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hunnywrites · 5 years ago

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Sixteen Candles: Part Two

Summary: It’s the day that Vivian has been looking forward to nearly her entire life: her sixteenth birthday. But between her sister’s wedding overshadowing her big day, and praying that her crush Billy Hargrove will finally notice her things aren’t going too well for her. If she can just survive the under the sea dance at her school and avoid the really weird and creepy Tommy H her night might be salvageable. Maybe.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner!

“Not a single happy birthday, Robin. From anyone. They almost acted like I was fucking invisible on top of it,” Vivian huffed as she and Robin made their ways through the halls of Hawkins High. Tommy hadn’t even said anything to her and she had at least been expecting some sort of creepy comment from him.

“Maybe this is some sort of a trick. Or like a joke,” Robin offered. “Like, maybe they’re pretending that they forgot, but when you get home they’ll have some sort of surprise party?”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “I doubt that. They’re not thoughtful enough to think of something like that. God, I shouldn’t even be surprised. Everything’s been about Sarah lately anyways,” she grumbled, stopping in front of her locker and angrily unlocking it. It had always sort of been that way. Sarah was the golden child. Perfect at everything she did. Carol got attention because she was always getting into trouble. Vivian was the quiet kid with a B average in school. It was sort of easy for her to seem invisible to other people. “Besides, I have bigger problems at the moment.”

Robin gave her a disbelieving look. “Bigger problems than your family forgetting your birthday? Do tell.”

“I ran into Billy in my kitchen last night.” Vivian said simply.

Robin stared blankly at her for a moment before cracking a smile and raising an eyebrow. “...Is that all?”

“He said he liked my shirt. And he told me happy birthday.” now that she said it out loud it didn’t sound all that impressive.

“Wow, you’re practically married.” Robin teased.

Vivian slammed her locker shut and held up a finger. “That’s not all, miss sassy pants. I almost asked him out to the dance.”

Robin seemed speechless for a few seconds. She blinked wildly a few times, titling her head at her best friend. Vivian said all the time that she was gonna get the courage to ask Billy out one day. Neither Robin or Vivian actually believed her whenever she’d say it though. “You almost asked?”

The pair took off down the hallway once again. “Well, I brought the dance up, but before I could he said that Cheryl was gonna make him go with her.” she said with a dramatic eye roll.

“Sounds romantic.” Robin laughed.

“I totally don’t get it. Why even date her?” Vivian groaned. That was a stupid question. Cheryl was gorgeous. Even if she was a pain in the ass. And it wasn’t really like Billy was a guy of substance as Robin just loved to remind Vivian.

“Oh, I can think of one reason…”

Vivian glared over at Robin. “It’s my birthday. No reminding me that they’re boning.”

“Just trying to add perspective,” Robin grinned. “Try and keep you as sane as I can when it comes to the whole Billy subject,” it was a fair statement to make, much as Vivian didn’t want to admit it. “I suppose this means we’re gonna spend the night at the dance stalking him around the gym until he notices you?”

“...I wouldn’t put it that way.” Vivian muttered.

“No? How would you?”

“...Shut up. Like we have anything better to do.” Vivian and Robin never did much at dances. They normally liked to avoid them, but every once and awhile Vivian’s mom forced her to tag along with Carol in an attempt to make Vivian more “normal”. So usually they’d park out on the bleachers with some punch and make fun of other people until Carol and Tommy decided they were ready to leave.

Robin laughed and shook her head. “Viv, I’m just teasing. If you wanna spend your birthday stalking Billy Hargrove then I can’t really say no,” Vivan shot Robin an unimpressed look. “Oh look, speak of the devil…” Robin nodded her head down the hall.

Vivian turned to look as Billy made his way around the corner. His arm was draped casually around Cheryl’s shoulder and she was talking animatedly about something, but it was obvious he wasn’t listening to much of what she was saying. His eyes landed on Vivian and Robin, and a slow smile graced his lips before he nodded his head in their direction before he and Cheryl passed by them.

Vivian looked over at Robin. “Tell me I didn’t just imagine that.”

Robin’s eyebrows were raised as she watched Billy and Cheryl disappear down the hall. “You didn’t imagine that.”

“...Maybe there’s hope for this birthday afterall.” Vivian said with a somewhat dreamy sigh.

Robin let out a soft laugh and shook her head. “Let’s just get to biology before we’re late, birthday girl.”

---

Lunch was hands down Billy’s favorite subject in school. Sure, it wasn’t technically a class, but that was sort of the point. The bell at the end of his algebra class would ring and Billy would be the first one out of the room. He’d get a coke from the vending machine by the cafeteria and go out to his car and smoke.

Some days, like today, Tommy, Carol and Cheryl and a few of their other friends would join him. Tommy and Carol would usually switch between bitching about their classes and playing tonsil hockey while Cheryl would lounge out on the hood of Billy’s Camaro. Even though he had told her more times than he could count never to sit on his baby. What a pain in the ass.

“Billy,” Cheryl pouted over at him. “I forgot my purse in my gym locker. Can I borrow fifty cents for a coke?” Billy resisted the urge to roll his eyes before fishing two quarters from his pocket and handing them over to her. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving a pink lip print behind, before hopping off of the Camaro and sauntering back towards the school. He watched her until she disappeared inside before turning his gaze to Carol. Tommy was talking to some other guy from the basketball team, so for once she was alone.

“Hey, Carol,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “What’s the deal with your sister?”

Carol looked at him like he was speaking a different language. “What the hell do you mean what’s the deal?” she asked.

Billy rolled his eyes and blew out a puff of smoke. “I mean like her situation. Is she seeing anyone?”

Carol let out a loud snort, covering her mouth the quiet her loud burst of laughter. “Seeing anyone? Fuck no. She’s a total dork. She’s like a total loser virgin. I don’t think she’s even kissed a guy,” Billy might not have put it so bluntly, but he couldn’t say he was all that surprised. He was pretty sure that other than Carol, the only person he’d ever seen Vivian around with was that girl Robin. “What do you care anyways?” she asked.

Billy only shrugged. “Just curious.” He’d always had a mild interest in Vivian. He reminded her of the girls back home in California. Easy going. Pretty. Plus he particularly liked how she looked in her leather jacket. He found her more attractive than Carol, but then with a shitty attitude like hers he couldn’t really see how anyone could find Carol attractive. Except Tommy, of course. He was so dumb Billy was sometimes genuinely surprised he could string a whole sentence together. And it wasn’t exactly a secret that Vivian had a thing for him. He noticed the way her cheeks would turn all pink whenever he was around. It was cute.

“You thinkin’ of gettin’ with that, Hargrove?” Tommy grinned, throwing his arm around Carol.

Carol let out another snort. “Good luck.” she nearly spat.

“Yeeeah dude,” Tommy laughed. “Don’t let Cheryl find out! Man, she’d totally kill you.”

Billy rolled his eyes again. He didn’t give a shit if Cheryl found out. They weren’t dating. He could do whatever he wanted. If there was anything he even wanted to do. “How about you mind your own business for once, Tommy?” he asked, flicking the butt of his cigarette away. “I gotta get to class.” he muttered before walking off. Of course it was a lie. But any excuse to get away from Tommy and Carol was good enough for him.

It irritated him sometimes. These two weren’t really his friend. They’d dumped Steve Harrington and latched onto Billy as soon as he had moved to Hawkins because he was the new cool kid. He couldn’t talk to them about anything real. He couldn’t ask Tommy for advice about girls or anything else. Any time he complained about the fact that he genuinely couldn’t stand Cheryl, Tommy would make some perverted joke and Billy would regret opening his mouth. So sometimes it was just best to walk away.

“...Did he just say he has to get to class?” Tommy asked as Billy disappeared towards the school.

---

Vivian came home to a surprise, but it definitely wasn’t the one she had been hoping for. Her mother, Sarah and Kevin were all home, but they all barely acknowledged her presence as she walked into the kitchen. There had been this tiny part of her that wondered if Robin had been onto something. Maybe they were just pretending to forget her birthday and she’d come home to a cake and decorations. But that definitely wasn’t the case. So instead of sitting around being blatantly ignored on her birthday, she decided to go throw her own pity party up in her bedroom. But her bedroom wasn’t empty.

“There’s our little Vivian!” her grandpa greeted loudly, throwing his arms open wide as Vivian walked into her room. She looked around with wide eyes. Their luggage was everywhere. And there was so much of it. She was almost worried that it meant that they would be staying longer than just the weekend. Her grandpa wrapped her in a tight hug as her grandma smiled on at the pair, but still no happy birthday.

“Uh, hi grandpa...what are you guys doing up here?” she asked warily.

“Your mother said we could stay up here for the weekend,” her grandma explained. She had an almost pained expression on her face as she looked around Vivian’s room. “You know, Vivian, this room of yours isn’t very ladylike,” she scolded. “These posters are all very...violent looking. Why couldn’t you decorate a bit more like Carol or Sarah?” she asked.

It took nearly all of Vivian’s energy to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Instead she only shrugged. It never did any good to argue with her grandma. She’d only rat Vivian out to her mother and she definitely didn’t want a lecture today of all days. “It’s just how I like it, grandma.” was all she said. Even though she wanted to add a comment about how they could find somewhere else to stay if her room wasn’t good enough. Her grandma pursed her lips.

“Awwww, leave her alone honey. This is what all the kids are into these days, right, Viv?” her grandpa asked, grinning widely at her and nudging her side with his elbow.

Vivian looked between the two of them for a moment, almost to give them the chance to realize that they too hadn’t wished her a happy birthday. “...Yeah. It’s what all the kids are into,” she said dryly. This had to be a goddamn joke.

“You know, Vivian,” her grandma said. “If you took all these horrible things down and maybe dressed a little more like Sarah I’m sure you could get yourself a boyfriend. Don’t you think, George? You’re really quite pretty underneath all this...grunge,” she poked the tip of Vivian’s nose. “And you’ve got quite a nice little figure!” Vivian’s eyes widened. Was this actually happening?

She took a big step back from her grandma and let out a nervous laugh. “Right. So...I’ll let you two get settled in then...go find out where I’m supposed to be sleeping…” she didn’t give them the opportunity to say anything else. Vivian whirled around and stomped back downstairs and into the kitchen. She felt like she was in the twilight zone or something.

“Grandma and grandpa are staying in my room?” she asked.

Her mother turned towards her, giving herself a small slap to the forehead. “Oh, yes! I knew there was something I was forgetting to tell you! I’m sorry, hun. I offered it to them awhile ago and I never mentioned it,” she let out a small laugh and shook her head. “My mind is everywhere these days.”

Vivian blinked a few times. “Oh sure, sure...is there anything else you’re maybe forgetting to tell me?” Vivian asked expectantly.

“Hmm? Oh…” her mother shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ll fix the couch up for you tonight, okay?”

Vivian let out a small huff. This had to be the curse of being the youngest child or something. “How come Carol gets to keep her room? Where am I supposed to get ready for the dance?” all of this on top of the fact that she didn’t even want to go to the dance was the icing on the cake. Metaphorical cake, because she sure as hell wouldn’t be getting a real birthday cake at the rate her day was going.

“God, do you ever stop complaining?” Sarah asked. “Just get ready in my room or something. I’ll be gone by then. You’re giving me a headache.”

Vivian glared over at her sister. “I’m giving you a headache?” she asked. “Can you even hear yourself whenever you’re crying over your flowers not being the right color or whatever it is you’re always bitching about to mom?”

“Enough you two!” their mother sighed. “Vivian, language. Sarah, leave your sister alone. Can we all just relax? Everything will be handled. Now ,Vivian, go...do your homework or something.” she waved her away. Vivian shot another glare at Sarah before heading out into the living room and flopping face first onto the couch dramatically and letting out a loud sigh.

“What are you so upset about?” Carol asked, crossing her arms as she looked down at her sister with an amused expression.

Vivian lifted her head and shot an incredulous look at her. “Let’s think for a second, Carol. Can you maybe come up with a reason I might be upset?”

Carol only shrugged. “...I guess I’d be pretty bummed out too if I was such a dork.” she said with a smug grin.

“Yeah, well, better to be a dork than a raging bitch.” Vivian spat.

“Vivian! Language!” her mother called from the kitchen. Vivian let out a groan.

Carol snickered before heading to the stairs. “Dork.” she said, laughing again before bounding up the stairs.

