Are we friends yet?

When Love Arrives

This chapter was named after Sarah Kay/Phil Kaye's poem.

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Miyeon: You might want to call him Noodle Head.

Me: No pictures equals lies.

Miyeon: Really?

I was just half-way to school and Miyeon decided that spilling what she saw at school could be the best thing to start my day.

It was the first day for Chanyeol to go back to school after the suspension and from what Miyeon said, he appeared with curly hair, a new hairstyle that could make everyone who saw him stop and stare -that was how Miyeon described it- before they made him a laughingstock. Then, she asked me if I would still like him.

I held back my smile, thinking of how Chanyeol looked with curly hair. I didn't think that the style would look funny on him.

Why would I stop liking him just because of his hair? I silently questioned although I knew Miyeon meant it as a joke.

I shook my head as I was still feeling a smile on my lips. I was sure that it wasn't just about his new hairstyle. It was his presence after we didn't meet for a week that caused a great feeling in my heart.

Another urgently flashing message from Miyeon came and I couldn't wait to see him. My lips formed another smile and my stomach was filled with butterflies-- Is that how people describe it? I didn't really care when I literally smiled alone during my trip.

And when finally I arrived at school, I nervously debated whether I would follow through on my plans to walk to Chanyeol's classroom or to go to locker room to get some books which I needed for the day and to meet Chanyeol later during the break time. But before I decided, my steps had led me closer to Chanyeol's classroom.

And I stopped on the doorway when I saw him with our friends. Soojung who noticed my presence called me but I played some scenarios to find Miyeon whom I found lying to me.

It's not curly!

A smile slipped from my lips when I turned my back to leave. I could catch the wolf-whistles from our friends soon after that. And I was just a few steps away from his classroom door when I felt something weighing on my backpack. I didn't turn my head to tell that it was Chanyeol, so in the end he walked close behind me to the locker room, hand still on my backpack.

He called my name but I didn't respond which made him articulate the nickname that I wasn't fond of. I was quiet until he decided to step forward, aligning our steps and then I smiled back at him. Our eyes met and we smiled more. I missed him. We walked side by side at the busy hallway and I questioned when I could hug him like I initially planned.

"You're acting like you don't miss me," he told like he could read my mind and I was distracted by the strong fragrance from his fabric softener. His mother must have chosen the same softener that my mother used. "Hey," he called and I remembered how Miyeon described his hair in her messages.

It was indeed a new hairstyle, but it was far from curly. His new hairstyle did make me stop and stare. He had his hair straightened and parted in the middle. It looked so fluffy and good on him that I promised myself to run my fingers on it later when we were alone.

Next, I resumed to reach my locker with him still walking beside me.

"What did you do to your hair?" It left my lips as soon as we stood in front of my locker because I couldn't help it.

Folding his arms on his chest as he was leaning on the lockers, he asked, "You like it?"

And I couldn't lie that I nodded excitedly. "Please, appear like this often," I told softly and he burst in laughter.