Lips pressed together, I gave Byul a determined stare, but with her last words she had me practically wetting my pants.

Hyo Jong seemed pleased with the situation as he filled the two glasses. She placed one half of a lime-slice on either glass.

Byul grinned at me. “You still game?”

“I don’t have to drink this, do I?” . My voice almost cracked with my rising unease.

“No, you don’t. That’s for me. You only assist with the lime.”

Assist with the lime…meant to do what? Feed it to her? Okay. I could do that. “Game on.”

Byul cast me a smirk that made me wonder if I was in the right place at the right time.

But it was too late to cop out. She took the lime off the Tequila and clinked her glass to Hyo Jong’s. At the same time she held the slice out to me. “Bite.”

“What?”

“Bite,” she repeated.

She dragged the brim of her cap around to the back of her head then knocked the shot down. I leaned forward and bit into the fruit she held out, my eyes trained on her face. Yuck, the sour taste made me grimace. I pulled back. Byul tossed the slice away and cupped my neck, yanking me toward her. Everything happened so fast, I couldn’t even the lime juice from my lips.

But she did. And my heart stopped beating.

She traced my bottom lip with her tongue, catching the juice there, and gave it a gentle nip. Her tongue then delved in between my parted lips and slid against mine with a sensual slowness that sent little electric shockwaves of pleasure to the very tips of my fingers and toes.

The taste of liquor and lime stayed behind when she drew back a few inches. Her hand still on my neck, she gazed at me with something close to an apology in her eyes. That and satisfaction.

Me? I probably looked like a cat that was thrown into cold water. Stunned to the point where no sound came over my lips.

“Thanks for your help with the lime,” she said in a voice so low I had to lip-read her.

I breathed in slowly, but my heart was racing. “Uh-huh. Anytime.”

My bafflement and dropped open mouth fuelled her amusement. Byul cocked her head, close to letting go of the grin she bit down. Eventually, her hand slipped away from my neck and she turned to her brother in law but keeping me close to her.

Hyuna caught my stunned face and offered me her compassion with a sheepish shrug.

She skirted her sister and engaged me in a conversation that didn’t give me much time to breathe. Not quite what I wanted to do now when Byul’s taste in my mouth was all I could think about. But that woman was insatiable. She wanted to know everything about me, even what I liked for breakfast.

“She’s the devil in disguise, hunting for potential in-laws. Don’t let her make you sign anything,” Byul said over my shoulder, and I caught the spark in her eyes as she reminded me of the marriage license her parents seemed to request from any female visitors to their beach house. I shuddered but laughed when Hyuna slapped her on the shoulder for that remark.

“Let me save you from the devil’s inquisition.” She grabbed my hand, pulling me off the bar stool and giving me no chance to object. But then, everything was fine with me as long as I didn’t have to answer more questions. Or so I thought until I realized where exactly Byul was dragging me.

“You’re kidding me, right?” I resisted against her pull and made her stop just in front of the stage.

She smirked over her shoulder. “Nope.”

My hands started to shake as she ushered me up the steps. She released me to talk to the guy behind the mixing desk. I could see the stunned on that guy face. Probably wasn’t expecting to see Byul here.

The song filling the bar stopped, the silence eerily frightening. I broke into a panic, sweat dotting my brow. Mouth dry and throat tight, I turned around and faced the crowd. The club suddenly appeared ten times bigger than when we had come in, with thousands more people…all staring at me. Mostly at Byul.

“Hey, look isn’t that Moonbyul?”

“Wow, it’s Moonbyul”

More and more people are gathering, screaming her name with phone in their hand. Takings pictures and even recording.

Oh. My. God. This is not good.

What the hell is she making me do now? Grabbing onto what remained of my sanity, my gaze darted to the stairs, and I started toward them. But Byul’s arms caught me around the waist, and she dragged me to the microphone. Paralyzed, I couldn’t even fight her.

“Are you crazy? You’re so going to pay for this,” I hissed, feeling the rattle of my bones.

She laughed into my ear, enjoying herself. “You can hate me later. Now, we sing.”

The music set off with a slow beat. I recognized the melody immediately, slightly relieved I knew this song by heart. A few seconds into the melody, Byul blared into the mike, “You Don't Have to Say…A Word Just Know…But If Ever You Wanna…Come Back to Me…l'll Be Here Waiting for You”

I didn’t.

I just stood there, poker stiff, and gaped at her, not believing she really did this to me. Although her deep voice sound so good, but I still wanted to kick her, slap her, shout at her, and I was sure she read it all in my horrified face.

But what did she do? Held the mike in front of my lips. I had no choice but to sing ‘Like Yesterday’ with her if I didn’t want to end up a complete idiot in front of the crowd. Plus this is going to be on the news next morning for sure. I’m so going to be in trouble.

My voice boomed from the speakers overhead.

Byul’s grin spread wider as she watched me singing. And I found I could keep my voice steady and walk through the text as long as I focused on her encouraging eyes. As I keep on singing, I even felt a grin on my lips. Weird, but with the seconds ticking by, and me not screwing up, I started to enjoy it.

Not long, and the crowd was singing with us.

Then she start rapping. And I had to hold my breath for a few seconds.

Damn, she looked incredibly y when she rap and danced to the music.

Suddenly, she left me alone with the microphone. My newfound courage dropped to the ground in a second, together with my stomach. I followed her with my eyes as she moved behind me, holding my hips and I continued with the song.

The warmth of her body pressed against my back gave me the feeling of safety again. I heard her voice in my ear as she sang with me, but the rest of the club would only hear me. I still hated her. But I had to admit it was fun all the same. And I smiled.

