All The Colors Of You || Bang Chan

Chapter Sixteen - Perrie

As before, he takes me home.
He kisses me goodnight outside my apartment door and I almost ask him to come in.
I almost ask him to spend the night here, with me.
But I don't.
Whatever this thing with Bang Chan is, I want it to grow naturally. I want it to be something real and organic. Without any rushing or pressure.
So I simply let him go and go to bed.

Two days go by.
It's a hot day today, not a cloud in the sky.
It's beautiful outside, and I'm not in the mood to work.
I don't usually allow myself time off work. I pretty much always have a lot to do.
And I should be working on the portrait, but it's so nice outside.
So nice that I just want to sit in the sun and sip a cold drink with a lot of ice cubes in it.
So I allow myself a one-day-vacation.

I am still at home when my phone rings.
It's Chan. My voice is bright and shiny when I answer the phone.
"Hello, what's up, cutie?"

There's laughter on the other side of the phone and I blush. That doesn't sound like Chan.
"Oh-hoooh! Channie-hyung, is there something you want to tell us?" More laughter, and I finally understand.
It's Jisung. He must have gotten a hold of Chan's phone. There's shuffling.
He says, "Perrie, this is Jisungie! What are you doing right now?"

"I am just at home right now," I answer, "Not really doing anything."
"Great! We want to go have a picnic, do you want to come?"
"Yes, that sounds fun!" I look around my apartment. "I'm not prepared though, is there anything I could bring?"
"No, you just pack whatever you want to do," Jisung's voice is so bright, "Like a book or a puzzle. Or a a magazine or whatever you want to do. And we'll send you a car. So be ready in thirty."
"Okay!"

We hang up.
I haven't been on a picnic in forever.
The first thing I do is change into a summer dress. My favorite one, white with little cherries on it. It reaches down to my knees, but it has very thin sleeves and it's made from this super soft, super light material. It also gives me a really nice shape.
Then I paint my toenails a cute pink color and waddle around my apartment like a duck trying not to accidentally touch it while I try to collect things that I could do at the picnic.

I pack two sketchbooks and markers. I also grab my old bag of colored pencils.
Then I grab a book I've started ages ago but never finished.
I grab a water bottle and the bag of grapes from the fridge. It would be weird to show up empty-handed.
Then I remember the playing cards Gloria and Ji gifted me a while ago, and I also put them in my bag.
I put on an extra layer of deodorant and spray my dress and hair with perfume.
What else is there?

I pack lip balm and gum.
Then I pack headphones and my wallet.
And then my phone vibrates with multiple notifications.

The first one is from Chan who send me a confirmation and description for the driver they are sending my way.
The next few notifications are from a group chat I've been put in.
Eight members and me.
One of them is Chan.
So the others must be the rest of Straykids.
I open the chat and read through the messages.

this is lee minho, hello

I'm Jisung!! Hello! It's so nice that you're joining us today!

This number belongs to Seungmin, that's me! You can save it now

Hello, I'm Hyunjin! Chan-hyung made us introduce ourselves in here so you won't feel overwhelmed haha

Hi! This is Lee Felix, I'm so happy you're coming with us today!

Ya, Perrie! Don't forget sunscreen! This is Changbinnie

I am Jeongin!

I chuckle. It's very considerate of Chan to make everyone introduce themselves to me. What's more than that, Chan wanted them to have my number.
So maybe the small possibility exists that he would like us to be more than just a phenomenal kiss.

And what a phenomenal, groundbreaking kiss it was. Just thinking about it send heatwaves through my entire body.
Maybe I should bring some ice cubes, I don't know if I can look at Chan the same way anymore.
I can still taste him on my tongue, still remember the way his hands cupped my face, and how soft his lips are.

I need to get myself together.
This picnic is a group activity. Platonic. Nice.
There is no room whatsoever for another one of those... explorations.
I take a deep breath and make sure all my stuff is properly packed.
And then my doorbell rings and I open it.
In front of my door, a man stands.
A closet of a man.

He's at least three heads taller than me so when I greet him, I have to look up as one would look up at a skyscraper.
His skin is as dark as Gloria's and he's got a formidable smile.
"Miss Perrie Becket?" His voice is a thunder. "I'm here to pick you up."
I blink.
"I'm sorry, I was told the driver would be-..." I try to search for the right words. "Someone a little smaller."
The man laughs and points at the car behind him down by the street.
"I'm not the driver," he says and nods, "I'm Mister Bahng's personal security. He's asked me to accompany you until we meet him."

I look around him towards the car.
It matches Chan's description perfectly.
And when I look back at the man, he pulls forth a wallet and shows me his identification card.
I think I've seen him before in some of the posts on the internet. I think there is a video of him and Chan shadow boxing together before a concert.
He seems to be legit.
So I grab my stuff and follow him to the car.

He helps me get in the car and sits at a safe distance from my legs.
He's bald, but somehow that only adds to his charme.
"Are you single by chance?" I ask with a curious pout. "I know a wonderful lady that I could easily introduce you to. You'd love her, I swear."