Two Christmas Seasons
Title: Two Christmas Seasons
Pairing: Taemin/OC
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Het sex, member/oc.
Summary: From the first time Taemin met her, he couldn't get her off his mind.
Wordcount: 4,681
Notes: Written for the shineesanta exchange for glimmersofstars. I didn't think I'd be writing any member/oc fics, but here is one after all. I didn't mind it so much because I found a way to make it work for me. I don't know how good I really think it is, but it's okay.
The first time Taemin met her, she was a caterer working at one of his father's business parties. Taemin always thought they were boring, but he also always enjoyed the food. Plus, the other young men and women that attended were usually entertaining. That night, he was particularly hungry though, and the food wasn't being served yet, so instead of hanging out with the other young adults, Taemin hatched a plan to sneak and get some food for himself.
When he was a bit younger, his father had a different company taking care of the food. The woman who oversaw it always gave him treats, but that was before he was allowed to be a part of the parties. One year, his father started hiring a different company because of business relations that he didn't care to explain in detail to his adolescent son. When he'd tried to get some food from them, Taemin had been reprimanded and sent away. It made him a little bitter, but it had been a few years. Surely there would be new employees and he had a different sort of attack plan than that of a young teen. He was now a charming young man. Surely all the noonas would love him again.
It was easy enough to find the kitchen at the place his father rented out every year. He used to host the parties at home, but ever since a couple of years ago, he'd started hosting them at this place. Taemin could see why. It had a much more elegant, royal feel to it. That, and they didn't have to stress for days beforehand to get it ready. Now, that was someone else's job. Taemin enjoyed his father's success, but he didn't like the expectations for him that came along with it.
Once at the back door of the kitchen, Taemin gently prodded it open to peek in. There were a couple of chefs making last minute preparations, and a few of their assistants, or whatever they were called, were running around in a panic. Just as he'd hoped, a tray of goodies lay just inside the door, with no one watching it. Licking his lips, Taemin crouched down and slipped gracefully inside. He was now below counter level. No one could see him unless they walked around that way. Fortunately everyone was too busy to pay much attention to the finished tray at the back, or so he thought.
Peeking his head above the counter, Taemin watched them work hastily with a small smile on his face. It was kind of cool, but also really amusing to him. He was really glad at that moment that he hadn't wanted to be a chef. It looked really stressful. His smile growing, Taemin reached out and grabbed two mini sandwiches before sneaking back out the door. He laughed quietly in triumph and quickly started to eat one before walking down the hallway. As he chewed on the bread, meat, cheese and tomato, Taemin couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It had been way too easy.
"Excuse me."
He froze and looked around. It wasn't a chef, or even one of the assistants. It was a waitress. Black hair pulled back into a short ponytail. She had deep brown eyes that weren't really wide, but not really thin either. Taemin gaped at her before remembering he had food in his mouth, which he quickly swallowed. "Yeah?" he asked, even though the evidence of his guilt was still in his hands.
"Did you just steal those from the kitchen?"
"Yeah."
She sighed audibly and tossed her head back and to the side in annoyance. "Do you realize you've just gone and messed a whole tray up? They're supposed to be full when we bring them out. No doubt they're going to blame one of us."
Slapped in the face with the reality of it, Taemin could only stare at her in shock.
"If they decide to blame someone, it could mean his or her job too. Us waiters are expendable you know."
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. He hadn't really realized how bad it would be to take a couple of sandwiches.
The girl seemed to lose some of her resolve though, her hands dropping from her hips down to her sides. "Don't worry about it, rich boy. I'll take care of it."
Rich boy? Well, he couldn't deny that. But, he was a lot more than just a rich boy. He watched as she turned and went through the kitchen door. He felt glued to the spot, gutted by the thought of someone losing their job because of his little trick. Slowly walking toward the door again, Taemin nudged it open and peaked through. There was the girl, trying to fix the tray with one of the assistant cooks breathing down her neck, asking her what had happened. She simply responded that she didn't know as she tried to fill the gap to make it less obvious that something was missing. Taemin looked down at the sandwich still in his hand and sighed. What a downer. He hated seeing anyone get in trouble because of him, especially a pretty girl. And she didn't even rat him out.
Taemin pulled back and leaned against the wall as he chewed on the second sandwich. Well, they wouldn't want it back now so he might as well eat it. He waited until they were serving the food, and he could tell because it suddenly got a lot louder, then deadly quiet except for the noises of them walking out into the main room. He sighed and chewed on his bottom lip. He really hated apologizing, but the annoyed look on the girl's face wouldn't leave his mind.
Taking a deep breath, Taemin walked into the kitchen. Neither of the chefs were working anymore. Instead they were leaning against the opposite wall, talking casually. They looked up when Taemin walked in, but didn't seem to think it was their job to attend to him. Taemin looked for the assistant chef that he'd seen talking to the girl. He was whispering orders to one of the male waiters, who scurried off after a second. The guy turned, looking frazzled and about ready to pull his short hair out. Taemin moved closer to him and the guy's eyes lit with recognition.
"What are you doing in here? You should be out at the party. We've already served the food." he smiled at him in a strained way and Taemin shuffled his feet nervously.
