The golden skirts of the day were yet lingering on the earth but Ahra was already awake. She opened an eye and found a pair of brown eyes peeping at her.

The face was too close to hers. Way too close that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.

She jolted from her sleepiness, jumping back in shock, her back pressed against the wall of her bedroom.

 

Kai took a few trembling steps back, he wasn't expecting her to wake up all of a sudden. He didn't want her to think he was spying on her while she slept but he couldn't say a word to defend himself because that was exactly what he had been doing for the past one hour,sitting on the floor by her side, looking at her.

"Kai!!! What are you doing here?!! W-were you watching me while I was sleeping?" 

 

Jackpot!

 

"I-I was just checking on you because I didn't get to see you yesterday.. I'm sorry if I scared you..." he stammered and flee out of her bedroom door. A few seconds then she heard a door slammed shut as Kai disappeared out of sight.

 

Ahra pulled out her legs from under her warm blanket and slipped her feet into her warm slippers. She was no longer sleepy and her dry throat was pleading for a glass of water. She walked down into the kitchen before settling down in the living room. It was still dark outside, winter shortening the days, delaying mornings and speeding up night time. As she stood looking out of one of the windows, she saw a thick mantle of snow covering the browning grass in her small garden.

 

"The first snow..."

Pressing her fingers on the glass window, she felt the stinging pain once her skin rested upon the cold glass. She withdrew her hand and saw that it left a foggy layer on the clear surface. Her careful eyes watched as the airy snow flakes rained down from the sky, landing on the ground on top of the existing thick snow layer. The house was in complete silence, almost all of the boys were still asleep with the companion of their heater and warm blankets, well protected against the wintry temperature outside- but not all of them.

 

Sehun put his hand on the handrail of the stairs and carefully placed his foot down one at a time ,trying to avoid the creaking sound of the wooden stairs. He watched her carefully, sitting on the sofa facing the window while staring outside, her body swaying side to side, as if following the rythm of the snow falling.

Just on the second last step the wood creaked- he was caught.

 

"It's so unlike you to wake up at such an early time in the morning." Instead of greeting him a good morning that was what she said.

He slipped his hands into the warm pockets of his pants and made his way towards her, sitting himself down beside her on the fluffy sofa, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just looking at the snow. At this rate, I think it won't stop pouring till morning." she replied, her eyes still keeping carefull watch as the white shaved like ice rained down from the sky.

"Really? I think it will last longer till the noon," he replied, chanelling his sight to where she was looking at.

Ahra knew the snowfall wouldn't last that long and she didn't agree to him but said nothing and smiled.

 

"I met my mommy.." she said jubilantly. She then laughed at herself thinking of her words. How can one be so proud and show off to people about meeting one's own mother? But it was important for her and still like a dream came true.

 

"She was beautiful." she paused, a glimmering smile on her face, "In my memory she was only wearing a plain pink dress, her hair braided in a French plait, an appron tied around her waist, she was cooking something. She has beautiful eyes, a pair of clear black eyes. And her smile was just the prettiest I had ever seen." A smile was plastered on her own face as she recalled what she saw yesterday. It was as if the scene was replayed in her head, the thought of her biggest dream fullfilled- to see her mother. As she speak, Sehun saw that remembering about her mother had rejuvenated her and he hide a soft smile.

 

"I wonder if you've actually inherited the good genes from your mother. According to your description, she seems like an angel to me." he replied, correcting his seat, legs crossed as he moved a bit closer to her.

"No, I'm not even half as beautiful as my mom," she chuckled. For her, her mom was the prettiest and warm hearted  person that she had ever seen and she longed to see her again for the second time.

 

"I want to meet my mother again," she added. He saw the determined look in her eyes, a slightly eerie look- it terrified him.

"Will you accompany me today?" she asked again, her tone eager and excited.

