Kris: Mia, I think that Lu Han is in love with that girl.

            I rolled my eyes as I threw my phone into my messenger bag.  I didn’t care if Lu Han is in love with Seohyun.  I just didn’t like how he treated me.  I woke up feeling refreshed.  It was already 10 and to go study at school.  Lu Han was always a distraction.  I didn’t want to see that baby face of his today.

            I quickly went into the bathroom and washed my face.  I got dressed, grabbed my backpack with my textbooks, and headed downstairs.  I was about to walk out the door when I heard Lu Han.

            “Where are you going?” he asked, worried.

            I turned to look at him.  “I’m going to school to study.” I replied.

            Lu Han blinked.  “Why?” he asked.  “Just study at home.”

            “I want to go to school.” I replied. 

            He was about to say something, but I didn’t care.  I just walked out on him.  When I got to the library, it wasn’t open yet.  I let out a sigh, not feeling like reading my textbooks.  I was too upset from the night before to want to do anything.  I didn’t even realize that I was circling around the campus when I bumped into Jonghyun.

            “Mia, are you OK?” he asked.

            “Huh?” I asked, confused.

            Jonghyun gave me a look.  “I don’t mean to creep you out or anything, but…  You’ve been walking past by me 3 times in a row now.” he said.

            I just started at him.  He was sitting on a bench under the big oak tree with his guitar.  Did I really walked past him 3 times?, I thought. 

            “What time is it?” I asked.

            “Noon.” replied Jonghyun, looking down at his watch.

            I let out a sigh, as I sat next to him.  “I don’t want to study and I don’t want to go home.” I said. 

            “Are you OK?” asked Jonghyun.  “You seem to be a bit…  Distracted.”

            I blinked slowly.  I didn’t know who to turn to besides Eunsung and Minyu…  But, knowing how they like to jump to conclusions, I didn’t want them to start thinking bad about Seohyun.  I wanted to talk to someone, but I wasn’t sure if Mason would be a good option.  I know that I would cry over the phone if I talk to him.  Then, he’ll probably call Lu Han and yell at him.  I didn’t want our friendship to end in commotion; if I wanted our friendship to end, I would want it to end in a quiet manner.

            I opened my mouth to respond to Jonghyun’s question, but I heard a cry instead.  I clamped my lips with my hands as I felt my tears trickle over them.  “I-I’m sorry.” I said, without looking at Jonghyun.  I quickly gave him an apologetic bow and was about to turn away. 

            “Mia, what’s wrong?” he asked, quickly.  I could feel his warm hand on my shoulder.

            I quickly stepped away, still staring at the ground.  “It’s nothing.” I said.

            With that, I ran away from Jonghyun. 

            Mindlessly, I ended up at a park a few blocks away from the campus and my house.  I stayed there all day, listening to the sound of children playing and feeling the soft, cool breeze against my skin. 

            Eventually, I did the rest of my homework and got some reading done…  But, all I really wanted to do was to rest and do nothing.  It was impossible to do nothing while sitting on the grass under the tree.  I was thinking about Lu Han and Seohyun and how I felt regarding what had happened last night.  Mia, I think Lu Han is in love with that girl.  That’s what Kris said…  He thinks that Lu Han is in love with Seohyun.

            Love.

            What is love?, I thought.  How does anyone know that they’re in love?  Is it as simple as that red string of fate that connects everyone to their lover like that Chinese folklore that Mom and Dad always told Mason and I when we were kids?

            I let out a deep breath.  The red string of fate…  It is an invisible red string that ties two destined lovers together regardless of time, place, or circumstances.  This sting may stretch or get tangled…  But, it will never break because the Gods had chosen these two to be together by tying that red string around the lovers’ ankles.  Thus, they are forever linked.

            Perhaps it is love…  Lu Han has found love, I thought.  Maybe this is why he was the way he was.  After analyzing what occurred with the couple, I came to a conclusion. Lu Han really does love Seohyun because that’s all he sees when he’s with her.  No one else.

            To even think of Lu Han and love was bizarre for me…  It felt like the two topics didn’t mesh together and was completely foreign to each other.  Lu Han is in love.  Those words didn’t sound right in my mind.  And, they definitely wouldn’t sound right out loud.