"Ah, that's because I, umm," he faltered, feeling like a kid who'd stolen candy and been forced by his mother to apologize. But he was doing this of his own will, right? "I was the one who took the sandwiches earlier. I was too hungry to wait, and the tray was just sitting there. I didn't think it would hurt anything."
Once again, Taemin saw recognition flash through his eyes as he remembered the sandwich tray that was missing food. "Oh, that was you?" he seemed troubled and torn as to how he should handle it. "Well, in that case, I guess it wasn't really stealing then. Ah, that's a relief at least. You never know when you hire some of the young people to serve the food. Sometimes they like to sample the goods, but it's not for them."
Taemin nodded slowly, although he didn't see why it would hurt all that bad for them to just eat a little. "Yeah, umm, I just didn't want anyone to get in trouble because of me."
The guy went a little pale, probably wondering if Taemin had seen him giving an earful to the waitress. "Oh, yes. Yes, everything is fine. No one is in trouble at all. If there's nothing else, can I bother you to return to the main room? We're about to start cleaning, so you'll only feel uncomfortable here."
With that, Taemin was quickly ushered back out the door. He slowly made his way back to the big room full of chattering people, wondering if he'd see that girl in there. But he didn't see her serving food. Maybe she was just a food watcher or something after all. He was eventually distracted by Jinki, one of his friends, finding him and pulling him away toward the outside patio. It was cold, but for some reason it was the young adults' favorite place to hang out.
It was several weeks later, when the temperature had dropped down to freezing, that Taemin's friends were having their Christmas party. He was looking forward to going because he liked hanging out with his friends, but there were always people he didn't know at the parties. Sometimes he got shy around people he didn't know very well, so he had to encourage himself beforehand to be social and friendly.
At the party, the second time he met the girl occurred. He hadn't realized who she was at first. There were so many people at those parties he didn't recognize that it was no surprise he didn't really notice her. That is, until he saw her sitting on the sofa, directly under the mistletoe. Taemin wasn't really the kind of guy to walk up and kiss a stranger, but he couldn't help but stare at her as he remembered where he'd first met her. Her dark hair was down this time, falling just to her shoulders. She was wearing a little more noticeable make-up, and her clothes were a lot more form fitting than the waitress outfit he'd seen her in before.
"I see who you're looking at," came a deep voice from over his shoulder.
"Who?" Taemin responded curiously as he tilted his head to look at Minho, who had stepped up beside him.
"I don't know her name. She's one of Key's friends I think."
"Oh," Taemin answered simply. A couple seconds later he felt an elbow nudging him in the side.
"Well, go say hello."
"What?"
"You've been staring at her for the past couple of minutes. Maybe you should talk to her."
"Talk to who?" came another questioning voice from Jonghyun, who was walking up to them with a curious grin that made Taemin want to sink into the floor. He did not want to be forced to talk to a girl, even if she was a pretty one. Unfortunately, Minho pointed her out to Jonghyun, making the shorter man smile all the more widely.
"Taemin, Taemin," he said, reaching out to shake his shoulder. "Do you see where she's sitting?"
"Yeah, obviously," he muttered.
"What?" Minho asked, confused.
"That's where I hung the mistletoe earlier."
Minho chuckled and slapped Taemin's back. "Well, there you go."
"What? I can't just go up and kiss her!" Taemin hissed, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly at the thought.
"Sure you can. It's a party. That's what it's for. Just make sure you let her know she's under the mistletoe before you lean in. Otherwise, she might think you're just a drunk pervert."
"No!" he fought back with a pout.
"Come on, if you don't do it then you're a baby still," Jonghyun said, already pushing him forward.
Somehow Taemin found himself standing right in front of her, his face a deep shade of red, Jonghyun and Minho snickering behind his back. When her face tilted up and her gaze met his, he only felt even more embarrassed. "Umm, hi," he said, almost under his breath.
"Hi," she responded uncertainly. "Can I help you?"
"It's just that you, ah," he felt like wringing his shirt, but he wouldn't let himself do something like that in front of her. "I noticed you were sitting here."
The girl blinked at him in confusion until she noticed the other two guys grinning and looking up at the ceiling, at which point she also looked up. Her eyes widened a little and she looked back at Taemin with disbelief. He felt his stomach flip nervously because he didn't know how kissing her would go over, but he also knew that the guys would give him a lot of grieve if he chickened out. This would be the moment where he could prove he wasn't a kid anymore. Without giving it another thought, he leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers. She tensed, but didn't pull away, and Taemin felt his eyes close as he tilted his head and felt her soft lips move against his own. The kiss was over within a second, when he pulled back quickly out of respect, but the feeling of her lips lingered on his for the rest of the night.
Taemin had been too mortified to speak to her the rest of the night, especially when after he pulled back, all she did was stare at him like he was crazy. Jonghyun and Minho teased him, asking if it was his first kiss so many times that he felt like hitting them over the head. He didn't ask Key about her, and he hoped his other friend never found out that he'd kissed one of their guests.
A week later, he didn't think he'd ever see her again, but even so, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Both situations they'd met in had been embarrassing to him, but even with that, he still felt like he wanted to see her again. He was nervous about her seeing him though, because he had no idea what she thought of him. When Key invited him over to pick up a few things he'd borrowed, Taemin wondered if maybe he should ask about her.
