#writer!oc

It was great. Trying to carefully put together the house took a lot of focus; which meant my mind couldn’t wander. It meant that there was nothing else to think about.

Or at least that was the mission.

Every so often my mind would wander. Move on to thoughts that I couldn’t afford to have playing in my head. They never led anywhere good and I could not spiral. I would not allow myself to spiral. 

So, I tried my hardest to focus on the task at hand. To build the best house I could, without making a mess with the icing, though it already covered the shirt I wore and there was a swipe of it on my face. A shower being the plan for whenever all the building was finished, as well as some laundry because the shirt was Yoongi’s. He’d either end me or make fun of me for the mess I’d made.

That sounded nice, another distraction to what had woken me up in the middle of the night. I’d been in bed by eight - which was a miracle - and then up by nine. A nightmare waking me and before I could recover from it the feeling of being overwhelmed hit. 

I’d tried breathing and listening to music, but it didn't help and sleep hadn’t come. The moment I’d risen from the bed to get some water I’d sat right back down. I’d felt lightheaded and my breathing irregular. It came so quickly I hadn’t had the chance to truly register it until tears ran down my face and the room was spinning.

Calling Yoongi or someone was an option, but I wanted to work through it alone. So, I’d ended up spending half an hour sobbing and trying to pull it together. And even when I had, the feeling still lingered. The weight was still there. 

So, I’d downed two glasses of water and gone for a walk. Which helped, but if I wandered I was back to square one in an instant. And it was horrible because I couldn’t pinpoint the exact trigger. What the final push was into a headspace that sent my anxiety through the roof. It felt so random.

The random attacks were always the worst. The most intense. The most draining. 

After a while, I found myself in some store and in front of an endcap that was filled with gingerbread. I walked away and come back with a cart, filling it with most of their stock and carrying back the many bags back to Yoongi’s condo.

The doorman looked at me weird but said nothing as I made my way up. And that’s how I ended up with a table filled with gingerbread houses. 

Not a perfect distraction, but it had its perks. 

One of them being that I lost track of time. 

Just as I was finishing my gumdrop roof Yoongi came through the door and I nearly knocked over my house. It took several seconds but when he finally saw me, he wore the same shocked expression.

“Uh…” I said.

His gaze only grew more perplexed, his eyes taking in me and then the table before his gaze returned to me. He didn’t utter a word for a moment, just moved closer to take in my creations and then the bags on the floor beside the table.

I didn’t feel an ounce of judgment, just utter confusion.

“Are you seriously making a gingerbread house at midnight?” he asked.

“I… uh, I…” I couldn’t find the words to respond, so I just nodded. 

Explaining my madness felt like an impossible task. At least explaining it the way I wanted to in order to fully express my feelings did. 

“Why?” 

Yoongi was focused solely on me and I was avoiding his gaze as I tried to grasp at the words. Until his hand moved to gently grip at my chin, forcing me to look at him. He didn’t say a word, just examined my face. 

I knew what he saw. The red eyes and the places where tears once sat. Even during my building, a few had escaped here and there.

“Why didn’t you call?” His voice was gentle.

I sighed, chewing on my lip. “I wanted to try and work through it this time. By myself. For the times I can’t reach anyone so I know that I can work through it and not just spiral further.”

He frowned at that, but I knew he couldn’t argue with it. At least not in the way he’d prefer.

Yoongi sighed. “Next time call me or someone, please. I know you want to make the effort, but I’d much prefer you let me know. You can still try on your own, but please just let me know. As long as you have it in you to be able to call at least.”

Objection was on the tip of my tongue, but it died there. I nodded my head and reminded myself that he wasn’t wrong. Someone knowing was better than letting it get too far while I tried to regain control.

“I will.”

Yoon leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, nose and then lips. All of them gentle and had this weird calming effect on me. When he pulled away, he smiled at me and wiped away a new set of tears that broke free. 

Without another word he pulled a chair up closer to me, plopping down into it. He pulled out his phone and started tapping around. 

“What do you want to drink?” he asked.

That’s when I knew he must have been ordering food. “Anything is fine.”

He nodded and didn’t look my way until he finished his task. In that time, I’d finished my roof and was pulling out another kit. Which he promptly snatched from me.

“Excuse me?” I asked, appalled.

Yoongi smirked and I was tempted to snatch it back, but then he turned to me his expression serious.

