Minho held her until her sobs subsided.  All the while, he felt incredibly guilty about being the one who caused this.  He was the one, after all, who had made her cry.

It was almost like she sensed what he was thinking, because she said, “Minho, don’t feel bad.”

“Hu- huh?” he stuttered, surprised. 

She tilted her head to look into his eyes.  “I said, ‘don’t feel bad’.  I’ve been thinking about him a lot.  I’m just glad you were here to comfort me.”

Minho smiled, his face full of mixed emotions.  Relief that she had said that, but still guilty, because he knew he had a part in it.  “I am sorry,” he repeated, “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

She tugged on his arm lightly.  “Choi Minho.  It is okay,” she reassured him.  She settled back onto his chest, turning her head so she could hear his heartbeat.  “I’m tired,” she told him, “Will you tell me another story?”

“Sure baby.  How about you lay down? That would be more comfortable for you,” Minho suggested.

“Okay,” she responded easily.  Minho was already half-standing when she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him down with her.  Before he could protest, she snuggled up close to him, and he loosened up and hugged her back. “This is better,” she murmured into his chest, “Now…about that story.”

He chuckled and obliged.

It was a few weeks after he asked her out.  Minho was standing in his kitchen, staring at his calendar.  It was telling him that her birthday was in five days.  Uh-oh.

Usually, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.  But they’d only been dating for three weeks.  Now he was faced with the dilemma of what to get her as a present. Hmm…

He stood for a long time, simply looking at the date.  June 19^th.

A couple of days later, he asked her what her plans were for the big day.  She simply replied, “Oh not really anything.  A couple of my girl friends want to take me out for lunch.  I don’t really do much for my birthdays!”

Suddenly, he got an idea.  “Oh!  Well that’s too bad,” he ventured.

She paused to consider his statement before disagreeing, “No, not really.  It’s not a big deal or anything.  And I have people who make me feel special every day, so what’s the difference what the date is?”  She flashed him a smile and brushed a hand down his arm, reaching down to entwine their fingers together.

He smiled back, and they continued to walk back to her work.  He left her at the door, and immediately hailed a taxi, directing the driver to the nearest grocery store. 

The next day was it.  The only contact they had was a text message he sent her in the morning.  It was simple; just six words.  “Come to my house after work.”  Minho was so nervous.  He wanted everything to be perfect.  He cooked for a couple hours and cleaned the living room until it was spotless. He took out the checked table cloth he had bought the day before and laid it across the decorative metal table he had borrowed from his neighbor.  He stood on a chair and carefully stuck plastic stars on the ceiling. He cleared away the couch and the TV to make more room.  As the finishing touch, Minho filled a small vase- also borrowed from his neighbor- and put a single, red rose in it.

A knock sounded on his door just as he finished.  He took a deep, preparatory breath and opened the door to see his girlfriend’s smiling face.  “Come inside.”  He beckoned for her to follow, and he led her into the living room...

Minho was jolted from his thoughts as he felt her hands tighten around his chest.  He looked down to see she was asleep, with a slight smile on her lips. He pressed his lips to her forehead briefly.  “I guess we’ll have to continue this one later…” he whispered.

He sat there like that for a long time, simply holding her, loving the feel of her in his arms.  He wished it could go on forever. 

Author's Note: This is a short one...  I meant to update this sooner, but I got stuck on what he was going to do for her birthday...but I thought of something! It's super cute :)  Once again, for new readers, the peach is a memory, black is present day.  Also, I'm kinda liking this whole "not mention the girl's name" thing!  But don't worry, this story has a happy ending, and her name will come into play eventually. I've actually got a pretty good plan for this thing! Bye for now! <3