LEE DONGHAE's POV

“Hyukjae,” I sighed for the umpteenth time.

“What?” He asked innocently as he placed the item in the cart. I shook my head.

“We’ve been here for like, half an hour and all you ever get is strawberry milks, and strawberry treats. Don’t we need other things in the house? Like---I don’t know---proper food?” I asked while he pushed the cart in a different section, while I followed him.

“This is proper food. Well, for me, that is,” he answered with a chuckle.

His scary aura he showed at school a while ago completely vanished the moment we set foot in the grocery store.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything else, but that?” I said, giving up. Well, this is my fault anyway. I brought this down to myself.

“Well, since you’re paying, why don’t we start getting what you want, now?” He looked back at me, and flashed that smile that made my heart thump like crazy. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath; not caring if he can see, since he doesn’t know why I am doing it anyway.

“Are you alright? Tired?” His voice rang in my head, and he sounded worried.

“No. Let’s just go.” I sighed, again, and walked ahead of him, and went to the vegetable area to get some real food. I can hear him whistling behind me while I scanned the veggies in front of me, my right hand on the cart, while my other hand reaching for the carrots, checking it for a bit, and placing it on the cart.

I love grocery shopping. Back in States, I usually do these things once in a while even if our maids doesn’t want me to do it, I insist, and of course, Heechul comes along sometimes, though it is not really necessary, he just doesn’t want me to go alone, so I let him, and he pushes the cart for me. I don’t know where I got this fondness in cooking. Mom is not really a good cook, especially not dad and Chullie, but dad once told me that my grandma is a chef, and a good one at that. They say I got it from her, and it makes me happy to know that I have somewhat a connection to her since I never really met her. Grandpa also commented about my cooking quite similar to her, so if he visits, I always cook for him. Thinking of that makes me smile because of how happy my life is.

“Why are you smiling?”

And I forgot I got company.

“Nothing, just remembered something,” I said, as I grab a cabbage and checked its freshness.

“Mind telling me?” HyukJae probed.

As Input down the cabbage, and get for another one which looks better, I started talking. “You know, I never knew my grandmother. And it’s kind of sad that I didn’t since dad and Heechul had memories of her and tells me she is one of a kind. They told me they remind me of her, often, but I just don’t see why. I’ve seen photos of her, and she is really pretty, I can’t understand why they say that. But one more thing they told me about her, is that her profession. She’s a chef, Hyuk, and hearing that makes me happy. Well, my cooking skills might not be as good as her, but there’s still some connection, at least, I know she is in me even if I never met her. It just makes me happy. Cooking makes me happy. It makes me feel like she’s watching me do something we both love.”

Ending my little storytelling, I placed the cabbage in the cart and looked at HyukJae who is now eyeing me with something in his eyes.

“What?” I asked.

He smiled, and I willed my stupid heart to calm down at the sight.

“Your grandmother must be so proud. I bet he heard everything you said just now,” he said.

His words make me happy. He makes me feel happy.

“Thank you,” I told him as I look at him straight in the eyes with a small smile on my lips, and proceeded to what I was doing earlier.

“Are you taking up culinary when we graduate high school?” He asked, as he now walks beside me, pushing the cart slowly to match my pace.

“No. I’m planning to be go to med school,” I answered, now looking at the meet section.

“Eh?  You want to be a doctor?”

I hummed in response.

“Why? I think you’ll look good in a chef’s uniform,” he pointed out, and it made me chuckle.

“You judge a profession by the clothes they wear?” I asked him, incredulously.

“Why not? I think chef uniforms are cool, they look so white and the hat they put on their head looks amazing too,” he explained.

“Doctors wear white coats too,” I told him, enjoying the conversation.

“Sure. But doctors usually look so---old. They have bags around their eyes, and their white attire makes it more noticeable. I really think you should be a chef. Besides, I really don’t like doctors.”

“And why is that?”

“When I was a kid, my mom brought me to a hospital for some check-up or something, and they said they’re going to inject me some supplements, or whatever it’s called. I asked the doctor, who looked like he hasn’t slept for weeks, if it’s going to hurt, and he said No.”

“Then?”

“Then, it turned out that he really hasn’t slept in a while, and ended up injecting the wrong place, so he had to do it again. And you know what’s worse?”

