𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒇 (𝑨𝑴𝑩𝑾)

25: First kiss

Liliana's POV

"France's ahead of Korea by 7 hours," I whisper to myself, uncertainty clouding my thoughts. "Is it 9 am when I land, or is it 10?"

"What's up?" Mariah's arms encircle me from behind, her gaze drawn to the screen of my phone.

We're at the gym, a place I never thought I'd find myself dragged to by Mariah just an hour ago. She had pleaded with me about the industry's obsession with fitness.

"I have a fast metabolism; I don't need this," I argued weakly.

"Then you'll need it to grow an ass," she retorted, a not-so-subtle jab at my figure. It's not that I'm flat; it's just not ample... enough.

"Just checking the time," I reply, turning to face her. "Hyunjin had a question."

"Oh," she teases, waggling her eyebrows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, arms crossed in confusion.

"You know what it means," she says, focusing on registering us on the gym's online platform.

"There's nothing between us," I insist, adjusting the gym bag on my shoulder.

"So, when's the kissing happening?" she asks casually.

I'm taken aback by the audacity of her question. "Are you serious? We're not even dating!"

"Yet," she adds, undeterred. "And who says you need to date to kiss?"

"You think I'm like you and Gu-nil," I retort. Mariah's not officially dating Gu-nil from Extraordinary Heroes, but they go on weekly dates.

She claims she's just getting to know him, but they've already kissed. They kissed on their first date.

"What are you talking about?" she deflects, avoiding eye contact.

"Don't try to deny it. I saw your texts," I admit.

"So, you were snooping through my phone?" she turns to me, eyes wide in shock.

"What's this about kissing?"

We turn to the voice and find Changbin emerging from the gym with Seungmin.

"Seungmin, you go to the gym?" The question escapes my lips before I can stop it.

"I was coerced," he mumbles, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"You guys were discussing kissing," Changbin redirects our attention.

"Were we being that loud?" Mariah wonders.

"No, I just have really sensitive ears," Changbin remarks as they stand before us. "Kissing is a delicate subject. You can't joke about stuff like this."

"We weren't joking-" Mariah begins, but Changbin interrupts.

"The first kiss..." He dramatically sighs. "It's crucial for you girls."

I catch Seungmin giving him a disappointed side-eye as he pulls out his phone to check.

"Us girls? What about guys?" I interject.

"We're included too! It might sound old-fashioned, but the first kiss is crucial..." Changbin presses his hands together earnestly. "because there can only be one."

Seungmin shakes his head, eyes still glued to his phone.

Changbin persists, "And that first kiss, it changes your entire world."

I notice Mariah awkwardly avoiding eye contact with him.

Changbin seems lost in his own thoughts, his eyes distant as he continues, "It's so satisfying. It will-"