JUNSU’S POV

     I had checked myself in the mirror a hundred times. Why was I so nervous this time? It wasn’t a first date or anything. Was it that kiss? Had one simple kiss changed everything? Pulled me in so much deeper? What else could it be? I’d kissed girls before, but it had never felt like this.

“Hyung!” Changmin’s voice cut through my thoughts. He put his hands on my shoulders. “Stop. You’re making it worse.”

“What?”

“Don’t think about it.” He shook me once. “Just go.” Twice. “Thinking about it will only make you more nervous.” Six more times. “And I’m sure you’ll have fun no matter what—you always do.” He patted my shoulders and then let his hands drop.

“I know…” I looked away.

As Jaejoong passed through the living room, where I was standing, to get to the kitchen, he said to me, “You’ll be with Ara, right?”

“Of course I’ll be with Ara.”

“Then you’ll be happy. She’ll happy. You’ll all be happy and everything will turn out right.” He called over his shoulder.

I nodded. This was one time I was glad that my hyungs made it a point to be a part of my personal life. Come to think of it, I did the same to them sometimes too… Changmin gave me a look, nodded once, and then winked, before leaving the room. He passed Yoochun on his way out and motioned towards me as if he were leaving me in Yoochun’s hands.

“So what happened yesterday?” Yoochun asked me.

I glanced around and leaned closer. Then I stepped back. Why did I feel like it was a secret?

“I kissed her…” I said almost dazedly, remembering the moment…picturing it in my mind.

“Like…a real kiss?” Yoochun questioned.

I nodded, and then smiled. “Ya. A real kiss. I really kissed her.”

Yoochun’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa…”

“Who kissed who?” Yunho burst into the conversation.

“Junsu kissed Ara.” Yoochun answered absently, waving Yunho away from him.

“Wha!” Yunho looked at me. “Seriously? Yah, why didn’t you say it before?”

“Wait a minute, what?” Changmin came back out of the hallway. “Did you just say…”

I blushed and tried to keep my smile down. Why did they have to make such a big deal out of everything?

“Was it a good kiss!” Jaejoong called from the kitchen.

I didn’t know how to answer. I mean, the answer was yes, but yelling it back to him seemed awkward. I didn’t have to, though. Jaejoong came into the living room to hear my answer.

I nodded. “Ya, it was…incredible!” I laughed. “Really great.”

My hyungs whooped and cheered for me and Ara’s first kiss, making me laugh more.

I shook my head at them. “You guys are crazy.” And I finally decided to leave.

     As I drove up, I immediately spotted Ara. She looked nervous and uncomfortable. I stopped the car right next to her and her face lit up as she saw me.

“Junsu!” She ran to the car before I could get out.

I smiled. “Hi Ara.” I opened the door and stood up out of the car to hug her. It was amazing the way she seem to fit in my arms like a puzzle piece. She clung to me like she was relieved. “You look great.”

She continued smiling and her cheek grew a little red. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure… You look great too.”

I looked down at myself. I was used to dressing up, so this wasn’t really new for me. Dark blue designer skinny jeans, a red graphic t-shirt with a deep V-neck, and a black dress coat. I led her around the car and opened her door for her, then got back in and we drove off.

     I glanced over at her. She still seemed a bit anxious and she was very quiet.

“Are you worried?” I asked, taking one hand off the steering wheel to place it on her leg.

She looked down at my hand and shook her head. “No, why would you think that?”

I cocked one eyebrow at her and then looked back at the road. “You seem tense and uneasy.”

She bent her head even more, hiding her face in her hood. “I’ve never been to a club before.”

“It’ll be fun, trust me. It’s a really cool place and only certain people can get in. You’ll probably see a lot of familiar faces. I think Yunho said he might come. And you won’t have to worry about who will see us. This is the kind of place where, what happens in the club stays in the club. Paparazzi and cameras aren’t allowed inside.”

She just nodded and stayed silent. I wished desperately that there was something I could do to make her feel better. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…