That was it. Vivian didn’t care that it was her birthday anymore. She didn’t care that Billy had smiled at her in the hall that morning. She wanted this day and this weekend to be over. She wanted Sarah and Kevin to fly back home and only come to visit at Christmas. She wanted her room back. But first she would have to get through the school dance.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove x oc

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jeff-stillcoolasazombie · 5 years ago

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The Waiter and the Hotel Heiress - Chapter 3

Rating: K+

Length: 1554 words

Also read on AO3

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! This chapter isn’t my favorite; it is very much an establishing plot/ bridge chapter, which is why it’s so much shorter than the others. BUT I have BIG plans for my next ones. Also anyone familiar enough with the film Eloise at Christmastime will notice here (and in the next few chapters) that I rearranged some scenes, what things happen when. But I did this so that each of Eloise’s stories coincides somehow with the flashback story, if that makes sense. Anyway, hopefully I can have the next chapter done and posted fairly quickly, but in the meantime, here’s a holiday present.

PS: I hope y’all can figure out who Hans’s friend is supposed to be based on the name I gave him.

Chapter 3: Inquiries

“Anna?” Hans’s voice called in the distance. He walking into the dress parlor, a place men normally dared not go unless they absolutely had to. The audacity he had coming in here, Eloise thought. Trying to sneak a peek at the bride?

Anna rushed down from the podium. “Oh, I better get out of this dress,” she said to no one in particular. The seamstress led her over to the changing panel to help her undress. “Just a minute,” she called out to Hans once she saw his silhouette had gotten close enough. “You remember Eloise, don’t you, Hans?”

Hans disguised his sour expression upon seeing the child sitting there. “Of course, how could I forget such an angelic face?” he said, feigning charm. Eloise gave a half-hearted acknowledgement with a fake smile.

Hans leaned toward the dressing panel to talk to Anna better. “I just wanted to tell you, darling, that I’m off to lunch with a colleague of mine. I’ll come back by the room when I’m done.”

And after an agreeing comment from Anna, Hans was off to the Plaza cafe to meet his friend.

Eloise was still tremendously suspicious of Hans. She knew there was something not right, that he wasn’t worthy of Anna the same way Kristoff was. Still, if she was going to convince them of that, Eloise would need to find a legitimate reason for why Hans wasn't a good fit. And she figured that since she so far was the only person skeptical of Hans, it should be up to her—Eloise—to set things right.

She figured spying on his lunch was her perfect chance. She said goodbye to Anna, assuring her they would cross paths again, and then headed to the kitchen.

Eloise knew she couldn’t be too obvious with her spying. She decided to enlist the help of the head chef Patrice, a snobby French man who had the patience for the girl’s antics only sometimes. Her plan was to hide under a dessert cart and have Patrice wheel it out as bribery for Hans and his friend. It was perfect because if Hans was the type of entitled jerk that Eloise thought he was, he would think nothing of being offered free dessert from the hotel.

Patrice surprisingly obliged.

He took out the kitchen tray that was full of delectable cakes freshly baked that morning for display purposes. “Desserts, gentlemen. Compliments of the hotel,” the chef said when he got to their table. “I’ll give you a few moments to decide.” And he stepped aside to head back to the kitchen, knowing Eloise was in prime position to eavesdrop.

Once certain they were alone, Hans’s friend guffawed. “You’ve really got them wrapped around your finger,” he said with a laugh.

“I know,” Hans replied. “Anna is one thing, I never figured her father would be so easy.”

A pause and then the friend asked in a whispered tone, “How’d you do it?”

Hans leaned in closer to the table, and said in a lowered voice, “Borrowed money all across the country, made it look like I had my own fortune, so I couldn’t possibly be after Anna’s.”

“And they really don’t suspect anything?” His friend sounded happily astonished.

The charm arose in Hans’s voice. “I figure once we’re married, I’ll use her money and pay everyone back.” His friend began laughing incredulously again. “No, no, seriously, Wes. She’ll even end up paying for her own engagement ring.”

Eloise almost leaped out from under the dessert cart and screamed upon hearing Hans. She had to fight to stay silent and not blow her cover until Patrice returned for her.

But this was confirmation of what she’d suspected. Hans didn’t love Anna at all! He was just using her for her money!

What a villainous fiend!

But the six-year-old knew that even if she told anyone of Hans’s nefarious motives, no one would believe her. She was just an imaginative, precocious little girl with a knack for well-intended mischief.

The only thing Eloise could do was ensure that Anna ended up with a man who actually cared for her, who loved her, and then Anna would marry that right man instead. And that man was clearly Kristoff.

----

FIVE YEARS EARLIER

The next day after the late night piano lesson with Anna, Kristoff asked as many employees as he could about their experiences with the heiress. Each one had something different to say.

Miss Anna had been living at the Plaza since she was a little girl, said the housekeepers. She was attending an elite private school in the city until recently. Now she studied French and Spanish from a private tutor, among other subjects.

The kitchen staff said her favorite food was chocolate. You wouldn’t know that from her room service orders, but she always snuck some whenever she was in the kitchen.

The bellhops said that there weren’t many people outside of the Plaza that she was friends with; the Plaza was basically her entire world.

And yet for as much as Kristoff learned about the heiress, no one seemed to have any experiences with her similar to his own from the day before. There was genuine positivity and praise all around towards Anna, comments that she was always helpful and kind, but only ever that. Nothing more personal, whether because the rest of the staff knew how to maintain professional relationships with their employer’s family or because Anna was more keen on distancing herself.

“Perhaps she is more drawn to you,” Robert said to Kristoff after noticing his inquiries, “because you two are so close in age.”

Kristoff gave the older waiter a confused look. “There is no one else in her personal life she can hang out with?”

Robert shook his head. “The only person she was ever close to was her cousin Elsa, but she stopped visiting when Anna was around ten. And now that Anna does all her schooling here, she really doesn’t get out much.”

“Why doesn’t she just go out and make her own friends outside of the hotel?” Kristoff was absolutely flabbergasted that the heiress would willingly seclude herself.

Robert chose his words carefully. “Mr. Arendelle is very protective of his daughter, and he doesn’t want her philandering around the city. At least in the Plaza, he knows everyone and everything going on.”

“Seems like she’s a princess in a tower,” Kristoff said quietly. He knew it would be better for his job if that opinion stayed his own.

Robert assured him that wasn’t the case. “If it’s a tower, Anna has her free run of it. She loves the Plaza with all her heart.”

And Anna loved the people who worked at the hotel as much as she loved the hotel itself, but she clearly had her favorites. As the weeks went on Kristoff observed Anna’s behavior around certain employees.

She preferred Michael out of all the bellhops because he would let her pack and push the luggage trolleys with him.

Even though she wasn’t allowed in the lounge, her favorite bartender was Joe because he would give her a cranberry soda during his shifts.

She loved Ms. Thompson at the front desk because she played punny word games with her.

And very quickly, Kristoff became her favorite waiter. After his first week of serving her breakfast as a new employee, she kept requesting Kristoff specifically. It might have been a bigger deal if Jerry, who normally did that, minded more, but he just went about his work like it was nothing.

Kristoff on the other hand couldn’t keep from analyzing the change. While he consistently enjoyed Anna’s company, he needed to be aware of crossing any boundaries. He was still at work, still a new hire. He didn’t want to do anything that would send him to the manager’s office for a scolding. He always tried his best to treat Anna like he would any other guest or resident.

But that was easier said than done when everyday Anna would sneak a note onto Kristoff’s room service cart. At first it would be a message saying to meet her at this place at this time. But as their late night meetings became more of a sure thing, her notes became less specific and more personal. Sometimes they were just thoughts in her brain that she wanted to share, other times it was a question about Kristoff’s own life and interests.

“White lights are my absolute favorite Christmas decoration.”

“Have you ever listened to the Oklahoma! musical album? I’ll make sure to play it when you come tomorrow.”

“Yesterday I learned the Greek myth about the constellation Andromeda. I really must tell you about it sometime.”

“Do you miss life in the mountains? Because I think living in the city is grand!”

At first Kristoff wondered at the purpose of these non sequiturs; why was Anna telling him these things? But after a while, he grew to expect it, grew to enjoy her randomness. He delighted in answering any of her questions during their nightly piano sessions. He also found he was getting pretty good at playing as well.

Eventually, all the employees began to associate the two together. Anna could always rely on Kristoff, and Kristoff would do anything for Anna.

He was her mostly companion.

#kristanna #eloise at christmastime #fanfiction #crossover fic #au fic #I made this

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snibnoom · 6 years ago

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It’s been over a week since ASTRO were in Dallas and my thoughts are only just now starting to settle into something I can navigate and put down into words. The entire trip was perfect and, honestly, a huge relief. I’ve been going back and forth for a while on my feelings about how involved I’ve been. I used to do a lot for the aroha community, constantly posting updates and fan photos, but now I only do that for things that are a bit out of the way or otherwise hard to know. I even started to think that putting this much time into it is a waste, but after this trip, all of my doubts have been whisked away. I know that being here, being an aroha, is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing, no matter how I’m doing it.

Biggest things that happened:

Bin and I made eye contact at the airport and he waved at me.

Love Wheel. Bin stood basically right in front of me.

I got candy from Sanha during I’ll Be There. We made eye contact and he threw the candy and it hit my phone.

I got into Dallas two days before the concert. I took the trip with my mom since I’m not comfortable driving in the city and I have issues with my back and because she’s great and loves ASTRO, too. We got in pretty late, had dinner, and then before bed I looked through all the photos people were posting from the Newark concert.

Come Wednesday morning, I knew ASTRO would be flying into Dallas but I was terrified, partially from being nervous about meeting the people from the group chat I’d joined and partially from the idea of being face to face with ASTRO. But I got up, picked up a friend from the airport, had lunch, then it was back to the airport to wait for ASTRO.

The DFW airport is relatively small, I think, so it was rather easy to determine where ASTRO would be exiting. I’d been to the airport once before to greet another kpop group, but the energy this time was different. This time, it felt like everybody was a friend I could walk up to and start talking with. There were only about 20-30 of us there, including a couple of fan sites. Everybody was constantly checking the board to see when their plane had landed, of course, so when the time got near, we lined up on either side of the door. It was a straight walk from the exit of the terminal to the door leading outside, with baggage claim carriages (is that the right word?) on either side. We left some gaps, of course, so people who were coming off the same flight as ASTRO wouldn’t be trapped in place.

As we waited, an older man was the first to come out. He seemed genuinely shocked to see a bunch of young adult girls hanging out at the airport, but who wouldn’t be? He said something to the effect of “I didn’t know you all would be here waiting for me!” and he turned red. And then he got his phone out and recorded us all and we, being kind as we are, cheered for him and he walked off. More people started coming out from the terminal and, upon seeing all these people waiting, also chose to wait after grabbing their luggage. The lines started to shift a little and grow a bit closer to the middle but we all kept our ground relatively well, as we didn’t want ASTRO to feel burdened walking out.

I don’t really know how to describe the feeling I had when they walked out. Awe is probably the closest word to it. It didn’t hit me until later that all we could see were their eyes, as they all wore masks, yet they still had such a profound effect on everybody. Jinjin walked out first, followed by MJ. My eyes sort of glossed over them, if I’m honest, because Sanha was right behind them wearing all white. I didn’t expect Sanha to catch my eye as much as he did, but one of my friends that I went to the airport with felt the same way.

Bin was right behind Sanha and he looked right at me and gave a little wave. Probably my biggest regret from the airport is the fact that I forgot the sign that I made that said “stage genius Moonbin” in Korean, but Bin still looked at me anyway. And his eyes... I honestly covered my mouth with my hand when he looked away from me. I wouldn’t say I was actually on the brink of tears but inside I was crying. (I didn’t even register until after the whole thing that he was wearing jeans and a hoodie, the best look. Maybe in my subconscious I realized and that’s why I had to cover my mouth with my hand.) Eunwoo followed after Bin and I thanked everything that is that he was still wearing his beanie because that’s a real good look. Rocky brought up the end of their train, honestly looking super sleepy and tiny, and that was the end of it. They got in their van and took off.

My friends and I made our way back to the hotel and hung out in the lobby and several more of our friends showed up. (Almost everybody in our group chat who had to travel to get to the concert stayed in the same hotel.) A desk clerk came over and asked if any of us had a charger he could borrow. I took photos with some of my friends. The entire time I was on cloud nine and I couldn’t shake the feeling of awe. ASTRO... are real. They’re just boys, and they have such a friendly, approachable air to them. They feel like guys you could walk up to and just start having a conversation with and that left me more shook than I thought it would.

And then concert day. I don’t think in any of my daydreams about an ASTRO concert that it happened the way it did. I always expected to be screaming and dancing and crying and laughing and I didn’t do much of that at the concert. I felt the rush of excitement when first walking into the venue, but it faded soon after and I just felt comfortable. It didn’t feel like seeing 6 idols on stage. It felt like seeing 6 internet friends do a performance. It felt like everything I’d done was leading up to this great night of pure happiness. Even now, more than a week after the concert, I’m still riding on that high. A lot of people talk about “post concert depression” but I don’t feel that at all.

