Minhee nervously tucked an errant strand of newly bleached hair behind her ear, glancing around the small campus café for Minho. He was not late yet and Minhee had the unfortunate habit of arriving about twenty minutes early for everything. A few students were scattered around the nearby tables bent over textbooks or huddled with their friends over warm dirnks and sandwiches. She had been texting Minho ever since their phone call, and he had suggested this small cafe because it was a more intimate setting that was not too far out of his way.

            The place was cute, and Minhee surveyed her surroundings with approval. She had not known such a place existed on campus. Maybe that was because until now it had been Chanyeol dragging her around the city in that damned sports car of his. Minhee felt the corner of her lips curl as she recalled finally picking up her phone on the way back to her campus apartment.

            “Hello?” she had said sweetly as she had answered, a wicked grin making its way across her cheeks that were already flamed with rage. “This is Cho Minhee speaking.”

            “Minhee,” he had growled into the speaker. “You are so dead.”

            “Excuse me?” Minhee had feigned shock. “Who is this calling?”

            “Minhee, stop playing dumb. It’s me,” Chanyeol sounded positively livid.

            “You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” she simpered into the speaker, her shoulders shaking with angry laughter. “A lot of people call me nowadays.”

            “Minhee, what are you, seven? You see, this is why I dumped you,” he had screamed into the phone. “You know what my car meant to me!”

            “Sorry, I don’t. I don’t know you anymore,” Minhee had snapped before pressing the red button to end the call about five times before throwing it down onto the seat next to her. “Jerk.”

            That had been the last phone call Minhee had gotten from Park Chanyeol, and Minhee was so glad that it was over. Otherwise she would not get the opportunity to go on dates in cute cafes such as the one she was in now. Besides, Minhee nodded to herself in satisfaction, Chanyeol would never be caught dead in a campus restaurant.

            As soon as Minhee repeated those words to herself, almost like a mantra, karma decided to stick her ugly nose into Minhee’s business: a foreboding chime of bells sounded through the café, and almost as if he had known what she had been thinking to herself, no one other than Park Chanyeol followed by three of his cronies casually strolled into the restaurant. Minhee whipped her head around and thanked God that she had bleached her hair; he wouldn’t recognize her.

            Glancing down at her phone screen, she saw that it was still 5:23, and Minho had about a twenty minute window of arriving. Minhee sighed to herself and decided to at least go up to the counter and order a coffee for herself and get started on some early assignments.

            As she stood in the three person line, Minhee heard a cough from behind her but dismissed it as an accident and did not turn around for fear of whoever stood behind her. Something tingling deep in her bones told her not to turn and acknowledge this person.

            “Excuse me?” the person behind her said hesitantly. His voice was not Chanyeol’s, and Minhee relaxed somewhat and turned to cast a fleeting glance back as though silently asking whether this boy meant her or not.

            A tall boy with a firm mouth and dark, slanting eyebrows stared shyly at her from behind thick, glossy hair that was parted down the center. Even though the boy towered above her, Minhee still found him absolutely endearing. She melted a little.

            “I-I, well, I was wondering if maybe,” the boy was tripping over his own tongue, and Minhee bit back a smile, deciding to watch him drown a little before helping him out. “I mean, only if you want to, that is…”

            The poor boy was hopeless, Minhee cooed internally and decided to throw the poor boy a life line.

            “Hi. My name’s Minhee,” she smiled, holding out her hand for him to shake.

            “Sehun,” the boy looked immensely relieved. “Look, I’m sorry- I mean, it’s not like I could help it- I’m sorry, that didn’t sound right, you’re just so pretty, and- oh wait, I don’t like you or anything. Wait, that isn’t it either, I do like you, it’s just, well… Would you like to join me and my friends for a drink? Coffee, that is.”

            Minhee cocked her head sideways at him in consideration, shuffling forward in the line and throwing her order quickly at the barista and handing him her credit card before turning back to Sehun, who looked positively scarlet.

            “Look, Sehun, you’re cute,” Sehun smiled like a puppy, “but I’m here on a date right now,” Sehun wilted like all of the fifteen potted plants Minhee had ever owned.

