Demon in Disguise

Picnic

"Hello Miss Qiang." Junmyeon's bright face appears by the doorway of her front door. His hair was slicked back with gel, his clothes were clean and neat. The smell of his cologne drifts over to Qiang's nose.

"Oh, hello Junmyeon. What brings you here?" Qiang asks. "And dressed so nicely too."

"I was uh.. thinking.." He looks down at his feet and nervously peers back up at her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Will you go on a date with me?" From behind his back he presents to her a bouquet. He looks at her with a hopeful look in his eyes. "I mean it doesn't have to be a date, it can just be a little thing where we get to know each other." He tells her quickly after hearing no reply from Qiang.

It had only been three days ago since he walked with her to the pet store. Doubt starts to pool in her stomach, he may be moving onto her a bit too fast.

"Well..." She accepts his bouquet, "I guess we could use some time to get to know each other."

Junmyeon flashes her his dazzling smile, a content expression on his lovely features.

"I'll go get changed." She makes no move to allow him into her house. He may be a generous and kind man but that did not give him special privileges to be in her house while she changes her attire.

"You look great just the way you are." He notes.

She smiles at his attempt, "Thank you but I don't think these clothes are suitable."

"I'll wait in the car then." He nods once and departs to his vehicle.

She softly closes the door and stares at the bouquet in her hands, a frown adorning her features, "What is he planning..."

While she changed into something nice and did her makeup she thought about Chen. It's almost been a week since she'd seen him. How far did he travel? When will he be back? Hopefully he keeps himself out of trouble.

"You look beautiful Miss Qiang." Junmyeon flashes her a smile and she slightly snickers at his smooth talking.

"Who taught you to be such a smooth talker?" She inquires as they drive away.

"Me? A smooth talker? I think you are mistaken Miss Qiang." Junmyeon smirks, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Where are we going?" Qiang faces the warm window.

"I thought that since today is such a beautiful day I would take out an equally beautiful lady to the park for a picnic. I've already prepared everything, don't worry." He grins when she gives him a look. "I like to cook remember?"

She lets out a breathy laugh, "Of course, how could I forget."

Junmyeon drives into the parking lot and they exit the car. "How has your day been so far?" He opens the back door and retrieves the picnic basket and a blanket to sit on.

"It's been going good so far," She watches as he closes the door and walks to her side. "What about you?"

He raises the basket with a grin, "I was up all morning cooking for you." 

Her heart warmed at the thought of him making something for her. He woke up with the thought of her and he made the food thinking of her. All his hard work would have gone to waste if she had declined his offer.

"This looks like a good place." They settled on a sunny spot beside the beach area.

"What made you decide to suddenly take me on a picnic Junmyeon?" Qiang takes the red and white checkered picnic blanket from the male and spreads it out on the grass.

"I don't know..." He slips off his shoes and sits beside her. "I kind of just had a feeling so I began to make pastries and food."

She could smell his cologne from their close proximity and she realized that she quite liked it. It was a fresh and sweet yet manly scent, reminding her of clean cool water on a hot day or dew on the grass during a cool summer morning. It was not like the usual musky and spicy scents that most men wore.

Junmyeon slowly opens the picnic basket, the smell of the delicacies he made that morning fills Qiang's nose.

"That smells delicious."

He smiles proudly and sets the food out for the two of them. "I didn't know what you liked so I made what was popular in China."

Set out before her was sweet and sour pork, gong bao chicken and chow mein. Beside the three main dishes were wantons, eggrolls and spring rolls.

"Junmyeon, you cooked all this?" She looks up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Do you like it?" He bites his lower lip, nervous for her answer.

"I love it, thank you. You put so much effort into this." She smiles happily and returns to looking at the food. For dessert Junmyeon had prepared egg tarts, red bean buns and a red velvet cake.

Junmyeon takes out two plates, forks and spoons, happy that she loved his cooking. "Eat up."

The food he had cooked were delicious, she could taste everything he put together for each dish her taste buds were exploding with all the flavors in her mouth. Junmyeon smiles blissfully at her reactions. After eating all the main dishes, Qiang and Junmyeon proceed to eat the egg tarts, red bean buns and the cake.

"Ah.. my stomach feels like it's going to explode." Qiang laughs.

"I'm glad you like my food." He chuckles. "I'll cook for you everyday if it makes you this happy."

"Ah, thank you but I couldn't possibly do that to you." Qiang lays down on the blanket and closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her eyelids. "Where did you learn to cook like that?" She opens her eyelids and looks at Junmyeon who was already staring at her.

"I grew up with my grandmother, she loved to cook and it always made her happy so I learned how to cook. She's the most loving and caring woman to have ever entered my life, she took care of me when nobody would."

Qiang stares at him with her lids half open, the wind blowing around the two. "What about your parents?"

Junmyeon gives her a smile, not a content one but a sorrowful kind of smile. "My mother died at childbirth and my father was a business man so he was never home. As a child, whenever I saw other kids with their fathers I envied them. Their father wasn't a business man, their father was always home and their father loved them. I always thought my father hated me and blamed me for the death of my mother. He never visited, only once when I turned 16 and at my grandmother's funeral."

Qiang sat up, "Junmyeon..." She looks at him with wide eyes. His eyes were downcast refusing to meet hers. "At least you had someone who loved you right? Your grandmother." She gives him a gentle smile, leaning over to place her hand on top of his.

Junmyeon meets her gaze, surprised at the sudden contact.

"She loved you when nobody would and I think that's really sweet. You were blessed to be loved by your grandmother when your father couldn't. Think of how lucky you are."

This reminded her of her parents. Even though she didn't have a mother she had a father who loved her. The other girls had mothers to dress them in pretty clothes and decorate their hair with pretty bows but she didn't. Her father worked extra hard to make sure he payed the school fee and the apartment rent in time so they could survive. Of course they weren't always alone, her father's good friend helped them too. For that, Qiang was grateful, there may be tough times in one's life but it will always be good again. Your world may be black and white but one day someone will come along and splash your bland world with colors of the rainbow. Maybe even with colors that don't exist.

A/N: I would like to have Junmyeon cook for me everyday, that food made me hungry ^^