Chapter 1
"I have a surprise!" Mari sang, waltzing into the Smosh living room, where Ian, Anthony, and Joven were sitting on the couch, watching a football game.
"You're blocking the game!" Joven moaned, trying to lean around her as the USC quarterback made a fantastic pass. Mari smiled, wielding the remote, and clicked off the TV.
Anthony and Joven groaned, although Ian looked slightly relieved. Mari gave him a pitying smile. She knew he hated football, but Anthony loved it, so Ian did his best.
"Seriously, you guys, you aren't going to want to miss this," she assured them. Joven sat back and crossed his arms, giving her a this-better-be-good look.
"What is it?" Anthony asked, scooting to the front of the couch.
"We just got an invitation to a web show awards ceremony in Sweden!" Mari squealed. Ian clapped and smiled hugely. Sweden meant that they would get to visit their good friend Felix Kjelberg and his girlfriend, Marzia.
Surprisingly, Anthony frowned and Joven looked concerned.
"What?" Mari asked them.
"Well, it's just that… VidCon is that weekend," Anthony explained. "We can't be in two places at once!"
"Are you serious?" Mari groaned. This was a disaster. VidCon was one of the most important events of the year, but at the same time, the World Youtube Awards was one of the most iconic, elegant affairs that a Youtuber could be invited to. "Well, what are we going to do?"
"What's going on?" Lasercorn asked, striding into the room, hands stuffed in his pockets. Sohinki trailed behind him.
"We have two events in one weekend," Joven explained. "VidCon and the World Youtube Awards."
"Wait, why are they in the same weekend?" Sohinki asked, confused. "They're always one after the other!"
"I guess they decided to move VidCon back a week this year," Lasercorn admitted. "That really sucks."
"So, wait, what are we going to do?" Anthony asked, suddenly worried. He didn't want to miss either of the events.
"I guess we'll have to split up," Ian suggested. The rest of the group looked disappointed at that prospect. They didn't like going to awards shows without the whole group.
"Well…then who goes where?" Joven asked.
Lasercorn raised his hand. "I'll go to VidCon. I don't feel like flying to Sweden."
Mari shrugged. "I kind of want to go to Sweden," she admitted.
"Me, too," Ian high-fived her.
"Okay, how about this?" Sohinki said. "Me, Mari, Ian, and Anthony will go to Sweden, and Joven, Lasercorn, Flitz, and Wes can go to VidCon."
Everyone looked at one another.
"Sounds like a decent plan," Anthony agreed. "It's going to be hella cold in Sweden, guys!"
"I'm excited," Mari grinned. "Maybe it'll snow while we're there!"
Sohinki smiled at her child-like demeanor. Ian caught him looking at her and raised an eyebrow. Sohinki brushed it off like it was no big deal.
"Alright, I'll go to VidCon," Joven groaned. "I guess I don't really feel like sitting on a plane for hours at a time anyway."
Lasercorn gave him a creepy grin. "We're going to have fun, Joven," he snickered. Joven paled.
"Jesus," he muttered. "Are you guys sure I can't come with you?"
"Okay, Shekky, what do I wear?" Mari pouted, tapping on the glass aquarium that held a small Reeve's turtle. The turtle stared back at her, disinterested. "Yeah, you don't have the best fashion sense, anyway," Mari sighed, opening the tank and handing him a small piece of lettuce.
She closed the aquarium and headed over to her small closet, rifling through her clothes. She had absolutely nothing to pack for a fancy awards ceremony. She sighed as she brought out a boring black dress. It was nice, it was just so plain, and it really wasn't her.
Then she remembered the dress in the back of her closet. It was a dress she had ordered back when Anthony and Kalel were getting married. Kalel had asked her to be a bridesmaid and had told her to pick out her own dress, but she had never gotten the chance to wear it.
She pulled it out and laid it on the bed. It looked just as beautiful as the day she had found it in the store.
It was a beautiful light pink, which contrasted nicely with her skin. It had a Grecian-style neckline, an intricately beaded belt, and it was slit to her knee. It looked completely incredible on her.
She smiled as she packed the dress, along with the champagne-colored heels that she had bought to go with it, the last few things to go in her suitcase. She hauled it down the stairs and set it by the front door so it would be ready when the cab came tomorrow to take her to the airport.
"Did you get your tux yet?" Anthony asked Sohinki from the other end of the phone.
"Yeah, I picked it up yesterday," Sohinki replied, zipping up his suitcase and sliding it down the hallway.
"Lucky," Anthony sighed. "Ian's being stubborn and wants to get his tux in Sweden, so I told him I would wait and get it with him."
"You guys are way to close," Sohinki told him.
"Yeah, I know," Anthony laughed.
"So, can you give me a ride to the airport tomorrow?" Sohinki asked. "My car's in the shop and I really don't want to have to take a cab."
"Yeah, we pass your apartment anyway on the way there," Anthony told him. "Hey, I have to go. I haven't even started packing."
"Good luck," Sohinki chuckled, pressing the "end" button on his iPhone. He pulled his shirt over his head and put on a pair of sweatpants, stretching out on the couch and turning on a soccer game.
Within minutes, he was passed out cold.
Chapter 2
"Sohinki, hurry up!" Anthony called from the car. "We're going to be late!"
"Relax," Sohinki called back, emerging from the ground floor of the apartment complex, carrying his suitcase. "The flight doesn't leave for another two hours, we have plenty of time."
"Sohinki, you know if we're late, he's going to complain about it for the rest of the trip," Ian groaned. Anthony narrowed his eyes at Ian and punched him in the shoulder.
"As much as I hate to say it, Anthony, it's probably true," Sohinki conceded, smiling.
"Just come on!" Anthony urged, putting the car in gear. Sohinki slid into the back seat, strapping himself in, and Anthony started down the road.
The airport was only about twenty minutes away from his house, so it didn't take long for the three men to get there. They parked the car and hurried into the terminal.
"See?" Sohinki said, sitting down in an uncomfortable plastic chair. "We're still an hour early."
"Yeah, whatever," Anthony grumbled, setting his bag down beside him. Ian pulled out his wallet.
"I'm going to get coffee," he told them. "You guys want anything?"
"Sure," Anthony replied. Sohinki shook his head. Ian shrugged and headed off in the direction of the Starbucks.
"So are you excited to go to Sweden?" Anthony asked Sohinki. Sohinki shrugged. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not a big fan of flying," Sohinki admitted. Anthony patted him on the shoulder.
"We'll do some fun things on the flight to take your mind off it. It won't be that bad, I promise," Anthony assured him. Sohinki nodded gratefully.
"Sweden or bust!" they heard a familiar voice behind them and turned to see Mari walking their way, all but skipping. Sohinki waved and Anthony grinned.
"That'll take your mind off flying," Anthony muttered to him. Sohinki blushed and shoved him.
"Don't be stupid," he said unconvincingly. Anthony grinned again and turned back around.
"Oh my God, I thought for sure I was going to be late," Mari exclaimed as she fell into the seat beside Sohinki. "My cab was taking forever, and then I couldn't find my passport, and it was just all a big mess this morning!"
