A/N: Hi. School is kicking my ass, as usual. Some bookkeeping things:

First, the release date of the next chapter will be written at the end of each chapter. This is for my own accountability, as well as reader-writer transparency. I want to update things more consistently, so this is me telling myself to do that.

Second, each chapter will have a "Chapter Song" that contains the feelings and emotions that I attempted to convey over the course of that singular chapter. And more specifically, the emotions between Jaemin and Seraphine. Plus, I want to introduce you guys to some new music if I can, and this is my method.

Okay. That's it for now.

Enjoy.

Chapter Song: Jeremy Passion - Nothing

October 15, 2019

Seraphine— Sera and I shared a simple plastic chair as we sat back to back. To my left was a plain white wallpaper, and about five feet from us, standing on a tripod, was a camera surrounded by studio lights.

Behind the camera was Khada Jhin, one of the professors of photography at UCLA. The photography students and hobbyists always praised his work, saying that he was going to bring about a new era in photography, so when Professor Laurent told us that we would be working with him, Sera and I were more than excited. Overjoyed. Thrilled.

We stepped into the small studio expecting to be greeted with someone professional, friendly, and courteous. However, Jhin quickly shattered that notion. Wearing a ridiculous gold-trimmed white coat and purple-black tights, he frivolously, hastily ordered us around the studio.

First, Sera and I got our hair and makeup done.

Jhin pushed me down into the chair, while he courteously pulled out Sera's chair and guided her into the seat. We both sat in front of large, portrait-style windows lined with brilliant white lights.

"Now," he announced, his voice like smooth, warm butter. "My partner will do your hair and makeup while I prepare the shoot. Please, enjoy yourselves."

"Hair and makeup?" Sera asked.

"Yes, of course. This is a professional shoot after all." Jhin grinned maniacally. "Now, I must be off!" And he strutted away, humming a strange tune all the while.

A few moments later, a woman with shining purple eyes and deep violet hair entered the room. She wore a simple white t-shirt that was tucked into a pair of black jeans. But her gaze pierced through both me and Sera. "The name's Morgana, but you can both call me Morg. It's easier."

"Nice to meet you, Morg," Sera bubbled.

"Likewise."

Morgana clapped her hands together. "Well, I suppose we should get started, then? Jhin gave me the gist of what the EP concept was, but I think that hearing it from you two would clarify some things."

"Well," I began. "I concept is based around reminiscing, thinking back on the past. That includes thinking about the good times, the bad times, the really bad times."

During my explanation, Morgana worked on Sera first.

"But it's also about looking forward," I continued. "Taking those experiences in the past and becoming better through them."

"That's…" Morgana trailed off as she sprayed parts of Seraphine's hair with a water bottle. "Surprisingly wholesome." She ran her fingers through Sera's hair. "You have wonderful hair, dear."

Seraphine nodded. "Thank you. I take pride in my hair care."

"As all of us should." Morgana collected some of Sera's hair in her hand. "Is this really natural?"

"It is. Weird, I know. But Jaemin has gold eyes, so it's not too weird, I hope."

"Hey, my eyes are my best feature," I protested.

In an instant, Morgana was upon me. Her hands pressed into either side of my face. She clutched my cheeks and pulled me closer to her. I could feel her hot, warm breath, her lips barely touching mine.

"Your eyes…" She breathed. "They are your best feature." Her fingers caressed my cheeks, and she smiled slightly.

Shaking myself of my frozen state, I pushed Morgana off of me. "While I appreciate the praise, I'm not too interested in older women."

Morgana looked abhorred. "I'll have you know, I'm only twenty-two."

Sera gasped. "Twenty-two?"

I could have sworn she was older.

Morgana smirked. "Not used to flirty types?"

"Not used to flirty types who don't even know my name," I replied sharply.

The purple-eyed woman hummed. "Very well."

And after that, Morgana didn't say another word.

When she finished with our hair and makeup, Seraphine and I exited that room looking pretty good, if I could say so myself. Morgana, for all of her theatrics, had applied a natural-looking appearance to the both of us. We didn't have our faces caked with makeup, but we were prepared for a photoshoot.

However, we had one more thing to do before Jhin decided we were ready for his camera.

"You two have… awful taste in attire," Jhin reprimanded, his fingers resting on his chin as he stared us down. "Jaemin, you have it much worse than Seraphine. Is there a reason everything you wear is so baggy?"

