“I don't look weird, do I?’’

Shion stood in front of her mirror, checking out her outfit for the last time before shrugging her shoulders as if it didn't matter after all.

Her outfit was somewhat colorful. A plain white sweatshirt, a pair of skinny jeans, her favorite red hoodie, yellow flash sneakers and a blue beanie to complete her rainbow outfit. It wasn't like she was trying to impress her teacher, she just decided to try something different every now and then.

As she was organizing her untidy room, her phone vibrated in her pocket, alerting her of a message. She took it out and read what just popped up on the lock screen.

From: Mr. Parking lot.

“Are you ready? I'm waiting by your house.”

“I've been ready for half an hour.” She almost replied but canceled when she realized it would make her sound like she was so excited about the "hang out", and that would lead her to some non stop teasing from him.

“Hey mom, I'll be leaving now.” She announced as she walked down the staircase.

“Another date with Jimin, huh?” Her mother appeared from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands, a small smirk tugging the corner of her lips.

“I told you it's not a date-” The young female stopped abruptly once her mother's question fully sunk in.

“Wait, what do you mean by "another"?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her mother, who chuckled softly before resting her warm hand on her daughter's shoulder.

“Honey, I know it's not the first time you're going out with him.” Shion tried to not show the little embarrassment she felt by averting her gaze.

Kaera pinched her daughter's cheek playfully, “You can't hide anything from me.”

Shion pretended to feel annoyed by her mother's action and prevented her from reddening her cheek. She headed to the door and turned to wave at her mother goodbye before exiting the house.

Ahead of her stood the young man who patiently waited for her. His back is given to her as he enjoyed the soft afternoon breeze brushing against his skin. She could imagine that delightfully calm expression he usually wears tracing his features. Eyes closed, lips curved upwards while cheeks are being lifted. Just another thing her eyes couldn't ignore.

“Where's your car?” She questioned him once she stood next to him.

“Good morning to you too, Kim Shion.” Jimin turned to flash her a bright smile. She noticed how he looked a bit different than usual, with those round glasses and black beanie, he seemed like he was her age.

“Forget about the car, let's walk instead.” He replied.

“To where exactly?” She asked as he started leading the both of them to somewhere.

“Starlight café.”

Shion nodded to herself and faced ahead of her. The streets were somehow motionless, and the sound of car engines was rarely heard. It reminded the female student of their first date, when her teacher took her to the neighbourhood he used to live in, and how awfully quiet it was in the beginning.

“Maybe it's a thing ....” She thought to herself, ‘‘Whenever we walk together, everything else seems to fade out ....’’

Just when she left reality to drown in her own ocean of thoughts, the unequal ground beneath her feet decided to play a trick on her and made her trip. Luckily, Jimin was fast to react and grabbed her arm before she could meet the hard ground with the palm of her hands.

“Oh, I'm so-sorry! I wasn't p-paying atten-” Shion tried explaining her situation once she was standing on her feet, but her teacher didn't seem that interested to let her continue.

“You're just like your mother.” He remarked out of the blue.

“Huh?!” The female looked somewhat confused.

“Last week, I saved your mother from embarrassing herself the way I just did with you. You both always get distracted easily.”

He stared at her slightly flustered face, noticing how her eyes shone with a sparkle of bafflement. She looked like a child who was told a mysterious riddle. Her adorable expression encouraged him to get closer to her and lean forward until their eyes were on the same level.

“Seems like there was something else in your mind that was much more interesting than focusing on me.”

Gazing into her wide orbs, he allowed his own eyes to travel down her pretty face to trace her soft features. Flushed cheeks, small nose, parted lips, it would definitely drive him insane if he stared any longer.

A chuckle dropped from his lips, how did he end up like this? How did he start liking every single thing about her? He wasn't the type to stare admirably at someone. Heck, he didn't even bother checking out the girls around him. He barely spoke to girls to begin with. But now, he can't take his eyes off his favorite student, he can't even stop himself from analyzing her little details. Surely, the relationship between them had more to it than just being friends.

