Chapter Seven

Sun trickles through the curtains, casting the morning rays through the thin linen comforter. Sora groans in agony as the dissonant noise of her alarm disrupts the quiet atmosphere. With her eyes clenched tight she reaches out from underneath the comforter, her fingers searching for the familiar cold touch of her cell phone. Her heart freezes in her chest when her fingers touch something warm… and breathing. Panic automatically erupts through her body. Where was she? Who was next to her? What happened???
“Turn it off…” a low, husky voice growls with annoyance. The familiar voice is followed by unruly movement on the other side of the mattress. Sora’s mind is screaming at this point. Screaming was an understatement.
“Baekhyun?” Sora’s voice comes out as a croak, a soft and tangled noise from the back of . The only response is silence. She peels back the linen comforter, finally peeking at the unfamiliar room. The walls are bare of any decorations or photos. Was this a hotel room? Did she really spend the night at a hotel? Her eyes fall on the small pile of paper and textbooks on the otherwise neat desk. Even worse, somehow she ended up in his bed. If she felt panicked before, she couldn’t describe how she felt now. Quickly, her hands cling to her chest. A small wave of relief washes over her when she realizes she’s still in the ruffled dress from the night before, somewhat surprised that she was able to fall asleep in the material. It’s a short-lived moment of relief when her eyes fall on the sprawled out figure beside her. No way, did she wake up next to Byun Baekhyun. That wasn’t on her plans, ever.

Knock! Knock!

“Baekhyun, are you in there?” A woman’s voice rings on the other side of the closed door. Just great. Perfect. Being caught in a guy's bed was not on her bucket list.
“Baekhyun!” Sora hisses, her eyes frantically darting between the sleeping male and the door. Desperately, she nudges his shoulder as a weak attempt to wake him up.
“Baekhyun?” The woman calls once more. The door knob begins to turn as the lady mumbles something about him always sleeping in. Sora's heart is caught in at this point. Should she make a run for it to hide her face? Hide somewhere? His bedframe was a platform so that wasn’t an option and the bathroom was a good distance away. A silent yelp escapes Sora’s lips when she feels a warm hand yank her back down to the soft mattress. She feels his firm chest pressed against her back as a toned arm hugs her in place. Her vision is completely taken away by the linen comforter.
“Why can’t you knock?” Baekhyun whines, completely taking Sora off guard. A whiny Baekhyun. Who would have thought?
“I did.” The woman states matter-of-factly. Sora can hear her footsteps coming closer to the bed. She holds her breath, not wanting to be caught right then and there.
“Anyway, your dad is coming back tonight, so make sure to be home.” It must be his mom. Sora feels Baekhyun’s chest rise and fall as he groans with distaste. Things must not be all and well in the Byun residence.
“And get out of bed, it’s half past 11 already.” Mrs. Byun scolds, grasping the end of the comforter. Baekhyun immediately jolts, tugging the blanket to stay in place, sending his mom an annoyed scowl. She clicks her tongue at him, before relenting her grip and making her way back the way she came.
“I’m going to the Kims in a bit, so I’ll see you tonight, right?” Mrs. Byun questions him before she’s fully out of the room, daring him to say otherwise.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Baekhyun mumbles, his voice still groggy from sleep. Accepting her son’s half-assed response, she closes the door.

Sora doesn’t move until the echo of Mrs. Byun’s heels clapping against the hall floor disappears. She jolts into an upright position, gasping for air as if she had been holding it in this whole time.
“Why am I here!?” Sora squeaks out, still trying to find her breath. She glares at Baekhyun when he gives her his signature lopsided smirk.
“You don’t recall?” Baekhyun coos, suddenly sitting up and leaning closer to Sora’s face. His bedhead made the boy look innocent, but his aura was a different story. Sora’s cheeks burn a bright rouge at his lack of personal space. It also didn't help that his dress shirt was completely ed, leaving his chest free.
“Nothing happened.” Sora states, trying to convince herself that that was the only answer.
“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Baekhyun raises a brow, sending another teasing smirk in her direction. In one swift motion, Sora finds herself pinned against the plush mattress with Baekhyun steadfastly staring into her brown eyes. She gulps. Satisfaction drips from his lips as he abruptly rolls off the bed, leaving a stunned Sora to gather herself.
“Nothing happened.” Baekhyun chuckles as he strolls to the bathroom. Sora rolls her eyes, more than irked by the male’s unending teasing, but relieved that nothing weird happened between them.
“I’m a gentleman after all, sweetheart.” He winks at her before shutting the bathroom door behind him.
“Gentleman, my .” Sora mutters as she swings her legs to the side of the bed. Now that she was more than awake, she takes in her surroundings. Byun Baekhyun’s room was exactly how she didn’t imagine it to be, not that she ever thought about it. His daring and chaotic personality did not match the plain and bare room in front of her. Maybe he just wasn’t a fan of home décor.