"I…" I trailed off, feeling heat build in my cheeks. I clenched my jaw and tightened my hands into fists. "It's a long story," I deflected.

"Then I will not pry," Jhin said. "However, I refuse to take pictures of either of you looking so drab." He cleared his throat. "Following the notes you two sent me, I believe you wanted the main color of the EP to be white?"

Seraphine nodded. "It's a good representation of reflecting, and starting anew."

"I couldn't agree more," Jhin stated. "Which is why I went through the effort to find you a pair of matching denim, shoes, and white sweaters." He pointed behind us, and Morgana approached, two plastic bags in either of her hands. "Feel free to get changed in the bathrooms. I will be waiting for your return."

Sera thanked Morgana, grabbed the bags, and pulled me out of the photo studio.

She placed the bag into my hand. As we walked towards the bathrooms, she spoke up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Morgana was laying it on pretty thick back there," she explained. "I was worried you might overreact."

I shook my head. "It's nothing. But I appreciate your concern." With the bag, I motioned towards the single-room bathroom in the hallway. "You first."

Seraphine smiled and pulled open the bathroom door.

Soon enough, she and I finished changing and returned to the Jhin's studio. True to his word, she and I wore nearly the exact same set of clothes. In fact, I was fairly certain we were. The only differences were the sizes of the clothes.

We sported a stainless, stark white sweater that was tucked into a pair of ripped, light denim jeans held up by a plain black leather belt. And to finish off the outfit, we wore white, high-top Chucks. If I was being perfectly honest, it felt like an outfit you would see straight out a poster for Converse.

"Is it just me, or does it feel like we're modeling for Converse?" Sera asked.

We share a brain cell for sure. "I was just thinking about that."

Sera smiled. "Glad it wasn't just me."

"Do you think it'll work for the EP?"

She shrugged. "At this point, we're just supposed to trust in Jhin's and Morgana's work, right?"

"Fair enough," I said. Working with people meant you had to trust them. It was true at The Grand Vastaya, and it was certainly true here.

"Ah, perfect," Jhin said, finally noticing us. He motioned for us to stand in front of the white wallpaper that was set up against the wall.

Seraphine and I awkwardly stood at arms' length from each other.

"You two look like a pair of robots that were meant to look human," Jhin commented.

"I've never done this before," Seraphine said.

"Same here."

"Yes, yes, I knew that." Jhin waved his hand. "Thus, I shall be guiding your poses. Don't be afraid to try something if it feels natural to you, and don't be afraid to ask me questions either." Jhin clapped his hands together. "Let's have a good photoshoot!"

[;]

"Perfect!" Jhin exclaimed as he fired off his camera for the fourth and final photo for Sera's set.

Sera sat on the chair, staring dreamily up at the ceiling. Her right hand rested atop the left side of her chest, and her left hand tightly held her right hip. I watched as her gaze drifted from the ceiling, to me. Her cheeks were flushed with pink. Sera stood from the chair and walked over to Jhin and I so she could take a look at the pictures.

She stepped up beside me, and nudged me with her elbow. "Do I look good?"

"Take a look for yourself," I replied. Not a chance in hell am I going to answer that. However, if I were to answer, Sera looked perfectly angelic. Jhin lived up to his reputation. Actually, he had done more than live up to it. The photos for the EP were perfect. "You don't look too bad," I said offhandedly.

Sera smirked. "Same goes for you."

Our conversation was cut off as Jhin showed us one of the paired photos from the shoot. Seraphine and I sat with our backs against the white wallpaper. Our legs were spread apart, with one leg crossed over the other's and our heads turned away.

Sera wore an expression of deep thought, like she really was reminiscing about something. I was forlorn, my brows were drawn together, and my lips slightly pulled downward.

And directly between us rested our hands, our pinkies intertwined.

It looked like something straight out of a poster for a high-school romance story. But it was a beautiful photo.

"This might be the EP cover," I murmured to no one in particular. A little cliche, but it would work. After all, cliches existed for a reason.

"Yeah," Seraphine said.

"Well," Jhin spoke up. "Since we are all in agreement, I will begin the process of editing this photo, and the others. I'll have Morgana email them to you as soon as they are finished."

And with that, Jhin quickly ushered us out of his studio.

"What about the clothes?" I asked.

"Keep them," he said, his hands already on the door. "Now leave! I must have time to perfect my art!" And he slammed the door shut.

Seraphine and I looked at each other.

"That was… something," she said. "What now?"

