*** Prior to Chanyeol’s meet up with Lay***

“Ok,” Chanyeol turns around resting his arms on Kris’s desk during Chemistry class while the teacher’s out the room. “So when are you going to ask Tao out?”

“Will you give it a rest?” Kris groans leaning back in his chair to stretch.

“We both know he likes you. What’s the worst that could happen if you ask him to just hang out?” Kris wants to retort but settles for furrowing his brow.

“Stop acting like a 10 year old with a crush and just take a chance. Won’t you?” Chanyeol whines. “Look if you’re worried about looking dumb in front of people I know where you can talk to him privately.”

-x-

“Are you sure you don’t need a ride home?” Luhan asks Lay at the end of the day.

“Yeah, I have to return this book to Kris and I don’t know how long that will take.” Lay actually hopes he gets to talk with Kris for a while and doesn’t want to rush if Luhan’s waiting for him, “I’ll just take the bus.”

“Well, let me know how it goes.” Luhan winks as he walks to the side parking lot. “Good luck.”

Lay does at Chanyeol had asked him and waits in the front at the far end of the building behind a pillar near the side doors. He finds it very strange since it doesn’t seem like Kris will see him from the front doors. No one ever comes out the side ones, but since he should know Lay’s over here he figures it shouldn’t matter.

Lay takes a seat behind the pillar and brings out the book Chanyeol gave him from his backpack. It’s the first time he’s really looked at the book and it’s an old text book that the school no longer uses. Why does Kris need this book so badly? Lay wonders flipping through the worn out pages. Just then he hears the side doors open and footsteps walk out.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Lay hears a boy say and he’s glad to be out of view behind the pillar.

“I…just wanted to ask you i-if you wanted to hang out with me…outside of school, maybe?” Lay hears another boy speak and his voice is more shaky and quieter than the first, and Lay has to blush.

“Oh my gosh. I’m hearing someone’s love confession.” Lay gasps covering his mouth with his hand in shock. And it’s two guys! How cute! He thinks to himself.

“Why?”  The first voice speaks again. “Is it because you like me?”

And Lay has to admire the first boy for speaking so bold.

“I don’t…not like you.” Lay hears the second voice speak clearer this time and it sounds very familiar now.

“Can’t you give a better answer than that, Kris?” The first boy laughs.

Lay’s heart almost jumps in his throat. Kris? It’s Kris. I’m hearing Kris’s love confession. Kris is confessing to someone…to someone else…that he likes them. Lay feels so confused and his chest suddenly feels heavy and he doesn’t know what to do. Only that he doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to hear this. Just then his phone vibrates in his pocket. He covers the noise with his hand and looks back worried they might have heard him. Not wanting to be found, Lay jumps up, drops the book, grabs his backpack and makes a run for it. He keeps running as he takes his phone out to check who it is and its Luhan. He stuffs it back in his pocket not wanting to talk with his friend right now.

-x-

“So what happened?” Chanyeol asked Kris as he hops in his car after talking with Tao.

“I did it.” Kris sighs.

“Annd?” Chanyeol asks through clenched teeth.

“We’re hangout out Friday. But it’s not a date.”

“Sure.” Chanyeol grins sideways at him. He then notices the old text book in Kris’s lap. “Hey…who gave you that?”

Kris looks down. “No one, I found it behind the pillar by the side doors. I heard someone behind there but I guess they were in a hurry and dropped it.”

“Really?” Chanyeol chuckles. “That’s perfect”

“What?” Kris asks looking sideways at him.

“I said. That’s dirty.” Chanyeol coughs, “Throw it out. It looks like someone just picked it up out of the garbage.” He grins because that’s exactly what he did.

Lay takes the city bus home and it takes twice as long, or maybe it just feels twice as long because time seems to be moving slower now. Lay’s still trying to understand what he heard. Why did Kris ask to meet him and then decide to confess to someone at the same time? Lay remembers how Kris’s voice had sounded timid and nervous. He’s never heard Kris sound like that before. It makes his heart hurt. He feels so stupid. Of course Kris already has someone he likes and who likes him. How could he not?

Lay walks in his house an hour later than he would have if he had gone home with Luhan and he wishes he had. His parents are still at work so the house is quite and he’s grateful. He doesn’t turn on the lights and just tosses his backpack in a corner of his room before collapsing on his bed, knocking off his shoes but not bothering to change anything else. His pocket is vibrating again, he pulls out his phone and this time it’s a text message from Luhan.

Sooo…wat happened?! :)

Lay looks at the message and throws his phone on the chair next to his bed. He curls up in a ball on his bed, he knows it’s early but he tries to sleep anyway but he can’t get Kris’s voice out of his head and he can’t stop picturing how he must have looked shy, nervous and maybe even blushed. What if they kissed? He groans and punches his pillow feeling very stupid. How could he have thought that Kris might like him?

-x-

“Hey, what happened yesterday?” Luhan’s finally able to ask Lay the next day at lunch.

