“Why was I not supposed to listen?” Taemin looked at Hyerin, who was sitting on the chair on his right, along one of the tables in the cafe, sipping on the coffee in his hand.

“Huh?” Hyerin looked up at him confused as she sipped on her own coffee.

“You said” “I was not supposed to listen to this confession?” he recalled, taking Hyerin back to the moment when she said that a few minutes ago,  when he asked her to confess again.

He was taken aback, but he remembered everything so well from the moment she said her first ‘I like you’

“Yeah” she was more embarrassed now & regretting she did it this way.

“Why was I not supposed to listen?” he asked again, watching her patiently.

“Because I believed we should stay friends” “Till I said that out loud” her hand reached her neck palming her cheek as she looked down to hide her flushed face, placing her cup on the table in front of them, and he stifled a laugh watching her & remembered her flustered face before when she said it.

“It was the first time I had found someone I wanted to stay in my life for as long as it could be” her tone turned serious & his smile was fading as he got more focused on what she was about to talk further, “Having feelings for someone like that” “It’s scary!” she confessed, staring at the cup she was still holding on the table, “Being friends was the safest way, I thought of seeing us together in future”

I didn’t know I would actually find a person I can trust so easily in my life, not think about any of my insecurities, when he’s around, and just be happy for the time being.

I never thought I would be able to feel this way in my life, till you came around. 

Taemin wasn’t expecting such a deep answer to his question, but he was feeling his body juices going on a rollercoaster ride now, after he heard it all.  

“Are you still scared?” he managed to ask through the dry throat, as he gulped nervously, he wanted to know more of course, after hearing that kind of thoughts from her.

“About having feelings for you?” she glanced at him as he nodded, taking in her gaze on him. 

Seeing his nervous face, she shaked her head in denial & on her dry lips before speaking, “As you said” “I want to know you better too” 

A smile grew on her lips as she continued to speak, “I also want to do it, if it’s you” he was holding her eyes, as the smile reached his lips too, like they were mirrors of each other.

They were looking into each other silently, trying to keep that moment forever.

Hyerin looked down as if it was hard to breath when she was looking in his eyes, as she let out a soft breath before she spoke, “Meeting you was satisfying on its own, that’s why I wanted to keep that satisfaction longer by not changing anything between us” she added to end the brief silence.

“But knowing you feel the same now” 

“I can’t bring myself to stay away from you” she pouted innocently, staring at the table in front of them, without looking at him.

Taemin was listening to her carefully, the smile stuck to his lips now, his eyes not wanting to leave her sight as he shifted to turn his body on the chair to her. 

She looked up to turn to him as he straightened on his seat immediately, “This is second time, in my whole life”

“I’m stepping up for something”

“After my decision to go to Paris” he could see her eyes shining with the passion she had in them right now, “And I’m not scared at all this time” she smiled at him, as he felt relieved seeing her free, emotive face.

“It may sound too soon to say this” she took a deep breath before speaking again, “But I trust you more than I even know right now” “I really do” she added, blinking at him trying to convince him & he couldn’t resist but pull her closer now, to wrap his arms around her shoulder.

 He was caressing her hair now in slow rhythm, and her hands reached his back in reflex, “I don’t care, even if you think I’m crazy” she started to speak again as if she was waiting to tell him everything at once, “But you don’t know” “I have never felt the way I feel for you” "So...." 

She was able to say this out, as she was already high on her emotions now, just by holding him & apparently not in front of his eyes, to embarrass herself & feel shy as much.

He let out a soft chuckle , hearing her words before pulling her back to see her face & found her pouting as she was watching him with a disappointed face, “I don’t think you’re crazy” he took her hands in his as she looked down, trying to avoid his eye contact.

He ended up laughing more, watching her go back & forth being bold & shy at the same time & found himself reaching her cheek to pull them instinctively, “I’m just amazed” “amazed by everything you’re showing me right now” A few wrinkles formed on his forehead as he watched her adorably, made her blush now.

“You are the best thing that has happened to me ever” he had so much on his mind but those were the only words that came out of his mouth, wrapping up everything else.

You probably don’t know how happy I am since the last few weeks, since I saw you again in that police station. It’s really fascinating how we met again &  I was able to know you more.

 He was watching her eyelashes flapped down, denying to look up, but her blushed cheeks were too obvious to speak for her now,

Beautiful! By every way, I could think right now!

You’re too beautiful in everything you do! 

“How in the world did I find you?” he said giggling softly, as he watched her blushing cheeks & she looked up to glance at him finally with the shy smile on her face.

 She had looked down again in embarrassment, but he leaned forward in that while to plant a kiss on her pink-tinged cheeks, startling her enough to make her look up.