“Your little town or city is good, but have you thought about trying to recreate Hogwarts?”

I had not. Which was weird since we’re binge-watched Threadbanger videos the previous day and Corrine had attempted that.

“You my love are brilliant,” I said, leaning over to kiss him.

When I pulled up, he was grinning and attempting to wiggle his eyebrows, which sent me into a fit of giggles.

“I’m a genius. Everyone knows that.”

I scoffed. “Wouldn’t take it that far.”

He pouted and nudged me a little, but it didn’t last for long. Soon his brows were furrowed and he was focused on unpacking the kit. 

Once we reached the park, which was near the Han River, I plopped onto a bench and allowed my body to slouch. Yoon rolled his eyes again and left me there, venturing over to a vendor. Minutes later when I felt slightly better he returned with hot chocolate for the both of us.

We remained in blissful silence for a while, just people watching and using the hot chocolate to warm up. Then his head was leaning on my shoulder. When I glanced down he looked so cute, even if only half of his face was visible to me.

“You’re tired. We could have stayed in,” I said softly.

He huffed, shaking his head but not removing it from my shoulder. “No. I wanted to. You needed to be celebrated. Your new book comes out in a week and you just finished helping with the TXT album. You earned it.”

His sweetness always made me smile. I appreciated the sentiment, though part of me hated it and my stomach churned from awkwardness instead of overeating.

“Thank you. I appreciate the celebration.”

“You better,” he grumbled, though I saw the smile he wore.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. My gaze traveled back towards a group of people oblivious to us walking around the park laughing. But when I heard a loud sigh I glanced back down to find him frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head as if to deter me, but then suddenly sat up and turned to me.

“When do you leave again?” he asked, voice way to neutral.

And in the end, it all made sense. We’d already had a mini celebration a week ago when I was supposed to head to the states, but that had been pushed back. So when he’d proposed another I’d been confused. I went with it though because it was hard to say no.

“Is that why we’re out here and you’ve been extra cuddly all week?” I asked, turning to face him completely.

Yoongi took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m used to this, but I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t suck more this time. I’m finally on a break and you’re going to be across the world for two months. Which is made worse because I wanted to visit New York and Cali just because and would love to use you as an excuse and can’t because people can’t mind their business.”

He’d been talking about going for months, just roaming about and meeting up with some people. And when I’d announced I had a small book tour to do, would be in New York for a bit and had some work in Cali he’d been even more excited. Then he remembered we weren’t out and people would cause problems.

“You could always use to cover of joining me at work. Wouldn’t be crazy that Columbia would be using one of their producers and someone she’s worked with for a project,” I offered.

He scoffed. “Big Hit producer.”

“My bad.”

I held my hands up in surrender, trying so hard to laugh. Before I could decide on if I should leave Columbia they pulled me into a conference room and offered me a new contract. One where I was full-time for Big Hit, but also a contract worker for them still. It was more official than just making me a freelancer. I’d taken it because it made me nervous, but not as much as the others had.

When I’d made the announcement it took a few weeks for me to change my bio on my verified Twitter account to state both. Hals being Hals called me out on it and then the boys took turns dragging me for it.

It was all in jest, but if I said I was a Columbia producer Yoongi got fake snooty on me.

Again we descended into silence, but I could feel his offness about the whole thing. He was going to cling onto it and I hated to have him upset about it.

“Well, you could still go. It’s not like we’ll be together or in the same states the whole time. And I don’t… mind.”

His eyes went wide and I avoided making direct eye contact with him. Deep inside I was still very unsure of what I’d gotten myself into.

When too much time passed and I was getting worried he stood up and pulled me up with him. Still not uttering a word he led me away from the park.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Home.”

So, that was either of our apartments. Which was totally fine by me, but it left me confused still.

“Why so suddenly?”

He didn’t say anything, just kept walking. Asking more questions would get me no answers if he wasn’t ready to give them; plus it may have been a conversation that needed to happen in private.

After some time we reached the area around my place; it was bustling with people as per usual. And so I was more focused on making sure no one was staring too hard our way to see why he suddenly stopped and made me slam into him.

When I looked to him for answers he released my hand and started typing away on his phone. But before I could scold him I noticed a few people staring way too hard. Grabbing his hand I carefully led him through the crows, hoping we mixed in and then stopped in a small alleyway. It was one you had to almost be looking for to notice.

