(MINHYUNNIE!!!~ I was only pinching your cheeeeeks! If you don't like it, stop being so cute! (OMO, that's not a real wish, you hear me?! I don't want any harm to come to you and ANY OTHER NU'EST MEMBER, DAMMIT! *the author is taken away to an insane asylum*...)

The image of Juliet among those punks stays with me during the rest of the day. What business does she have with them? She runs with a totally different party! She's a mall rat, a fashion addict, she lives off of magazines, and nail polish fumes have addled her brain! She doesn't associate with girls who ruin their hair with peroxide and poke holes in places where there shouldn't be extra holes (which maybe one of the minor reasons why we don't get along so well: she hates my cartilage piercing).

After I deliver the pregnancy test to Mother (SHE'S NOT PREGNANT, THANK LORD ALMIGHTY GOD), give her medicine, and make dinner, I watch a movie and head to bed. The dream I have is nothing but a replay of what happened today only exaggerated, like the journey up the stairs to get to Mother changes from a climb to a flying experience. And when I get to her room, the bed is five feet above my head. The old cashier spends four hours instructing me on safety, and, of course, the whole gang scene behind CVS makes an appearance. All the girls turn into giants except Juliet. She stares up at them with a wary look, her golden hair as long as Rapunzel's, then the smoke from the cigarettes obscure my vision and I wake up with watery eyes.

There is no way I'm lounging around waiting to flash my at anyone today. I change from my pajamas to grey cargo pants and the rhinestone, off-the-shoulder shirt Amber borrowed from me when Dave spilled water on her. I snag David's car before he can say no, and pull out onto the expressway. Half an hour later, I'm downtown. I park the car in a lot and get out, slipping on my huge sunglasses. I feel older, more adult.

The streets on both sides are lined with thrift shops, cafes, restaurants, bridal wear shops, and flower shops. There's bead shops, toy stores, fabric shops, music stores, electronic stores, ice cream shops, pizza parlors, and – of course – candy stores on every corner. Young maple trees edge the broad cobblestone sidewalks. Anyone can see why I fell in love with the downtown. It's inspiring, it's always bustling with activity, it's always happy, and there's always, always people. The shady passage of trees and the cobblestones underneath my sneakers make me feel like I stepped into another city entirely. It's magic.

I stroll by Joe's Pizzeria, Bouquets Galore, CandyLand, Matilda's Homemade Ice Cream, until the bright, happy bubble letters of K-Pop Central spring out at me. I stop in front of the small store and peer in through the window. It's like the store in the mall. I back up and see that it has the same poster announcing a grand opening and the products that they supply. I didn't even know there was an empty shop here. I wonder what was here before –

"Guess who!" a voice says as two large, tepid hands cover my eyes, though not completely, as to avoid smudging my sunglasses. I gasp in surprise, but as the voice warms to my memory, my face melts into a huge smile. There's also a familiar smell about the person; a sweet, comforting scent, like vanilla and cinnamon. Their accent is specific as well. I grab the hands on my face and spin around.

"MinHyun!" I exclaim, looking up and placing my glasses on my head. He grins at me, that grin that has girls wanting to pinch his cheeks, shove him into a stroller and push him around. I only manage to pinch his soft cheeks though. He laughs and lets me, his eyes crinkling. He's just so ADORABLE!! And then I get this sudden rush of possessiveness: he's my little sweetie, my little puppy, and if any female on this street even glances at my MinHyunnie with a hint of lustfulness, I will mangle their pretty faces. No one's going to DARE THINK about corrupting him.

"What are you doing here, MinHyun?" I ask kindly. We continue to stroll at a leisurely pace while he explains that he slyly escaped party preparations. I tilt my head. "Party for who?" MinHyun replies, "I don't think we can decide whether it's for us or for our recording crew. See, it's celebrating our fourth and fifth L.O./\.E. Story episodes and during our excitement, I think Len suggested a party." MinHyun shrugs good-naturedly as I laugh. We talk about other little things like his cats, our childhoods, how I met Amber, how he first met NU'EST and Amber, too, until I realized that more than once I almost spilled everything that happened this week onto him. Running into my old crush at the library, going up to the store to get Mother a pregnancy test (and that damned cashier), and when I caught Juliet in a lie and with a bunch of girls who were bad news.