“If you're truly sorry about that,” A hint of seriousness was laced with his low tone.

“Then,” He grabbed her hand and swiftly pulled her closer to him, causing a faint gasp to escape from his student's mouth, as she looked at him with a surprised expression, eyes flickering due to the proximity of their bodies in public.

“I'll have to make sure you won't get distracted again.”

Shion froze in her place when a pair of lips were pressed on her cheek for a brief moment. When her teacher pulled away to see her reaction, she couldn't help but to hide her blushing face with her hands, and instantly walked away with quick footsteps, leaving behind a laughing Jimin.

__________________________________________

After arguing about how Jimin shouldn't initiate any physical contact, whether or not they're in public, and should always remember that they aren't dating, they finally arrived at the café.

The atmosphere was cozy, and the smell of well made coffee made it delightful. It wasn't empty, but it wasn't crowded either. Shion spotted a few customers on the sides of the place, chatting placidly while sipping on their coffee.

Both teacher and student were looking at the menu, taking their time to decide what they would like to order. Before them stood a female barista, who waited patiently for their order. She was a woman who seemed to be in her late forties, with a healthy looking face, and a slim body.

Her eyes were fixed on Jimin, as she took his order, then shifted her gaze to the female student, who stared blankly at her. Shion felt a hand resting on her shoulder, she turned to face her side, and found herself looking at her teacher's face cluelessly. A small chuckle from Jimin brought her back to reality, and she quickly stuttered out “H-Hot ch-choc-colate.”

Feeling embarrassed about being caught spacing out again, she kept her eyes on the floor while her hands were tugging on the tip of her hoodie's sleeves. A wide smile was brought to the barista's face, while she witnessed how Jimin tried cheering up Shion by putting his arm around her shoulders, and ruffling her soft hair.

“She's lucky to have a boyfriend like you, young man. You seem so sweet and caring.” The barista remarked when she took Jimin's card to pay for their order. Shion's eyes widened at the word "boyfriend", and was about to deny their relationship when Jimin spoke up.

“We're not a couple.”

“Oh, but you two look like one. Are you sure there's nothing going on between the both of you?” The barista asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

“I admit, I wouldn't mind dating her. But, she isn't interested in me as her lover right now.” Jimin confessed.

“Then you should show her that you're date worthy. Don't let such a gorgeous girl slip away so easily.” The barista averted her gaze to the young female, who had an evident blush on her cheeks, and winked at her.

Shion couldn't handle any more embarrassment, and went to have a seat in the corner of the café, away from everything that might send heat to her face. Meanwhile, Jimin was still carrying on the conversation with the barista.

“Mission complete. Well done.” Jimin bumped his fist with the female ahead of him, as their plan worked out perfectly.

“Anything for you, my dear.”

Settling down right in front of his favorite student, he locked eyes with her to make sure she wasn't feeling uncomfortable with what just happened moments ago.

“You chose my favorite spot.” He stated, with his chin rested on his hand as he placed his elbow on the table.

“What's so special about it?” Shion asked with a little bit of curiosity and interest.

“From where you sit, you can see your surroundings from a simple view.” He began, “For example, the queue seems quite far, so it doesn't look like it's long when it actually is sometimes.”

“Somehow, even when the place is quite crowded, this spot makes it look like it has enough customers. Therefore, you are able to rest properly, and have a good time drinking your coffee.”

“Well to me, it seems like you use this spot to stare at the female customers without being caught easily.” A mocking smile was hinting to curve her lips, as she gave her teacher a doubtful look.

“Perhaps I just found a new reason to why I really like this spot.” Jimin crossed his arms on the table, and leaned in with a tilted head and absorbed eyes.

“What could it be?” Her index finger was tapping her head, pretending to think hard about the matter.

“Haven't I told you?” Noticing the bit of confusion printed on her features, he figured he hadn't pointed out that certain thing about her earlier.

“You look pretty today,” He paused, and waited for a reaction, then proceeded to continue when all he got is a blinking student.

