Enjoy.

October 29th, 2019

"You're avoiding her."

"I'm not."

"Jae."

"I'm not avoiding her."

Eunkyung set down her chopsticks. She snapped her fingers to draw my attention. "Jae. You've been cooped up in your room since last week. You haven't attended Laurent's class, and you've been home before dinner every day."

"The project is basically done," I attempted to reason. "There's no point in seeing her if there's nothing we have left to work on."

"Your presentation for the EP?"

"Our parts are sectioned off. We both know what to do."

"And it doesn't it all bother you that you haven't seen her in a week?"

"We didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

"You're telling me." Eunkyung leaned back in her chair. "I was the one who drove you two back, remember? I could literally feel the tension on my skin."

"So then you know why I'm avoid— I mean, not purposefully looking for her."

"I can guess," Eunkyung replied. "But you still haven't actually told me."

"I…" I bit my lip. "I told her about the car accident."

"What did she say?"

I hesitantly shrugged. "I didn't really give her the chance to properly respond."

"What did you say?" Eunkyung tried.

"I asked her if she got what she was looking for."

"Word for word?"

"Word for word," I repeated.

She sighed. "You know that she's just trying to help, right?"

"By prying into every aspect of my life? That's not exactly helpful."

Eunkyung rolled her eyes. "I understand. Really, I do. But you wouldn't have been responsive otherwise. Am I wrong?"

"I—"

"You're not exactly the most open person, Jae. And I'm saying that as your sister." Eunkyung pointed her chopsticks at me. "She has good intentions."

"Yeah. I know."

"Then you know why she's that pushy."

"Does the end really justify the means?"

Eunkyung raised a brow. "In this case? Yes."

I let out a long sigh. "This is the part where I tell you that I'm thankful for your wisdom, right?"

Eunkyung smirked. "It's good to know that we have such good communication."

"I hate you."

"I love you too." Eunkyung pointed at the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. "Now pass me the plate before I actually start scolding you."

[;]

As I laid in my room staring up at the ceiling, I toyed with my phone. I tossed it up into the air, caught it, and flicked the screen up to check for any notifications. Not that I expected there to be any. Eunkyung had already left for work. And she also informed me that she wouldn't be home until late tonight.

It was only noon. I had nothing to do all day. The EP, as I told Eunkyung, was entirely finished. I listened to every song over and over again, double-triple checking the mix for any flaws that might have eked through my keen ears. In the short time we were allotted, it was about as perfect as an EP could get.

As for the presentation, I had practiced it well enough.

Public speaking wasn't my strength. But I had to give it my best shot for tomorrow. After all, nearly half the grade hinged on the presentation. If I didn't perform well, Seraphine's grade would also be impacted.

I sat up and raised my phone to my face. Clicking a few buttons, I stared at my text history with Sera. It was nothing but a week straight of her texts. With no responses from me.

Hey, I'm free after class. Do you want to practice our presentation?

Hi. Are you doing okay? Just letting you know that I'm always here for you.

Hey! I put some more drinks and stuff in our recording room. I'll be there from the end of class until whenever. Feel free to drop by!

Hope you're doing well— practice for the presentation is going decently so far.

I'm really struggling with some parts. I hope you're not struggling as much as me.

Thanks for outlining our sections. I managed to get today and tomorrow off. Message me anytime you want to practice.

Grrr… I feel like you purposely gave me the hard parts! It's okay. You're probably really stressed out right now. I'll do my best to learn it!

Our presentation is tomorrow. Don't forget! Let's do our best!

This was not the first time I had looked at these texts.

And each time I did, regret, guilt, and an incredible sadness flooded every inch of my being. It hurt. It hurt me in so many ways that it would be impossible to describe.

But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to face her.

Every time my fingers grazed the keypad, I stopped.

Every time I tried to write out a response, I froze.

I closed my phone.

I rubbed the tears that pricked my eyes.

A moment later, it buzzed.

I'm at your apartment. Can you open the door?

I shot to my feet. I moved without thinking. Before I knew it, I was standing before my front door and pulling it open.

And for the first time in nearly a week, I met eyes with Seraphine.

She smiled. "Hi. It's been awhile."

