You jump when you see Kai leaving his apartment the same moment you do a few days later. He freezes when he sees you, only enough time for him before rolling his eyes out of habit. He looks tired and his hair isn't even dry yet. They are in clumps, falling all over his face and covering his eyes.

"Hey, Kai..." You drawl as the both you make you way to the elevator together. He acknowledges you with a grunt. "Where are you going?"

"Work," he mumbles, staring at you with a look you recognise as one you always give to Sehun. He is looking at you like you're out of your mind and stupid.

"Where do you work at?" You would know to shut up, but you're curious about him. You want to know him better. And also because you had thought he was the same age as you are. He doesn't seem that much older, actually.

He glances at you before wondering aloud, "I have never seen someone as inquisitive as you are. Or talkative in the morning."

"Do you not like it?"

"I don't," he shakes his head, replying instantaneously. Isn't he a ball of sunshine.

The both of you ride the elevator together in uncomfortable silence. You want to ask more questions, but you're afraid of what Kai would say. Or how he would react. So you keep your mouth shut. When you are at the lobby, you are about to split ways when Kai's husky voice calls you back.

"Yeah?" You look at him in anticipation.

"I didn't mean to be snarky, I'm just grumpy every morning," he explains quickly and quietly. "Maybe catch me in the afternoon or in the evening next time. See you."

Then he turns around, exiting out of the building.

"I saw your cute guy," Sehun says when you sit next to him in a lecture.

You give him a look as you get your material out of your bag, "My cute guy?"

"Yeah," he nods, twirling his pen, only to have it committing suicide onto the table. "Baekhyun." You roll your eyes at him, wondering why he couldn't have just called him by his name. Then Sehun informs you, "He said to say hi to you."

"Tell him I said hi too," you grumble.

Someone takes a seat next to you, settling comfortably as his jutting elbow pokes you. You turn your head and see Baekhyun staring at you.

"Hey," he drawls. A lopsided smile is slowly creeping onto his lips, making him look a lot hotter and ier. "I think I got your message. So, hi. Again."

You glance at Sehun and you see that his surprised expression is a mirror image of yours. "What are you doing here?" You ask, not unkindly.

He shrugs, "I saw you walking in here so I thought I'd follow."

"Why...?"

"What other reason is there?" he quirks an eyebrow rhetorically. "Because I wanted to see you, of course."

You feel Sehun nudge you slightly and you jostle him back. You are slightly taken aback because no guy has ever done such a thing to you. Or even say a thing like this. It seems so special, so dream-like that a man like him actually exists. You're stoning as you watch the grin spread across his lips widely, enjoying your reaction.

"Hey kitten, you in?" Baekhyun teases, waving his hand in front of your face. You start blinking rapidly and he chuckles, playfully pushing your forehead very lightly.

"But– But didn't you say you don't study here?" You tilt your head to the side. "Don't you have some place to be at?"

The male frowns, shaking his head, "Nope."

He doesn't elaborate and though you want to pry, you don't. Partly because it might seem rude and partly also because the lecturer has already started the lecture. Baekhyun doesn't interrupt nor does he try to get your attention for the next hour the lecture runs for. He sits quietly, leaning comfortably back against the chair.

You feel his gaze on you; smouldering holes into your skin. Once or twice, you peep at Baekhyun's side and you blush when he catches your eyes. He smirks naughtily at you before darting his eyes to your notes, wordlessly asking you to concentrate. You do.

"He's kinda creepy," Sehun whispers, leaning into you.

You look at him, scrutinising and trying to make out the look in his eyes. He nods in an attempt to tell you he is being serious. You fidget nervously in your seat before going closer to him.

"I know," you tell him softly. "But I don't think he's a being creep... I think it's kinda sweet."

Sehun stares at you like you're crazy and he mumbles more to himself, "I will never understand girls." Then he hisses at you, "He's basically stalking you!"

You roll your eyes, "He's not. Sehun, I know you care about me but look at that guy!" The both of you pause to look at Baekhyun from the side of your eyes. His eyebrow shoots up in question, seeing the both of you whispering and then staring at him. You gulp, turning back to Sehun, "Point is, he looks harmless and—"

"Keyword: looks," your best friend almost spits. "Look here, sweetheart. You can't just think everyone isn't going to hurt you just because they seem as harmful as a teddy bear. I can't protect you forever, you know that."

You scoff, "You can't protect me from yourself either." He grins cheekily and you chuckle softly, shoving him away.