“It's nothing new to me, of course. But,” Observing what was in front of him a little more, he tried to find the proper words to continue his speech.

“From where I sit, I'm looking at a breathtaking view.” He leaned back on the chair to analyse the scene ahead of him.

“The afternoon sky, the passing cars, the blossoming flowers, and you.” His eyes had tenderness spilled in his pupils, a look which is mostly familiar to Shion.

“You look gorgeous just by sitting in front of me.”

It would be a lie if Shion said her heart didn't warm up with those usual fuzzy feelings she frequently denied. For some reason, her heart has been very sensitive to her teacher's compliments for the past few days. At the slightest things he says or does, she finds herself getting tangled in a rush of affection.

The female student didn't want to stay quiet, nor did she want to continue their conversation. And it seemed like the individual before her noticed how she wanted to put the subject aside, by avoiding his gazing eyes and look for something else to talk about.

Fortunately, the waiter came with their orders, saving Shion from the unbearable situation she was stuck in.

“God, my hot chocolate smells so delicious!” She excitedly exclaimed.

“Wait for it to get warm, I don't want to see you crying over a burnt lip again.” He gave her a teasing smirk, reminding her of what happened the last time she drank hot chocolate impatiently.

“Well, somebody didn't warn me first.” A glare shot through her eyes and made her teacher chuckle with a stupid grin plastered on his face.

Her teacher was about to more about how she reacted when his phone suddenly vibrated, displaying a text message on the lock screen. He glanced at the device to see who sent the message, and instantly furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

He hesitantly picked up the phone and unlocked it to continue the conversation, which was a bit odd to Shion. Usually, Jimin doesn't use his phone when he's around her, even when he receives notifications. Plus, his expression was unreadable, it was almost blank, as his eyes lingered on the screen, contemplating his words before sending them.

She noticed that he wasn't staring at his phone anymore, but rather spacing out. The change in his mood made her quite worried, for it may be a serious subject he was dealing with. An idea popped into her mind, as she was planning to lift up the atmosphere, and bring his bright smile back on his face.

With a mischievous smile, she took a bit of the whipped cream from her hot chocolate with her finger, and quickly reached out to his face to smudge his cheek. To her surprise, her wrist was held just when her finger was an inch away from smearing her teacher's skin.

And of course, his lips formed a smirk just when hers dropped to gape at him.

“You've become more comfortable around me lately.” He spoke, placing his phone aside.

“You don't seem to mind skin ship like you used to.” His eyes were narrow, suspicious of something.

“Or perhaps,” He brought her finger close to his lips, while he stared naughtily into her nervous eyes.

“You're starting to enjoy it.”

She should've seen it coming. But her mind was too preoccupied with his outspoken assumptions. She could've pulled away and apologize for what she planned to do. Unfortunately, it was too late.

He darted out his tongue to devour the whipped cream, his eyes never leaving hers. She felt the wet muscle rubbing against her finger, and as expected, another shade of red tinted her cheeks, or this time her whole face.

“Sweet.” He his lips, then gave her a harmless smile as he loosened his grip around her wrist, allowing her to retreat.

Being flustered and unable to move on from what just happened, she hesitantly took a napkin and wiped off the remaining of the whipped cream from her finger, along with her teacher's DNA. And Jimin could only stare in amusement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“What's wrong with me these days?”

Her sigh echoed within the restroom's solid walls. The reflection imitated on the mirror was showcasing the perplexity she felt on her features, pulling down her lips to form a frown.

“I seem to act like a fool when I'm with him.”

Ever since their date last week, she started feeling quite different about him. Every gesture, every touch, every word, everything was a little more intimate. Even his gazing eyes made her heart tremble slightly with a vague feeling.

“Maybe he's right about being more comfortable around him. Or maybe ....”

She rested her hand on her chest, and rethought what she was about to admit to herself. Just the thought of him, being close to her, staring lovingly into her eyes, while his hands are holding hers, caused a change in her heartbeats.