"Well, you made it," Sohinki assured her. Mari smiled at him.
"No kidding, dipshit," she laughed.
"I have coffee!" Ian exclaimed, carrying two to-go Starbucks cups. He handed one to Anthony, who nodded gratefully, and took a sip out of the other one. "Hi, Mari!" he exclaimed, noticing her sitting next to Sohinki.
"Hey, Ian," Mari laughed. "You do realize that you're going to be freezing when we get off the plane, right?"
Ian looked down at his outfit. He was wearing jeans, his favorite shot-sleeved t-shirt with horses printed across it, and sandals. "I brought a sweatshirt… he mumbled.
"It's 46 degrees in Stockholm today," Sohinki chuckled. "And it's just going to get colder this week. Did you pack anything warm?"
"I didn't know it would be so cold!" Ian protested. "It's only October!"
"Dude, it's SWEDEN," Anthony doubled over laughing, then put an arm around Ian, who was frowning. "You can borrow some of my stuff until we find you warmer clothes."
"Oh my God, you're the best," Ian said gratefully.
"Yeah, I know," Anthony laughed.
"So, are you excited to go to Sweden?" Mari leaned toward Sohinki, and the smell of her shampoo breezed over his face, making him a little dizzy. He closed his eyes and tried to focus.
"I guess," he responded. Mari frowned.
"What's up?" she asked, concerned. Sohinki shook his head. He didn't want to tell her about his fear of flying. It seemed…weak.
"I just got up too early," he told her. She smiled and leaned her head back.
"Tell me about it," she sighed. "My car was supposed to get here at six this morning, so I was up at five, and it didn't show up until eight."
"That sucks," Sohinki sympathized. "You should have told us. We would have driven you."
Mari glanced at him. "You do realize that my apartment is, like, 40 minutes out of you way, right?"
Sohinki shrugged.
"That's sweet," she smiled, and he blushed. Luckily, she was too busy watching the planes take off to notice. "I didn't mind taking the cab, once it got there."
"Well, at least you didn't have Anthony at your door two hours early, yelling at you to hurry up," Sohinki grumbled, and Mari giggled, the sound echoing musically in his ears.
Sohinki glanced up as he heard a calming voice over the loudspeaker announce first boarding for their flight number.
"That's us," Ian said, getting up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Come on."
Anthony got up and followed, and Mari stood up, waiting for Sohinki. He took a deep breath to slow his hammering heart, smiled, and followed Mari to the gate.
The stewardess standing at the gate smiled as she took their tickets, and the four continued through the tunnel and onto the plane, settling themselves into their seats.
"Hey, who bought the tickets?" Sohinki asked innocently, realizing that whoever had done it had put him and Mari next to each other, while Ian and Anthony were across the aisle.
"Me," Ian replied, raising an eyebrow and smiling at him. "Problem?"
"No, just wondering," Sohinki muttered, shooting him a dirty look. Ian just winked at him and turned back to his conversation with Anthony.
"It's going to be a while before we take off," Mari sighed, settling back into her seat. "It's crowded today."
"Awesome," Sohinki ground out. The wait was agonizing. He wished he could just get the flight over with. Or why couldn't they have taken a boat or something? Anything was better than this!
He felt his palms start to sweat and his breathing quickened. He laid his head back against the seat, trying to calm himself down. He prayed Mari couldn't hear his heart slamming against his chest.
"Hey, do you want to help me with this crossword?" Mari asked him, wielding the Sacramento Bee. "I suck at these, but they give me something to do on the plane."
Sohinki nodded and took the pen from her.
Ian looked over at them and nudged Anthony in the side. The two men smiled at the sight of Mari's and Sohinki's heads bent together over the crossword.
Chapter 3
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you will please take your seat and fasten your seatbelts. We are preparing to taxi down the runway and will be taking off within the next ten minutes or so, as we have just been given ATC clearance. We hope you enjoy the flight."
Sohinki clenches his hands upon hearing the flight attendant's pleasant voice over the speakers. He honestly had lost track of time, he and Mari were doing so well on this crossword puzzle.
"Oh my God, these last three are going to bug me all day if we don't get them," Mari groaned, putting down her pen. Sohinki glanced over the clues one more time and realized he knew one of them.
"Seventeen down is Lisa Kudrow," he grinned. Mari looked shocked.
"How did you-" she cut herself off and shared a smile with Sohinki.
"Joven," they both said at the same time, laughing over their friend's extreme love of the show Friends.
"Oh, wait, and this one is Pangea!" Mari pointed to 13 across. "Right? The name of the superstructure that Earth was comprised of before the splitting into separate continents…"
Sohinki shrugged. "I have no idea. If you say so."
Mari blushed, realizing she was nerding out hard.
"What's the last clue?" Sohinki asked, slightly distracted.
"West Africa's monetary unit…" Mari tapped her pen against her teeth.
"West Africa?"
"Yeah."
"The leone," Sohinki said almost automatically. It was a useless tidbit of information, one that he had gotten from watching way too much Jeopardy.
Mari stared at him. "How did you know that?"
Sohinki shrugged again. "I guess it was on an old Jeopardy rerun or something. I just remembered it."
Mari shook her head, incredulous. "You're insane."
A loud noise suddenly filled the cockpit, and Sohinki jumped, much to his dismay. Mari noticed and gave him a reassuring smile, but it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't ask.
"Hey, we're moving, you guys," Ian called from across the aisle. Mari all but pressed her nose up against the window.
"Hey, we are!" Mari laughed. "I'm so excited to get there."
Sohinki closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat, trying to calm his erratic breathing. There was so much to worry about. Something could happen to the pilot, or the engine could go out, the fuel calculations could be wrong, the elevator could get jammed, the-
He felt a small hand slide into his and looked over to see that Mari had her hand in his. He immediately felt better, albeit a little embarrassed, but Mari was still staring out the window. He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back reassuringly. His breathing finally started to slow, and he barely noticed when the plane began to gain speed as it started down the runway.
The nose of the plane lifted, Sohinki closed his eyes, and they were in the air, heading towards Sweden.
Mari had to say, she felt a little disappointed when Sohinki let go of her hand, although she couldn't say why.
She had an idea, but she put it out of her thoughts. There was no way it could be true.
She stared out the window for a while and watched the clouds go by. It was a shame you couldn't see anything below at this height.
After a while, she nodded off, her head propped against the window. She was having the most wonderful dream. She was in Sweden, finally, and it had started to snow. She put on her coat and walked out of the hotel only to find Sohinki there, waiting for her. He took her hand, saying nothing, and pulled her toward a bench, overlooking the frozen river…
Suddenly, there was a blinding pain in her head. She jolted out of her dream and doubled over, both hands clutched to the spot on her forehead where it had hit the window violently.
Sohinki had felt the massive turbulence and was clutching the armrests like a lifeline. Then he saw Mari, cradling her head. He quickly put his sheer terror out of his mind and put a hand on Mari's back.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked. She didn't say anything. She waited for her vision to stop being so fuzzy and finally sat up, still pressing one hand to her head.
"I hit my head on the window," she moaned, in obvious pain.
