G.O woke up by the sounds of water running in the kitchen just besides his room. He rubbed his still heavy eyes and wondered who might have woke up earlier than him, but then he remembered the night before. 

Ah, Aira's here..

He shoved his comforter aside and walked out of his room. The whole apartment was still dark and the only light was coming from the kitchen where he saw Aira with her back turned to him. She was washing the rice on the sink and after a while she put it into the rice cooker. She frowned when she had a hard time finding the right button to press, the only rice cooker she ever operated was hers and it was an old model. 

"It's the one on the top right."

She almost jumped when she heard G.O talked to her. She didn't expect anyone to wake up yet. She was surprised herself when she woke up before her alarm even made any noise, and she found it hard to fall back to sleep. Maybe she just wasn't used to sleep in a unfamiliar place, or maybe because the manager room she occupied last night only had one pillow which she didn't used to.

"Did I wake you up?"

"It's okay.. it's better to wake up early anyway." He looked around and saw some food ingredients on the kitchen counter, "You're making breakfast? You don't have to.." 

"Isn't that what managers do?"

"I think I told you that you're our manager, not our maid. Kevin hyung usually just buys something, or we can make breakfast ourselves." G.O opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle for himself.

"I see.. but I don't mind though." She shrugged, "And I am hungry myself." She added and looked down in embarassment when her stomach growled loudly, confirming what she just said.

Great.

G.O laughed at the morning amusement he got because the girl in front of him. Aira joined him and laughed at herself, she then turned around to start making breakfast. G.O finished his drink and threw the bottle to the trash bin, decided that he would just help her, "So, what do you want to make?"

"Ermm.. I don't..know?" She bit her lips. She didn't really think about it, she just pulled out what she thought would help her decide from the fridge. And now, in front of her there were all sorts of food products, "But I think I took too much things.."

"Hahahaha." G.O laughed again, louder this time. It was the first time in a long time he felt so amused by a girl's act.

Aira felt her face redden from her second silly act this morning. She grabbed several things that she felt she didn't need and put them back into the fridge. She then took the vegetables to start washing them but G.O took it from her hands. Water from the sink was really cold and he didn't want Aira to have to deal with it again, "Let me.. why don't you wake Seungho up?" He offered her.

"Isn't it too early?" She glanced at the clock.

"You think waking him up is easy? You might have to get back and forth until he finally opens his eyes, you better start now." G.O chuckled and pushed Aira softly to get her out of the kitchen, she complied and went towards Seungho's door.

The door made a small creaking sound when she slowly pushed it open. The light coming from outside the room went straight on to the bed, where she saw Seungho's face was half covered with his blanket. She the light on Seungho's desk to give her a clearer view of the room without having to blind the sleeping man when he opened his eyes later.

When she sat on the edge of his bed, she slowly pulled away the thick material that was covering his face and greeted by a slow grunt from him. Responding to his warm cover being taken away from him, Seungho instinctively pulled it back and curled himself in it once again.

"Seungho, it's morning.. you have to wake up." Aira lifted her hand and brought it to his shoulder to encourage him to wake with a light tap, but her hand stopped mid air when he suddenly turned around and suddenly his sleeping face was facing her.

Aira's initial intention to wake him left forgotten as her hand slowly moved beyond her control and landed on his cheek. Even that slightest connection she made with his skin made her feel warm all over. Ignoring her conscience, she brushed her thumb against his cheek and adored the peaceful state his face made as she did so.

How can one be so beautiful.. 

Her fingertips trailed upwards to his disheveled hair. She pushed away hair that was covering his eyes and his forehead, earning a content sigh from him as she caressed his temple. She's never been this attached to someone before. She didn't know how to feel.

But she knew that the next thing she did was one hundred percent outside of her rational sense. She regretted it the moment her lips touched the warm skin of his forehead.

I shouldn't be doing this..

Her heart stopped when his eyes shot opened and the suprised expression on Seungho's face matched her own. She pulled back and stood up the moment she regained her common sense, but she didn't manage to get far before she was being pulled back and found herself on top of the soft material of Seungho's bed. 

With him on top of her.

"Seungho.." She gulped down in fear of what he might thought of her previous act. The light from the desk wasn't enough to let her see Seungho's face clearly, his hoarse voice was the only thing she could use to find out.

"What did you just do?" He asked.

"I'm sorry.. I was just.. I just.." She stuttered, failing to detect any kind of emotion from Seungho's voice so she couldn't decide whether she was in trouble already with the man on top of her. It was the first time she lost control of herself. She didn't know what to do. 

What's gotten into me?

She tried to push him away so that she could run from the situation but instead he pinned her down even harder, "Aira, do you have feelings for me?"

"No, I don't!"

"Then why?"

The soft touch on his forehead was clearly etched in his mind. It wasn't his dream and he was sure it was affection that he saw the moment he got out from his slumber and landed his eyes on hers.

Aira saw him as more than a friend, more than a coworker... more than anything he ever dared to think. 

