chicken...it's my favorite food." You said to him.
"Really?"
"Mmm. This place always have the best wings."
"I remember when I first brought you here....you were so ashamed with the way you were eating that you slowed down. Now...your not planning on stopping anytime soon." Kai laughed.
You took a napkin and wiped your mouth.
"Of course....I guess I'm still stuck on that fat-girl mentality. It doesn't go away over night you know." You said.
Kai took one good look at you and felt proud. Even if your are skinny this way, he still remembered the you who was 20lbs bigger.Through these three months, Kai's feelings for you had never changed. He still liked you and he still was fighting to be patient. He had helped you get this far, and for him, he felt as if he was doing a good job.
"Lu Han sunbae..." you said to Kai.
"What about him?" Kai asked.
"I wonder if he is alright? He's so distant." You said to him.
"Have you and Lu Han ever been close?" Kai asked.
You looked at him and shook your head.
"He's only helped me that one time...he told me something important that helped me."
"What was it?" Kai asked.
"He suggested that I become strong and stop being weak."
You smiled, just replaying the scene in your head. The cold glance Lu Han had gave you that day was different then the day's afterwards. After that encounter, he had only smiled.
"When we first met....he called me ugly." You told Kai, hanging your head.
"Hyung? He called you ugly?" Kai asked shocked.
"Mmm." You nodded your head.
"And your smiling because he called you ugly? Why?"
"Well, the way he meant it, me being ugly, was because of the way I was pitying myself. He was the first guy to ever see me for my inside and not the outside." You told Kai.
Kai shifted in his seat, telling himself that was a lie.He felt as if he was first. He clearly saw a sad girl eating bread that day when he had first laid eyes on you and not a round shape girl with a crazy appetite. Kai leaned one arm on the table and rest his chin on the palm of his hand as he continued to listen to you talk.
"Anyway, if Lu Han hadn't said those things...I don't think I will be as happy as I am now." You said to Kai.
"So your just going to give Lu Han all the credit?" Kai asked, frowning.
You looked at Kai's non-approving face and then took his hand.
"Of course...without you...I wouldn't be where I am now." You said.
Kai, surprised that you took the first initiative for skin ship, held on tighter to your hand. He didn't want to let it go. Being with you right now, he felt the happiest.
"That's right. And don't you forget it." Kai said.
"You won't let me forget it." You joked and took away your hand from Kai.
But as soon as you departed your hand, Kai took it right back instantly. You looked him in his eye as he stared at you. Those eye's of his, drove you crazy at times. They were soft and deep, as if he had a lot to say but could only express them with facial expressions. Kai was still handsome after these 3 months of being around him. And you have not forgotten the relief you felt when you found out that Kai decided to be just friends with Ga Eul. Those feelings you had tried to dismiss back then, always came back at time's like this. Times like now when it was just only you and Kai.
"Jong-In-ah....w-what are you doing?" You asked nervously.
Without words, Kai stood up in his seat, leaned over and laid a soft tender kiss right on your lips. Your eye's wide, your heart beat racing past it's limits, and your lips touched and pressed against Kai's, you could not move at all. You sat still, not knowing what to do as 5 seconds then 10 seconds and then 30 seconds passed. Kai was kissing you and you did not know what to do. You stared at his closed eyes, his nose rubbing against yours as he deepened the kiss, the kissing noises being made as he tilted his head to the side. This was all new to you...and yet it felt, nice.
When Kai was finished, he continued to stare at you, and sat back down in his seat, smiling as if he was shy. He was quiet. Strangely quiet. You looked down, feeling awkward. "Just why did he do that? WHY???" Your asking yourself.
"Don't tell me....I took away your first kiss?" Kai asked after you did not look up again.
"Huh?" You said, still avoiding eye contact.
Kai smiled and then stood up. He went and sat next to you, and casually put his arm around you. There was no way to escape. You were trapped in Kai's arms as he pulled you closer and touched your chin.
"Have you ever kissed a guy before?" Kai asked.
Ashamed, you shook your head quickly. Kai chuckled and then took his arm from around you.
"Mi An Hae." Kai simply said.
"Jong-In-ah...." You started.
"I couldn't wait any longer. Do you know how long I waited just to kiss you?" Kai started.
You looked up and saw the most cocky expression on his face. He faced you and started to talk.
"Maybe it was on White Day, when I gave you those valentine hearts and you threw them away because you thought they would get in the way of your diet plan...or on my birthday, when I got mad at you because you were dancing too slow and you wouldn't pick up on what I was trying to tell you....or...let's see...maybe before then...when you repaid me back from saving you against those girls who were messing with you." Kai said.
Kai smiled and leaned closer while grabbing your chin.
"No...I think the moment when I wanted to kiss you the most, was when I walked you home....and met your mother. She thanked me and you had wished me good-bye....I think right then and there...I wanted to kiss you..." he said.
"So you mean...even before I lost the weight....you liked me?" You asked him.
"Every since the day I saw you shoving bread down your throat, I always liked you." Kai said.
You smiled as you could not gather the words to express your emotions.
"I must be a sick puppy eh?" Kai self.
You laughed out loud and nodded your head. He laughed with you and then took one single finger, and pulled a stray hair back from your face.
"Ppang." Kai called you out sending shiver's and goose bumps down your spine.
"Hmm?"
"I like you." Kai said looking elsewhere.
"Oh...really?" You said, playing it cool though you feel as if you could burst.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" Kai asked.
You would have never thought, in a million, gazillion, trillion, years, that a guy could ever like you. Yet even glance at you. You always had these hopes that always turned into useless dreams. Guy's always liked the pretty girls. That was pretty much always the story. So there were time's when you felt worthless and unwanted and scared of being alone for the rest of your life. Hearing Kai tell you that he liked you, that he wanted you to be his girlfriend, was like a dream come true. You would have never expected this to happen to you in this lifetime. Now that you became prettier....
"Why...why now?" You asked Kai.
"Huh?" Kai asked.
"Why...why are you saying this now? If you liked me since before, when I was bigger, why didn't you say that you liked me then?" You asked Kai.
Kai took a few moments to gather his thought's together before he spoke.
"Because...then...I was getting to know you better. Before I even realized it, I was falling for you....I was always trying to push back my feelings but they somehow always came back to me. I wanted to tell you then, but...you were getting ready to take a new direction with your life. I wanted to wait...until you were ready. But...today...seeing you like this...I can't help but become impatient." He said.
Kai was being truthful and modest. He was exactly what you wanted in a friend and a future husband. But you weren't thinking that far yet.
"Don't think I'm asking you out because you've gotten prettier." Kai then said off handedly.
"Eh?" You said feeling a bit insulted.
"Weather your tall or short, big or small...I'll always like you ppang." He said.
His words locked you in. He was being a romantic.
"Don't you think your being a little....too much?" You said, feeling embarrassed.
"Maybe...but I can't help it." Kai chuckled.
You smiled at Kai.
"I never met a guy like you before...thank-you..for saying those nice words." You told him.
"I did not say them to be nice....I want an answer..." Kai said.
You laughed at him and then leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"Okay."
Kai smiled and took your hand in his.
"Today, your my girl...you can't be anyone else's got it?" Kai said as he pointed at you childishly.
You smiled and nodded your head.
Kai then grabbed you into a hug.
"Jagiya...." Kai whined as he held onto you tight to the point where you almost could not breath.
THE UNTOLD ENDING...that's right I will post a mini follow-up to this series. After many people not being satisfied with the ending I will add a mini sequel!
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