짝사랑.

“What if I hadn’t lent you my lighter that day?” She wonders out loud as she winds the window back up. The noise of the breeze fades away and the song from the radio softly fills the vehicle once again.

“Nah, you wouldn’t have said no to me.” He chuckles and turns to look at her briefly. She rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny it.

“Okay, then what if I rejected your offer for a ride?”

He stays silent for a while, as if thinking of a suitable reply. “Then I would have kept trying, I think,” he replies at last.

She doubts it, but smiles, pleased with his reply. But she chooses to tease and says, “Yeah, I’m sure you only say that because I’m sitting here right now.”

Daniel laughs again before reaching to rest his large hand on her thigh, then muttering that that ‘is not true’. She smiles contentedly upon feeling the familiar warmth of his palm, and resumes watching him.

Laying with you I feel like Moving clouds high in the sky It’s been too long since I realized you’re real

She likes admiring his side view because it is more attractive than anybody else’s she has seen. She likes studying his pretty hands which sometimes becomes veiny if they grip the wheel too hard or too long. She likes seeing him turn and shoot her smiles, sometimes even shy ones when he realizes she is still staring.

They were headed to his apartment. It recently became an unspoken routine that she stays over for weekends after he picks her up from work on Fridays. The first time Daniel asked her to stay she thought it meant something more, until it felt more like a mere drill every week because she stays just so they can fuck, fall asleep and wake up the next day to repeat the cycle all weekend.

But she doesn’t mind it, so she allows it when Daniel stops her from blow-drying her wet hair halfway after they were both done with showering that night.

She smirks when Daniel takes the hairdryer out of her hand and turns her around. “What, is wet hair your new kink now?” She teases when he pulls her close.

He smiles, eyes trailing down to her lips. “No. But you are, so I can look past that.”

She inhales his scent; a mix of their shared shampoo, the detergent of his freshly washed shirt and cigarettes. He must have smoked while waiting for her to come out of the shower. He leans in and his lips mold against hers. They share a few chaste kisses, as if getting a taste of each other first before she opens her mouth and the kiss deepens fervently.

They navigate their way towards the bed, lips hardly unlocking. When the back of her knees hit the bed, they stop and Daniel breaks the kiss. He leans back and looks at her face to see her reaction when he abruptly pushes her body closer to his with the hand at the small of her back. He presses his crotch against her and she feels the hard bulge against her abdomen. Daniel sees her smile before he swiftly turns them around and sits on the edge of the bed before pulling her down onto his lap.

Their lips found each other’s again and soon enough, the floor was decorated with their unnecessary articles of clothing while the room was filled with the sound of their moans and skin slapping against each other. Like every other Friday night.

Two hearts come together We were truly there I fall down. Then I fall down

She stirs when she hears the raindrops hitting against the glass window. The chill of the rain then penetrates the room. She gets up and slips on Daniel’s shirt found on the floor before looking at the digital clock sitting on the bedside table; 4:21AM.

She contemplates, but still picks up the pack of cigarettes beside the clock and extracts a stick for herself. Returning to her side of the bed, she lights the cigarette and tucks her legs under the covers while she leans against the backboard of the bed.

Daniel is still in his deep slumber, his milky pale skin seemingly glowing under the moonlight that pours into the room. She watches how the cross necklace sitting on his bare chest heaves up and down slowly, how his brown hair falls over his eyes messily and how he mutters undiscernible words softly.

Throughout these five months of knowing Daniel, she never told anyone about him, and she is sure he hadn’t either. She’s not sure if it’s because their relationship doesn’t seem like it was enough to be told about or because it was too much to tell people about.

A transparent wall felt like it had been built, when they first kissed, between them and has been there ever since. They were close, but never close enough. It felt like there was a wall built around them too; nobody and nothing were allowed to interfere with their relationship. Maybe that was why she never told anybody about him, because she doesn’t want to hear her friends telling her he isn’t good for her. She wanted it to last, even if deep down she knows it shouldn’t.

She takes the last drag of her cigarette before extinguishing it in the ashtray on the table.