When they started to play the All Night music videos on the screens, I honestly couldn’t hear it. The screams of the 1,700 aroha in the venue were deafening. (1,700 tickets sold, roughly. My mom spoke to one of the venue staff. For reference, though, the venue can fit about 6,000 people total. The entire upper balcony was closed off. Still, the number seems kind of small to me but that’s just a detail.) I was holding my phone at my chest and my robong at my shoulder and I just stood with a dumb smile on my face as I watched the music video, then the opening VCR, and then there he was. Cha Eunwoo. The screams, again, were so loud that I couldn’t hear him singing. My video picked it up way better and, going back and watching, his voice is so stable. I don’t know how they do it. The way they came out onto stage was so beautiful, and I was so close to the stage that I could see them walking out in the dark before the lights came on.

Something I think no video could ever capture is how much power there is behind their dance moves. I was so surprised at how sharp their movements were, even the small moves. It’s really obvious how much they practice and how much they practice together because they’re so together. And through the entire song I was mostly just standing there in awe, hardly singing, hardly moving at all. That’s when it really clicked that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Everything I’d gone through, with ASTRO at my side, had been leading to that night, and I was so thankful for all of it, for ASTRO, for all the other fans in the venue with me.

Also, Rocky’s singing in Always You is remarkable in person.

So that I don’t just keep saying the same things about their stage presence, here’s just a few things from the next few songs they performed.

With You has the best choreography, hands down. I’d forgotten what it was like but it’s so good. Also I realized how sharp Moonbin looks on stage. He was very cute at the airport but on stage it was like he was a different person and I remembered how he said he loves being on stage and. Yeah. I maybe had a moment. Also every time they even generally looked my way, I waved my robong up over my head I’m pretty sure. Just, short spasms of excitement.

Crazy Sexy Cool. As soon as they got in the opening position, I knew what song it was, but in my shock, I couldn’t remember to do the fan chant. Sanha seemed to look in the direction of where I was sitting a lot but it seemed more like a general look rather than being at me. But he really has such a strong stage presence. When I wasn’t looking at Bin, I was usually looking at Sanha. Eunwoo was pretty close to my side of the stage during certain parts, too, and I swear I could see the gears turning in his head as he was dancing. It’s so clear how much effort he puts into trying to pull off the dance and how it doesn’t come very easily to him and I just felt so much pride in that moment.

MJ took off his jacket practically right at the start of the opening ment and through the rest of it, they all took off their jackets. I realized pretty fast that something was wrong with Bin’s mic, because he kept reaching up to touch it, and he actually ran off stage during Rocky’s ment. Jinjin’s english blew me away. There was some parts of his pronunciation that made me realize that he really put a lot of work into it, though I can’t say if it’s because he really practices what he said or if he’s actually really good at English. Eunwoo giggled when he introduced himself and hearing that on video is one thing. Hearing it in person, I smiled so wide that my cheeks hurt. MJ paused for a moment before introducing himself and the whole venue screamed, as could be expected. He has such a bright persona on stage and it really really shows that it’s just a part of who he is at this point. Sanha’s introduction was the cutest and I will remember how he said his name until the day I die. When he was done with his introduction, we tried to sing happy birthday, but we got interrupted by Bin walking back out on stage.

Real Love. Since I was sitting on the very outside section I was sort of worried that they wouldn’t come to the side, but Sanha and Rocky were rather close to standing right in front of where I was and they kept looking over and waving and smiling and making finger hearts. Rocky gave a lot of thumbs up, too. I can’t say for sure if they ever looked at me specifically, but with how often they looked over, I feel like they must’ve at least glanced at me. During this song, people from upper sections also started to run down to stand right in front of the stage. It blocked some people’s views and they brought signs so every once in a while someone would hold up a sign and I wouldn’t be able to see Rocky or Sanha for a few seconds. It didn’t particularly bother me at first but it got annoying after a while. I was too focused on watching ASTRO, though, to really be upset (and security sent everybody back to their seats during the VCR, thankfully). Real Love has always been one of my favorite songs and I loved hearing it live. They went to the opposite side of the stage for a moment then came back to the side of the stage I was in front of and I was shook by Jinjin. I could kind of see his tattoo poking out from his shirt and he waved and gave such a tiny cute smile.

Dream Night. I feel like Sanha definitely looked at me during this song. Jinjin was also real far to the side during one part of this song and I realized that his dancing is really comfortable, in a way that video doesn’t capture.

Butterfly. This is when I finally started to get more comfortable. In my video, you can hear me actually singing and can even sort of see my robong in the corner. I never really thought much about Rocky’s rap during this song but after seeing it live.. it might be my favorite part of the entire song.

VCR time. I didn’t record the VCR, as my phone was dying. It went from almost 100% to about 30% in recording just the first part, so I hurriedly plugged my phone into my portable charger, and I’m so glad I did.

Moonwalk. I already said it, but I feel like I need to say it again for this song. The power behind their dance really isn’t capture by videos. It becomes even more apparent in this song just how much control they have to have when dancing. I feel like the style of Moonwalk also suits them really well. It shows their technical skills really well without really diverting from their fresh feeling.

Again. This song is pretty much the only time I noticed the big screen behind them because they had a giant hand reach out in the very beginning of the song. Hearing an older song like this really sent me for a loop, though, because their voices have evolved so much. Unfortunately for my video, this is when I decided to start scream-singing, but I remember being really shocked by Sanha and Eunwoo’s voices during the song because I was so used to hearing it a certain way on the album. Also during the song there was this reoccurring sort of metallic sound. I don’t know if that was a sound issue or a part of the song I just never noticed before and it was amplified during the concert or what but it threw me off. Also, Moonbin is really beautiful.

Confession. I’m not sure if the other people in my section were singing but I know I was screaming the lyrics. I want to think ASTRO could hear me screaming along to the raps but I really doubt it. It’s a nice thought, though, because I was on fire. Confession is such a great song and I feel like it’s the song that got a lot of people into ASTRO. It certainly felt like a fan favorite in the venue with how much people were singing along vs outright screaming.

4stro went back stage and left Jinjin and Rocky to entertain the crowd. Jinjin’s English, again, surprised me. Rocky started a ah-seu-teu-ro chant that, of course, everybody was into. Jinjin said he posted on Instagram in the morning after waking up at 7am, which was something he couldn’t imagine doing in South Korea. I paused for a second, wondering if 7am was late or early for him. Could be either or. He said, in Korean, he woke up and opened the curtain and (in English), “oh my god.” We also got a “something Dallas.” The other four came back out to join rap line, all of them now having hand held mics rather than the wearable ones. Eunwoo dove into a story of how he took a “hike” when he woke up (the translator said hike but Eunwoo actually said walk; there were a lot of instances during the concert where I noticed the translator was saying something that wasn’t entirely accurate). And before they jumped into the next song, Jinjin said (in English), “We’re connected by a love wheel” and it was real cute how he said it.

Love Wheel. Bin came to stand basically as far to the side of the stage I was in front of and lemme tell ya, I had a minor panic attack. He looks unreal in person. Photos really don’t capture how good he looks. He’s so much sharper in person and his eyes are so much more intense. Watching him jam along to the song and then just look over the crowd—I think we’ve all seen the videos of Bin just fondly looking out over the crowd, but seeing him do that in person is 10,000 times more touching. He so clearly loves being on stage and in front of fans and I just hope he gets to always be on stage. I want to say Bin looked at me because it felt like he did, but who can say how much they can really see from on stage. All I could think of was that they have such a different vibe on stage vs what they did at the airport. They perform and there’s really a switch they flip that changes how they present and it’s endlessly impressive.

I’ll Be There. I always thought I’d cry listening to them singing I’ll Be There, but there was none of that. Between songs, Rocky moved and Jinjin came to stand beside Bin instead, but I honestly hardly looked at him because Bin was right there. Then they split into trios to throw candy and Jinjin, Eunwoo, and MJ came to our side of the stage first. I was so distracted by Jinjin that I hardly looked at Eunwoo and MJ except to notice that it was them standing there. Eunwoo let Jinjin sing his couple of lines and he took it serious at first and then broke into his joking manner of singing as MJ started to throw out candy. To be honest, I was never a huge fan of MJ’s red hair but it looks a thousand times better in person than it does on camera. Jinjin grabbed a handful of candy and I mean, I don’t know how to say he threw it other than by saying he yeeted it as far as he could. Like, I was afraid he would lose his balance and fall off the stage with how much he put into his 2 throws. Meanwhile Eunwoo just kinda tossed the candy to whoever was close. Then they switched sides and Sanha— Sanha only threw a few pieces of candy on our side and I got one of them. You can actually hear it hit my phone in the recording. I had my robong in one hand and my phone in the other so I couldn’t actually catch it but it came directly to me. (And the candy—a little bag of M&Ms—now sits in a clear acrylic display box on my shelf.) I don’t know if Sanha’s intention was to throw it at me directly or if it just worked out that way, but I’m going to say he threw it at me on purpose because we made eye contact right before he threw it. They hung out on our side of the stage for a little bit longer and Bin did the off-the-shoulders thing with his jacket.

Time for another VCR. By this point, my back was starting to hurt. (I have some not insignificant back issues; don’t worry, I’m usually fine! It was just the stress of standing up for a really long time that was starting to make my back hurt.) I didn’t record, or even really watch the VCR, though, because I was talking to the girl sitting next to me. Her phone ran out of space so I said I would send her my videos so I got her phone number. Except... almost as soon as I got back home... I got a new phone.. and I lost her phone number.. if you’re out there, please come say hi so I can get you the videos I feel so bad.

Merry Go Round! They came out with animal ears on! They were so cute and I’m honestly amazed at how high their energy levels stayed because I was starting to get tired by this point (but then they came out and I was fine). It was also during this song that I realized how different Rocky sounds live vs on a studio album. He’s a lot more rough live, but not in a bad way. I’m also pretty sure Sanha pointed at me.

Cotton Candy. At the beginning, they were all yelling stuff. MJ said (in Korean), “What is this?” Rocky said “Sanha Sanha Sanha.” MJ said something else in Korean. Jinjin said, “Ready, Sanha time! Happy birthday Sanha!” When it was time for Eunwoo to sing the second bit, Jinjin lead it by going “Eunwoo Eunwoo!” They hype each other so much when they’re on stage and I love it. Jinjin yelled for everybody to jump but I really couldn’t so I just waved my robong harder. Also, going back and watching the video, I’m literally screaming instead of singing and my voice was starting to give out but I kept doing it anyway. Jinjin’s 기분이 좋아 la la la is even better in person, which I didn’t think was possible. The choreography for Cotton Candy is also just really fun.

MJ, Jinjin, and Eunwoo went off stage, leaving the three youngest. Moonbin commented on that, too (in Korean), saying “we’re the younger ones.” Rocky started the conversation talking about what animal ears they’re wearing and Moonbin led it to Sanha first. I don’t know what the translator was doing but they were either particularly slow or we just couldn’t hear them over the screams. Moonbin said they always do the same sort of style when wearing the animal ears and then suggested maybe they should change their ears. Rocky asked Bin which he preferred and he took a moment before choosing to take Sanha’s rabbit ears. So Bin became a rabbit, Rocky took the cat ears, and Sanha put on the wolf ears. By this point, the other three had come out but were standing off to the side. When the oldest three came out, I got a straight look at Jinjin’s rib tattoo and that was a shock. He said (in English), “Younger brothers so cute” and Eunwoo responded (in English), “We’re so cute, too.” When MJ was starting to talk to explain what animal he was, someone screamed his name and I think it made him pause for a moment. Not sure if the other two were teasing MJ about what animal he was because of his pronunciation problems or if they just like to tease him in general. When Eunwoo was going through what he was, the other three made themselves at home on the side of the stage. When Jinjin asked if we knew what he was, Bin said “mouse mouse rat rat” and it’s a shame they didn’t actually give him mouse ears. They changed translators but still this translator didn’t get what they were saying. They talked a bit about what they’d eaten the day before (BBQ, at the place with the g i a n t pieces that they posted on insta) and Bin compared it to “rib size” but the translator said “it was cow.” Hire me to translate for them instead please.

Baby! Before they performed, Jinjin said, “It’s finally time to enjoy the concert with our babies” and it was cute. It was also super nice to hear that opening for Baby. It has a special place in my heart. A lot of fans actually yelled the opening fan chant for their names and I really hope ASTRO heard it. Jinjin yelled “Rocky swag” before Rocky’s rap and when Bin got to his position in the back he yelled “come on, swag!”