"Here, let me see," Sohinki moved her hand and inspected her forehead. There was an obvious welt there that would turn into a nasty bruise tomorrow. "Are you dizzy at all?"
"No, I'm okay now," she whispered. "It just hurts."
Sohinki put an arm around her and motioned to the flight attendant at the front of the plane, who came over.
"Can we get some ice or something?" Sohinki asked her quietly. "My friend hit her head on the window."
"Of course," the flight attendant assured him. "I'm so sorry for the turbulence."
Sohinki glanced across the aisle at Anthony and Ian. Anthony was passed out with his head in Ian's lap on a pillow, and Ian was reading and hadn't noticed Mari was hurt. Sohinki shook his head. Those two were way too close.
The flight attendant quickly returned with a bag of ice. "Here you are, sir. Again, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," Sohinki reassured her. He turned to Mari, moved her hand from her forehead again, and gently pressed the cold pack to it. She winced. "Ah, sorry, I know it hurts," he apologized.
"No, it's better now," she told him, smiling. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I am," he said, feigning confusion. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason," she mumbled, seeing that he was trying to dodge the question. She didn't want to push him.
Sohinki sighed. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just really hate flying," he confessed with a laugh.
Mari felt a rush of something that she couldn't place. She was happy that Sohinki was confiding in her.
"That really sucks, I'm sorry. Why didn't you go to VidCon instead?" she asked.
Sohinki had an answer, but he would have died before saying it. "Well, I've never been to Sweden before, so…"
Mari smiled at him before turning back to the window.
This was turning out to be a hell of a trip so far, and they hadn't even landed yet.
Chapter 4
"You can open your eyes now," Mari smirked at Sohinki, who hadn't even realized they were closed. "The plane's stopped."
"Thank God," Sohinki groaned, standing up and stretching his legs. Mari stood up beside him, picking up her backpace. "Ian, Anthony, get up, we're here."
"Five more minutes," Anthony muttered sleepily from Ian's lap, where he had slept the entire flight. Ian shoved him off. When Anthony realized where he had been sleeping, a blush crept up his neck, and he did his best to hide it.
"Pervert," Ian teased, nudging him into the aisle so they could both get out. Mari and Sohinki followed the two men into the tunnel, and, finally, into the Stockholm terminal.
Mari immediately ran to the window. Sohinki pulled out his camera and snapped a picture of the terminal for his Instagram.
"I'm going over to the baggage claim," Ian said. Anthony nodded and followed him.
Sohinki strode over to where Mari stood at the window, her face pressed up against it. "What's out there?"
She jumped as she heard his voice, then laughed. "No snow," she pouted. "But it's gorgeous."
Sohinki squinted out the window. Mari hadn't been lying, it really was gorgeous. Just from the airplane terminal, he could see that, while it was a lot flatter than he had expected, the sky was an incredible shade of blue.
"It's not LA," he conceded. Mari nudged him in the shoulder.
"It's better," she said firmly, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and heading back towards the baggage claim. Sohinki followed behind her.
"Here," Ian said, tossing his bag at him. Sohinki caught it with ease and set it next to him, looking up just in time to catch Mari's bag, too, which he set down beside her. She smiled gratefully.
"I got us a cab," Anthony called, rushing back in through the doors and waving them down. "He's only waiting for another two minutes, though, so hurry your butts up!"
"Alright, alright," Mari grumbled, jogging out the doors. Ian grabbed Sohinki's arm, holding him back.
"How was the flight?" he asked knowingly, raising an eyebrow and grinning at Sohinki, who shook him off.
"At least I didn't have another guy in my lap the whole time," he shot back, making Ian blush.
"Hey, I was asleep!" he protested. Sohinki smirked at him and headed out the doors, Ian following closely behind.
It didn't take long for them to reach the hotel. As soon as they got there, they realized how nice it way.
"It's so pretty!" Mari said, bouncing in her seat. Ian stuck his phone out the window and took a picture of it.
"Okay, but can you guys help with the bags before you go running through the halls?" Anthony joked patronizingly. Ian grabbed his bag and he and Mari ran into the hotel.
Sohinki shook his head and chuckled at the sight of the two overgrown children bouncing through the doors.
"Your girlfriend is really strange, you know that, right?" Anthony teased.
"Yeah, she is," Sohinki said without really thinking about it. He looked back over at Anthony, who looked like he was suddenly and very joyfully holding in a massive, kraken-sized shit. "What?"
"Did you not hear what you just said?" Anthony laughed, his whole face red.
"No, I wasn't pay- oh," Sohinki realized what he had said. "Very funny."
"Wait, so-"
"No," Sohinki cut him off, knowing what he was going to say. Anthony opened his mouth.
"But-"
"No."
"You two-"
"No." Sohinki felt an unavoidable blush rising up his face and quickly turned so Anthony wouldn't see. He picked up his bag and headed in the direction of the hotel.
The lobby was incredible. It was a lot fancier than the stupid Red Roof Inn he usually stayed at for VidCon.
"Guys!" Ian ran up to them. "They actually have champagne just, like, sitting in the lobby!"
"Whoa," Anthony said, taking the small glass from him. "It's too early for that."
"I know, but isn't it cool?" he laughed excitedly, and Sohinki shook his head.
"Hey, Anthony?" Mari called from the front desk. "Did you make the reservations?"
"Yeah, why?" Anthony asked, walking towards her. Mari held up two room keys.
"You only got us two rooms, genius," she raised her eyebrows. Anthony put his elbows on the desk.
"No, that can't be right, I remember marking three!" he told the petite blond working the desk. She shook her head.
"I'm sorry, sir, I only show two rooms here. I can't give you three. Vi är fulla, we are full." she apologized, speaking some Swedish and some English.
"Awesome," Ian groaned. "What do we do now?"
"Whatever," Mari shrugged. "Ian and Anthony, you two take a room, and I'll share with Sohinki. I really don't care."
Sohinki raised his eyebrows at her, surprised at her nonchalance. "Mari, why don't I just sleep on the floor in Ian and Anthony's room?"
"We cannot allow that either. Bara två personer till ett rum," the clerk said.
"What'd she say?" Anthony asked Sohinki, who pulled out a Swedish-English dictionary.
"Only two to a room," he said after a moment.
"Really, it's totally fine. Sohinki, you're my best friend. It's like sharing a room with my brother," Mari said. Sohinki felt his insides deflate a little at that, but he had no idea why.
Maybe…
No. There was no way. Of course he was like a brother to her. That's all he ever wanted to be, anyway. Right?
"Okay, so you two will share a room, and we'll share a room." Ian confirmed.
"If you're sure," Sohinki muttered. Anthony glanced at him, silently offering to switch, but Sohinki shook his head.
If there was ever a time to prove he had no feelings for her, this was it.
Chapter 5
He breathed a mental sigh of relief when he saw that the hotel room was actually two rooms, one on each side of a living area.
"Oh, that's nice," Mari said when she saw the room, tossing her bag into the one on the left and stretching out on the couch.
"You do realize it's 9 am here, right?" Sohinki laughed when he saw her.
