Over the next few days, she only managed to see him once in the auditorium. He had mentioned that he was finishing up last minute tasks with the paper’s final issue for the year and that it was his finals week so she supposed that was understandable. However, there were times she found herself wanting to text him to ask if he was coming to help with the props, but she would always stop herself. One of the reasons was because she didn’t want to seem so suspicious or nagging... because she wasn’t his girlfriend, right?

And well, the other reason?

She was actually starting to miss him...

Professor Lee assigned the class to write an essay while she gave Chanyeol his final exam that day. Kyungsoo kept glancing at the back to look at him, but he didn’t seem to notice as he was bent over concentrating on the questions.

Chanyeol was double-checking his answers when the professor dismissed the class. He had spent a rare all-nighter devoted to his literature book and was pleasantly surprised that he found a particular liking for Robert Browning’s poetry and that of his wife’s, Elizabeth Barrett. He would definitely take on poetry books after graduation.

She cleared as she stood in front of him then. “All good?”

Chanyeol looked up in surprise. Then he grinned.

Kyungsoo’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. If she had been reacting that way whenever she saw his sweet, kind smile, then this was the first time she became aware of it.

“Yeah,” he answered, standing. “Give me a sec.” Then he approached the professor to submit his paper.

“This is your last day, huh, Chanyeol?” the professor cajoled.

He nodded good-naturedly.

“Well, good luck, Mr. Park,” Professor Lee told him cordially, shaking his hand. “I’ll be seeing you in graduation.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Chanyeol smiled and said his goodbye. He found Kyungsoo patiently waiting for him from where she stood.

Chanyeol then got her books to carry them. Maybe it was because he was so used to it that it seemed like second nature when he enclosed her hand in his as they exited the classroom.

Kyungsoo looked at their entwined hands as they walked. She had never been this sensitive about his touch before. She just hadn’t really seen him in three days. Was that what it was? She gave his hand a subtle squeeze, hoping that he wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing in Chanyeol’s expression gave way that he felt her tender response.

She pressed her lips as she attempted to start a conversation. The first thing that popped into her head was her internal question to him everyday. “Are you going to work on the props today?”

He turned to her, nodding.

“But... what about your exams?”

He grinned again. Kyungsoo felt even more glad when that cute dimple appeared on his left cheek. “That’s okay. It would be my last day in school tomorrow and I have two exams left, which I’ve already studied for. I’ll just be brushing up when I get home.”

“Tomorrow’s your last day?” she echoed disappointedly.

He laughed then, which sounded like lovely melody to her ears. “My last day in the classroom,” he clarified, squeezing her hand this time.

She squeezed it back, and Chanyeol grinned in pleasure. “Then I’ll be with my classmates as we practice the graduation march and ceremony, but in the afternoons, I’ll still work on the paper and the play. Jongin and I gave our word to Professor Hwang.”

“Good!” she answered happily. Then her smile faded. Did she just say that aloud?

Chanyeol looked at her, for a moment startled by her reaction. Then he raised his eyebrows in a candid manner. “Well, I’m glad our help is appreciated.”

Kyungsoo looked away, her cheeks feeling warm. She could feel his eyes on her, most likely still looking at her strangely. She had been much nicer towards him during the last week. She even came up to him backstage one time in between her turns and gave him bottled water, because she already noticed Chanyeol looking tired. Jongin only grinned knowingly at her and elbowed his bro teasingly at the side.

It was fortunate