"We still don't have a single track," I said. "The concept is set in stone now." I glanced at her. "So… I suppose we'll just have to start making music. Are you free for the rest of today?" God, that probably sounded creepier than I intended it to be.

"Yes, I'm free." Seraphine giggled. "You're good, Jaemin. It wasn't creepy at all."

"Was it that obvious?"

She shook her head. "I'm just good at reading people. Consider it one of my superpowers."

"Always knew that you were magical," I joked. "Now that I think about it, you kind of look like a magical girl."

Seraphine scoffed. "You wish I was a magical girl."

"I could think of a few spells I'd want you to cast."

Seraphine sucked in a breath of air. "Wow, look at you, Mr. Flirty."

"Too much? I asked, slightly worried. I needed to learn to control myself around her.

She raised two fingers and held them together, mimicking a squeezing motion. "Just a little. I wouldn't mind if you turned it down a tad."

"I would be glad to," I replied. My ears burned slightly. "I'm sorry, Sera."

"Apology accepted," Sera bubbled. "I appreciate your cooperation. And your willingness to change."

I nodded. "To the studio, then?"

Sera grinned. And she skipped off towards the studio.

I watched as she ran off, shaking my head slightly. Seraphine, in the five days that I've known her, proved to be far more confusing than I expected. Confusing, interesting, it didn't matter— she was nothing like I expected. I considered that to be a good thing. After eight years of predictability, I finally realized that I needed something unexpected in my life. Something impulsive.

Not to say that Seraphine was severely impulsive. She wasn't, that much was clear. But she was more spontaneous than me.

More than that, she was just a good person. Eunkyung had been teasing me about it consistently for the past few nights, but Seraphine really was just a genuinely good person. And despite her teasing, Eunkyung and I both knew how valuable, how rare, genuinely good people were.

My phone vibrated. I pulled out of my pocket and read the text that Eunkyung had sent me.

Will be home very late tonight. Eat dinner without me. Please check the pay statements on my credit card and text the amount to me. If it's over ninety, can you please pay it using your card? I'll pay you back. Thanks, Jae.

I quickly typed back a reply.

Don't worry about paying me back. I'll get it done. Stay safe, Noona.

I flipped my phone closed. My jaw tightened.

"Jaemin?" Sera asked. "Are you okay? I came back to check on you and—"

"I'm fine, Sera."

She flinched slightly, but I pretended to not notice.

I sighed. "Let's go get some work done. I want to finish this a few days before the due date."

Sera pouted. "Sick of me already?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Not even close."

[;]

We sat in the small recording room once again. But since last week, we reorganized the room and added a few extra things. Yesterday, Sera and I reserved this specific room until October 25th. So we decided to make things a little more homely. We brought an extra chair into the room, a blanket from Seraphine's endless collection, and a small refrigerator that we stocked with our favorite drinks. After the photoshoot, Seraphine and I changed back into our normal clothes while we packed the new clothes into our backpacks.

Seraphine wore a grey tank top that was tucked into a pair of high-waisted black shorts that left her long legs on display. And I wore my usual baggy attire.

I handed Seraphine a box of strawberry milk. And I popped open a bottle of Milkis.

Sera sipped at her drink, placing the bottle on the desk. "So," she bumbled. "Where do we start?"

"You know what I've realized," I suddenly said. "I don't know anything about you."

"You know my favorite drink, what I like to listen to, what my parents do for work…" She trailed off. "You know a lot about me."

"I want to know more."

Seraphine flushed. "How romantic."

Remembering her earlier words, I put my hands up surrender. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, no," Seraphine protested, her hands rapidly shaking left and right. "It's… nice to have someone be curious about me."

"Okay." I sat down beside Sera and turned my chair to face her. "Ask me a question and I'll answer it truthfully. We'll go back and forth from there."

Sera mirrored me. She leaned forward.

Azure met gold.

Her face was within mere inches of mine.

"Sera—" I tried.

And then she leaned back into her chair. "When is your birthday?"

"April 9."

She shot forward. "Wait. Really?"

"Yes? I'm not really sure why I would lie."

"We have the same birthday!" Seraphine beamed.

"Oh." I smiled slightly. "Interesting." I was vaguely reminded of my parents and their matching birthdays. Straightening myself, I hummed in thought. "I don't have any questions right now, so feel free to ask me one."

She placed a finger on her lips. Then, she exclaimed. "Oh! I've got one: are those strands of grey in your hair natural?"