He laughs, but comes back closer to tell you quietly, "I'm serious though, okay? You gotta keep your eyes peeled. Don't trust him. At least, not so soon."

You roll your eyes but nonetheless nod. Even though Sehun annoys you most of the time, he looks out for you more than you do for yourself. You listen to him when he is being serious, only because you know he would be worried if you don't. And also because you always listen to him when he's being honest.

The both of you go back to writing notes, keeping conversation at a minimum. When the lecture is over and everyone is leaving the hall, you take your time to slowly pack up. Sehun has a class right after this, so he zooms out of the place right away, not forgetting to mess up your hair before leaving.

You turn to Baekhyun, who is watching everyone rush out of the theatre. You ask him, "Do you have anywhere to go now?" He swivels his head to focus his attention on you. He lifts his hand and fixes your hair gently for you as shakes his head. You smile, "Lunch?"

"Maybe this can become an everyday thing," Baekhyun says suddenly, glancing up at you from his food.

You stare at him as you try to finish chewing. When you swallow, you ask, "What?"

"Eating together," he replies easily, tilting his head slightly as he fixes an intense look on you.

"Everyday?" You attempt to joke as you chuckle. But you know it doesn't work because it sounds awkward and you're blushing. "We can't meet everyday, I'm sure you're busy too."

You watch him put down his utensils gently. He looks up at you, the sides of his lips. Your eyes flicker downwards at that action and gulp. You return your attention back at him. Baekhyun leans forward a little, his eyes seem to be drilling holes into you.

"I'll make time for you," he is nonchalant about it but you see how strong his gaze is. And you also feel how hot your cheeks are.

You quickly look down, mumbling really quietly, "You don't have to."

"Oh, but I want to."

You flush even redder, not trusting yourself to look up at him. You know you probably look like a tomato to him. Baekhyun hums and you lift your eyes almost sheepishly at him. He has a smile on his lips as he stares at you, a look on his face that tells you he is adoring you.  

"Ah, I'm beginning to have a soft spot for you," he mutters, picking up his cutlery again.

His bottom lip is jutting a little as he pouts and you think he looks adorable. His eyebrows furrow, scooping rice into his spoon. He catches your eyes when he raises his head, his spoon stopping midair. The both of you seem to be caught in each other's eyes. You're not moving and neither is he. All you can think about is how alluring his brown orbs are. You feel drawn to him. You feel compelled to do things you would never have thought about doing.

"Let's make this an everyday thing," you confirm, eyes dropping to his lips for a fraction of a second again.

This makes a corner of Baekhyun's lips tilt upwards.

The moment you step out of the elevator, you hear a woman's shrill voice cutting through the air. Since the elevator is right at the end of the corridor where all the apartments are, you know exactly where the commotion is happening at. You cringe, walking towards your apartment and closer to the crime scene.

"You're being inconsiderate and you're yelling at me for being unreasonable?" Kai's usual gentle voice is now loud, almost to the point that it's scary.

Even his posture is intimidating; standing up straight with his head held high. Though he is standing a good metres before the apartment of another neighbour, he looms over her like a predator. It doesn't help that your neighbour is a short, stout lady. She is wearing sports attire and she is perspiring. Not to mention, her face is red too. You're not sure if it's from working out, or if it is because of her anger.

"I didn't say anything when you moved in and made a lot of noise," the woman defends, her words running together with the anger residing in her.

"It was a one-time thing," Kai growls lowly. You know he is angry because his face is almost black and his stance looks like he is about to eat someone.

"Hey..." You try to intervene, walking closer towards the couple. The both of them snap their heads to you. Your eyes dart between the two of them and Kai groans in frustration. "What's going on?"

"This lady here had her workout video volume up on high," Kai explains hotly, carding a shaking hand through his hair. You swallow, imagining how mad he must be to be literally trembling with rage. "I told her nicely to turn it down and she's now trying to make it my fault."

"The apartments are sound-proof!" Her feeble excuse is lame and she knows it.

You step up, your arm slightly brushing Kai's bare one. Your heart is thudding in your chest but the contact seems to calm Kai, even if it is just a little. You try to reason with your neighbour, "I'm sure you know that isn't true. I've seen you talking to another neighbour about maintaining their noise level once, I'm convinced that you know exactly how it feels like to be disturbed by the disquietness of this complex."

You sense Kai's gaze on you when the woman looks embarrassed, all lost for words. You tell her gently, "And it's especially difficult to study for exams when it's too noisy..."