            “Yeah, okay,” Sehun mumbled, turning away, his shoulders hunched inwards comically.

            “Maybe some other time?” Minhee called after him, and Sehun whipped around, his face positively beaming. “I’d like that. You seem sweet. Here, I'll give you my number.”

            Sehun nodded so quickly that Minhee was surprised it didn’t fall off, his arms shooting out to take the small device from her cupped palms. His eyebrows drew together in an adorable line in the center of his forehead.

            “I’ll see you around, then,” Minhee winked before bouncing back to her table, around the corner from where Sehun was seated.

            Minhee grinned to herself; she hadn’t quite lost her touch yet. Checking her phone, she saw that she had a couple text messages from Minho letting her know he was on his way, and she felt someone poke her shoulder.

            “How are the knees?” Minho grinned down at her.

            “Healing,” Minhee smiled back, drawing her legs out from under the table and displaying her Band-Aid adorned kneecaps. “They feel much better, thanks for asking.”

            “That’s good to hear,” his smile was warm, and Minhee felt herself becoming the blushing ball of slush again. “So, have you ordered yet?”

            Minhee nodded apologetically. “I ordered a drink, but I figured I shouldn’t order food if you were going to have to leave soon.”

            Minho nodded in agreement with her decision as he made his way to lean against the side of their table, his torso nearly touching Minhee's elbow. “Good. That way I can buy you a full meal the next time we go out like this.”

           "You act like there is going to be a next time," Minhee , raising an eyebrow and gently poking his side without realizing it. 

             Minho placed a large palm over the center of his chest in mock offense. "Cho Minhee, but we have only just met," Minhee rolled her eyes with a grin and he continued with a goofy wiggle of his eyebrows. "I don't know if I am ready to take it to the next level yet."

            A blush crept up her cheeks at this statement and Minho laughed at her before ruffling her hair and striding off to order his drink.

           "Oh, and Minhee," he threw over his shoulder. If possible, Minhee blushed even harder as he called her name. "How did you know I have a thing for blondes?"

            Minhee squealed happily in her seat as Minho disappeared from her view to the counter. She loved the way he had said “the next time we go out,” like he wanted to see her again soon.

            Finding a replacement boy was going swimmingly, Minhee thought, patting herself on the back in congratulations.

            Her happiness was short lived, however, for an unpleasantly familiar voice from behind her startled her, causing Minhee to jump in her seat in surprise.

            “Minhee? Is that you?” The ever so loveable Han Seulgi popped into her frame of vision like a sickeningly girly whack-a-mole. “It is you! I almost didn’t recognize you with that hair!”

            “Oh, Seulgi, hey,” Minhee said weakly. “What are you doing here?”

            “Oh, I went out with Chanyeol and some friends,” she said in an offhand voice, running her fingers through the ends of her hair as though she were petting a very soft, very cute animal.

            “That sounds fun,” Minhee managed, trying to politely end the conversation and turn back to her table. “Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude−“

            “Hey!” Seulgi perked up like she had just had a sudden idea. “Why don’t you come and meet them! They would love you!”

            Minhee swallowed in horror, and Seulgi seemed to take that as a confession of Minhee being shy. Seulgi donned an oddly maternal air as she took Minhee’s arm began to physically pull her up from her table and across the café.

            “Oh no, Seulgi,” Minhee cried desperately, “I couldn’t. Look, why don’t you just go back to your friends and have fun, huh? I will just make things awkward.”

            “Nonsense,” Seulgi waved her off. They were in sight of the table, now, and Minhee knew that she had to act fast if she didn’t want someone to see them and call them over. “They will love you. You don’t need to be shy.”

            "Seulgi, I'm being serious," Minhee fussed, but it was already too late; she had been spotted.

            “Minhee?” A voice from the table called, and Minhee shot her eyes upwards to make eye contact with none other than the boy she had met in line a few minutes ago, Sehun. “Is that you? What are you doing over here?”

            All eyes at the table turned curiously to see just who Sehun was talking to, and Minhee felt her cheeks flame in humiliation.

            “This is the girl?” A boy with beady eyes and girly hands asked, looking her over with approval. “She’s hot. No wonder Sehun couldn't stop talking about "that girl who agreed to go out with him in line to get coffee.”"

