[A few hours before]

Leo was cooking ramen on the stove while hakyeon was at the table focusing in a list he was writting down; when the younger finished he sat infront of his friend, placing the pot between them.

"why are you eating ramen?!!" Hakyeon gasped

"Cause I'm hungry?" Leo questioned

"It will bloat you stomach"

"so?" an eyebrow raised, he ignored hakyeon and swallowed the nooddles

"you have a date!"

"it's not a date"

Hakyeon rolled his eyes and huffed as if what he was about to say was the most logical thing "yes, it is. because you are going to ask her out! I know you've got abs and all that but what if things escalate quickly and you have to take off your shirt ..."

Leo almost choked with the noddles, his face quickly turned bright red as he coughed and reached out for his glass of water.

"what the...?! that's not gonna happen"

'"you never know"

"she is not that type of..." leo tried to defend you

"didn't she kissed you first?" hakyeon wiggled his eyebrows.

this time, the lion remained silent. the tanned guy smiled victorious and proud of himself since it was very hard to quiet leo down.

"okay, so let's review the plan again" hakyeon tapped the eraser of his pencil on the notes he had been taken carefully for the last hour "you go to her home, drag her out telling her is an emergency at work"

Leo nodded while taking another serving of food for him and his friend.

"you infiltrate into the abanoned art gallery and leave her alone but the lights will guide her to you bla bla bla" he twisted his wrist.

"did you got the canvas printed?"

"of course, they are already in your car"

He nodded again; hakyeon noticed the almost invisible marks on Leo's lips.

"are you nervous?"

"why?"

"you've been biting your lips a lot,right?

"because work and tests have been pilling up lately..."

"then why do you bother in doing all this for her when it's very obvious that you two are together?"

"because I'm different from 'that' guy"

Then it was Hakyeon's turn to nod.

...........

Leo drove to your house after sending a message to tell you he was going to pick you up -which you didnt read because of the situation with Kris - 

Your brother opened the door for him and shouted for you from the first floor, when you didn't answer he chose to let leo go to your room because he was too busy with his own visitors.

"she is upstairs" he nonchalantly waved his hands and hurried back to the living room

"thanks" 

When Leo was infront of your door, he knocked but it opened as soon as his knuckles landed on it.

He blinked slowler than usual to confirm what he got a quick glimpse of: Kris was kissing you, or you were kissing him. Leo couldn't tell.

You gasped, Leo froze and Kris just remained quiet.

For a moment Leo thought about beating the soul out of kris, but that would only made him look like the victim there.  He felt very tired all of a sudden; he had enough of all the unnecesary drama he got dragged or he got himself into.

The lion got tired of fighting.

He looked down to his feet and up to you; and without saying a thing he turned back and left.

"Leo!" you jumped off the bed but kris grabbed you by the wrist.

He looked at you with pleading eyes for a second that felt like a minute; he didn't say a word but he was asking you to not go after him.

'please, come back'

However, he let go of you and looked away. defeated.

with one final look, you apologized and ran after leo, who was already closing the front door.

"Leo! wait"

he stopped on his tracks and took a deep breathe to collect all the patience in him, yet he didn't look back.

"It's not what you think..."

Leo mentally scoffed 'I don't think, I KNOW what it is' but he wanted to let you talk.

You couldn't bring yourself to put the blame on kris, you somehow felt guilty about not have pushed him away on time.

"I let my guard down and let it happen, I'm sorry"

Leo closed his eyes, he was running out of patience and turned around to face you.

"yeah, I know what you mean, it's always like this isn't?" his hands were in a fist then he ran them trough his hair, his voice was hoarse "look, i trust you, but when it comes to him...I don't think you'll completely get over him any time soon. So come look for me when you are ready"

Saying that he walked to his car and drove away.

You wanted to faint, cry, throw a fist; everything at the same time.

....

Kris was still in your room when you got back. he tried to look concerned, he really tried but failed because there was a spark of happiness in the back of his eyes.

you glared at him with bloodshot eyes and plumped down on the chair, seeing you like that hurted kris, though.

"Was it that bad?"

"are you serious?" you sarcastically smiled

"should I leave?" he asked hoping you'd say no

"yeah, I want to be alone for a while"

The ex-blonde sighed and stood up.

"okay" he made his way to the door

"kris..." you stopped him "congratulations for earning your freedom"

He limited himself to half smile befire leaving the room.

When you considered he was far enough from your door, you let out a deep breathe you were holding this entire time.

