Churro

Prologue

The art of being invisible is probably the toughest of them all.

It requires great restraint to keep your body still at all times, your opinions locked and a general effort of not leaving traces of yourself by being friends with others.

Unfortunately, I was failing epically at it right now.

At first, it was all going fine. Believe me.

I was sitting in the 4th last row of the lecture hall in the perfect position of the overhead speaker so as to not get too much reverberation to my cochlear implant while simultaneously maintaining a good distance from my peers. But then, the booger guy happened.

The booger guy put his fat finger inside his nose and dug around while Professor Nguyen continued his long winding speech on existentialism. Booger boy took his finger out and smelled it. My soul visibly shrivelled up. And then he was doing it.

He was perfecting the shape of it between his finger and thumb and OH MY GOD I WILL SCREAM IF HE LAUNCHED THAT THI-

The door to the lecture hall opened with a very non-discreet squeal. And HE poked his head through.

Kim Min-hyuk.

All eyes turned to him. He straightened up to show his lean swimmer's figure, messy hair flopping all over his forehead and gave the boxiest smile ever.

Professor Nguyen sighed, "you can't be late all the time."

"I know I know," he dug into his bag and produced the funkiest, mega cartoon hammer, "I am ready for punishment professor!"

He handed the hammer to professor Nguyen and bent his head down, eyes squeezed tightly in anticipation of the bonk he was going to get to his head. Professor looked at the hammer, at him and then at the class with wide eyes.

The entire class burst into hollering laughter. Professor Nguyen had to take his glasses off and laugh. Minhyuk smiled at the class and his eyes zeroed on me.

Uh-oh. Not liking this one bit.

Professor finally got his laughter at a leash and shook his head, "I cannot with you," he laughed again and returned the blue cartoon hammer, "here, keep it. I may use this the next time."

Minhyuk gave him a cartoon salute and then paraded up the aisle towards an empty seat.

I shifted my bag so it took the seat for 2 whole people. No place beside me, sir.

Others put their bags down.

Please just go sit down anywhere. Please.

And he came to my bag. He lifted it. Placed it on top of the desk and settled down cosily. Too cosily.

Like 2 inches from me cosily.

See? Failing at the Art of Invisibility.

I glared at him and whispered, "what are you doing?"

He dug into his bag and took out a tablet. Completely ignoring me and my existence.

So, okay. Maybe I overreacted. Maybe others also like this prime spot. I relaxed a bit. I was invisible. I went back to writing my notes down.

My bag was still under his paws on HIS side of the desk. His beautiful long-fingered paws. Uhm, ahem, back to the topic.

I looped a hand across the strap of my bag and pulled. Min-hyuk leaned more on my bag.

What the-

"Uhm, that's my bag," I muttered while maintaining eye contact with my Dwight keychain. I saw him shift, edging closer to me. He smelled like citrus.

I flinched back and glared at him. He just bent down and retrieved something wrapped in white tissue. A churro.

It was a churro. That he was offering me. I looked back at Professor Nguyen amiably droning away and back at the twinkling eyes of this devil beside me.

"What are you doing?"

"I am in your debt."

"You are what now?"

He grinned that damnably sparkling grin of his, "I am in your debt," he thrust the churro into my unwilling hand, "9 more churros to go."

And that is how I started the worst story of my life. Tired, stressed and at the wits of my end while a gorgeous boy tried flirting with me on campus.

Welcome aboard the Ship of Stupid Love