I can read your smile - Choi Minho SHINee Fanfic (COMPLETED)

Chapter 17 - Birthday gifts

~two months later~

Even though Minho and Crystal have been having lunch in the cafeteria every day, they wouldn't be able to meet too often otherwise, since Crystal would only get home after 12 AM most days, and Minho would be too tired after practice to stay awake and wait for her. He's been training alone every morning, and would have team practice every evening, since the game was now less than two months away.

He would have a three-week Christmas + New Year's Eve break soon, which he couldn't wait for, but that would also mean a break from his training, which he wasn't too thrilled about.

However, tonight and tomorrow would be different. His birthday was tomorrow, and there wouldn't be any training, and tonight after practice he dropped by the pub with his teammates to celebrate. They bought a lot of rounds and had way too much fun for a Thursday night, and by the time they were done, the clock already showed 12:00 PM.

He was quite close to the restaurant where Crystal worked, he noticed, so he made a little detour and hoped she hadn't left yet.

He almost arrived in front of the restaurant when he saw her get out lazily. She was wearing another one of her sundresses and a jacket on top, and she wore some sexy stockings, and besides staring at her legs like a creep, Minho wondered how the heck she wasn't cold in this December weather.

He walked behind her for a while, observing her mannerisms. She stretched her arms a bit at first, then hugged herself and tried to keep away from the cold.

So cute. Minho muttered and took off his jacket, running towards her. She turned around with panic in her eyes after hearing the quick steps behind her, but before she figured out what happened, Minho embraced her and lifted her body off the ground, spinning her a few times while hugging tight.

"Minho!" She smiled, hugging him back. He's never acted like this before, so it was certainly a surprise, but it came as a serotonin boost after a long shift, so why not enjoy it while it lasted?

Besides his usual smell, he also smelled faintly of alcohol, so she figured this was the reason why he's acting so happy to see her.

"Crystal!" He replied with excitement, putting her back on the ground. His hands were still on her back, and hers were still around his neck, but she quickly cleared her throat and moved them when she noticed their close proximity.

No more mistakes like last summer. She repeated in her head like a mantra and created a safe distance between them. She didn't want to misunderstand yet again.

He placed his jacket on her shoulders.

"You scared me." She chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

"I went for some beers with the boys, and we were in the vicinity."

"Oh, is that so?" She chuckled. He was so happy, like a golden retriever. "How was training?"

"Amazing! I scored a lot! We also trained our new goalkeeper today and I think I made his life a bit too hard."

"By the way, I always wanted to ask, but I feel like we haven't talked in forever. What happened to Jun? The guy that-"

"Oh, that loser didn't get in." Minho shrugged.

"Really? That's good news."

"Yea. The dumbass tried punching me and received disciplinary action for it, but he apparently didn't handle that too well, and last I heard, he got kicked out of Uni for good."

"No way!" Crystal exclaimed, shocked. "That's amazing! Payback, bitch." She muttered under her breath, making Minho chuckle.

"Enough about him." He waved his hand around. "What cake do you want to eat tomorrow?"