Chapter 20

I woke up early the next day as I usually did.  I always woke up just before Jen did, I usually lay in the bed with her cuddling before I absolutely had to get out of bed and get ready and today was no exception.  My alarm went off telling me to wake up, and like clockwork I reached out for her next to me, put my arms around her waist and snuggled into her neck, taking in the smell of her skin and placing light gentle kissing down her neck before I grudgingly pulled myself away to go and work. 

I would come back around 2 hours later to have breakfast and she wouldn’t always be awake, so I usually skipped breakfast to climb back into bed and do the same thing for another half an hour before flying off to work again.  Today however when I got back to the dorms I walked in to the smell of food cooking and as I walked through to the small kitchen the tiny table was set with juice, coffee and food.  Jen was by the stove finishing off the last of the food she had cooked, as she turned to face me she had a huge grin on her face.

‘What’s this?’ I asked her ecstatic taking a seat.

‘It’s breakfast’ she replied simply.

‘Why don’t you do this every day?’ I asked her pouting.

‘Because if you get used to it you expect it and then it’s not special’ she replied laughing.

I had to laugh back at the logic. 

‘Well I appreciate it today’ I told her grabbing her wrist and pulling her over to me to show her how much I did appreciate it. 

‘Stop it’ she warned between my kisses.  ‘Eat your breakfast like a good boy’

‘I am a good boy’ I told her snatching up some of the food she’d made. 

She giggled at me biting her lip.

‘Don’t bite your lip like that’ I warned her.

‘Why?’ she fiend innocence.

‘You know why’ I told her amused.  ‘If you keep doing it the food will go too waste’

‘Why?’ she repeated.

‘I’ll have to take you back to bed and punish you’ I growled, she was working me up and she knew it.

‘Ok, ok, I’ll stop, I worked hard to make this.’

I pouted, I was hungry but kind of disappointed.

‘You’ll have to do whatever you had in mind later’ she teased.

‘How can I work now thinking about that’ I complained, grinning.

‘You love it’ she winked at me. 

We had the breakfast she prepared together which was nice, since I had been back here we didn’t have a lot of time for this, especially as I got up so early.

‘So what time will you go and help Jongin’ I asked her. 

She picked up her phone and looked through it. ‘Hmm, in about an hour I guess?  He text me before to say they’re a bit late’.

I nodded and felt that slight uneasy feeling come back in my stomach.

‘You’re not still worried?’ She asked me giving me a worried look.

I shook my head.  I wasn’t really, I didn’t know why I was feeling this way.

‘No, I’m ok’ I told her.

 

I went back to practicing with Jonghyun and Minho but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy all day. 

‘What’s up with you Taemin?’ Minho asked me after I just kept getting the move wrong.

‘Nothing’ I told him.

‘That’s a lie, you never get this wrong, spill’ Said Jonghyun.

I ended up telling them about my uneasy feeling regarding Baekhyun getting too close to my girlfriend when I finished they both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

‘What?’ I demanded feeling more and more stupid.

‘Taemin’ Started Jonghyun. ‘Baek is seeing someone’

‘What?’ I pressed him.

‘Yeah, we caught them about a week ago’ said Minho who was still laughing.

‘Who?’ I asked again getting impatient. 

‘Taeyeon’ they both said together falling about giggling.

‘What?!’ I asked shocked. 

‘Yeah we walked into one of the practice rooms and found them in a compromising position’ Said Jonghyun who had regained some of his control but Minho fell about laughing again.

‘They were so mad’ laughed Minho.

‘But it means you don’t have to worry, he’s not after your lady, as lovely as she is’ Jonghyun winked at me. 

I felt considerably lighter after hearing this news. 

Jongin told me he would keep me updated about how everything went, he knew I was feeling uneasy last night, and I didn’t have to wait long for an update from him.

Around lunch time he text me. 

J: Your girlfriend might have just saved all our lives.  She’s really good! She even got Sehun speaking almost like he knows what he’s saying.  She is going to help us again later on.  She said she’s got to go and teach a few classes, and she says Chanyeol needs more work.  Is that ok?

T: Yeah that’s ok, I told you she was good!  Do you want to eat together later?

J: Chicken?

T: Sure.

J: Yep!

I felt relieved, he didn’t mention Baekhyun meaning there was nothing to tell.  Jongin was my best friend and he would tell me if he thought someone was doing something they shouldn’t.  Although Jonghyun and Minho had told me Baekhyun was seeing Taeyeon it helped further to see Jongin confirm there was nothing to worry about. 

‘Hey, do you guys want to eat chicken with us later’ I asked Minho and Jonghyun who both immediately agreed. 

 

I got back to the dorm earlier than I had anticipated.  I didn’t expect Jen to be there as Jongin told me she was going to go back there for a while to help Chanyeol some more. 

I didn’t expect as I walked in to see Junmyeon and Chanyeol in the living room, stood facing each other rehearsing a conversation. 

Jen was sat on the sofa listening intently to both of them with her eyes glued to Chanyeol.  I thought nothing of this as Jongin told me he needed the most work. 

