Crème brûlée (1/1)

"This is going to sound crazy, but... from the moment I first set eyes on you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."― Leigh Fallon, Carrier of the MarkSehun. Krystal (Soojung).Crème brûlée.   { d a y | o n e } : accidental glance. It is by accident that Sehun first sees her, when he's in the midst of rubbing his newly washed hands onto his pants as he exits the toilet (an action that he will later think of as undignified, yet strangely life changing).His eyes wander and she chooses that particular moment to pass by, trailing the scent of vanilla and orange blossoms in her wake. She doesn't turn to acknowledge him, despite the fact that they had very nearly brushed shoulders.It isn't long before she's gone, disappearing through a door at the end of the hall, hair swishing behind her like the tendrils of a homemade kite in the wind.And it isn't long, either, before the bell rings, and Sehun realises that he's late for class and that his room is the exact same one the girl just entered.He also realises that his fly is undone. *** He likes her, he decides. There's something fascinating about the way she sits straight and projects the image of cool calm, yet when something catches her fancy, she cracks a smile, and he finds that it's just as charming as her poker face, maybe even more so.Her name is Soojung. The teacher likes saying it, it seems, and she seems to be the only one in class who says something that makes sense. Every word that comes out of Soojung's mouth is like magic, or some kind of strange music on a radio that he can't turn off.Yeah, he's being weird. He knows. Twice he rubs his eyes, telling himself that he should be looking somewhere else, maybe at the whiteboard, where their hassled-looking teacher is scrawling maths equations and formulas. He hasn't done any of them, but he doesn't really care, because his eyes keep wandering and it demands his attention.Sehun doesn't know exactly what is demanding his attention−the fact that he shouldn't be staring at her, or the fact that she's sitting across from him, exactly 5 steps away (he'd counted when he'd passed her desk and walked towards his).He wants to talk to her, maybe scribble her a note and make a crane out of it, so that by the time he's finished abusing the paper with folds, his declaration of love will be blurred by the creases. It's easier that way− no barely suppressed words will be fighting to burst out every time he sees her, and though he knows it, she will never know (or be sure, at the most) that he likes her.His eyes start wandering again, and he realises that what started out as an accidental glance is turning into a string of intentional stares.Sehun doesn't mind; he likes Soojung. *** { d a y | t w o } : so much for paper cranes. Sehun had thought that after he made the crane, all those unsaid words would not be exploding in his mouth, hanging off the tip of his tongue, and maybe he'd be able to control himself.But he'd been so caught up with what he was going to write on it that he'd forgotten the most important part: actually making the crane.So it's by accident (or maybe just accidental self-sabotage) that he blurts, "I really like you, Soojung," as he passes her, standing by her locker.Then his face deepens in redness by three shades when he realises exactly what he's done, and he ducks his head, fleeing down the corridor. He doesn't see her reaction, but he imagines that it must have been one of bewilderment, or maybe disgust. Sehun wonders wildly if anyone had heard him, and if no one had, then would Soojung tell?Oh, for the love of... Why didn't I just make the crane? *** Sehun wishes for the first time that Soojung wasn't in his class. He's thankful that she sits in front of him and not behind; that way, he can see when she looks at him, which is never, not even once during the entire first period.He wishes that she would just turn around and say something, maybe tell him that she doesn't like him, or that the sight of his face is disgusting and an insult to her eyeballs, or that she just wants nothing to do with him. It's clear that she's not planning on talking to him, and that would be all good and gold if he wasn't so caught up with wishing that he'd just made the paper crane.Why didn't I−The bell rings and he leaps out of his seat without even being aware of it, and while he's in that state (where his body acts first and asks for his permission later), he closes the 5 space wide gap between them, slamming his hands down on her desk. "Soojung."A few people filing out of the classroom for lunch stare, but otherwise, no one says anything.She blinks, face blank. "What?""About this morning, I... I mean... I didn't... I hope you..." he pauses his stammering, flicking his tongue over his dry lips quickly; it only seems to make them dry faster.Soojung waits, staring at him."Do you like me?"A slight frown creases her brow. "What?""Do you like me?" he repeats.Slowly, she starts moving her head in a half-motion, the beginnings of a shake (meaning 'no'). "I don't know you."That's all she says. She doesn't say it with a cold face, or a disgusted grimace, just the ghost of confusion, with traces of curiosity in her eyes. Then she walks out, leaving an equally bemused Sehun behind.Maybe she doesn't remember him; maybe she hadn't seen him or heard him this morning.Maybe he should have made that crane, but maybe, just maybe, it doesn't matter. *** { d a y | t h r e e } : man, you're crazy. The next day, Sehun seeks out Yixing (the guy who knows anything and everything about anyone and everyone. They're kind of friends), and tells him his predicament.First thing he gets from Yixing is, "Man, you're crazy.""I didn't ask for what you think," Sehun hisses. "Just tell me about her."Yixing shrugs. "There's not much. She's a swimmer, does ballet. She's not at the top of the class, but she's not at the bottom, either. She likes maths, though, but you already know that, don't you, seeing as you stare at her like a creepy little stalker." He smirks, wiggling his fingers.Sehun swats his hand away, not even bothering to tell him to shut up. He bites his lip. After yesterday's "I don't know you", Sehun is determined to turn things around. Maybe this way, he would know about her, and she wouldn't know anything about him, but that c