[;]

Seraphine sat on a stool on the other side of the kitchen counter. Both of her hands wrapped around the yellow mug of black tea that I served her. Today, she wore a large blue and purple hoodie with a pair of simple black leggings. She placed her backpack on one of the dining table chairs.

Her eyes flicked between the black countertop, the bright yellow mug, and me.

"So—"

"I—"

We both stopped.

"You can—"

"I'm sorry—"

We stared at each other. I waved a hand for her to go.

"How…" She trailed off. "How has your practice for the presentation been going?"

"It's been going." I intertwined my fingers.

"Going?"

"I'm awful at public speaking," I said honestly.

"Do you want to try practicing together then?" She offered. "I might be able to help—"

"Sera," I interjected. "Why are you really here?"

"I…" She looked up at me. "I just wanted to see you. See how you were doing."

"I'm doing fine."

"And— and to work on the presentation," she pressed. Sera looked to the side, one hand rubbing her arm. "It'll be more efficient if we work together than if we were to do it alone. Plus, there's a lot of the EP that the slides don't cover— like how we decided on the concept, or the amount of songs, or the content of each song, or…" When she realized that she was rambling, Sera stopped. Her gaze met mine. "You… you don't want me here, huh?"

"It's not that. It's just that it was a little unannounced."

"Besides that, Jae." She rubbed the sides of her mug. Steam floated from the unmoving black tea. "We didn't exactly part on the best of terms last week."

"Wonder why."

Seraphine glared at me. "Jae, I'm trying to—"

"I know. I get it. But I don't want to hear it."

She stood up. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just tired of it, Sera." I pushed off of the countertop and began to walk towards my room. "Just see yourself out."

She stomped towards me. "Don't think you can just walk away from this, Jae."

I put a hand on the doorknob. "Looks like that's exactly what I'm doing." I wrenched the door open, but as I tried to slam it shut, Seraphine blocked it with her body.

"You're being unfair," she protested.

I slammed my fist into the door, creating a visible dent in the wood. "And you're overstepping your boundaries! Again! It's all you ever do."

Seraphine pushed past me and stumbled into my room. "Because you never want to talk."

"Because I don't want to fucking talk!" I roared. "I want to solve my problems, Sera. I want them gone. I want to be able to sit in a car and not feel every inch of my goddamn brain breaking."

"But that won't happen unless you talk about it."

"I've tried. I've tried before, and I tried last week." Desperately fighting back my anger, I clenched my jaw, my hands tensing and tightening so hard my knuckles grew white and my nails cut into my palm. I tried to reason with myself— to calm myself down. "But it didn't work."

"It did," Sera tried.

"It didn't." I motioned between the two of us. "We're arguing and I haven't gotten better."

She shook her head. "It's not that you're not getting better. You're just angry."

"I…" I trailed off, feeling the anger spill away. It struck me then; just how foreign it felt to be angry. Furious. And that foreignness wasn't pleasant either. It felt wrong. And when Sera called it out, it felt like I was caught in the middle of doing something immoral.

A wave of guilt surged through me. I swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"I—"

"Please leave, Sera."

"But—"

I pushed past her, already moving towards the front door.

"Let me talk!" She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. I underestimated her strength, and the sheer force of the pull nearly caused me to collide with her.

We stood mere inches from each other.

Sera looked up at me, her eyes pleading.

I glanced away.

"Jae," she began. "I… Please tell me what's going on. Please. I… I don't know what's wrong, and I can't help if I don't know—"

"That's just it, Seraphine. You want to know. You always want to know. You always want to be a part of something."

She looked at me and asked, "Is that so bad?"

"It is when you go too far. And you always go too far."

"I'm doing my best to help, Jae."

"Sometimes, Sera, people don't always want or need help."

"So what?" She countered. "I'm just supposed to stand there and do nothing?"

"Exactly."

"That— that— that doesn't make any sense!" She shouted, her voice reverberating within the living room. "People always want help, and even if they say they don't, they do!"

At those words, something shattered my composure. They struck me, they sundered every inch of my rational mind and sent me spiraling into an abyss of endless anger.

"That's not true, Sera!" I roared. "Stop acting like you know what I'm thinking."

"But we—"

"Just met. Three fucking weeks ago. We're friends, Sera. Not star-crossed lovers. Not partners for life. We're not destined to be together, to be friends forever." I stepped towards her, feeling fury spread like fire through my veins.