“What do you mean?”

“I called and texted you and you never replied. Did things turn out that well?...Or that bad?” Luhan eyes Lay worried now that his friend doesn’t seem to be his happy-go-lucky self.

“Nothing happened.” Lay shrugs as he takes a seat at a booth near a window in the cafeteria.

“He didn’t ask you out or anything? What a tease! I totally thought he would.” Luhan rolls his eyes annoyed taking out his lunch bag from his backpack.

“Why would he do that?” Lay asks looking out the window leaning his elbow on the table, face on his palm. “He just sees me as a friend.”

“Wow, Lay you’re actually eating lunch with us?” Suho, Xiumin and Sehun scoot in the booth next to him and Luhan with their trays of food, having just gotten out of the lunch line.

“Have you read all the books in the library already or did you just miss us?” Sehun teases ruffling his hair in the front.

“I missed you, of course.” Lay says fixing his bangs and managing a smile.

“Don’t be stupid. Of course he likes you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” Luhan goes back to the main topic at hand without skipping a beat.

“Who are we talking about?” Xiumin cuts in taking Luhan’s bagged lunch and swapping it with his tray of food. Luhan hates waiting in lines.

“Kris.” Luhan says staring hard at Lay who keeps looking out the window. “That idiot asks Lay to go out of his way to give him some book and doesn’t even offer to take him home or anything.”

“Actually it was one of his friends who asked me to deliver the book.” Lay interjects.

“One of his friends?” Luhan repeats feeling uneasy.

“Yes. Now can we not talk about him anymore?” Lay asks resting his head on his arms lying on the table not wanting to think about how embarrassing it was hearing his crush confess to someone else. Of course that’s the moment his eyes decide to scan the cafeteria and he sees Kris walking in their direction with his group of friends and Lay hopes Kris won’t notice him.

Kris and his friends take a table a couple rows a head of them. Lay tries to hide using his backpack as cover.

“Lay? Lay!?” Luhan repeats making his friend jump. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?” Lay asks keeping his voice down.

“For one you’re hiding behind your backpack, for another I was talking to you and you completely ignored me.” Luhan says and Lay can’t remember that at all.

“You were? I’m sorry I just…” Lay can hear Kris laughing that infectious laugh all the way from his table. He feels like he is too close.

“So what happened after you asked him out? Did you make out?” Lay hears one of Kris’s friends and he suddenly wants to run away again.

“I have to go.” Lay whispers, trying to scoot quietly past Suho to get out the booth.

“What? Why?” Luhan watches his friend slowly leave like he’s getting up in the middle of a movie.

-x-

“No. I said cool and he said cool and that was it.” Kris says more to the food on his plate than his friends.

“How lame” Chen teases.

“I knew you had it in you.” D.O says grinning proudly.

Kris hears a thud behind him and then someone exclaim. “Ouch.” He turns his head to see it's Lay who’s just hit his knee on the table leg next to him.

"You ok?" Kris smiles at him. Lay looks up and they make eye contact for a second before Lay looks away and walks out the lunch room without a word or any sigh that he noticed Kris.

“Did he not see me?”  Kris stares after him. He suddenly gets up from his chair.

“What’s up?” Kai asks noticing him but Kris ignores him and makes his way out the lunch room.

“Where’s he going?” Chen asks and Kai just shrugs.

-x-

“Something weird is going on” Luhan says to the others after Lay leaves.

“You think he and Kris had a fight?” Xiumin says opening a bag of potato chips.

"His friends did something I know it. What if they hurt him or they held Lay down while Kris took advantage of that sweet angel!?” Luhan’s mind runs away with him. “I’ll kill them!”

“You watch too many Korean dramas.” Xiumin shakes his head.

“I doubt it’s that. Lay looked more sad than disturbed” Suho tries to calm Luhan.

“Could Kris be dating someone?” Xiumin says with raised eyebrows.

“Like who?” Luhan asks.

“Huang Zitao.”

Everyone’s eyes dart to Sehun who’s casually eating his food.

“What did you say?” Luhan eye’s him.

“Huang Zitao.” Sehun repeats. “He’s the boy Kris likes. Remember those guys told us Kris liked someone already. Well guess they weren’t lying because he’s going out with Kris on Friday.”

“How do you know?” Suho asks taken back by Sehun’s vast knowledge of the situation.

“I have a class with Tao. That’s all he was talking about today. It was really annoying.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you knew him?” Luhan leans over the table to punch Sehun’s arm.

“I don’t know him. He’s just in my class and talks a lot. I don't talk to him.” Sehun retorts rubbing his arm where Luhan hit him. “He kept mentioning someone he liked but I didn’t know it was Kris until today.”

“Poor Lay.” Suho shakes his head.

“Wait, ‘that he likes’?” Luhan repeats, “So they aren’t officially dating yet?”

“I don’t think so. He said it was going to be their first date.”

