Cocoa

The two of them stare at each other with strange determination in their unblinking eyes, their eyebrows pulled in.

“Let’s shop,” She announces solemnly to which he replies with a firm nod.

The next moment both of them had their phones, laptops and tablets out scrolling through numerous clothing sites for new clothes.

They were seated in their living room with electronic devices in their hands, pensive eyes glancing from screen to screen. It would be a funny sight to see had it not been their fiery eyes.

She had come home and announced that they were shopping for clothes and somehow it had turned into a competition… Somehow… although there was either going to be two winners or no winner at all.

So now they were both shopping for each other – Kina for Sehun and Sehun for Kina. Maybe some for themselves in between the shopping but it had turned out fun. Very soon, there was laughter all around as they showed each other ridiculous outfits saying it’ll look amazing on them. But then by the end of the shopping session, they were both rolling with laughter and had many, many clothes coming their way.

* * *

“Did you guys notice Professor Oh this week? He looked so freaking snatched. Like my wig? It’s gone.”

“ yes! I never knew I needed Professor Oh in a dashing trench coat.”

“Tell me about it. He always wore pullovers and boring clothes he sort of just melted into the walls but now damn son. He popping. Professor Kim who?”

Kina couldn’t help but giggle silently at the silly talks amongst ladies in the bathroom. She was super proud of her work despite a tiny voice inside telling her that she could have kept him all to herself. She had always known Sehun to be a person with the looks of a god but now that she dressed him up in an extremely flattering manner despite protests from the said man, he was now shinning in all his glory.

Besides she had more reason to play the dress up game because fall was coming and the winds were starting to get colder. It felt like yesterday when they were slicing watermelons to beat the heat.

“But you guys do realize he’s taken right?” One girl suddenly announces, silence washing over the ladies’ toilet. Even Kina in her cubicle stilled to listen.

“I saw him wearing a ring. It looked like a wedding band,” Several gasps are heard making Kina feel a little flushed. Was he really wearing their ring? “You don’t think he’s married… Do you?”

“Who on earth wears a wedding band if they are not married, I mean, for someone as hot as he is… pretty sure someone already got him.” The girl seems to shrug her shoulders as she says that. “Anyhow we better get going. Classes will begin soon and you know whose class it is…” A giggle follows, “… after all, even if he’s married we can still appreciate beauty.”

At this, Kina couldn’t help but roll her eyes fondly. They could still enjoy his beauty but at the end of the day, she and he return to the same place. For some various reasons, that brought about a massive whirlwind of butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

Jongin sat in complete silence, hands folded together in front of his mouth, looking extremely serious.

Sehun was glad but felt weird knowing it was impossible for Jongin to remain silent for such a long time. He had been quiet for the entire lunch, an achievement has been unlocked.

He had of course, devoured the food and even relished the fruit salad and now he looked like he was starving for 3 months.

“What,” Sehun couldn’t handle it anymore. His best friend had been watching him this entire time and he knows very well that Jongin was about to ask him some questions.

At this Jongin narrows his eyes menacingly.

“I feel betrayed.” He finally says when Sehun was finally about to throw a fit and ask him to get out. They were eating in his office.

Sehun pressed his lips into a line and nodded. Now what?

“Remember the time I bought you a new pair of Nike shoes for your birthday and you only wore it once?”

Sehun now closes his eyes and sighs through his nose, mouth still in a straight line. Here goes Jongin.

“And also about the time I bought you a jacket but you flatly refused to wear it and now… Now you wear clothes that your ‘wife’ bought you… from your head. To. Toe!” Jongin spits out the words as though it were poison.

“You do know that the shoe you bought me was a rainbow one and a size too small and the jacket was a lady’s jacket.”

“But-"

“She bought me clothes that matched my style and profession. None of the clothes are outlandish like yours.” Jongin pouted making him look like a tiny little infant that Sehun had the ‘privilege’ of baby-sitting.

“Alright. I got a class now… scram.” Sehun stands up, packing the lunch box and going to his desk to get his iPad and laptop for the class.

“You seem happy.” Jongin says making Sehun look at him. Thankfully, Jongin had now put his annoyingly childish personality aside and looked normal throwing his arms up the couch to make himself home. “It looks like you’re fitting in just fine with her now that you’re even wearing the ring.”