"Come in," Key answered the door with a smile, stepping to the side to let his guest in. Taemin smiled back and took his shoes off at the door before walking further in. Key liked to share clothes with his friends, and the sharing ended up going both ways, so Taemin wasn't surprised when Key called and asked Taemin to drop by and pick up some of his things. "I'm doing some New Year’s cleaning," he explained as he led Taemin into his apartment. "I have to make room for my new roommate."
Now Taemin was interested, but he soon lost all thoughts of roommates when they stepped into the living room and there on the couch was the exact girl that had been occupying his thoughts recently. She had her foot pulled up onto the couch, and she was leaning over, painting it black. Taemin felt his heart race and his stomach sink at the same time. If she was here, then ... was she involved with Key?
When she looked up, her eyes settled on him with recognition. "Ah, so you're Taemin," she affirmed before looking back down at her work.
"Yes, this is Taemin," Key responded, smiling brightly. "He's one of my prettiest friends."
"Key," Taemin complained, digging his hands into his pockets and shifting his feet.
"What? It's true. There's nothing wrong with being pretty. This is Mei, by the way. You can further introduce yourselves, if you'd like. I'll go get the clothes and be right back," Key added before turning and walking off toward his bedroom.
Taemin stood there awkwardly for a few seconds as the girl continued painting her nails, barely even glancing at him when Key left. After starting to feel a little too awkward, Taemin stepped closer. "You remember me?" he asked, earning him a much firmer gaze.
"Yeah, of course I remember the stranger who kissed me."
"I mean, do you remember the other time we met?"
She looked back up at him with a sharp gaze before her eyes slowly softened again and she smiled. "Yeah, rich boy, I remember you." she took a deep breath and dropped her foot to the floor, closing the polish bottle. "I didn't think you would have remembered me, to be honest. I guess I left a pretty strong impression, huh?"
Taemin couldn't help but smile at the way her cheeks flushed so slightly he almost didn't notice it. "Yeah, I guess you did. Look, I'm sorry about kissing you like that and then not even saying anything after."
She laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I knew those two idiots put you up to it. Well, at least I know Jonghyun can be an idiot. I haven't really met the taller one."
"Minho. Yeah, he can be a douche sometimes," Taemin muttered bitterly, making the girl laugh more.
"Really, it's okay. I didn't mind."
Taemin felt himself blushing this time, barely letting himself read into those words.
It was the end of his year as an eighteen year old when he met her, and the following year, Taemin found himself spending a lot more time hanging out with Key until he had enough courage to ask her out, not as a date or anything, but just to hang out. He quickly found out that her and Key were just friends, and she was in a hard spot financially, so Key helped her by letting her rent his extra room a little cheaper than normal apartments would run. Plus, sharing cut down on the cost anyway.
Winter rushed in before Taemin realized it, and he thought one day that it had been about a year since they'd met. He had a thought, and figured out the day they'd first met at the party, asking her out that evening. He didn't say anything about it because he didn't want her to laugh, but he thought it was cute, and maybe it would give him the luck he needed to confess.
She looked stunning when he picked her up that evening. Her hair had grown out a bit. Her pants were black and tight against her legs and her shirt was a flowing red top that had sleeves, but bare shoulders. It hung on her perfectly, and he smiled as she slid into the car next to him.
Dinner went by with friendly interaction. They actually got along much better than either would have imagined before they got closer. They had a lot in common. He loved to dance, and she had grown up taking ballet lessons. She still liked dancing, but it wasn't something she had spent a lot of her spare time doing in the last couple of years. She'd been too busy trying to make enough of a living to survive. Taemin immediately decided she had to start dancing again, and started introducing her to all the best dance clubs and events. Even the things she wasn't too familiar with, she managed to pick up quickly, and he could tell how much she enjoyed it. Dancing with her, and seeing her smile light up as she spun under his guiding hands made him like her even more. She was radiating with beauty on the dance floor, not that she wasn't pretty at other times though.
It was so much that Taemin couldn't stop thinking about her, and he didn't want to wait any longer to tell her, but he had always been a shy and nervous person. That was why he'd already waited so long. Now he had everything about as perfect as it could be. After a light dinner, they went dancing for a couple of hours. Then he asked her back to his apartment to try out some wine and chocolates he'd heard went well together. Taemin knew he had to be really transparent in his intentions, but he didn't think it was such a bad thing.
Back at his place, she made it apparent that she knew what was going on. After their second glass of wine, she asked him to dance with her again. Taemin felt like electricity coursed through his body as his hands found the small of her back and her body pressed in close against his. "Taemin, this has been really nice, but it sort of all felt like a date."
His cheeks flushed at the accusation, but also at the way her soft voice seemed to caress the skin of his cheek as her hand tightened around his shoulder. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked, in almost a whisper.
He could almost feel her smile as she responded, "I didn't say anything like that."
Leaning back slightly, she looked up into his eyes and Taemin felt his heart race as he stared down into her brown ones. "Then, it was meant to be," he responded with a small smile.
She laughed and her eyes narrowed slightly as their feet slowed, the soft music continuing in the background. "Good. I've been waiting for you to ask me out on a real date, Taemin-oppa~" she drew out, making him blush again, but he didn't have much of a chance to respond because she was leaning up and brushing her lips softly against his. "Payback for taking my Christmas kiss last year."