            Suddenly, I felt bad for being such a brat.  Since Lu Han hasn’t talked to me much about his feelings regarding Seohyun, I didn’t know that he was in love with her.  I didn’t know that I was going to be treated the way I was.  If we had more time to be with each other and talk about her, then I would know.

            The sun was setting by the time I decided to go home.  I turned my phone off because I didn’t want any distractions from my quiet day.  Although I was an annoying, stubborn brat in the morning, I eventually came to my own terms at the end of the day. 

            As soon as I came home, Lu Han literally attacked me with a hug.  “Mia!” he said, as he pulled away and cupped my face.  “Mia!  Where in the world have you been?!”

            I opened my mouth to say something, but Lu Han pulled me back into his chest for another bear hug.  “I went to the park.” I replied, with a muffled voice.

            “Park?” asked Lu Han, as he pulled me away to take a good look at my face.

            I was about to say something when I heard a familiar voice.  “Sunbae!” said Seohyun, as she came up behind Lu Han.  “Are you alright?  Where were you?  Lu Han and I were looking everywhere at school for you.”

            Then, it was good thing that I left when I did, I thought.  All the sudden those feelings of neglect came back to me, as if I didn’t already accept the fact that Lu Han was in love with Seohyun…  And, that was why he treated me the way he did.  It was as if I was holding onto some grudge or something.

            “I just wanted to be alone.” I said, softly as I stepped away from Lu Han. 

            “Why did you turn off your phone?” asked Lu Han.

            “Because I wanted to.” I replied.  “Couldn’t I get away for a day or something?”

            “Of course.” answered Dad.  He was suddenly at Lu Han’s side.  “But, you didn’t need to turn off your phone.”

            I frowned.  “I just wanted to get away.” I replied.

            I heard Mom let out a sigh and my girlfriend’s voices.  I turned to my side and they were standing there.  “Sweetie,” started Mom.  “We understand, but you didn’t need to turn off your phone.”

            I had an urge to want to roll my eyes.  “I’m tired.” I said, pretending to rub my eyes.  “I’m going to go to sleep.”

            I took a step towards the stairs but the tight circle around me wouldn’t budge.  Are you serious?, I thought.  “Not so fast, Missy.” said Dad.  “Where were you?”

            “At the park.” I replied.  “I’ve been there ever since noon.”

            Mom turned to Lu Han and the girls.  “Didn’t you guys check the neighborhood park?” she asked.

            “I didn’t know that there was a park here.” replied Lu Han, with guilt in his voice.

            “I honestly didn’t think that Mia would go there to study.” said Minyu.

            “Yeah, there’s always a lot kids on the weekend.” nodded Eunsung.  “And, Mia likes quiet places…”       

            My friends turned to me with a questioning look.  I smiled a small smile.  “I just wanted to see kids because they’re always so bubbly and innocent.” I said.  “Besides, I’m tired."

            “You need to eat.” said Mom.

            I blinked.  “I’m not hungry.” I replied, with tired eyes.  I just wanted to sleep, but I needed to practice dancing.  “I already ate and I’m going to go workout.”  I had to lie.  I didn’t want to be around anyone… 

            Everyone just stared at me, obviously not believing me.  I just shrugged it off and headed upstairs.  “Yah, Mia!” said Eunsung, grabbing my attention.  “Why don’t we hang out tomorrow?”

            I wanted to deny her offer, but heard myself replying.  “Sure.” I said, with a shrug.

            Eunsung and Minyu sent me a smile.  I smiled the best as I could back.  And, with that, I headed upstairs after I bid them goodbye.  As soon as I got into my room, I changed out of the clothes that I was wearing into my dancing clothes.  Lu Han bought me a few shirts for me, but I didn’t want to use them.  So, I used just used my old clothes.

            I grabbed my MP3 and headed downstairs.  The music was booming loudly in my ear, so I couldn’t hear what my parents, Lu Han, and Seohyun were talking about.  Regardless, it was obvious that she was leaving because they were still at the door.  I flashed a smile at her and waved goodbye, as I turned to our home gym.  My parents had recently gotten mirrors installed in there for my dance practicing, which was really nice of them.  And, I actually have to practice now because they told Hyuk about it too… 

            I quickly closed the door behind me and got on the treadmill.  I wanted to do bit of power walking before I did my routinely jump roping before dancing.  It was a great way to warm up before doing anything serious.  I was listening to GD and TOP’s “Oh Yeah” with Park Bom.

