Say You Love Me || TXT Soobin

Chapter 1: Warmth

(A/N): My third ongoing fanfic, yikes.

I don't know who told me that I could write more than one book at the same time, but hey, here we are. I couldn't help myself with this one, though, it was an idea that I have had for a while. This fanfic will most likely be much shorter, I don't expect it to be more than ten chapters, but I hope you enjoy it regardless!

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They met in high school, when they were both sixteen.

Soobin, alongside his small group of friends, was taking Music class. Ava was taking Creative Writing. Neither of them had spoken to each other before, but that seemed to change from one moment to another.

"Are you sure you don't want lunch?" Yeonjun asked Soobin, who was still holding his guitar on his lap. Yeonjun and Taehyun were standing in the classroom's doorway; Beomgyu and Kai had gone up ahead in order to save them some seats at the cafeteria.

Soobin shook his head and smiled at them reassuringly. "I'm good. I want to keep rehearsing this song a bit more. I'll just get something to eat later."

Yeonjun and Taehyun looked at each other before shrugging. "Suit yourself." Taehyun said.

Soobin chuckled before the door finally closed and they were gone. With a sigh, he adjusted his guitar and turned to the lyrics written in his sheet of paper. The song needed to be perfect; he had worked so hard on it, but there were still some small details that needed to be fixed. This grade was the most important to him, because music was his passion, what he loved the most. And he was certain that it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

He played the strings softly, looking for the right melody before he began to sing the words. It sounded much better this time around, and he was proud of himself for finding the right sound. He closed his eyes, emerging himself into the song and the emotion. It was a heartbreak song, and although he hadn't experienced anything too deep, like what he had described in the lyrics, it still felt personal and genuine. It touched him, and he hoped that it touched the listener the same way.

Soobin played and sang the song over and over again, changing a few things here and there each time, until he felt like he didn't need to anymore. Placing his guitar aside, he glanced up at the clock. He had been there for almost the entire lunch hour, he'd barely have time to eat before classes resumed. Whatever, he thought. At least the song was nearly ready to go, and that was the only thing that mattered to him at the moment.

When he opened the door, he didn't expect to find anyone there, but as soon as he heard a loud thud he almost panicked. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." He bent down in order to grab the journal that was now lying on the floor. It belonged to whoever he had hit. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The other person said. It was a girl. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry."

Soobin finally looked up to see her face. He had thought that he recognized every face in the school, but clearly he was wrong. He had never seen hers before, and he was sure that he'd remember such a beautiful face. "H-hi." Was all he managed to say, offering her the journal. He was never one to talk to girls often.

The girl smiled gratefully while taking it. Soobin's heartbeat quickened out of nowhere. She had a nice smile. "Hi. Sorry I was in the way, It's just that I heard the music coming from this classroom and I just had to listen. It was beautiful. Did you write that?"

Soobin scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's for a project."

She nodded in understanding, while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Soobin took the chance to take in her full appearance; she was wearing some baggy overalls with a colorful striped shirt underneath it. Her long, light brown hair was done half-up half-down, as it cascaded down and ended just above her waist. She had to crane her neck up in order to take a better look at him, and Soobin honestly thought it was the cutest thing. "Are you new here?" He couldn’t help but ask.

"I am. I've only been here for a week." She replied. That explained why he hadn't recognized her. "I'm Ava, by the way. And you are...?"

"Soobin." he replied, a bit too quickly, maybe. He couldn't help it, though, somehow she made him feel nervous. Way too nervous, regardless of the fact that she wasn't doing anything. "So, um, how are you liking it here so far?"

"It's nice!" She said brightly. "It's still a bit tough to get used to, but I like it. My favorite thing so far is the Creative Writing course I'm taking."

Soobin looked surprised. "You like to write?"

Ava chuckled. "Yes, I do. I don't write songs like you, though."

Soobin grinned. "So, you write, like, novels or...?"

"Short stories, for now," she clarified. "But yes, I would like to publish a novel someday."

"I'd love to read one of your stories sometime." He blurted out before he could stop himself. When he realized what he had said, a deep crimson color made its way up to his cheeks. They'd just met, surely she wouldn't trust him enough to show him her work just yet.

But, to his surprise, Ava did not seem to mind it as she said, "I'd love to! Only if you play me one of your songs, though."

He almost sighed in relief at her words. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable during their very first encounter. "Of course."

"Great! Then, It's a deal." She said. "I'll see you around, then?"

His eyes lit up. "Sure! I'll be around."

With one last smile, she turned to leave, only to stop in her tracks before she could take another step. "Oh, and by the way-" she began to look through her bag until she finally took out what she was looking for. "-It's not much, but I have this chocolate bar. I'm pretty sure you haven't eaten anything yet, right? You can have it."

"Oh no, really, It's okay-"

"Please, take it." She interrupted him. "You shouldn't go around with an empty stomach."

Soobin hesitated, but eventually took the candy from her hand. Their fingers accidentally brushed against each other in the process, but he tried to ignore that and the way his heart was about to jump out of his chest. "Thank you."

Ava gave him one last nod before waving goodbye and disappearing into the hallway.

Warm. That was how Soobin felt all over as he stared down at the piece of candy he was now holding. He smiled to himself. He could not believe that he had just met this girl and he was already feeling like he was about to burst out of joy. He already knew that he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about her, and he also knew that he had to talk to her again.