Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on.

25th August 2020

“This is at least a hundred times worst than having a solo stage in SMtown.”

Aleyah turned and looked at Sehun in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

“No I’m not. I’m being god damn serious here. I’m dying.” The blonde guy fumbled his bowtie for the umpteenth time. His eyes were darting from left to right as he scanned the place, and his tongue never stopped his lips. But he couldn’t help it, he really was feeling very nervous. The anxiety building up inside him somewhat was making him feel nausea. It was his first time being a best man and this was one of his beloved hyung’s wedding, he couldn’t afford to make the tiniest mistake. Not for Baekhyun’s wedding.

Since young, Sehun was never good with words so he never likes to speak much. When he was with EXO, there wasn’t a need for him to speak because the older ones would do the job instead. Members like Baekhyun and Chanyeol who could speak better than him are tasked to be the voice of EXO. Thus gradually, his voice would only be heard if the host directs a question at him, if not, not at all. And he didn’t mind not speaking since he was always the least important one. However, today he was Baekhyun’s bestman. This means that he needs to give the bestman speech with everyone’s attention on him in a while.

“You will be fine.” The lady comforted him. Although her voice was gentle and soft, the guy still couldn’t calm down. His trembling hands adjusted his bowtie once again before he reached into his pocket to find his cigarette box.

“Sehun.” Aleyah called him, she saw all of his jittery actions earlier. He just couldn’t stop fidgeting nor stand at a spot firmly with his two feet for the past minute.

“Uh?” Sehun answered the lady half-heartedly, his eyes were still darting everywhere, clearly insecure about the increasing amount of guests in the wedding hall.

“Sehun.” This time, Aleyah called him with a firm voice but the guy still did not turn to look at her. “Look at me.” She lifted her hands, cupped it on Sehun’s face and turned his head towards her.

“You will do fine. Don’t be so nervous. If you can sing and rap in front of more than 500,000 fans, you definitely can deliver the speech smoothly. Look, there are less than 200 people in this place. Just imagine yourself rapping the speech instead of saying it alright?”

“But it’s different from rapping. I… I don’t know. What if I say something wrong? Baekhyun Hyung will hate me forever.” His eyes avoided hers, they were looking everywhere else instead.

“Sehun, he won’t. He knows you will not screw up, he has confidence in you that’s why he chose you. So don’t doubt Baekhyun. Prove him right, do him proud.”

After she ended her sentence, he managed to focus and looked into her hazel-nut eyes, they were gleaming with confidence. The lady in front of him was confident that he would do well for something he himself was uncertain about. No one has ever told him not to be nervous before, not even s. Because most of the time they are also feeling jittery so none of them was in the shoes to calm him down. For the first time Sehun heard such encouraging words. And it came from her. It made him feels all fuzzy and warm when she said those words.

Her words sounded so sincere and soothing that it had a calming effect on him. The way she called his name throughout that short conversation injected confidence in him, making his jittery go away. Those wavering black eyes of his were replaced by certainty as he digested her words slowly. Suddenly, he felt hopeful. It probably wouldn’t be that bad like she had said. He definitely can speak to an audience of less than 200 people. He definitely can.

“Just look at me when you make your speech later on. Pretend that you are talking to me, pretend that I’m the only one sitting there listening to you. All the other people don’t exist. You can do that right?”

Sehun bit his lower lips as he swallowed hard. Her words were so sincere that it touched the bottom of his heart and he felt like crying. The feeling of having someone believe in you when you lose confidence in yourself was probably the best feeling he had ever felt in his 26 years of life. The guy nodded at her words, his thumbs those soft hands placed at his cheeks.

He can, he definitely can picture her sitting there listening to him. Just like now, he can’t see anyone else in this crowded hall except her.

******

“What are you looking at?” Solbi turned and looked at where Kai was staring. Before she could figure out what was happening or who was there, he blocked her vision, causing her nose to be greeted by his broad chest.