“You can’t do that. People clock you from half a mile away, so being near my apartment and just standing out in the open is not good.”

Yoongi held up a finger and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He glanced at me for a second and then I was against the wall of the buildings we were between. Then his mask was down and his intent stare told me what was happening before I even felt his lips.

Pulling away was tempting, but not enough. On reflex I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed close to him, deepening the kiss. Yoongi moved closer as well, pressing me into the wall; his hands resting firmly on my hips. For several seconds I got so caught up in it I forgot he was shoving his tongue down my throat in public. Then there was a flash and I came too.

When I pushed him away my head whipped to the side and I was some girls scrambling away. My mouth was agape in shock and when I turned to Yoongi he was pushing his mask back up, but I could see that stupid smirk.

“You did that on purpose,” I shouted.

Yoongi shrugged and dragged me towards my building.

The next day I was welcomed to Twitter by a series of notifications and quote tweets of the pictures or the release from Big Hit confirming things. I ended up having to back out quickly, hoping the chaos would die down some.

Sometimes I just felt like being a little difficult. I could guess that he was rolling his eyes at me.

Just do it.

please

Even though I knew I was already listening the guilt still hit me, making me want to start something I was already doing. He’d been using please a lot lately and eliciting that feeling from me.

You know I already am. Will report back soon

After that, I exited the app and restarted the first song. Leaning back in my chair I relaxed, focusing solely on the music filling my studio. It was the softest of the songs we’d worked on, but still couldn’t be considered soft. The bass alone ensured that.

One song poured into the other and each one growing a little more in its intensity. He was pouring out his feelings, but none of them were on the level that the first Agust D mini; thankfully.

Hearing them while not in the studio making them made them sound different. I was less worried about picking things apart and could actually enjoy them. When it came to the end I was kind of sad it was over, but I also knew I had one more song left. The one I’d been banned from hearing.

There was a long pause and then a very soft sound started playing. It sounded like the piano and after several seconds it was confirmed. It was very beautiful and I got wrapped up in it as it continued on with nothing else. What shocked me was that as it grew softer again the sound of a cello rang out. They paired together and played off one another. Though it wasn’t something to be terribly shocked by, it was the fact that the piece playing was by me. I’d allowed him a few of my recorded pieces to hold on to.

As I pulled myself together, I realized that it had gone on well over a minute with nothing besides the instruments. Unlocking the phone and glancing down at the time total I gawked at the nearly six-minute length.

“Holy shit.”

I wanted to message him and question it, but remained still and listened. After several more moments, there was a throat clear, but before I could question its place there was singing. It was soft and a bit rough, but it worked well.

Yoongi’s voice fills the space after, his style of rap soft and a little rough; almost singing.

You don’t expect them to step in

Alter your feelings and your focus

Make you feel different

Realize you’re whole

That they weren’t the cause

but they complimented it

That you loving yourself worked

And now as you love them it’s pure

Not you becoming dependent

Like you were before

It went on and I just sat there opened mouth. The lyrics were surprising and vastly different from the rest of the mini. Those coupled with the beautiful instruments in the background brought me to tears.

After the song ended and the mini restarted it took a bit to collect myself. Once I did, I remembered I was to report back. The group chat was on fire, everyone announcing how much they loved it. I came in just as they were getting into the bonus track.

Kook: So that’s the track you were hiding?

Jimin: It was different and so good

Hobi: Told you it would be

Hobi: His inspo was too strong. Speaking of

He must have pressed send before he could finish it, which gave me time to slide in before he could finish. Ever since we’d talked about the whole awkwardness he’d been laying on the implications thick. It was worse when they’d come back to the states for some shows. I’d been bombarded that morning about finishing work early and coming to hang out with them.

It was great. I’m a little biased, but everything sounded better than I imagined it did. And the bonus song is great, I didn’t know you were going to use the cello piece.

Hoseok’s typing stopped and that made me feel better, but then Yoongi started.

It just felt right.

Not a word else was said and no one appeared to be typing anything. I had no clue how to proceed, my feelings about the last song hadn’t even processed yet. And they were taking longer since Hoseok mentioned Yoongi’s inspiration. I was never one to assume something like that was a grand gesture for me, but the thought had planted itself in my head.

Joon: Anyways… Yoongi went live and that’s why he’s quiet. And stay off Twitter Ken, it’s not as bad as before but the bad always seem to climb to the top of your mentions.