"Are you serious?" Mari looked at him in disbelief, then closed her eyes and laid back against the couch. "Oh, well. I'm exhausted. I'm taking a nap."
Sohinki shook his head and went back into his room to unpack. He took out a few long sleeved t-shirts, then realized how cold he was. He reached into his bag, finally coming up with his favorite sweatshirt, one that his dad had given to him. It said "Yale" across the front, and his dad had worn it when he was in college there.
It made Sohinki feel important.
He noticed the small TV on the shelf opposite his bed, turned it on, and then realized that everything was in Swedish. He flipped through the channels, finally recognizing a game of Jeopardy. He smiled. That was his absolute favorite show.
He dug out his Swedish-to-English dictionary and managed to get through the entire show, understanding a word here and a word there. He managed to do this for four episodes, then finally got tired and headed back out into the living room.
He smiled at the sight of Mari on the couch. She was asleep on her stomach, one arm hanging off the couch, her mouth slightly open. She was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, so Sohinki grabbed the blanket from off the bed in her room and pulled it over her.
He headed over to the small kitchen in the room, turning on the coffee pot. He didn't really feel like taking a nap, but his eyes kept closing of their own will.
The coffee helped a little bit. He felt more awake, so he headed over to Ian and Anthony's room.
"Hey," Anthony said, opening the door. "What's up?"
"Just bored," Sohinki said, stepping inside. Anthony shut the door behind him.
"Where's Mari?" Ian asked, stretched out on their couch.
"She's passed out," Sohinki smiled, then quickly tried to wipe it off his face.
"Well, we managed to find a soccer- sorry, football- game in English," Anthony said, plopping back down next to Ian. "Wanna come watch?"
Sohinki shrugged. He did like soccer. "Sure, I guess."
Sohinki quickly realized that the soccer game was an old World Cup match, but Argentina was playing, so he kept his mouth shut. Ian and Anthony had no idea, they thought the match was being recorded live, which Sohinki found exceedingly funny.
"So, wait, who scored the last goal for Argentina?" Ian asked for the third time. Sohinki gave an overdramatic sigh, but grinned.
"Messi," he replied, pointing him out on the screen to Ian, who nodded and leaned back on the couch again.
Sohinki decided to entertain himself, so he pulled out his phone and tapped on his English-to-Swedish translator app.
"Ni inser att detta är ett riktigt gammalt spel, eller hur? (You guys do realize that this is a really old soccer game, right?)" he asked Ian and Anthony, laughing at their baffled expressions. There was no way he was pronouncing it right, but it was still funny.
"I'm sorry, are you speaking Swedish?" Anthony asked. Sohinki grinned and held up his translator app.
"Wait, so what did you say? IN ENGLISH," Ian interrupted as Sohinki opened his mouth to repeat his question.
"I just asked Ian if he was cold yet," Sohinki laughed, not wanting to give up the joke.
"Yeah, pretty much," Ian said. "Short sleeves were the worst idea ever."
"Here," Anthony groaned, leaning over for his suitcase and grabbing the extra cardigan he brought.
"Aw, yay!" Ian cheered. "A girly sweater!"
"Hey, you don't have to take it."
"No, no, I want it," Ian said, pulling the sweater towards him.
Sohinki shook his head at the two. "I'm going back to my room for a bit, you guys."
Ian and Anthony didn't respond. They were too into the game.
Sohinki pushed through the door and headed back into his own hotel room.
"Were you just speaking Swedish?" Mari asked sleepily as he pushed through the door.
"What-"
"I can hear through the walls, they're paper-thin," Mari explained.
"Oh, yeah, I was just messing with Ian and Anthony," Sohinki grinned. "You finally woke up?"
"Yeah, I have a sleep headache," Mari said with an exaggerated pout.
"Um, I don't know if it's from sleep," Sohinki said, pointing out the large bruise that had formed on her forehead.
Mari pulled out her phone and turned on the front camera. "Oh, wow, that's really attractive," she groaned.
"Hey, come on, I doubt anyone will even notice," Sohinki reassured her.
He realized how comfortable he was. He was sitting on the couch, in a freezing cold foreign country, next to his best friend. The fireplace was on, and he wanted nothing more than to put an arm around her and warm her up, and tell her how beautiful she was, even with the bruise…
His heart stopped for a second as the realization hit him like a truck.
"Be right back," he ground out, getting up quickly. Mari looked concerned as he walked quickly into his room and shut the door.
He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the carpeted floor. He put his head in his hands. There was absolutely no way to deny it now. He had tried to push it down since it had popped up in his head, but it was starting to consume him. If he didn't admit it, he was afraid it would completely take him over.
This couldn't be happening to him.
He was completely in love with his best friend.
Chapter 6
Mari thought it was really weird how Sohinki had just run off like that. Had she done something wrong?
She looked herself over and made sure she hadn't peed herself or something without noticing. Nothing.
So what had made him suddenly look like the world was ending?
She stayed quiet, but he was silent behind the closed door of his room, so she shrugged and pulled her Kindle out of her backpack. She pulled up a novel from her favorite mystery series and began where she had left off on the plane. Soon, she was lost in a world of murder weapons, love triangles, and terrified witnesses.
She loved to read more than anything.
It really was like going to another world. The characters always came to life, just for her. It was like they were standing right there in front of her.
She giggled at a particularly funny part in the book, and it echoed into Sohinki's room. The sound slightly relaxed him, and even made him smile a little bit. It was one of the most musical sounds in the world.
He was still sitting in front of his door, trying to deal with the different thoughts bouncing around in his head. The only idea he could come up with surely wasn't a good one.
In fact, it would be one of the most painful things he had ever done.
But if he wanted to stay friends with Mari and not ruin their friendship with his stupid feelings, it had to be done.
He would have to avoid her as much as possible.
Maybe if he wasn't around her nearly as much, the feelings would just…disappear.
Tears started to form in his eyes at the prospect. He wasn't supposed to cry over a stupid crush, but…maybe it wasn't a crush.
It's wasn't.
He didn't want to leave her alone. He wanted to see her every single day for the rest of his life.
But how else was he supposed to get rid of his feelings?
"I could tell her," he whispered to himself. But he quickly became silent again. There was no way in hell that was going to happen. Because if he told her, she wouldn't feel the same way. And that would be completely disastrous.
Everything would be ruined.
"Hey, guys," Mari called, pushing into Ian and Anthony's hotel room. The two were stretched out on the couch, watching a soccer game.
"Hey, Mari," Ian said, patting the couch beside him. She plopped down and wrapped herself in the blanket perched on the arm of the chair beside her.
"God, it's cold here," she said, shivering.
"Yeah, I know," Ian sympathized. "I can turn on the fireplace if you want."
"Yeah!" Mari's spirits brightened a little. Ian flipped the switch next to the TV and the fireplace roared to life, a wonderful burst of heat emitting from it. Mari hopped off the couch and scooted towards the fireplace, sitting directly in front of it.
"So what happened to Sohinki?" Anthony asked.
"I don't know," Mari admitted. "He started acting really weird and then shut himself in his room, and I haven't heard anything. I think he fell asleep."
Anthony's brow furrowed. That didn't sound like Sohinki.