A big smile spread across his face and he tightened his hands around her back and pouted slightly at her. "I don't think that was nearly enough payback."
"Oh really, rich boy," she played back, using the term she'd first directed at him.
"Not nearly enough, Mei," he whispered her name softly before leaning in to kiss her again. He moved his lips slowly, feeling her out, testing the waters. She held onto him tightly, and he felt like he'd gotten everything he could have hoped for that night. It was really perfect, like fate had really played a part in them finding one another.
That Christmas Eve was the first time Taemin wouldn't spend the evening on his own since getting a place of his own, which really hadn't been all that long ago. Still, it felt really special. Mei had cooked for him, something that Taemin thought was awesome. He managed to find a really good wine that he bought, since he wouldn't be much help in the kitchen. Despite the fact that she was a waitress, Mei had wanted to be a chef, so she had a lot of practice cooking. As Taemin tried out the food, he felt incredibly lucky because it was so good. That, and he didn't understand why she wasn't the one cooking food where she worked.
But the evening wasn't over with just dinner. Sitting down on the couch later, Taemin nervously leaned in to kiss her. He'd thought about spending the entire night with her, about how far they might go. It was Christmas Eve after all, so he thought it should be special. She didn't seem as nervous as him, but she did smile and look down with a breathy giggle. Taemin ran his fingers through her hair and pressed a kiss against her forehead. She looked back up at him, her smile widening.
Mei leaned into him, her arms wrapping around his chest as she tilted her head up to kiss him again. He tightened his own arms around her shoulders and deepened the kiss, moaning contently against her lips. Her name slipped softly from his lips, his hands sliding up and down her back slowly. They hadn't really spoken about taking things to the next level, but there was a sort of feeling there, and Taemin thought they were both ready for it. He pushed his tongue slowly between her lips. She moaned softly and pressed her body closer. He felt his blood rush at the soft feeling of her chest against his.
Slipping a hand around, he slowly pushed it up under her shirt. She made no move to stop him, so he took it as a sign of approval. Her skin was warm and soft under his fingers. She sighed in pleasure as his finger brushed over a nipple. Her arms moved higher to pull him closer, leaning back so that he moved forward on top of her. She moved her legs so he could position himself between them. He continued kissing her, tasting every inch of her mouth as his hands traveled under her shirt making her whimper and push up against him. Her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him down against her. He gasped at the feeling before pulling his hand out of her shirt and leaning back.
"Bed," he whispered softly before pulling her up and lifting her so she could wrap her legs around him. She grinned and kissed him hard on the lips, making it difficult for him to walk straight. He stumbled into his room and they fell somewhat ungracefully to the bed. They laughed as they straightened themselves, but were quickly refocused on the kissing and touching once Taemin's lips were against hers once more.
They slowly removed their clothes as their hands traveled. Taemin reveled in every bit of exposed skin, kissing her neck, her stomach, spending extra time on her breasts, licking and sucking on each nipple. She moaned and arched up against him, her hands traveling his chest, hands curving over his shoulders as her nails scraped lightly over his skin. Once their pants were off, Taemin kissed her again, pushing himself down between her legs. She pressed up to grind her hips against his, rubbing his erection against her. He moaned needily into her mouth as her hand moved down to rub him through his underwear.
She removed them swiftly and circled her hand around him, stroking him to complete hardness. Taemin moaned and moved his hips against her hand. He pressed his face into her neck and took several shaky breaths before kissing the skin and pulling back. Moving his hands down, he removed her panties, smiling at the cute pink lace. Leaning down he kissed her at the bottom of her stomach, moving down and spreading her legs. He flicked his tongue against her sensitive skin before pressing his tongue against it in a slow, long swipe. She moaned in pleasure, urging him on. He could feel her getting wetter, and after a few minutes she gripped his shoulders and pulled him back up. "Taemin, I want you," she breathed heavily.
Licking his lips, Taemin nodded and moved over to fumble and pull out his condom. He slipped it on with shaky hands, eager and excited. She smiled at him fondly, which made him only blush harder.
"Come on, sexy. I'm ready," she whispered in a sultry voice that made his blood boil.
Trying to keep his hands from shaking too much, Taemin lined his hard member up and slowly pushed into her. She whimpered and dug her fingernails into his shoulders a little harder. He sucked in a breath and tried to go as slow as he could, moving his hips in small circles to help her get accustomed to him being inside of her before pulling back and pushing in further. He slowly built up a pace, pushing into her and circling his hips. Her breathing got heavier as she clung onto him. Her legs tightened around him, pulling herself up against him. Taemin gasped loudly and then moaned as he pushed into her faster.
Leaning down, he licked and nibbled gently on her nipples. She moaned over and over as he moved his hips in a way that made him hit her g-spot. Her body tensed as he hit it over and over, her eyes rolling back in her head. Taemin smirked in accomplishment as he sped up. After several more deep thrusts, her body tensed even more and she screamed his name out, making him gasp. He felt himself getting closer. moaning her name as he came while still thrusting into her.
After several moments, Taemin pulled himself out and disposed of the condom before laying down beside her and pulling her closer. Her arm snaked around his chest and she smiled up at him contently. Taemin's eyes caught the time on the clock and he grinned before leaning closer to peck her lightly on the lips.
"Merry Christmas," he whispered softly, arms tightening around her momentarily as he held her close.