“Just maybe, ...” Gripping the sink with both hands, she gave her reflection one last look, before she lowered her head in defeat.

She sighed, once again.

“I'm just overthinking.”

-------------------------------------

After the battle she had between her head and heart in the restroom, Shion wasn't in the mood to deal with more frustration. And as if the world wanted to test her temper, she was faced with another nerve-racking situation.

Although this time, her heart wasn't beating hard due to the usual reason, or person, to be precise.

It was beating hard, because well, she was about to beat someone hard.

Tight fists, clenched teeth, flaming eyes, furrowed eyebrows. She could've scared a child with that angry expression she wore. Though to someone she knew so well, she probably looked "cute", or even passed off as an "angry bird".

But Shion didn't mind how terrifying her face might look, when the scene ahead of her was triggering something inside of her, something she wasn't even aware of.

Something that could leave her with bloody knuckles.

Apparently, when she excused herself to use the restroom, Jimin engaged himself in a conversation with a female around his age. It wasn't uncommon for Shion to see her teacher interact with a girl or two, due to his good looks and ''charms''.

But it was the first time she ever saw him with someone she personally knew, and disliked.

She couldn't convince herself that she totally hated the person her teacher was talking to right in front of her, but she wasn't fond of the idea of that female's existence in her life as well.

And like every other girl who approached him, she was undoubtedly attracted to him, with the way she laughed at one of the teacher's cringe worthy jokes.

“Gosh, was she always this irritating?”

Rolling her eyes, Shion concluded that waiting for Jimin to notice her existence as well, was a better option than interrupting their conversation in a disrespectful manner.

In other words, Shion planned on starting a fight with that particular female, for practically ruining her mood, and flirting with her teacher who was clearly not so interested in her, yet he played along.

Because in the end, the last thing she wanted was to be the center of attention.

Leaning on the counter with crossed arms, Shion tried to ignore the burning sensation caused by an ambiguous feeling in her chest. She wasn't jealous of that girl, she just didn't like the fact that Jimin might not know her real identity.

And as the conversation kept going between the two individuals, Shion couldn't ignore what she had realized. From her perspective, or even someone else's perspective, her teacher and the female looked good together. In other words, they both were fit to be a couple.

Of course, this is only based on their appearance. A charismatic handsome guy, along with a pretty feminine lady, can make a lovely couple, one you would see in a drama.

The more she observed the scene, the more curious she felt about something. She had to ask herself, would someone fall for another even if they knew they weren't meant to look like an item? Do couples consider how they look together in the eyes of the public? Do couples even care about what the public might think of them?

“What about us?”

“How do we look together?”

Honestly, she didn't realize what she has asked herself, she never knew a question such as this was somewhere on the back of her mind. In that moment, she swore she felt her heart jump for a second.

Did she just ask herself how does she look standing next to her teacher?

Did she just wonder how she and Jimin would look as a couple?

“Ugh, why would I even think of that ....?” She rested her face on the palm of her hand, trying to shake the image of being her teacher's lover out of her head.

“Oh god, why is that girl flirting with my son again?”

Shion heard a voice from behind the counter, it was the barista from earlier. From the way she looked at the girl speaking to Jimin, it was clear that she disliked her as much as Shion did.

But that wasn't the only thing Shion has discovered from the female barista.

“Excuse me, is he your son?”

A mixture of disbelief and confusion was laced with her voice, while she tried to remain expressionless. The woman smiled, as if she's been caught hiding something. 

“Took you long enough.”

Something about the barista's smile told Shion that she was already aware of how close she is with her son. Probably even knows how Jimin feels about her as well. The student felt shy all of a sudden, wondering about how much her teacher had told his mother about the both of them.

“I'm sorry, I didn't-”

“It's fine, I've already been through the introduction part multiple times.”

A nervous chuckle forced its way out of Shion's mouth, as she struggled to burn down the awkwardness she felt. Well, it seemed like his mother already knew more than enough about her. 

