“You asked Amber on a date?” Key looked at Onew, over the top of his milkshake, in disbelief. Onew would never normally act like this, he wouldn’t ever be so straight forward with things. Key couldn’t help but think this was another one of his hyung’s blunders, either that or Amber was having a much more positive effect on the boy than he and Minho thought possible.

“W-What? NO!” Onew shook his head vigorously, he didn’t ask her on a date, it was just a meet up between friends. Like Key, Minho and him did every week, like friends did all the time.

“Hyung...it does sound like it could be mistaken as a date” Minho spoke calmly, forever the cool voice of reason, and Onew groaned, falling forward onto the table and luckily just missing his own milkshake to rest his head in his arms.

“It’s not a date” He whined. But, at the same time he worried. Would Amber think it was a date? Did he give off the wrong impression entirely? Onew groaned again, he screwed up.

Onew peeked up from where his face was hidden in his arms to look at Minho, wanting a straight answer rather than the snarky sarcastic answer Key would be more likely to give him.

“Do you think she’ll be thinking it’s a date?”

Minho shrugged and casually took a sip from his milkshake as if his hyung wasn’t having a mini panic attack in front of him. “She might do. But, with how you describe her, she might have pushed the idea of it being a date out of her mind completely”

Key nodded in agreement and Onew braced for sarcasm but, instead, he received none. Minho was a good influence. “Yeah...Minho’s right, I doubt she believes anyone would consider asking her on a date or seeing her as a potential girlfriend”

Onew sighed softly, he knew that was likely to be true but he didn’t like the idea of her thinking like that. He would just have to treat her completely platonically but he’ll make sure she had a good time. He could do that, easy.

--

Meanwhile, just a few shops down the street, Amber was drinking a bubble tea and sitting opposite her friend Krystal. Krystal was one of the people she played baseball with most weeks and was the only person she would come to so she could talk about things happening in her life. Recently all she had been talking about was Onew. Hell, Onew was the only thing happening in her life so of course she would. She knew Krystal found it amusing but was thankful that her friend still listened earnestly and gave advice where she could even if she didn’t understand what it was like being at Amber’s place on the social chain, with her being just as popular as Onew’s friends.

“It sounds like he’s asked you on a date...in the lamest way possible” Krystal sat back in her seat and giggled softly “but, at the same time, it is kind of cute”

Amber spluttered and starting to choke on one of the bubbles in her bubble tea, having not expected her friend to say that in the slightest. She coughed loudly as she choked, attracting attention from a lot of the people around her as Krystal thumped her back to help her stop, laughing as she did so.

“Is it really that surprising to you?” She asked in amazement and Amber gasped for air as she stopped choking and was able to breathe properly again. Yes, it was very surprising and she wasn’t expecting her friend to say that. It had crossed her mind, the idea of it being a date, and she found herself blushing and smiling to herself over the notion for reasons she didn’t understand. But, she knew it wasn’t a date. Why would it be? Onew had only known her for about a week, during which time Amber had been quiet and unresponsive. Why would anyone want to ask someone like that on a date? Amber had no idea and she was starting to question Krystal’s sanity.

But, as a small silence passed over them Krystal’s expression changed from one of amusement to one of complete amazement and disbelief. She looked at Amber for a moment longer, watching her friend become more and more confused as she stared before Krystal finally spoke.

“Please tell me you noticed” Krystal asked almost pleadingly, making Amber furrow her eyebrows as she tried to figure out what her friend was talking about. Notice what? As far as Amber could remember there was nothing to notice. Krystal took Amber’s silence as the tomboy saying she had noticed nothing before reaching over and shaking her “Are you really that blind!?”

Amber squeaked as Krystal shook her, she didn’t understand what the big deal was but Krystal was acting like whatever she had missed out on was huge. She batted Krystal’s hands away, to stop the shaking, and pushed her hair out of her face where the shaking had made it fall out of place.

“What exactly have I missed?” Amber asked, completely confused and still unable to think of anything.

“This guy, Jinki or whatever his name is, has been watching us play baseball for months now and he watches you the most...no, you are pretty much the only person he watches. At first he was just studying and ignoring us but slowly he was pulled away from his studies and towards you”

Amber’s eyes widened, not sure whether to believe what Krystal was saying or not “W-what?”

“Sometimes it looked like he was going to try and talk to you but he never did until now. Something had drawn him to you for the start, even if he doesn’t realise it I bet he likes you and he probably wants this to be a date even if he tries to deny it”

“I-I” Amber had never noticed the boy in the park until the day he got her ice cream, had he really been there for months? She didn’t know whether to believe it or not but she knew her friend wouldn’t lie. Amber sighed and shook her head “So what if he has been there for months? It means nothing”

Krystal rolled her eyes, knowing how stubborn Amber could be “Fine, think what you want Amber. But just pay attention to how he acts when you go out for lunch, then you might get what I’m talking about”

Amber nodded and leant back in her seat as she started to drink her bubble tea again. She didn’t know what to think or how to react about Onew being around for so long without her even noticing. She felt bad for not noticing or recognizing him, she felt bad for not paying attention.

“But, anyway” Krystal decided to change the topic, knowing that Amber would start beating herself up for not noticing the boy around sooner “What are you going to wear?”

Amber was never really interested in fashion, instead wearing clothes with were easy to move about in and were comfortable. She hadn’t even thought about what she was going to wear as she honestly didn’t see why it needed much thought, just some jeans and t-shirt would do. She shrugged lightly in response to her friend’s question and, before she could speak, Krystal interrupted.

“you know what that means then” Krystal sing songed playfully and Amber shook her head vigoursly, she knew exactly what that meant.

“no, no, no, no, no”

“Makeover!”

Krystal giggled happily as Amber groaned loudly and tried to sink in her seat. Great, just great, Amber thought sarcastically, that was exactly what she needed.