Chapter 2
Pua walked into the radio booth early and was shocked to see Changmin already there. He waved to her as he peered over the button board that was in front of him. Her eyes were huge as her hand went up to wave back. She didn?t say anything, truthfully she didn?t know what to say, so she walked to her side of the booth and sat down and placed her books and other things on the floor next to her.
?Want some coffee?? he asked giving her a smile.
?No, I?m fine.? she replied shaking her head. Any touching or interaction between them should be left to a minimum.
?Okay. So, how was your day?? he kept asking her questions because he felt that he should get to her know her a little bit, if they were going to be co-hosts on the radio show.
?It was fine.? she said simply. She didn?t want to carry the conversation any farther so she used the tone that hinted that she wasn?t going to keep talking.
?That?s good.? he murmured.
Silence fell in the room as they both did things to keep themselves busy until four thirty. Patti walked into the room and was met with the both of them looking at her as she walked in. ?My so quiet in here. It?s like we?re in a grave yard.?
?Isn?t that where you should be?? Pua muttered under her breath.
Patti shot her a dirty look and then smiled sweetly at Changmin. ?Too bad you won?t sleep with her, she really needs to get laid.? she walked to the table and placed the days participates on the table. Pua?s mouth dropped open and her face turned beet red as Patti smirked at her and walked out.
?That bit--? she spat out.
He cleared his throat. She looked at him through a haze of anger and could still feel her face burning. Her hand clenched into a fist as she tried to calm herself down. She wanted to walk out of the room and find Patti and punch her in the face. But she couldn?t or she would get fired. And the show couldn?t go on without her she knew. Or she thought. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. She could feel the anger subside as she focused on what was in front of her, the radio show. And Changmin. Wait, what? No, Changmin shouldn?t be in her mind. Well he was her co-host, and just that. She opened her eyes and he was standing next to her with a cup of water in his hand.
?Water?? he asked.
?Thanks.? she said softly as she reached for the cup of water. Their fingers touched for a brief second and she pulled away quickly in order to stop touching him.
He found her fascinating. She was trying to keep herself in control, making sure no one knew what she was feeling on the inside. She avoided his eyes, looking down at the papers in front of her, acting like she was reading when she was actually trying to get him to go away by acting like she was busy.
He leaned down to her ear and whispered, ?I don?t have cooties you know.?
She turned to face him and looked directly into his eyes. ?We?re going on soon.?
?What??
?The radio show, we go on in five minutes.?
?Oh, right.? he replied, his turn to turn red.
They stared at each other for a few seconds and he looked away and walked back to his side of the booth. He watched her as she put on her headphones and was getting ready to on air. His mind flashed back to a few moments ago when they were staring at each other and he remembered her chin going up defiantly. He knew that she had a strong personality when he first met her, and his heart beat a little faster as he knew that he would have a hard time melting her ice cold exterior. He looked up at the clock and saw it was five o?clock. The ?on air? light flashed on and the music started up and he got ready for his first radio show ever.
?Welcome to the Bonafied Loving Radio show with Pua and introducing my new co-host, Changmin. It is five o?clock on the dot and we are ready to start today?s new love issues and advice!!!? she said. ?First will everyone give a hand to my new co-host and new sparring partner Changmin!!! Yaaaay Changmin!?
?Yeboseyo everyone, I?m Changmin.?
?Tell everyone where you?re from and a small summary of yourself.?
?Well, I?m from Korea originally, I?m here to study music, um, I like to read and I?m pretty nerdy.?
?That you are.? Pua said with a laugh.
?Well so are you, with those glasses on.? he replied.
?Touche.? she said with a smile. ?Alright now that you have been introduced to the new host, let?s move onto the new victims for today?s love advice!?
He watched as she seamlessly moved onto the new segment. It was like looking at someone completely different. She was so animated as she talked and her smile was infectious, he felt himself smile as he watched her. She pointed to the mic as he realized that it was his turn to talk.
?Our first caller is named Jae, and his wanting to know how to tell the girl that he likes that he has feelings for her, but is afraid to, since she is oblivious and is scared that all she?ll do is hurt him.? he said.
?Hello Jae??
?Hello?? a quiet voice came out.
?Tell us about the girl that you like, what kind of a girl is she?? Pua asked.
?She?s east Indian, she?s a type A personality, very demanding, but I like her a lot. We?ve been friends since 2006. But she always gets me to do things with her that I don?t necessarily want to do. But I want to tell her that I like her, but that things have to change in order for us to maybe go out. I don?t even know if she likes me.?
?Wow Jae it seems like she really is a bitch. What?s her first initial of her first name??
?J.?
?Okay we?ll call her J then. Have you told J that you like her??
?No.?
?Maybe you should sit her down and tell her how you feel about her and see if she takes it to heart. But don?t forget to also tell her about how you feel about being used. Make her see that what she does isn?t actually what you like doing all the time.?
?Um, okay, I?m try that. Thanks.?
?Please call us back after, we would love to know what happens.? Pua said. ?Okay next caller, who do we have??
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?Good show today you guys.? Patti said giving them a thumbs up.
?Thanks.? Changmin smiled. It wasn?t as bad as he thought it would be.
?See you guys next week with more love stricken fools.? she said with a chuckle.
He waved as Patti left. ?So I was wondering, do you wanna grab a bite to eat or something?? he said scratching his head and giving her a smile.
?Um, no I can?t sorry, I have to study.? she responded gathering her things together. ?You really need to stop smiling so much.?
?Sorry. Are you sure you want to go??
?Yes, I?m sure, I?m swamped. I?ll see you next week.? she said walking towards the door and opening it.
?At least let me walk to your dorm or something.?
?I don?t dorm.?
?Car then??
?I?ll be fine, I don?t need any help.? she said as she struggled to hold the door open with her elbow.
He didn?t say anything, he walked over and grabbed her folders that she was holding in her arms and held them in one arm as he held the door open with his other hand. She fumed, but allowed him to carry her things to her car. Regretfully let him.
?You really didn?t need to do that, I had everything under control? she pouted.
?It?s not a bad thing to let people help you, you know.? he replied.
?I told you, I didn?t need any help.?
He grunted but didn?t say anything. She unlocked her car and opened the passenger side of the car and held her hands open so that she could put them into her car. But he held them above her so she couldn?t reach them and put them in the car himself. She clenched her teeth and wanted to say something, but bit back her tongue.
?Thanks.? she said awkwardly. She didn?t know how she should feel or what she should say, but did thank him again, since that?s all she could really think of. ?Oh, by the way, good show today.? she said before walking to the driver?s side of the car.
?Thanks.? he blushed. He watched as she drove away and wasn?t sure if he just saw a little piece of her true self.