He’d disappear for weeks and not tell her where he went. He’d pick up calls whenever he was with her only to say he’d call back later. He’d leave her between dinners, movies, and sometimes even drop her off at the nearest bus stop after he receives a text halfway and not tell her what was it about. She stopped asking after a while, knowing he’d never tell her. She doesn’t like all these that he does, but still she wanted it to last.

She crawls back under the covers and snuggles against Daniel. He instinctively wraps his arms around her, enveloping her in his big, warm body. Maybe she was just addicted to him, like how they were to cigarettes, she thinks as she drifts back to sleep in his arms.

I would be your light and I would shine you bright Oh I wish, I’ll be your last

“Baby girl.” Daniel had gotten used to calling her that ever since she’d allow it when he first did. He slips his hand beneath her shirt and runs it up the pebbles of her spine. She fidgets at the sensation but does not stir. He calls again, this time lightly smacking her butt cheek. And her eyelids finally flutter open while she reaches to swat Daniel’s hand off her ass. He grins, watching her stir.

“Hi.” She greets after managing to fully open her eyes and admire the sight of the attractive, messy brown-haired man smiling at her.

“Hi.” He reaches to free her face from her strands of brown hair.

“What’s for breakfast?”

Daniel pushes himself off the pillow and props himself up with his elbow. “I would say you, but you seem very tired this morning.”

Laughing at his corniness, she turns away and stretches, rubbing her eyes. “I am. I wonder why…” She playfully shoots Daniel a dirty look.

He gets out of the bed and she sees that he is still butt naked. She watches him, a glorious sight, pick up his clothes from the floor and putting them on except for his shirt since she was wearing it. He walks over to the closet and pulls out another shirt to wear.

“It was raining when I woke up. And it was cold, so I wore your shirt.” She explains absentmindedly, staring out the window and seeing that it is still drizzling. Daniel brushes it off and proceeds to tell her to choose between them going to get breakfast or him having her for breakfast. She considers the latter option, but her stomach protests and she crawls out of bed.

“I told you to put on some visible pants, babe,” Daniel says as they walk side by side to their usual takeout place. He doesn’t like the sight of men eyeing her legs as they walk down the street.

“It’s not like I’m not wearing any…” She defends herself. His shirt was just too long so it looked like she was not wearing any, and since it was just nearby she didn’t bother to change.

Daniel tucks his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and lets out a ‘tch’ before continuing with his lecture, “Yeah, but those men looking at you wouldn’t know that.” They turn into a less crowded pathway.

“Then let them look. Damn, why are you so bothered?” She looks up at him, surveying his expression before she quietly adds, “It’s my legs anyway.”

He hesitates before he mumbles, “I just don’t like it.”

“Wow, it almost sounded like you care.”

Daniel halts in his tracks, as if offended by what she had just said. So she stops too, turning to look at him. He walks over to her slowly and places his hand on her lower back. Her heart does an odd little jump.

“So you think I don’t?” He pushes her lightly to get them to continue walking.

“It doesn’t look like you do much,” she continues looking up at him. It then occurs to her that this is the first time he somewhat held her in public. They’d never held hands before or anything likewise.

“That’s sad to hear.” He turns to look at her. She thinks he is trying to hide it by appearing indifferent, but the disappointment is discernible in his eyes when he smiles. “But I do care, baby girl.”

From her experience of having to finish meals and movies alone and the nights she had to make her way home herself when he had left her for a mere text; that is honestly news to her. But she was going to believe him, unless she had mistaken the disappointment she had noticed.

“That’s nice to know,” she says, then realizes it sounded like her usual sarcastic self, so she quickly tiptoes and leaves a peck on Daniel’s cheek to assure him that she meant it. He chuckles softly before muttering an almost inaudible ‘cute’ and circling his arm around her waist, which never left until they returned to his apartment.