“I’m sorry. Are you alright?” The man immediately apologized and looked at the woman who had one of her arms around his waist now. “It’s okay. Is everything alright? You looked so distracted just now.”

“Y..yeah. I’m okay. Was just looking at the guests Baekhyun Hyung invited today.” Kai lied once again, this time the words came out easier than before. The sense of guilt started to linger but it didn’t take him long to forget when what he saw earlier appeared in his mind.

Although he knew beforehand that Sehun was bringing Aleyah as his plus one for Baekhyun’s wedding, he still couldn’t help feeling jealous when he saw them having physical touch with one another. He was well aware that this jealousy he felt had been eminent ever since the visit to the orphanage but he kept convincing himself that he was just afraid of losing a best friend. However, he did not realize that a best friend doesn’t occupy your mind throughout the day, not even right before you go to bed.

The moment Kai set foot in this private villa with Solbi beside him, he started searching for that elegant figure. But she was nowhere to be seen till a while later. She strode in with her arms interlocked with Sehun’s, causing quite a commotion among the guests. Many of them were awed by how compatible they looked, Sehun’s cold aura was a perfect fit for her sophiscation. Throughout the night, although the wedding hall was crowded with guests, Kai was able to spot her irregardless of where she was. Because she was shining among the plain crowd, she was the only one he could see.

Solbi looked at her distracted fiancé and sighed. Today marked the end of the couple’s 4 years relationship and the start of their brand new lives together. Although it was a joyous occasion, but for the woman it was nothing but an embarrassment and mockery. She spent almost a decade with the man before her but she still could not hear her wedding bells ringing. The couple who’s getting married now didn’t even got engaged before this and they spent less than half the time Kai and her had spent together. Yet, they are already tying the knot. As much as Solbi was jealous of the bride, she would never admit it. Because this wasn’t what it was supposed to be. Not what she had plan. She was supposed to be the one that every woman on this earth envied, not the other way round. Envy doesn’t exist in Han Solbi’s dictionary.

“I’m not feeling well. Can you bring me home?” The woman buried her face into the man’s chest, hiding her slightly reddened eyes. She didn’t like what she was feeling and there was no way she’s going to stay on and make herself suffer.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” The man panicked slightly as his grip on her waist tightened, afraid that she might pass out any moment.

“Just.. a little giddy. Can you bring me home? Please.” She begged him. The one and only person that was worthy of her plea.

“Solbi-ah…” Kai looked at her worriedly. “I wish I could but.. I can’t leave Baekhyun hyung’s wedding halfway. He helped me a lot during our engagement party, it’s only right for me to return him the favour now.”

The woman looked at the man with disappointment in her eyes. She had expected him to refuse her, for Kai was someone who priortise s above anyone else, probably even before her. This was the only thing Solbi hated about him. Members over fiancé. “Fine. I will leave first then.”

The man looked at her backview and sighed. He knew that she doesn’t like it when he chooses over her but what she doesn’t know was that he hated it too. s and her were equally important to him, they were like his left and right hand. So when you want him to make a choice, it’s as good as making him pick which hand was more important and it was ridiculous. No one will pick either because they can’t afford to lose the other. He looked at his hands and sighed again, why can’t his left and right hand live coherently for once?

******

Down by the villa, a distance away from the open-air function hall stood a blonde guy and a lady. He was squatting down beside a tree while the lady stood in front of him, staring. The lowly lit lanterns casted their long shadows on the empty grass patch.

“Stop provoking me. I don’t even know myself. My breath keeps on stopping.

You walked towards me, you smiled at me. Maybe you’re attracted to me too…”

“Sehun, please get up.” Aleyah went up to the guy and pulled him up by his arms. He staggered a few steps before trudging forward.  Showing no signs of lowering his voice, he just kept singing EXO’s song – Growl – as loudly as possible.