He would give anything to be told that it wasn't only him whose heart beats faster everytime they're alone, that he wasn't care and worry for her for nothing.

"I'm really sorry.. I.. I gotta go." She managed to escape his grip and pushed him aside. She ran outside the room, ignoring the bewildered man behind her. 

♦ ♦ ♦ 

"Whoaaa.. you made all of them?" Mir asked as he got out of the bathroom and saw that breakfast was already served at the table, "As expected, it's nice to have a girl at home.." 

"Yah! Give me some credits, I made half of them." G.O pulled out his chair and sat. 

"Noona, tell me which ones are yours." Mir also pulled out a chair and sat besides Aira.

"This.. this.. this.." She pointed to her cookings indifferently, "Why?"

"I want to avoid eating hyung's cooking." He said and put an eggroll inside his mouth.

"If Seungho knew you start eating before everyone's here, you'd be in trouble." G.O shrugged, "Aira, tell him that breakfast is ready.." He said after he saw Cheondung and Joon got out of their shared room and sat at the other end of the tables.

Aira froze in her seat, "Erm... can Mir do that instead?"

"No need, I'm here. Let's eat." Seungho walked outside of his room and approached the table. He heard Aira's hesitation and knew that it was because of what happened earlier this morning.

He took his seat across her with full intention so that she couldn't escape him again this time. He would try his best to answer the questions he had in his mind, even if he had to put her into a corner.

"So, what time Byungki will be here?" He asked her.

"I..I..I don't know." She stuttered again, totally forgeting that Byungki already told her what time he would be there after she texted him earlier to tell him that he didn't have to go to her apartment.

"You'll come with me for my individual schedule right?"

"... yes." She said in defeat, realizing that she was assigned to accompany him alone for today's last schedule as the rest of MBLAQ would go somewhere else with Byungki.

"Good." Seungho smiled in victory, knowing that he got all day to clear things with her.

G.O ate his food in silence but he was putting his ears into their conversation all along. Somehow, it had become his habit to observe the two, especially Aira. That's how he knew that something must have happened to make her even more reserved in front of Seungho than usual.

"Did something happened? Between you and her?" He nudged Seungho and whispered when Aira went into the kitchen to bring the guys another fill of water.

"No, why?" Seungho lied. 

"You sure?" G.O frowned.

"Uhm." Seungho nodded and drank from his now full glass, thanks to Aira, "You're such a busy body, Byunghee, hahaha." He chuckled.

I shouldn't have told him about my feelings for Aira, now he wouldn't stop bothering me about it.

The front door opened half an hour later, revealing Byungki who had his thick down jacket and bursted out a chain of complaints, "Seriously, it's so cold outside. I hate the fact that I have to go out in the morning just to fetch you guys, can't you drive for yourselves?" 

"You're paid, Byungki. So, shut up." Aira said before even thinking, she was in no mood for her coworker's joke, all her thought was filled with the situation she brought herself into with Seungho, "You haven't eat right? I made some for you too.." She added, feeling a bit guilty.

"Ah yeah.." Byungki put off his jacket and left it at the coach. He made his way to the table where the eggrolls and chigae were only left with enough for him alone. He scanned the table to find something that should have been there today, "Where's the seaweed soup?" He asked.

"Seaweed soup? Yah! Be thankful that she even made food for you, how can you even request something that isn't here?" G.O hit his manager's head lightly with his chopstick.

"No, it's not that." Byungki turned to Aira, "Isn't it your birthday? You should eat seaweed soup on your birthday!"

"How did you..." She asked him in confusion. She never really care about her birthday, why should she when she got no one to celebrate it with? If it wasn't for Byungki, she wouldn't even remember about it.

"Ah, that. I saw it in your resume when you gave it to me, I remember it because it was my favorite number, 11th right?" Byungki said proudly.

"Really, Aira? Today's your birthday?" Seungho asked her in disappointment. He should be the one, the only one, who knew all about her. 

"Actually, yes.." Aira said awkwardly, "But I just remember it either."

"Let's celebrate!" Mir shouted in glee, he always loved celebrations, especially for those he cares about, "Can we go out to someplace nice tonight?" He asked Seungho.

"Of course." He nodded.

"I'll take care of the reservation." Cheondung pulled out his phone, didn't realize that it was too early in the morning to call anyone for a reservation.

"I'll take care of the presents! Tell me what you want, Aira." Joon sat forward in his seat and looked at her expectantly.

Aira felt overwhelmed by the sudden attention on her, on her birthday. Something she even didn't care about, "Really.. it's okay, I don't need anything.."

"Forget it, we'll just decide and buy it ourselves, Joon. Aira won't allow us to buy anything for her." G.O chuckled and smiled at her, making a silent promise to her that he wouldn't allow her to reject his present later.

My present for you will be the best..

Despite being uncomfortable, she couldn't deny the excitement she felt inside. It was her birthday, a day which she always deemed unimportant and too pathetic to celebrate alone. But now.. she felt like this year it would be different. This year, it was going to be the best birthday she ever had.