This moment is forever Even though each puff will take us further from together She’ll have, me until the very last drag

Daniel watches her from the side as she leans against the railing of the balcony, bringing the stick between her fingers to her lips. Her long hair was thrown into a messy ponytail and her butt cheeks were peeking out from her worn-out grey H&M shorts that were too short for her. It’s a familiar sight but he doesn’t think he’d ever get tired of it. He watches the smoke escapes her lips and dissolves into the atmosphere as she looks down at the city below.

It was late afternoon by now and Daniel had just woken up. They had fallen asleep after another round of sex which had commenced after breakfast.

He approaches her quietly, retrieving his pack of cigarettes on the way. He had realized before that he finishes his pack faster than he normally does whenever she was with him, but that doesn’t stop him from lighting the cigarette. Maybe it’s because smoking with her feels like an assurance to him, because he knows that at least she’d be with him until the very last drag of the stick.

She hears the lighter click and turns to see the messy haired, tall figure walking towards her and her lips curl into an easy smile. They finish their cigarettes in silence, enjoying their dose of nicotine while watching the sky slowly turn orange.

“Anything in mind for dinner?” Daniel breaks the silence, walking over to the wooden chair and extinguishing his bud in the empty ashtray that he presumes she had just cleared.

She shakes her head but asks, “You?” Daniel opens his mouth to reply, but she quickly adds, “If you say you would want me for dinner again, I’m telling you I would turn on my heels and run out of that door now, Kang Daniel.”

And he bursts out laughing before shaking his head and assuring her that he was not going to say that, because watching her run out of that door would be the last thing he wanted to see, though he doesn’t say that out loud. He pats his lap and motions for her to come like a kid, and she does. She settles herself sideways on his lap because straddling him would be a little uncomfortable with the wooden chair, and suddenly the position they are in feels too platonic than any other they have ever been in. She looks at Daniel and sees him beaming at her, he doesn’t seem to mind.

They stay that way for a while, talking about her week at work, her family, her friends and what to eat for dinner; everything but about Daniel. And though she doesn’t realize it because it had already become customary for her, Daniel subconsciously reaches for his pack of cigarettes again and was about to offer her a stick when she stops him.

“Babe, we just smoked,” she reprimands, removing the stick from between his fingers and putting it back into the box. He halfheartedly attempts a pout and she laughs, giving his lips a chaste peck. When she pulls away, Daniel closes the gap between them again and connects their lips once more. The kiss quickly advances and soon she could feel Daniel’s soft, warm tongue against hers.

The sunset was pouring into the balcony now, coloring everything a warm orange. They break apart for air, and she sees the soft brown streaks in Daniel’s eyes. That’s when her first tear drops.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel’s eyebrows furrow slightly as he surveys her face, unsure of what to do or say. But the more she tried to stop the tears from falling, the more they did. The tears felt like they have been held back for too long.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” Daniel repeats as he quickly erases the tears on her still-rosy cheeks.

“Daniel,” she removes his hand from her face. “What are we?”

Love is like a cigarette Burning at the tip of it, but quick to burn out Like a cigarette, it may get you sick But you’ll never get sick of it

He stays silent for a while, repeating her words in his head.

“What do you mean?” He splutters, though he knows exactly what she meant.

She pauses, taking time to wipe the tears off of her face while Daniel watches her quietly as if he was savoring some last few moments.

“I mean,” she fiddles with his dangling silver earring, avoiding his gaze. “If I tell you I love you now, what will happen?”

His reply comes quick and sounds almost rehearsed, “You can’t love me, that’s not right.” And it is one that she had expected, too. She wants to question why he says that, but instead she asks what she ultimately wants to know.

“What about you?” Her hand drops from his earring and her eyes shifts to meet his again. “Do you love me then?”

His expression in return was one that she has never seen before on that handsome face of his. She looks at him and waits for his answer.

This whole conversation was calmer than it should be; maybe it was because both of them knew that it was going to happen ever since day one.

It was a question he had easily expected, yet he still could not bring himself to say no, but there’s no way he could tell her yes, too. Maybe she also knew what Daniel’s reply to her question would be since day one, so she stops him when he starts to speak. 

“Don’t say you’re sorry.” 

And he doesn’t.

