DAHLIA - Xu Minghao

Chapter 14 - Calm Before the Storm

"Me and my girlies, we gon' party 'til it's early,
Got me feeling otherworldly tonight."

***

     Meilin and Minghao got away with just a scolding from the company after Meilin convinced the manager she really had been sick. It also meant she was allowed to stay home the next day so she could 'recover', with a warning to come back as soon as she felt better. Immediately after the members left for the company or for school, the girls got started on the cake, while Chao was still asleep. They had to work quickly and quietly, since Chao didn't usually sleep until very late into the morning.

     And well enough, half an hour later, a bedroom door opened, which was where Yenling was put into action. She went out to meet Chao outside of the kitchen and brought him to the living room to distract him while Lihua and Meilin finished the cake, and Daiyu wrapped his presents.

     When everything was done, and the stains from the girls' flour fight had been wiped off, the trio made their way to the living room. Daiyu carried the presents and Meilin the cake. Lihua was filming Chao's reaction.

     After laughing loudly at the guy's presents, which were a sweater with a selfie of the girls imprinted on it, a plushie in the form of a d*ck, and a sketchbook, the five of them settled down and ate the cake. Meilin couldn't remember ever eating cake for breakfast, but she couldn't complain. Chao would not stop making fun of Daiyu for being the only one who was still sixteen, giving everyone a good laugh as well.

     When they were done eating, Lihua, Yenling and Daiyu went to do the dishes, leaving Chao and Meilin alone for a while. Not that there were a lot of dishes to be cleaned.

     Suddenly Chao turned to Meilin.

     "Meilin, babes, I heard something rather interesting last night." He said, putting his arm around Meilin's shoulders. "And I'm wondering why I heard it from your boyfriend instead of from you." He added, smirking. Meilin hid her face in her hands and groaned. "How was your first kiss, Wang Meilin?" He asked.

     Meilin felt embarrassed amongst many other things, but she knew very well that Chao wouldn't stop bugging her until she told him every single detail about what had happened.

     "It was..." She trailed off, trying to think of the best word to describe it. "Shocking." Chao raised an eyebrow, urging her to elaborate. "As in like, I was shocked that I did it. I didn't plan on kissing him, so I surprised myself by doing so." She paused for a moment and blushed as she thought back to the moment. "I really liked it though."

     "Did you kiss with tongue yet?" Chao asked bluntly.

     Meilin gasped and pushed her friend, blushing furiously. "Of course we didn't! Are you crazy?" She whisper-yelled, making him laugh.

     "Oh, come on! You're both old enough to lose your virginities!" Chao argued, making gestures with his hands to empathize his point. "I lost mine nearly three years ago, just saying... And even Daiyu lost hers a few months back. Did she even tell you that?" He asked.

     Meilin groaned at the memory. "Yes, she did tell me that. She went quite overboard with the details, even." Chao laughed loudly at that. He could easily imagine the way that that conversation had gone.

     Just then, Daiyu herself walked into the living room, followed by the two older girls.

     "Did you tell him about the kiss yet?" Daiyu asked, throwing herself onto the couch next to them.

     Chao gasped dramatically, placing his hand on his chest and pretending to feel faint. "She knew? Did all of you know?" He asked, turning to Yenling and Lihua, both of whom nodded. "You told all of them, but you didn't tell me? Meilin! I'm so disappointed! How could you betray me like this?" He exclaimed, pushing her shoulder.