"Happy birthday Yeollie!” the rambunctious group of boys shouts behind you. Most of them aren’t even in your class, just stopping by to wish their friend, Sungyeol, a happy birthday.

“Aish, you guys get off me!” he shouts with no real annoyance behind his words. Obviously he’s glad his friends stopped by, after the bell has rung mind you (where your teacher is you have no idea), to wish him a happy birthday.

Hopefully he feels that way when you do too.

You’ve had a crush on him for-well; you’re not actually sure how long you have. Regardless it’s been a few years and you haven’t had the nerve to tell him how you feel, let alone talk to him. Sure, he’s a really nice and easy going guy but, that doesn’t mean talking to him as your crush is any easier. But, after years of mulling it over, you finally decide that today is the day you’ll confess (as cheesy as that sounds). Though waiting is a lot more nerve wracking than you’d thought it’d be. The small carefully wrapped silver box in your backpack, open beside you, stares you in the face tauntingly and adds to your anxiety.

“You guys are such idiots, aren’t you going to get in trouble?” he says a smile in his voice.

“We may have accidentally-on-purpose locked the door to the teacher’s lounge with all our teachers in it.” a chipper Sungjong, who’s the group’s not-so-innocent-innocent makane, says with a laugh. The rest of the boys join in their youngest friend’s laughter, a chorus of rich voices reverberating around the room. The seven of them are known to be loud for good reason.

“How long are you going to keep them locked in there?” Sungyeol asks after they finally calm down.

“All day.” you’re pretty sure it’s Dongwoo who answers half-seriously.

“Sounds good, let’s head out.” he replies, chair scraping against the floor as he rises.

No, he can’t leave. If he leaves how are you going to give him his present? How are you going to-

The sound of the door sliding open cuts off your thoughts and your head turns involuntarily in search of Sungyeol. You watch in disappointment as the seven of them, led by an enthusiastic Sungjong, make their way out. Unintentionally staring you lock eyes with him. You feel a flare of color paint your cheeks pink when he gives you one of his perfect rosy lipped smiles before following his friends out.

As the door slides shut you feel your heart pounding and your blood rushing erratically in your veins. He has that affect on you, always making your senses haywire with just the littlest things. This time you want to do something about it. You want to tell him how his smiles make your heart stutter. You want to tell him how you feel.

You want to go after him.

Without realizing what you’re doing you reach into your backpack and scoop out the silver box as you rise out of your seat. Ignoring the looks of your incredulous classmates (you never skipped out on class no matter what, but, Sungyeol’s more important than that) you slide open the door and run down the halls.

You can barely hear the sounds of the seven boys’ footsteps and jesting down another hallway, maybe even two. It’s hard not knowing which way to go but you follow your gut and head for the main exit. Half-running down the empty halls your steps echo dully around you, each step drumming in your ears like your hammering heart beat.

Ba-dum-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum-dum.

The light of the outdoors momentarily blinds you when you burst through the door, everything in front of you a vague blur. When your vision clears you see the large group of boys halfway down the path of landscaping along the front of your school.

“Sungyeol!”

You don’t even remember calling his name running after him before disappeared. Disregarding the quizzical looks and amused grins of his friends you focus only on him. Lips slightly parted in surprise he watches you with startled chestnut eyes as you approach him.

The sudden rush of courage or adrenaline in you dies out the moment you stop in front of him. Reprimanding yourself for your rash behavior you try to force out an explanation. None comes, your voice catching in your throat.

“Why did you come after me?” he’s not accusing, simply stunned and confused.

There are a thousand replies you can come up with for that question. You could spend hours listing why you came after him. But words fail you again and you duck your head blushing furiously.

“Did you need something or-”

“Happy birthday.” your words come out jumbled together but not completely unintelligible. ing the small box toward him in front of you, all while keeping your head down, you hope he takes it. The willpower to speak leaves you and your confession goes unsaid, words caught in your throat again.

“Don’t just stand there take it!” one of his friends, you’re not sure who (even if you saw them you probably couldn’t name them, your brain turned to mush), calls causing the two of you to jump. Laughing somewhat shyly Sungyeol takes the box from your hands that brush with his (your skin burning).

