Feeling good about her outfit choice that bright Sunday morning, Suzy gave the overall look one last mirror check as the beeps of a car horn signaled Sehun's arrival. Having chosen to keep her hair in a half ponytail, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and did a quick smile test in case any lipstick on her front teeth. The last thing she wanted was to run out of the house and greet Sehun with a red smear in her mouth. Not attractive at all.
Satisfied and excited to show him what she had come up with for their first event together as a fake couple, she grabbed the cute watermelon clutch she had found at a thrift store. Opening it, she placed her house keys, the lipstick she used - borrowed from her mom - and a twenty just in case.
At the third beep, she skipped to the front door with a huge smile.
In seconds she was out the front door and locking it behind her. When she turned around her breath caught.
Leaning against the passenger door of his car with his hands in his pockets was Sehun, in an flawless white linen suit with a teal shirt opened at the collar. Without product, his hair fell in natural waves - like dark, wind-blowing halo. He took her breath away, and they both matched: wearing white as if they had discussed it.
Hand to her chest, she checked to see if her heart still worked. Definitely a skip in the beats. She caught herself thinking how lucky she was to have such a mouthwatering fake boyfriend. Oh, this summer had just gotten better . . . until she noticed the scowl upon his features.
__ NO LOVE ALLOWED __
What the hell was she wearing?
It took all of Sehun's willpower not to smack his forehead. He's known she shouldn't have trusted her with picking out what to wear for the garden party. A white dress, sure, but she had freaking hand prints in places there shouldn't have been. All the blood in his head traveled elsewhere as he pushed away from the car and walked to her.
"Sehun?" She took several steps toward him, then stopped once he reached her. "What's wrong?"
"What the hell are you wearing?" he almost yelled.
As if she hadn't heard the heat in his tone, she looked at the tight thing she called a dress. It had thing straps and an asymmetric hemline that cut so high up one thigh . . . he was no longer thinking with the proper body parts. She had paired it with red open-toe heels and a stupid watermelon clutch. He breathed out heavily.
"You don't like it?"
"We're not going clubbing!" He inhaled, but not enough air entered his burning lungs. He might have been having a small heart attack. "You have hand prints covering your breasts."
"Oh, these?" She covered her breasts with her hands to show him. "They're my hands, see? Since the last time I wore this to paint, I decided to -"
"Stop!" He raised a hand with the word, then shoved shaking fingers through his hair. "I . . . I can't . . ." He swallowed, then dropped his eyes to the grass. "The grass is the safest place to look right now."
She smiled and grabbed her breasts again, squeezing. "You think I look hot. Is that why you're as red as these hand prints?"
"Aish." He cursed under his breath and took a huge step back. "Please, if you have any mercy left, stop touching your breasts."
"Good to know." She laughed. "Let's go. You wouldn't want to be late for this garden party of yours. Daddy dearest might get angry." She headed toward the car.
Running on autopilot, Sehun turned around and overtook her. As he opened the door, he made sure to kept his eyes firmly on the ground. She laughed some more.
"Not funny," he muttered, throat dry. After shutting the door, he hurried to the other side and slid into the driver's seat. Then his gaze flicked to her lap. Another curse dropped out of his lips. "Can you please pull your skirt down? I can't be held responsible for crashing this car if you don't."
As if she had taken pity on his obvious discomfort, she tugged. But, of course, adjusting the hem meant lowering of the scoop neckline. It exposed the upper curves of her breasts. Sehun gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather made a crunching sound beneath his hands. He couldn't tell if he was the luckiest guy in the world to have a girl like her sitting beside him or if the universe was messing with him.
She hummed, enjoying herself way too much. "Is that you cell phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"
Her question woke him up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone he was sure she hadn't really meant to mention. He swiped his thumb over the screen, tapped several times, then brought the cell to his ear.
A couple of seconds later, the guy at the other end picked up, and Sehun spoke quickly. "I have her." He slanted a look toward her before returning his eyes straight ahead. Yup, looking anywhere else was safest. Not waiting for a reply, he said, "Stay there. I'm driving her over."
In his corner eye vision, he noticed her raise an brow.
He hung up and started the engine, he said to her, "Buckle up, I'm about to break a couple of traffic laws."
__ NO LOVE ALLOWED __
Fifteen minutes later, during which Sehun didn't speak, didn't even look her way, Suzy leaned half her body out of his window to get a better view of the massive mansion with silver cloud-covered walls they were driving toward. Gravel crunched beneath the wheels as he rounded a huge fountain that served as a round building. She let out a excited squeal.
"Will you get back in here, please?" he pleaded.