“I'm aware of my son's feelings towards you.” The older woman rested her chin on her palm, her kind eyes met the young student's slightly nervous ones. 

“Although, he never spoke about you in such way, his expression says it all.” The barista averted her gaze to stare at her son, who stood a few meters away from her. 

“He's always been a cheerful person. But, when he talks about you, I can tell he's overwhelmed by the feeling of potential love.” Shion didn't miss the small hopeful smile that brightened the woman's face with joy for a couple of seconds, before she squinted at the sound of a loud laughter echoing in her own shop. 

“That's it, I'm done with her.” The barista stood straight with folded arms, an annoyed expression on her face. 

“Uhm, excuse me, son, have you forgotten about your date with this lovely lady?”

The teacher's mother exclaimed out loud, grabbing some of the customers' attention along with her son's to remind him that he's been chatting with that girl for a little too long.

Shion panicked for a second, she didn't want to let the other female see her for multiple reasons. Therefore, she tried to hide her face with her hand on the side and turned to the other direction. 

Unfortunately, luck was never on her side.

“Shion? Is that you?!”

The short haired female sighed, then dropped her hand to greet the approaching individual. Of course, she put on a fake smile, along with a forced polite tone in her voice.

“It's been awhile, Yujin.”

“Wow, good thing you still remember my name!” Yujin remarked, with a playful smirk tugging her lips.

“So,” She flipped her long wavy hair, and wore a confident expression, a little too confident for Shion to bare with.

“I heard you are on a date with ….” She glanced at the teacher who stood a few step away from them.

Shion immediately tried to explain the situation with a stuttering voice, rather than embracing what came at her and challange Yujin with a better response. Although, she hated the fact that her image didn't reflect her strong qualities to many people, she wasn't ready yet to accept the title of being her teacher's pet from the public.

“N-No! It's not a date! We just happe-”

“No need to be shy about it, Shion.”

Jimin interjected, hushing his student's pointless excuses. He moved to stand right beside her, and gave the individual in front of them a smug look, before wrapping his arm around Shion's stiff shoulders. Yujin's expression hardened, but didn't falter under the pressure of the truth.

“Well, that's good to hear. Now I know our taste in men is quite similar.”

Yujin tried her best not to sound jealous of the couple in front of her. Even though it was clear to her that Shion only tried to play along with Jimin's act, it was obvious she wasn't just any other girl in his eyes. After all, he never dared to lay his hands on Yujin, nor did he show interest in any of the other ladies who frequently flirted with him.

“But I must admit,” A bit of naughtiness manipulated her tone.

“I feared my sister would die a .”

Anger was starting to boil Shion's blood, all she wanted was to land a punch on that irritating face of hers. Just one punch and that's it. It would definitely take away all of the flames inside of her.

But a gentle squeeze on her shoulders put off the fire that threatened to burn every bit of patience she had.

“Don't worry, I'll make sure that won't happen.”

A mixture of embarrassment and disappointment painted Shion's cheeks with a slight dust of red. Obviously, the conversation was too uncomfortable for her to keep up with. Especially since it included Yujin, someone who enjoyed seeing Shion totally exposed to embarrassment, and would gladly humiliate her if needed.

The long haired female seemed unfazed by his statement. To his surprise, a small smile suddenly appeared on her pretty face, washing away the wicked look she had a second ago.

“I've always known that I had no chance of being with you, yet I never stopped trying to impress you.’’

It was the first time Shion heard Yujin speak with that kind of tone, so calm and soft. Her gazing eyes reflected her feelings for the male before her, but there was no sign of hurt or regret within them. Just a bit of disappointment, and a sparkle of happiness.

“I might be a little jealous of her, but I'm glad you finally found someone you genuinely like.”

Shion would be lying if she said she didn't feel bad for her. Yujin wasn't someone who Shion could tolerate, but hearing how genuine her confession was left Shion speechless. It must have been hard for her to accept the idea of not being able to steal the heart of the person she fell for. Deep down, Shion felt a little guilty for being the one who unintentionally caught that person's heart.