She gets out of his lap before another tear threatens to drop. It feels, surprisingly, less awkward than she thought it would be.

The sun has set and the warm orange hues were gone. Everything was tinted blue, a darker shade every passing minute as the sun gets replaced by the moon.

She gathers her belongings from around the apartment and Daniel doesn’t stop her. He remains seated at the balcony, smoking while watching the sky become dark.

By the time he finishes his third stick, she was walking towards the door. She takes her time, thinking if she should go over to him and say goodbye despite how awkward it would be. She decides against it, afraid that she’d start crying.

She reaches for the door but stops when she feels a tug on her hand. She doesn’t turn but stands waiting for Daniel’s next words.

“You shouldn’t love me, baby girl.”

Her heart sinks and she wants to punish herself for letting the last fragment of hope she had left to be crushed. She pushes the handle and walks out of the door for the last time.

I want you addicted to me I was one of your cigarettes The smell of your pastel breathing Just makes me love you even more

“They kept disappearing and reappearing lately but now I can’t find them at all,” he mumbles as he flips the pillows on the couch she is sitting on. Seeing none of the clothes on his wanted list beneath the pillows, he gives up and throws himself down beside her. When she does not pay any attention to him, he throws his arms around her and buries his face in the crook of her neck.

“Aw I’m sure they’ll come back to you,” she pats his head distractedly, trying to increase the volume of the video because Daniel is whining too loudly.

“At least you still have your other ones like your Stussy socks, Stussy hat...” She goes on and lists all the apparel of the same brand that her boyfriend owns. After knowing that half his closet was filled with checkered flannels, she also found out that the other half was mostly made up of Stussy clothing though he mostly only wears them at home, so she doesn’t see why he is so upset about not being able to find them, honestly.

The video ends. “You only wear them at home, anyway.”

“True.” Daniel unburies his face and looks at her laptop screen. “Then there’s no need for you to watch these makeup tutorials too, since you mostly stay with me at home anyway.” He chuckles.

“That.. is not true...” She denies, but she knows it is. Ever since they have been together officially, they stopped going on as many dates as before and mostly spend their time together every weekend lazing around at home. She doesn’t mind it though.

“That’s because you don’t bring me out on dates anymore,” she says sourly. “Ever since you got me you stopped putting in effort. I shouldn’t have said yes to you,” she sighs dramatically and shuts her laptop. Daniel laughs watching his girlfriend complain because he knows she doesn’t mean it one bit.

“Let’s go on a date now then.” She turns and sees Daniel beaming at her at a proximity closer than she has estimated, their noses almost touching. She sees his pouty pink lips and instinctively gives them a playful kiss. Daniel laughs contentedly before he mimics her action, returning the same kiss. And it’s moments like this that are why she really does not mind just staying at home with Daniel.

He closes the distance between them again, his hand coming to rest on the side of her waist. This kiss lasts, albeit rather slowly and sloppy. She removes the pillow that she has been hugging and wraps her arms around his neck, fingers lost in her favorite caramel hair. He caresses her side through the familiar fabric of her shirt, then he pulls away slowly.

“Babe...” He sees his girlfriend wearing a grey shirt and when he looks down, the Stussy logo in the middle of her torso.

“You said you didn’t see my shirt.”

She looks down this time and sees her boyfriend’s shirt on her. “Oh... Technically I didn’t..” She laughs, feeling stupid that she has forgotten what she was wearing. “Since it was on me...” She removes one hand from his neck and clasps it against her mouth to stop herself from bursting out loud at the look of disbelief on Daniel’s face.

The corners of his lips lift when he sees her shaking with laughter. “Oh my god. You thief! Is my hoodie with you too?”

She freezes, remembering that she had indeed worn it home last week. She stares into his eyes and nods, before bursting into laughter again when she sees him shaking his head dramatically murmuring, “I trusted you.”

“Wait. Then are you wearing my boxers too?! I couldn’t find one of them this morning.” Daniel teases thoughtlessly, and is alarmed when he sees her freeze again and nod. Then for some reason, he has the surging urge to continue the kiss from before.

