Those were the last words you spoke before Seungcheol swooped you off your feet and into his arms. You had a shitty day, every second feeling like a punch in the gut, and you just needed to be home and loved by your boyfriend. The minute you plopped down on the couch, Cheol knew something was wrong and tried to get you to open up. And that's what lead you here, sitting on the bathroom counter as he starts the shower.
"Cheol?" you ask, swinging your legs unconsciously as they dangle.
He turns his head with a gentle smile, "Hm?"
You smile. "Are you gonna join me?"
He sits up straight, walking towards you and resting his hands on your thighs. "Do you want me to?"
You nod, his soft gaze and gentle touch making you want to melt. "I just want you to hold me. I really need it."
He smiles, a genuine smile. He loves this vulnerable side of you, and how you trust him so much. "Of course I will, baby. Let me take care of you."
His hands move to the hem of your shirt, slowly lifting it up. He lifts it over your head and places it on the floor, his hands tracing lightly over your bare skin. You let out a soft sigh, closing your eyes as you feel his touch. Seungcheol leans in and presses a soft kiss on your collarbone, kissing his way down to your chest, his touch gentle but intimate. He runs his hands up and down your bare arms, pulling away to look at you. "My gorgeous girl," he murmurs, his voice quiet but filled with admiration. "So pretty."
You feel shy under his gaze, but at the same time, protected. He continues pressing soft kisses on your skin, his touch gentle but possessive. He backs away slowly to undo the zipper of your pants, his gaze affectionate & soft. Once he pulls them down, he takes a moment to appreciate the sight. He feels so happy, so fulfilled that you trust him enough to see you like this.
"Gorgeous." he mumbles, his voice low. He quickly discards his clothing, before lifting you off of the counter and into the shower. The warm water hits both of your bodies, casting an intimate setting between the two of you. He pulls you against him, not caring about his hair getting wet as he just holds you and feels your presence with him. He presses his face into the crook of your neck, taking in your sweet scent and soft skin. He feels the tension in your body slowly start to melt away, as the heat between your bodies takes over. He rubs your back, wanting to remind you he is always here, he is always there for you.
You turn around, looking up at him. "I love you."
He smiles softly, his eyes filled with love as he looks down at you. "I love you too." he replies. He gently cups your face in his hands, looking at you like you're a piece of art. He leans in, pressing a soft yet passionate kiss against your lips. Its unhurried, but filled with all of the love and affection he has for you.
You've had a fucked up week, and Seungcheol knows it. Ever since you've gotten your new job at your local cafe, everything's been a mess. Your boss seems to be the worst person on earth, giving you extra shifts when you don't ask for it, and paying the same amounts he does regularly. But specifically this week has been on your nerves, everyday feeling like a test to see how long you can survive it. The only thing keeping you going is your birthday, which is on the Friday, thank god. But you find yourself not that excited for it, which makes you sad. This whole week has brought your mood down exceptionally, so you feel guilty feeling this bad and not excited for it. But Seungcheol has been trying everything he can to bring your mood up. Like sending your favourite flowers everyday to your work with a medium latte on the side, giving you little small texts & hints for your birthday, trying to make you excited, and overall making you feel so loved, like a princess.
7:46 pm
You just finished your shift at the cafe and are on the way to your shared apartment with Seungcheol. It's your birthday, but not one person acknowledged it at work, ignoring you like they usually do. You open the door to your apartment, a sweet smell filling your nose. But you don't question it, too exhausted to even think. You shut the door behind you, taking your shoes off slowly, holding the wall beside you to steady yourself. When you're done, you head for the bedroom, wanting to just nap and never wake up. But as you're walking, you notice a light coming from the living room, as well as some shuffling noises. Curious, you walk over and finally make it in the living room. You pause your movements, looking around surprised but confused. Surrounding the room there are candles lit up, streamers hung up and balloons all over the floor and couch, and rose petals, on the wooden floor forming a giant, wonky heart. As you're still trying to catch your breath, Seungcheol walks in from the kitchen holding what looks like a store bought cupcake. He smiles, walking over to you with the cupcake held just at his chest.
"Happy birthday, beautiful." he says with such a gentle smile and voice, making you look up at him with teary eyes and a shaky voice.