The blonde guy was in no state of conscious mind. He just kept singing as the lyrics seemed to be so relatable to the lady beside him. “My sight becomes dark when you stare at me. The sound of your breathing, you’re the one that makes me crazy.”

Aleyah dragged the blonde guy as she marched forward, her heels digging into the grasspatch. It wasn’t helping when Sehun had all his weight put on her, causing her to nearly fall flat on her face a few times. The villa entrance that was just a stone’s throw away seemed unbelievably far to her as she panted to catch her breadth.

She struggled to bring him back to the villa till a familiar, low voice broke the silence in the autumn night. “What happened to him?” For a moment, Aleyah thought that she was hallucinating his voice till she looked up and saw Kai dressed in a black tuxedo, with his hair backcombed, stood smartly before her. went dry instantly as something clutched her stomach, making her feet all queasy. Clearly, she was tongue-tied by his presence once again.

“Sehun-ah, what’s wrong?” Since the man received no response from her, he walked over to ask the blonde guy instead.

“Ah, hyung!” Sehun squinted his eyes and saw Kai standing before them. “I’ve got a song for you. Listen.”

“Everyone step away from her, it’s going to get fierce from now on. I’m growling, growling, growling. If you don’t back away then I don’t care if you get hurt.” The blonde guy sang as he tried to do some dance movements. But most of the time he would be swaying or staggering and the 2 sober ones had to grab hold of him in case he falls.

Kai looked at Sehun with his eyebrow furrowed. Were the lyrics he sang pure coincidence or it had a hidden meaning to it? He chose to believe the latter, because a man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk. He was sober enough to analyze his drunk actions to realize that Sehun does adores Aleyah afterall.

He slinged the younger one’s hand over his shoulders and pulled him off the lady, he hated how he was hugging her protectively now. As though he would snatch her from him any moment, “Come, let’s get you back to your room.”

******

“How much did he drink?” Aleyah and Kai sat on the left and right side of the bed respectively, in between them laid the drunk Sehun.

“Enough to get a hangover tomorrow.” The lady replied the man’s questions, her eyes fixed on the blonde guy who’s sleeping soundly after some pacifying earlier.

“Baekhyun hyung would be glad.” The man continued the conversation, his eyes were also fixed on the pale-faced guy.

“Glad that his bestman did his job well.” Two of them talked to one another with their eyes fixed on Sehun. None of them looked at one another, however the atmosphere between them wasn’t awkward without any eye contact.

After a while, Aleyah stood up to put Sehun’s jacket aside and that was when Kai looked at her properly. The first time he saw her upclose that night. Her wavy hair was combed to a side, revealing her delicate neck partially. With her fair skin, she managed to pull off the pastel light green long dress fully. Although the design was simple, she still managed to look stunning in it. His eyes then crawled to her face, he saw how worried she was through her eyes when she looked at Sehun. It made him wondered if she would have the same look if it was him who was laying there instead.

“He will be fine.” Kai comforted her. He couldn’t bear to see her eyes covered with worry for another guy.

Aleyah just kept staring at Sehun’s peaceful sleeping face. He was like a boy who did not have any worries right now. Before this, he was feeling all nervous and jittery about the bestman speech. But he managed to nail it perfectly. He captured everyone’s attention the moment he started speaking. His fluency made everyone forget that they were listening to a speech, it made them feel like they were listening him sing instead. With that, a small smile spread across her face. She was happy that her friend did well afterall. “Hopefully.”

“He will be. Don’t worry. Come on.” The man tilted his head towards the door, signaling her to leave. Switching off the bedlamp, the lady followed suit.

The man and the lady walked down the small pathway towards the function hall. Since it was a garden wedding, soft music could be heard from where they were. The two of them just strolled slowly enjoying each other’s company. None of them spoke a single word, each of them dwelling on their own thoughts.