I reached up and grabbed one of the strands. Wincing in pain and tearing a single strand off, I held it in front of Sera. The grey hair reached all the way to the roots. "Yeah. It's natural. It's been like this ever since…" I trailed off. "Well, it's been awhile." I tossed the hair into the trash can. I took another drink of my Milkis and set it down with a smile. "I've been curious about that little star on your cheek ever since I started talking to you. What exactly is it?"

"Oh." Sera rubbed the star. "It's… complicated? It's sort of been on my face ever since I was a kid. It was red back then. And it turned blue after I came to L.A."

"So it's not a sticker?" I asked. I was still somewhat convinced she was bullshitting me.

Seraphine shook her head. "Not a sticker," she confirmed. And then a wild grin danced across her lips. "My turn."

My eyes furrowed in worry. "Should I be worried?"

"No." Seraphine crossed her legs. "How much do you weigh?"

"About one-fifty," I said. "And you?"

"Are you really gonna ask me about my weight?"

"Not entirely."

Seraphine pouted. "Are you gonna judge me?"

"No, I won't." I smirked. "By the way, that's two extra questions you've used."

She pouted even stronger. "Jaemin!" She hit me lightly in the arm.

"Okay, okay," I surrendered. "But I really do want to know your weight. Not to be rude, but just to know."

"I'm one-hundred even," murmured Sera.

"That's a little—"

"You're being rude." She frowned.

"I'm sorry." Why can't I keep my stupid mouth shut?!

"But you're right." Seraphine sighed. "It's so hard for me to gain weight. And I've been wanting to start exercising, but I can't seem to find the time or energy to go to the gym, and it's just… Ugh."

"We could start going together," I offered. "I should probably start exercising too."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Why not?"

"Okay! We'll go later tonight."

"Uh…" I trailed off. "Sure."

"It's my turn still." Seraphine cleared her throat. "Your scar, how did you get it?"

"Around the same time my hair started to turn grey," I answered. "Has your hair always been pink?"

She nodded. "Ever since I started growing hair, it was pink." Seraphine hummed. "What's your favorite color?"

"I… Now that you mention it, I don't really have one. No colors really stand out to me."

"Shame."

"What about you?"

Sera grinned. "Blue."

"I figured it would have been pink."

"It's my hair. And while I love my hair, it's not exactly my most favorite color in the world." She smiled. "Have you ever dated anyone before?"

Oh. We're getting into it now. "I have," I said, a little defensive. "But it was in high-school. We both knew that it wouldn't have lasted very long."

Seraphine sat in thought.

"How many people do you think I've dated?"

"Maybe four? Five? I don't know."

"Only two. One in middle school and the other in high-school, like I said."

"Have you ever… kissed anyone before?"

"Yes," I said.

"When?"

"That's two questions, Sera."

She shrugged. "Then you can ask me two questions."

"It was last year." Feeling a little bad if I waited for her to use more questions, I continued. "I went to a house party because some people from my class invited me. I didn't have anything else to do, so I figured that I would go and try to make some friends."

"Who was the friend?"

"Ekko."

She gasped. "True Damage Ekko?!"

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Though, no one really knew he was working on that kind of thing until Riot released the teasers. Back then, he was just Ekko, a student and someone who rapped on the side."

"Wow. I can't believe you knew Ekko."

"I still know him," I corrected. "But he's… he's too busy to make time for me these days. So, I haven't talked to him in awhile."

Seraphine nodded. "I can imagine. Who did you kiss? Was she pretty?"

"Sivir Alahair," I said. "One year above us, vice-captain of the Jiu-Jitsu team. And she was very pretty."

"Was it a good kiss?"

I flushed. Rubbing the back of my head, I slowly answered. "It was… But nothing at all like how I wanted my first kiss to go."

"Oh." Seraphine pursed her lips. "She was your first?"

I nodded. "We were both a little drunk. We felt somewhat lonely and she asked me if I wanted to kiss her. I said yes."

"I'm sorry," Seraphine said.

"Don't worry. It wasn't your fault. Really, it was no one's fault. We were just two adults who wanted some comfort at the time. That's all it was."

"Did you two keep in touch after?"

I shook my head. "We both knew that it was just for that one moment. Anything more would have been pointless."

"I see." Seraphine straightened her posture. "Well, since I already know what you're going to ask, I'll just answer it now." She cleared her throat. "I have never kissed anyone."

"Oh." Never would have guessed that. "Interesting."