“What the fuck?” He murmurs. “You can’t just do that.”

“Do what?” She backs away slightly, afraid of her boyfriend's antics.

She’s relieved and admittedly pleased when he says, “You can’t just turn me on like that.” She stares at him, anticipating his next move.

“Or wear my clothes and underwear like that. I’m afraid I’ll need you to take them off now.” He only gives her a moment to react before he grabs her ankles and pulls her easily back to him, returning her legs rightfully back to his lap. The shirt on her had ridden up in the process, revealing her long legs and giving his hands an easier access to what’s beneath it.

She doesn’t stop it when he takes her lips once again, the kiss much more urgent this time. His tongue slides into her mouth the same time his large hands travel upwards her legs, raising goosebumps. She tastes a hint of the strawberry yogurt they had together earlier when the warmth of her tongue meets his before his hands slip beneath her shirt, and soon enough they were both craving for more of each other.

Feeling much more awake and less shitty after washing up, she plays with the cat on the floor after not seeing the owner of the house anywhere in sight. 

The jingle of the keys sound and both she and the cat turn towards the direction of the door. They slowly make their way out of the bedroom together.

Daniel sees the cat first and smiles, bending down to pick it up with one hand since his other is occupied by holding a plastic bag filled with what smells like food. Then he glances up and sees her.

“You’re awake. Good morning~” Daniel looks at her and sees that his flannel barely reaches her mid-thighs; he has definitely underestimated her height and now regrets his choice of putting it on her the night before because he is bound to get distracted now. His eyes travel down her long exposed legs because honestly, seeing her in his favorite flannel makes him feel some type of a way. He ignores what he feels and looks away quickly to not make her feel uncomfortable.

“Morning,” she returns his greeting, suddenly conscious of her appearance. She runs her hand through her hair and tags after Daniel. They reach the kitchen where he sets the cat down on the chair and the food on the table.

“I hope you like stir fried noodles,” he looks at her and beams. I don’t, she thinks but keeps quiet and returns his smile. Stir fried noodles are filled with too much greens for her liking but she certainly does not want to appear picky.

“Did you sleep well?” Daniel asks, handing her the disposable chopsticks as he takes the seat opposite her.

“Yeah. Thanks for...” Bringing her here? Cleaning her up? The noodles? “Everything...” She finishes off and laughs.

“Sorry for causing you trouble,” she adds. “Was I really wasted last night?” She asks then regrets upon realizing that since she was wasted enough to allow him to change her clothes for her, she definitely was really wasted.

“Not thaaat bad,” he replies before taking a mouthful of noodles.

Surprisingly, the rest of the meal is not awkward. They talk about what happened last night, mainly Daniel telling her and lying about the embarrassing things she did and her trying to guess whether she really did those things or is he exaggerating.

“After you vomited you kept screaming that you were so grossss!!” Daniel passionately attempts to reenact the scene and she laughs again, shaking her head. “So no, I didn’t remove your clothes just to take advantage of you when you were drunk. Don’t worry.” He winks at her before he laughs, standing up and reaching for her unfinished noodles to dispose of.

Even though she had not expected him to mention that, she likes that he is open about it happening and does not feign ignorance about having seen her almost naked.

“Though I’m going to admit that I’m glad you did scream about being gross,” he says as he dumps the leftovers into the bin. He turns just in time to see her roll her eyes at him and they both laugh.

“Where are my clothes though?” She asks, leaving her seat.

“I took them out of the wash before I went out. They’re still wet.”

She looks down at what she is wearing and asks tentatively, “So should I wait for them to dry or should I wear this back?”

Daniel leans against the counter, “I think,” he smiles a smile that looks more like a smirk to her. “You should stay and wait for them to dry while wearing this. You look good in it.”

It was not a compliment she had seen coming. She stares at him while her heart does a little flip silently beneath Daniel’s checkered flannel. Daniel pushes himself off the counter and walks towards her, only stopping at a distance too close for her good own because she feels like her heart is about to explode while she looks up at him.