            “When the stars are shining like tonight, Lady Luck is calling out to us!” singed Park Bom, beautifully.  “Shout in a beautiful voice like this!  Like this!  Like this!  Like this~”

            I took a deep breath and started to sing along.  “Oh yeah!” I singed.  “Oh yeah~”

            “From your style to your smile, all is good~” rapped TOP.  “We’re slowly falling for each other.  My emptied cup, fill it up with your scent.  Oh, oh, oh yeah!”

            “Our flaming kitchen, I feel like I’m on fire.  My heart is swelling like bubble gum.  I’m just celebrating.” rapped GD.  I let out a small squeal.  He’s my Big Bang bias after all.  “I-I-I-I like it, Baby.  You-You-You-You come be my lady.”

            “When the stars are shining like tonight, Lady Luck is calling out to us!” I sing with Park Bom.  “Shout in a beautiful voice like this!  Like this!  Like this!  Like this~  Oh yeah!  Oh-Oh-Oh yeah!”

            After 10 minutes of power walking, I did some stretches.  Then, I started on my 15 minute rope jumping.  Hyuk said that jump roping was a great way to get conditioned and toned for my body, since I haven’t been working out in…  Forever.  After that, I finally moved onto my dance practicing.

            I quickly glanced at the clock before starting the song.  It was barely 9:30 PM, so that meant that I’ll get to sleep early tonight.  I smiled to myself.  It has been a long time since I’ve slept at 10:30.  I played the song and got into position.

             I let the dance moves through me as I imagined how it would be like to perform on stage with screaming fans…  Chanting my name.  Chung Mia, Chung Mia, Chung Mia.  I was so into the dancing and the music that I didn’t even noticed that Lu Han had slipped into the room. 

            It wasn’t until I saw something at the corner of my eyes, lifting weights.  I got startled, as I quickly pulled my earplugs out and turned off my music.  I was breathing hard as adrenaline pumped through my veins.

            “What are you doing?!” I asked, pissed off.

            Lu Han looked over at me.  “Working out.” he replied.

            I rolled my eyes.  “W-When were you in here?” I asked.

            He placed the weights on the stand and let out a breath.  “When you were busy jumping rope.” he answered.

            I looked at him horrified, as I glanced over at the clock.  It was 10:30.  Was he really there all along?  Did I really not notice him work out this whole entire time?

            “I was running on the treadmill…  Didn’t you see me?” asked Lu Han, curious.  He took a huge gulp of water from his water bottle.

            He was wearing a white wife beater and a pair of gray shorts with red Nike shoes.  Oh my God…  Did I really not notice that he was there?, I thought.  I quickly glanced at his pale arms.  Although he is a scrawny looking guy over all, he had muscle…  And, all the sudden he looked manly…  Then, I started to feel uneasy for some reason.

            Lu Han flashed me a boyish smile and I blushed.  “Wh-What the hell?” I asked myself.  “Did I really not notice that you were there?”

            “Apparently not.” shrugged Lu Han.  He walked over to me and handed me his water bottle.  I accepted it and drank some water.  “You’re pretty good at dancing.” 

            I turned away, feeling embarrassed.  I was a horrible dancer and he did not need to kiss at that moment at all.  “No, it’s true!” laughed Lu Han, as he pulled me to face him.

            He imitated one of the dance moves that I did.  And, my jaw literally dropped.  Lu Han danced exactly like Hyuk and he has only been observing me too.  “That dance move was really cool.” said Lu Han, with a smile.  “You should tell your dance teacher that!”

            I blinked, feeling my pride and confidence shrink.  I had seriously thought that I got the dance down…  Well, not completely, but I thought that my moves flowed.

            “Y-You dance?” I questioned, as I raised an eyebrow at him.

            “Yeah.” replied Lu Han.  “When I got back from New York in high school, I joined at dancing team.  At first, Dad was mad about it because we were in competitions around the city and all.  But, it’s just a hobby.”

            I literally stared at Lollipop for a good 20 seconds.  Are you serious?, I thought.  I felt Lu Han placed his hand on my shoulder and that got my attention.  “Yah.” he said, with a serious tone.  “You should go to sleep.  You look like you haven’t slept in days…”

            I let my eyes droop and started to rub them.  “I have a lot of things to do these days.” I said, as I slipped out of my shoes.  I wanted to take a shower now.  “Don’t worry, I was going to take a shower anyways.”