Breathless. Baby went right into a percussion sort of break where they wanted everybody to yell ya ba ba bara bwa bwa a couple times. Honestly, props to them for being able to go from one song right into the other. I couldn’t do it. Their energy levels seemed to be constantly going up the closer we got to the end of the concert. They were getting more comfortable, yelling out stuff during the songs, joking with each other on stage. It’s so nice to see them just be so comfortable.

Hide&Seek. Literally right into it after Breathless. They didn’t go right into the choreography, so I was a little surprised and it didn’t register with me what song it was until a little bit after. Hearing them sing their debut song is all I ever dreamed about, and my mood was already through the roof. I was smiling so much that my cheeks were hurting, and when I wasn’t smiling, it was because I was rapping. In the gap between Jinjin’s rap and the next verse, he said “I love you” and it was timed just perfectly. Rocky also seemed really intense during this song.

Talk time! Sanha went off stage for something. Eunwoo said that Jinjin saying “I love you” during Hide&Seek surprised him, and Bin said he had good timing. Eunwoo asked Jinjin to do it one more time, so we got to hear Jinjin rap a capella. Jinjin said their next song would be their very last one, but the usual ending-concert dread didn’t hit me at all.

Rocky: First of all, the concert went by really fast. We were so happy because you guys were dancing and jumping with us. Also, the people in the second section, we’re very touched by the fact that you guys are all standing up and enjoying with us. If you think of it, we only have a little time left. Did you guys enjoy tonight? (aroha screams, of course) Thank you! Jinjin: We only have one song remaining and we’re all very sweaty here right now. (In English) Because of you guys. (Back to Korean) Because of all the heat we’re getting from the Dallas fans. Thank you so much. The next song is very special so please look foward to it. Eunwoo: The weather in Dallas is really amazing. I was in a very good mood starting from the morning. I’m glad I could take that happy emotion and bring it here to the show. Something even better than the weather is you guys. Moonbin: This is our first time in Dallas. The fans, the crowd, all of you guys are wonderful. From the moment I landed and saw the good weather, I knew something great was going to happen here. The moment I met you guys, it was a special moment. We’ll try even harder from now on. And since we’re not done yet, please enjoy to the last moment. Thank you! MJ: (fans were yelling “I love you MJ” so he said thank you) Dallas is especially hot. I think I’ll never forget it. Thanks to you guys, we’ll try our best to come back again. When we come back, you guys are going to be cheering even louder, right? You guys are incredible. Thank you so much. Because of you guys, today was a wonderful day.

Sanha didn’t get to talk because he was interrupted by the special event. The screen behind him said “happy birthday yoon sanha,” we started singing to him, and the staff rolled out his birthday cake. I was honestly shocked at how massive the cake was. Jinjin reminded everybody to show their slogans that they’d been given.

Sanha: First of all, it’s an incredible experience to be able to celebrate my birthday in Dallas. I’m so happy that I can feel all the love from you guys. Before the candles melt, I’m going to blow them out. (He made a wish and actually had a bit of trouble blowing them out. I thought they might be trick candles, but he got them to go out.) Moonbin: I can’t believe Sanha’s already an adult. Little brothers grow up so fast. Eunwoo: Sanha, what did you wish for? Sanha: You’re not supposed to tell your wishes. Eunwoo: (in English) Never mind, never mind. (Jinjin laughed and repeated him.)

All Night. The stage lights came on a little early so we could actually see them sit down in their positions. Some fans actually knew the fan chant, so it was really nice to hear that. Their difference between just sitting there and talking vs performing is so apparent and I don’t think I’ll ever be over it. Halfway through the song, my alarm on my phone went off (because Thursdays are for Critical Role) and it started blasting Heart Brew Love. Since it was in the middle of a song, though, I don’t think anybody heard it. Kind of wish it had happened during their ment. Fans really tried to do the fan chant during Jinjin’s rap but our timing was all sorts of off. We’re the same as them in that respect. It was really fitting that Sanha’s the last one standing at the end of All Night since it was his birthday. He got a moment of spotlight before they shut off the lights and they all went back stage again.

The last VCR is the only one that I recorded. I could really feel the difference of how they were on stage vs in video/photo. Video/photo truly does not do them any justice. They’re so good looking in person and video/photo couldn’t possibly capture their aura and stage presence. The VCR itself was very cinematic and I feel like there’s supposed to be some sort of poetic message to it but I can’t think about that right now.

You&Me. Eunwoo came out carrying MJ and Bin came out carrying Sanha. Rap line came out behind them and model walked up the center of the stage. Jinjin and Rocky did the Michael Jackson dance thing. I really tried to dance along to the choreography but it was hard to do that with my phone in one hand and robong in the other, but I did my best, using robong to point at Bin who was the closest to our side of the stage again. I swear he pointed right at me. It was such a comfortable feeling watching them just kind of jam together on the stage. I also think Sanha made eye contact with me from the middle of the stage, and later during the chorus again, I think Rocky and I made eye contact for a few seconds, too. During the point dance part, Rocky definitely pointed at me, though.

And now the actual ending ment. They seemed as reluctant to go as we did.

Rocky: We got to come to Dallas for the first time. Because it was our first time, we really wanted to do our best in front of you guys. Did we do okay? Although this is the first time, it’s not the last, so please look forward to the next time. Next time we come back, we’ll be even cooler. Dallas, I love you.

Jinjin: Since we came to Dallas for the first time, I’m really happy. Dallas aroha, thanks so much for all the energy you showed us. (in English) I’m so happy, yeah~ (back to Korean) Thanks so much for standing up during the concert from the beginning to the end and enjoying with us. (in English) It really touched my heart. (In my video, I go awww really, really loud.) Thank you guys so much. Thanks for coming. I love you guys.

Eunwoo: (He started by pointing out all the sections and waving to everybody.) ASTRO was able to come to Dallas for the first time. The first impression is very important. The first impression that we have of Dallas is fantastic. (in English) So, I promise to come back again. Like Rocky said, we will be more... more handsome, more sexier, more awesome. (back to Korean) So please look forward to it. We really had an amazing night. (in English) Thank you guys. I love you.

Bin: Our first show in Dallas is coming to an end. There are some things that I wish I’d done better. Since it was our first time, there are a few things that I actually overdid. (Aroha yelled no at him and he laughed a little) So I love that you guys cheered a lot while I was performing. For some reason, I really wanted to capture every moment that I was spending with you guys. (I aww’ed real loud again.) Just like the pretty and beautiful weather in Dallas, you aroha are amazing. We’ll come back even more handsome and talented and cool. (in English) I love you guys. (I didn’t realize, but apparently I yelled “I love you” right after he said that.)

MJ: Woah! Dallas, your cheering is different. (He made a pun. Dallas in Korean is 달라스 and different is 달라. Nobody really understood it in the moment, so Eunwoo had to explain it, but I think it was lost on most people.) You guys were incredible. You guys lit the fire in our 6 hearts. We’ll never forget this feeling today and we’ll come back. We love you, we love you, and we’ll see you again.

Sanha: (He got a ton of screams in the beginning) This really really is our final goodbye. Thank you for the surprise birthday wish. Out of all the birthdays I had, I think today’s is the best one ever. It’s really meaningful that you guys were able to celebrate my birthday with me. I’ll always remember the love that you guys showed us. We’ll try our best to come back as soon as we can, so please continue to support us. Because we still have our LA and San Francisco show, it’d be nice if Dallas aroha could come to see us there, too.

Photo time! Staff brought back out Sanha’s cake, they all sat down on the floor, and MJ started a short “San! Ha! San! Ha!” chant. Bin and Jinjin both counted to three, then they wanted everybody to make a heart and Jinjin counted again.

By Your Side. I was singing real loud and I think it got Rocky’s attention. He was super chill about looking over though. They all seemed real chill, as bummed as us that the concert was about to be over. I was thinking the whole time that none of them better cry and they didn’t, thankfully. I think I made eye contact with Rocky while he was rapping, or at least I hope I did, because I was rapping along with him.

Call Out. Bin started out strong by laying down on the stage. Right before the chorus, Rocky yelled “everybody jump!” and, to my surprise, a lot of people did. The energy level was right back up to where it had been before. It’s one thing to see them being fools on video, but they’re so similar live as they are in videos. I’m just so happy with how much energy they put into everything, how much they try to connect with fans. At the end of the song, they took a moment. Rocky said “wait, wait... Dallas aroha, scream!” and they went through it again. Sanha shushed everybody until the venue was basically dead silent, then he said, “We’re very happy because of you guys” and they went another time. MJ really got into the dancing, as he does. Moonbin got everybody to go to the back of the stage, and yelled, “one last time!” and they ran to the front of the stage again. They really made sure to wave and make finger hearts at as many people as they could.

They did their “thank you we are astro” goodbye in the middle of the stage, on either side, then in the back to say goodbye to every section of the venue. I got a personal goodbye wave from Sanha as they walked off the stage, and the concert was done just like that.

It took a while for hi-touch to start. They cleared out almost the entire rest of the venue before they started lining people up for hi-touch, so we all just sat and watched the venue staff start to take down the set. They got it all put away surprisingly fast, and at one point, the people I was sitting near all cheered for this one staff member who looked in our direction (he was super into the cheers). Event staff decided to take people into the back for hi-touch and photo op starting from the other side of the seats, so I was in one of the last few groups to see ASTRO. We waited and waited. In line, one girl said “I came here an Eunwoo stan and I’m leaving a Bin stan.” There was also a girl in line in front of me who didn’t know what had happened with Fantagio last year, so an event staffer and myself helped explain it to her. I was so caught up in talking to the people around me that I didn’t get to set my phone to record and stuff it into my purse, as I intended to do for photo op.

As soon as I walked in, I was shook. MJ was standing closest to the door, and he was leaning close and waving with his cute smile and I honestly panicked. I hardly looked at Rocky before I sat down in front of him. They stepped up behind the chairs and I was honestly just so frozen in place. It happened super fast. As they ushered us out, the line moved quick so I didn’t really get much opportunity to say anything. I honestly glanced over Jinjin, Eunwoo, and Bin. Sanha was standing at the end and I said happy birthday to him in Korean and he laughed and said thank you back in Korean. That’s when my hands started to shake.

I stood outside the venue for probably 20-30 minutes, trying to calm my shaking and waiting for ASTRO’s van to leave. Most people grouped up when they were driving out, but I stood off to the side a little with my robong and my official slogan and waved at them as they drove by.

This concert was really important to me and I’ll always remember it. I won’t talk too much about why ASTRO are so important to me (I already did that on their anniversary), but they really are some of the most important people in my life. I’m so happy that I got to go to a concert and shout and dance and meet people who all share the same love I have for these six boys. I wish I would’ve been coherent enough during photo op to tell them all thank you but I feel like they already know how much I love them, how much we all love them, whether we can attend concerts or not.

#snibnoom at starlight #i hope this is all coherent #i'm not doing any proof read lol its too long for that

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inyournightmares97 · 7 years ago

Text

The Lonely Road (Chen)

Hee-joo is miserable that her best friend suddenly got herself a boyfriend, and doesn't seem to want to spend time with her anymore. Luckily, there is someone who does. Chen/OC, School!AU. Appearances from most EXO members

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Hee-joo folded her arms and sat silently, staring stoutly out of the bus. It wasn’t moving yet. All she could see was her teacher helping some of the students load their things onto the bus, but she kept her gaze outside, determined not to look ahead.

Because if Hee-joo did look ahead, she would see the sight of Suho and Areum cuddling happily a few seats in front of her, and the sight made her more nauseous than the motion-sickness she was likely to get once the bus started. The happy, newly-in-love couple showed no shame in broadcasting their happiness to the rest of the class.

“Woooh! Look at Suho-hyung getting some!” Baekhyun called out rather crudely, as he and his friends climbed onto the bus and leaned over to high-five Suho. Of course Suho’s friends were going to make fun of him. It was inevitable. Hee-joo rolled her eyes at the childishness, and turned her gaze back to the window. The group of loud boys were gradually approaching her seat.

“Oh- why are you alone, Hee-joo-yah?” Chanyeol asked innocently, stopping in the aisle to look at her. She returned a sulky glare. “Oh right… you always sit with Areum, but Areum’s with Suho-hyung since they’re dating now…”

Hee-joo would have said something equally rude in response, but there was no point. Chanyeol wasn’t trying to provoke or annoy her, he was just a different kind of stupid. Chen walked up behind him and slapped the back of his head lightly, looking annoyed.

“Shut up, Chanyeol,” Chen muttered. He could see that Hee-joo wasn’t laughing, and he turned to give her a cheeky smile. “Do you mind if we sit with you, Hee-joo?”

