Making Chocolates......

"I'm home…." Mia said as soon as she entered her house.

As she was just removing her shoes, a small black coloured fur ball came running to her on his small four legs. "Bow! Bow!" A small wagging tail wasn't even properly visible with all that fur of his.

"Oh Hello there, Charlie~" And saying that she picked up the puppy in her hands. "Ow! My smoochy koochy puppy Charlie….." She said her lips pouting and her cheeks puffed.

"You were waiting for me! You were waiting for me, right?" She held him before her face and then Charlie started licking her nose. "Oh! Oh!....I love you too!!!"

While all this was happening, Jun entered the house. " Hat's off to you Charlieyaa…..How can you do this to her every day? I'm happy that I'm not you…."

Mia turned her head to him with annoyed look. "He loves me okay? Do you have any problem with that?"

"Oh no! Come on. It's just that...I just feel so sorry for him. That's all!" And saying that Jun went towards the kitchen. A teasing smirk resting on his face.

"You!!!" Saying that angrily Mia put down the puppy and followed Jun to the kitchen with long and grumpy steps.

While, trying to catch up with her, tiny Charlie was also running behind her with all his might.

As Mia entered the kitchen, she saw Jun pouring out some orange juice in a glass.

"You want some?" He asked without even looking up.

If he had looked up, he would've seen Mia's fiery eyes and red face.

She didn't answer anything so he capped up the juice bottle and as he was putting it back in the fridge, Mia came forward and without saying a word, she took the juice filled glass and emptied it in her mouth.

Jun turned back and saw that Mia poured the last drop of the juice in her mouth and placed the empty glass on the counter with a big 'THUDD!!'

"Huhhhhh…." He sighed loudly. "That's why I asked you if you wanted it…." And then he again opened the fridge to get the bottle.

"While seeing you like that, emptying your glass in one go….I think you'd be really good drinker….Haha….." He said jokingly but Mia's face was still stiff.

"Why do you always have a problem with me?" She asked bluntly.

"Huh?" Jun looked up while pouring the juice in the glass. "I don't have a problem with you…." He stopped before saying the next. "…..I think, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!" He pressed every single word of his statement.

A hint of smile wasn't visible to Mia as his face was down at the kitchen counter.

"Hmph!" Mia huffed. "I knew you were going to say that."

Little Charlie was running around Mia's legs, wagging his small bushy tell as hard as he could. "Bow~ Bow~"

Mia took him up in her arms.

"Why do you always say such mean things to me? Charlie loves me, so what's your problem?" Mia asked as she was scratching Charlie's neck.

"I told you, I have no problem with anything…." He kept the bottle back in the fridge and taking his glass in his hands he started walking out from the kitchen.

Before stepping out, he said, "And for your kind information, Charlie is not the only one who loves you!" And with those words he walked out and stepped towards the stairs.

'Huh?' Mia's head went blank for a second. "….."

Quickly getting back to herself, she ran towards him.

"What do you mean?" She yelled from the base of the staircase while Jun had already climbed up till the middle.

As soon as he heard her question, a mischievous smile got spread on his face. 'Gotcha!'

"Nothing….Nothing….." He said without even turning back to her and climbing up the stairs.

"Huh? Wait!!" Mia ran up towards him, while Charlie was still in her arms.

Jun casually entered his room. Putting Charlie down, Mia also followed him inside.

As she forcefully opened the door and gushed inside, she saw that Jun had unbuttoned some of the buttons of his shirt. His bare chest was clearly visible to her. He looked up at her in surprise and quickly covered himself , pulling his shirt closer.

"AAA!!!" Screaming and closing her eyes shut, she quickly closed the door.

"Are you idiot? I am changing!!!" Jun yelled from the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry…..I'm sorry…..I didn't know that you'd start taking off your clothes while we were talking!!!" Mia yelled back.

As she yelled, Charlie in her legs barked with her. "Bow! Bow!" as if agreeing with her.

Jun, who was tightly shutting his mouth to try to control his laughter, punched in the pillow several times. 'This is so funny!!!! Hahahaha...Her face…..Her face was so funny….!!! Hahahaha...'

"Jun?" Mia talked from outside.

Jun quickly stood up; composing himself he took a deep breath.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"We were talking….Are you gonna tell me or not?" Mia asked.

"We were talking? About what?" He asked back acting naïve.

"Don't act like you know nothing….." Mia banged on the door getting irritated and the door got half opened. She quickly turned her back towards the door so she wouldn't see anything she shouldn't have.

As the door opened, Charlie ran inside barking and wagging his tail.

"Oh Hello Charlieyaa! You can come inside, as you are also a guy….But girls are not while I'm changing…." Jun yelled the last line so that Mia would listen.

"I know!" Mia bit her lips in frustration. Though her back was at the door, she was still shutting her eyes tightly.

"So…." Jun talked from inside. "You wanna know then?" He asked.

"Yes!" Mia shouted. 'What if he knows something…..something about Ray's feelings?.....Maybe….Maybe he can help me with this…..' Mia was thinking.

"Okay!" Jun's voice came, but this time from real close.

In reaction Mia turned back and opened her eyes. Finding Jun in the door of his room in his casual clothes, she sighed relieved.

Jun opened the door completely and let Mia in.

With her heart racing fast to hear his answer, she sat on the chair.

Little Charlie was busy chewing the leg of the table.

"So?" She asked eagerly.

"So…." Jun tried to stretch the conversation. The expressions on Mia's face were really amusing.

"I've got some news….you know…." He said vaguely.

"What news?" Now Mia was sitting on the tip of the chair.

"News….About….You know, you having a secret admirer….!"

"What? A secret admirer?" Mia's eyes got widened.

"Not one…..But many….." He said.

On that Mia's face darkened a bit. 'Many?'