"That's it?! 'Interesting?!'"

I laughed. "Sorry. It's a little unexpected."

"Why?"

"Because I thought that someone would have at least kissed you on the cheek or something."

She pouted. "No one's done that either."

"Really?" I asked. I found it hard to believe. Seraphine was very… adorable.

Sera nodded. "It's awful. Anyways, is it my turn?"

I raised a brow. "I still haven't asked you my question."

"But I thought—"

I held up a finger. "You assumed." I smirked. "I was going to ask something else, but you thought I would ask if you had kissed anyone."

Sera's head dropped and she sighed. "Okay, what's your question?"

"What is your ideal type?"

Sera hummed in thought. "Someone taller than me," she began slowly. "Someone who sings or is musical, obviously. And someone who tries their best to better themselves each day, someone who really strives to live life to its fullest."

I nodded. "Those are pretty good." I waved a hand towards her. "Your turn."

"What about you? What's your ideal type?"

"Shorter than me," I said. "It'd be a little strange if I dated a girl taller than me."

"Not a fan of tall girls?"

"More like I wouldn't date them. But they're cool," I reasoned. "Musical, like you said. And… someone who isn't afraid to be themselves, someone that can show who they really are, even in front of people they don't know."

"Also good." Sera smiled. "I could probably say the same about myself."

I nodded. "Same goes for me."

Seraphine nodded.

"What made you take such an interest in music?"

Seraphine leaned back in her chair. She turned towards the desk and placed both of her hands atop it. "I think it was because I wanted to be on a stage some day," she said softly. "I've been singing since forever, making music since forever. I've always wanted my voice to be heard."

"Why?"

"Because…" She trailed off. "Because I think that, for the longest time, it wasn't heard. And when I realized that I had some level of talent, or skill, or whatever, I made the decision to never stop singing until my voice was heard." She looked at me, her normally bright eyes slightly dimmed. "I probably sound really selfish right now."

"No," I said. "You sound like a real person."

Seraphine and I stared at one another for a time. Our eyes met, and she conveyed a thousand words to me in a moment. Sadness. Hope. Understanding. Happiness. Gratefulness.

And then Sera spoke up. "Thank you, Jae." She turned back towards me. She gathered her hands in her lap.

"It's your turn," I said. The nickname felt natural for me— even though Eunkyung was the only one who called me by it, it sounded different when Sera said it.

"Jae," she began in a tone so soft I could scarcely hear her. "Why do you use that old phone?"

I sat still, my entire body frozen over. "That's…"

"You said you would answer my questions truthfully."

"Sera—" I tried. My hands flew to the pockets of my pants as I clutched the old, grey flip phone.

But she was not having it. "Jae?"

I sighed deeply. "The phone… It was the first phone my parents ever gave me. It's sort of like a token. I guess."

"What…" Seraphine scooted closer to me. "What happened to your parents?"

My chest tightened. My vision fluttered and filled with spots. "Sera, please…" I looked at her, at least where I thought she was, and I desperately attempted to stave off the nausea that flooded my senses.

"Jae?" Sera stood up. "Jae, are you okay? Hold up two fingers if you're okay."

I held up two fingers. "Just give me a moment. Please, Sera. I'll tell you after."

"Okay." She sat back down. "How can I help?"

I held out my hand, realizing how sweaty and shaky my entire body was as I tried. "Hold… hold my hand," I choked.

Sera's hand grasped mine. And then she began to slowly caress the top of my thumb with her own. The tightening around my chest loosened, and my vision returned to normal as she continued her ministrations. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to look straight at Sera.

"Thank you," I breathed.

She nodded. With her other hand, she grabbed a napkin and began to wipe my forehead of sweat. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah." I readjusted myself and took the napkin from Sera. I wiped myself of sweat and smiled at Seraphine. "Thank you, Sera."

Sera nodded. Then, she looked down at our still-joined hands. "Do… do you still need this?"

I quickly released her hand. "Sorry."

"No, no. It's okay. If it helped you in any way at all, then I'm more than willing to do it again. Okay?" She returned to sitting normally on her chair. "Do you think you can answer my question now?"

I nodded slowly. "My parents died when I was young. And me and my sister have been living out on our own for the better part of seven years now. Almost eight years, I think."

Seraphine gasped. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Jae."

"It's okay, Sera." An easy smile managed its way onto my face. "But I appreciate the sentiment." And somehow, I actually found it in myself to tell her. Instead of running away like last time. I chuckled slightly. "I'm sorry that your partner has a lot of emotional baggage."