Part of me wanted to look, but I decided against it.

I will. Got some things to work on so I can leave.

With that, I sat my phone down and turned back to the paperwork in front of me. It was a large stack, the sudden change to the contract having come in a week ago. It was a lot and very different from what I expected when I started the process, it made me so excited though. It was a new chapter and a great step.

I made sure both copies were signed and then closed it back. Just as I finished my door was opened and in came Marcus; he looked stressed.

“Did you finish?” he asked.

“Yeah, but uh are you okay?”

He nodded, expression unchanging. After a moment he sighed and I could see the tired in his eyes. “Yeah. Well, I will be. Just a lot going on with work and other things, so I’m trying to stay on top of it. Just a few more things today and then I’ll be clear for a reasonably calm weekend.”

Part of me wanted to press, but I knew well enough that holding him up would make the anxiety he was probably feeling worse.

I handed him the papers and with a quick bye he was off and I was alone again. My eyes glanced to the phone, but instead of picking it up I just stared.

All that I could think about was the song. With the instrumental alone it spoke to me. The piece that was used had been a random mish-mash of some other pieces I’d been practicing. I’d wanted to pair it with another string eventually, but hearing it with a piano felt so right.

And then there were the words. They spoke to me as a person who wasn’t into the chaoticness of love and relationships. Being comfortable with myself and being able to care for another was all I ever wanted. I’d experienced not being able to profess my self-love and worthy and loving another so wholly. It wasn’t the wrong way per se, and I learned to accept me during the relationship's duration but it always felt like I was putting in so much work to make us both happy.

The final nail in the coffin for it was the possibility that it could be in reference to me. He could have been talking about anything or past experiences, but he hadn’t let me see any of it. I’d almost heard a single second of it one day and he nearly had a fit.

Groaning, I rested my head on the desk. We really needed to talk. The longer I was left unsure the more my mind raced and lingered on things that I would normally brush over.

So after several minutes of agitation, I came to the conclusion to wait until his live was over and then see if we could meet that day.

Grabbing my phone I unlocked it and went to the Vlive to watch. He’d been on for a bit and seemed to not stopping anytime soon, so I just sat and watched.

He was chatting animatedly with those in the chat about the mini. How he’d decided he wanted to do another one and how to proceed with it. Everyone appeared to be happy and loving it. Many saying that they were still playing it in the background as they watched him.

“Well, once I had some lyrics and an idea I talked to Joon and he recommended Sailor V or Kendall as many of you know. I loved what they did for his song so I got in contact. Things worked so well and I’m very proud of where we got the songs. She worked on every song, even the last one even though she wasn’t allowed to hear it until today. The strings you hear is her playing the cello.”

The bonus track was so good

i lovved the whole mini

The cello sounded good w/ piano

she plays cello!??!??!

why not just have Adora help

IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD. WILL WE EVER GET THAT SONG LIVE?

I knew he saw the comment about having Adora produce with him, it was the way his lips almost pushed down into a frown. He played it off well though.

“Live? Well, that would be up to, Kendall. She loved the song, but she might still be a little miffed that I wouldn’t let her here it all these months.”

He wasn’t wrong. I was feeling salty about that.

Adora could have helped

please get her to do it, it would be awesome

Why didn’t you just work with Joon?

it would have been just as good if not better with Slow Rabbit pd

Stop being mean about Kendall. She did good and seems nice

Do you think Yoongi wants to see hate to his friend

“I really don’t,” he said.

It was an obvious mistake on his part, but that didn’t stop him from running with it. I think he’d reached a new level of fed up.

“Kendall has been a great help to me and a great friend. She’s accepted this project and my friendship all while knowing how chaotic some can get with hate and accusations. When it hate and messed up comments came her way she stayed, when we all would have understood her dropping out. She’s helped so much with the direction of the mini. Made sure to accommodate me, while also pushing me on things when I’m refusing. She’s been a great friend to me and the other guys. Nothing she’s done has warranted this hate.”

He paused, closing his eyes and I thought he was done. I was very wrong.

“For you all to sit here and disrespect her because of her race or getting close to us or even rumors of us dating isn’t okay. She is undeserving of the hate. And you show your true nature when you attack her for these things. If me possibly dating someone or getting close to a woman bothers you so much, then that’s a problem. I’m a human being and I’m allowed to experience happiness whether it be platonic or romantic.”