"S-Seungcheol...." you start, but he immediately puts the cupcake down, worry overflowing his face.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong baby? You don't like it? I can take it down if-"
You interrupt him with a shake of your head and sniffle, trying to calm your tears. "No....I love it. Seungcheol you didn't have to do all of this."
He just frowns, wrapping his arms around your waist as he hugs you tight. He rests his head on top of yours, kissing your soft hair before saying in a gentle voice, "I want to do this for you, baby. Now can you tell me why you're crying and who I have to beat up?"
You pull away, a small smile on your face as you wipe your tears. "Just a shitty day, Cheol. Needed to be home."
He nods in understanding, immediately comforting you. "You're home." he runs his hands up and down your arms, trying to steady you. "Take a deep breath, Y/N. I'm right here."
You follow his instructions, breathing in and out slowly. You find yourself starting to relax, Cheol's touch helping more than it should. "You....you decorated all of this?"
He nods proudly, looking around. "Doesn't it look awesome?" he smiles.
You giggle, looking around. "It does. You outdid yourself, Cheollie."
He softly smiles down at you, his hands going up to cup your cheeks so you're looking directly at him. "You sure you're okay, baby? 'Cause we can turn this into a Bonnie and Clyde situation if we need to."
That makes you laugh, a real genuine laugh. "I think we'll stick to staying in the apartment for tonight, kay?"
He nods down at you, a soft smile on his face now that he finally made you happy. "Fine," he grabs the cupcake, holding it out to you with a big smile. "look at it."
You smile at his excitement, looking down at the cupcake as you hold it in your hands. It is a chocolate cupcake, your favourite, with vanilla frosting and millions of small red frosting hearts. You look up at him with a giggle. "You didn't make this, did you?"
He scoffs, "Well....no, not exactly. But that's because I have a plan."
You tilt your head in confusion, a small smile plastered on your face. "Hm, a plan?"
He nods, "Yup. You know how you work at that cafe where you don't really get the chance to cook anything?"
"Wow, thanks for reminding me."
He shakes his head, "Just listen. I got this cupcake from a random store, and I think with the two of us, we can make one better."
"You really think we can do this without the kitchen falling apart?"
Seungcheol smirks. "If I just follow your lead, i'm sure we'll be fine."
You smile, nodding. "Okay then."
9:31 pm
The both of you are sitting on the couch, after a very successful baking night. Safe to say, you made a better cupcake than the one from the store, surprisingly. You're wrapped up on Seungcheol's chest, his large hands rubbing the exposed skin on your lower stomach. You both are engrossed in a rom-com you chose to watch, but you catch yourself zoning out, thinking about Cheol. How he always manages to make you happy just by looking at him, or by a simple joke or gesture he does that makes you belly laugh every time. You're so grateful for him, and you hope he knows that. As you're in your own thoughts, his voice cuts through.
"Y/N?" he asks softly for what seems like the second time.
You turn your head so you're looking up at him. "Sorry, what?"
He smiles, "You okay?"
Nodding, he takes that as a cue to continue. "You ready for your gift?"
Your eyes widen a bit, forgetting that it was your birthday for a minute. "Gift? Cheol you-"
"Ah ah, don't even. It's your birthday, baby, you deserve gifts. Plus I get to show off my amazing gift giving skills."
You smile and get off his chest so he can move. "Okay..."
He walks to the bedroom, you hear a bit of shuffling before he walks out with a gift bag, with the brightest smile you've ever seen. "Alright, birthday girl, here you go." he places the bag in front of the couch, before sitting back down beside you, his arm instinctively resting behind you on the couch. You smile and start opening it, feeling like a little kid on Christmas again.
Once you finally unwrap it, you gasp. It's a scrapbook with the title, "Memories of you and I" and on the front cover, his favourite photo of you and him. It was a photo of the two of you from your first official date as a couple. You both were at a cafe, having whipped cream moustaches, the air filled with giggles. Seungcheol took that as the perfect moment to snap the shot of both of you, so he could always have that memory of the both of you.
"Cheol-" you start but he cuts you off.
"Just open it." he says softly. You slowly open the book, all of the pages being filled with different photos of the two of you, in different moments of life. One of them was a simple photo of you laughing, your hair messy, in the comfort of your own home. You don't even remember the photo being taken. Beneath it read, "This is how I always see you."