"Oh," she mutters, obviously losing the battle. "I'll be more considerate in the future, then... I'm sorry..." Her voice is low but hard. She doesn't seem happy about this losing fight.

You smile at her, bowing. You take Kai's forearm with your heart in your chest at the interaction. You walk him towards the opposite direction of your apartments and he looks lost. The both of you get into the elevator and that's when you hear the door of an apartment slam. You jerk away from Kai in surprise.

"Where are we going...?" Kai asks. He still sounds fierce, but the curiosity softens his tone just a little.

You turn to him, giving him an abashed smile, "I like to have dessert when I'm angry."

His eyes are on you for a while. Then they drop to your left shoulder where your bagpack is hanging. "You just came home from school." You nod in reply. He sighs, holding out his hand. You give him a wondering look and he darts his eyes to your bag. "Let me carry it for you."

"It's okay," you blush, fixing the strap of your bag so you can shoulder it better.

"Come on," he murmurs, his fingers sliding under the strap and against your shoulder. He circles his hand around it and takes it off your shoulder. You have to give in, so you lift your arm for him to take the bag from you.

"Thank you," you whisper as the both of your leave the elevator the same time.

"I should be the one thanking you," he insists. You look up at him and see that he is staring at you. "For helping me out there."

Your cheeks pink and you tell him, "I don't talk to my neighbours but I've heard gossips. She's known for being unreasonable."

"Still."

You shake your head, not saying anything. As the both of you leave the building, Kai keeps a hand on the small of your back, keeping you close to him. He doesn't drop his hand even when he is out in the streets. Your mouth dries at the contact but you find yourself pressing yourself closer to him unknowingly.

"I also don't have an exam," Kai comments quietly, the anger that was present before now completely gone. "I'm not even a student."

You laugh quietly, "A little white lie won't hurt."

You catch the cheeky look on his face, his lips forming a smirk. He sounds amused when he says, "Someone's a bad girl."

You hit him on the arm lightly and he flinches, retracting his hand from your back. You know it didn't do any damage to him, but it probably just took him in surprise. The both of you walk to your favourite dessert place in the neighbourhood in comfortable silence. When you are seated, you flip through the menu and tell him what is good here. But when you look up, you find that he is leaning forward, his hand clasped on the table in front of him.

His eyes are on you; surveying you, taking note of you. You clear your throat and he snaps his eyes to yours. You assume, "You're not a dessert person?"

Kai shrugs, "I can be a dessert person. Depending whether I want to be or not." He stares thoughtfully at you, his gaze falling to your lips. But a second later, his eyes are back on you. The flicker of his eye movement was so quick that you wonder if you imagined it. Kai says earnestly, "But for you, I think I want to."

A few days later, on a Friday, you wake up earlier than you normally do. Someone has the audacity to wake you from your sleep, ringing the doorbell. You trudge towards the door, groggy and semi-conscious. You also look like a sleepy mess. You open the door, squinting at the male before you.

"Oh," he mumbles. "Well... Good morning, sunshine."

Your scowl deepens, not at all happy to see him though you would normally be ecstatic. "What are you doing here now?"

Baekhyun chuckles softly, stepping into the apartment as you open the door a little wider for him to come through. He surveys your apartment as he informs you absentmindedly, "I'm going to be busy working the entire day today, so no lunch or dinner. I can only do breakfast."

You stand next to him, crossing your arms over your chest. He looks at you at the side of his eye and he laughs, reaching over to run the back of his fingers on your arm. The contented sigh that slips out of your lips is accidental. Baekhyun grins, comes closer and leaves his hand on your back as he guides you to the dining table.

"I bought some kimbap and omelette rice for you," he murmurs, sitting you down on a chair.

He stands next to you, so close that your arm is grazing the fabric of his jeans. So close that you can feel his warmth. Baekhyun sets a plastic bag on the table and takes everything out, his movements gentle. A few little rolls of aluminum foil are stacked nicely and the two boxes of omelette rice are put in front of you and before the seat just opposite you.

You glance up at him, a small, abashed smile on your lips. "Thank you, Baekhyun."

His lips curl sweetly, his eyes dancing with adoration. Leaning down, he caresses your head as he kisses your hair. "No problem, kitten."

Author's note: 

short chapter but i'm trying to create affinity and bond between OC and kaibaek, hopefully i got some moments here and there in this short chap

till next time
xoxo