Hee-joo raised an eyebrow. “There are plenty of empty seats at the back.”

“Sure, but the back gets really bumpy, I’ve heard the roads are bad. And Chanyeol has a leg injury, right, Chanyeol? You shouldn’t sit at the back. The doctor told you to take it easy or you won’t be able to play in time for football season.”

Chanyeol looked worried, and he quickly slid into a seat across the aisle. To Hee-joo’s surprise, Chen didn’t go to sit with Chanyeol, but instead sat in the empty seat right beside her that would have been Areum’s; if she hadn’t gone off with her boyfriend. Hee-joo blinked at Chen, confused. “There’s a seat next to Chanyeol,” she said bluntly, pointing across the aisle.

Chen glanced sideways at her. “I know- I’m leaving it for Baekhyun.”

“I see,” Hee-joo muttered.

“Why, were you saving this seat for someone else?” Chen asked innocently.

Hee-joo rolled her eyes. Who would she be saving it for? The only close friend she had in this bloody class was Areum. The two girls had done everything together and were inseparable until Suho had swooped in with his handsome face. Hee-joo had a bad feeling that the rest of the class trip was going to be the same way- her all alone, while Areum frolicked around with Suho.

Hee-joo suddenly wished that she had just stayed home.

“Chocolate?”

She blinked, and turned to see that Chen had just unwrapped a chocolate bar, and was holding it out to her with a sweet smile. She sighed and wondered what was worse. Sitting with the noisiest and most annoying group of guys in the class, or sitting alone. She couldn’t decide. At least it was only Chen sitting beside her; he was one of the milder ones. Hee-joo was pretty sure that if it had been Baekhyun, she would have ripped her own hair out.

“It’s six am,” she informed Chen dully.

Chen shrugged. “I didn’t have time for breakfast before I left home. Aren’t you hungry?”

“I can’t eat,” she replied simply, turning away from him. “I get motion sickness if I eat before a long journey.”

Chen made a small ‘o’ with his mouth and pulled the chocolate away from her, nodding. There was a slightly awkward silence, until Baekhyun came barreling over to them, a big grin on his face. The noise level in the bus seemed to instantly shoot up.

“Oh! You guys are sitting here, I never even realized!” he said loudly and cheerfully. “Yah- can you believe Suho-hyung and Areum? I totally thought she was going to reject him, who knew that stuffy Class President would get the prettiest girl in our class?” Baekhyun joked loudly.

Chanyeol nodded with a smile. “I think they’re really cute.”

“It’s a wonder he managed to woo her, considering how Areum is always stuck by Hee-joo’s side and he could barely get a chance to talk to her alone! He kept whining about how Hee-joo never took his hints to go away. Waah, it’s so hard to talk to girls when they’re always around their friends-“

He was cut off abruptly by Chen kicking him in the leg, and gesturing towards Hee-joo. She was staring stiffly out of the window seat, and Baekhyun’s eyes widened as soon as he noticed her. “Ehh- Hee-joo-ssi… I didn’t see you there. How are you?” he asked awkwardly.

Hee-joo gave him a cold look. “Excellent, thank you.”

“Right…” Baekhyun trailed off awkwardly. “Seems like this will be a fun class trip…”

Hee-joo couldn’t have agreed more.

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Hee-joo tried to get some sleep on the bus, but it was really hard considering the loudest group of boys were sitting around her. Every time she would doze off with her head against the window, one of them would laugh really loudly or yell, and she would be jolted awake.

“Are you okay, Hee-joo?” Chen asked her, as she rubbed her head after banging it against the window.

“Fine,” she muttered.

The trip was already off to a bad start. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Hee-joo generally hated trips but it was Areum who’d convinced her to sign up for the class trip, saying that the two of them would have plenty of fun and they could joke around on the bus, and bother their teacher and that Areum was scared of camping in the woods and that she needed Hee-joo to come or she would die. Hee-joo had imagined that they would both be sitting up in the front of the bus and having fun. Maybe discussing the latest music or whining about how loud the boys were being.

Not that Hee-joo would be sitting alone back here, forced to endure the company of the unbearably loud Beagle trio.

“You look like you hurt yourself-“ Chen pressed.

“I’m fine,” Hee-joo muttered. Chen was surprised. She was usually nice to him, the only member of his group that she could tolerate. She joked around sarcastically sometimes, but he’d never seen her look this genuinely irritated. He cleared his throat slightly.

“Sorry. We’ll keep it down.”

“Thanks,” Hee-joo muttered, before turning away from him and trying to go back to sleep.

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Hee-joo stumbled down from the bus, half-asleep once they reached their destination. It was a camping site sort of thing in the middle of nowhere; a place where they organized outdoor adventure sports and camping trips. Hee-joo had always loved camping but somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to be excited about the trip.

“All right! Everybody get your bags and head up the hiking trail; it’s a bit of a walk until the hotel because the road isn’t wide enough for the buses to go through!” their teacher was calling out. Hee-joo just grabbed her backpack. She hadn’t packed much stuff; it was just a two day trip anyway, and she’d managed to fit everything she wanted into her back-pack so she didn’t even bring another bag.

Hee-joo glanced around and spotted Areum; she was struggling with her bags. Suho stepped up to her and offered to carry them with a sweet smile on his face. Areum blushed and surrendered them to him, before making eye-contact with Hee-joo.

“Oh! Hee-joo-yah! There you are!” Areum called out with a grin. “Were you okay, did you get motion sick on the trip?”

Hee-joo suddenly felt bad for being so miserable. It wasn’t like Areum had completely abandoned her. She was still her best friend. “No, I was fine. I slept most of the way,” Hee-joo admitted lightly.

“Oh? That’s good. Suho kept poking me so I couldn’t sleep,” Areum said with a giggle, not sounding too upset. Her cheeks were flushed red, and Hee-joo again felt bad for being so resentful when her friend was obviously happy. “I’ll see you up at the hotel, then. We’re sharing a room, right? I want the upper bunk!”

Hee-joo nodded, waving back as Areum rushed away to catch up with Suho.

There it was again, that same feeling of being left alone.

“Oh- Hee-joo… is that all? You don’t have any more bags?” Chen asked, from behind her. He looked slightly disappointed as he eyed the single backpack that she was carrying on her back, that didn’t even look particularly big. “I thought girls packed more than that.”

Hee-joo shrugged. “I like to pack sparingly. Besides, Areum packs so much stuff that I can borrow almost anything from her.”

“I see…” Chen rubbed the back of his neck. He cleared his throat, before smiling. “Well, then. Since you have barely any luggage, can you help me carry mine up to the hotel?”

Hee-joo blinked at him. “What?”

He shrugged sheepishly. “You’re barely carrying anything. Come on- lend me a hand, please?” he pleaded, pulling Hee-joo over to where a couple of bags were lying on the ground. Hee-joo stared at them.

“Are these all yours?” she demanded, eyes wide. “How much did you pack? Are you planning to live here or something? It’s two days, all you need is a couple of t-shirts, an extra pair of jeans and a toothbrush!” she cried.

Chen looked embarrassed. “Yeah, I might have gone overboard… which is why I need help carrying it! Please? Please, Hee-joo?”

“Fine, hand them over,” Hee-joo muttered. She picked up one of the bags and started to follow the rest of the class towards the narrow path to the hotel they were staying in. Chen beamed and grabbed the rest of the bags, following her quickly.

“Hey! Don’t run off with my stuff! Slow down, let’s walk together!” he called out.

Hee-joo rolled her eyes, but slowed down to walk with Chen as he grinned at her, and started to make conversation. He was struggling with the bags but he still had a big smile on his face and Hee-joo couldn’t help but smile back at him. As annoying as he was, his grin was contagious.

When Chanyeol and Baekhyun finally descended the bus, they were bewildered to find that most of their luggage was already gone.

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Hee-joo sighed as she plopped back on the lower bunk and let out a groan.

“What are you whining about?” Areum asked with a laugh, as she started to climb up to the top. There were three sets of bunk beds in the room that they were sharing with the other girls in their class, and Areum and Hee-joo had claimed one for themselves.

“My arms hurt,” Hee-joo whined. “Chen made me carry his bags up to the hotel.”

Areum laughed. “Really? Waah. He’s a weird one, huh?”

“Still the sanest out of the Beagle line. He kept talking the whole way even though the trek was hard and he was half out of breath.” Hee-joo sat up and looked at Areum with a sad pout, making her eyes big. “How could you leave me alone with the Beagle line like that? Didn’t you know they would drive me insane?”

Areum shrugged. “I’m sorry. They’re not that bad, though. Suho says they’re actually sweet guys.”

“Of course, your precious Suho says…”

“Yah!” she whacked Hee-joo with a pillow playfully. “No badmouthing my boyfriend in front of me, he’s an angel! He was so sweet, he gave me the window seat on the bus and he carried all my bags and he keeps saying the cheesiest things, but they’re so cute….”

Ugh. Please stop. “I’m glad you like him so much,” Hee-joo said honestly.

“You know what’s so funny? He said that he’s liked me for a really long time, but he didn’t really know how to approach me because I was always around other people and he could never get me alone,” Areum said with a giggle. “Isn’t that cute?”

Adorable.

“Let’s go. I heard they’re setting up lunch outside and I’m starving hungry.”

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Hee-joo was sitting alone under a tree, munching half-heartedly on her lunch and trying not to watch Suho and Areum feeding each other fries a little distance away. She assumed that she would be eating lunch alone, but to her surprise, Chen approached her.

“Hey. Can I sit here?” he asked, although he was already making himself comfortable.

Hee-joo shrugged. “Your friends are over there,” she pointed to Baekhyun, Chanyeol and a couple of other guys under a different tree nearby. “Why are you sitting here?”

Chen shrugged. “They’ll keep stealing my food. Besides, you still have some fries and there were none left when I went. Mind sharing?” he asked, reaching over to steal a fry. Hee-joo sighed. Why did he bother asking if he was just going to do it anyway? She shrugged and pushed the fries towards him.

“What’s it like having so many friends?” she wondered quietly.

Chen blinked at her, wondering if she was actually asking him or talking to herself. He cleared his throat and swallowed his food. “I don’t know. It’s fine, I guess. Sometimes they’re annoying and they don’t give you your space, but… it’s never boring with them around. I think it’s easier to feel sad when you’re alone. You shouldn’t be alone.”

Hee-joo turned and blinked at him with a sigh. “Yah, Chen.”

“What?” Chen asked.

“You feel bad for me, right?”

Chen nearly choked on the fry he had just stuffed into his mouth. “What?”

“You keep giving me these weird looks and following me around. You pity me, right? You feel bad because I barely have any friends and the one friend I do have suddenly got herself a boyfriend, so I’m all alone and miserable. No friends, no boyfriend. Look at this miserable girl, let’s go throw her a bone.”

Chen blinked. “I don’t know whether I feel bad for you, but you sound like you feel pretty bad for yourself.”

Hee-joo sighed, before starting to stand up. “Look, I don’t want your pity. It’s bad enough that I’m alone on this trip, you should at least go have fun with your friends. Okay?”

Chen grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. “What if I said that I considered you a friend?”

Hee-joo blinked at him. “What?”

“Yah. The reason why you have only Areum around isn’t because you’re so unlikeable that nobody wants to be friends with you. It’s because you immediately treat anyone who tries to talk to you with suspicion. Why do you assume that just because somebody wants to talk to you, that they want something from you, or they pity you? Maybe they just like your company.”

Hee-joo didn’t really know what to say. “Am I that hostile?”

“Kind of.”

“Fine,” Hee-joo muttered. She sat down again, and noticed that he had finished half of her fries. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Although I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that you only came here to steal all my fries…”

Chen grinned. “Sorry. Last one.”

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“Yah, yah. Can you keep a secret?”

Baekhyun had sidled up to her while she was trying to set up one of the tents, and Hee-joo blinked at him, balancing the rope in her hands. She’d honestly wanted to be on food duty, but Chen had whined that he was horrible at setting up tents and needed her help, so she’d agreed to join the tent group. Only to find the entire Beagle line there, chatting and fooling around, doing very little in actual furtherance of the tents.

“I guess,” Hee-joo muttered, not particularly interested. The rope kept getting tangled up and she sighed. Why was putting up tents so difficult? She dropped the rope in exasperation.

“I’ll only tell you if you promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“You do realize I don’t really care?” Hee-joo demanded, giving him an irritated look. “Spit it out, or go away, I’m trying to set up this tent and you’re not even helping.”

“You’re no fun,” Baekhyun pouted. He waited for a response but Hee-joo didn’t give him one, so he decided to continue anyway. “I’ll tell you anyway. Chanyeol and I managed to sneak some alcohol over here; we’re going to break it out in the tents tonight once the teachers go to sleep. What do you say? You want in?”