“Then there’s still a chance” Luhan sounds hopeful.

“Let it go, Lu.” Xiumin sighs rubbing Luhan’s arms. “If Kirs did like Lay he would have asked him out, not this Tao guy.”

“But how could he not like Lay? He's perfect.” Luhan sulks.

“Maybe he does like him.” Sehun suddenly says eating a spoon full of mashed potatoes and everyone stares at him again, “He did just  get up and run out of here chasing Lay about ten minutes ago.”

Luhan looks behind him and notices Kris isn’t with his group of friends. He looks back at Sehun and gives him another punch on the arm. “Why do you keep things from us?!”  Xiumin has to hold Luhan back from beating Sehun to a pulp.

-x-

Lay slows down once he feels he’s far enough from the cafeteria. He didn’t have anywhere to go he just knew he didn’t want to see Kris right now.

“Hey Lay, wait up!” Lay’s eyes widen as he hears a familiar husky voice calling him and he doesn’t look back to see who it is. He thinks maybe he can make a run for it but a hand claps his shoulder making him jump.

“Sorry"  Kris chuckles lightly, "Did I scare you?”

“No.” Lay says in a hushed voiced looking away from him.

Kris is taking in deep breaths having run further than he thought he’d have to, to catch up to him. “Where you headed?”

“I…” Lay wasn’t headed anywhere. Just away from Kris. “I have a class.”

“Oh. Which class? I’ll walk you.”

“No that’s ok.” Lay says taking off at a quick pace but it’s not hard for Kris to keep up with his long legs and he joins him in walking down the hall oblivious to the fact Lay is trying to get away.

They walk in silence but Kris doesn't seem to be bothered by it. He sneaks glances at Lay and his eyes casually scan over him and Lay wishes he could hide somewhere. “Hey, you’re not wearing your hoodie anymore. Is that because of me?” He shows off a wide grin and Lay doesn’t like how pleased he sounds.

“No.” Lay scoffs, “My hoodie's in the wash.” He lies unable to make eye contact.

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Kris says smugly glancing at Lay out the corner of his eye.

“It is.” Lay says more stern.

“I’m just joking.” Kris pushes Lay’s shoulder playfully still not catching the small boy’s tone.

“Is there a reason you’re talking to me?” Lay sighs and stops, facing Kris.

“Do I need a reason?” Kris smirks raising his eyebrow. “Come to think of it, I don’t know why I followed you. I just saw you leaving and felt like meeting up with you. Kind of funny, right?” He laughs but Lay feels annoyed.

“Hilarious.”

“Let me think of a reason.” He says putting his hand to his chin in pretend contemplation. “Oh, I know. I want you to come to my game on Friday. I know you don’t care for basketball but I’m playing so that should be more than enough reason to be there.” He smiles wide fluttering his eyelashes.

“I’m busy on Friday.” Lay mutters unable to look this overly cute boy in the eyes. He hates how happy Kris’s invite makes him. Even if he knows it doesn’t mean anything.

“Oh,” Kris nods understanding. “Then we should hang out sometime.”

Lay’s eyes widen and he looks up at Kris. “What?”

“What’s your number?” Kris suddenly asks taking out his phone.

Lay chokes back a mock laugh. He thinks how his heart would be beating like mad if Kris had asked him this before he heard him confessing to another boy. Kris’s tone is so different talking to Lay. He’s not nervous or stammering. He doesn’t stutter, blush or feel awkward like Lay does when he’s with Kris. He thinks how different their feelings are towards each other and Kris has no clue. It’s so annoying.

“What? I can’t have your number?” Kris asks in an amused tone after Lay doesn’t say anything. “Is there a secret password I need to get it?” He laughs and Lay has had it.

“Do you have to laugh at everything?” Lay says before he can stop himself and Kris’s smile slowly fades. “Not everything’s funny, you know? You’re so annoying!” Just then the bell rings and Lay is relieved. He walks off not even saying bye or giving Kris another look. Kris stares after him with his phone still out and a blank expression on his face.

“W-what just happened?” Kris asks himself when Lay is far gone.

Lay wipes his eyes as they start to water when he walks away. He feels worse now having yelled at Kris. He didn’t think Kris was annoying, he actually loved his laugh. It was probably tied with his most favorite sound in the world, his guitar. And it wasn’t Kris’s fault Lay was upset. He couldn’t help that he didn’t feel the same way about him. He should feel lucky to have a friend like Kris who enjoys talking to him so much. And who genuinely seems to like him, even if it isn't in the way Lay wants. His eye’s water more because he knows he can’t be just friend. Not after realizes just how much he really likes Kris.

A/N: Some of you were worried for Lay's safty. Chanyeol isn't evil XD He's just a jerk at most. Anyway I hope you like this chapter and I hope to update again soon! Thanks for reading this far! Please comment! I love reading them all! Sorry for the small amount of Tao (to all the Tao fans), he will be in the next chapter!