“Hey, wanna go somewhere?”

“Huh?!” For the nth time that day, Shion got distracted by her own thoughts, and didn't realize that Yujin had bid them farewell a moment ago.

“I guess that's a yes!” Jimin joyfully said as he took her hand, and exited the coffee shop.

“W-Wait! Where are we going?!” She tried pulling away from his grip, but he refused to let her go. Once they reached his car in the parking lot nearby, he turned to her, with a look of excitement on his face.

“Somewhere romantic.”

________________________________________________

Romantic wasn't the best word to describe the place, but that didn't matter to Shion. She was mesmerised, the view before her almost took her breath away.

The sun was setting.

The delightful colors of the bright sunshine were slowly fading, leaving behind some warm traces of daylight on the blue sky. The lake was reflecting the sun's last moments before it gets swallowed by the horizon.

Everything about the scenery was enchanting. Shion wanted to stop the time and live the moment for as long as she wished. Everytime she witnesses a sunset or a sunrise, she would observe every single detail about the view. She makes sure she gets an eyeful of the view, since that's what makes the moment even more magical.

“Back in elementary school, I used to watch the sunset from a bridge with my father.”

Jimin turned his head towards his student when she spoke, noticing how her eyes were still admiring the scenery, as she tried to blink away the sadness from her dark pupils.

“But when things got messy, our daily routine was forgotten.”

“A few years later, while I was walking back from the library, I passed by a lake and got immersed in the view of the sunset.”

“And in a blink on eye, my childhood memories came flashing by before me.”

“For some reason, I couldn't help myself from smiling the whole time. And from that day, whenever I feel frustrated or upset, I'd go watch the sunset to calm my nerves.”

He wasn't sure if she was aware of the smile she had on her face after she was done talking about herself. It wasn't fake nor was it forced, it was grateful. He never knew she was strong enough to smile while remembering the days when everything turned upside down.

Ever since her mother told him about what happened in the past, he figured his student has gone through a lot of pain at a young age. Not only did he feel bad, but also angry at the thought of her getting hurt by someone she truly trusted and loved. He knew he couldn't erase what has been said and done, he knew it wasn't easy getting over something as painful as being left behind.

But seeing how strong she has grown to be, a part of him figured she wouldn't need his support and comfort as much as he thought she would. She was already capable of standing on her own feet. And that made him proud of her, and how she managed to heal her wounds without leaving any evident scars.

“Today I discovered two things about you.”

She turned to the side, and met his curious looking face that seemed very interested in what she was about to spill about him.

“One, your mother is the barista who took our orders, and is probably the owner of the shop.”

“Two, your friends with my stepsister, who I haven't seen in 5 years.”

He snickered, clapping slowly to congratulate her for solving the mystery behind their "hangout", although he didn't know Yujin would come and make things a little more fun for him.

“My mother probably let it slip just to see your reaction. And Yujin, well, I've known her for a few years now, and she did mention having a stepsister called Shion about two weeks ago.”

Shion wasn't surprise to know about her teacher's friendship with her stepsister, but she didn't understand how he tolerates her arrogant nature. Perhaps, she tends to act differently around him.

“So, you knew she had a crush on you, that's why you lied about us dating, right?”

“Not really. I always thought she was just flirtatious, a type that doesn't want to be in a serious relationship.” He replied, as he shifted his gaze back to the sunset.

“So, I didn't really have any intentions of making her jealous. Besides, I already made it clear to her that I got my eyes on someone.”

Shion spotted a smile forming on the corner of his mouth, as he bit his bottom lip to stop himself from grinning so widely. It made her snicker, he looked like a teenage girl who just got a rose from her crush.

“Do I even need to ask who that someone is?”

When Jimin turned to his female student to answer his question, he found her staring at the scenery ahead of her, looking a little shy and uncertain. A swirling feeling in his chest made him want to have a little more of her attention on him.