Pairing: Taemin/OC
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Het sex, member/oc.
Summary: From the first time Taemin met her, he couldn't get her off his mind.
Wordcount: 4,681
Notes: Written for the shineesanta exchange for glimmersofstars. I didn't think I'd be writing any member/oc fics, but here is one after all. I didn't mind it so much because I found a way to make it work for me. I don't know how good I really think it is, but it's okay.
The first time Taemin met her, she was a caterer working at one of his father's business parties. Taemin always thought they were boring, but he also always enjoyed the food. Plus, the other young men and women that attended were usually entertaining. That night, he was particularly hungry though, and the food wasn't being served yet, so instead of hanging out with the other young adults, Taemin hatched a plan to sneak and get some food for himself.
When he was a bit younger, his father had a different company taking care of the food. The woman who oversaw it always gave him treats, but that was before he was allowed to be a part of the parties. One year, his father started hiring a different company because of business relations that he didn't care to explain in detail to his adolescent son. When he'd tried to get some food from them, Taemin had been reprimanded and sent away. It made him a little bitter, but it had been a few years. Surely there would be new employees and he had a different sort of attack plan than that of a young teen. He was now a charming young man. Surely all the noonas would love him again.
It was easy enough to find the kitchen at the place his father rented out every year. He used to host the parties at home, but ever since a couple of years ago, he'd started hosting them at this place. Taemin could see why. It had a much more elegant, royal feel to it. That, and they didn't have to stress for days beforehand to get it ready. Now, that was someone else's job. Taemin enjoyed his father's success, but he didn't like the expectations for him that came along with it.
Once at the back door of the kitchen, Taemin gently prodded it open to peek in. There were a couple of chefs making last minute preparations, and a few of their assistants, or whatever they were called, were running around in a panic. Just as he'd hoped, a tray of goodies lay just inside the door, with no one watching it. Licking his lips, Taemin crouched down and slipped gracefully inside. He was now below counter level. No one could see him unless they walked around that way. Fortunately everyone was too busy to pay much attention to the finished tray at the back, or so he thought.
Peeking his head above the counter, Taemin watched them work hastily with a small smile on his face. It was kind of cool, but also really amusing to him. He was really glad at that moment that he hadn't wanted to be a chef. It looked really stressful. His smile growing, Taemin reached out and grabbed two mini sandwiches before sneaking back out the door. He laughed quietly in triumph and quickly started to eat one before walking down the hallway. As he chewed on the bread, meat, cheese and tomato, Taemin couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It had been way too easy.
"Excuse me."
He froze and looked around. It wasn't a chef, or even one of the assistants. It was a waitress. Black hair pulled back into a short ponytail. She had deep brown eyes that weren't really wide, but not really thin either. Taemin gaped at her before remembering he had food in his mouth, which he quickly swallowed. "Yeah?" he asked, even though the evidence of his guilt was still in his hands.
"Did you just steal those from the kitchen?"
"Yeah."
She sighed audibly and tossed her head back and to the side in annoyance. "Do you realize you've just gone and messed a whole tray up? They're supposed to be full when we bring them out. No doubt they're going to blame one of us."
Slapped in the face with the reality of it, Taemin could only stare at her in shock.
"If they decide to blame someone, it could mean his or her job too. Us waiters are expendable you know."
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. He hadn't really realized how bad it would be to take a couple of sandwiches.
The girl seemed to lose some of her resolve though, her hands dropping from her hips down to her sides. "Don't worry about it, rich boy. I'll take care of it."
Rich boy? Well, he couldn't deny that. But, he was a lot more than just a rich boy. He watched as she turned and went through the kitchen door. He felt glued to the spot, gutted by the thought of someone losing their job because of his little trick. Slowly walking toward the door again, Taemin nudged it open and peaked through. There was the girl, trying to fix the tray with one of the assistant cooks breathing down her neck, asking her what had happened. She simply responded that she didn't know as she tried to fill the gap to make it less obvious that something was missing. Taemin looked down at the sandwich still in his hand and sighed. What a downer. He hated seeing anyone get in trouble because of him, especially a pretty girl. And she didn't even rat him out.
Taemin pulled back and leaned against the wall as he chewed on the second sandwich. Well, they wouldn't want it back now so he might as well eat it. He waited until they were serving the food, and he could tell because it suddenly got a lot louder, then deadly quiet except for the noises of them walking out into the main room. He sighed and chewed on his bottom lip. He really hated apologizing, but the annoyed look on the girl's face wouldn't leave his mind.
Taking a deep breath, Taemin walked into the kitchen. Neither of the chefs were working anymore. Instead they were leaning against the opposite wall, talking casually. They looked up when Taemin walked in, but didn't seem to think it was their job to attend to him. Taemin looked for the assistant chef that he'd seen talking to the girl. He was whispering orders to one of the male waiters, who scurried off after a second. The guy turned, looking frazzled and about ready to pull his short hair out. Taemin moved closer to him and the guy's eyes lit with recognition.
"What are you doing in here? You should be out at the party. We've already served the food." he smiled at him in a strained way and Taemin shuffled his feet nervously.
"Ah, that's because I, umm," he faltered, feeling like a kid who'd stolen candy and been forced by his mother to apologize. But he was doing this of his own will, right? "I was the one who took the sandwiches earlier. I was too hungry to wait, and the tray was just sitting there. I didn't think it would hurt anything."
