“You should definitely go.” Jongin pressed Kyungsoo, nudging him in the rib cage only for Kyungsoo to reciprocate with a shy smile. “The rest of the squad is coming anyways.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s not like you need me around.” Kyungsoo replied meekly, shrugging submissively in that way that Jongin always noticed he did when Kyungsoo didn’t want to do something. “You have Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Sehun-”

 

“Dude that’s not the same!” Jongin almost screamed. What direction in Heaven on Earth did he have to take to get Kyungsoo to this party? “You know who else is going to be there?”

 

“Umm...the host?” Kyungsoo scrunched his eyebrows.

 

“Close!” Narrowing the distance between them, Jongin strode right out of the video game café. It was getting dark and the both he and Kyungsoo needed to come home.

 

“Then what-” Before he could finish, Kyungsoo was interrupted once again.

 

“Ryu Aerim!” Jongin paused in front of Kyungsoo dramatically and held out his arms. “One of the cutest girls from the grade, also your best friend.”

 

“Do you think she’d actually go for someone like me?” Kyungsoo thought about himself and his appearance. He was intelligent, that was a given. However, he was nothing but skin and bones; his hair a dull shade of dark brown. Nothing compared to what was appropriate for Ryu Aerim, in respects.

 

“Do you even know women?” Jongin pestered, latching Kyungsoo’s neck in a head-lock. “You’re the cutest.”

 

Kyungsoo giggled.

 

“Get off Jongin!” The younger of the two playfully smacked the other’s arm.

 

The moon shined brighter that night than it had all week.

 

◊

 

“So, I heard there’s this party going on somewhere down the Five and Dime close to Main.” Taeyeon brought up out of nowhere the following Monday, watching intently as Aerim brushed her hair in her locker’s mirror.

 

“Yeah. I thought about it.” Aerim replied, absentmindedly shoving a few books into her backpack. “I don’t know.”

 

“Come on Aerim!” Taeyeon whined, taking hold of one of the make-up brushes held up against the container of the locker door, swirling the mass of fluff around Aerim’s nose.

 

“Stop that!” Aerim laughed, unable to think clearly with her best friend egging her on about this party that was going to be oh so great.

 

She had a few tests to study for, not to mention the end of the year research paper that she hadn’t even started yet.

 

Advanced Language Arts sure was a killer class.

 

“You’re always such a freaking joy-kill!” Taeyeon droned on, rolling her eyes at her so-called best friend who wasn’t a very social person; quite the opposite from herself.

 

“I heard it’s going to be one of those over-the-top popular type parties where we all dress nice and have all those sparkles in our hair!” Aerim nearly screamed dramatically, Taeyeon aware of her best friend’s intolerance toward social gatherings.

 

Asking Aerim to come out was like asking a vampire to finally see the light.

 

“You’re coming and I’m not taking no for an answer.” Taeyeon deadpanned. “That’s final.”

 

“But-I, we-, Tae-” Aerim tried helplessly, just as the warning bell rang.

 

“See you later, cutie!” Taeyeon winked.

 

It’s going to be one hell of a weekend.

 

◊

 

Friday was quickly approaching, and with that, preparations for this immense social gathering had finally become exact; plans made, dates set, and decorations hung at this house on Main.

 

Kyungsoo looked at his watch as he waited for Aerim to come meet him at the ramen shop where they would always eat after school once a week.

 

On special days, Kyungsoo would buy Aerim her bowl just to make her smile.

 

He recalled this one time a few school years back when it was Aerim’s birthday and she ordered a bowl of shrimp and seafood medley only to have her receipt come up as zero due to Kyungsoo’s generosity. Aerim blushed. She stood up and ran behind the counter, anxiously pleading for a chance to pay her own bowl. The employees denied her through a policy that required them to use the first card handed to them.

 

It was the first time Kyungsoo had ever seen Aerim so flustered, one of the first times he had found her in that undeniably cute state.

 

And now, here they are, together in the same place, just at a different time.

 

Neither the feelings Kyungsoo held for Aerim had changed or faltered, only grown.

 

“Kyungsoo?” Aerim asked, peering up at him from above her bowl. “What’s wrong? You’re not eating.”

 

“Oh, right.” Kyungsoo stammered, taking hold of his chopsticks hastily and shoving noodles into his mouth. “It’s delicious-yum!”

 

Kyungsoo’s awkward behavior did not go undetected by Aerim.

 

“Are you okay?” She cocked an eyebrow.

