Her lips were so warm and inviting, sweet and plush as he imagined. Luhan felt like he was in heaven until it was ripped apart when she gently pushed him away. 

Eun Ri didn't know what came over him, but she was definitely caught off guard. Her heart was beating in a rapid pace as she tried to ignore the tingling sensation left on her lips by his kiss. 

She looked at him, wide eyed and flushed faced, as she cleared , trying to comprehend what was happening. Luhan just-- he just kissed her. Right there and out of the blue. Did that mean he liked her? Or was this another one of his mind tricks? Because if it was, Eun Ri wasn't finding it very funny. She couldn't lie to herself that she loved the feeling of his lips against hers and it angered her that she enjoyed it so much.

It almost made her feel as if she cheated on Lay by kissing Luhan, not like they were dating anyways but it certainly did not make her feel right in the heart and mind. 

"Ri..." Luhan tried to start, but couldn't find the right words to say when he noticed her expression which was one of confusion and surprise rather than love struck like his. "I--"

"Take me back now please Luhan." Eun Ri said abruptly, still in complete utter shock. It wasn't like she was mad at him, no, that would be a ridiculous reason to be angered by, but she felt confused and slightly frustrated with her feelings that it came off as if she was angered by the kiss. Which was how Luhan had read her words.

He didn't try to argue, knowing that it would only make the situation worse and instead, he obediently followed her request and mounted his bike, revving up the motors once more before riding back to the house. 

A ride that only took two minutes in reality because two hours for them; the silence suffocating them to no end. 

Once they arrived back at the house, a few of the guys were outside, peering curiously at the two, wondering where Eun Ri went to have bumped into Luhan. 

"Hey guys? Where did you two go?" Xiumin asked curiously, asking the one question that was running through the minds of all the males.

Eun Ri hopped off the bike and gave her warmest smiles to the males. "I was out for a walk when Luhan bumped into me on his way back. He just offered me a ride back to the house. Now if you'll excuse me, I should really get cracking on dinner with Kyungsoo." She said, a bit too politely for all their comforts.

And with that, she left inside, leaving the rest of the males outside to look at Luhan curiously. 

"What did you do?" Kai asked curiously as he watched the girl storm through their house to get to the kitchen as if her life depended on it.

Luhan let out an angered sigh and marched upstairs, keeping his silence.

Eun Ri was chopping away at the carrots she had on her cutting board. Though her hands were still moving, her mind was else where. What had gotten over Luhan to push him to that point? The flashback of his lips on hers was enough to send chills down her spine. She shook her head clear of the thoughts. She paused her cutting and put down the knife. Did I like it?

Yes? No? She couldn't tell. He was the second guy to ever kiss her, apart from L. Joe. She wasn't sure if she could like it. Her and Lay were making progress in their relationship just as friends and it felt like she cheated on him with this kiss. Even though they weren't exclusively dating, she had spent so much of her time investing that she felt like it was almost as if she led him on.

Was she going to tell Lay? Was Luhan going to tell Lay?

"Hello??? Eun Ri to earth please?," said Kyungoo. "Can you pass the carrots please?"

Her thoughts quickly dissipated as she turned to him. "Oh right...Sorry!" She slid over the carrots and wiped her hands down on a clean rag.

"Is everything okay? You've been kind of out of it since you came back with Luhan. Did something happen that we should know about?" the male asked, worried since he was watching her drifting in and out since she started helping.

"Nothing happened. I think I just need a nap." Eun Ri smiled softly as she excused herself. 

On the way up the stairs, she saw Lay at the top. Her heart clenched slightly, looking at his soft facial features. Was she a terrible person?

"Hey Ri. What are you up to?" He asked cheerfully. Her stomach knotted further. 

"Just planning to lie down for a little." Eun Ri replied. 

"Oh." Lay's expression saddened slightly. "I-I was wondering if I could take you out real quick? I wanted to talk to you about something." He nervously wrung his fists waiting for a reply.

. Did Luhan tell him what happened? Is that what he wants to talk about or is it something else? Eun Ri felt conflicted. She couldn't avoid it by rejecting his invitation since it would show that she was hiding it. Or if it wasn't about Luhan, then she'd be ruining a chance to be with Lay. She took a shallow breath and nodded. "Sure. Let me go change?" She decided it'd be safer to agree, just in case.

A smile formed on the male's lips as she nodded. "I'll wait for you outside!" He quickly passed her, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze before heading down the stairs to head outside.