Once again, Taemin saw recognition flash through his eyes as he remembered the sandwich tray that was missing food. "Oh, that was you?" he seemed troubled and torn as to how he should handle it. "Well, in that case, I guess it wasn't really stealing then. Ah, that's a relief at least. You never know when you hire some of the young people to serve the food. Sometimes they like to sample the goods, but it's not for them."
Taemin nodded slowly, although he didn't see why it would hurt all that bad for them to just eat a little. "Yeah, umm, I just didn't want anyone to get in trouble because of me."
The guy went a little pale, probably wondering if Taemin had seen him giving an earful to the waitress. "Oh, yes. Yes, everything is fine. No one is in trouble at all. If there's nothing else, can I bother you to return to the main room? We're about to start cleaning, so you'll only feel uncomfortable here."
With that, Taemin was quickly ushered back out the door. He slowly made his way back to the big room full of chattering people, wondering if he'd see that girl in there. But he didn't see her serving food. Maybe she was just a food watcher or something after all. He was eventually distracted by Jinki, one of his friends, finding him and pulling him away toward the outside patio. It was cold, but for some reason it was the young adults' favorite place to hang out.
It was several weeks later, when the temperature had dropped down to freezing, that Taemin's friends were having their Christmas party. He was looking forward to going because he liked hanging out with his friends, but there were always people he didn't know at the parties. Sometimes he got shy around people he didn't know very well, so he had to encourage himself beforehand to be social and friendly.
At the party, the second time he met the girl occurred. He hadn't realized who she was at first. There were so many people at those parties he didn't recognize that it was no surprise he didn't really notice her. That is, until he saw her sitting on the sofa, directly under the mistletoe. Taemin wasn't really the kind of guy to walk up and kiss a stranger, but he couldn't help but stare at her as he remembered where he'd first met her. Her dark hair was down this time, falling just to her shoulders. She was wearing a little more noticeable make-up, and her clothes were a lot more form fitting than the waitress outfit he'd seen her in before.
"I see who you're looking at," came a deep voice from over his shoulder.
"Who?" Taemin responded curiously as he tilted his head to look at Minho, who had stepped up beside him.
"I don't know her name. She's one of Key's friends I think."
"Oh," Taemin answered simply. A couple seconds later he felt an elbow nudging him in the side.
"Well, go say hello."
"What?"
"You've been staring at her for the past couple of minutes. Maybe you should talk to her."
"Talk to who?" came another questioning voice from Jonghyun, who was walking up to them with a curious grin that made Taemin want to sink into the floor. He did not want to be forced to talk to a girl, even if she was a pretty one. Unfortunately, Minho pointed her out to Jonghyun, making the shorter man smile all the more widely.
"Taemin, Taemin," he said, reaching out to shake his shoulder. "Do you see where she's sitting?"
"Yeah, obviously," he muttered.
"What?" Minho asked, confused.
"That's where I hung the mistletoe earlier."
Minho chuckled and slapped Taemin's back. "Well, there you go."
"What? I can't just go up and kiss her!" Taemin hissed, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly at the thought.
"Sure you can. It's a party. That's what it's for. Just make sure you let her know she's under the mistletoe before you lean in. Otherwise, she might think you're just a drunk pervert."
"No!" he fought back with a pout.
"Come on, if you don't do it then you're a baby still," Jonghyun said, already pushing him forward.
Somehow Taemin found himself standing right in front of her, his face a deep shade of red, Jonghyun and Minho snickering behind his back. When her face tilted up and her gaze met his, he only felt even more embarrassed. "Umm, hi," he said, almost under his breath.
"Hi," she responded uncertainly. "Can I help you?"
"It's just that you, ah," he felt like wringing his shirt, but he wouldn't let himself do something like that in front of her. "I noticed you were sitting here."
The girl blinked at him in confusion until she noticed the other two guys grinning and looking up at the ceiling, at which point she also looked up. Her eyes widened a little and she looked back at Taemin with disbelief. He felt his stomach flip nervously because he didn't know how kissing her would go over, but he also knew that the guys would give him a lot of grieve if he chickened out. This would be the moment where he could prove he wasn't a kid anymore. Without giving it another thought, he leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers. She tensed, but didn't pull away, and Taemin felt his eyes close as he tilted his head and felt her soft lips move against his own. The kiss was over within a second, when he pulled back quickly out of respect, but the feeling of her lips lingered on his for the rest of the night.
Taemin had been too mortified to speak to her the rest of the night, especially when after he pulled back, all she did was stare at him like he was crazy. Jonghyun and Minho teased him, asking if it was his first kiss so many times that he felt like hitting them over the head. He didn't ask Key about her, and he hoped his other friend never found out that he'd kissed one of their guests.
A week later, he didn't think he'd ever see her again, but even so, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Both situations they'd met in had been embarrassing to him, but even with that, he still felt like he wanted to see her again. He was nervous about her seeing him though, because he had no idea what she thought of him. When Key invited him over to pick up a few things he'd borrowed, Taemin wondered if maybe he should ask about her.