Feeling slightly hurt by the animal, she does not bother turning around to see who it is, but decides to text her friend since she already has her phone in her hand.

where are you??

She taps ‘send’ just as the visitor walks past her and makes his way to the center of the empty space designated for customers to play with the cats. She notices a few other cats actually getting up and making their way towards him and soon enough, he is surrounded by probably almost half of the cats in the cafe. Wow, pussy magnet? She thinks to herself as she sips on her matcha latte watching him.

Then she realizes his caramel blonde hair. No, it can’t be him. She doubts that attractive caramel hair she met last Sunday would be this pussy magnet though sure, he could be the other type of pussy magnet, she wouldn’t disagree with that.

Nonetheless, she notices that this one also owns the same long legs and broad shoulders. But he is dressed in a grey hoodie and soft denim jeans, not anywhere near how dangerously attractive caramel hair was dressed, she registers from looking at his back view.

He sits down and allows the cats to hop into his lap. It looks like he is struggling while trying his utmost best to give each of them his attention and she finds the sight of that adorable. He turns to the brown cat pawing at his left thigh - the same one that had abandoned her earlier and that’s when she recognizes it; the mismatched dangling silver earring. It is the same pussy magnet then.

Suddenly, her phone vibrates a little too loudly against the wooden table and she quickly picks it up to see a new message:

OH SHIT i just woke up

She sighs softly and types:

why am i not surprised

do i wait then?

She should have known that this was bound to be another canceled date with her bestfriend before she left the house this morning. She turns to return her attention to attractive caramel hair again but is instead, caught off guard when she finds that he is already looking at her.

It was not the alcohol then, he really is that attractive.

She watches him tilt his head dubiously, then smile as a sign of recognizing her and then gently carry the cats off of him before standing up and making his way towards her.

“Hey,” he says, while making a small awkward waving motion. “Can I?” He gestures to the empty seat opposite her.

“Oh, sure,” she replies with an awkward laugh and he sits down. His caramel hair was floppy and unstyled today. Even without the influence of alcohol, she has the urge to run her hands through it to feel how soft it is. She regrets choosing this tiny table because the distance between them now is too close for her to handle. She leans back slightly.

“Do you come here often?” He asks. “Wait, sorry, you do recognize me, right? I’m Daniel, by the way,” he quickly adds, almost flustered. She laughs.

“Yeah, I do.” She tells him her name and that it is her first time here.

“You? Do you come here often? The cats all seem to really like you, like you’re a pussy magnet or something.” Oh fuck. She did not mean to say that out loud. He does not seem to mind and chuckles before quietly repeating, “Pussy magnet.” His laughter has an unspecified effect on her and she smiles unconsciously.

“Yeah I come here often. I know the owner here,” he explains and she nods, her mouth forming an ‘O’ before she sips on her drink again.

“You here alone?” He asks and she looks up but regrets it almost immediately. It might be the sun shining through the glass because his eyes are a soft, light brown which sends her heart beating faster than usual when she looks into them. She tears her gaze away quickly and checks her phone, seeing three new messages from her friend:

i cant make it anymore sorry!!!! make up lesson in an hour’s time :(

sorry babe really

pls dont hate me ily

“I was supposed to meet my friend but I guess not anymore so, yeah.. I’m going to be alone.” She gestures to her phone. Just then, she feels the familiar sensation of soft fur rubbing against her ankle and looks down to find the same brown cat from earlier.

She bends down to pick the cat up, completely oblivious to Daniel sending his friend multiple messages at once under the table:

JISUNG HYUNG!!!!

DO NOT COME ANYMORE

I DONT NEED YOU HERE

thanks

i’ll tell u why later

maybe. heheh

He puts away his phone as soon as he is sure that the messages have been sent. “Oh, me too. I’m here alone..” He trails off after seeing the cat in her lap.

“She likes you~” He says, realizing which cat it is and adds, “She’s mine.”

“Oh..” She scratches the cat between its ears. “What’s her name?”

She looks up when she hears no reply and sees him grinning sheepishly. 