Another pause and this time his hand moved towards the screen as if he were going to end the live. “Please think about your behavior. No one should be attacked for something like this. It’s not what we as artists stand for.”

And just like that he was gone. There had been a flurry of pleadings to not leave yet before the screen shifted, but obviously he hadn’t heeded them.

A good chunk of me felt bad, I didn’t know if what he’d just done was okay. It was rare for artists to call out their fans, even when it needed to happen; like during fan wars. But part of me felt relieved and that Bang wouldn’t be too bothered. He’d shown that his own tolerance for nonsense was waning over the last year or so. Call outs and lawsuits came real quick.

I waited a few minutes and then called him, hoping he was alone and didn’t need to rush to do anything.

“Hi,” I said when he finally picked up.

“Hey,” his responded, voice gruff and clearly annoyed.

For a moment I remained silent, knowing what I wanted to say but unsure of how to say it.

“So I saw the live, well the last chunk of it. I’m sorry it was tainted by weirdos, trolls, and antis. Today was supposed to be a great day for you.”

He sighed, so loud that it made me jump and pull the phone away from my ear for a second.

“It’s… it’s fine. I expected them. It was just going so well and I just kind of forgot. And I’m just so frustrated so everything spilled out. So much build-up and I just feel like I can’t get it all out. I’m tired of holding in all these emotions. I just…” he trailed off.

The longer it was silent the more my stomach began to churn in discomfort. He sounded how I felt and I wasn’t even a hundred percent sure that his little tangent was about us. It felt like there was nothing I thought I could offer in the moment. Any words of comfort I could give seemed futile.

“You just what?” I tried to ask gently.

Another sigh and then the line went dead silent. Pulling the phone from my ear I noticed he’d hung up. My mouth went wide, shocked that he’d just leave it like that. I had no clue what the hell I did to deserve such swift dismissal.

Before I could figure out how to proceed my phone vibrated and then a message appeared on my screen.

There was no reason for me to be so hung up on her response; she’d left me on read for hours before. But the simple fact was that I could claim there was no reason, but there very well was.

Ever since I've confessed things had been awkward. Normal, but with this underlying tension between us. It was frustrating as hell.

Bringing it up was just so damn hard and I didn’t know how to proceed. Her heading back to the states made it harder because I wanted a face to face conversation. And I wanted it to be before the album release, but I didn’t foresee having the time to do so.

“You should have just told her,” Jungkook spoke out.

I jumped, having forgotten he was in my studio with me; the song I was working on was something for him and Hobi.

Turning in the chair - one I’d composed myself - I noticed he wasn’t even looking at me. And that Joon was also sitting on the couch next to him; when he’d left an hour ago.

“What do you have in mind to tell her?” I asked, feeling the annoyance creep up.

They just looked at each other, which didn’t help my mood at all. Silent conversations about my love life were not something I needed at that moment.

Joon cleared his throat. “I don’t know, maybe your feelings. That you can handle all the chaos and that it doesn’t change your feelings. One of you needs to stop being a punk.”

Even if he was right that didn’t stop me from glaring at me. He didn’t back down though, maintaining eye contact with me until I sighed and caved in.

“She did bring it up.”

“She did?” They screeched in unison.

They were so loud I cringed. “Yes, she did.”

“When?” Jungkook asked.

“A few weeks ago, I think. She said, “Hey, can we talk about that thing from two weeks ago” and I panicked, but was pulling it together to respond. Didn’t want her thinking I had changed my mind, but then Jungkook and Hobi burst in. The one time I didn’t have the door locked.”

Just thinking about it made me frustrated.

Without hesitation, Joon reached over and lightly punched the youngest in the arm. Though Kook looked appalled at first, he quickly turned to me and gave a sheepish smile.

“My bad.”

Joon rolled his eyes. “This is the second time you’ve helped prevent them getting together.”

Now he was actually offended. “Hey, you were there the first time. Also if I recall you were the one who wanted to head out early.”

Joon’s cheeks turned slightly red and then he changed the subject. “Not the point. Did you bring it up again?”

“Yes.” They were on the edge of their seats as I paused, gulping and diverting their gaze. “But I chickened out.”

The disappointment on their faces was so strong that I felt worse.