As you turn the pages one by one, you notice little trinkets and special objects the two of you had at some point. Like a wristband from your favourite amusement park, a pressed flower from a walk you went on last spring, a movie ticket with the scribbled note: "You fell asleep 10 minutes in.", and a napkin with some of your doodles on it from a late night diner run.
Every photo, every note, was proof that you mattered. That you're loved and cherished, even if you don't think so. At the very back of the book, taped very carefully was a small polaroid of the two of you. You laying on his chest in bed, the sunlight hitting your face perfectly, softening your features. Written under it in his imperfect handwriting: "This was the moment I knew I was in love with you."
You look up at Seungcheol, a tear slipping down your cheek as you notice he is a little teary eyed as well. He looks at you like he's so proud, so happy that you're okay, and that you're in his arms. Forever.
He runs his hands through your hair, his movements so gentle you would think you're a piece of something fragile. "I know today wasn't kind to you, but I hope you know I love you, and how proud I am of you, every single day."
so sorry i haven’t been posting recently! it’s my birthday, but i hope to have something up soon! requests are always open if you want anything in particular!
It has been a really hard few days for you. With the amount of schoolwork piled up, especially since exams are happening in a week. And your boss, who makes you work extra shifts, just to pay the same amount he does regularly, sometimes even less. You don't know how you even got through this week, well, you have one idea. Seungkwan. Ever since you started getting stressed about everything, he has been by your side since day 1. He always makes sure you have what you need, even if it's just some cuddles to get through the night. Like this night.
You both are sleeping in your shared apartment. Seungkwan's chest is against your back, with his arms wrapping around your stomach so protectively & tightly. You two cuddle every night, and you always feel so safe & warm in his tight embrace. But tonight, it's different. The stress has caught up to you, and you are finding yourself not even able to sleep. Your eyes are open, staring at the wall in front of you, as well as the slightly open room door which you can see some light through. After a while of laying in your own thoughts, you decide to quietly get up, feeling like even sleeping is hard to do right now.
You quietly shuffle in the bed, trying to get out of Seungkwan's firm embrace. You move one limb at time, it seeming impossible because of how his arms were draped heavily across you. You wiggle enough to slip one leg free out of the bed, making him murmur something unintelligible, but he doesn't wake. As you hold your breath, you gently slide your arm under his, finally escaping his cuddles.
2:03 am
You make your way into the kitchen, grabbing yourself a cold glass of water. Running your hands through your hair, you feel exhausted. Your eyes are drooping, and you unconsciously yawn as you look around. You walk over to the window in the living room, looking at the view of Seoul before you. Some street & building lights are still on, and you notice some cars whirring through the quiet streets. As you're stuck up into your own thoughts again, you hear a soft, quiet voice cut through. "Hey."
You turn your head, looking at a very tired & groggy Seungkwan. He runs his hand through his messy hair, trying to tame it as he walks closer. You suddenly feel guilty, "Did I wake you?"
He shakes his head, his voice gentle. "No, I woke up and realized you were gone." He studies your face, noticing the guilt and tiredness in your eyes.
"Sorry." Is all you can get out, turning back to the view out the window. Seungkwan shakes his head. "You don't have to apologize, Y/N. What's wrong?"
You turn to face him, looking up and noticing his worried expression. He reaches out and gently touches your arm, offering a piece of comfort to get you to open up. "I just...can't sleep and It's frustrating." you sigh, before continuing. "I...I had such a long day and-" As you speak, you feel yourself getting more & more choked up with emotion. Your vision suddenly gets blurry, and you notice your eyes filling with tears.
Seungkwan feels his heart squeeze at the sight of your tears. "Hey, hey." he softly says, reaching out to cup your face. "Take a deep breath."
You sigh, trying to steady yourself as you follow his instructions. Seungkwan watches you intently, noticing your shoulders visibly relaxing. "Good," he whispers, his thumb stroking your cheek in a slow, soft manner. "Now exhale."
You listen, exhaling slowly, as you look up at him. "There you go," he says, his voice gentle. "just breathe in and out. I'm here, I got you."
Just as you're about to finally settle, you feel guilt creep in, and a pit in your stomach. You look up at him, feeling sorry that he has to do this when he should be sleeping. "I'm sorry... you can go back to bed if you wa-"
"No." Seungkwan says firmly, his eyes focused on you. He shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you like this."