“Peter.” He ruffles his hair as if embarrassed and continues, “I thought she was a boy at first.” He laughs and when she follows suit, she isn’t sure if she is laughing because of the cat’s name or because she likes seeing how the corner of his eyes crinkle and his nose scrunches when he laughs.

Who knew besides being dangerously attractive, caramel hair could also be dangerously adorable? She confirms that he is indeed a pussy magnet of all sorts, because she is definitely attracted now.

“Have you had your lunch?” Daniel asks hesitantly, and is relieved when she shakes her head, though still focused on the cat.

“What about a lunch date, then? With me.”

Everything about him is attractive, she finds. From his unruly caramel blonde hair and mismatched earrings to the way his black jeans fit and the fact that the first three buttons of his shirt is undone. His cheeks are tinted pink, making it obvious that he has had his fair share of beer as well and for some reason to her, that looks attractive too. “Am I drunk or are you really that pretty?” He spoke first, looking entirely serious as if he had meant what he has just said. It takes a few seconds for her to process his words. Oh. She doubts it is possible but she feels her cheeks flush harder. She laughs and he does too, as they each awkwardly shut the door behind them and approach the sink. She isn’t sure if she should thank him, or return his compliment, or just straight up give him her number because she honestly would not mind that. But she refrains herself from doing the latter, thinking how it’s probably just common practice for a guy like him at the bar and how many other girls he must have said the same thing to. And it wasn’t like she has never been hit on at the bar before, right? Right. She ignores the voice in her head screaming about how good looking the guy is this time. With all these rampant thoughts racing through her head, they wash their hands in silence and give each other a polite smile before she makes her way back to her table and he his. She notices that he has been sitting at the table across hers the whole time and wonders how has she not noticed earlier. Their eyes meet again when they take their seats, only fleetingly before they both look away.

Suddenly she isn’t so reluctant to be here after all. Maybe it is because now that her mood is better, but she wins the remaining rounds and hands the responsibility of finishing what’s left of the beer to her friends. It’s a good thing because she thinks that if she would have continued losing, the next thing she would be doing is walking across to the table of which is occupied by attractive caramel hair and friends. 

It’s also a good thing because she gets to steal quick glances at him while her friends emptied their glasses.

She notices how he laughs easily because almost every time she looks, she sees the corner of his eyes crinkled and his eyes turned into sparkling crescents. It must be the alcohol, she reminds herself. Though by the end of the night she is sure that his name is Daniel because that’s what his friends call him.

“Finally!” She hears her friends cheer and tears her gaze away from him. The beer is finished. “What time is it?”

Her friend checks her phone. “Erm, three?”

“Great, now we’ll only have at most four hours of sleep left before school!” She acclaims sarcastically.

“Quit speaking sarcasm. I think we should drink more!” She looks at her friend, who is clearly buzzed judging from her reddening face.

“I think we should get our asses back home because I still want my sleep,” she chides.

It is a good half an hour later when she finally convinces her friends to leave. They take no notice when she lingers, taking her time even after they have stood up. When she stands up to leave, Daniel turns before he can stop himself and their eyes meet again for the last time tonight. He gives her an acknowledging nod and a tiny smile which she returns gladly, knowing that she will probably never see attractive caramel hair again, before she turns and catches up with her friends.

When you walked into your shared bedroom, however, you were surprised to see Daniel already fresh out of the shower evident from his wet hair.

“Wow, what occasion is it today for you to be already out of the shower before I am?” You teased as you gathered clothes for your turn to bathe. Normally you’d be the one urging him to go shower.

“You make me sound as though I’m a sloth, babe.” Daniel laughed and smacked your butt with the towel he was drying his hair with when you walked past him to reach the bathroom. You yelped at the sudden contact and turned around to return his butt with a smack of your own before laughing and dashing into the bathroom in case Daniel tries to retaliate.

An hour later you found yourself in bed, snuggled up against your boyfriend’s huge and warm body watching your current favourite drama on the television. It was Daniel’s suggestion to watch the drama together because he “wanted to cuddle” yet you were now the only one paying attention to the television while he has long turned to playing with his iPad. So much of him insisting on watching it together and even helping you to dry your hair, clumsily but in the cutest way possible.