            Minhee let out a confused half laugh and looked over to Sehun, who had his beet red face buried in his hands, obviously too embarrassed to meet her gaze.

            Seulgi let out a laugh, and slapped the boy lightly on the shoulder before gesturing to each boy individually, “Don’t mind him, Minhee. These are my friends: Baekhyun, the one without any manners here, Sehun, Kai, well, Jongin, I guess, and Chanyeol.”

            Baekhyun let out a cry of protest, but Minhee did not listen. She cast a furtive glance at the one boy at the corner of the table she had been dreading seeing the most, and their gazes locked, causing all of her breath to leave her lungs in one long gust.

            Chanyeol was staring, truly staring, at her with an expression she couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t a stare that clearly portrayed his emotions like he normally did, but a stare of someone who was not sure exactly what they were seeing. Minhee was not sure if she liked this stare or not.

            "You bleached your hair," he said simply, so quiet that only she seemed to catch it, or maybe it was because of the ruckus created by Baekhyun, who now had poor, humiliated Sehun in a headlock while Kai pelted them both with balled up pieces of napkin that had been soaked in water. 

            "I did," she responded evenly, and Chanyeol did nothing in response but stare, an unspoken challenge between the two rising as to who would break the silence first. Minhee fixed him with the stare she used to give him when he forgot to put the seat of the toilet down: it could burn holes through concrete.

            Minhee's concentration was broken by Minho’s voice from behind her, and to her surprise, a light ghosting of a hand on her lower back. Chanyeol’s eyes trailed down to where the fingers brushed the small of her back before quickly darting over to Baekhyun kicking Kai under the table. The look had been quick, almost imperceptible, but Minhee had seen it, and she decided to rub it in his face a little.

            “Oh, Minho,” Minhee smiled back at him, purposely putting her hand over his forearm. “You ordered?”

            “Yeah, same as you. I thought it looked good,” Minho shrugged, casually slinging his arm around her shoulders as though they were old friends.

            Minhee giggled and leaned into his side, sending daggers towards Chanyeol with a sickeningly sweet smile. Chanyeol’s face had gone completely serious, and his full attention was on her now. Minhee absolutely loved it.

            “Well, Seulgi,” Minhee turned to her classmate, who was excitedly looking between the couple in front of her. “I have to get back to my date now.”

            “Of course,” Seulgi piped, looking happier about Minhee being out on a date than Minhee had felt in the first place.

            "Ouch, Sehun, she has a date," Baekhyun smarted off to Sehun. "Dang, looks like you're out of luck, buddy."

            Minhee smiled politely at them, choosing to ignore the large mouth on Baekhyun, and cast a last wink at Sehun just to mess with the absolutely livid Chanyeol before turning away to walk back to the table with Minho. His arm had slipped from around her shoulders to a light grip around her waist.

            “So,” Minho said to her as they slid back into their seats. “That one boy couldn’t seem to stop looking at you.”

            “I know,” Minhee smiled smugly, not bothering to give a proper explanation.

            Minho did not seem to mind, but leaned over the table on his elbows, his face a couple inches from hers, a small smile playing on his lips. “So, I’m your date, huh?”

            Minhee blushed more deeply than she had ever before.

A Note From Abby/ my inspiration for this story/ my own crappy boy experience

So yes, there is some truth behind this story. There was a boy, and I liked him on and off for a year. It was mutual, and this boy turned out to be a piece of crap who was more interested in my best friend than me, although he always made it clear that I was his one and only, so to speak. This story is sort of based off of my internal conflict- how I came to terms with leaving him behind, what I wish I could have done, and maybe how I wish things had ended up. It's all in the the past and I'm of course still super bitter about him and his new girlfriend (honestly this dude is just so petty, he's rubbing it in my face), so I figured why not just create the scenario where I get the last word? So I guess that's what I did here.... I hope you find this funny, and of course I changed the story to make it a lot more fun for the readers! Just know that Chanyeol is so much better than the real boy this is based off of, and here is a piece of advice from me to you: when he does you wrong, don't be afraid to put him in his place! I sure wish I had!

XxAbby