"You shouldn't push it too far for now.. Don't force yourself Ahra, give yourself some time off..." Sehun replied after taking a long deep breath. He was also as determined as her- determined to protect her. Above anything else in this world, he was happiest when he can see her smile and he will give up anything just to let her keep the beautiful smile on her face but not when she's hurting herself to do so.

 

Hearing his words, her face contorted into a slight frown. "I know I can do this Sehun, you said you believe in me," there was a sense of disappoinment in her words as she spoke.

"I do. I believe you but I also know you're only a normal human being. There are limits to your capabilities Ahra. You know we are doing this because we care for you.." he interjected her with his sharp words. She got what he meant. Ahra knew that the boys were worried for her more than anyone else when she decided to do this and the least wanted to do was to add up to their worries. She decided to hold her ego for the time being, dimming the burning flame of determination and excitement in her for their sake.

"I know~" she replied.

Sehun was relieved as he saw the determination in her eyes fadded away, replaced with her soft look once again. He was glad he was able to stop her from pushing it too far, atleast for now.

 

Just then, he put his warm hand on top of hers, shocking both of them. It was after his palm touched the soft skin of her hand that he was fully concious of what he just did. His cheeks blushed bright, bright red and he started blaming himself inside for being too reckless. He awkwardly withdrew his hand, "I-I promise I'll go with you next time.." he stammered.

Ahra saw the nervous and speechless Sehun back again and she did something that she had always done in the same situation in the past- giving him a calm and sincere warm smile.

 

"Promise?" she asked him for a pinky swear.

Still with cheeks blushing, he gave her his pinky, promising her. As his little finger interlocked with hers, he felt the blood rushing twice as fast in his veins and his heart skipped a beat.

 

"What's this feeling?" he asked himself deep inside and nervously pulled his hand back. He didn't want her to sense that he was feeling something wasn't quite right.

 

Ahra walked towards the same window, squatting down and exhaled a deep breath, creating a layer of foggy surface on the glass window just like she did before with her hands. She pressed her index finger against the surface and started doddling on it, Sehun keeping his attentive eyes on her as she did. He liked it- to watch her from behind, to see her smile, to be around her. He folded both of his feet, wrapping his long hands around it and resting his chin on a knee, his careful eyes paying close attention to her every small movements- her presence alone enthralling him.

 

.................................................................................

 

 

As the door of one of the rooms closed quietly, he drowned himself in a mingle of envy, anger and disappoinment.

 

Kai had seen it all and he felt as if a sharp pointed arrow was stabbed into his heart, it was pierced deeply. He slowly crept back to his bed, D.O still sound asleep on the bed beside his. He hated it more than anything else; to see her being around him, being happy around him.

It was okay with Kai to see her being around the other ten boys, to joke around and laugh with them, but not Sehun. He was desperately angry with himself, blaming himself more and more as every second passed- Why can't he control himself?

As the clear sound of laughter from the living room was audible from his bedroom, the wound in his heart deepened as he heard it and their laughter repeatedly echoed in his head, jealousy building up inside him.

 

Kai was worried, jealous and most of all threatened. Her joyfull laughter worked the opposite way this time. Rather than bringing rainbow and sunshine into him like how it always did, it sheds away the protective layer of self confidence that was building up in his heart.

 

 

"Why can't you ever look at me like how you look at him?"

 

 

 

"Why can't you laugh and smile that way with me too?"

 

 

 

.......................................................

..................................

 

 

For the next few days after the accident Kai had been trying to keep his distance away from everyone, mostly Ahra and Sehun.

It was definitely not an easy work as he had always been clingy to her and Sehun had always been one of his best buddies that he shared secrets with. He sneaked away when they gathered together, he would quickly leave the dining table once dinner was over, he crept away when she sat beside him on the bus and he avoided eye contact with both of them when they tried to talk to him- it was clear to Ahra and Sehun that Kai was avoiding them.

 

The once chirpy exhilarating guy who would tease and laugh with her was replaced with a gloomy wintry guy who would sneak quietly when she entered the room. His exuberant nature was gone and it was just pain that she saw haunting in his empty stare. But she was just clueless, he wouldn't talk to her. It was a few days before Christmas that she finally got to talk eye to eye with him.

