The rest of the day consisted of hiding behind bushes and avoiding hallways as much as possible to stay away from Daoming Si. Although Brielle was exhausted from hiding, she felt better knowing he wasn't there to make things difficult, or possibly hurt her again.
As her final class let out she moved towards the door to find the classroom blocked by students. She pushed through the group to the front, instantly wishing she hadn't. At the front of the group was Daoming Si, leaning up against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. Brielle tried to push back into the class, but was caught suddenly by the collar of her shirt. She turned her head to see Ah-Si's hand gripping her shirt as he stood in the middle of the sea of students now towering over her.
"*Are you hiding from me?" He asked, raising his brows, ignoring the students who gawked just beside him.
"*He's even more handsome up close." One girl squealed. "*He smells so good." Said another one.
Brielle bit the inside of her cheek and contemplated running. She could drop to the ground, and crawl away, but that might not work. "*I forgot something at my desk." She lied, trying to loosen the grip on his hand. "*Why are you here?" She felt hot being at the center of the group of bodies. She gripped his hand, trying to pry his fingers loose.
"*Then let's go get it." He smirked, and pushed on her back, allowing her to walk back into the class.
"*I can get it myself." She replied, trying to turn around and stop him.
He removed his hand and stuffed them in his coat pockets. "*Fine. I'll wait." He stood in place at the top of the ramp and watched her break free of the group.
Brielle quickly walked to her desk and looked around. There has to be something here I can use. Removing her bag, she riffled through and pulled out her notebook. "*Got it." She turned around, holding it up to show him, but dropped it when she noticed he was only a desk away.
His eyes watched her intensely as the book hit the ground. He took a step forward and picked the book up off the floor. Holding it out to her, he raised an eyebrow. "*Why are you avoiding me?" He asked, quiet enough so the group of students behind him couldn't hear.
Brielle felt her chin quiver. Gripping her cast, she looked down trying to avoid eye contact. "I'm sorry." Those were the only words she could bring herself to say. Daoming Si dropped the book on the desk, causing Brielle to jump and fall back into her seat. She began shaking and held her cast closer against her as she fought back tears. "I'm so sorry." She fought out with a shaky voice.
Daoming Si knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees. "*Why are you crying?" He asked, looking up at her eyes. Brielle pressed her fingers against her cheek and felt the dampness.
She had tried to suppress them, and hadn't realized that she was already crying. He lifted his hand to wipe at her cheek, and she flinched, swatting away his hand in fear. "*I'm sorry." She brought her hand to her face and closed her eyes, trying to hide from him. She had never felt so weak in her life.
Daoming Si turned and faced the group that huddled at the ramp of the entrance. "*Leave! Now." His voice was harsh and demanding. The group immediately dispersed out the doors. Ah-Si reached down and wrapped his hand behind her head, pulling her up and into his chest. "*Stop crying." He whispered, softly kissing her head as he wrapped his other hand around her back. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Brielle pushed at his chest and fought herself out of his arms. "*What are you doing?" She shouted, falling against the desk. "*You make no sense to me. Why are you messing with me?"
"*Messing with you?" He shouted back. "*How am I messing with you?"
She held up her cast "*You treat me like garbage and hurt me, then you pretend to be nice to me. You call me your girlfriend in front of the whole school and pretend you like me, only to what, dump me in front of everyone and torture me with humiliation?" The tears ran from her cheeks as she was unable to hold back her emotions. "What did I ever do to make you hate me?"
Ah-Si fell quiet as he looked down at the small crying girl. He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it behind her ear. He didn't know what to say in the moment, and all he wanted to do was hold her. "*I don't hate you." He whispered, trailing his fingers down to her chin, and tilted her face to look at him. She fought against him, but eventually caved and looked into his eyes. "*I don't know how to act around you, but I promise to never hurt you again." He paused and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. "*I'm the one that is sorry."
Brielle let another tear run down her cheek. Although he had said all those words to her, a part of her still felt guarded against him. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she didn't want to cave into his words, just in case it was another one of his game. "*I'm not your girlfriend." She stated dryly, removing his hand from her face.
He nodded his head slowly and let his hand fall to his side. "*Come on. Let me drive you home." He turned away from her and walked towards the door.
Brielle gripped her bag and looked down at her hands. "*I think I'm going to walk." She took a step forward and looked up at him. "*I need to walk."