Hee-joo paused. “Alcohol? For real?”

“Serious stuff,” he promised solemnly. “Chanyeol’s brother bought it for us.”

Hee-joo thought for a moment. Did she really want to drink with the Beagle line? It was pretty risky considering they might get caught, but then again, these guys did a lot worse and somehow managed to get away with it all. Hee-joo was pretty sure they would know how to sneak around about stuff like this. “Yeah,” she decided reluctantly. “I want in.”

Baekhyun grinned at her. “I knew you were more fun than you looked.”

She rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”

“I’ll send Chen to give you the signal and you can sneak over to our tent after the bonfire. But hey, listen- you can’t tell Areum, okay? She’ll tell Suho-hyung and he’s annoying about stuff like this, he’d start lecturing us and get all paranoid about being caught, he’s a complete party-pooper.”

Hee-joo snickered. She liked hearing people complain about Suho. It made her feel better about her own unreasonable dislike of him. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’m serious, Hee-joo. Don’t betray me here. I’m only trusting you because of Chen!”

Hee-joo raised an eyebrow. “What does Chen have to do with it?”

Baekhyun blinked innocently for a moment, and then smiled. “That’s another secret for another day. I think I’ve told you too much already- oh! Here comes Chen!” he grinned as Chen approached them, looking at them doubtfully.

“What are you two whispering about?” Chen muttered, sounding curious. He knelt down on the ground beside Hee-joo and started to help her untangle the ropes she was handling while glaring up at Baekhyun. “You look pretty suspicious from over there.”

“Just sharing some secrets,” Baekhyun replied with a grin. He placed a finger over his lips and then pointed at Hee-joo. “Remember, don’t say a word, okay?”

Hee-joo nodded. Baekhyun left, but Chen was looking at her with wide eyes.

“What did he tell you?” Chen demanded.

Hee-joo blinked. “Hmm?”

“What secrets was he talking about? Did he tell you something?”

“Yeah. That you guys managed to sneak alcohol in here and you’re breaking it out tonight after the bonfire. He invited me to join you. Why? Don’t want me to come?” Hee-joo wondered, noticing the panicked look on his face. She assumed that he didn’t want her there. “Don’t want to share alcohol, or afraid you’ll embarrass yourself while you’re drunk?”

Chen rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, there’s a bit of the latter, but it’s okay. I thought he told you something else. Never mind.”

“What did you think he told me?”

“Nothing,” Chen insisted. He finished untangling the rope and then quickly grabbed one end of it, moving over to the other side of the tent. “I’m going to handle those pegs over there, okay?”

Hee-joo shrugged.

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Hee-joo groaned slightly as she finally sat down on one of the logs around the bonfire. Her arms hurt; they’d already been sore even since she’d carried half of Chen’s bags up to the hotel but after setting up most of the tents herself, they were now killing her.

She sighed, staring into the bonfire. Even though Chen kept trying to talk to her and hang around, she couldn’t help but feel like this trip was still a disappointment. She had been hoping to have fun with Areum, but instead Hee-joo was spending most of the time feeling jealous while watching her best friend hanging around her boyfriend. The couple were currently cuddled up near the other side of the bonfire with hot chocolate in their hands.

“Hee-joo- do you want some hot chocolate?”

Hee-joo blinked and saw Lay standing above her, giving her a dimpled smile. He was the transfer student from China who was relatively shy and was struggling slightly with the language. He seemed to get along well with the Beagle trio, but at the same time didn’t quite fit in there. Hee-joo felt a sudden ray of hope; maybe Lay was in a similar situation to hers?

“Thank you!” Hee-joo said gratefully, taking the mug he was handing her. She felt warm inside; it was rare for guys to do sweet things for her like this. She wondered if Lay was trying to chat her up, but he promptly handed her a mug before smiling and moving over to another group of girls to offer them hot chocolate as well.

Oh. So he was just in charge of handing out the hot chocolate.

She sighed and took a sip of the warm drink, just as someone came and sat beside her. She didn’t even have to look up to know that it was Chen. He sounded a little disgruntled.

“Your cheeks are flushed pink,” he muttered.

Hee-joo shrugged. “It’s just the cold.”

“If you say so,” Chen muttered. He pointed at her hot chocolate. “Can I have some of that?”

“Get your own.”

“Lay’s handing them around to the girls first,” Chen muttered, sounding a little annoyed. “That guy might look innocent and pretend like he doesn’t understand what we’re saying but it’s all an act. He knows the girls love it, the little sneak. Look, he’s flirting with them right now.”

Hee-joo raised an eyebrow. “He’s just talking to them. Leave him alone.”

Chen was silent for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and smiled forcefully, placing his hands on his knees. “Anyway, Baekhyun wanted me to tell you to sneak over to our tent at about 11 pm. It’s the last one on the left, the furthest away from the teachers.

“We won’t get caught?” Hee-joo asked doubtfully.

“Nah. Mr. Lee accompanies us to Busan for baseball tournaments every year, so we know how to handle him. He sleeps like a complete log once he’s out. The rest of the teachers are going back to the hotel for the night, they won’t be around the tents.”

Hee-joo blinked and nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll see you later, then-“

“Chen!”

He paused, halfway through standing up. “Hmm?”

“Are you okay?” she wondered, noticing that he didn’t seem as cheerful and positive as he had that morning. He seemed slightly disgruntled and she wondered if it was something to do with her. She preferred the cheeky, smiling Chen to the grumpy one. “You look kind of…. I don’t know.”

“Just tired,” he said with a forced smile. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

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“-and he is honestly, the sweetest person ever! I mean, his jokes are kind of lame but I think it’s really cute when he cracks them. And honestly, the way his face lights up when I laugh at them is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!”

Areum couldn’t stop talking about her boyfriend. Hee-joo took a deep breath, lying back in her sleeping bag and closing her eyes as she listened to her best friend go on about Suho. They were both sharing one of the smaller tents, and the teachers had all left for the hotel while leaving the slumbering Mr. Lee behind to supervise the students.

Hee-joo could hear Mr. Lee’s snoring from three tents down.

“Am I boring you?” Areum asked suddenly, sounding a little upset.

Hee-joo blinked. “What?”

“You’re not really listening to me. I must be boring you, talking about Suho so much, right? I’m sorry, Hee-joo-yah. You’re clearly not having fun on this trip and it’s my fault,” Areum said apologetically.

Hee-joo sighed. “It’s not like that. It’s okay. If he makes you happy, I’m glad for you.”

“I know that, you’re an amazing friend. I just wish you didn’t look so miserable.” Areum smiled and sat up slightly. “Let’s talk about you. I noticed that you’ve been hanging around with Chen a lot. He’s cute, right? I know we’re not the biggest fans of the Beagle trio, but… I think he likes you.”

Hee-joo scoffed. “Likes me? As if.”

“Why not? He’s been following you around all day, ever since the bus in the morning. Don’t you think that means he’s at least a little bit interested in you? Suho used to behave the same way before he confessed to me.”

“Suho used to do sweet things for you. He used to carry your books around, and buy you juice, and cut in when the teacher was picking on you in class. That’s not how Chen behaves.”

Areum blinked. “Really?”

“I’m serious. First, he and his loud friends surround me on the bus and ruin my plans to nap, then he makes me carry his luggage up to the hotel, then he stole half of my fries during lunch and made me join the tent-setting-up team when I didn’t even want to, where I had to do almost all the work. My arms still ache from all the work. He would have stolen my hot chocolate at the campfire, if I’d let him, too. That’s not how you behave with a girl you like.”

Areum looked speechless. “Oh. I guess so.”

“Even though, he’s kind of cute,” Hee-joo admitted reluctantly. “It was sweet of him to keep talking to me. But he doesn’t like me that way.”

Areum’s phone buzzed, and she quickly lunged for it, checking her messages. Her cheeks flushed red. “Uh… Suho wants to meet me…”

Hee-joo blinked. “Now?”

“Yeah… you don’t mind, right? I’ll be back in a little while, I promise!” Areum said with a smile, before grabbing her jacket and rushing out of the tent with a wave.

Hee-joo sighed and closed her eyes for a long moment, before checking the time on her phone. It was 11:30 pm. Baekhyun had invited her over at 11, but she’d forgotten about the invitation since Areum was finally spending time with her. Could she still go? Deciding that she wasn’t going to sit in this miserable tent alone, Hee-joo grabbed her own jacket and then slowly snuck out to the Beagle trio’s tent.

It was slightly noisy, but Hee-joo could tell that they were trying to keep it down. She took a deep breath and poked at the tent flap, which was tightly closed. “Guys? Can I come in?” she muttered, hoping somebody inside would hear her.

The tent flap opened a tiny peek, and D.O’s big eyes poked out. He stared at her for a second, before closing the flap again. “Guys! Guys, it’s Hee-joo! Is she okay?” she could hear him asking the others.

“Hee-joo?” Baekhyun’s voice sounded. “Yeah, let her in! I thought she wouldn’t come!”

The tent flap opened again and D.O pulled it open completely this time, letting her enter. “Sorry,’ he muttered. “I was just making sure.”

Hee-joo could see why. They were all sitting in a circle, alcohol bottles and snacks strewn about the ground in the center of the circle. She could see Baekhyun, D.O and Chanyeol near the entrance. Lay was a little further inside, his lips glued to another girl from their class. All the way inside were two other guys; Sehun and Kai, who were both fiddling with a lighter and smoking.

Wow. Was it even safe to smoke inside a tent? What if the whole thing set on fire?

“Hee-joo!” Baekhyun greeted her cheerfully. “I thought you weren’t coming, what took you so long? Come on, have a seat!”

“Thanks,” Hee-joo said, sitting down in the spot that Baekhyun had cleared for her by pushing aside some bottles. He held up a plastic glass and then poured a shot of whatever alcohol was inside into it, before grinning. “Should I mix some soda into it?”

“I can do neat,” Hee-joo replied simply.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol let out a low whoot. “Wow, Hee-joo’s cool, eh? You should have come sooner, we’re out of most of it now. I’m assuming that since you seem so experienced, you know your limits?”

“I’ll be fine,” Hee-joo muttered. She sipped the burning alcohol, feeling the ugly taste threaten to come back up her throat. She forced it down and took a deep breath. The taste was awful. “Yah… hand over those chips,” she snapped.

Chanyeol grinned, handing her the chips which she stuffed into her mouth to rid herself of the bad taste. “I knew you couldn’t really do it. Take it slow, there’s no rush. We’re here all night.”

Hee-joo nodded. She took another cool sip, before looking around and realizing that something was missing. “Where’s Chen?”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol exchanged a knowing grin. “Why? Missing him?”

“Just wondering,” Hee-joo mumbled.

“Chen was hoping you would come, he waited for a while. Then he went out somewhere. He’ll probably be back in a bit. He wasn’t too drunk, right?”

D.O shook his head. “He wasn’t drunk, he’ll be fine.”

Hee-joo blinked, biting her lip. She wondered why she was thinking of Chen so much. Had he really been hoping that she would come? She suddenly realized that she wished he had been; the thought of Chen waiting for her, looking forward to her company made her feel warm inside. She took another sip quietly, while Chanyeol and Baekhyun began talking about something else. There were smooching noises coming from Lay and the random girl.

D.O blinked at her as she finished the glass. He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you just…?”

He held out the half-empty bottle to her and she took it from him gratefully, sipping from it directly. She wasn’t sure how much time passed as she drank, but she slowly started to feel herself getting woozy. The smell of cigarette smoke coming from Kai and Sehun was starting to bother her, and she sighed.

“I’m stepping out for a bit,” she mumbled.

Chanyeol turned to look at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s really stuffy in here since those two keep smoking.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

They let her go, and Hee-joo felt the cold air outside hit her like a rush. She was a little unstable on her feet but her head was relatively clear and she took a deep breath. She had just taken a few steps away from the tent when she heard hushed voices talking a little distance away. She paused for a moment, and moved closer. It was Suho’s tent, and there were two people standing behind it and talking.

“-what do you mean, you’re done? You’re not the kind of guy to give up that easily, are you?”

It was Suho’s voice, and he sounded slightly annoyed. Hee-joo listened silently, and was surprised to hear that the other person was Chen. He sounded upset and his voice was quiet, barely audible.

“I invited her over to our tent, and she never turned up. How much more do you want me to do, hyung? It’s obvious she doesn’t like me or she would have come,” Chen mumbled. “No wonder, right? I’ve been bothering her all day. It’s clearly annoying her.”

Suho sighed loudly. “Yah. If she doesn’t come, you call her again.”