His heart was racing & thumping itself, after he succeeded in excelling her surprise proposal with a surprise kiss, as she was staring at him now with her eyes bigger, when he pulled her cheeks again smiling sheepishly at her shocked but cute face, making her blink rapidly now showing her awestrucked mind .

“You left me no option by confessing first” he was smiling goofily, biting his lower lip, trying to act cool after going through a mini-heart attack himself.

“I should be first in something” he added pouting, taking a blank look from Hyerin, “My mistake!” she blinked, watching him dumbfounded as he couldn’t help laughing at her comment, making her smile again watching him.

She got up suddenly to walk to the sink at the end of the reception counter on the other side of the room.

Why am I getting all these dumb teenager feelings back, when I didn’t even felt it so strong back then?

Her cheeks were hot & she could feel tiny butterflies tickling in her chest, as she tried to calm down.

She reached the sink to pull on the tap as the water started running down.

No! I shouldn't be getting flustered like this in front of him. 

I've already embarrased myself enough for today!

She was watching the water run with a blank head

“What are you doing here?” She heard him behind her, his voice getting closer.

“Just wanted to clean the mugs” she blurted out before looking for the coffee-mugs. But there were no mugs on the sink as she searched the whole place, to turn around to see him standing there holding them instead, “These ones?”

He extended the mugs to her, walking closer, stifling a smile behind his lips, trying to keep a flat face.

“Yeah” “Thank you” she took the mugs in her hand, hurriedly, from his, turning back to the sink again, to hide her flustered face right now.

You dumb girl, Hyerin!  She took a long breath before reaching for the scrub to clean the mugs, for real now.

Taemin was waiting for her, leaning himself back on the counter opposite the sink, watching her from there, till she kept herself busy deliberately for a while, before finally wiping her hands to the towel, to turn around.

She found him waiting there, making her feel more awkward. 

“Let’s get you home” he walked to her, taking her hand to drag her out, “You need to sleep early after a heavy day like this” he was smiling watching her, as she kept looking at her feet, when they were walking to the door together holding hands. 

“Are you not going to look at me again?” he said observing her, waiting for her to answer.

She looked up, biting her lower lip, maintaining the silence, making him stop before the entrance of the cafe, “How about we meet here everyday at this time?” He was sincere & she felt really good, hearing about seeing him everyday like this, even though she knew it was still an ambiguous statement to follow in their kind of relationship, taking their busy lives into consideration too.

“As long as I don’t have late night schedules” “It should be fine like that” he added watching her as she smiled nodding in approval, obediently.

They left the cafe together, and Taemin dropped Hyerin near her home, watching her walk into the house before leaving.

--------------------

A WEEK LATER

 “Don't tell me you told her your scuba-diving stories” Key joked watching Taemin, taking the empty seat between Taemin & Ryujin as five of them were seated on a round table. 

Key & Minho had a fight again and Key didn’t wanted to sit beside him now to hear him nag all night, when he was there to clearly chill tonight, so he walked across the other side for changing his seat, to sit in the empty chair between Taemin & Ryujin, as he could talk to Hyerin too, conveniently then, who was sitting between Taemin & Minho, on the round table.

Hyerin snapped a curious look at Taemin, who was watching his drink with a shy smile after his hyung's taunting question, embarrassed by mention of his scuba diving obsession, tapping finger on the edge of his wine-glass to recover, which gave everyone the answer just by watching him.

“Seriously?” Key watched both of them in amaze, as Taemin's smile grew now, as much as he wanted to hide it.

“Why?” Hyerin watched Key in confusion & then Taemin for explanation, who was unaware as he was still not ready to be part of conversation, “They were fun stories”  she added with a serious & still confused face, trying to know why everyone was smiling like they were teasing him, as Taemin turned to look at her in surprise himself by her answer now.

“Really?” Key was still not convinced, even by her most innocent, honest eyes watching him.

“Ah” “Hyung” Taemin cried, turning to Kibum complaining, as Key turned to Ryujin laughing who was already smiling knowing the context.

 Ryujin’s eyes fell on Hyerin, who was still confused about everyone’s reaction waiting for an explanation, “He always gets way too excited about his scuba diving whenever he’s anywhere near the sea”

“Those stories are too long & often includes partially his fantasies too" "Most of the times, it's a never ending story” Ryujin said shaking her head remembering the pain of tolerating them, as she explained, making Hyerin watch Taemin sweetly as she found herself smiling at his shy face. 

“Also tell her how saga of your failed jokes is also never ending” Key interupted, referring to the baddest joke of the year, Ryujin made in the car when she came with Key earlier this evening, making Taemin turned to him gi