Did he really just say that to me? Did Kim Sunggyu just tell me he loved me? My mind couldn’t wrap itself around it.

We haven’t even known each other for 2 months and he’s already telling me he loves me? Was he really the type of person to fall for someone that quickly?

I was flattered, but could I really be sure I felt the same way? I didn’t want to tell him I loved him back and create false hope for him.

I was still holding onto the small possibility that I may end up choosing someone else, but Sunggyu confessing his love made it difficult.

I kept his declaration to myself, although I couldn’t help but wonder if he was expecting me to say it back.

Still stunned, I went back down to join the others. Sunggyu and Woohyun were immersed in deep conversation so they didn’t notice me walk in.

“Hey Morgan, so what are your plans for today”, Dongwoo asked me.

“Uh, I’m not sure. I guess I don’t have plans yet.”

“Hyung, I told you she isn’t going to want to watch us practice”, Hoya yelled from the open kitchen door.

“I thought I’d ask”, Dongwoo called back to him.

“Actually, I don’t mind watching you guys practice.”

“Are you sure? Because it can get pretty boring”, Hoya explained, coming through the kitchen.

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything interesting today anyway, so doing something is better than nothing.”

“Awesome, we’ll be up in the dance studio. Just come up there when you get a chance”, Dongwoo said happily, walking off with Hoya.

I saw Sunggyu and Woohyun looking at me curiously.

I smiled briefly at them. “Sorry to interrupt. Continue what you were doing.”

They nodded and went back to talking. I left the room and headed up to my room to change before walking to the dance studio to join Hoya and Dongwoo.

“So it seems Woohyun and Sunggyu hyung are getting along now”, Dongwoo commented as he and Hoya were stretching.

“I don’t think they’re “getting along” just yet. They’re just talking out their problems”, I replied.

“To us, it’s the same thing. Sorting out their problems is the first step. Soon, it’ll be like it never happened”, Hoya said.

“It’s a good thing too, those two are usually inseparable. It really hurts the moral of the team when they fight.”

“I get it. I’m breaking the group up.”

Dongwoo quickly got frantic. “No, sorry I didn’t mean it the way it sounded, honestly.”

“Hyung, let’s just get to practicing.”

Dongwoo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and nodded at his fellow member.

As they turned the stereo on, I took a seat on the floor on the opposite side of the room. They started off with an easy song to warm up and then worked their way up to a song I was unfamiliar with, which I assumed was their new song.

It was definitely Infinite singing; Sunggyu’s unmistakable vocals booming throughout the room. I wondered how difficult it was for them to practice choreography meant for 7 when there was only 2 of them.

Then a different song came on and Hoya walked over to sit next to me, water bottle in hand, while Dongwoo danced by himself.

Dongwoo’s movements were fluid and sensual. His expressions were cold, yet y. It amazed me how this man could put on this Casanova-esque façade when he danced, but was super sweet and almost child-like, in a sense, in his everyday life. I was completely mesmerized.

When the song ended, Dongwoo came over to join us.

“So what did you think”, he asked, breathing heavily.

I put my thumbs up to let him know I thought it was good. “Is there really anything you two can’t do? You can dance, rap, and sing.”

“We can act too, not to mention, we write our own lyrics as well”, Hoya added, smirking.

“Okay now you’re just bragging”, I teased, giggling.

“There’s room for improvement in those areas though. There are some things we still lack in”, Dongwoo explained, coming over and sitting down next to us.

“Do you want us to teach you some of our moves”, Hoya proposed.

“No, that’s alright. You know how awkward I am when I dance.”

“More awkward than usual”, he asked, smirking the way he always does.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll let you guys get back to your dance practice now.”

“If you feel like coming back, we’ll still be here”, Dongwoo called as I waved and left the room.

“Whew, thank goodness I was able to avoid that”, I thought to myself.

As I started walking back downstairs, my phone went off. I looked at the screen and saw it was a text from Niel.

It read, “If you’re not busy right now, I have a surprise for you. Meet me at the front door in 20 minutes.”

I replied back with, “That’s kind of vague. Do I need to dress up or can I wear something casual?”

I walked back to my room and in the meantime, waited for his response.  He didn’t text back so I’ll just assume that I can wear casual attire; at least I hope that’ll be alright.

After fixing my hair and makeup and changing into something a little cuter than sweatpants and an old shirt, I went back downstairs to meet Niel.