A tugging on the hem of her dress forced her back into her seat. "Is this your house?" she asked, a silly smile spread on her face. "It's a castle."
Letting out air through his nostrils, he said, "This is my cousin's house."
Remembering the call from before, she asked, "What's his name?"
"Chanyeol." Sehun parked the car by the front steps and turned off the engine. Even before she could unfasten her seat belt, he was already opening her door. He reached in and helped her out. Heat climbed from where he touched her all the way up to her arm, reaching the highest point as tingles in her stomach.
Needing something to focus on besides how warm his hand was, she let go and pulled down her dress. The stretchy fabric had lifted up her thighs during the drive and leaning out the window. When she looked up and locked gazes with a guy. He walked down the front steps to meet them in white pants and shirt with a blazer on top.
"Damn." He let out a low whistle. "You were right, Sehun. Looking at her is certainly a religious experience."
"Yeol," Sehun said with a clear warning in his tone.
"Hey." Chanyeol raised both hands in surrender. "I'm just repeating what you told me about her. Hello." He reached out and took her hand. "I'm Chanyeol Park-Oh."
His smile was so open and gentle with a dimple, she couldn't help but smile back. Unlike his expressive yet guarded cousin, Chanyeol seemed like the type who kept his emotions on the outside. Very much like her.
"Sooji Bae." She shook his hand. "But they call me Suzy."
Chanyeol and Sehun shared a look before Chanyeol asked, "They?"
Sehun shook his head, then checked his watch. "I'm already running late. Can you help her?"
Chanyeol glared as if Sehun had just stabbed him. "You didn't seriously just ask me that."
"Yeol." He gestured toward Suzy. "As you can see, I have my hands full with this one."
"Should I be insulted?" she asked Chanyeol, who gave her another one of those brilliant, almost all-knowing smile.
"Don't mind Sehun. He was raised by wolves."
She caught Sehun giving his cousin the finger when she peeked at him, and she laughed. She liked them together. The air Chanyeol carried around them seemed to relax Sehun. They gave her the impression of being close. Being the only child and not knowing what it meant to have a family other than her mom, loneliness poked her heart.
Must be nice to have a cousin to count on, she thought.
"I have to go," Sehun uttered, drawing her attention. He was already backing up toward his car.
"I called Baekhyun," Chanyeol told him. "He's keeping Kyungsoo from looking for you. You're luck Suho's in court today."
"Just get her there as quick as you can."
"Give me an hour."
Sehun stopped at the driver's side and grimaced, sending new waves of shiver through her. For that look alone, she didn't mind that he was leaving her with relative stranger. Emphasis on the word relative.
"Thirty minutes," he warned, then got into his car and drove away.
"What does he mean?" she asked the equally handsome boy she stood alone with in the driveway of the biggest house she had ever seen.
"How does a makeover sound?" He took her hand and led her up the stairs.
"Is that you way of saying what I'm wearing isn't right for this event?"
"Oh, sweetie" - he patted her hand - "remind me to sit down with you and give you the basics of thrift store shopping. Will save you a whole bunch of trouble in the future."
"Okay, now that's insulting."
"It's meant to be. Cute clutch, though. He might be able to work with that."
How could she hold on to her building annoyance with the way he smiled at her. Sehun had asked her to attend these events with him. She didn't want to break his rules. If she did, it would mean the end of her summer adventure and the chance of him posing for her. How many girls got the opportunity to enter his world? She had always been curious about how the other half lived, ever since she started working at the restaurant. If he thought what she was wearing did suit the event and that Chanyeol could help, then she would give herself willingly to the experience.
__ NO LOVE ALLOWED __
Maybe willingly wasn't the right word.
In a stylish bedroom bigger than her house, Chanyeol sat Suzy in front of vanity mirror bordered with lights. She wondered who the room's owner could be and wanted desperately to meet her. It was such a beautiful room. One wall was painted with cream with metal letters that spelled out LOVE, framed pictures of fun memories and smiling faces hung on the other wall, and the third wall had these different-sized mirrors with metal frames. But her favorite part had to be the bed. She had never seen one so big, overflowing with throw pillows that have quotes on them. She wanted to steal one that said I'M NOT A LADY BEFORE 10 AM.
She let her eyes wander to the table of the vanity. It was filled with colorful bottles of perfumes, lotions, and makeup. Several different brushes sat in a crystal container at one corner. It reminded her of when she used to watch her mother get dressed for a night out with her father. Her mom would sit in front of a mirror like the one at which she did now, but with only one light at the top, and begin putting on makeup. A sense of warmth and comfort spread all over Suzy at the memory from a time when everything in her life seemed perfect.