She jumped up and told them; ‘Good, good, Chanyeol, like this, watch my lips as I make the sound and try and copy me ok?’

Chanyeol sunk down on the sofa next to her staring intently at her mouth as she repeated a series of words at him and then he tried to say them back to her. 

It was kind of odd watching someone watch my girlfriends mouth with such concentration. 

Junmyeon was still stood up and was flicking through some papers with intense concentration on his face.  He looked up first as I walked in, smiled widely as he greeted me.  I bowed to him a little, as Chanyeol looked up at me and smiled through the serious concentration on his face.  Jen gave me a wink which I returned.

‘I thought you would all be upstairs together’ I said to the room.

‘We were, but some of them lost concentration and it was hard for Chanyeol and I to focus’ Said Junmyeon.

‘So, I suggested they both come down here where it was quieter for a while’ Finished Jen. 

‘We are almost done don’t worry’ winked Junmyeon. 

‘It’s no problem’ I told him. I got a bottle of water out and sat down on the chair opposite.

‘How is it going’ I asked.

Junmyeon replied. ‘Good, everyone knows what they need to say, some of us have more to say than others, and some of us have to improvise meaning we need more work.  I’ve got to talk the most and unfortunately so does Chan’ He looked up at him worriedly. 

‘I’m fine’ he said smiling. 

‘He is, he’s got the confidence, even if he doesn’t have all the skills yet.  Don’t worry, if you can fake it your half way there’ Jen told Junmyeon. 

‘So, you will record what I’ve given you, so we can listen to it’ Junmyeon asked her, his face serious.

I looked at them both with mild interest.

‘Yes, actually I did it before.’ Junmyeon gave her a surprised look. ‘I’m efficient, I like to just get things done, so I did it between my classes earlier today.  I have Chans recording, yours and Jongins.  You just need to come and take it off my computer.’

‘You are way too organised’ commented Chanyeol who gave her a look like she was part human.

I chuckled at him and she laughed, ‘Listen all you have to do is listen to it and you’ll be fine ok?’

He smiled warmly at her.  Junmyeon stood up and said, ‘Is it ok if I go and get a hard drive and come back now so we can have the files tonight?’ he looked sincerely at Jen.

‘Yeah sure’ She told him.

He left quickly and Chanyeol got up to use the bathroom leaving us alone for a few minutes.

‘How was it?’ I asked her, moving to the sofa to be next to her.

‘It was fun, Junmyeon is very professional about it all, and thank god he is, because trying to stop them from messing around together was a nightmare.  Baekhyun is a little brat, I had to tell him to just leave.’

I couldn’t help the girlish giggle that escaped me. ‘Really?’ I asked her.

‘Yeah, he came back later on, because he needed to practice but he was better behaved.  Chanyeol tries hard which is really good.  Jongdae didn’t need any help really, Jongin did really well. His problem is being shy, he’s got the skills though.  But they were all nice.  I need to help them out the rest of the week, and maybe for an hour or so in the afternoon I thought I would bring them here either one by one or two at a time to focus a bit more, when they’re together they’re like animals.’

I nodded all the way through her telling me how it went.  I felt proud she was able to help them so much, and as she said bring them to our dorm one on one for the first time I didn’t feel worried at all. 

‘That’s great, I think it’s a good idea.  It’s really great you are helping them, thank you’ I began to nuzzle her neck as Chanyeol reappeared from the bathroom pulling an exaggerated face of pure disgust causing me to pull away. 

Junmyeon arrived a few minutes later along with Jongin who was followed in by Jonghyun, Minho, Kibum and Jinki.  Junmyeon and Chanyeol decided to stay.  Looks like everyone wanted food.  We ordered what seemed like several thousand boxes of chicken. 

Jen transferred the files she had prepared with Junmyeon and he was so overwhelmed with gratitude he paid for all the chicken. 

It ended up being a fun night.  Junmyeon, Kibum Jinki all had Jen engaged in serious conversations about learning and asking questions about her life experiences and learning languages herself. 

Chanyeol Minho and Jongin ended up playing a game while Jonghyun and I watched them, periodically bursting into laughter whenever Minho thought he was being tricked and the whole game was rigged. 

Eventually they all left to get to sleep as everyone had a busy today ahead the next day as usual. 

I however had other plans.  I locked the door behind Kibum as he was the last one to leave and returned to the living room where I stood in the door way my hands folded over my chest as I watched her clean up. 

‘Are you just going to stare at me?’ She grumbled.

‘Yes, I am’, I smirked back at her. 

‘Aish’ she tutted at me shaking her head and went to go past me into the kitchen.  I put my hand up in front of her to block her way.

‘Are you giving me attitude young lady?’ I asked her seriously staring down at her.  Her eyes went wide as they met mine.  She knew what I had in mind.

 ‘Maybe’ she said biting her lip as she had this morning.

My eyes narrowed at her, teasingly.  ‘What did I tell you about that lip?'  I said keeping my voice firm.  ‘Maybe you need a lesson in manners’.

Without waiting for her response, I swept her over my shoulder, the boxes falling from her hands and carried her with purpose, to the bedroom.