Her stomach was in knots by the time she reached her bedroom. She quickly closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it. She took a second to breathe before changing into something comfortable. 

Eun Ri quickly finished brushing her hair before heading to her door and throwing it open. To her surprise, Luhan was standing right outside it with his fist up as if he was about to knock.

The air thickended with awkwardness as the two quickly broke eye contact and gazed in different directions. "Where are you going?" Luhan asked softly.

"Out with Lay." She stated bluntly. She thought her knees would give in if she even looked at him straight in the face.

Though she couldn't see it, Luhan's expression immediately fell. He didn't feel as if he had any right to argue with her to make her stay. After all, the randomly kissed her out of no where and violated their relationship. He stepped back and slightly turned so he could head back to his room. "I see. Alright then." Without another word, he walked off and closed off his bedroom door.

Eun Ri let out a big sigh and looked up towards his direction. Should she go to him? No. Lay was waiting for her. She decided she'd address Luhan another time.

Lay glanced up occasionally, watching as Eun Ri took small bites of her pastry. She made his heart warm and he couldn't help but smile softly. He had brought the two to a nearby coffee shop. 

Since the night of where he found out Luhan liked Eun Ri, he promised himself he would win her heart first. Any feelings of empathy for Luhan were replaced by jealousy and anger. How could his best friend do this to him? Furthermore, how could Luhan hide this from him and continue helping him get closer to Eun Ri? Was it all a facade? Was he actually planning behind his back? He couldn't believe he was accussing his long time friend of such, but his growing feelings for Eun Ri made him irrational.

"Ri?" Lay said, after a period of comfortable silence. 

Eun Ri hummed as she looked up from her cake. She thought it was so sweet for Lay to bring her to the cafe. When they first entered, she saw so many couples that it made her heart skip a beat, thinking that they were almost like those other couples. Although the thought of Luhan loomed in the back of her mind, she was more focused on Lay now that he was with her.

"I don't know how to really put this, and I don't want to beat around the bush with you anymore." Lay said with confidence. 

Something in Eun Ri stirred. Was she excited or scared? She couldn't tell what he wanted to say and it made her sick to her stomach if Lay was confronting her about Luhan. She decided on the ride over that she would be open and transparent if Lay did bring up Luhan. She didn't want to hide from Lay. 

"I like you."

Her cheeks instantly flushed red and her heart raced in her chest. 

"No. I really like you Go Eun Ri." Lay grabbed her hand softly and held it within his palms. He had been bottling it up for so long, that now the bottle was overflowing and uncontainable. He knew if he didn't take his chances now, he might regret it later on. Not that Eun Ri was a race, but if she was, Lay wanted a winning head start.

She was at a lost for words. She had growing feelings for Lay for so long, that she thought she'd be ecstatic. Instead, she was mixed in her emotions. She was overjoyed because she wanted to tell Lay she liked him too. That she really liked him. But at the same time, damn Xi Luhan would pop up in her mind. Those soft lips, his doey eyes, the sparks she felt when she kissed him. 

"Eun Ri? Say something please. I'm getting a little nervous here." Lay chuckled anxiously.

"I-I..." Eun Ri muttered. One look at his face made her heart melt. "I like you too Lay." She said softly, her cheeks burning red at this point. She didn't want to hide it either. She knew how much courage it must've taken him to confess to her that it was only right for her to do the same. Her heart fluttered as she looked at him. Sweet Lay. He had been with her through the roughest of times and his presence brought her comfort that she never experienced before.

Before Lay could celebrate, she squeezed his hand tightly. "But, there's something I need to say first..." Lay nodded, gripping her hand back to assure her everything would be okay.

Transparency. How could she and Lay ever work out if there wasn't any transparency. She wanted it to work with him. He made her feel safe and that she could be herself. Should she let Luhan tell him first? She wasn't sure because she wasn't sure if Luhan would ever bring it up himself. She wanted no secrets between them. Lay put his heart and feelings out on the table for her. He deserved the world and she didn't want to rob him of it.

"Well here goes." Eun Ri let out a big breath. "Luhan and I kissed."

Dec 22, 2019

o. hi. LOL. I have arisen from the dead. For some reason, AFF came to mind and I found myself re-reading this story and re-fell in love with the storyline. No promises as to whether I will continue or not, but for now, i enjoyed writing this chapter.

xx