He wanted to be the one thing that could keep her up at night. He wanted to show her how the scent of her presence can drive him to the edge of the world. His body was compelled by his feelings, which were the reason behind his many foolish actions.

His arms held her slim figure from behind, as he pulled her closer to his chest, not leaving a single centimeter between their bodies. She gasped softly, his unexpected move has caught her off guard. Her hands instantly went up to tug on his arms, but he only tightened his grip around her body.

“Doesn't this remind you of something?”

He whispered in her ear, with a voice that was husky enough to let goosebumps spread on her skin. The tip of his nose was slightly brushing on the back of her ear, as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Having his face close to her neck made her body heat up with embarrassment, creating a crimson color on both of her cheeks.

Shion was too caught up with being held in her teacher's arms in public to even comprehend his question. As much as she liked the warmth she got from his body, she didn't want anybody to see them in this kind of position. She was about to tell him to release her from his grip when a cold breeze came rushing into them, making her shiver against her teacher's chest.

And that was when the memory of a certain day replayed inside of her head, and it was so similar to the current situation, just like a déjà vu. That one particular day which she remembered so clearly. How could she forget watching the sunset from the rooftop with her teacher, and that little moment they shared when the cold weather wanted to interrupt them.

But most importantly, her teacher's first attempt to kiss her had her wide awake for several nights, wondering what would've happened if he actually did it back then.

This kind of memories can never die easily.

“On that day, I realized you're more than just a student to me. Something inside of me wanted to have more of you to myself.”

He lifted his chin off her shoulder, and continued talking about how he slowly realized his feelings for her.

“I found it hard to control myself around you, as my heart was driven to insanity by a vague feeling.”

“I didn't know what that feeling was, until I craved the taste of your lips.”

He whispered the last part, hoping she didn't quite catch it as it flew with the blowing wind. And she pretended that her ears weren't attentive enough to spot his words within the sound of a distraction.

But when his arms began to slip off her body, she took the opportunity to test something, to confirm something she desperately tried to avoid for days. Perhaps it was curiosity that pushed her to turn around and face her teacher with a certain question in mind.

“What did you say? I didn't quite catch the last sentence.”

The look in her eyes said something entirely different. She was expecting an action rather than an answer. Her expression stayed solid but her gaze seemed reckless, desperate for a bit of the unthinkable. But he knew she was subconsciously driven by curiosity, as he sensed the bit of hesitation from her flickering eyes.

Yet he wanted to give her what she wanted, a wordless answer.

His right hand held her face gently, and caressed her cheek with his thumb to make sure she wasn't resisting his touch. Her eyes stayed indifferent, they didn't scream any sign of discomfort, just a little of impatience was swirling within the unspoken emotions.

He averted his gaze to her lips, and the desire to warm them up with his own had fully taken over his mind. Little by little, he started to lean closer to her face, until they were a breath apart. Their eyelids had fallen into place, and everything else had been silenced.

Shion wondered if he could hear how fast her heart was beating, or if he noticed her irregular breathing. He rested the tip of his nose on hers, and she fought the urge to hold her breath. Indeed, she was anxious. felt dry, and her hands were slightly trembling.

Carefully, he tilted his head to the side, and pressed his thumb on her chin, pulling her lips apart. He was so close to kissing her when he felt a drop of water rolling down his right hand. Another drop had landed on his cheek, and the sound of water dripping on the ground made him smile.

It was starting to rain.

He wasn't going to pull away from his student. In fact, he thought the rain would make the kiss a little more romantic. But when she rested her hand on his right hand which held her face, he backed away to look at her.

It seemed like realization had hit her hard. Her pupils were wide and restless, staring at him like he already did what should have been done. A raindrop landed on her nose, and brought her back to reality. She removed her teacher's hand from her face, and looked away when she realized the blush on her face was starting to get the best of her.

A warm smile graced the male's face, he loved the way she changed in a matter of seconds. Once again, he was reminded of one of the reasons he fell for her. The rain was getting heavier, and the sky was slowly turning into a darker shade of blue. He wiped the raindrops he found on his student's cheeks to get her attention. Timidly, she met her teacher's eyes with her own, and he offered her a hand to hold.