"Come in," Key answered the door with a smile, stepping to the side to let his guest in. Taemin smiled back and took his shoes off at the door before walking further in. Key liked to share clothes with his friends, and the sharing ended up going both ways, so Taemin wasn't surprised when Key called and asked Taemin to drop by and pick up some of his things. "I'm doing some New Year’s cleaning," he explained as he led Taemin into his apartment. "I have to make room for my new roommate."
Now Taemin was interested, but he soon lost all thoughts of roommates when they stepped into the living room and there on the couch was the exact girl that had been occupying his thoughts recently. She had her foot pulled up onto the couch, and she was leaning over, painting it black. Taemin felt his heart race and his stomach sink at the same time. If she was here, then ... was she involved with Key?
When she looked up, her eyes settled on him with recognition. "Ah, so you're Taemin," she affirmed before looking back down at her work.
"Yes, this is Taemin," Key responded, smiling brightly. "He's one of my prettiest friends."
"Key," Taemin complained, digging his hands into his pockets and shifting his feet.
"What? It's true. There's nothing wrong with being pretty. This is Mei, by the way. You can further introduce yourselves, if you'd like. I'll go get the clothes and be right back," Key added before turning and walking off toward his bedroom.
Taemin stood there awkwardly for a few seconds as the girl continued painting her nails, barely even glancing at him when Key left. After starting to feel a little too awkward, Taemin stepped closer. "You remember me?" he asked, earning him a much firmer gaze.
"Yeah, of course I remember the stranger who kissed me."
"I mean, do you remember the other time we met?"
She looked back up at him with a sharp gaze before her eyes slowly softened again and she smiled. "Yeah, rich boy, I remember you." she took a deep breath and dropped her foot to the floor, closing the polish bottle. "I didn't think you would have remembered me, to be honest. I guess I left a pretty strong impression, huh?"
Taemin couldn't help but smile at the way her cheeks flushed so slightly he almost didn't notice it. "Yeah, I guess you did. Look, I'm sorry about kissing you like that and then not even saying anything after."
She laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I knew those two idiots put you up to it. Well, at least I know Jonghyun can be an idiot. I haven't really met the taller one."
"Minho. Yeah, he can be a douche sometimes," Taemin muttered bitterly, making the girl laugh more.
"Really, it's okay. I didn't mind."
Taemin felt himself blushing this time, barely letting himself read into those words.
It was the end of his year as an eighteen year old when he met her, and the following year, Taemin found himself spending a lot more time hanging out with Key until he had enough courage to ask her out, not as a date or anything, but just to hang out. He quickly found out that her and Key were just friends, and she was in a hard spot financially, so Key helped her by letting her rent his extra room a little cheaper than normal apartments would run. Plus, sharing cut down on the cost anyway.
Winter rushed in before Taemin realized it, and he thought one day that it had been about a year since they'd met. He had a thought, and figured out the day they'd first met at the party, asking her out that evening. He didn't say anything about it because he didn't want her to laugh, but he thought it was cute, and maybe it would give him the luck he needed to confess.
She looked stunning when he picked her up that evening. Her hair had grown out a bit. Her pants were black and tight against her legs and her shirt was a flowing red top that had sleeves, but bare shoulders. It hung on her perfectly, and he smiled as she slid into the car next to him.
Dinner went by with friendly interaction. They actually got along much better than either would have imagined before they got closer. They had a lot in common. He loved to dance, and she had grown up taking ballet lessons. She still liked dancing, but it wasn't something she had spent a lot of her spare time doing in the last couple of years. She'd been too busy trying to make enough of a living to survive. Taemin immediately decided she had to start dancing again, and started introducing her to all the best dance clubs and events. Even the things she wasn't too familiar with, she managed to pick up quickly, and he could tell how much she enjoyed it. Dancing with her, and seeing her smile light up as she spun under his guiding hands made him like her even more. She was radiating with beauty on the dance floor, not that she wasn't pretty at other times though.
It was so much that Taemin couldn't stop thinking about her, and he didn't want to wait any longer to tell her, but he had always been a shy and nervous person. That was why he'd already waited so long. Now he had everything about as perfect as it could be. After a light dinner, they went dancing for a couple of hours. Then he asked her back to his apartment to try out some wine and chocolates he'd heard went well together. Taemin knew he had to be really transparent in his intentions, but he didn't think it was such a bad thing.
Back at his place, she made it apparent that she knew what was going on. After their second glass of wine, she asked him to dance with her again. Taemin felt like electricity coursed through his body as his hands found the small of her back and her body pressed in close against his. "Taemin, this has been really nice, but it sort of all felt like a date."
His cheeks flushed at the accusation, but also at the way her soft voice seemed to caress the skin of his cheek as her hand tightened around his shoulder. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked, in almost a whisper.
He could almost feel her smile as she responded, "I didn't say anything like that."
Leaning back slightly, she looked up into his eyes and Taemin felt his heart race as he stared down into her brown ones. "Then, it was meant to be," he responded with a small smile.
She laughed and her eyes narrowed slightly as their feet slowed, the soft music continuing in the background. "Good. I've been waiting for you to ask me out on a real date, Taemin-oppa~" she drew out, making him blush again, but he didn't have much of a chance to respond because she was leaning up and brushing her lips softly against his. "Payback for taking my Christmas kiss last year."