MinHyun and I are walking with my arm linked through his in a friendly manner. He had told me about a short skit that he, Aron, and Ren performed during the filming of Making of a Star: Landing Operation*. It started with Aron about to 'confess' his feelings to Ren who then told Aron that he had a girlfriend. MinHyun came in from off camera and sat next to Aron. Ren declared that MinHyun was his 'girlfriend'. Aron, confused, stuttered and asked how the heck that was possible. MinHyun answered, "I’m changing my . . . I'm getting a -" while gesturing to his lap. MinHyun tells me now that he didn't know the term for " change" in English.

As our laughter dies out, I decide that I can't hold it in anymore. I take a deep breath and say, "MinHyun?"

"Yah?"

"Are you good at keeping secrets?" He turns his attention to me curiously. "Yes, I think I am. Is there something you want to tell me?" he asks. I nod and he waits quietly and patiently for me to talk. But instead I lead him into a cozy little café. We choose a two-seated table in the corner where the windows meet and we can watch people cross the street and cars stop and go at the lights. MinHyun and I order mochas and it's after the waitress leaves that I begin to speak. I don't know why I feel compelled to bug him about such small matters. All I know is that, for some reason, they're really itching at my mind and I need to tell someone.

I start with Adam. I tell MinHyun how we met, how he developed his crush, how I began to like him, and how I turned him down. MinHyun his head to the side, sipping his mocha that the waitress brought for us. "Why did you say no? I thought you liked him."

I pause. Starr, you idiot! Why did you say that?? Of course MinHyun would ask. Do I want to tell him that I'm in love with his band leader? I gaze at MinHyun. His face is open and curious. And trust-worthy. I don't know what it is about this pretty boy, but I feel at home with him around.

I try to skirt around his question, anyway, buy myself some time. ". . . How about I tell you why after I'm done?" MinHyun looks more intrigued than ever but he agrees and motions for me to continue, his eyes kind. So I begin to relate the events of yesterday and the confusion I felt when I saw Juliet far from the place she said she'd be and the embarrassment I endured from the insane old lady (which MinHyun laughed about at length). MinHyun is a diligent listener, inserting a comment or question into places where they're needed.

I spend at least twenty minutes talking. When my voice fades to silence, I gulp at my cooled mocha, aiming to drive away the dryness in my mouth. MinHyun stares out the window behind me with a far-away look in his eyes. I finish off my drink in the relaxed silence between us. He draws his eyes back to me after a while and smiles shyly. "You haven't told me why you turned down the date from your friend yet."

I wince and groan loudly, like it's torture to even think about. He chuckles. "It can't be so bad that you can't tell me," he coaxes. I sigh. "Alright, Mr. MinHyunnie, I'll tell you if you promise on the life of your blue British shorthair that you won't tell anyone."

MinHyun looks slightly amused by what I'm making him swear by, but he solemnly swears on his cat's life anyway. I sigh again. "I turned Adam down because . . . I like someone elssse . . ." I finally confess, drawing out the word 'else'. MinHyun's face brightens. He immediately asks, "Is it someone from NU'EST?"

"What! How did you guess so fast?" I blurt.

MinHyun crows. "It is! It's JR, isn't it??"

I stare at him shocked. "How did –"

"I knew you did!" MinHyun won't stop smiling like a cute idiot. "BaekHo and Aron thought so too. I can't believe we were right!"

Okay. The guy seems more interested in the fact that he and s were correct about my affections instead of the fact that I'm smitten with their leader. Hel-looo?!

"MinHyun?" I say commandingly. He stops his celebrating and looks at me with a grin. "Yah?" he asks. "You can't tell ANYBODY, not even Aron or BaekHo. If they're curious, they can come ask me themselves and I'll decide whether or not I want to trust them." Not on my life, I think.

MinHyun nods rigorously. I smile with him. I don't know why he's so happy with the fact that I like JR but I don't mind at the moment because his irresistible cuteness makes me lean over the small table to pinch his lovable cheeks again.

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A/N: * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43TGqrYlJYE&NR=1&feature=endscreen    (Start near the 12th minute ^.^)