His determined tone and soft gaze makes you break down further. You look down, sniffling as you feel more & more tears falling from your eyes and onto the wooden floor. Seungkwan looks at you with an expression of concern. He tilts your head up so he can see you, his thumb gently wiping away a stray tear. He can tell that there's something more to what you said, something that's causing you distress. He takes your hand and moves you to sit down on the couch and he takes a seat beside you. "Talk to me." he says softly.
You take another deep breath, closing your eyes for a moment. When you open them, you look up at him, your eyes glossy from tears. "I..." you start, your voice barely above a whisper. "My boss has just been so fucking frustrating and I'm tired Seungkwan, so fucking tired." you finally manage to get out.
Seungkwan listens intently, his concern deepening as he hears the desperation and frustration in your voice. One of his thumbs continues to gently brush your cheek, to offer a gesture of comfort. "Tell me what happened." he encourages.
You sigh, feeling more confident to speak up. "He has just been giving me so much more tasks than usual and I feel like I can't catch a break. And I'm so grateful for you but I feel like I'm disappointing you because I haven't been able to spend time with you...a-and-"
His heart breaks and he shushes you. His eyes are locked on your face as he interrupts. "Hey, hey. You're not disappointing me, at all."
You close your eyes, another tear rolling down your cheek as you try to believe his words. But you can't. You open your eyes again, looking up at him. "But I am..." you whisper, your voice breaking. "I'm not giving you the time you deserve."
Seungkwan's heart clenches at the look of your face, seeing the guilt in your expression. He moves closer to you on the couch, his hands gripping your shoulders gently. "Hey," he says firmly. "look at me."
You lift your head, meeting his gaze with your glossy eyes filled with tears. His expression is serious, but still gentle. "You're not disappointing me, Y/N, stop saying that. I want you to be at your best, especially at work. You're still so young, please stop being so hard on yourself."
You nod, wiping a tear. "But what about us?" you ask, your voice small. "I feel like I'm not enough for you."
He sighs, shaking his head as his grip on your shoulders tighten slightly. "You don't owe me anything. I don't want you to feel pressured to give me anything. I'm so happy, Y/N. And I want you to be happy too."
You nod again, trying to believe his words. But the guilt and frustration you carry still linger. You try to open your mouth to speak, but you stop yourself, biting your lip instead. Seungkwan notices the hesitation in your expression, the lingering tension still in the air. He squeezes your shoulders gently, giving a silent encouragement. "What is it?" he asks, his eyes never leaving yours.
"I-its just..." you start, your voice getting quieter as your eyes drop to your lap. "What if.... you'll stop loving me?"
He freezes at your words, his eyes widening in surprise. "What? No." he says firmly, his voice stern. "How could you ever think that?" He notices how you're still looking down at your lap, your expression looking drained and even more guilty than before, and his heart breaks. He turns you gently, so now you're facing him completely. "Look at me."
You slowly raise your gaze to meet his. You feel the weight of his gaze, how he doesn't loose focus for a second. "I love you." he starts, his voice rough. "There hasn't been one moment that I've stopped loving you. You, Y/N," he grabs both of your hands and collects them with his. "are the sole reason I try so hard everyday. Whenever I'm at work, you're the only person I think about, and want to return home to. It's not about the time we spend together, it's about the quality of the time we have together."
He cups your face, his thumbs stroking your cheeks. "I fell for you for who you are, not about the amount of time we'll spend together. And I plan on loving you, until the very end. No matter how much time we spend together, or how much we don't."
Your eyes well up with tears, incredibly touched by his words and reassuring tone. "Promise?" you whisper, your voice trembling.
He smiles softly. "I promise." he whispers back, resting his forehead against yours. "You're stuck with me"
WARNING(S):
swearing, small mention of alcohol & cigarettes, small amount of fighting
TAGS:
@alien0n3arth
You and Seungcheol have been enemies ever since you were kids. He always bullies you, enjoying the bickering and teasing. But little did you know, he secretly was in love with you.
Right now you're at a party, against your will. Your bestfriend, Karina, forced you to come along. She's the popular type, and you're always confused on why the two of you are friends, since you're the polar opposite. Since she's popular & good friends with everyone, you would think she's stuck up and rude. But she's quite the opposite. You two have been friends since 3rd grade, when she asked if she could use your crayons. She's your favourite person in the world, and you two share one thing in common....hating Choi Seungcheol.
