I take the camera the crew gave us and hold it out in front of us. Xiumin’s hands are still around my waist.

            “Say cheese, hyung,” I say and smile brightly.

            “Blueberry cream cheese,” he says and I press for the shutter to close.

            I forgot to turn the flash off so the entire donut shop looks our way, wondering who the d-bags with flash photography are. I guess it’s us O__O

            Minseok tries to nod at some of the people that glare our way in greeting, but they just stare at him.

            “We should get going,” I whisper.

            “Yeah, we should. People are really cold around here.”

            We throw our trash away and weave through the crowded store to the exit. Outside, the sun is hot and I almost immediately regret not wearing shorts. But I am too elated from the conversation I just had with Minnie to let the heat bring me down. I feel completely rejuvenated and already like America a lot. I don’t think Xiu and I are officially boyfriends yet, but we are well on our way. How do people that just told one another they like each other become official? I guess one person asks the other, but how long should I wait to ask? I don’t want to come off desperate.

            Minseok and I walk the busy streets of St. Louis, around the corner to the car lot. We get there and see an expanse of asphalt, but no cars.

            “Oops. Looks like it’s closed,” I say. And then add, “Forever.”

            “This is why Google searches aren’t as reliable as people think,” Xiu says.

            I nod that I agree and pull out my phone to call Choi, the crew member, but before I press send, Minnie runs down the block a little.

            “Look, Luhan-ah. A squirrel.” He jumps up and down and points to it like a little boy. He is overwhelmingly adorable. He hurries into an alley created by two large brick buildings.

            I put my phone away and go after him. I see Minseok scurry after the fuzzy little creature, but as we get to the end of the alley, we find ourselves in a courtyard of some kind. There is luxuriously green grass and gorgeous blue and white flowers. The yard is surrounded by red and brown brick walls that tower over us, ten stories high. In the center of the courtyard is an enormous tree, thick with hunter green leaves. The squirrel climbs up to a hefty branch, out of Minseok’s reach.

            “Geez. I just wanted to pet you,” he says and sits down on a wooden bench.

            “It’s beautiful here,” I say and sit down next to him.

            As if just noticing his surroundings, “Hey, it is.”

            We giggle. The tree canopy provides ample shade, allowing us to cool down from walking in the hot, busy streets of St. Louis. I put my elbow on the backing of the tan bench and face Minseok. I can literally see him forgetting the squirrel as he noticeably swallows. I touch my soft lip with my finger, looking casually y, but a gust of wind comes down from the top of the brick walls surrounding us and messes up my hair. I panic because my fringe has to look perfect for this moment. As I sit up to try and fix my brown hair, Xiumin scoots closer to me. He doesn’t need to worry about the wind because his hair is shorter and he used a hair-product with a firmer hold this morning, before we left the hotel.

            “Let me,” he says and brings his hands up and starts smoothing down my stray strands.

            I feel nervous having Min so close to me—touching me—even if he is just keeping my hair in place. He finishes and his manicured hand lightly comes down my cheek and moves to my shoulder. The sensation tickles and I smile. He looks at me with parted lips, but then brings his hand down to his lap and smiles innocently, like a heavenly cherub. 

            “Thank you,” I say.

            “You’re welcome.” Minseok gazes off at the massive tree, then turns back to me. “I’ve earned an innocent kiss on the cheek for being so helpful.” He lightly taps the spot on his face where I should peck with my lips.

            I giggle brightly as he leans in. I shut my eyes and kiss him, but as I open them to try and see his expression, I realize he quickly turned and gave me his lips. Here, in this beautiful garden—a haven of natural beauty in the center of an over populated metropolis—I have kissed Kim Min Seok for the first time.

            He has a tiny smirk on his face.

            I place my hand on his thigh. “You stole our first kiss,” I say.

            “I couldn’t help myself,” he looks down, pretending to be ashamed. He’s adorable.

            I lift my hand to his chin and direct his face up so we make eye contact. “That’s fine,” I say. “But now I’ll steal our second one.” And with that, I quickly grab him by the shirt and pull him to me. Our lips connect and in the brief moment before I close my eyes, I see surprise registering on his face. I part my lips and his mouth, not planning on letting go any time soon. His mouth parts and he gently takes my tongue; he tastes like a breath mint. There is a stirring in my pants, and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Before I can find out, another gust of wind scatters my brown fringe over my face and our laughter breaks the kiss. I let go of his black tee and he fixes my hair again. I pray my arousal goes away before we need to stand.

            “Let’s get out of here or we’ll get in trouble with the crew,” he says and gets up. As he does I see that he is aroused too. He turns away from me to adjust himself and I take the opportunity to do the same. Holding hands, we walk back through the alley we used to enter this magical oasis. Thank God for that squirrel.

***

            We met up with Chanyeol and the crew at the right car lot and settled with a 2014 Subaru Forester 2.0 XT. Minseok and I mostly just nodded when they asked us what we thought since we know almost nothing about cars. But it’s a cinnamon red SUV with a large trunk and plenty of leg room, so it sounded perfect for our road trip. The vehicle cost 28,000 American Dollars, which the crew said was reasonable. I guess it didn’t matter to them too much since SM would cover the bill. I wonder how much our record label said we could have for a new car. Since Cho