A few days passed, and Taecyeon eyed his phone more times than he had ever done before.  He didn’t want to seem desperate, or too anxious, so he decided to let a few days pass before he made his move.  Should he ask her how her day has been?  How about thanking her for joining him for lunch?  Or he could just text a greeting, and tell her to keep working hard.  “So lame!” he moaned, as he paced his dorm room.  Why did it feel as if he were in middle school all over again?  He was a grown man now, had a few girlfriends back in the States, and he never once hesitated to chat them up.  But she was different, and it was because who she was that caused his inner strife.

“Oh to hell with it,” he mumbled to himself as he sat on his bed.

He touched the contact icon on the small illuminated screen and decided to call Tiffany instead.  She would tell him ‘the goods.’  He hoped she would, since she had always been open with him.

He tapped the part of the screen that said ‘mobile’ and waited as he listened to the ringing.  It was in the middle of the afternoon, and they’d probably be at a studio or practice room in the SM Entertainment tower.

No answer.

“Just great,” he sighed.  He wouldn’t bother leaving a voicemail, because he didn’t know how he could broach the topic via a message.

As he laid the phone down next to him he quietly contemplated his next move.  Because he was deep in thought, even the soft ringtone made him jump as the iPhone screen illuminated once more.

The caller ID name brought a smile to his lips as he leaned back casually on the bed.

“You called just at the right time,” he said, skipping the greeting all together.

“I always do,” came the quick masculine comeback.  “What do I need to save you from this time?”

“Nah, it’s not like that,” Taec grinned, “It’s just that I could use some distraction right about now.”

“And distraction is what we’re best at, right?” his friend joked.

“So how about we hang out tonight, maybe go for some dinner first?” Taec inquired.

“What am I now, your date?” the low voice quipped.  “No, not tonight, how about tomorrow morning for coffee.  I have plans tonight.”

“A real date this time?  Not one with your TV?”

“Keep it up, and you’ll be drinking coffee by yourself!”

Taec smiled at the fake threat and sighed.  “Hyung, you wouldn’t desert me.  You never could, even back in our trainee days.”

Seulong agreed, “So true.  Remember how we all got sent home when we got in to trouble?  Only they couldn’t send you home, it was too far!”

Taec laughed and said, “Yeah I thought I was going to get off easy, until they sent me down to the ‘dungeon’ at the studio!”

“But who was it that came and kept your sorry self company?”

“True enough,” admitted Taecyeon.

“And who was it that froze to death down there with you all night long?”

Taec laughed again and said, “Ok, ok, I’ll buy the coffee tomorrow!  You act like you saved me from getting hypothermia!”

“Well there was only just one blanket that night,” Seulong mocked.  “By the way, I’ve invited another friend, no problem, right?”

“Well that depends on whether it’s a male friend or female friend,” Taec challenged.

“Oh come on now, you know you’re the only one for me!”

“So it is a girl?”

“Yep, you know her too, it’s Sunny.  She wants to lend me a book we talked about a few days ago.  It’s probably better if we aren’t seen alone, you know the drill.”

At hearing Sunny’s name, Taec quickly sat upright.  “Sunny?  Is she coming alone?”

“Whoaaaa, cowboy.  Is that an anxious quiver I hear in your voice?”

“No, it’s because I was just calling Tiffany right before you called, so this is sort of a coincidence.”

“Tiffany?  So you want to ask her to come along too?  I am sure that would be fine with Sunny, even better.”

“Well, won’t it look kind of suspicious if it’s two girls and two guys?  I mean it might seem like a double date.” Taec insinuated.

“So who’s the real invitation going to be for?” Seulong quickly added it up.

“Well you know, if Tiffany were to bring someone else along, it wouldn’t be bad, right?”

“And who is this someone?” Seulong asked.

“It doesn’t matter… anyone.”   Taec tried to hide his expression because he knew if Seulong were standing in the room with him, he would be able to see that he was lying.  Of course it mattered, who was he trying to fool?

“Anyone, huh?” Seulong paused, “So I’ll just ask Sunny to see who’s available.”

“WAIT!  Hyung!” Taec called out, “Ok, ok, ok.  So it does matter. “

Seulong knew his friend too well.

Taec quickly explained, “Look, its just that I don’t want to mess this up.  You know how clutzy I am about these things.  And she’s… well she’s just so out of my league right now.”

His older friend cleared his throat, and listened.  There was something very serious now about Taec’s voice that made him want to be next to him while he heard this confession.

He waited.

Taecyeon closed his eyes tightly and squished his face as hard as he could… “Whatever, just say it already!” he told himself.

“It’s Yoona,” he revealed while blowing out a deep breath, and then listened for his friend’s reaction.

“I see,” his friend stated quietly.

“And?”

 “You’re right, she’s way out of your league.”

“HYUNG!” Taecyeon exclaimed.

“Well, I just call them like I see them!”

“Seriously?  So should I ask Tiffany to bring her along or what?”

Seulong could hear the turmoil in his younger friend’s voice and knew he needed to build up his confidence.  It wasn’t the first time he had seen Taecyeon hesitate over which direction to take or move to make.

“I’m assuming Tiffany knows your feelings for Yoona?”

“What feelings?!  I just want to get to spend some time with her…”

“This won’t be easy,” his friend warned.

“Tell me something I don’t know!”

“You twitch in your sleep.”

Taec laughed at this random comment and was about to tell Seulong he already knew that, when his friend continued, “And you hog the blanket.”

“You fart in your sleep,” Taec quickly joined in.

“You sleep on your back like a vampire!”

“So you’re going to help?” the younger man inquired.

“Call Tiffany and invite her to join us.  I’ll call Sunny and have her bring Yoona along so it won’t look so obvious.”

“Won’t Sunny be suspicious?” Taec asked.

“This is me we’re talking about, not you!  Sunny knows I’m a nut anyway, so bringing Yoona along will make perfect sense to her.  You do realize she is the wackiest of the bunch, don’t you?”

“Its all a part of her charm,” Taec defended.

Taec hung up the phone, feeling grateful he had Seulong.  Even though he felt close to s, Seulong was like the older brother he never had.  He was goofy one minute, and then strong and silent the next. 

Just as he stood, the phone vibrated with a text message.

“Do NOT try and dress yourself tomorrow.  I’ll swing by first thing to pick you up.  Or shall I stop by on my way home tonight and share another blanket with you?”