“Come on, let's get out of here.”

________________________________________________

“Here we are.” Jimin stopped the car right in front of his student's house, and waited for her to bid him farewell.

“I guess this is goodbye.” Shion turned to her teacher and spoke dramatically while pouting. A light chuckle dripped from his lips, then he kept a graceful smile plastered on his face.

“I don't want to say goodbye, not yet.” He tried playing along with her dramatic role, but eventually failed when he saw how she rolled her eyes.

“Gosh, you at acting. I'm leaving.” She opened the door and got exposed to the heavy rain as soon as she got out, completely forgetting to put on her hood to cover her head. Jimin laughed as he witnessed how his student struggled to reach the doorstep without getting her shoes dirty.

Suddenly, he remembered something. The gift in the backseat of his car. He instantly got out with the bag in his hand, and hurriedly made his way to the doorstep right before she got a hold of the doorknob.

“Shion!” She turned around to her teacher's voice and found him standing right before her, with his arm extended to give her the bag.

“I forgot to give you this.” She hesitantly took the gift with a confused expression.

“Thank Yo-” He caught her off guard with a kiss on her forehead, which made her take a step back.

“Get in before you catch a cold.” It was the last thing she heard, or perhaps she read what his eyes wanted to tell her. Because when she realized that she hadn't bid him goodbye yet, he was already driving away from where he left her.

“See you on Monday, idiot.” She murmured to herself, but hoped the sky would deliver her message to him through the rain.

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“So, how was the dat- Oh my god he got you a gift?!” Ms Choi came running down the stairs when she saw a bag in her daughter's hand, losing interests in the details of the "date" all of a sudden.

“Let me see what's inside!” The mother reached out to snatch the gift out of her daughter's grip, but she held the bag to her chest with both of her arms and managed to escape to her own room.

“It might be a pair of y underwear!” Shion heard her mother exclaiming right when the door closed behind her.

“Good, I wanted to go shopping for underwear anyway.” She mumbled a reply to her mother.

Taking off her hoodie and tossing it on the desk, she settled on her bed with the bag on her lap. “What can an idiot like him gift a girl like me?” Even though she could just look inside the bag to see what it was, she still wanted to see if she was able to guess it right.

After not finding any clues that could lead her to the right answer, she put her hand inside the bag and poked it. It was soft and stuffed with cotton, probably. “Definitely a plushie.” She concluded.

“Wait, a plushie?!” Her mind went back to that day, back to that particular moment, where she saw something she desperately wanted to have, but wasn't able to buy it due to the lack of money in her wallet.

“He asked me whether or not I wanted it, and I said no.” She recalled what happened between the both of them, which meant he knew about that one plushie.

Without waiting another second, she grabbed the plushie and pulled it out of the bag. And indeed, it was a dinosaur plushie. A small card was tied to the arm of the dinosaur. Shion untied the ribbon and read what was written in black.

“Dream about me whenever you hug this.”

“Well, I better not hug this just to avoid nightmares.” She told herself as she was examining the plushie in her hands, totally unaware of the stupid smile she had on her face.

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HEY HEY HEY!!! GUESS WHOS BACK!!! :D

well im not like totally back i mean the next chapter might even take two years who knows lol

this is like the longest chapter ive written (6700 words) and its not even that good smh

yes i did miss writing this story and i missed reading your comments the most. but no i cant promise you that ill be writing and updating every month like i used to. (probably bc ill be watching anime and and oMG VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER SEASON 2 WILL BE RELEASED ON JAN 20 YYYAASS)

anyway ill be dealing with exams and stuff until jan 15 (and one of my favourite anime aka haikyuu just ended so im kinda depressed *cries*) so ill try to write a new chapter in my winter break!

NEXT CHAPTER POTENTIAL SPOILER: jimin wont be a part of it so another character will steal his spotlight. (can yall just act like you dont know who that character is pls)

\@_@/