She shook her head. "Everyone has their baggage. Some just hide it better than others, I suppose."

It… it sounded like she was talking about herself for a moment. But I chose not to pry. Stretching my arms and arching my back, I let out a long groan of relief. "Well," I began. "I think that's enough of our little game for now. Let's get some work done?"

Seraphine grinned. Eagerly, she sat up and pulled her chair closer towards the desk, her finger already turning the computer on. "I was working on track ideas last night," she confessed. "I wrote down some lyrics in my notebook. Can you get it?" Sera pointed to the bright purple backpack that laid beside the refrigerator.

I walked over to it and opened up her backpack. "It's the one with stars on it, right?"

"Yes, it is."

I pulled the notebook from the backpack, handing it off to Sera while also grabbing another bottle of Milkis. "You know," I said, pulling the tab off of it. "We should probably get some snacks while we're at it."

"Do you want to grab something from the cafeteria?"

I stood up. "Why not go together?"

Seraphine momentarily froze. "Oh." She stood up as well. "Okay, we can do that too."

"Unless you want to stay here?"

"No, no." She folded up the blanket and placed it atop the chair she was sitting on. Sera smiled. "I'll go with you."

I grabbed the room key and my jacket before leaving the room.

Locking the door behind us, Seraphine and I made our way to the cafeteria.

[;]

Sera and I walked alongside one another to the cafeteria. The sky was alight with shades of pink, purple, and orange as the sun neared the end of its journey. A cool breeze skirted between us, causing Sera to shiver slightly. Her arms wrapped around herself.

"Cold?"

She nodded.

I took my jacket from my shoulders and draped it over her. "Sorry if it's a little thin."

Sera shook her head and slid her arms through the sleeves. "It's good. Nice and warm." She grinned.

I placed my hands into my pockets, fighting off the cold. "So, I guess we're not going to the gym tonight?"

She shrugged. "How late do you want to stay?"

"I have nothing to do for the next two weeks."

"Oh?"

"My boss gave me two weeks of paid vacation," I explained.

Sera whistled, impressed. "Why?"

"I told them about this project. They said I was due for a vacation anyways."

"But… it's a part time job?"

"I work forty hours a week."

"Really?!"

I nodded. "Have I not told you this?"

"No," she said. "You've never mentioned your job."

"Oh." I rubbed the back of my head. "I work at The Grand Vastaya. Been there ever since it opened, actually."

"I've heard of that place. It's supposed to be really high-end, right?"

"Not exactly high-end. Just popular."

"Do you get employee discounts?"

"I've… never actually eaten there before."

Seraphine's mouth dropped into a perfect 'O'. "Really?"

"Mmhm."

"Do…" She trailed off. "Do you want to go together?"

"Right— right now?!"

She shrugged. "Why not?"

I pointed to the cafeteria building that was right in front of us. "Because we're at the cafeteria already?"

Sera rolled her eyes. "Be a little impulsive, Jae. Let's head back to the room, get our stuff, and I'll drive us there."

At the mention of driving, I froze. "Sera, I can just bike there, it'll be fine—"

She shook her head. "You may have dodged my driving last time, but not now. Let me drive you. It's not a big deal."

"But—"

Sera rested her hand on mine. "Jae, I won't do anything dangerous. I won't do anything stupid. Please, trust me."

"I do trust you, it's just that—" I don't trust other drivers. I pulled my hand from hers. "You drive. I'll bike there. Just tell Orianna that I'm meeting up with you."

"Orianna?"

I nodded. "She's a blonde girl, a few inches taller than you. She'll be working the front."

Seraphine held my gaze for a time. "Do you really trust me?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She sounded so deathly afraid, so small, so insignificant.

"I do," I murmured. "I genuinely do. I wouldn't have told you about my parents if I didn't. Right, Ser?"

"Right. That's right," she breathed. Almost like she was trying to make herself believe in the words that she was saying. Her azure eyes met mine and she smiled widely. "So you'll be biking?"

I nodded. "It's not too far from here." Pointing my thumb back in the direction of the recording room, I continued. "Let's head back and get our stuff."

Seraphine nodded. She fell into step behind me, her arms still wrapped around my sweater.

Above us, the sun dipped below the horizon, creating a band of liquid gold above the sea.

[;]

I parked my bike where I usually parked it when I came in for work at The Grand Vastaya. When I slipped into the kitchen, Kayn spotted me first, his strange blue eyes widened.