The house the party is held at is huge. Huge is actually an understatement, with it being 4 stories long. It has a very modern style to it, and you almost feel guilty even touching anything in it, scared it'll break.
You're currently standing near the large pool, pop music played by the DJ, as everyone socializes around you. As you look around, you notice three girls standing near you, clearly gossiping. It's Yuna, Sana and Giselle. They have been your bullies ever since you stepped foot into school, you would think they would've given up after the first year..nope. Just as you're accidentally staring at the three girls, Yuna notices you. I guess you would name her the "leader" of the three, the other two always trailing behind. Kinda like a Regina George situation. She smirks, making her way up to you as the others follow behind. Yuna crosses her arms, standing tall infront of you.
"Y/N....nice to see you here." she says, eyeing me up and down.
You're feeling more & more uncomfortable by the minute, wanting to just run away, but you feel their eyes on you as they wait for your response.
"Hi.." is all you manage to get out. Your short, scared response makes the three girls laugh.
"Hm....too scared to talk to us now, huh?" Yuna continues, smirking.
You sigh, this is not how you wanted the night to go. You look around, noticing some people have stopped talking and are now paying attention to the scene going on. You just think to yourself, "Why does this always happen to me...?".
"I'm not." you manage to get out, shivering a bit as the wind gusts through.
Yuna looks behind her, smirking at Giselle & Sana before looking back at you. Her face even more mischievous than before. "The water looks warm right? We were gonna get in, but we just wanna know for sure."
You tilt your head, your brows furrowing slightly as you're confused by her question. "Uh...kinda..?"
Yuna smiles, moving closer. "Why don't you find out for us?"
"Wha-" is all you can get out before her strong hands push you backwards, into the cold pool water. You can hear slight gasps from underwater, as well as laughs from what sounds like the three bullies.
Suddenly your vision goes black, you cant hear anything anymore, the chaotic environment that just occurred seconds ago is faded.
"Open your eyes, Y/N." Seungcheol says, cradling your body with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Come on, open your eyes."
His voice turned a bit panicky as he tries to wake you, he gently pats your cheeks trying to get you to open your eyes. He places a finger under your nose to see if you were still breathing. Thank god you were. He swiftly picks you up, walking over to the lounge chairs near the large pool and placing you down on one.
He wasn't giving up, clearly. By the look in his eyes, it looks like he would do anything to get you up again. After a few minutes, you finally get up, coughing water. Seungcheol's eyes widened, immediately trying to soothe you. "Woah, woah. Easy, breathe."
You're heavy breathing, trying to figure out where you are. Once your vision isn't blurry anymore, you can get a clear glimpse of Seungcheol's face. Surprise takes you over, why is he here? Why is he holding you in his arms? Why is he also wet & drenched in water? All of these thoughts run through your head as the moonlight hits your face just right. The only word you can get out is, "S-Seungcheol?"
You can see him smile a bit, being entranced by your beauty under the stars. "You're awake."
"W-what are you-" you start but he interrupts.
"Don't talk yet. Focus on taking slow & deep breaths." He says, his voice stern and steady. He grabs a towel from one of the nearby chairs and starts to gently dry your hair, his usual cold demeanor softening as he tries to comfort you.
"Can you sit up?" He asks softly, handing you the towel to hold.
You nod, still confused by the events but sit up slowly. He speaks up. "Are you feeling okay? You scared the hell out of me."
You nod, swallowing as you finally seem to have caught your breath. "I'm fine. What happened?"
Seungcheol's expression softened a bit once he saw how disoriented you were. He grabs the towel from your hands and wrapped it over your shoulders before sitting on the edge of the chair. "You were pushed into the pool. I had to pull you out of the water."
You nod, trying to remember the events of the night. "Who pushed me?" you ask.
Cheol's jaw clenched in anger as he spoke. "The same bitches who always bully you. They thought it'd be funny to push you, I swear to god they're gonna pay for this."
You sit there, confused. "But, you also bully me.."
His expression softened a bit, instinctively clenching his fist. He released a small huff. "I tease you. But I wouldn't take it to that extent. They could've fucking killed you for god's sake."