Finally, the song was over. I struggled to breathe evenly and rubbed the sweat off my forehead. Whistles and shouts prompted us to perform another song.

Byul flashed a tempting grin. “What do you think?”

“I think I’m going to kill you.” I laughed. “No way are we doing this again. Plus the crowd are getting crazy” This time I gave her no choice. I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the stage with me.

Now here is the biggest challenge, getting through this crowd, her crazy fans.

Our way down the stage were blocked off from us by a mass of people. When four big guy suddenly appeared by the stairs, and I recognise one of them are the bald bouncer at the front door earlier, I could finally breathe. Hand in hand we make our way down, I watched as Byul were and fondled by fans on our way through. The reporters kept up their questions, which I can’t even understand a word they were saying as the crowd was too loud. Holding large microphone our way, hoping for a responses. The paparazzi were pushing through the fans, trying to get better angle. And the fans were in the dither having Byul so close to them.

“Byul, I don’t like this, let’s get out of here”

Byul nodded at me as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer to her body, shielding me. “We are going to the back door.”

After like hours of getting pushed and pulled by Byul’s fan. We finally make it to the back doors.

Hyuna and her husband were already there waiting for us, his arms wrapped around her waist as both watched us approaching.

“Finally, you make it alive!” she laughed.

“Anyway, that was awesome,” she said, beaming at me. “You’d really make a sweet couple.”

After the horror she made me go through? With her crazy fans, paparazzi and reporters?  “Yeah, right.” I laughed. Too loud, still surfing on an adrenaline high. I glanced at my wristwatch and decided a quarter to midnight was a good time to go home. We said goodbye to Byul’s family and headed out to her car after we change our clothes.

Her sister gave me a blue baseball jacket and a cap and a mask to cover my face and a same pattern of baseball jacket to Byul, only hers is red.

“Now you need to hide your face too” she grinned playfully.

I stepped on her feet hard and she yelped from the pain, “And whose fault is that?”

The cool air felt wonderful on my face. I pressed my hands to my burning cheeks. Surprisingly there is no one at the back.

“Want to drive again?”

I turned to her, my knees still a little wobbly. “I think I’ll pass. The way I feel right now I might very well wrap your car around a tree.”

Grinning, she laid her arm around my shoulders and walked me to the passenger side. She held the door open for me.

Streetlamps illuminated the cars inside in beacon-like intervals as she brought me home on a casual cruise. I watched the lamps travel by my window for a while, then tilted my head the other way and studied Byul driving, which was a far more captivating sight.

She responded with a brief glance my way. “Did you enjoy yourself tonight?”

I definitely enjoyed her. “It was okay.” I shrugged, but then I bit my lip and decided I could give her something more of the truth. Through a snarky grin, I added, “Actually, it was quite nice. But I still hate you!”

“I know.” Her chuckle resounded in the cabin. “I’m sorry I dragged you into hell on that stage. I’m sorry if my fan scares you.”

“And you should be.”

As the headlights of another car broke through the windshield, her brows knitted slightly.

She waited till the street was ours alone again then probed, “What about the lime surprise?”

“What about it?”

“Should I be sorry about that, too?”

Her being sorry that she was my first kiss? Warmth flowed through me when I remembered how soft her lips felt. A good thing she couldn’t see my body tense in reaction. I tried for a casual tone. “Nah. I should just have heeded your warning.”

“Yeah.” An impish flash crossed her eyes. “Or maybe…just not.”

“Or maybe not…” I agreed on a drawl, feeling the heat conquering my face.

“You liked it?” On the straight road, she shot me a quick glance, teasing me with her beguiling half-smile. I didn’t respond, so she faced front again and chuckled softly. “Yeah, you did.”

My lips twitched. I rolled my head back to the window side and decided to keep my thoughts to myself.

Byul stopped the car a few houses away from mine not to give me away to my parents.

As she walked me home, I noticed the shimmer of light in Wheein’s room and wondered what she’d done tonight to be still up. But then, it wasn’t my business, like I had learned this afternoon. I forced my thoughts in another direction. Byul’s way.

She made me smile the way she watched me as we walked. In front of our shed, she braced herself, feet planted firmly on the ground. I knew I was going to be catapulted up to the roof again, and I so didn’t like it.

“What do you say, Yongsun-shi? Shall we do this again sometime?”

Partying until midnight? “Maybe we should. But let’s wait until my detention is over. I really hate sneaking in and out like a criminal.”

She laughed quietly and hoisted me onto the shed. A moan pushed out of my lungs as I landed on my stomach and dragged myself further up, swinging my legs over the edge. Yeah, agility and I had nothing in common.

“Good night,” I whispered on the way to my room.

“Later ‘gator.”

I slipped inside and grabbed my boy shorts and tank-top, thinking of this day and how weird it turned out in the end. Kissed by Byul. This was crazy. I was totally in love with Wheein, and yet I ran my tongue over my lips dreaming of Byul’s beautiful eyes.

Heck, was she thinking of me too right now?

With a long dreamy sigh, I sprawled on my bed, reaching for the lamp on my night stand.

But as soon as the light went out, a rustle in the tree and then footsteps on the roof of the shed made me switch it back on. My heart kick-started in my chest.

This could only be Wheein. She must have seen me come home. And I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to see her right now. Not just because I was still hurt about her dating the lion. But because I’d somehow much rather see someone else again, with the y brown eyes. Ah damn. I crawled out of bed and rubbed my temples that suddenly started to hurt.

And then she was there, sitting on my window sill, lifting her legs through. I swallowed hard, taking a barefooted step back.

“Byul. What are you doing here?”