That day had been so long and it wasn't even midnight.

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

The next day Leo and Hakyeon were walking towards the school, when they spotted you just a few meters away.

"shouldn't you call her?" hakyeon eyed his friend, who didn't reply and slowed his pace down "oookaaay" he sang.

Truth was that User9011 had been typying messages one after another over the weekend but his pride made him press backspace every time.

When they got to campus he headed to the office to sign some documents concerning the scholarship and couldn't help sighing when he spotted a familiar face.

He tried to avoid eye contact and hurried his way out of the door.

"Wait!" the girly voice called too loudly to be ignored.

"Dammit" leo rolled his eyes.

He huffed and turned to show her his poker face.

"what?"

"I know you must remember me from previous events...I'm kris' wife"

"so?" he replied uninterested.

Charlotte was clearly intimitated by his lack of response.

"well, you know...I've been missing so many classes lately so I was wondering if you'd lend me your notes"

"what was your name again?"

"Charlotte Kim" she was clearly offended, as if everyone should have known her name.

Hakyeon who had just left the school's cantin spotted his friend but not his half-sister, that was hidden behind Leo's broad body.

"Why don't you ask a friend?"

The green eyed girl looked at him with an expression the said 'seriously?'

"I don't take notes usually"

Hakyeon hit Leo on the neck, and he finally spotted the tiny girl.

'oh s...snaaaap' he thought.

"oh!" he faked a surprised expression "you are in some of our classes, right?"

Charlotte nodded polietly "hello"

"What bussiness do you have with my friend here?" He was acting snarky unintentionally, crossing and arm across Leo's shoulder.

"I was asking for his notes but he doesn't have it"

This time hakyeon copied her previous 'are you serious' expression.

"you should ask someone else" her half brother sugested and dragged Leo away.

When they where out  her sight Leo removed his arm from his friend's grasp.

"that gave me the creeps" Hakyeon trembled like it was cold "do you think she suspects something?"

"no, your father prohibited you from getting close to her, right? then she doesn't know about you...don't worry too much"

"and even if she does, it's not like I want to be related to my father in any way possible"

Leo saw how his friend's eyes turned darker and his voice deeper when he mentioned that man. Hakyeon was never one to hate someone but his biological father could be the only exception.

"enough of family drama" he smacked his cheeks, taking leo aback "should I go back to the gallery and remove the frames?"

Leo bit his lower lip as he hesitated to answer "no I'll do it myself"

"what?" N gasped "are you going to give up? just like that?"

"of course not! but I should be mentally prepared if something doesn't go according to my plan"

"your plan?" the boy's eyes opened twice as wide "do you have a plan?how come I don't know about it"

"Cause you can't keep your mouth shut" he did a neck chop to his friend and headed to the classroom.

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

Almost everyone had gone home after morning classes were over, but there was still an hour left before work started so You were at the school's patio seating on the bench next to the white roses, looking down at your phone when an unwanted person sat next to you.

You grabbed your books and stood up as soon as you saw her face.

"are you happy?" she asked before you could leave

"about what?"

Charlotte scoffed "Don't play innocent, I am sure Kris went to tell you as soon as he could"

Was it worth playing her game?

"So? should I be happy?"

"Isn't this what you wanted all along? you tried so hard to snatch him away since the beggining..." she said trough clenched teeth.

it surprised you how that girl could go from 0 to 100 real quick.

"Kris is not a thing that can be taken as you please! he has his own mind and heart; but neither of them were yours to begin with"

the words fell like an ice bucket over charlotte.

you were so blinded by rage that you didn't see it coming; only after the pain stung across your left cheek, you realized that she slapped you.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go and tell the world about it, live your happily ever after!"

It was obvious that she was holding back the tears and you pitied her, yet that didn't stop you from returning the gesture.

she tried to hit you again but this time you were fast enough to grab her arm before she touched you. Charlotte struggled to get it free but she was too skinny to compete with someone who had been doing house work for years.

  "Yes, I am happy. Not because he left you but because he is free now. I am happy for him"  

"even if I am not with him,you'd never be good enough. they'll find a replacement for me; and you'll be at the start again"

Start. you repaired on that word

"right, I'm at the start again but... this time is with someone else"

"wh..."

"you know it too, I love leo now. So if you want to fight for kris, do it with your replacement" you let go of her arm with more strength than necessary. and hurried to get away from her before she tried something else.

"Isn't just him the one after you?"

Surprisingly, Charlotte's words were very eye opening.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY WISHES EVERYONE!