"Yeah….I think, this Valentine's day is gonna be a big one for you! I know a great number of boys who are willing to confess their feelings to you." Jun looked at Mia from the side of his eyes.

The excitement in her eyes was completely gone.

'He knows nothing!!!" She thought disappointingly.

Slowly she got up from her seat and started walking towards the door.

"Hey!" Jun called. "Don't you wanna hear the details?" He asked.

"Nah! Not interested…." And with a gloomy voice and aura, she walked out from the room.

As she did, Charlie also stopped what he was doing and ran behind her.

"Charliyaa….At least you hear the name…." Jun shouted.

"And the name is Kim Ray!" This time he whispered it.

'Did she want to hear this name?' He thought looking at the door, where no one was.

~

~

"Now, add ¾ cup of cocoa powder and 1/3rd cup of milk powder." Ye Rin was reading out the instructions written the book before her.

All the girls were gathered at So Hee's house to make handmade chocolates for the next day - the Valentine's day.

Standing at the long kitchen counter, at a grand kitchen everyone was busy doing whatever Ye Rin was telling them to do.

In the corner of the kitchen, two chefs were standing.

So Hee poured the powder in the pot; in hurry some of it got spilled outside the box.

"Careful miss!" One of the chef said stepping forward.

"No!" So Hee shouted. "I told you, I don't need your help. I can do it on my own."

The chef stepped back to his original place.

Taking more powder, So Hee poured it inside.

"It feels so nice. Isn't it?" April said happily as she was enjoying her time.

"Hmm. I hope he likes it!" Hana said as her cheeks got a hint of pink.

While April and Hana were doing neatly and properly, Mia and So Hee were looking in a little trouble.

So Hee was vigorously mixing the mix.

"Slow down….Slow down….." Ye Rin instructed.

"Yeah…Yeah….I'm doing….I'm doing…." She said getting annoyed.

On the other hand, Mia was struggling to find anything.

"I can't find the milk powder…..Where is it?" She said panicking.

"It's right in front of you, Mia~" Ye Rin said.

"Where?" In the panic she spilled the packet of cocoa powder on the counter.

"Oh Shoot!!!" And saying that she started to clean it up.

"Leave it! Leave it!" So Hee said. "They will take care of it!"

"You take this." April handed her the milk powder from her side. "Add this first. We'll clean this afterwards…."

"I'm sorry…."Mia said apologetically and quickly added the powder.

"Measure! Take the measure Mia!" Ye Rin instructed again.

"Oh! Yeah….Yeah…."

.

"Now pour the smooth and silky mixture in the moulds." Ye Rin read the next step.

'Smooth and Silky…..?' Mia thought to herself. '…..This…..This doesn't look nothing like that...'

Still she started pouring it in the moulds. 'I'm terrible at this!!! Ughhh...'

.

"Now we've put them in the fridge to harden, it will take a while for them to cool down…" April said.

"Finally…..Done!!!" So Hee stretched her arms.

"I'm so happy that we all did it together. I would never forget about this." Hana beamed a bright smile at everyone, her eyes forming a half moon shape as usual.

Every one smiled on that.

"I can't wait to give these chocolates to Ray…..and confess my feelings!" So Hee was really excited.

"Me too!" April said in a low voice.

"…..I'm now a little nervous…..How should I give him? What should I say? Will he accept my chocolates?....Oh my god~" Hana said fanning herself with her hands.

"Cool down Hana. You'll be fi~ne" Ye Rin assured.

"So? Mia?" So Hee called.

"Yeah?" Mia looked at her.

"Have you decided yet?"

"About what?"

"About the guy, to whom you'd give your chocolates!"

"OH!.....Umm…..About that…..Umm I still don't know…." Mia said.

"Really?" April asked.

"Yeah…..And from the look of those chocolates…..I don't know if I should give them or not. Hehehe…." She laughed out the question. But still it was revolving in her mind. 'To whom I should give these?.....And if I didn't want to give them to anyone, why did I make them in the first place?'

"Leave it her guys." Ye Rin came again to rescue her. "Let's talk about something else…."

"There was actually a thing I wanted to ask you all…." So Hee came up with a topic.

"What is it?" April asked.

"Kiss!" So Hee blurted out.

"Kiss?" All then asked at once.

"Yep! I wanna know, how many of us have had a kiss?" So Hee asked directly.

"..."

No one said a word for a while, but the Ye Rin opened her mouth. "I've had."

Everyone's heads turned to her in shock.

"!!!!!"

"Yep! It was in the middle school." Ye Rin said.

"In the middle school?" Everyone repeated it.

"You know the guy I used to know from the Broadcasting team….."

"Don't tell me…..That junior???" April covered her mouth with her hands.

Ye Rin just nodded slightly.

"WHAT????"

"Tell us details!" So Hee ordered getting excited.

"That….I am not gonna tell you." Ye Rin said. "You all are lucky that I at least admitted it."

"Oh please….Tell us…" April said.

"Nope!" Ye Rin rejected the request right away.

"Ohhh..." They pouted.

While all this was happening, Mia was completely lost in her thoughts.

The thoughts of her first ever kiss!

At the hot springs!

She was standing still, without any movement. She wasn't even blinking. Her throat had dried out and that unfamiliar feeling made her whole body shiver.

"Now. Anyone else here who wants to declare, that they've had their first kiss too?" Ye Rin asked.

Girls looked at each other and shook their heads saying 'No'.

"Does that mean I am the only one?" Ye Rin said but when she looked at Mia, she felt something is different with her.

Mia's white face and her dry lips were trying to tell her something.

No one noticed the change on Mia's face but Ye Rin.

'Is it what I think it is?'She asked to herself as she was staring at Mia with her one eyebrow raised high.

~