He stopped and waited for her to join him. "*Then I'll walk with you." He replied, holding open the classroom door for her.
Brielle shook her head. "*I need to walk alone." She turned from him and walked away.
Brielle opened the front door to her home and stepped inside. Her feet hurt from the walk, but her body felt great overall. She had taken the time she needed to herself to think and process everything that had happened, relieving the stress and anxiety Ah-Si had put on her. She sat down on her couch, and leaned back into the cushion, propping her feet up on the coffee table. It had been forever since she had a moment to herself, and the feeling was amazing. Taking out her phone, she scanned over her notifications, noticing amongst the missed calls her mother's name. Glancing at the time, she hit dial and put the phone on speaker, listening to it ring out.
"Hi baby girl." Came her mother's voice through the speaker.
Brielle immediately felt the tears tug at the eyes. "Hi momma." She choked out, trying to hide her emotions.
"What's wrong?" Her voice was concerned and demanding.
"A lot has happened since we last talked." Brielle took a deep breath and explained the events that had happened. Through the call, she had to decline a random number three times, ignoring as she vented to the woman she missed the most. "I have no idea what is happening right now and I feel like I'm stuck in a nightmare."
"Just breathe darling. It sounds to me like this boy likes you." Her mom chuckled. "You even said that he's never been in a relationship. Maybe he's scared about how he is feeling towards you." Brielle nodded, remembering how she left out the part about her being in a cast. "I have to get back to work Hun, but send me a photo of him. I need to approve before you continue this relationship."
Brielle chuckled, and hung up the phone. She laid back in the cushion only to jump upright as the front door swung open. She immediately jumped over the side of the couch and grabbed the closest item to her, the broom, and readied herself to attack.
The shadow of the person shone through the glass pane on the door as he stepped in, causing Brielle's heart to race. He was much bigger than she was, and most likely stronger. As his foot stepped past the door, Brielle closed her eyes and readied the broom to attack.
"*Stupid girl." Brielle's eyes sparked open as she recognized the voice. "*Do you really think you could take me down with a broom?" He asked, smirking.
Brielle puffed her cheeks and swung the broom, hitting his shoulder. "*What the hell is wrong with you!" She shouted, hitting him again. "*Are you too privileged to knock? You can't just barge into someone's house like that!" She hit him again as the words escaped in rage. "I thought I was going to die!"
Daoming Si gripped the broom, catching her off guard, and leaned down so he was at her eye level. "*Who leaves their door unlocked in this part of town?" He asked, ripping the broom from her hands and tossing it on the ground. "*You're lucky it was just me and not some Rapist."
Brielle shut the front door, blocking out the cold air. "*Why are you here?" She asked, turning back to him.
He raised his brows, as though she were supposed to already know. "*I called you four times to check on you and you didn't answer. This is a terrible neighborhood, you could have been kidnapped."
Brielle closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "*I'm fine. I've lived here for over a month and nothing bad has happened." She looked back at his scrunched face, her mother's words popping into her head. "*Why are you here?" She repeated, sitting down on the couch, feeling her body weaken.
Daoming Si crosses the room and knelt down beside her, placing his hand on her forehead. "*You worry me." He admitted, removing his hand. "*Are you feeling sick?" He asked as she laid back in the couch cushions.
"*I'm just tired." She replied, keeping her eyes closed. The exhaustion was setting in, making it almost impossible to keep her eyes opened.
"*Stupid girl." He wrapped an arm under her legs and behind her back and lifted her from the couch. Carrying her to the bed, he paused, looking down at her sleepy face. He smiled, and set her onto the bed.
Brielle laughed, tired and dazed. "*You just smiled." She poked his cheek.
Ah-Si stood up straight and looked down at her. "Have you been drugged?" He asked, slightly amused as he pulled at the blankets, wrapping them around her.
Brielle rolled over and looked up at Ah-Si. "Why did you come here?" She asked him seriously, snuggling up under the covers.
Daoming Si sat on the end of the bed and looked over at her. "*Why does it matter so much?" He asked, finding her foot through the blanket and gripping her toes.
Brielle fought against him, kicking her toes free. "Because you're in my house at 9 at night. Someone might get the wrong idea."
Daoming Si shrugged. "*Let them. I don't care about what they have to say." His hand landed on her calf and he squeezed gently.