"Jae—"

I shushed him. "Did a pink-haired girl come in?"

Kayn kept his eyes on the dish he was currently cooking. He stirred the small pot of butter. "She did. She's seated at table 15 right now. Why?" His eyes widened. "Are you two dating—"

I cut him off by slipping away once again, rushing towards the designated table. Now that was a conversation I didn't need to have any time soon.

Seraphine sat in a booth. A blue light hung over the table and turned her pink hair to a light shade of pink. She held the menu in her hands and looked it over, her eyes wavering. I caught her gaze as I slid into the seat on the opposite side of the table from her.

"You got here pretty quick," she said.

"I'm a fast biker," I replied easily. Which was not wrong. After biking everywhere for the better part of ten years, my body had grown accustomed to it. And it was excellent exercise.

"Hello!" Lux chirped as she appeared in front of our table. "My name is Lux, I'll be your server for today— Jae!" She jumped. Her face lit up a brilliant shade of red. "I— I didn't think you would be back so soon."

"Hi, Lux," I replied. "We were hungry, so I figured that this would be a good place to eat." Especially because I'd never actually eaten here before.

"Oh!" Lux oh-so-obviously looked Seraphine over. "Are you his girlfriend?"

Sera flushed. "No, no, no!" She protested, her hands rapidly waving side to side. "We're just partners for our class' midterm. And friends."

Lux hummed.

"Lux, please don't pry into our customers' personal lives."

She frowned. "Sorry. Jae."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it." I smiled easily. "If you don't mind…"

"Right!" Lux cleared her throat. "What would you two like to start off to drink today?"

"I'll just have water," I answered.

"Me too," Seraphine echoed.

"Two waters," Lux repeated. She pocketed her order pad. "I'll be right back with those." She smiled, spun on her heel, and bounded away.

"She's interesting," Seraphine commented once Lux was a good distance away.

"Don't let her appearance fool you," I said. "Lux is crazy smart. She graduated Valedictorian at her high-school, and is going to UCLA as an honor student."

Seraphine looked pleasantly surprised. "She definitely seemed like a bit of a klutz."

I chuckled. "A little clumsy. But she's a good girl."

"She's very pretty," Seraphine said.

I nodded. "So," I began. "Do you know what you want to eat yet?"

[;]

As expected, the food at The Grand Vastaya did not disappoint in the slightest. Despite having worked there, and having seen the food be prepared firsthand, it only enhanced its flavor instead of diminishing it.

Sera had ordered a dish with duck, saying that it reminded her of home. And I ordered something that resembled jangguk noodles; at least, judging from the picture, that was what it looked like. And when the dish came out, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my guess had been correct.

And it was delicious.

When Sera and I returned to UCLA, it was almost nine o'clock.

I met her in the recording room, since I gave her the keys to it after we'd finished eating. She sat in the chair, her blanket still encasing her in a cotton cocoon. As I pushed open the door, Sera glanced back and smiled at me.

"Let's make some music?" She asked.

I grinned widely. "Yeah."

Taking up the seat next to her as she powered up the computer, I reached for her guitar.

"Are you gonna play?"

"Is it okay if I do?"

She nodded. "I didn't know you played guitar."

"Oh." I tested the strings. "I play a lot of instruments."

"Like?"

"Piano, obviously. Guitar, violin, cello, and melodic percussion, so xylophones, marimbas, and such."

Seraphine hummed, impressed. She clicked on Ableton. As the program loaded, she turned to me. "How should we start?"

"How do you normally start?"

"The lyrics," she said. "Once I have the words, it's a lot easier to find the key and then the rest of the music from there. The lyrics also help me find the tone for the song."

"Then we can start there."

"But what about—"

I waved her off. "I can start anywhere. It really depends on how I'm feeling. But if you start from the lyrics, we can do that." I returned to the task of tuning her guitar. "What do you want to sing about?"

"I… I had this idea." Ableton finished loading, and Sera turned back to the computer. She stood up and grabbed a pair of AT4050s from the hardware drawer by the door. She began to plug them into the audio interface, a dual XLR Focusrite Scarlett that she brought into the recording room from her house. Quickly setting up the mics in front of the guitar and herself, Sera double-checked to make sure that the mics were providing the right amount of feedback into Ableton.

"Your idea?" I asked once I knew she was finished.

"It was a break-up song."