A big smile spread across his face and he tightened his hands around her back and pouted slightly at her. "I don't think that was nearly enough payback."
"Oh really, rich boy," she played back, using the term she'd first directed at him.
"Not nearly enough, Mei," he whispered her name softly before leaning in to kiss her again. He moved his lips slowly, feeling her out, testing the waters. She held onto him tightly, and he felt like he'd gotten everything he could have hoped for that night. It was really perfect, like fate had really played a part in them finding one another.
That Christmas Eve was the first time Taemin wouldn't spend the evening on his own since getting a place of his own, which really hadn't been all that long ago. Still, it felt really special. Mei had cooked for him, something that Taemin thought was awesome. He managed to find a really good wine that he bought, since he wouldn't be much help in the kitchen. Despite the fact that she was a waitress, Mei had wanted to be a chef, so she had a lot of practice cooking. As Taemin tried out the food, he felt incredibly lucky because it was so good. That, and he didn't understand why she wasn't the one cooking food where she worked.
But the evening wasn't over with just dinner. Sitting down on the couch later, Taemin nervously leaned in to kiss her. He'd thought about spending the entire night with her, about how far they might go. It was Christmas Eve after all, so he thought it should be special. She didn't seem as nervous as him, but she did smile and look down with a breathy giggle. Taemin ran his fingers through her hair and pressed a kiss against her forehead. She looked back up at him, her smile widening.
Mei leaned into him, her arms wrapping around his chest as she tilted her head up to kiss him again. He tightened his own arms around her shoulders and deepened the kiss, moaning contently against her lips. Her name slipped softly from his lips, his hands sliding up and down her back slowly. They hadn't really spoken about taking things to the next level, but there was a sort of feeling there, and Taemin thought they were both ready for it. He pushed his tongue slowly between her lips. She moaned softly and pressed her body closer. He felt his blood rush at the soft feeling of her chest against his.
Slipping a hand around, he slowly pushed it up under her shirt. She made no move to stop him, so he took it as a sign of approval. Her skin was warm and soft under his fingers. She sighed in pleasure as his finger brushed over a nipple. Her arms moved higher to pull him closer, leaning back so that he moved forward on top of her. She moved her legs so he could position himself between them. He continued kissing her, tasting every inch of her mouth as his hands traveled under her shirt making her whimper and push up against him. Her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him down against her. He gasped at the feeling before pulling his hand out of her shirt and leaning back.
"Bed," he whispered softly before pulling her up and lifting her so she could wrap her legs around him. She grinned and kissed him hard on the lips, making it difficult for him to walk straight. He stumbled into his room and they fell somewhat ungracefully to the bed. They laughed as they straightened themselves, but were quickly refocused on the kissing and touching once Taemin's lips were against hers once more.
They slowly removed their clothes as their hands traveled. Taemin reveled in every bit of exposed skin, kissing her neck, her stomach, spending extra time on her breasts, licking and sucking on each nipple. She moaned and arched up against him, her hands traveling his chest, hands curving over his shoulders as her nails scraped lightly over his skin. Once their pants were off, Taemin kissed her again, pushing himself down between her legs. She pressed up to grind her hips against his, rubbing his erection against her. He moaned needily into her mouth as her hand moved down to rub him through his underwear.
She removed them swiftly and circled her hand around him, stroking him to complete hardness. Taemin moaned and moved his hips against her hand. He pressed his face into her neck and took several shaky breaths before kissing the skin and pulling back. Moving his hands down, he removed her panties, smiling at the cute pink lace. Leaning down he kissed her at the bottom of her stomach, moving down and spreading her legs. He flicked his tongue against her sensitive skin before pressing his tongue against it in a slow, long swipe. She moaned in pleasure, urging him on. He could feel her getting wetter, and after a few minutes she gripped his shoulders and pulled him back up. "Taemin, I want you," she breathed heavily.
Licking his lips, Taemin nodded and moved over to fumble and pull out his condom. He slipped it on with shaky hands, eager and excited. She smiled at him fondly, which made him only blush harder.
"Come on, sexy. I'm ready," she whispered in a sultry voice that made his blood boil.
Trying to keep his hands from shaking too much, Taemin lined his hard member up and slowly pushed into her. She whimpered and dug her fingernails into his shoulders a little harder. He sucked in a breath and tried to go as slow as he could, moving his hips in small circles to help her get accustomed to him being inside of her before pulling back and pushing in further. He slowly built up a pace, pushing into her and circling his hips. Her breathing got heavier as she clung onto him. Her legs tightened around him, pulling herself up against him. Taemin gasped loudly and then moaned as he pushed into her faster.
Leaning down, he licked and nibbled gently on her nipples. She moaned over and over as he moved his hips in a way that made him hit her g-spot. Her body tensed as he hit it over and over, her eyes rolling back in her head. Taemin smirked in accomplishment as he sped up. After several more deep thrusts, her body tensed even more and she screamed his name out, making him gasp. He felt himself getting closer. moaning her name as he came while still thrusting into her.
After several moments, Taemin pulled himself out and disposed of the condom before laying down beside her and pulling her closer. Her arm snaked around his chest and she smiled up at him contently. Taemin's eyes caught the time on the clock and he grinned before leaning closer to peck her lightly on the lips.
"Merry Christmas," he whispered softly, arms tightening around her momentarily as he held her close.