Brielle closed her eyes and buried her face in the pillows. "Well, you did post that photo of us kissing." She mumbled.
Ah-Si smirked. "Should I post a more convincing one?" He mocked, crawling towards her on the bed and plopping down beside her.
Brielle yawned and clutched the pillow tighter. "I'm not your girlfriend." She grumbled. "*Stop using me to upset all the girls at school."
"*Does it bother you?" He asked, rolling onto his side and brushing the back of his fingers against her arm.
"*A lot of girls at school hate me because they think we're together." Her voice became more and more tired. "*I already don't fit in. This makes it harder." She mumbled beneath her breath.
He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, noticing the water marks through the paint. "Then date me in secret. No one else has to know." He turned his head to look at her, but noticed a light snore coming from her lips. He sat up on his elbow and peered over her shoulder. Her eyes were gently closed and her mouth parted slightly. He smiled, gently brushing a stray hair out of her face. Carefully, he pulled on her shoulder so she rolled onto her back, her body still limp and asleep. "*Stupid girl." He leaned his head down and softly pressed his lips to hers.
Brielle woke up to a sizzle sound coming from somewhere in the house. She shot upright and looked at the kitchen, prepared to see a burst of flames as she believed she had forgotten food on the stove. Instead, she noticed a tall shirtless man standing at the stove, a cloud of steam in front of him. Brielle rubbed her sleepy eyes trying to remember what had happened. She suddenly snapped awake as she lifted the covers to see she was still in her jeans from the night before. Exhaling in relief, she looked back up at the tall boy in her small kitchen.
"Good morning." Daoming Si shouted across the room as he turned to place the pot on the table. He smiled and crossed the room to the bed. "*I hope you don't mind. I wanted to attempt making breakfast this morning." He plopped down on the bed and leaned back on his hand. "*I never get to cook at home."
Brielle's eyes wandered over his torso, before finding his eyes. "*Why are you cooking shirtless?" She asked, forcing her eyes to focus anywhere but his chest. She settled her eyes on the earing in his ear, something she had not noticed before.
"*I spilled some water on myself." He said glancing over at his sweater hanging on her drying rack. "*Is it too much for you to handle?" He smirked, looking back down at her and leaning his head closer trying to get her to look at him.
Brielle caved and looked at him, raising her brows. "*Do you not know what personal space is?" She asked, staring back into his eyes.
Daoming Si remained silent as he looked over her face. He brought a hand up and pressed it to the side of her cheek. Brielle flinched, but let his hand cradle her face. He leaned in, and gently pressed his lips against her forehead. "I don't know what personal space is." He let a smirk dance on his lips as he bit his bottom lip. "*Especially not with you."
Brielle pulled her face free and sat up straight in the bed. Clearing her throat, she looked towards the kitchen. "*What did you make for breakfast?"
Ah-Si slowly sat up, his eyes still on her. "*Soup." He said, his smirk fading.
Brielle quickly slid the blanket off her legs and draped her feet over the edge of the bed. "*Yum." She stood up, only to be pulled back down. "*Daoming-"
He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her hair. "*Give me one minute." He whispered, his breath hot against her neck.
"*Ah-Si, what are you doing?" She asked, trying to turn her head so she could see him.
He squeezed her tighter. "*You're couch is extremely uncomfortable." He complained, his voice tired. Brielle looked at the other side of her bed, noticing it had been unslept in. She looked back to the couch, noticing a blanket and pillow sprawled out. "*You slept on the couch?" She asked, almost surprised.
He nodded into her hair. "*My neck and back are sore now."
"*Why didn't you just go home and sleep in your own bed?"
He pulled his head from her neck and turned her so he could see her face. "And miss this ugly morning face?" He smiled and let a small laugh slip through his lips. He suddenly furrowed his brow. "*Hey! Be thankful I was a gentleman and didn't crawl into your bed."
"*Wouldn't be the first time you forced me to sleep with you."
Daoming Si pushed her off his lap and back onto the bed. "*Don't say it like that. You make me sound as if I forced myself onto you."
Brielle jumped from the bed and looked down at him. "*Didn't you?" She cocked her head at him and motioned her arms towards him referring to the fact he was just holding her in his lap.