            Lu Han smiled that stupid smile of his and patted me on the shoulder.  “Hurry up.  I want to go to bed soon.” he said.

            “Hmm.” I grunted, as I took my shoes and went out the doors.

            It was so refreshing after the shower that I literally went to sleep right away after laying on the bed.  My lights were still on, but I didn’t care.  I was lazy and wanted to sleep.  All the sudden, I heard my door closed and that startled me.  I quickly sat up in bed and opened my eyes.  It was Lu Han by the door.  I gave him a scowl.  I didn’t want him to come into my room anymore.

            He flashed me an apologetic smile.  I wanted to roll my eyes.  Why is he smiling so freaking much?, I thought.  It’s like it’s permanent now or something!

            “What are you doing?” I asked, annoyed.

            Lu Han came up to my bed and sat on it.  He held up a bottle of lavender massaging oil.  “I’m going to give your ankles a massage!” he replied.

            I just blinked my eyes slowly, not caring.  “Go away.” I said, as I kicked him softly.

            Oblivious to what I just said and did, Lu Han poured some oil onto his hands and started to warm it in between his palms.  He grabbed my left ankle and started to massage it.  I didn’t bother to fight back because I didn’t want to waste any more energy fighting off that baby face.  In a way, I enjoyed it.  Lu Han’s hands were big, warm, skilled, and powerful.  I was surprised how good he was. 

            “I didn’t know that you know how to massage.” I stated.

            “I don’t.” said Lu Han, as he caught my eyes.  “I learned it for you.”

            I felt my pulse shot up.  Why?, I thought.  Why would you need to learn something like this for me?

            “I don’t want you to injure your ankle.” explained Lu Han.  “Especially after what I did on your birthday…  And, then, you’re dancing now too.  If you’re not careful, you can really injure yourself.”

            I nodded my head, agreeing with him.  I didn’t feel like talking.  I just wanted to sleep.

            “Jonghyun dropped off graded quizzes for your mom earlier…” started Lu Han. 

            Oh, great!, I thought.  He must have said something to them.

            “He said that he saw you at school and you didn’t seem to be fine…  As if you were depressed…” continued Lu Han.  He held my gaze for a few seconds.  I felt my cheeks flamed up and looked away.  “Mia, are you alright?”

            I frowned.  I didn’t want to talk about how Lu Han’s actions had affected me.  I was still angry about it and didn’t want it to turn into a shouting game.  “I’m…  Just tired.” I replied.

            I looked back at Lu Han.  He had a worried face.  Just wipe it off…, I thought.  It doesn’t matter how I feel anymore.  I’m just not going to hang out with you and Seohyun anymore.

            “It’s OK, Lu Han.” I reassured.  “It was just this past week that has been giving me some problems.”

            He nodded his head, falling for it.  “Jonghyun made us really worried about you.” he added.  “You should hang out with him more…  People that care about you like this doesn’t come around often.”

            All the sudden, I felt my heart drop.  What about you?, my mind thought.  You care about me too, right?  Jonghyun is nice, but I’d rather hang out with you.  I was shocked at what I had just thought.

            I pulled my feet away from Lu Han’s warm, inviting palms.  “L-Lu Han, I’m really tired.” I said. 

            “O-Oh, yeah.” he responded, feeling bad.  “Sorry about that.”

            Lu Han turned off the lights as he walked out, which I was grateful for.  I laid there for a good 30 minutes after he left.  I stared at my ceiling, feeling unsure.  Is this true?, my brain asked.  Yes, replied my heart.

            I shook my head, feeling completely physically and emotionally drained.  No, that can’t be true, said my brain.  All the sudden, the image of Lu Han with his stupid, boyish, cute smile popped into my mind out of nowhere.  I felt my heart race and butterflies in my stomach.  I quickly sat up in bed and buried my face into my hands.

            “Oh my God!” I said softly.  “I like Lu Han!”

Author’s Note:

            I hope you all enjoyed that!!!  ^^  Yes, I have deiced to make Mia realize that she has feelings for Lu Han~  Are you happy now?!

LOVE,

loveFORyunho