Suddenly, as if on cue, the door opened. "Anthony, can I talk-" Sohinki froze when he saw Mari sitting there. She smiled at him, like she usually did. "Oh, actually…I just remembered… I have something… to do," Sohinki stuttered, backing out the door.
Mari was so confused. Why didn't Sohinki want to be anywhere near her?
"What's up with him?" Ian asked.
"I don't know," Mari murmured. "He's been acting weird around me since we got to the hotel and I don't know why."
Sohinki got back to the hotel room, a hot ball of anger forming in his stomach.
The look on Mari's face when he left was burned in his mind.
Oh, God, he couldn't do this. He couldn't keep confusing her.
She had looked so hurt.
Angry tears formed in his eyes and all the frustration he felt suddenly exploded. He grabbed the coffee cup he had used earlier and threw it as hard as he could onto the tile floor. It immediately shattered into hundreds of pieces, the rest of the coffee that had sat in the bottom of the cup just a second ago splattering all over the kitchen.
He leaned against the counter, breathing heavily. He just felt deflated, now. All the fight had gone out of him.
With great care, he knelt down and started picking up pieces of ceramic. Unfortunately, he wasn't careful enough, and a large gash appeared in the center of his left hand.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath. The cut was deep, and began to bleed profusely. He couldn't go to a hospital here, though.
He didn't want to.
He ran his hand under cold water for about ten minutes, thinking that it would stop the bleeding. It definitely slowed it down, although it continued to bleed slowly. Finally, he found a first aid kit in the top cabinet above the sink, and wrapped his hand tightly. Blood immediately soaked through the bandage, so he wrapped it again.
"Hey, I heard something break-" Mari pushed through the hotel room door and cut off when she saw Sohinki standing in the middle of a broken coffee mug. "What happened?"
"Just dropped it," Sohinki muttered, purposefully not looking at her. "I'll clean it up."
"Well, I can help if you want."
"No, I've got it. Thanks, though," Sohinki said, kneeling again to pick up the rest of the ceramic shards. He could sense the hurt, confused look on her face, and a sense of tension filled the room. His stomach filled with dread, and he prayed that she wouldn't say anything.
She didn't.
Instead, she turned slowly and walked back out of the hotel room, presumably back towards Ian and Anthony's room. Sohinki breathed a sigh of relief as she left and finished cleaning up the mess he had made in the kitchen.
Mari felt tears pricking her eyes, but she was able to turn and leave before Sohinki saw them.
She knew she was overreacting, but she really hated when people were mad at her. It made it even worse when she didn't know what she had done.
Had she done anything to him?
It didn't really matter at this point. It was obvious he didn't want anything to do with her at the moment, so she should respect his wishes. She would just give him some space for a while, and maybe later try to figure out what was going on with him.
After all, he was her best friend. He had to tell her what was going on with him.
Right?
Chapter 7
"Are you going to bed anytime soon?" Mari asked from the couch, where she lay in her favorite pajamas, curled up in a blanket, watching General Hospital in Swedish.
"Oh, um…" Sohinki hesitated, knowing what he was about to do was probably going to hurt Mari's feelings, but he had to do it. "I'm actually going to sleep in Ian and Anthony's room."
"Why?" Mari said, confused. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I just thought it would be a little less awkward if all the guys were in one room," Sohinki mumbled.
"Oh…" Mari trailed off. Suddenly, she became frustrated with him.
Then mad.
"Did I do something?" she asked fiercely, turning the TV off and turning around to face him. Her eyes were narrowed and her cheeks became flushed.
Sohinki lowered his head. He hated to see her upset and he wanted nothing more than to sit down with her and explain.
But he couldn't.
"No, you didn't do anything, Mari," he assured her quietly.
"Then what? What is it?" she pleaded, still looking upset. "Why can you suddenly not be within ten feet of me?"
"It's…." he trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain this to her without telling the truth.
She looked at him with angry tears in her eyes, her arms crossed.
"I can't tell you," he said, becoming slightly annoyed at her pushing.
"You can't tell me?" Mari said tightly. "That's convenient."
"Mari, just drop it," his voice was chilly now.
"No, I won't fucking drop it," she stepped closer to him. "I want an explanation."
"Jesus Christ, Mari!" Sohinki yelled, causing her to step back a little. "It's not like we're fucking dating. I just want some space, can't you get that through your head? How desperate are you?"
At that last insult, Mari moved backwards very slowly, tears starting to run down her cheeks. She was still completely furious, though.
"Desperate?" she said quietly. "You think I'm fucking desperate?"
All the fight drained from Sohinki and his expression suddenly went from angry to lonely and sad. "Mari, I-"
"No, you know what? Forget it," she laughed bitterly, the tears coming faster now. "You don't know me at all, do you?" she started towards her bedroom, then stopped and turned. "You want some space? Fine. Don't come near me." She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door hard.
All the sadness and frustration that Sohinki had felt in the past few days suddenly bubbled to the surface, and tears started to run down his face. He grabbed his wallet off the table and left the hotel room.
"This is fine," Sohinki told the cab driver. He stepped out of the car and breathed in the freezing night air, grateful that he had grabbed his jacket on the way out. It was so cold.
The park was nice, only a few blocks from their hotel. It was empty at this time of night, but he didn't mind.
He just wanted to be by himself for a while.
There was a swingset across from him, and he found himself smiling with a sense of childlike excitement. He crossed the playground and sat on one of the swings, taking a minute to think.
He was so confused and so sad. He hated that he had upset Mari. He hated the look on her face. He didn't think he would ever forget it; a mix of betrayal, fury, and sadness.
He felt so broken. It was like half of him had been taken away.
He swung back and forth. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't want to do it.
He put his head in his hands, thinking furiously, trying to find a way out.
After about an hour, he came to the conclusion that there wasn't a choice. He was going to have to explain to Mari what was really going on.
No chance she would take it well now. She was just going to laugh at him and tell him to get out. But he deserved it.
He could have strangled himself right then and there. He couldn't believe what he had done to one of him best friends. The girl he had known forever.
The girl he loved, for God's sake.
How could he have messed this up?
It was early when he got back to the hotel, around 3. He unlocked the hotel room and found that Mari's door was still shut tightly. He curled up on the couch in a blanket and fell asleep rather quickly.
He woke up the next morning before she did and couldn't go back to sleep, so he decided to turn on the fireplace and sit in front of it for a while. He pulled out his notebook and started a new Sudoku puzzle, one of his favorite things to do. It calmed him down a little bit.
Mari's door suddenly creaked open and she stumbled out sleepily, her eyes still closed, her hair a mess. She saw Sohinki and immediately turned around.
"Wait," he called. Mari didn't want anything to do with him, but he sounded so…broken.
She turned around and just stared.
"Oh, God, I don't even know where to start," he stood up. "I'm the biggest douchebag in the entire world, Mari. Those things I said to you… they were so wrong. And so mean. And I don't know where they came from."
"Then why did you say them?" she asked sadly.
"Because… because…. I can't do this," he broke, putting his head in his hands.