“Thank you. This is really nice of you, really. You didn’t have to get me anything though.” he says, studying the glistening box with a touched smile.

“I-I wanted to get you something… It wasn’t any trouble.” you mumble, wringing your hands nervously. He doesn’t say anything, still eyeing the box with genuine delight. Unable to take anymore you awkwardly give him and his friends a bow and spin on your heel to leave before you die of embarrassment.

As you hastily walk away you think you hear his friends telling him to open the gift. Not waiting to find out you keep on your trek forward, hoping your teacher hasn’t wrestled their way out of the locked lounge. Not to mention you’d rather not be around if he did open it. Inside the little box is a mug you made for him, knowing he’s quite fond of coffee. Painted along the handle is his birth date, while the rest of the pale orange mug is decorated in coffee beans in the shape of an infinity sign (him and his friends tend to associate themselves with it so you figure may as well incorporate it).

That and you put a card inside it in case your words failed you, which you had no doubt would, and did, happen.

Taking the first few steps back up to the school building something grabs onto your arms and whirls you around. Staggering off the few steps you climbed you’re caught in the Sungyeol’s tight embrace. Stammering incoherently your arms are limp at your sides, your legs jelly that will give out the moment he lets go of you.

“Thank you so much for the present, its perfect.” he breaths with the brightest thousand-watt smile you’ve ever seen. He still has his arms around you, barely an inch away from one another as he makes your heart threaten to burst the longer he stares at you with his bottomless chestnut eyes.

“I-I-you’re-I mean-I-” you honestly can’t form a single articulate word, all your senses too out of control to function with him this close.

And he’s really close.

“I read your card by the way,” your blood stops cold, wild senses at a standstill.

Here comes the “I’m sorry”…

“I’m sorry.”

Despite expecting it his words still hurt and your entire world shatters.

“I-it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, I just-”

“Ah, I’m not done yet.” he murmurs drawing you closer with a grin. Obediently you stop your hesitant reconciling and clamp your mouth shut, more from the sudden proximity of his face in yours.

“I’m sorry you thought you had to wait this long to tell me,” his breath ghosts over your skin sending a shiver up your spine as he leans his head to whisper into your ear, “because I’ve felt the same way for a long time.”

Without another word or warning he brings his hands up to cup your face in his long, slim fingers and crashes his lips onto yours. Startled you don’t immediately react trying to process what’s happening. But surely enough the soft touch of his lips on yours melts you into him. Clinging onto the fabric of his shirt your hands rest on his chest as you earnestly kiss him back and let all your restrained feelings pour out of you.

  Never in your life did you think this moment would come. Yet, here you are standing in front of the school with Sungyeol, his lips meticulously molding against your own. Your head is spinning and you’re sure your heart is about to burst.

“Yah! Stop ruining our maknae’s innocent eyes!” like before you’re not sure who, though it sounds like Dongwoo, though you don’t really care, but it scares you and Sungyeol apart.

“Hey, I’m not a kid!” Sungjong complains.

            Sungyeol laughs and keeps an arm around you, undeterred by his friends’ teasing behavior, whereas you fight the urge to bury your bright red face into his arm.

“Let’s go! We’ve got to celebrate Yeollie’s birthday and new relationship!” the oldest, Sunggyu, announces getting dragged by an impatient Sungjong by the sleeve. You blush a darker shade of red and hesitate as the rest of the group starts following the pair in the lead.

“Do you not want to come?” Sungyeol asks, noticing your pause.

“I don’t want to intrude on you and your friends…” you mumble glancing up at the retreating mass of boys.

“Don’t worry about it, they like you. Besides, they’re just going to have to put up with you now even if they don’t.” he assures interlacing his hand with yours.

“Alright, let’s go then, birthday boy.” you reply with a small grin. Beaming his smile you love so much he gives you another quick peck on the lips and swings your joined hands between you as you take your time catching up to his friends.

“This is the best birthday ever already.” he says grinning sideways at you.

And definitely worth the wait.