Changes of the Heart (FanFic)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

    

I was a nervous wreck February 18th. How do you just tell someone something you’ve been trying so hard to hide? While the guys were out getting a special-made (surprise) cake for Changmin, he and I stayed home. I looked at myself in my bedroom mirror. A pretty sleeveless lacey light blue dress, long dangling silver earrings, white pearl bracelets, a silver necklace from which hung a charm of the kanji symbol for love:

愛

. I was too nervous to figure out what to do with my hair, so I combed it and left it as it was. I had, though, taken great care with my make-up. I held a small bouquet of seven carnations and daisies (both of our birth flowers). Red ones, orange ones, and white ones. Tied to the bouquet by white ribbon was a coupon for two free drama movie tickets. I also had a package wrapped in silky white paper. Inside were video games and a CD collection I’d burned from my laptop and designed hand-made covers for. I took a deep breath and left my room. I snuck down the hall. Changmin was sitting on the couch, reading fanmail. I could’ve sworn he heard my heart beating when he looked back in my direction. I quickly stepped back, out of his sight. Once he returned to his letter, I ran through Ji-hyun’s words in my head. Get it off your chest ….. Just be blunt… You have to tell him how you feel …Best solution is always honesty—trust me… If…you never say anything…You’ll always regret it… Just go up to him and tell him how you feel. It’s do or die, girl… It’s now or never... Just do it… Make it special… It all depends on you now, Sun-hi… One way or another, I was going to get it out, even if I sounded like an idiot. I propelled myself forward with that thought and cleared my throat when Changmin didn’t look up. He looked at me finally and dropped the card in his hands.

“Wow, Sun-hi, you look beautiful. Did you get all dressed up for my birthday?”

I hadn’t even said anything and I was already blushing. I smiled, nodded, and bowed.

“Thank you, Changmin.” I pulled the bouquet out from behind my back. “These are for you. Happy birthday!”

He stood and took the flowers. He closed his eyes to smell them. He didn’t think it was stupid for a girl to give a boy flowers on his birthday.

“They’re very pretty, thank you.” He said, then he felt the tickets dangling from the ribbon. “Oh! What’s this?” He read my little note out loud. “To my dearest friend… Every day, I am thankful that you’re in my life. I

❤

you!!!” He smiled at me. “I’ve been wanting to see this movie ever since I heard about it! It looks really good.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“Are these tickets…for you and me?”

My face reddened and I looked away, not able to erase my grin.

I shrugged. “If you want. I want to go with you—I like spending time with you, but they’re your tickets. It’s your choice. If there’s someone else…”

“No, there’s no one else I could think of that I would have more fun with going to see this movie.” I looked at him quickly. “Thank you, Sun-hi. It’s a really nice gift.”

He engulfed me in a hug and my heart skipped. So far, so good…so far… When I pulled back, I was smiling, but saying what I had to say—what I’d rehearsed for hours—was the hardest thing in the world. It would’ve been so easy to just let him think the gift was meant merely in friendship and let things continue as normal. But I was in this for the long haul. There was no turning back now. I swallowed and clasped my hands in front of me, looking down. Then I forced myself to look back up. If I was going through with this, I was going to look him straight in the eyes…those wonderful eyes…