"No, you have to do this. I deserve to know," she said firmly, planting herself in front of him. "Why would you say such horrible things to me? Did I do something to you? Did-"
Sohinki cut her off by fiercely pressing his lips to hers. She was shocked and stood frozen, not responding. He immediately pulled away.
He knew it was going to be a mistake.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, stepping back.
"You wanted an explanation," he muttered. "You got it."
"What, did you think that would make it all better?" she cried. "You thought I would just fall in love with you right here, right now?"
"I didn't want to tell you!" he exploded. "I tried to avoid it. I tried to avoid you because I thought it would all just…" he sat down hard on the ground. "I thought I could make it go away. And I didn't want to tell you, but…you asked for the truth."
"You can't just dump all this on me!" she yelled. "How am I supposed to deal with all this right now?"
"I'm not something you have to deal with," he said sadly.
"Just leave," she said angrily. "I don't want you here. Nobody does."
Sohinki felt his heart stop and he looked disbelievingly at Mari. "No, Mari, please don't say that."
She felt awful. Of course she wanted him here. But she couldn't make herself apologize, so she just turned and walked back into her room.
Chapter 8
Sohinki couldn't believe what she had said to him. He thought that what he had said was the worst, but…
She didn't want him here.
How was he supposed to deal with that?
He didn't cry this time. He had a sad, determined feeling in the pit of his stomach.
His phone pinged to let him know he had a text. He picked it up and saw it was from Ian.
"Hey, haven't heard from you since last night. Everything okay?" it read.
Sohinki sighed and left his hotel room, walking down the hall and knocking on Ian and Anthony's door.
"Hey!" Anthony smiled at him. "Ian, Sohinki's here!"
"Hi Sohinki!" Ian called from the back room. He poked his head out and Sohinki couldn't hold back a small smile at the sight of his half-shaven face, the rest of it covered in shaving cream.
"What's up, man? You look kinda out of it," Anthony said, sitting down on the couch.
"Um," Sohinki stuttered, trying to figure out a way to explain. "Actually, I'm thinking about heading home."
"What? Why?!" Ian cried, wiping off his face and emerging from the bathroom. "The awards ceremony is only two days away!"
"Yeah, why would you leave?" Anthony asked, looking concerned.
"Well… Mari and I kind of got into a fight," Sohinki confessed. "I just want to go home, now."
"What kind of a fight?" Ian asked, sitting down beside the other two men.
Sohinki took a deep breath and explained the night's events. When he got to the part about how he had called Mari desperate, Anthony and Ian both looked concerned, but kept quiet.
"…and then she told me to leave and that nobody…wanted me here," he finished, breathing hard. He looked really…sad.
Anthony put an arm around him. "She's wrong, you know. We're glad you're here."
"Of course we are!" Ian reassured him. "You probably just surprised her."
"I'm still going home," Sohinki told them, and their faces fell. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I just need to be by myself for a little while to figure things out."
"As much as that sucks, I understand," Ian said reluctantly. Anthony remained silent.
"I just wanted to let you guys know…" Sohinki stood and headed for the door. "I'm sorry…"
He shut the door behind him, his mind racked with loneliness and sadness. He went back to his room and pulled out his laptop.
Within minutes, he had found the correct flight.
He entered all his information and finished all the forms, but… he just couldn't bring himself to actually buy the ticket.
He sighed with frustration and put his laptop down on the table beside him, getting back up to take a walk around the city. He could come back and finish the purchase later.
Catching cabs around Stockholm was remarkably easy, although Sohinki had to take a minute to figure out how much to pay the driver. And judging by the expression on the face of the last driver, he was overestimating.
He went back to the park for a while, just sitting and thinking.
He didn't really want to leave, so why was he doing it?
He shook his head. He knew exactly why he was leaving. He wanted to give Mari the space she needed.
He just didn't want her to hate him forever.
He sat on the bench overlooking the river. It really was beautiful, half-frozen in the cold temperatures. But it still hadn't snowed.
Sohinki knew that was the one thing that Mari really wanted to see. He would have given anything to make it snow, just to see the expression on her face.
"Stop it," he growled to himself. He needed to rid himself of these feelings once and for all. They were just a nuisance now, since Mari had made it very clear how she felt. He hit his head with the heel of his hand, over and over, trying to distract himself from the thoughts running through his head. He smiled faintly as he realized that he was probably going to have a bruise in the same spot that Mari did.
Mari emerged slowly from her room, her eyes red from crying.
She sat on the couch, staring at nothing for a while. She had thought way too much about what she had said, and it was starting to eat away at her mind.
Suddenly, her stomach flipped, and she ran into the bathroom, only to be violently sick. Ian chose that exact time to enter the room and found her sitting on the tile floor, head against the tub.
"Are you alright, Mari?" he asked frantically.
"Just…" she didn't want to tell him what was really wrong. "Food poisoning, I guess."
"Aw, that sucks!" Ian sympathized. "Why don't you go relax on the couch for a little while?"
"Yeah, you're right," she mumbled, stumbling over to the couch and wrapping herself in the blanket there. She managed to sleep for another hour or so, and woke up to a pinging noise coming from what she discovered to be Sohinki's laptop.
All the feeling drained from her body as she realized what was pulled up on his computer.
It was the airline site. With a ticket home pulled up.
"Oh, God, no," she whispered. "What did I do?"
She wrapped the blanket around herself and stood up, feeling slightly less nauseous. She had to make sure he hadn't left yet.
What would she do if he had?
Chapter 9
Sohinki got back to the hotel a little while later, but he still wasn't ready to go back up yet and buy his ticket home, so he sat in the lobby with a cup of coffee, reading the book he had brought with him. He usually didn't like reading very much, but it did sometimes help to take his mind off things.
He didn't want to go home. He really didn't. He wanted to stay for the awards ceremony, and he wanted to make the most of the rest of the trip. He wanted to go sightseeing, take his friends over to the park, and he wanted to see Felix again.
So why was he going?
In that instant, he had his answer. He was leaving because Mari's needs were more important than his own right now.
Because he loved her more than anything. And because he would do anything to make sure that she felt safe, and happy, and loved.
He took a deep breath and stood up, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Instead, he turned and stared out the window behind him.
It had begun to snow.
He thought sadly of Mari, who was probably upstairs with Ian and Anthony, marveling over the beauty of the snow. At least she had something to make her happy.
"Sohinki!" he heard from behind him. He turned around to see Mari running down the stairs. She was still in her pajamas with a blanket wrapped around her, and she was smiling.
"Mari?" he asked, disbelievingly. She was supposed to be upstairs.
She got to the bottom floor and stood directly in front of him. Ian and Anthony ran down the stairs behind her.
"Sohinki, please, please don't leave me," she panted. He looked confused. "I saw your plane ticket online. Please don't go. I know what I said, but I was lying. I want you to stay here with me."
"Why?" he asked quietly.
"Because….I love you," she said simply. It was such an easy thing for her to say, because it was so true.
Ian and Anthony jumped up and down behind her, trying to contain their excitement but failing miserably.
"You-" Sohinki started, but was cut off by Mari's lips against his. He immediately responded, kissing her back fiercely.