You sigh. Feeling an odd sense of contentment as he speaks, but you drop your gaze to the water in front of you. Seungcheol seems to notice how upset you seemed, letting out a sigh himself. "Hey," he started, his voice softer than usual. "look at me for a second."
You look up at him as your eyes lock with each other. His expression filled with concern and...something else? He placed his hand on your shoulder, softly speaking. "I know i'm always picking on you, but...I never wanted this." He paused for a moment, looking down shyly. "I never wanna see you get hurt like that, you understand?"
You can't bring any words to speak, still in shock of how your enemy since you were born is saying this to you. A surprised expression is on your face, but it's clear you're too tired to react more. He notices your expression, letting out a huff as he slips his hand off of your shoulder. Cheol stands up, looking down at you with a stern voice. "I should bring you home, you look exhausted."
He looks down at you, waiting for a response. When you don't say anything, he grabs the towel around your shoulders and wraps it around your body. "Can you stand on your own or do you need me to carry you?" he asks.
You look up at him, still struck by shock to speak and he chuckles deeply. He raises his eyebrow, watching your expression. "I'm going to take that as a 'carry me'." He then leans down and gently picks you up in his arms like you weigh nothing.
As he's walking, Cheol's eyes are focused ahead of him, but you're just staring at him. Discretely trying to get a better look at him, because you've never seen him this close up before. You notice how his eyebrows are slightly furrowed together, like he's thinking about something. His hair is wet and slightly tousled, his clothing sticking to his skin. As he's carrying you easily, he glances down at you before quickly averting his gaze.
"What are you staring at?" he asks, his voice gruff.
"You." you quietly say, your hands on his shoulders.
Seungcheol feels his cheeks heat up at your bluntness, but he tries to dismiss it with a chuckle. He suddenly feels like he can't speak, so he just stays silent, focused on getting you home and safe.
Once he arrives at his car, he helps you into the passenger seat before walking to the drivers side. The ride to your house was silent, Cheol's hands gripping the wheel tightly. His mind was somewhere else. Finally after what felt like forever, he pulled up to your house and parked in the driveway. He turns to look at you, clearing his throat. "We're here."
You nod, feeling a hint of embarrassment as you look out the window. Seungcheol glances at your house and back to you, noticing your appearance. The towel is still tightly wrapped around your body, your hair is still slightly wet & he can see a glimpse of pink on your cheeks. "Can you walk in on your own?" he asks softly, not taking his eyes off of you.
"Yea, I'm fine. Thank you Seungcheol." you quietly say, looking at him.
His eyes scan your face for a moment before he nods. "Alright. But make sure to change out of your clothes & into something more dry. You don't want to catch a cold."
You nod, looking at his features for one last time, mumbling one last "Thanks" before opening his car door and exiting. As you're walking to your front door, you feel a sudden urge to turn back. But you don't. You feel too embarrassed too. But you're full of questions. Why did he save you? Why was he so nice? And why did you...not hate it?
It's been a few weeks since the party, and you've been trying to ignore Seungcheol ever since it. You don't know why, but it feels like you need to. You think that he just "saved" you out of pity, and that he didn't actually care. And that hurts.
"Please tell me you're coming." Karina says as she sits at her vanity, applying a peach coloured blush on her cheeks.
You're sitting on her bed, her home being like a second home to you. "I can't go to another party Rina, look what happened at the last one." you say, petting her small cat, Leo.
She sighs, turning her chair to face you. "I know. But Y/N, It was one time. And if the girls go up to you again I swear I'll be by your side tonight. Promise."
"It's not that easy." You say.
"Why? What's stopping you?" She asks with a concerned expression.
You sigh, knowing its no use to keep hiding this from her, your best friend. "Its.....Seungcheol."
She tilts her head, confused. "Seungcheol? What'd he do? I swear to god did he say someth-"
"No," you cut her off "he...he actually saved me."
"What? What do you mean "saved you"?" Karina asks, looking puzzled.
You sigh. "That night, at the party. When the whole thing happened, he saved me. He got me out of the pool and helped me. Then he drove me back home and...he was being nice to me, Rina."
Karina's jaw drops as she stands up, sitting beside you on her bed. "You're saying....Choi Seungcheol, your enemy for years, saved you from practically drowning....and you DIDN'T TELL ME?!"
You have to bite back a laugh, looking at her. "I know. And i've been kinda...avoiding him ever since."