My brows rose in surprise. "Oh?" She never mentioned being in a relationship before, but then again, I don't think I asked her. "And here I thought you hadn't dated anyone before."

"I have. But it was a really sad relationship. We broke up on really bad terms."

"And you want to sing about it?"

She nodded. "I'm over it, but getting my thoughts out there would really help, I think."

"Okay, then you can sing about it." I pulled out my phone and jotted the idea of the song into my notes. "How many tracks should we do? And how do you want to split it up?"

"Well, there's a six track limit, right?"

"So you want to do two songs each, and then two duo songs?"

Sera shot a finger-gun at me. "Read my mind, Jae."

The new action surprised me. And also made me further realize how adorable Sera was. "Sounds good. I already have a few ideas for my songs."

"Great!" Sera bubbled. After double-checking the audio inputs for the microphones, she closed Ableton and opened up a blank notepad. Then, she began writing.

I'm the one to blame,

I gave you my heart,

Willingly gave it away,

Should've known from the start.

If I could get a taste

Of what we had when we started out;

It ain't the present no more,

It's time to let it go.

Not even ten whole minutes had passed before Sera pushed away from the computer, satisfied with what she had written.

"You work fast," I commented. I didn't doubt her talent for singing, but apparently Sera was also a gifted songwriter. Pumping out a verse in that short of a time span and being satisfied with it was rare.

"Like I said," Seraphine began. She raised her arms above her head in a stretch. "I've had this idea in my head for a bit now." She glanced at me and smiled slightly.

"What?"

She grinned. "Do you need something to do?"

"I…" I realized that I was simply sitting in my chair, watching Sera work. I looked rather lost. I chuckled. "I'm content watching you work," I replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe start working on your own tracks?"

I shook my head. "I'll find time for those. I want to work on your track first." I gave her my easiest smile.

"Mmm." Sera bit her lip. "Okay, fine," she surrendered. "But after we get this done, we're definitely working on yours."

I smirked. "That's fair." I tapped the front of her guitar with my knuckle. "So, I assume you wanted to use your guitar for this song?"

"Yeah. I think the vibe should be super bedroom pop, relaxed, and kind of chill."

"Even though it's a break up song?"

Sera shrugged. "It's what I'm comfortable with."

"Okay," I said. "Let's do that then."

Readjusting the position of my hands and arms around the body and neck of her guitar, I looked up at Seraphine. "Do you mind recording this really quickly? I think I have an idea for the chords."

Sera pressed the record button and I went to work laying down the chords for the song. They were soft, sweet, but also something that resembled sadness with a touch of hope. Sera's lyrics, sad as they were, also hinted at her feelings changing, at her letting the past go. And I wanted to represent that sonically.

Sera swayed to the rhythm of my strumming, and she hummed a melody that fit perfectly into the pocket and above the chords.

And as she sang, I became lost in her voice, in the music that we created together. The world, as it had every other time we sang together, melted away. In this small recording room, within its soundproof walls, Sera and I sang our hearts out, growing closer and closer with each passing moment.

[;]

Later that night, when my sister came home and laid her bag down in an empty chair at the dinner table, she looked tiredly in my direction.

"What did you cook?"

I raised a half-washed pot, the water and soap still dripping down its sides and onto my arm. "Jjigae."

Her eyes widened. "We had left over kimchi?"

I nodded. "For once." I tilted my head to the refrigerator. "It's in there. I already ate, so just toss it into the microwave."

Eunkyung stood up and walked over to the fridge, pulling it open. "You ate already?" She asked in the middle of reaching for the tupperware. "Where?"

"At Vastaya."

She stopped. "Really? You've made it a point to never eat there— always said it was too expensive."

I shrugged. "First time for everything, I guess."

"Did Seraphine eat with you?"

"I…" I sighed. "Yeah. She did."

Eunkyung continued past me, popped open the microwave, and placed the tupperware of food into it. After pressing a few buttons, the microwave started with a gentle hum. Eunkyung turned to me and crossed her arms. "How is she doing these days?"

"She's good. The project is going well too."

"How many pieces do you plan on having?"

"Six."

"Do you think you can do it?"

I stopped rubbing the side of the plate. The nearly scalding water fell through my fingers and into the sink. "I have to, don't I?"

The microwave beeped.

"Yeah," Eunkyung murmured. "You do."

A/N: That's it from me. Please review if you enjoyed the chapter— they really mean a lot to me.

Love you.

Next Chapter: 11/6/2020