Ian and Anthony cheered loudly.
Mari pulled back and stared at him, and small smile on her face. "Please stay," she whispered.
Sohinki pulled her into a hug and felt a wave of happiness as she buried her face in his neck. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised.
The four friends headed back upstairs, when Sohinki suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Mari asked.
"You guys have looked outside, right?" he asked.
Ian, Anthony, and Mari all looked at one another and shook their heads.
Sohinki grinned. "Go upstairs and get dressed, but make sure you don't look outside. I have a surprise for you guys."
With some hesitation, the three went upstairs and put on jeans, coats, and warm boots. Mari wrapped her favorite scarf around her neck and pulled a hat over her braided ebony hair.
"What's Sohinki up to?" Ian whispered to Anthony, who shrugged.
"He didn't tell me," he responded. The three headed back downstairs, where Sohinki was waiting.
"Come on," he grinned, holding the doors open for them. At first, they didn't really get what the surprise was. Then…
"Snow," Mari whispered, a huge grin on her face.
"It's snowing!" Ian cheered. There was already about two inches of snow on the ground, and he and Anthony immediately got into an impromptu snowball fight.
Mari smiled up at the flake-filled sky, closing her eyes. She opened them to see Sohinki holding out a hand to her. She grinned at him, took it, and he pulled her over to a bench that overlooked the frozen river. The two sat down and Sohinki put his arm around her shoulder.
"It's so beautiful," she murmured. Sohinki nodded.
"It really is," he agreed. "I can't believe it's actually snowing."
"Hey, Sohinki?" Mari asked, lifting her face to his. He stared back down at her.
"Yeah?"
"Were you really going to leave?"
Sohinki sighed and smiled sheepishly at her. "I was, but I couldn't bring myself to actually buy the ticket, so I went for a walk, and then…"
Mari furrowed her brow. "Why did you almost leave?"
"Because you wanted me to," he said simply. "I could tell you needed some space and I wanted to give it to you."
Mari didn't know whether to feel guilty about what had almost happened or grateful, so she chose the latter.
"You would do that for me?" she whispered. "You would fly halfway across the globe just to give me space?"
"Of course I would," he smiled, somewhat sadly.
She kissed him quickly but softly on the lips.
"Thank you," she whispered. He smiled and she slipped her hand into his.
A snowball hit Sohinki in the side of the head and he slowly turned, glaring at Ian, who was standing nearby with a look of sheer panic on his face.
"Hey, Ian?" Sohinki asked, bending down and shaping a snowball.
"OH MY GOD NO," Ian shouted, trying to run, but Sohinki whipped it at him, nailing him in the back.
"Hey!" Anthony yelled, throwing another at Sohinki, but he missed. Sohinki grinned.
"Mari, care to join me?" he asked, bending down to make another snowball.
"Way ahead of you," she laughed, cradling the snowball she had somehow made without him noticing. She pulled her arm back and threw it with all her might at Anthony, hitting him in the arm.
This went on for a while, until finally the four friends were all too tired to throw anymore. Sohinki ended up sitting down in the snow pile, and as Mari passed him, he held up his hands so she could pull him up. But as soon as she took hold of him, he pulled her down and put a handful of snow in her hair.
"Hey!" she cried, laughing. She struggled to get away from him, but he was too strong for her. They ended up tangled in the snow, laughing, as Ian and Anthony stood over them.
"You two are so weird," Ian shook his head. Mari grinned evilly at him and threw a handful of snow towards his face. He ducked and pushed Anthony in front of him to shield him from any more attacks.
"Hey," Sohinki panted, laying back, letting the snowflakes fall on his face. "I'm starving."
"It's almost seven," Anthony admitted. "Anybody up for dinner?"
"Me!" the other three all shouted at the same time.
"There's a really cool little cafe across the street that would be kind of cozy," Mari suggested. "That way we wouldn't have to get a cab, because with the way this snow is falling, I'm not sure if we would get back."
"That's true," Sohinki agreed. "You guys want to try out the cafe?"
Everyone nodded their assent, and the group trudged off in search of the restaurant.
Chapter 10
The cafe did end up being very nice. By the time they got there, everyone else had cleared out, so they had the place to themselves. The fireplace inside was lit, making the restaurant feel warm and homey.
They laughed as they got inside. Everyone was thoroughly soaked with melted snow, and Mari's braided hair was now soggy. Their cheeks were flushed red from running around in the cold.
"Here you go," Sohinki handed Mari a warm mug filled with hot chocolate, making her feel like a kid again. She smiled gratefully at him.
"Hey, what about us?" Ian mock complained. Anthony grinned.
"When you turn into an attractive girl, I'll buy you drinks," Sohinki said sternly. Ian burst out laughing and Anthony looked indignant.
"Have you seen me as a girl on the Smosh channel?" he asked. "I'm sexy as hell!"
Mari smiled at Sohinki and shrugged. "He is pretty attractive with fake boobs," she conceded. Sohinki laughed.
"Anthony, can you come look at this edit for me?" Ian asked, pulling out his iPad. When Mari gave him a confused look, he winked at her and motioned to Sohinki.
"I can't believe how beautiful it is here," she sighed to him. He slipped his strong arm around her, instantly warming her.
"It's nothing compared to you," he whispered, pressing his lips against her forehead. Normally, with any other guy, she would have blushed and disagreed profusely. But with Sohinki, it was comfortable and easy, so she just smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. She slipped her hand into his, something that felt like an old, familiar pattern.
It was so nice. They were seated in a cushioned booth that faced the window, which had latticed ice patterns racing across it. The cafe had strung Christmas lights up in the window, giving the place a warm glow. The fireplace was warm against the sides of their faces. Sohinki knew Ian and Anthony were probably watching them like the creepers they were, but he didn't care. He tilted Mari's face to his and kissed her gently on the lips.
The spark that hit them both was incredible. It was the same every single time they kissed, and it never got any weaker. It left Mari breathless and weak in the knees.
"Do you want to take a walk?" she whispered. He smiled and nodded, then twined his fingers in hers.
Ian looked up slightly as they walked out the door and smiled.
They walked in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company and listening to the silence of the falling snow. Finally, they found a small bench situated under a streetlamp and sat down next to each other.
"So, are you excited for the awards ceremony?" Sohinki asked Mari.
"A little nervous," she admitted. "Partially because I'm afraid we won't win, and partially because I don't know if I brought a nice enough dress."
"Mari, anything you wear will look good," Sohinki assured her, making a faint blush rise in her cheeks. He grinned at her embarrassment. "I'm lucky. I just have a rent a plain old tux."
"Show-off," Mari muttered, punching him lightly in the shoulder. He laughed and put both of his toned arms around her.
"I'm just messing with you," he murmured, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, enjoying the moment. She was no longer cold. In fact, she had heat rushing through her entire body.
"Do you think it will still be snowing tomorrow?" Mari whispered. "It would be so beautiful at the ceremony if it was."
"Well, judging by how heavy it is," he said quietly, "I bet it will."
The two stayed in that position for a while. Mari could have fallen asleep there, wrapped in his arms. The streetlight cast a heavenly glow on the pavement, illuminating their intertwined shadows.
