A/N: a huge thank you to: monsteraynz for this banner! weeeeeee ♥

Luhan widens his puppy eyes as he shoots me a quizzical look. There are a couple of stares from our surroundings but I try to ignore them. Luhan scratches the back of his head while pursing his lips bashfully. I smile, indicating that I’m silently asking him to be my partner for which he understands right away.

“Okay! Okay! Partners done?” Our teacher hollers, clapping her hands loudly. “Now I want you guys to stand face to face with your partners, boys will have to hold on to the girl’s waists by the left hand while the other...”

As our teacher continues to give her instructions, Luhan looks down to the floor and doesn’t do anything. I furrow and make the first move; I grab his left hand and place it on my right waist. Luhan gasps in surprise, which I find so weird yet cute at the same time. His face flushes to its pink shade again the moment he steps closer and reaches for my other hand to hold.

“That’s not how you stand ladies and gentlemen!” The teacher taps each of our shoulders and we automatically stand upright. She scans around as she corrects every position that is not of her liking.

“CLOSER!” She shouts. “Okay now, look at each other’s eyes...”

I lift my chin up, meeting Luhan’s gaze at the exact time he does. I notice his eyes twitch from the suddenness of our contact. His chocolate brown eyes are shaking, and he covers it by looking away.

“POSITION YOUR HANDS PROPERLY!!”

It seems like Luhan’s uncomfortable with me in contrasts with my ease towards him. He looks from side to side now and then, sweating and still refusing to look at me. 

“Yah, partner..” I speak, and Luhan snaps from his fidgeting and stiffens. “You have to look at me too..” I tell him casually.

He hisses before sluggishly returning the favor. I smile to lessen the uneasiness between us but he becomes even more jumpy although he’s not saying anything. Omo? Could it be that I’m being too exuding for his definition of friendship? Like a point where he has probably gotten disappointed about me but he just doesn’t to want offend me so he’s pretending that he’s okay with it but actually he is not? I can even feel the quiver of his hand against mine. Omo! Maybe Luhan hates me now. Maybe he feels so compelled right now because he’s just being a gentleman and he doesn’t want to embarrass me? Is that it?

“I’m sorry Luhan..” I tell him feebly.

“H-Huh?” He asks.

“I’m sorry if you don’t want me as your partner, you know you can tell m–“

“N-No.. H-Hey I-I’m sorry.. T-That’s not it..” He stutters, looking at me sincerely.

“We're friends remember? It’s okay. I won’t get offended–“

“What? No–“ He interjects, “How will I not want you as my partner?.. I-I’m j-just nervous... with you...”

I snap off. He’s nervous with me?!

“But why?” I ask worriedly.

His eyes flicker in a meaningful way that I can’t figure out. His expression is kind-of showing that he’s vacillating whether to tell me or not.

“B-Because you’re Park Jaera..” He says between blinks.

Well that’s funny. Who else is Park Jaera in here? He’s really weird.

“Don't be..” I say.

“I can't,”

“Why not?”

“Be-c-cause..” He stutters, and I give him an anticipating look. “Because I.. I-have-a-phobia-for-girls!” He rapidly bellows, and I pause momentarily, staring at the flush coloring his cheeks. And then, I chortle, closing my mouth to not spit out.

“Yah..” He sulks shyly.

“Well, I’m not girl... I’m an alien.. so stop being nervous okay?” I gag.

“You can't be an alien..” He pouts, but I guess he seized the joke.

“I am!” I exclaim and make a funny face; my own version of the cross-eyed tweety-bird that he showed me before. I hear him laugh that I finally laugh as well. He begins to show me the correct way of doing it while battling his long eyelashes concurrently. I laugh harder; he really looks so stupid with that funny face, but in a cute way.

Seeing Luhan laugh stirs me for some reason, and somehow, I’m glad that the alien-joke worked.

“CHANYEOL AND BAEKHYUN I TOLD YOU.. ‘GIRL PARTNERS’!” Our teacher yells in fury that it takes all our attentions away. We both turn and see, what’s even funnier, the two creepers who are dancing to waltz with their eyes closed and with intense feelings! They are turning a deaf ear to our teacher’s protests and continue to bend and dance as if they have their own world! The scene causes the whole gymnasium to laugh aloud. I gaze back at Luhan, and he gazes back at me, and we laugh together.

Eventually, our teacher has finally set the two apart, earning their grumbles of hatred. She rolls her eyes and heaves a frustrating sigh while Chanyeol pretends to sniffle dramatically as Baekhyun pretends to rub his eyes like a crying baby.

My Gosh.. Those two.