Karina smiles as you speak. You thought she would question you, like "Why have you been avoiding him?!" & "What is wrong with you?!?". But all she does is smile, and you furrow your brows.
"What?" You ask.
"Oh you're so going to this party." She says with the brightest smile you've ever seen, making you even more confused.
"Karina wha-"
"No objections." She cuts you off "This is the perfect moment Y/N! Enemies to lovers, have you heard of it? He saved you because he likes you! And he's going to the party tonight, so you know what that means."
"You're out of your mind." You scoff, shaking your head.
"Nope. I'm just smart. Now sit down, I'm getting you ready."
That's where you started. And here you are now, sitting in the passenger seat with Karina in the drivers seat outside of the party. "I don't want to do this Rina.." you whine, looking at her with pleading eyes.
She shakes her head, smiling as if this is the most amusing thing she's ever witnessed. "Cmon Y/N, you'll regret it if you don't go. At least see what will happen, you never know."
You groan, which makes her laugh. "Fine."
"Yes!!! Let's go!" Karina squeals, opening her car door.
As you two make your way out of the car and into the party, you feel a sense of worry overfill you. What if Karina was right and Seungcheol was actually here tonight? What would you do? All of these thoughts run through your mind as you feel Karina's hand drag you into the party. This is gonna be a long night.
The second you both step foot into the party, you're overwhelmed by the amount of noise filling the room & your ears. The smell of alcohol, high schoolers odor and cigarette smoke fills your nose immediately. Music is playing in the background, making you feel like you cant even hear yourself think. Karina drags you to the living room, where all of her other friends are sitting on the couch. She introduces you to them, but you are only barely paying attention. You're solely focused that Seungcheol is somewhere in this party, and are terrified to see him.
As if the gods above knew you were thinking about Seungcheol, he appears. And lord help you, because he looks good. He just walked in with some of his friends, but you're only focused on him. He's wearing a basic grey top, tucked into his jeans, that fit a little too well. And his hair falls perfectly, some pieces in front of his ears. He's engrossed in a conversation with a friend, but god, you never noticed how handsome he was. How hot he was.
As you're staring, Karina pulls you out of your daze and pulls your wrist again. This time to the kitchen. As you both make your way in it, she opens the fridge, grabbing a pop for herself.
"Want one?" she asks, turning her head to you.
You shake your head "No thanks."
She smirks, shutting the fridge and walking to lean on the counter. "What's wrong? You've been silent ever since we came here."
You sigh, glancing around to make sure no ones in ear shot before talking. "I saw Seungcheol."
She smiles. "Okay, how did he look?"
Its almost like she knows your answer, like she knows how struck you still are by looking at him and is teasing you. But you settle for a short response. "Good."
Karina laughs, taking a sip of her pop. "Just good Y/N? Not like, hot or sexy?"
You immediately feel embarrassed, shaking your head. "Ew Rina! He's my enemy, obviously I don't think of him like that!"
She just keeps smiling, amused by your flustered state. "Oh cmon, it's obvious. Just admit he's hot."
"Karina I will no-"
Just as you're about to finish, Seungcheol walks into the kitchen, alone. He seems to notice the two of you, smiling a bit towards you before walking to the fridge. You glance over at Karina, silently giving her a look that's saying "If you say anything I'll kill you." and all she does is nod & smile. As Seungcheol is about to walk out, he pauses his steps and turns to face you. "Hey Y/N?"
You almost jump by his soft voice, looking at him. "Yeah?"
He takes a step closer, holding two soda's, one presumably for his friend. "You doing okay? After the other night?"
You feel a lump in your throat, nodding almost immediately as you manage to get out, "Yeah, thanks."
He just does a quick nod, before walking out of the room completely. Karina immediately squeals, grabbing your arm. "Y/N! I'm telling you right now he's in love with you."
You almost choke.....on air as she says that. Choi Seungcheol, in love, with YOU? It's actually impossible. You just shake your head. "Karina. Are we forgetting he teased me everyday since 4th grade? He is not in love with me"
She just shakes her head. "Yeah, teases. He teases you because he likes you! Cmon Y/N, I know I don't like him, but it's kinda sweet. Enemies to lovers, I already told you about this!"
You scoff. "You're crazy, Rina. I'll prove you wrong."