For the last five minutes, Chanyeol had been staring at her reflection and running his fingers through his hair. Nerves rolled in her stomach. She was having thoughts about the experience already, and they didn't even done anything yet.
"Um . . . Chanyeol?" she said when the silence got too intense.
"I'm about to become very intimate with your hair. I think that's earned you the right to call me Yeol." He took the ends of the limp strands and examined them with a thoughtful glare. "What have you been using for shampoo? Detergent?"
"I just use whatever's in the bathroom. Usually the latest no-name brand my mom brings home for five dollars a gallon." She laughed at Yeol's absolute horror. "Poor-people problem."
He clicked his tongue. "I cannot have you walking into that party with hair stiffer than a broom." He picked up a pair of slim silver scissors and snipped, snipped at the air.
She flinched at the sound the blades rubbing together made. "I'm suddenly not so sure about this."
Chanyeol leaned down until they were at face level in the mirror together. "You're in good hands, I promise. If only we had time I would have brought you to my sister's stylist. Vernon is simpy the best. But since we don't have time, I'll have to do it."
She swallowed and nodded before closing her eyes.
Five inches of hair later, she stared at he reflection as if she looking at a different person. Yeol had given her a mid-length and bangs. Her hair actually framed her face instead of just hanging lifeless around her head. "Wow!"
"Oh, sweetie, you haven't seen anything yet." He handed her a wet wipe he had pulled out of a plastic container. "Clean off that ridiculous caked-on makeup. You face is not a wall that need frosting. Then pay attention. What I will teach you will last you from day to night for the rest of the summer. Maybe even for the rest of your life."
She nodded dumbly. No one had ever taken the time to teach her anything about make up. She learned by copying the girls at school. If Chanyeol could make her hair look awesome by cutting off the length, than surely he could transform her face just the same.
In minutes, like watching a fast-forward video tutorial, he did indeed transform her face. He applied foundation with a light touch. He curled her lashes and swiped on mascara like a wizard waving its wand. He uses eye shadow and blush brushes the way she did paintbrushes. One after the other, Chanyeol applied makeup without any hesitation in his movements.
They had already passed the thirty minute mark Sehun had set for her makeover when Yeol led her into a huge closet found at the far side of the bedroom. Her eyes practically popped out of her skull when she took in the entire space.
"You have your own mall?" She stepped in without touching anything. All the racks were color-coordinated and origanized. Skirts on one bar, dresses on another. Blouses on the upper level while pants were directly below. There were even special places for sweaters, coats, and shoes. Oh, the shoes. The soft lighting made everything sparkle.
"No," Chanyeol said in response to her question. He moved toward the summer dresses and looked through what seems like fifty of them. "But I think Kai's closet comes close."
She shrank into herself. "Won't she mind me borrowing one of her dresses?"
Yeol gave her a look over his shoulder. "Please. At the rate she's going, she won't even notice one missing. Plus, she currently on vacation, so she's not here to complain. Not that she ever would."
"Is she younger or older?"
He glowed. "Younger by two minutes and I get to be the boss of her."
"Twins?" She raised her eyes to meet his. Sehun's were a shade darker, but from the way Yeol looked at her so seriously in that moment, there was no doubt they were related. "She must be so pretty."
"The prettiest." He turned around to face the dresses and pulled out a teal dress with yellow bow tied around the waist.
For the longest minute all she could do was stare. It was straight out of the pages of the magazines her mom brought home. She always told Suzy that, even if they couldn't afford any of the stuff featured, they could still dream. It was scanning the pages and pages of fashion magazines that helped her understand just what kind of dress Chanyeol was lending her. Then she stepped forward and took the skirt of the dress in her hands. The fabric was soft; it had weight to it without sacrificing movement. With her height, the length would come just above her knees.
"So this is what fabric made of money looks like," she said in amazement.
Chanyeol laughed. It was clear and honest sound. "Sehun was right. "He has his hands full with you."
"And that's a bad thing?" she questioned.
With honestly that mimicked hers - at least that was what she would have liked to believe - she shook his head. "I think he'll enjoy the challenge. We may have just met, but I'm on your side, sweetie."
"I think I knew that the moment you cut off my hair."
His toothy smile return. "If I didn't enjoy abs more than breasts, I honestly would give Sehun a run for his money."
"You're gay?" she teased, giving him a mock eyebrow raised he mirrored.
"What gave it away?" He brought the dress to his chin and twirled around with it.
She laughed with her whole heart. "Do you think that will fit me?"
He winked at her. "Oh, sweetie, nothing a stick of butter and a roll of plastic wrap can't fix."