He stood up and pushed at her shoulder. "*Your letting the food get cold." He turned from the bed and walked back into the kitchen. "*I want your honest opinion." He poured the soup into a bowl and set it on the placemat.
Brielle cautiously sat at the table and sniffed the air. It smelled surprisingly good for his first time cooking. Brielle picked up her spoon and tasted the soup. She paused, taking in the salty content, searching for the flavor. Looking up at Daoming Si's serious face, she scrunched her brow. "It's a little salty."
Ah-Si sat down and dipped his spoon into the bowl and tasted the soup. He scrunched his nose and looked up. "It is salty." He confirmed. He set his spoon down on the table and sat back in the chair cursing under his breath.
Brielle pushed the bowl away and looked over her shoulder. "*I need to shower." She said, standing from the table and looked over at Daoming Si. "*I'll see you at school?" She gripped the towel on the laundry line and dashed to the bathroom.
Brielle quickly showered and wrapped the towel around her body. She pushed open the bathroom door, quietly peaking around the corner to the kitchen to see if he had left, noticing his sweater was no longer hanging on the drying rack. She exhaled and stepped out of the bathroom only to freeze as a hand gripped hers and spun her around.
She looked up into Daoming Si's calm stare as her eyes widened in horror. Brielle gripped at the towel watching him as he looked down at her, his eyes wandering over her shoulders then down to her legs, a smirk forming on his lips.
His eyes met hers, his grin growing. "*Now I'm happy I forgot my wallet."
Brielle pulled her hand free from his and stumbled into the wall. "*I thought you left!" She shouted, trying to keep herself covered. "*Why are you still here?"
Ah-Si took a step forward and looked down at her, his grin still beaming down at her. "*I did leave. But when I got to my car I realized I forgot my wallet and came back." He took another step. "*You have a great singing voice."
Brielle broke their eye contact and looked at her legs, realizing the towel wasn't very long, and only reached the middle of her thigh. "*Can you learn to knock?" She gripped the bottom of the towel and bent slightly in an attempt to keep her body covered.
Ah-Si leaned against the wall, trapping her in place. He trailed his fingers over her damp cheek, his eyes demanding contact from her. "*If anyone ever sees you like this, I'll kill them." He cupped her chin and tilted her head so their eyes met again. "*You're lucky I'm a gentleman." Before she could react, he pushed off the wall and left the house.
Brielle ran after him and locked the door. She exhaled abruptly, realizing she had been holding her breath during the entire interaction.
Brielle walked down the school hallway refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Although she had been completely alone with Daoming Si, she couldn't help but feel like everyone knew what happened. She crossed her arms over her chest and dropped her head. I can't believe he saw me like that. She thought to herself, approaching her locker and typing in the code.
Opening the door, she paused noticing an object that hadn't been there before. Picking up the object, she noticed a note under it and scanned over the characters.
'*For You.'
Brielle opened the box and gasped as she noticed a delicate necklace with a simple golden ring attached to it. On the underside of the lid was a polaroid photo of Daoming Si smiling as if he had taken the photo himself and another that appeared to be a photo he took the night she had stayed at his place; she was asleep and his lips here against her hair. Brielle felt herself blush as she looked at the two photos.
Brielle felt her phone buzzed in her pocket and set the box back in the locker. She pulled the phone out and looked down at the text notification.
'*Do you like it?'
Brielle looked around the hallway and noticed Daoming Si standing at the far end of the hall surrounded by the other members of F4, and holding his phone. He smirked when their eyes met. Brielle set her phone in the locker and pulled the necklace from the velvet, looking at the simplicity of the ring.
"*That's cute." Shiuri popped into view beside the lockers and pointed at the simple necklace. "Where did you get it?" Brielle sneaked a glance over her shoulder before tilting the box lid so her friend could see the Polaroid's. Shiuri gasped and clapped her hands, looking closer at the pictures. "He got you this?"
Brielle closed the box and set it back in her locker, nodding. She watched as her phone lit up again; '*Why won't you wear it?' it read.
Brielle picked up the phone and tucked it into her back pocket. "I have so much to tell you." She closed the locker and walked down the hall towards class.
Shiuri nodded. "I heard he came to your class yesterday." She gripped onto her books in her hands. "I overheard other students saying he offered to pay for your ticket back to the states."