 

Breaktime in school and Ahra passed the music room in the school when she heard the sound of piano playing. It wasn't a song but continuous pressing of one piano keyboard that echoed in the hall. It was confusing for her because students would either spend their break in the canteen or playing sports in the basketball field, not in the music room. She herself had just return from the IT room to return a flashdisk he borrowed from the teacher a few days ago and was heading to the canteen to meet Sehun and Tao. Curious, she peeped through the small gap in the slightly opened door and saw a male student lethargically sitting on the piano stool, repeatedly playing the same note on the grand piano across the room. She knew the guy well enough to recognize him just by looking at his back.

 

She sneaked in, "Kai, why are you here?"

The sound in the room was only the echoing of the piano that the sudden familiar voice surprised him. He turned around, excited to see her but his head told him to just hold it in. He gave no reply but stopped playing the piano, remaining unruffled as she stood in front of his eyes. 

She hadn't been able to be so close to him for a long time and just be in the presence of the two together, she wasn't letting the chance slipped away.

 

"Why are you acting so different lately?" her straight question startled him but still, he remained unmoved by her words.

"Kai, what is wrong with you?" she asked again. "Kai, please talk to me..."

Her sincere words sounded like pleads in his ears, he hated to hear her tone. He knew he was hurting her inside but he couldn't really tell her what was going on- can he?

"Why are you avoiding me?" she asked again, her tone paining his heart even more. "I must have done something wrong to you.. I did right?" 

Her stammering words pierced him. 

 

How was he supposed to say that he was hurt because of her?

That he was deeply wounded that she stayed close to Sehun and not him?

Is it even her fault?

"No. It's not her, it's me at fault. Why am I making her suffer the pain together with me? What if there really is nothing between her and Sehun? How guilty will I feel, dragging her down with me like this?" As he remained silent, his heart was arguing his decision, weighing down the possibilities and consequences.

 

"N-Nothing, I just needed some time alone for myself.." he stammered.

"Is there a problem? You know I'll always be here for you.." she put a hand on his sturdy shoulder, warming his cold heart.

He drew a deep breath, confused whether on saying the truth or not.

"It's her.."

"Her? The girl?" Ahra asked as she quickly got what he meant.

"I saw her with another boy some time ago.. It made me disappointed because I thought I meant more to her than him, I thought I was more than a friend for her.. I was just jealous that she was close to him." he replied.

"Is she in a relationship with him?" she asked him again carefully.

"I don't know.. " he paused. "As long as I know they're just friends." 

"You just need to make sure that she's happy and comfortable around you.. Let faith decide how it'll be between the two of you. If you give've given your best, there's nothing to worry about and there'll be nothing to lose either. In the end, you know you won't regret it because you've given it your all," she calmed him down by squeezing his hand warmly.

Her words had soothing effect on him and he knew what she said was true. He burried all the bad thoughts in his head and knew he'll wake up tomorrow, ready to face a new day with no regrets and pain,

 

"I guess you're right.. Sorry for worrying you Ahra." he smiled, this time looking in her eyes like how he used to. "And I'm sorry because I went to your room while you were sleeping.. You must've been shocked." he scratched his head, his cheeks blushing with embarassement.

"Well, I have to admit it was kind of creepy.." she chuckled as he laughed along with her.

"Don't do this to me again Kai, it was pretty scary.." she added.

The guy slightly nodded his head, an assured smile glimmered on his face.

 

"I won't.." he promised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It reminds me of chanyeol when he starred in kwill's mv although it's a different scenario~

Thank you once again to my new subribers and for those who viewed my story^^ even one of you upvoted!!! I was shocked when I saw it!!!! Not everyone will like my story but currently having 23 people who are interested in this first fanfic made me so touched ~T,T~

여러분 고마워요!!! 열심히 하겠습니다 ㅠㅠ