“How many times can I throw myself at her when she clearly doesn’t like it?”

“Chen, seriously. What was this arrangement even for? We both know Hee-joo’s miserable because Areum isn’t spending time with her. All you need to do is keep an already lonely girl some company. Is it really that difficult?”

“Yes, it is, because it’s not working.”

Suho groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “For god’s sake. All I wanted was to spend some time with my girlfriend on this trip without any disturbances. Why is this so fucking difficult for you to understand?”

Hee-joo felt her throat close up and took a deep breath. A slightly choking noise came from her mouth and Suho and Chen must have heard it, because they both suddenly fell silent. Worried that she’d been caught, she quickly ducked behind another tent and moved away, hurrying back to her own tent, the one she’d been sharing with Areum.

Areum wasn’t inside, and Hee-joo closed her eyes as she sat down in the entrance of the tent. Her head was still spinning a little because of the alcohol, but the cool air had mostly sobered her up. She took a deep breath and sighed. Was she really so pathetic that nobody honestly wanted to spend time with her? She felt herself shivering slightly, but she stayed put in the entrance of the tent.

It was a while before she saw two figures off in the distance; Suho was near the trees on the other side of the camp and he was now hand-in-hand with Areum. Hee-joo watched silently as the two of them kissed, their silhouettes barely visible in the moonlight. She couldn’t help the burning jealousy that was rising up inside of her and she felt dirty for watching them that way.

“What are you doing here?”

It was Chen. He approached her slowly, before crouching down beside her in the entrance of the tent. He looked worried at the blank expression on her face. He suddenly moved closer; Hee-joo panicked at the way Chen’s head dipped down towards hers, but he merely sniffed at the air and leaned back.

“You’re drunk,” he commented lightly. “Was that you who made a noise while I was talking to Suho-hyung earlier?”

Areum nodded.

“So you did turn up, then.”

“You’re weren’t there,” Areum mumbled. She wished that she didn’t sound quite so pathetic as she said it, but she was afraid that she did. Chen was still, and he cleared his throat.

“I waited for you. I left because I thought you wouldn’t come.”

There was a long silence. Suho and Areum were still kissing; the silhouette of their embracing bodies clearer as their eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. Chen followed Hee-joo’s gaze and noticed the couple. They watched them for a short while, both feeling slightly uncomfortable. It was like they were intruding on a private moment.

Hee-joo felt tears come to her eyes. She wasn’t the type to cry; but the alcohol was suddenly making her teary and she pulled her knees closer to her chest as she sniffed slightly. “I don’t know who I’m more jealous of,” she mumbled.

Chen blinked at her. “What?”

“Suho or Areum,” she clarified quietly. “Am I jealous of Suho because he’s taking up all of my best friend’s time and attention? Or am I jealous of Areum because she has a guy who loves her so much that he would do anything to spend time with her?” She laughed quietly. “I can’t decide. Either way, I’m pretty pathetic, right?”

Chen frowned. “Didn’t I tell you to stop pitying yourself?”

“It’s hard,” she whispered.

“Really? You want to tell me about how hard it is?”

Hee-joo glared at him. “What is that supposed to mean? Because Suho wants you to keep me away from Areum? I’m sorry he put you on that duty. If it helps, I’ll stay away from Areum so that Suho has her all to himself, I don’t need you to babysit me anymore. So you can tell Suho to have the time of his life with his girlfriend, I have no interest in being a worthless distraction.”

“What are you saying?” Chen wondered. “Exactly how drunk are you?”

“Stop lying to me. You’re only following me around because Suho’s forcing you, right? He wants to be sure that I don’t ruin his trip with Areum, so he sent you to babysit me.”

Chen stared at her for a long moment, before bursting into quiet laughter. It was relatively loud in the silent night and Hee-joo watched quietly as Chen threw his head back and laughed. His laughter echoed for a long time and once he stopped, he ran a hand down his face while suppressing his chuckles.

“Wow. If that’s really what you think, I must be a lot worse at this than I thought I was,” he said with a laugh. He turned to look at her, his eyes shining in the moonlight. “You idiot. I’ve been following you around because I like you.”

Hee-joo felt her heart skip a beat. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny,” she muttered.

“Am I laughing?” he asked, looking at her with perfect seriousness. All traces of laughter were gone from his face and he took a deep breath and sighed. “It’s true. I like you. I don’t know where you got the idea that I’m supposed to be keeping you away from Areum; but the plan was to keep Areum away from you.”

“What?”

“I’ve liked you since before those two-“ he gestured in the direction of the kissing couple. “were a thing. I was just too shy to approach you. You were always joined at the hip with Areum at school. I could never get a chance to talk to you alone, and… I’m not good with girls. I was too afraid to do something drastic because I was scared of rejection.”

Hee-joo stared at him. “But… you… I mean, we’re not that close….”

Chen nodded, wistfully. “Exactly. I knew I would get rejected if I confessed because you just saw me as a classmate. I kept trying to get closer to you. I even approached you a few times while you were with Areum but then my friends would follow me and create a ruckus and you always got annoyed at them. So I figured you didn’t like me much.”

Hee-joo blinked and was silent.

“I was ready to give up, but then Suho-hyung and Areum finally got together.” Chen took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I figured that if Suho-hyung could ask out Areum, then maybe I still had a chance with you. So I approached him for help.

Suho told me that he’d found clever ways to catch Areum when she was alone and that by spending time with him, she’d started to like him and he felt confident enough to confess. I figured this class trip was my chance. I approached went to Suho, and I…” Chen sighed and looked slightly ashamed. “I asked him to keep Areum busy and away from you so that I could spend time with you and maybe get you to like me back.”

Hee-joo felt her head spin lightly. Was this true? Had Chen been following her around because he liked her? He’d been flirting with her all day?

Chen nodded, and choked out a laugh. “But I was so bad at it, right?”

“Terrible,” Hee-joo blurted out suddenly. “You asshole, you made me carry your bags!”

Chen rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Don’t get me started on that. I was going to offer to carry yours and look all cool, but you barely had any luggage. I panicked. I was determined to walk up to the hotel with you some way or the other, so I made you carry mine. I didn’t realize how stupid it was until Suho yelled at me.”

“You ate all my fries,” Hee-joo reminded him.

Chen cleared his throat. “I was going to get some for you, and sit with you for lunch. But I was late to the counter and they were all out, so… I figured that if I asked you to share, that would be an excuse to sit with you.”

“And the tents and the hot chocolate?”

“… I got jealous of the way you started blushing around Lay. I panicked then, too. And I was the one who asked Baekhyun to invite you over to drink with us. I thought maybe I could take care of you while you drank, but you didn’t turn up…” Chen trailed off and sighed. “Wow, this was a complete failure. I’m so humiliated.”

Hee-joo smiled at him lightly. “It wasn’t that bad a plan.”

“No?”

“Nope. You just forgot that you’re not Suho, and I’m not Areum.” She tilted her head slightly as she looked at his red face. “And for that reason, it was destined to fail.”

Chen rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you think I’m pathetic for trying so hard?”

“No,” Hee-joo muttered. “I’m a little mad at you for making me carry your bags and stealing my food and particularly for trying to keep my best friend away from me this whole trip. But when I think about how hard you tried…”

“Hmm?”

“It’s kind of sweet,” she muttered. “It makes me feel fuzzy inside.”

Chen smiled. “Really?”

“I don’t know. It could just be because I’m drunk,” she added with a cheeky smile.

Chen pouted.

“Yah, Hee-joo, don’t do this to me! Do you know how nervous I am right now? You’ve been so annoyed at me whenever I approached you this trip that I thought for sure you hated me,” he whined, sticking his lower lip out. Hee-joo laughed. He was cute. She knew that, she’d just never really let herself see him in that way.

“I was unwelcoming because I thought you pitied me.”

“I don’t. I mean… I don’t like seeing you miserable. I wanted to cheer you up.”

Chen sighed and blinked at her, before rubbing his hand over his face roughly and groaning. “Damn, I can’t do this anymore. This is so embarrassing. Can we forget all the stupid stuff I did and start anew? I like you, Hee-joo-yah. Will you go out with me? Just give me a straight answer.”

Hee-joo bit her lip, feeling her cheeks flare up. “Well,” she mused quietly. “At least if we’re dating, you won’t have to come up with lame excuses to spend time with me. I honestly don’t think my arms can take any more of those,” she joked.

“Yah…” Chen whined.

“What are you whining about? I said yes, didn’t I?”

“You could have been nicer about it,” he muttered. He bit his lip as he looked at her, both of their cheeks flushed red. He lifted a hand and slowly placed it on her cheek, thumb stroking the pink part of her face shakily. “Is this okay?” he wondered.

Hee-joo nodded. “Hmm.”

He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers hesitantly. It was awkward for a short moment, but he gently pressed their lips together and pulled apart for half a second before kissing her again, this time more confidently. Hee-joo found herself scooting closer to him, enjoying his warmth in the cold night. Her hands went up to his shoulders and she smiled as she pulled away briefly and saw the corners of his mouth turned up in their usual cute way.

“You won’t regret this, right?” he wondered lightly, pulling away softly to press his forehead to hers.

“Why would I?”

“Because you’re drunk and I feel like I should have waited to confess until you were sober, so I wouldn’t have to worry about you changing your mind later,” he admitted.

“Maybe. But let’s face it, when is your timing ever right?”

Chen pouted. “Hee-joo-yahh…!”

“Oh my God, your whining is so annoying. Every time you whine, I’m going to kiss you to shut you up, okay?” Hee-jo decided, before pulling him down to her and kissing him again. Chen smiled into the kiss before promptly sticking his lower lip out again and letting out another whine.

“Hee-joo, how could you do that-“ he started to whine.

“Don’t test me,” Hee-joo muttered. “We can go at this all night.”

“I’m counting on it.”

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Hee-joo was fast asleep in her sleeping bag, when she felt someone poking her shoulder. She groaned, slightly hung-over from the alcohol last night and blinked up at a worried-looking Areum.

“Hee-joo? Hee-joo-yah, get up!”

Hee-joo blinked and sleepily sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What is it?” she mumbled.

“It’s morning, the teachers are waking everybody up for breakfast. I’m really sorry I never came back to the tent last night. Suho and I got a little… caught up. I’m really, really sorry!”

“It’s fine-“ Hee-joo mumbled.

“No, it’s really not. I’ve been ignoring you this whole trip and I feel really bad about it. We were both supposed to have fun together but I got so involved with Suho that I forgot about my best friend. So guess what? I told Suho that I’m going to spend the rest of the day with you and that he’s not allowed to interrupt us, so let’s have fun today!” Areum said cheerfully.

Hee-joo blinked, still half-asleep. “Oh. Um, that’s nice. But listen, I have to tell you-“

“Tell me later, we can talk over breakfast!”

Hee-joo sighed and pulled an overly excited Areum back down. “Oye, relax for a second. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I promised Chen I would have breakfast with him.”

Areum stared at her. “Chen…?”

Hee-joo cleared her throat, embarrassed. “We’re kind of dating now. And he asked me to have breakfast with him. So… sorry.”

Areum looked dumbstruck for a moment, before letting out a loud laugh.

“I’m not going to lie- I completely deserved that,” she admitted with a giggle.

Hee-joo smiled. “Yeah, you totally did.”

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

#exo #exo scenarios #chen #jongdae #exom #exo fluff #romance #highschoolau #firstexoscenarioever!

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bluevelvetcat · 5 years ago

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I’m finally back from my four-week holiday in Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Since I can’t go back in time, blogging is a nice way to relive the trip.

Originally I wanted to go to Iceland, but in the end I swapped one letter and decided to book an organised trip with Intrepid Travel to Ireland instead. I always wanted to go anyway. My trip began with a couple of hiccups: I left a book at the Melbourne Airport, and because of flight schedule change my luggage got delayed in London. Then I somehow managed to lose one of my socks during the night at the hostel in Belfast; at least I had a spare pair in my carry-on backpack. Speaking of hostels, I’ve decided that I’m officially too old for this shit. Not necessarily hostels themselves, but sharing a room with a bunch of strangers and climbing up a bunk bed? No thank you!

You never know what your group will turn out to be like, but we had a really good one, just seven people including myself, a mix of Aussies and Americans. Also, it made a big difference to have an Irish group leader; I loved my time in Scotland and Italy, but it was great to explore a country through the eyes of someone who knows it well.

Favourite meal: rich Irish home-style stew I had on our farewell dinner in Dublin. Also, full Irish breakfast with sausage and black pudding is pretty awesome, if mighty filling.

Fridge magnet count: 4

Favourite pub: Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast, fabulously ornate establishment decorated by Italian craftsmen.