"What? No he-" Brielle waited till they were in a more isolated hall before telling her the details of the day before. She told her about how he showed up at her house and ended up staying the night. But when it came to explaining this morning, she couldn't bring herself to disclose the details. "Then I get to school and that was waiting for me in my locker." She smiled thinking about the necklace back in her locker. As excited as she was, she wasn't ready to wear anything from him due to having nothing of value to offer him.
"He's so likes you." Shiuri clasped her hands together and smiled. "I'm so jealous."
Brielle snapped her eyes to her friend and shook her head. "We're just friends." She protested, halting in front of their class and turning to face her friend. "Nothing is happening between us." She held her hands up in defense.
Shiuri laughed and opened the door to the class. "*Keep telling yourself that."
Brielle pulled out her phone and looked down at the notifications. Three messages from Daoming Si, and two from her mom. She leaned against the wall and hit the dial button.
"Hey mom. What are you doing up so late?" She asked once the line answered.
Her mom took a deep breath. "Couldn't sleep so I figured I should try to reach you." She could hear her mother messing with something in the background, as though she was washing dishes. "My birthday is in a few days. Did you get your ticket yet?"
Brielle smiled. "Yes. I received the confirmation email you sent this morning." She felt a tear build in her eye. "I can't wait to see you."
They had never been separated for more than a few days, and this last month had been the hardest without her. Brielle clutched the phone tightly in her hand as she pushed away the urge to cry.
"Think I can convince you to stay once you're here?" Her mom chuckled.
Brielle laughed as the tear fell from her eye. "I don't know mom. Things have been pretty crazy here, and I do miss home. But it's all so exciting and new. I can't run away just yet."
Her mom's laugh sounded exhausted. "Can't leave before seeing where things are going with this boy either."
Brielle rolled her eyes. "Stop creating things that aren't there mom." She joked, looking down at her feet as a picture of Daoming Si entered her mind.
"Based off what you've told me, this kid is interested in you Hun. Don't fight it."
"I'm not discussing an imaginary relationship with you right now." She laughed again as she looked up, jumping in shock when a pair of eyes met hers.
"*What relationship?" He asked, his head cocking to the side as he smirked.
"Is that him?" Shouted her mom over the phone. "Is he cute? He sounds cute!"
Brielle swallowed hard at the lump forming in her throat. "Mom, I'll talk to you later." She stuttered as his smirk grew to a grin.
"Wait, wait! I need to know who he is."
"Bye! Love you too!" Brielle hung up the phone and clutched it in her hands. "*How long have you been standing there?" She asked, standing up straight and clearing her throat.
He took a step closer and smiled down at her. "*Long enough to hear you talking about me with your mom." He took another step closer and Brielle could smell his cologne, causing her head to spin and heart to race.
Brielle looked away and dropped her hands realizing she was excited to see him, and didn't want him to notice. "*We weren't talking about you." She said back, trying to keep her voice level.
He took another step. "*Then who were you talking about?" His face grew serious as he looked down on her, his cheeks flexing as he clenched his jaw.
Brielle took a wavered breath and looked up at him. "*Why are you so nosey?" She asked, keeping her composure. "*It's none of your concern."
He pressed his hand against the wall behind her and leaned down so his face was in front of hers. "*But it does concern me." His response was cool and emotionless. "*Everything you do concerns me." He pressed his lips against the top of her hair.
Brielle pushed at his chest and quickly looked around the hall. "*Ah-Si. I told you that you can't do stuff like this here. People are going to get the wrong idea."
"*So let them." He leaned back in and trapped her against the wall again. "*I happen to like being this close to you." He whispered, kissing her head again. "*Even more when I see how excited you get to see me."
She would never admit it out loud, but she also liked being close to him. Brielle felt him moving closer and firmly pressed her hands against his chest. "Ah-Si, someone might see us."
His fingers brushed the bottom of her chin and tilted her head up. "*I don't care." His voice was hushed but strong. His thumb circled her cheek as his eyes burned into hers. He studied her for what felt to Brielle like an hour before speaking again. "*But I know you do care." The corner of his lips twitched and he stood up straight, his hand dropping from her cheek. Without saying anything more, he turned from her and walked down the hallway.
Brielle watched as he walked away and pressed her fingers to her lips. She had anticipated him kissing her and even wanted it to happen. But as she faded back to reality, she noticed the halls filling with students, a clear sign it should not have happened.