 

“I’m fine!” Kyungsoo felt his palms getting sweaty. “I just...kind of have a lot going on.”

 

“Like what?” Aerim asked, calmly placing a piece of pork in and chewing. “Anything in particular?”

 

“No.” Wiping his face with a napkin, Kyungsoo sighed. “Just stuff.”

 

“Are you going to that party this Friday?” Aerim asked, smiling as she remembered the last time her and Kyungsoo went to a gathering together.

 

She recalled how Jongin tried to pull him back into the house from the door as Kyungsoo clung on for dear life to the hinges, wanting nothing else in the world but to leave at the sight of alcohol.

 

Aerim knew that Kyungsoo was kind of a dork; but she didn’t mind.

 

Kyungsoo was her dork, and no one else could take him.

 

That was enough to make her smile again.

 

“Why are you so happy?” Kyungsoo asked, genuinely bewildered. It was rare to see Aerim smiling and giggling all the time.

 

“Because I’m going, therefore, you are too.” She deadpanned.

 

Staying up last night, Ryu decided that Friday night was going to be the night in which she would confess to Kyungsoo. All these wishes and hidden secrets were all going to become known to the other, as she was going to tell him how she felt for the first time.

 

“I never agreed to this.” Lacing his fingers around the chopsticks, Kyungsoo’s shaking made his obvious nervousness appear even more enhanced.

 

“You just did. I know you’d never leave me alone with a bunch of scary drunk people.” Aerim turned her game on Kyungsoo, leaving him no choice but to answer the only reply he could utter.

 

“Fine.” Although, Kyungsoo wasn’t happy about this; he knew it was for the best. He’d never leave Aerim alone by herself at a night event like that. Sure he trusted Jongin, but Jongin didn’t care for Aerim like he did.

 

That was enough to get Kyungsoo to nod his head diligently.

 

It was amazing how wrapped around he was in regards to Aerim.

 

Almost scary, really.

 

◊

 

Aerim scanned around the boutique, squinting and trying hard to find a dress that matched the shoes she had planned to wear to Friday’s event. She felt guilty that everything was so last minute; but she had no choice since Kyungsoo only agreed to go Tuesday afternoon which left her with two days considering today was already Wednesday.

 

She sighed, taking a dress into her hands and putting it back on the rack just as fast. Sorting through all of these dresses would take forever, and she didn’t want Kyungsoo to help her due to the fact that he would see the dress.

 

Straightening up, Aerim stormed over to the front, ringing the bell in order to get assistance from customer service.

 

A kind looking young lady strode behind the counter almost immediately, smiling up at Aerim and asking, “What may I help you with?”

 

From here, Aerim’s heroism took a turn for the downward.

 

“I need to find a dress.” She shrunk. Feeling herself physically melt to the floor, Aerim noticed her cheeks had gone red as a tomato in just a one second conversation with an employee.

 

“What kind of dress, sweetie?” The staff worker asked.

 

“Something to wear for this gathering on Friday.” Aerim began, nervously cracking her knuckles. “I want it to match these shoes.”

 

As the lights dimmed down and the sounds of other ladies walking around the store began to pick up, Aerim spent all of her afternoon picking out the perfect dress to show up in for Kyungsoo.

 

Kyungsoo would find her simply irresistible in this dress, and she knew it.

 

Squealing, Aerim hugged the employee before she dashed out of the store in a mad haze, excited to show the outfit to her mother.

 

The staff worker gave a bewildered look before shrugging her shoulders and getting right back where she left off with hanging the white and black gowns.

 

She remembered the days in which she had a crush on a certain boy back in high school.

 

◊

 

Classical music, the sound of minimal chatter and sequins from several different gowns gathered amongst the floor in a horde of glitter and stars everywhere.

 

Aerim looked amongst herself, amazed at how beautiful the set up was and how fast all of this had been arranged.

 

She glanced at her reflection in her cell phone screen, grinning at the fact that her diamond bobby pins held up just fine on the trip to the party. Apparently, it was just a public event where any of the kids from the school were invited to wind down and relax, almost like an end of the year treat.

 

Either way, Aerim was ecstatic. She had already contacted Kyungsoo and would wait for his arrival by trying to socialize.

 

Taeyeon had already brought her up to several groups of people.

 

Aerim found her best friend again close to the cubed cheese section, taking a toothpick of the snack and putting it inside .

 

“I love cubed cheese.” Taeyeon remarked, picking up another one and holding it close to Aerim’s lips. “Open.”