He was standing at the entrance with his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, you didn’t answer my text”, I said, pouting teasingly.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you sent one”, I said, checking his phone. He quickly read the message and looked at me. “What you’re wearing is perfect.”

“So where are we going?”

He smiled. “Why do you think we’re going anywhere?”

“Uh because you wanted to meet at the front door and I can see a car sitting in the driveway waiting for us.”

“Am I that predictable”, he asked shyly.

Chuckling I said, “No, I’m just very observant.”

Blushing, Niel opened the door and followed me out to the car.

“Where’s Graham? Isn’t he going to be driving us?”

“Actually, I decided that I’d drive us. That’s okay, right?”

“Yes of course, that’s not a problem.”

“You don’t look so sure. Don’t worry, Morgan. I’m a good driver.”

“Okay, if you say so”, I said hesitantly, getting in the passenger seat.

Niel came around to the driver’s side and got into the car. As he was putting on his seatbelt he looked at me. “Morgan, if you don’t feel comfortable with me driving, I can get Graham to take us.”

“No, no I’m okay”, I said, taking a deep breath. “I guess I’m just nervous about our date, that’s all.”

He patted my hand and smiled. “What can I do to help you relax?”

“I don’t know—maybe some music might help.”

“Coming right up”, Niel announced, immediately turning the radio on.

As if it was planned, a Teen Top song blasted through the speakers as Niel turned the wheel and sped off down the driveway.

He sang along wholeheartedly, as if he was giving me a special performance. The whole time, I kept my eyes on him, finding myself smiling at his cute adlibs during the song.

When we reached a stoplight, he looked over at me, noticing I already had my eyes on him.

“What, did I do something funny?”

I shook my head and grinned. “I don’t think I’m nervous anymore.” And it was true; I had completely forgotten about my anxiety and finally began to let myself relax.

We drove around for at least an hour before we finally arrived at what I assumed was our destination.

Niel parked the car in front of a small, quaint-looking restaurant. I didn’t have a clue where we were, but I should know by now, going on dates with these guys always makes for a fun adventure so I knew he wouldn’t have driven this far if this place wouldn’t be special in some way.

When we got inside, we were met with the delicious aroma of grilled meat, making my mouth water.

After being placed at a table by a window, we sat down and looked over the menu.

“This restaurant is known for its incredible pork. I highly recommend it. Also the kimchi jjigae here is better than any I’ve had in Seoul”, Niel explained.

I just ordered whatever Niel did because obviously he brought me all the way out here for the food, so I figured whatever he’s eating must be at least one of the reasons.

“It’s so serene out here; I’m not used to peace and quiet anymore.”

“What’s living in ia like?”

“Where I live, it’s like this. Nice, wide open spaces, everyone keeps to themselves; certainly nothing like the city.”

He nodded. “Which do you prefer now that you’ve experienced both?”

“I do miss home, but it got a little boring. I lived in an area where everyone knew everyone. I went to school with kids whose parents went to school with mine. I kind of wanted to experience what it was like in a brand new place, where I could see new people every day.”

As I said this, our food finally arrived.

“So this restaurant must hold some pretty special memories since you drove all the way out here.”

“I came here a lot with my brother when I was younger. I used to live not too far from here; about 20 minutes so we took a bus after school and stayed here until it got dark.”

“Weren’t your parents worried about the two of you being out here alone?”

Niel chuckled and shook his head. “We live in an area much like you, but it’s a bit more populated. Everyone knows everyone. Parents watched out for other people’s children. Besides, we were in our early teens so it’s not like we were young kids wandering away from home.”

He continued talking about his childhood and I listened to every word, intrigued to hear how someone from a completely different culture grew up and realized we had more similarities than I had first thought.

I learned a lot about Niel that day, more than I thought I ever would.

We left and headed back to the mansion around 4 and by the time we made it home, it was close to dinner time.

“I had a really nice time with you today, Niel. Thank you for taking me there”, I said as we sat in the driveway, waiting for Graham to come out and take the car.

“I’m really glad you enjoyed it, Morgan. I wish I would’ve done more though.”

“Don’t, what you did was perfect.”

I had just turned my head to take my seatbelt off and when I turned it back again, I felt Niel cup my cheek and press his lips against mine.

For some unknown reason, I did not hesitate in kissing him back. It just felt natural, like kissing him was the right thing to do, like Sunggyu didn’t just tell me he loved me less than 24 hours ago. In that moment, it felt like nothing else existed or mattered.

That is, however, until we heard a bang on the driver side w