"Hey, Sohinki, can I tell you something?" Mari asked quietly. Sohinki nodded gently. "I love you," she smiled, moving her head out from under his so she could meet his gaze.
"I love you more," he whispered, kissing her gently at first. Mari breathed in gently as his lips met hers, quickly deepening the kiss. She vined her arms around his neck, drawing him in as close as she could, and she felt his wrap around her waist, gently drifting across her lower back.
They couldn't keep it that way for long. Sohinki pulled back after a minute, both of them breathing heavily.
"Jesus," he sighed, and Mari laughed.
"You okay over there?" she teased. Sohinki narrowed his eyes at her and pulled her in for another kiss.
"I could outlast you any day," he whispered, pulling away, making a shiver run down her spine in the best way.
"I don't believe you," she taunted, sticking her chin out.
The kiss this time was rougher and more passionate. Mari became completely lost in it. She couldn't remember where they were, what they were doing, or what her name was. She wasn't even thinking. Her body fit perfectly against his, and before she knew it, it got to be too much for her to handle.
"Dammit," she gasped, pushing back from him. He smirked at her, a cute little smile that made his eyes dance.
"See? I told you, I have some serious skills," he grinned. Mari laughed.
"Fine. But just so you know, I let you have that one," she teased. Sohinki laughed, stood, and pulled her up with him, not letting go of her small hand. The two headed back to the cafe, side-by-side, both of them still reeling from the kiss.
Chapter 11
"We're gonna be late!" Ian yelled down the hall, the sound carrying into Sohinki's room. He hurried to finish putting on his tux, tying the bowtie in front of his neck and sticking out his tongue at his reflection in the mirror. He hated wearing tuxedos, but it was kind of required for tonight.
"I'm coming!" Sohinki yelled as Ian pounded on his door. "Yell at Mari, she's late too!"
"Mari was ready literally a half hour ago," Ian laughed. "You're the last one!"
"Shit," he muttered under his breath as he slid into his shoes. He burst out the door, running right into Ian.
"Oh, shit, you know what?" Ian said, looking slightly over Sohinki's shoulder and smiling a bit. "My jacket's in the room. Anthony, will you come help me find it?"
"What?" Anthony looked confused, and Ian nudged him in the side, and he seemed to get it. "Oooohhh, yeah. Sure thing, Ian."
Sohinki shook his head at their retreating backs. Those two were the strangest friends ever.
"Hey," he heard a quiet, familiar voice from behind him. He turned to see Mari.
She was wearing a vintage-looking pink dress. Sohinki knew absolutely nothing about fashion, but it looked incredible on her. It was sort of sparkly, true to her style, and the sides of the dress were cut out, exposing her flawless skin. She had on a small gold chain, a thin gold ring, and she had swept her hair up off her neck.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling. She grinned at the expression on his face and took a few steps closer to him. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, like she always did. It reminded him of Christmas, in a way.
He kissed her gently on the lips, in a way that left her even more breathless than the passionate kiss they had shared last night. He stared directly into her brown eyes, which were lit with excitement.
"You look so beautiful," he whispered to her, her hands intertwined in his. Her expression grew serious as she stared at him. "How did I end up with you?"
"You aren't so bad yourself, you know," she smiled, hugging him tightly. He felt like he might never let go of her.
"Are you two done yet?" Ian yelled from his room. Sohinki laughed and pounded on their door.
"Thank God," Anthony groaned. "You two make me want to puke. You know, in the best way possible."
Mari blushed. Were they really that vomit-inducing?
Ian noticed her expression and nudged Anthony.
"Oh, geez, Mari, I'm just joking," he shoved her. She grinned and slid her hand into Sohinki's.
"Hey, I have a date," Sohinki told Ian and Anthony. "Does that mean you two have to go as dates, too?"
"Not on your life," Ian stuck out his tongue. Anthony slid his arm around Ian, making him flush.
"I don't know, I feel like you would be a good date," Anthony said to Ian, who ducked out from under him and hid on the other side of Sohinki.
"I'm not going as your date!" he yelled, running the rest of the way to the car. Anthony chased after him.
"Those two are so weird," Mari shook her head and smiled. Sohinki nodded in agreement and the two headed towards the car.
"So, are you ready to walk the red carpet, Miss Mari?" Sohinki grinned at her, stepping in front of her and holding out a hand. She smiled and took it.
"I certainly am, Mr. Sohinki," she laughed, and the two slid into the car next to Ian and Anthony.
"So, no date, then?" Mari teased them. Ian shook his head profusely and Anthony sighed dramatically.
"Well, Ian says no," he grinned evilly.
"I can't believe we're actually here," Mari said incredulously, staring out the window at the bright lights lining the walkway to the door. Sohinki placed a reassuring hand on her back and smiled at her as she turned around.
"It's so cool!" Ian said, jumping up and down in his seat like a little kid, making Anthony laugh.
"Come on, loser, let's go," Anthony said, pulling him out of the car. Camera flashes lit up their faces as they walked down the walkway into the building.
"Oh, my God, I didn't realize how many people were here," Mari paled a little and Sohinki grabbed her hand tightly. "Can't we just stay in the car? It's nice and comfy in here, right?"
Sohinki laughed and pulled her out of the car gently. "Don't worry, I've got you," he assured her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She took a deep breath and allowed herself to be led down the walkway.
Camera lights blinded her, and she blinked rapidly, trying to get her vision back. People were yelling, trying to ask questions, but Sohinki didn't listen to any of them. He smiled easily and led a disoriented Mari into the building, where they sat down on a bench inside the door.
"Oh my God," was all Mari could say. Sohinki rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.
"Come on, why don't we go find our seats?" he pulled her up and led her towards the many groups of decorated tables. Ian and Anthony were already sitting down.
"Did you make it through, then?" Anthony asked them, grinning and pointing back towards the door.
"Barely," Sohinki replied with a chuckle, placing a firm hand on Mari's knee underneath the table, letting her know that everything was alright. She relaxed a little and took in her surroundings.
It was so beautiful. The ceiling had been decorated with small strings of Christmas lights, giving the whole place an ethereal glow. Purple flowers of every kind adorned the tables, and the stage was completely made of glass with lights all around the edges. The building looked incredible.
Mari noticed Sohinki staring at her and turned. "Oh, God, is my hair falling out?" She reached behind her to make sure her bun was still intact.
Sohinki blushed, something Mari had never seen before. "No, s-sorry," he stammered. He felt silly, but he just couldn't take his eyes off her. She was glowing.
She smiled and turned back to the stage, just in time to see their good friend Felix Kjelberg take the stage. He had been chosen as the host this year, for good reason. He smiled easily.
"Good evening, everyone!" he grinned. "I'm so happy you could all make it. It's going to be an incredible night! We have some incredible Youtubers here tonight, and we don't want to keep them waiting, so we'd better get started!" Felix laughed smoothly. He had quite the stage presence and he knew it. The crowd absolutely loved him.
After a while, Mari relaxed fully, slipping her hand into Sohinki's and enjoying Felix's comedy routine.
Sohinki had never felt so lucky.