Most valuable wardrobe item on the trip: down parka I borrowed from my Mum. I sorta knew that northern Europe wasn’t going to be warm in June, but the cold still came as a bit of a shock.

Did the trip make me like Guinness: No

Belfast

I really liked Belfast. It’s hard to explain its appeal; it’s not a pretty or showy city, but it has a very distinctive vibe and a sort of edginess, perhaps the stamp left by its very complicated past and present. Titanic Museum is a fairly recent attraction there and it’s a genuinely impressive exhibition, telling not just the story of the ill-fated ship, but also Belfast, where it was built. There was an unexpected theme park-style ride through the “shipyard”, and a giant auditorium dedicated to the haunting underwater footage of the shipwreck.

Titanic Museum

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones has given a big boost to the tourism in Northern Ireland. We visited a couple of locations from the show: Ballintoy Harbour, which doubled for the Iron Islands, and Dark Hedges, an eerie avenue of beech trees seen in Season 2.

Lannister family stained glass artwork in Belfast

The Dark Hedges

Ballintoy Harbour

Giant’s Causeway and Cliffs of Moher

Irish coast boasts some truly spectacular spots, and these two were the big standouts for me. Though I realised that I had the Cliffs of Moher and the Cliffs of Dover in England all mixed up in my head; my first reaction was, um where are the white cliffs? On the way to the Giant’s Causeway, we stopped at Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which is also very scenic (and a tad nerve-wracking to cross in windy conditions).

Giant’s Causeway

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Cliffs of Moher

Aran Islands and Galway

I’ve never heard of Aran Islands before, but it turned out to be a great day trip out of Galway, made even better by fine weather and bright blue skies (funnily enough, our best weather in Ireland happened in a place where it almost never happens). On the Inis Mór island, there are 14 tiny villages, colonies of seals, and about 4,000 miles of endless rock fences. The main attraction is the prehistoric stone fort Dún Aonghasa, which offers great views and zero OHS measures, with a terrifying sheer drop that’s completely unfenced. I won’t lie, it was kinda nice being in a scenic place without the usual hand-holding. Aran Islands are also famous for their unique knitwear, which was a tad too expensive for me and did absolutely nothing for my figure either.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time in Galway, but I liked what I saw of its artsy, funky centre, with loads of street performers on every corner.

Galway

Seven Churches cemetery

Views from Dún Aonghasa fort

Fences, fences everywhere…

Galway

Ring of Kerry

County Kerry is considered to be the most “Irish” part of Ireland, less influenced by the English than the north and with one of the most impenetrable regional Irish accents. We weren’t as lucky with the weather on this day trip from Killarney, but it was still a memorable day that had a bit of everything: lush green countryside, sheepdog demonstration, ancient stone forts, and delicious Baileys hot chocolate. In the evening, we enjoyed Celtic Steps, a show of Irish music and dancing with a refreshingly casual vibe.

Leacanabuaile stone fort

Small town of Sheem

Kilkenny National Park

Torc Waterfall

Dublin

Our train journey to Dublin was an experience; every carriage was full of loud chattering girls and women piling on make-up. As it turned out, they were on their way to Dublin to see Spice Girls reunion concert. I was offering thanks for my noise-cancelling earphones, that’s for sure.

I was glad to have an extra day in Dublin after our tour was officially over, because there’s a lot to see. I got talked into going to the Guinness Storehouse, which was a very well-organised attraction whether you have any interest in Guinness or not. I also spent quite a bit of time around the Trinity College, where you can see the Book of Kells, a beautifully illustrated 9th century manuscript, and the Long Room, the most amazing old library I’ve ever seen.

Ha’penny Bridge

Famine Memorial

The Long Room at Trinity College

Trinity College

Guinness Storehouse

Europe Trip: Ireland I'm finally back from my four-week holiday in Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Since I can't go back in time, blogging is a nice way to relive the trip.

#Europe #holiday #Ireland #nature #Northern Ireland #personal #photography #sightseeing #travel #trip

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apexart-journal · 7 years ago

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Radha Gomaty in NYC Day 16

Enroute Washington

Had a particularly rough morning as my India phone suddenly dithered into deep coma just as i was readying to leave to catch the 9 am Bus to Washington .

Quite distraught I sat bent over the phone compulsively pressing the three buttons that i could see in various permutations and combinations and with varying finger pressures till time on the clock approached danger mark and i had to run from the room .

I find my way through the subways carrying a heavy shoulder bag besides my usual awfully ethnic glittery (and now rather dirty)cloth tote with its stitches coming undone that somehow gells well with this crazy city .

Of course, then there is my friend’s handy little leather multi pocket cross sling that carries everything from my proof of identity , all my various complimentary entry cards and metro /subway cards .In fact she hung it on my shoulder with emphasis genuinely afraid that I might lose my papers otherwise and end up in prison or something !

A gift notepad from my god daughter that i had cherished on my table without finding fit reason for using it fits in perfectly and had scrawled in its first page with a waterproof marker all important numbers of immediate near & dear that proves really useful now that my phoned conked out!

I thanked the stroke of intuition that had me do that just a coulee of ours before i left home for Kochi Airport.

Yet another friend lent me her veteran leather jacket advising me that i should wear this as soon as i disembark from the flight at JFK so that I look like a true blue New Yorker and not like some babe in the woods.

In short I had made my trip on some old clothes donated to me (category:Something OLD;status-check!)

Some new clothes , shoes and socks (first purchase since I passed school say , some 35 odd years ago and a pair of brand new spectacles (category :something NEW-check!)

Mostly borrowed stuff right from money for my food to all of my woolens and even two pieces of luggage of the three I had.(category: something BORROWED-Check!)

And something blue?Well ,Besides a pair of rather horrendous blue jeans hurriedly brought and in memory of an older body size that i once inhabited .It was now so large that I have to find ingenious ways every moment to keeping it from slipping down to the ground.

But then there were some events too just as I leaving home that for a few moments dyed Time to the deepest ultramarine possible.But thankfully only for a few moments ,as off late like a practiced boxer I duck on raw instinct rather than from rather deadly blows. designed to kill my sustaining spirit .

(category:Something BLUE-Check!)

BTW for readers rom my part of the Globe this business of having something OLD /NEW /BORROWED /BLUE is what a Bride is supposed to ensure she has on her person at the ceremony to ensure some things as follows:

Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity.

A 1940’s song from my childhood that was part of dad’s vinyl record collection .the one i heard was by Vera Lynn but i can’t find it anywhere now trawling the net.

So please listen to this version by the Velours.

Yup.

I’ve deliberately chosen the one with the excessively frothy pulp romance visuals to rub it in and have people of understated refined tastes to run for cover.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc0G7y1gfEU

Well !Me , a bride ,huh?

That’s a good one !

I’m sure reading this will have many folks i know in sniggers to downright splits at the prospect of a hat trick (Me too actually …!!! :D :D) , a grossly anomalous event for a woman ,at least in the cultural context I happen to be in !

But jokes aside ,in a way that is true about all trips like this, you know.

It is like one’s self (spelt with small case )and one Self (spelt with upper case)that ,ejected by some hidden cosmic plan across a huge distance from familiar physical coordinates and the habits of time zones ,embark upon on a unique honeymoon together within one …

Like in this lovely Hindi movie back home called ‘QUEEN’ after the mild mannered typically middle class protagonist called Rani (meaning Queen in English &played with finesse by Kangna Raut) who is stood up at the altar ,so to speak ,by her recently ‘settled abroad’ NRI fiancé because suddenly she is not smart & trendy enough to be part of his new life style abroad.

Though utterly shattered she embarks upon a radical decision encouraged by her feisty paternal grandmother -To use her honeymoon ticket and go to Paris & Amsterdam on a honeymoon all by herself as planned like commemorating a wedding that never happened .

The results are unexpected and totally exhilarating for Rani after some initial shocks which completely jolts her out of the narrow confines of her comfort zones that were based on role based conformity and not centred on the realities of her feeling-self.

The film traces how Rani , the average middle class Indian girl,begins to find herself finally in new locales through new & diverse friendships and challenging experiences restoring her to an unassailable fresh new sense of wholeness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(2014_film)

Distance has a way of conferring perspective as little else can as also the cosmopolitan multi cultural bustle that, throwing off-gear one’s sense of context ,challenges one to reexamine , feel ,assimilate and eventually generate anew every moment a new and enlivening context for being.

Just this evening on a watsapp call , my brother was telling me of a new book he was reading on the realities of a Dalit Life called ‘Ants amongst Elephants’ noted for its freshness by Sujata Gudia , based on the locales of her own life written only after she migrated to the US and became a subway conductor.

Even the cold , the wind , the need to layer over skin for a person from more hospitable or warmer climes where one may as well comfortably walk next to naked with just one multipurpose piece of cloth that works interchangeably as garment , mat or drape by night changes things in a way that is not easy to describe.But change it does ,from the fundamental level of the nebulous cusp of Body & Being.

The same reasons ,also dictated by a different culture of valuing Tme ,may necessitate similar changes in dressing -from wearing flowing clothes to closely fitted ones that facilitate free movement of limbs while keeping the cold out.

Simply put ,just the simple act of wearing pants , say even for a woman like me, changes things and facilitates entry from languid self containment to dynamism & extroverted action .

The giddying verticality of Metropolises also has a similar effect upon those who like me from not such a heavy metropolitanised( a new word I suspect but let it be!) living backdrop.

In short the stage is set for a strange wilderness to sudden burgeon forth almost overnight overrunning the complacence of Familiarity altogether . From within this wilderness strange new animals ,whose presence was only gleaned hitherto from an occasional track mark of sensation or from the sharp smell of droppings begin to show themselves better with a new found fearlessness.

Weird flowers blossom of strange hues and heady scents that disorient the head as in open eyed dreams .Voices unheard hitherto begin to make themselves audible .

I am convinced now that Traveling far makes one more amenable to accept the fact that perhaps the very nature of Life is a virtual reality .I stumbled on that secret long ago but frankly speaking ,its the darned diciest thing to get used to though with the years and the abrasions of experience ,I think I’ve made much better peace with it .

“…so why did i come so far,my love ? to catch a glimpse of an Amerindian lifetime that still courses through our blood ?The time when the horses brought in by the Spaniards escaped and came in first from Peru through Mexico through the Oklahoma plains to multiply and run beautifully wild and you were part of those who lassoed and made peace with them to become our steadfast friends ?”

Amerindians??

Did i actually doze off for a split second in the Metro Bus headed to Washington DC that everyone seemed to called by its euphemism ,’the Blue Bus’?

My fellow passenger , a man from Honduras who has worked in the US for 16years now and longs to return home is happy to let me have his window seat .

He gladly accepts a piece of Kappalandi Mittai or Peanut Candy from back home as agonizing over my phone left me no time to prep or eat anything for breakfast. i make do with gnawing at an apple afterwards thinking I shall eat in Washington.

Washington !

Can two cities be so totally different?

The Metro station has this glam front of cafes et al and suddenly with one turn the whole atmosphere changes into a grey drab one.i have trouble with topping my Metro Card and a family from Kerala reach there just in time as if to help me.The gate won’t open and I enter through an emergency door.

Everything is strange ,bleak,dark and interminably gray even the lifeless mechanical announcements .I feel it takes an eternity to find my way walking too to the Beacon hotel .

The young lady at the desk checks out ‘Margaret Ewing’ under whose name my room has been booked .While she is examining my passport for a second time with apologies for the inconvenience caused ,Trump is delivering voice mime thunderbolts on illegal immigrants on a silenced TV Set in the tastefully decorated lobby.

Standing there i find myself worrying about one of James’ students, I think one who is on our show at Apex, whose dad is on the receiving end of this with the aftershocks landing on the prospects of the entire family.

James ,whom I met at Apex is a wonderful teacher of Art at a Public or city funded school in the Bronx where the poorest people live ,many of them precariously.

i get my room keys finally and enter a business class room with two huge single beds ,a TV set , a coffee maker and something that I think is a microwave oven .

For the first time since i came ,I'm feeling a bit lost.

I miss my home@1Irving street, the cute white Mac on the table by the window that helps me type my thoughts, the narrow crowded streets outside full of really interesting looking people , the crazy subways abuzz with chaos &music...

Yeah, my phone from India on which I refused to change the time in India to keep in touch withy beloved ones there abruptly dying with all my contacts in it and remembering that it's my father's birthday and my younger son not realizing perhaps that I haven't called not because I don't care but I can't, adds to it.

My packed lunch of Rice and Mung sprouts suddenly turns tasteless in my mouth.

I hurriedly get up.

Schedule beckons …. (to be contd.)

#Radha Gomaty #Inbound from South Eroor

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