Kai stole a glance at the lady beside him before smiling to himself. Her presence beside him made him feel so much better after the argument he had with Solbi. Initially, he was feeling exasperated after his fiancé stormed off but now he felt light and somewhat happier. The earlier feelings that were weighing down before he met her disappeared. If he really had the power of teleporting, he would choose to believe that the lady has the ability to make people feel better with her presence.

As for Aleyah, she recalled how the man behaved when he was with his fiancé earlier. He did not say hi to her, nor did he acknowledge her presence. It was as though she didn’t exist. Disappointed as she was, she did not show it on her face. Instead, she kept convincing herself that at least he was with her now. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Not really.” Kai stopped walking and turned to look at Aleyah.

“What’s wrong?” Instinct told the lady that something happened. Something bad happened and it was bothering him. Although he had a faint smile hanging on his face, she saw how tired his brown eyes were. “You know I’m always a good rubbish bin right?”

Rubbish bin. The man realized that she always refer herself as a rubbish bin when she wants him to tell her what’s bothering him. It was her way of helping him. She lets him throw away any unwanted and negative feelings into her like disposing thrash into a thrashbin. As much as Kai always tells her that she’s not a lowly rubbish bin, she would still insist on using the phrase.

“I just didn’t get to dance today. And it’s waltz. You know, I don’t really get to dance waltz that often.” Kai lied for the second time that day but this lie did not bother him a single bit. Ever since their friendship blossomed, he did not mention Solbi to her anymore. Reason to why so, he just did not like the idea of mentioning another woman’s name in front of her. He felt that it was just wrong to do so.

“You can always go back and dance now. It’s not too late.” Aleyah was too good at reading him to realize that he was lying. She could piece up the missing pieces to guess that Solbi’s departure had something to do with his affected mood. Since he did not want to talk about it, she saw no point in forcing him.

“Yeah, we should.” Kai agreed to what she had said as an idea struck him. “Let’s dance here instead.”

“Here??” Looking around her, the lady was taken aback by his suggestion. They were in the middle of the tiled pathway and above them were the lowly lit lanterns.  She was quite sure that standing outside the villa, at such an area, wasn’t an ideal place to dance. Moreover, she can’t dance.

“Yes. Right here, right now.” He grinned.

“I can’t dance for nuts.”

“But I can.” Without giving her a chance to refuse, Kai picked up her hands and put it around his neck while his hands held on to her petite waist on either side. “Just follow after me.”

The faint music was almost inaudible to the man and the lady but it didn’t matter. The man was a good dancer and he led her well. Their footsteps in sync as they swayed from left to right. Once in a while they shared little conversation that made them beamed into each other’s eyes because it was too intriguing that it set their regular heartbeat loose. Underneath the moonlight, a comfortable silence lingered between them as their bodies started to react to one another’s warmth.

Kai had his eyes locked with hers, looking into them as though they were where they belong this entire lifetime. His hands slowly slide from her sides to her back, then pulling her closer to him so he could embrace her better. Similarly, Aleyah’s hands slide from his neck down to his broad chest. They stayed there as she saw her own reflection in his eyes, she saw how beautiful she looked in there and she just couldn’t tear her gaze away. Those alluring eyes of his captivated her, making her senseless.

Slowly, the man pulled the lady even closer to him, her chest on his. People always say, when the heart starts functioning for someone, the brain starts malfunctioning almost instantly. The jealousy and the emptiness he felt whenever she wasn’t around him led him here, for his heart was definitely more certain of it’s wants than his head. Because at that moment, Kai’s heart was in total control of his actions, it was only right for him to press his lips on her forehead and tell her,

“You’re beautiful.”

Was talking to my friend about she's my manager and stranger's love today.

Like we were wondering about the reason to the large difference in subscribers and we came up with a conclusion that my SL dwells too much on thoughts. Whereas SMM has more drama.

Then the next question was, should i change my SL's style of writing.

After some consideration, my answer is no. I prefer to dwell on the character's thoughts more than having just scenes of plain fluff.

Okay, just some random thought of the day.

Enjoy, comment and subscribe!