Sehun shrugs his shoulders. “I guess I am pretty satisfied with everything now. I am gaining a lot… But she’s probably on the loss.”

“Huh? Why do you say so?” Jongin was now fully invested. Sehun puts down his bag and leaned on the table.

“Mmmm… Let’s just say she don’t deserve…” Sehun made a gesture, “… all of these.”

“You mean the arrange marriage thing?”

“Yeah. She’s… losing out more than gaining.”

“What sort of deals do you guys keep making? I swear I can’t understand all you rich people.”

Sehun rolls his eyes, “I don’t mean economically. But look at the time. I got to hurry.” He glanced at his watch, “I’ll see you at the gym.”

Sehun practically rushes out. If he were to keep going, he will tell all about her to Jongin and as dumb as Jongin was, he will figure it out. The only way to keep it a secret was to run.

Upon reaching the floor where his class was in, he walked briskly towards the room feeling a little conscious now that more people had eyes on him. However, a certain girl from far off caught his eyes. Wearing the clothes that he’d ordered just a few days back, she seemed happy with her girlfriends looking pretty as always. She had a lunch box in her hand and was walking away from the cafeteria so he was sure they had been eating lunch.

She really did stand out from others… It was not that she was magazine cover pretty but there was just an aura about her that makes her so magnetically attractive and not necessarily in a romantic way. Perhaps it was the way she stood or walked with her head held high and being a little taller than the average girls she definitely showed even in crowds… or the way she walks like she owned the entire building… and no, it did not make her look prideful or anything… simply confident, he guessed. Anyhow, pausing on the door of his classroom he gives a small glance at the opposite direction where she’d disappeared. For the second time, he wished she was in his class.

* * *

Yixing dap his handkerchief on his forehead nervously as he watched the three people interact. One thing he disliked was talking to new people and secondly if those new people were already friends and now he was doing both.

He knows the problem wasn’t with them and that it was just him but these people stood out in their own ways from the first day of the class and he was just someone from the shadows.

Kyoungsoo was friends with him but who was he not friends with anyways, and so being friends with everyone it was just normal that everyone knows him. Then there was Soomi, the girl who was loud and had more make up than brain but is actually smarter than she looks. It was not hard for her to grab any attention whatsoever and finally there was the quiet mastermind and the center of the popular clique.

Now, Kina was weird… and not necessarily in a bad way. She was just so unapologetically herself that sometimes he is awed at how bold she could be. She was not a bad student and in fact was among the best in their class and yet sometimes she could be dumb like walk out of classroom if it was boring. Who in the world do that? But then there's a sweet side to her that makes the professors forgive her all the time.

She was quite the badass, if he may say so, spewing out words she thought without a care in the world and yet receive the love and attention of all the professors. Yixing knew without a doubt that every professor who comes in contact with her kind of adopts her.

Of course, there were other popular kids in the economics department and in their class as well like Baekhyun and his gang but they were the usual popular kind of kids. This new clique was just a little different kind of popular.

“Yixing…” Kina called his name out making him jump a little from his seat. “Do you stay in the dorm too?”

Yixing look at the other two who were busy fighting. Kina though, was looking at him like he was the most interesting person. This unnerved him. Why on earth was she paying him attention?

“No…” He managed to utter out the words properly. “I live at home.”

Kina seemed to be really invested into where he lives and what he does in free time and even why he took up economics but then after just 5 minutes of conversation, he felt comfortable enough to talk properly.

Why did he not talk to her earlier? She wasn’t the bratty person he thought her to be. Somehow their talk shifted from the casual friendly small talks to passions and hobbies and now they were both full-on discussing about Harry Potter which they both seem to have equal passion for.

“I can’t believe there’s a potter head in economics as well! I am so glad.” She says, clutching her heart and feigning a relieved sigh. “Now we can both be dorks about Potter together. I solemnly swear I can talk about HP universe the whole freaking day and not get bored. Unfortunately none of my friends have good taste.”

The other two seemed to have heard that as they collectively rolled their eyes. Yixing laughed cheerily and began to discuss about fantastic beasts to which she replied with shining eyes and he had never felt so understood.