 

Aerim opened earnestly, letting her best friend put the cheese in. Taeyeon patted her head; Aerim noticed the small diamonds that adorned the other’s necklace. Taeyeon looked like the image of perfection.

 

“Come here.” Holding onto Aerim’s hand, Taeyeon lead her best friend to a circle of unknown faces, formally introducing her to each one of them.

 

Busily shaking hands, Aerim became too distracted to notice her phone had gone off on vibrate several times. Kyungsoo was already in the house.

 

Slipping her way out of the crowd and away from Taeyeon’s circle of friends, Aerim made her way to the door and stood there, waiting for Kyungsoo to come meet her like they had planned.

 

However, just as she had arrived at the front, Aerim saw something that she would’ve never thought possible.

 

Kyungsoo was surrounded by a huge crowd of females their grade, all laughing and talking and playfully hitting Kyungsoo on the shoulder.

 

Soaking in all the attention, Kyungsoo wound his arm securely around one of the ladies’ shoulders, giving her a soft peck on the cheek as he held out a hand dramatically to tell a story.

 

Aerim tried not to let it get to her as she approached Kyungsoo, waving a hand in his direction and calling out to him.

 

Kyungsoo’s cheeks turned a shade of red, out of all of the girls in the house, only Ryu looked as beautiful as an angel to him.

 

She looked simply incredible.

 

Trying to let go of the girl beside him, Kyungsoo wound around to slip out of the circle only to be caught off-guard by another girl.

 

“Kyungsoo! Don’t leave.” She begged, red dress showing off her chest as her heels made her long legs look even more slender.

 

Aerim’s smile was fading the longer she stayed focused on Kyungsoo.

 

“Don’t leave, baby.” Another one of the girls winked, tracing a finger down Kyungsoo’s chest and ing one of the buttons on his collared shirt.

 

Prying hands off of his body, Kyungsoo attempted again to slide passed the horde of ladies and get to where he wanted to be.

 

A hand winding around Kyungsoo’s own and holding him as her own was the last straw for Aerim.

 

Tears in her eyes, she turned around and dashed to the door, unable to face Kyungsoo anymore.

 

All these years of falling in love with him and this one stupid night she thought she could actually have him.

 

Aerim let the tears fall uncontrollably as she all but dashed to the entrance and opened the door hastily.

 

“Aerim!” Kyungsoo called, finally able to forcefully shove his way through the mob and make his way to the foyer. “Ryu Aerim!”

 

Kyungsoo called out for her again and again, pointless as Aerim had already found the door and sprinted her way out of the home. This whole entire night was ridiculous, this whole plan. Aerim knew it was stupid to even think Kyungsoo would consider her.

 

“Aerim.” Kyungsoo spluttered out breathlessly as he finally caught up to his only best friend. “Aerim, please stop.”

“So what?” She screamed, incapable of holding her voice down any longer. “So what? What if I leave? You wouldn’t care anyway!”

 

“Yes I do!” Kyungsoo retorted, taking Aerim’s hands in his. “Why are you like this?”

 

“Because I like you, idiot.” She replied, trying to rip her hands out of Kyungsoo’s, but to no avail. “I like you and you don’t even give a crap.”

 

“I do give a crap!” Kyungsoo tried to reason out, but Aerim already wasn’t listening. “I just didn’t know you liked me too!”

 

“What?” Aerim paused, letting the tears free-fall down her face, her make-up already ruined from crying.

 

“I like you too.” Kyungsoo admit, breath hitching as he could not believe what is actually transpiring right at this very moment.

 

Aerim couldn’t believe it. The endless nights of texting and laughing, the afternoons at the ramen shop, the countless hugs and memories; all through it all and somewhere along the way, Kyungsoo decided he liked her.

 

That thought made Aerim smile.

 

She punched Kyungsoo’s arm playfully.

 

“Ouch.” Kyungsoo replied, laughing. “What was that for?”

 

Aerim hugged him, giving him a soft peck on the nose.

 

“For leaving me in the dark for all of those school years.”

 

Kyungsoo smiled, gently easing his grip on Aerim’s hand and walking her away from the party.

 

“Let’s go elsewhere.” Looking over to Aerim, Kyungsoo noticed how the moonlight seemed to fall gracefully over all of her features. “This party anyways.”

 

Aerim knew that she’d have to tell Taeyeon the entire thing on Monday.

 

Jongin was right in the distance, looking out of the house window with cubed cheese in his hand.

 

He knew Kyungsoo could do it.