“What?”

“It stung like a ! That bastard lied to me and since then I hate hospitals!” He said in a rather loud voice that caught the attention of some shoppers, and I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop me from laughing at his funny face. He’s clutching on his upper left arm, and that’s when I knew that must have been the place where the doctor injected him. I reached out for his left arm and rubbed it gently, earning a confused look from HyukJae but I just smiled at him, and he let me continue what I was doing.

“I agree, the doctor’s a bastard. But I am different. I will be a good doctor, and when I did, I will be your personal doctor and I’ll take really good care of you so you won’t have to worry about anything,” I told him in a low voice, and I heard him gasp a bit, as I kissed his clothed arm.

“I’d be a very sweet, caring and the most handsome doctor, you’ll see.” And with that, I resumed my grocery shopping, leaving behind a rather stoned HyukJae.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What about our things, Hyuk? Don’t you think we should go back to school?”

“Nah, I asked Junsu to drop our bags in Sungmin’s place and we can go there and retrieve it later. Besides, I am starving, let’s just eat. What do you want?” He asked, as he look into the menu, while I looked around.

He dragged me into a very fancy restaurant in the mall. Right after we put the grocery bags in the car, he told me we’ll eat and here we are. This restaurant feels familiar, and somehow, I felt like I’ve been here before, so I am looking around, checking out the place.

“Donghae? What do you want?” HyukJae asked again.

“Umm--- I---”

“He’ll get a full-cooked tenderloin steak, with mash potatoes, chocolate shake and a chocolate fondue cake,” a very familiar voice said, and I looked up to see my best friend beaming at me.

“Bummie!” I said, and stood up to hug him. “I knew this place felt familiar.”

He chuckled as we released each other, and he faced HyukJae who’s looking at us with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Hello. You’re Lee Hykjae, right? Hae’s cousin?” Kibum asked politely, but of course I know him better. His voice is implying something more.

“Oh. Yes.” HyukJae nodded. As Kibum sat beside me.

“Why haven’t you called me? I was waiting for your call,” I pouted, and Bum laughed at me as he peck my lips, and ruffled my hair.

This is totally normal. Well, I kiss my friends, but Bum and I peck each other on the lips occasionally, so I was not at all surprised when he did that. Besides, we don’t count it as a kiss-kiss, it’s so normal in the States to do such things especially to people you are very close with.

“I’ve been busy. But I’ll call you often, okay, Baby? So don’t sulk. Can’t you see why I’m here in the first place?” He pointed out.

“Of course I know, stupid. I just missed you. You show your face for a day then disappear the other.”

“Alright, alright, I give up. You sulky fishy,” he chuckled.

Someone coughed.

We both turned our faces to HyukJae, who’s looking at the menu.

“Hyuk, what would you order?” I asked him, since he’s been looking at the menu for quite some time now.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s delicious in here,” he answered back.

“Hmmm, that’s hard, everything here tastes exquisite. But I recommend the one Bum ordered for me, minus the drinks and the dessert, you can change them to strawberry flavored ones,” I told him.

“You know a lot in this restaurant, don’t you?” Hyukjae suddenly asked, with a hint of something in his voice. What hint? Anger?

“Of course. This had been, literally, my kitchen back in States. And Bummie’s family owns it. I didn’t know you had a branch here,” I ended asking Bum a question.

“It just opened last year,” he said and stood up. “I’ll go back and tell them you’re order. I’ll call you, baby, don’t worry okay?” he assured me, and left after kissing my forehead.

A smiled was stuck on my face as I watched Bum’s back while he went inside the kitchen. Well, Bummie doesn’t cook, but he is a good business man in his young age, and his parents let him handle business in preparation for his future in managing their businesses in different fields.

“I thought you said he wasn’t your boyfriend,” HyukJae’s voice cut me off my trance and I sat down properly on my sit, and looked at his blank face.

“He isn’t.” I answered, simply. But he snorted.

“Right. He’s not your boyfriend but he calls you baby and kisses your lips. I don’t even see you complaining about that, while when Sungmin kissed you, you hid behind me like a child afraid of ghost,” he answered, a bit fast.

I eyed him, as he eyed me back, and we stared at each other for a while, before I spoke.

“Are you jealous, HyukJae?”