As you two finish bickering, the party continues. Everyone is spread into their own stations and friend groups, as you and Karina make your way into the main part of the house again. As you walk, you notice Yuna, Giselle & Sana talking to each other. You immediately stop walking, sighing and staring at them. Karina notices and looks where you're looking, immediately stiffening aswell. You hear her mutter a "Jesus.." before grabbing your arm and walking away.
But before you can get far, you hear a voice, a very annoying one. "Y/N!"
The two of you turn, Karina rolling her eyes as you both see the three girls walk closer. A smirk drawn on all of their faces as they stop in front of you two. "Nice seeing you here." Yuna says, crossing her arms as her eyes are focused on you.
Karina sighs, trying to stand in front of me. "What are you guys doing here?" she asks in a stern voice.
The three girls laugh, Yuna speaking up again. "I wasn't talking to you."
Karina seems like she wont back down, moving a bit more in front of you. "Well she doesn't want to talk to you, so leave."
Giselle steps up, looking annoyed. "Who are you to tell us to leave? Move out of the way."
You decide to speak up to Karina, your voice a bit quieter. "Karina, it's fine."
She turns to face you, her expression concerned as she tilts her head. You don't give her a chance to respond, moving so you're not behind her anymore. "Why do you guys keep talking to me?"
Sana speaks up. "Quit being such a baby Y/N, we're just catching up."
"I didn't know this was a costume party." Yuna added, her eyes raking over you. "Or is that how you always dress?"
Your jaw clenches, but you decide to stay silent to not escalate the situation further.
"Aren't you tired of embarrassing yourself?" Giselle chimed in, tilting her head in mock pity. You open your mouth to finally say something, but a familiar voice cuts through the noise behind you.
"That's enough."
All 5 of you turned your heads, the 3 bullies confidence faltering for a moment as they watch Seungcheol step forward. His gaze was hard and intense, locked onto Yuna as if she was something he needed to get rid of.
"Didn't realize this party came with entertainment." Yuna adds, trying to laugh it off.
Seungcheol doesn't even blink. "Funny, I was thinking the same. Except I don't remember asking for a circus act tonight."
The silence that followed was heavy, Yuna shifting uncomfortably, as the other two girls suddenly find their drinks very interesting. Seungcheol looks at you, his presence immediately shifting from harsh to comforting.
"You good?" he asked, his voice soft.
You just barely nod, in a loss for words.
"Then let's go." He says as he took your hand, guiding you away like you're the only thing that mattered in the room. He leads you into a secluded guest room, shutting the door as the music & noise fades into the background. It's now just the two of you in the room, and you suddenly feeling even more embarrassed than before.
Seungcheol crossed the room slowly, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. "They always do that to you?"
You nod. "It's whatever, I'm used to it."
His jaw tightens as he frowns. "You shouldn't have to be."
A beat of silence passed between the two of you. The room felt smaller now. Warmer.
You swallowed hard. "Why did you step in? You hate me."
"I don't hate you." he said, a bit too quickly. His eyes met yours. "I've never hated you."
You let out a small, humorless laugh. "Could've fooled me. You've spent years acting like I don't exist. Or like I'm just someone to compete with."
He stepped closer. "That's because I didn't know how else to act around you." His voice was quieter now, softer.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He looked at you for a long moment, then sighed. "It means I've liked you. For a long time. And I didn't know how to handle it. So I messed it up. Over and over."
Your breath caught into your throat. Suddenly speechless. You stared at him, the weight of his words crashing over you like a wave. "You...like me?"
He stepped even closer, looking down at you. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."
Your heart stuttered, locking eyes with him. You didn't answer right away. You couldn't. Because the way he was looking at you, like you're something so fragile and precious, like he would break if you turned away, made it hard to breathe.
Seungcheol took a step back, noticing your silence. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have-"
"Seungcheol." you cut him off.
He froze. You took that as an opportunity to reach out, grabbing his hand before he could retreat further.
And then, you kissed him.
The kiss was soft. His hands finding your waist, pulling you closer like he'd been waiting for his whole life to do it. He kissed you back like he meant it. And maybe deep down, you both were waiting for this moment to prove you weren't really enemies after all.
When you both finally pulled apart, you were both breathless. He rested his forehead against yours. "About time." he whispered, with the biggest smile on his face.
You smiled back, your heart still racing. "So...still think we're enemies?"