“Put this on.” Baekhyun’s voice breaks her train of thought. She fumbles to catch the bundle of fabric coming her way.
“Your clothes are still in the car.” He responds to her puzzled expression. She wordlessly nods as Baekhyun returns to the bathroom to finish washing up. Quickly, Sora slips off the ruffled dress and it falls to the floor. Not wasting a second, she wiggles the gray T-shirt over her frame. The frayed edges of the shirt fall just above her knees. His natural scent and slight tinge of cologne enveloped her skin, causing the hair on her arms to rise. Was that good or bad? She awkwardly sits down at the end of his bed, unsure of what to do now. Should she just walk out? She doesn’t have any of her belongings though, not to mention she didn’t want to accidently run into Mrs. Byun. Before she could plan on what her next steps were, Baekhyun comes strolling through the bathroom doorway donning a pair of sweatpants and a white T-shirt. He was alarmingly charming in scrubs, but she wasn't about to inflate his lready overflowing ego. 
“Cute.” The corner of his lips curl up slightly, immediately bringing another wave of pink to Sora’s cheeks.
“Um… Can you give my things to me? I should head home.” Sora shyly asks. Was she intimidated by Byun Baekhyun? She didn’t appreciate how much the blue haired boy influenced her.
“I’ll drive you home.” Baekhyun replies, reaching over his desk for his car keys.
“It’s fine-“
“Not taking a no.” He quickly silences her as he saunters out of the room. He glances over his shoulder, waiting for Sora to follow. She huffs before helplessly following his steps. She would probably get lost in his house if she didn’t anyway.

It’s awkward on the ride back to her place. Beyond awkward. What is Sora supposed to say after waking up in the same bed with Byun Baekhyun? This was a first for Sora, quiet and homebody Sora. Even if nothing happened, how could she live with herself? She fell asleep in his bed with him. No more champagne for her. Maybe she was being too reckless with Byun Baekhyun.
“Earth to Sora!” Baekhyun calls out, taking a hand off the wheel to wave in front of her face. She blinks.
“Hmm?” She furrows her brows, silently cursing herself for zoning out.
“I know you want to spend all day with me, but I got things to do. We’re here.” He states, pointing out her window at the familiar apartment complex.
“You overestimate yourself.” Sora scoffs as she reaches into the backseat to grab her clothes.
“Do I though? I mean, I got you to break into the school pool, skip class, and crash a wedding. I’d say you enjoy my presence.” Baekhyun grins. Sora completely disregards his comment, not wanting to admit aloud that being with Baekhyun was a newfound excitement that she may or may not enjoy.
“I’ll go change and bring back your clothes, your blazer is still inside too.” Sora tells him as she unbuckles her seatbelt. Her lack of response to his previous statement only widens that all-knowing no-good grin of his.
“Keep it. I’ll come by another day to pick it up.” Baekhyun shrugs his shoulders. For some reason, the idea of seeing Baekhyun another day left a warm pool at the bottom of Sora’s stomach.
“That’s exactly what I’m avoiding.” She quickly retorts. He chuckles as he reaches across Sora’s lap to open her door. Sora’s body refuses to breathe when his face stops just centimeters away from hers. Her fingers tighten their grip on her clothes as their gazes latch onto one another. His eyes are a brown. A mesmerizing brown, she realizes.
“Why do you lie, sweetheart?”

Sora’s still trying to calm the rapid thumping in her chest as she rides the elevator up to her apartment floor. Her now sweaty palms anxiously hold her clothes, fidgeting with the fabric. What was going on? Why was her body seeming to burn like a hot ember? She tightly closes her eyes, but that’s a mistake. A picture of his annoying smirk and charming chocolate irises flickers across her memory. She shakes her head. Byun Baekhyun was trouble, she inwardly reminds herself.

Ding!

Sora waits impatiently for the metal doors to slide open, but as soon as it does, she wants the elevator to drop 100 feet into the ground. Her body seems to shut down in shock. The warm feeling she was experiencing before is gone and replaced with a startling touch of ice. Her grip becomes steel tight as her jaw clenches. Her eyes locked on the tall male standing across from her.

Kim Jongin.