There was a moment of silence between us; his eyes turning big and me watching his reaction. He opened his mouth, but closed it again, not knowing how to respond to my question and I waited patiently for it. Finally, he took a deep breath with eyes closed, probably to calm his nerves, and then he looked at me with bored eyes.

“Why should I be jealous? We’re just friends, Donghae. And I would like to remind you of the contract,” he said with a serious voice; a voice I haven’t heard for a while. A voice only the bastard part of HyukJae uses. And right now in front of me is that HyukJae.

And it hurts.

“I have not forgotten, Lee HyukJae. I was just stating something I thought was there,” I answered calmly, perfectly covering up my pained heart.

He scoffed.

“Well, it was not there, and will never be,” he answered, just before our orders arrived.

Not wanting to continue the conversation, I grabbed my utensils and started eating the food I so loved back in New York. Only this time, it doesn’t seem so appetizing. A waiter came to us and looked at me.

“Sir Donghae?”

“Yes?” I looked up.

“Sir Kibum is asking for your presence in the kitchen sir, and he said it’s urgent,” he told me and I nodded, wiping my mouth with the napkin before I stood up, not bothering to say something to HyukJae who’s eating his food quietly. I entered a perfectly organized kitchen, and I love the way the smell of the food surrounded me, it helped me calm down, before I stood beside Kibum who’s watching a chef finish a dish.

“What is it, Bummie?” I asked him and he looked at me with studying eyes and then he sighed.

“Hae, do you want to cook something?” He suggested. And my eyes probably sparkled a million times form the offer.

“Really?!” I smiled, and he smiled back at me, patting my head and put the apron, tying it behind my waist, before he gently pushed me towards the place where I’ll be working. I happily started doing what I wanted; cooking a dish I grew accustomed of, and completely forgot of the person right outside, waiting for me to come out the kitchen.

But I never went out.

And I didn’t want to care.

“Sir Donghae, your companion is asking what’s taking you so long,” the same waiter from earlier told me while I was garnishing the plate.

“Tell him to go home without me, Kibum would send me home. Thank you,” and with that he went out and deliver the message to HyukJae.

I didn’t want to see him for a few hours, not until this tension is gone. Why did I even ask that question anyway? It’s not like I intended it to happen, it just slipped. And why did he have to answer that way? It’s not like he took it seriously, he can see it as a joke. Why didn’t he see it as a joke?

“Careful.”

“Aw!”

I dropped the knife I was holding and clutched my hand, blood running down from my index finger. Turning on the faucet, I placed my wounded finger under the cool water and watched as the blood tainted the clear substance, making it look like a light shade of pink.

“You’re bothered. Tell me what’s wrong, Hae,” Kibum’s voice sounded behind me as he turned off the tap, and wrapped a towel around my finger, before he made me sit at one of the high stools, and he sat beside me, gently rubbing my hand.

“You just startled me, Bummie,” I answered him.

“Right. Now, tell me,” he insisted and I sighed.

“Why can’t I hide anything from you?” I asked, giving up and he chuckled.

“Because you love me, and I love you more. Now start talking,” he said as he waited for me to speak.

“It’s just---it hurts being so close to him. Sure, I am contented that we’re friends, and a part of a family, but I always wanted us to be something more, something way more than what we are now. It just hurts to not be able to show him how much I love him, and it hurts to hide the pain he’s unconsciously inflicting upon me. Everything just hurts Bummie. My heart hurts, my head hurts, my finger hurts,” I pouted.

Again, he chuckled.

“Aish Lee Donghae, you’re becoming like this because of that monkey-look-a-like creature that you’re not seeing the people who are cherishing you from a far, Hae. I bet there’d be tons of guys who would kill just to be with you and they are way more deserving than that bastard cousin of yours. You’ll get over him. You’ll see. I will help you,” he said.

I tilted my head to the side a bit, looking at him with confused eyes. “How?”

He looked me in the eyes, smiled before he leaned forward and stop when the tip of our nose are touching, while I continued to stare at him, not bothered by the distance at all, because this is Kibum. After a few seconds of staring at each other, he closed the distance, eyes fluttering shut as he kissed my lips tenderly and I let him. Our lips stayed connected in an innocent kiss and he pulled away, but still our faces are at a close distance before he said,

“Why don’t we date each other?”

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:)

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