A few minutes later you felt him stretching and putting his gadget aside. He rested his face on your head and then appeared to be watching the television when in reality you knew he was just spacing out.

“You tired?” You asked, reaching up for his cheek.

“A little.” Daniel caught your finger between his teeth.

“Gross.” You wiggled your finger out of his mouth and he chuckled.

“You know what would make me less tired though...” You felt his hand slip beneath your shirt before he had even completed his sentence. You tensed up momentarily at the unexpected sensation of his huge hand running across your stomach but recovered quickly.

“You didn’t do the dishes, so I’m not doing you.” You teased but allowed his hand to continue roaming.

The smile in Daniel’s voice was evident when he replied with, “I can’t believe you just said that.” Then, you felt his hot breath against your neck, followed by his wet kisses trailing down to your collarbone. 

You tried to focus on the conversation happening in the drama but soon enough, all you could think of was his inviting mouth that was making its way up to your lips now. Naturally, you didn’t resist when his face came up to yours and he closed the unwanted gap between both your lips while his hand roamed further up under your shirt.

These are your favorite kind of nights with Daniel, out of many other favorites of course. You really like watching him skate, mainly because of how attractive it is and because you loved how even more carefree he is when he does. You also really enjoy soaking in the serenity with him alone at such hours because it felt like nothing could interrupt both of you; not anyone else, not your responsibilities and also not his cats, even though you really love them too.

“kingdoms have fallen, angels be calling none of that could ever make me leave”

“What’s wrong?” He turned to face you and picked up his skateboard so you picked up yours too.

“It’s going to rain,” you repeated lamely and he laughed but ignored your words again. Since you were shorter, he threw his arm around your shoulders easily and pulled you close before walking beside you. “This is nice,” he murmured contentedly. You had to agree, it felt nice leaning against his huge and warm body.

“It wouldn’t be nice when it starts pouring, babe,” you retorted. He turned to glance at you for a split second as if hesitating what he had chosen to say next, but he did anyway. “That’ll be nice too, we haven’t kissed in the rain before.”

Oh.. You wanted to cringe like how you normally do at everything corny that he says to you playfully, but realizing what he had pointed out somehow made you blush at the possibility of it actually happening if it really rains later. You were thankful for the darkness that concealed your flushing cheeks.

“You make me cringe,” you mumbled quietly, eliciting Daniel’s usual embarrassed laughter even though he also gave your head an affectionate pat with his hand that was still around you. Daniel giving affection goes hand in hand with his corniness because one, they are both his innate instincts and two, they are both what you love about him, cringe-worthy or not.

“every time I look into your eyes I see it you’re all I need”

You peeked up at him and admired his features. You’ve always thought how individually they weren’t particularly appealing or impressive but when they all come together, it just makes up a really good looking face.. that you weren’t sure you deserved. It might be the late hours pulling an effect on you, but Daniel’s cheeks looked especially adorable tonight. You wanted to reach up to give his cheek a kiss, but your observation decided to proven true right then; it started drizzling.

“Okay, don’t look at me like that now.” Daniel turned and saw you looking before you could drop your gaze. “Don’t say I told you so,” he added and you realized he was referring to the rain. 

In a swift and well-practiced move, his skateboard was on the ground again and you took the cue to get on yours too. You were prepared for him to push off as the drizzling turned into heavier rain when he turned around and leaned in to connect his lips with yours.

His soft lips lingered on yours for a few seconds, not long enough for the kiss to deepen but long enough to leave you wanting for more when he pulled away with a sly smile. Well, that was a well-practiced move for him too, other than skateboarding. “Did that count?”

You wanted to reply but before you could, Daniel quickly pulled both your hoodies over your heads and gave you another quick peck before grabbing your hand and getting on his board. Soon enough, both of you were gliding through the streets again with the rain drops landing increasingly on your faces with every stride he took. And you wondered how you lucky you must have been to have gotten him.