“Wait. Let me explain first.” They nodded and waited, still clearly unhappy with me. “We were on Facetime while she was getting ready to go into work and she was laughing at me as I raged about the end of the fourth season of Veronica Mars. And the urge was there and I opened my mouth to say it, but nothing came out. Then Halsey broke into her apartment and the moment was gone.”

Joon mumbled a curse and then whipped out his phone. He tapped the screen for a while and then threw it back beside him on the couch.

The silence remained for several seconds.

“You’re both dumb,” Jungkook blurted out.

Joon nodded in agreement. “He’s not wrong.”

I couldn't help but laugh at that, some of my anxiousness diminished. It wasn't a new conversation and if he was cracking jokes and smiling it wasn't going to go terribly wrong. There was still room for it to, but it felt like the intention wasn't there.

He cleared his throat and reached over to grab my hand. "So, I guess I'll go first?"

It sounded like a question, so I just nodded and gave him my full attention.

"First, sorry about hanging up. I was frustrated and didn't want to explode on you when you deserved none of it," he paused and stared at me; probably to see if I was upset.

"I can agree I prefer you hanging up to having to cuss you out for being a dick," I admitted.

"Yeah..." He looked away, took a deep breath and then stared at me so intensely I had to stop myself from squirming.

"I know I hesitated when you brought up the problems that would ensue, but it was only because I wanted to think about it and give a good answer. Then when I pulled it together the guys arrived and after that, I didn't know how to bring it up. It didn't help that we both got really busy the last few weeks you were there."

With every word he spoke I felt calmer, the irrational voice saying that he'd seen my point and changed his mind dimming to a whisper.

"Then you were gone and I still don't know how to bring it up. And it didn't feel right to do it over the phone, but I didn't have any plans to be here anytime soon. The day you brought it up again I panicked because I thought maybe when you brought it up you were changing your mind or I'd waited too long. Then again when I got my shit together we were interrupted. And then I tried, got nervous and then Hals interrupted. So, honestly, besides my own nerves, this is partially the fault of our friends."

I couldn't help but laugh at it all. Because he wasn't wrong, this was on us and they were a tiny bit at fault. Plus we'd been thinking the same thing.

Once I got myself together I spoke, "Honestly, same. I wanted to bring it up but was terrified it was the wrong time or you'd changed your mind or you thought I'd changed mine. I brought it up so it would be out there, so we'd be sure that the chaos would be something we could handle. Or to open the floor to discuss how to handle it before either of us committed. I wanted you to be sure it was something you wanted to handle."

He nodded along, his hand squeezing mine tighter.

"Trust me, I thought it through beforehand. I'm fine with the chaos. And I'm very okay with saying nothing until we get more situated. Or until someone happens to find out and we have no choice. I like you and I made sure I was one hundred percent sure about that before I impulsively stormed over to your apartment to tell you."

I sighed, a smile forming. "I would like that. The noty telling people thing. Figuring out how to navigate this will be hard enough, so being able to do so without worrying when the next statement will have to be released or doing a mass block would be nice."

Within seconds he was smiling very wide and staring at me for way too long. My cheeks were on fire, enough so that I was sure they were clearly red. I tried to use both my hand to cover my face, but he used his own to keep them down. Angling his head so it was under mine when I tried to look away.

"Stop that."

"Why?" he teased.

I didn't respond, just diverted my eyes and hoped he'd pull away. When he did I was mildly surprised but tried my best not to look it. Him standing up confused me further.

"Come here." He motioned me closer.

Hesitantly I stood up and was immediately pulled closer. He wrapped his arms around my waist tight and pulled as close as he could. He wasn't much taller than me so I didn't have to look up.

"Hey, look at me," he said, his voice low.

I hadn't realized I wasn't making eye contact until he said that. The moment I did look at him he was leaning closer, not stopping until our lips touched. My arms moved to wrap around his neck and I pressed even closer, returning the kiss. My eyes fluttered closed as I tilted my head and moved my lips against his, they were softer than I'd assumed.

My fingers trailed up to play with the ends of his newly dyed gray hair as we continued. After a moment I felt his lips part and the tip of his tongue brush against mine. Without a thought, I parted them to let him in, but then he pulled away.

Opening my eyes I stared back at him, he wore this lazy, gummy smile that made me internally giggle.

"Kendall," he paused, clearing his throat. "I like you, in a romantic way. Will you date me?"

It took all of me not to laugh, but I kept it together. "Yes, I also like you in a romantic way so sure."