Sera collapsed, clutching her heart and her chest tightly. "Jae—"

"You don't know me, and I don't know you."

She sucked in a breath of air— and tears began to fall from her azure eyes. "I thought… I thought we were more than just friends—"

"Then you thought wrong."

Sera tensed. "You promised," she protested. "You promised that you would stick around, that whenever I needed you, you would be there."

I glared. Hard. "Some promises don't last."

Her breathing hastened. And she spun on her heel, her pink hair whipping around her. With quick but heavy steps, she walked to her backpack, stuffed her belongings inside of it, and slung it on. Sera kept her eyes glued to the floor as she pushed past me.

The air hung still. In that stillness, a deathly silence settled between the two of us. But cocooned within that silence were Sera's sniffles, her sharp inhales, her choked sobs, her muffled wails as she struggled to put her shoes on.

After a few moments, she stood up.

The door clicked open.

And then it slammed shut.

[;]

When Eunkyung came home that night, I was still laying in bed. I had been since Seraphine left.

I only got up to cook dinner.

Eunkyung knocked on my door before opening it. She stepped inside and dropped her bag beside my bed before sitting on it. There was a small smile on her face, but the moment our eyes met, it vanished, replaced with a look of sheer concern. "Everything okay?"

"Sera dropped by."

"Oh no." She groaned. "What happened?"

"We… disagreed. We fought. Badly."

"What did you fight about?"

I told Eunkyung everything. I left nothing out. It took me a while to get through the whole story, especially because Eunkyung asked far too many clarifying questions. But I did my best to give her the most neutral version. Which was really, really difficult.

When I finished, Eunkyung sat in thought for a time.

"You're both idiots," she decided.

"Noona—"

She raised a finger. "Let me finish. Sera's an idiot for trying to guilt you like that. If she was your real friend, she wouldn't have tried to play the 'You Promised!' card."

"That's the thing. I did promise. She's in the right to—"

"No, Jae. She's not in the right. And neither are you. There is no moral high-ground here for either of you." Eunkyung turned to face me completely. "You two are friends. Do you know what that means?"

"That we stick together? Through thick and thin?"

"No. It means you fight. You disagree. And you get angry at each other, just like any other kind of relationship," Eunkyung corrected. "But the thing that makes friendships different is that both parties need to know that it's not permanent. Friends are lost more often than you think. Sometimes they're lost over time, slowly, because neither friend wants to communicate. Other times they're lost tragically. And, in your case, they can be lost because both sides are too angry, too blind, and too impulsive to see reason. Of course, there are other ways, but those don't apply to you. Not right now."

"But the promise—"

"You said it yourself, didn't you? Some promises don't last." Eunkyung scoffed. "Sera was naive to think that promises last forever. They don't."

"I…"

Eunkyung placed a hand on my shoulder. "Mom and Dad promised a lot when we were kids. And now…?"

"They're gone."

She nodded. "I'm not saying that Sera will leave. But you need to know that promises are just that. Words. Nothing more, nothing less. They don't mean anything unless they are made into action."

I stared weakly at her, an uneasy feeling settling in my heart. "So what now? Am I just supposed to stop being friends with Sera?"

"That's the best part about friendship." Eunkyung smiled slightly. "You can choose whether or not you want to keep being friends with someone." She stood up and moved her hand from my shoulder to my head. She ruffled my hair. "It's up to you, Jae. I don't control your life. Sera doesn't control your life. You do."

With a roll of her neck and shoulders, she let out a satisfied groan. "Anyways, that's enough of me lecturing you. I'm hungry. Are you going to eat?"

I smiled. "I'm gonna eat later."

"No problem, Jae. I'm here if you need anything, okay?"

Before she left, I called her name. "Eunkyung."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

She grinned. "You're welcome."

Eunkyung shut the door behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

My sister's advice replayed in my head.

"Promises are just words. Nothing more."

"You can choose. You decide."

In the end, it all came down to a single question.

What did I want?

I laid there for a small eternity. There were a lot of answers; too many to count, to question, to think about. Happiness? Obviously. Everyone wanted to be happy. It was just a matter of getting there. And that was where my problem lied: finding my happiness.

Okay. That's step one. Now:

What makes me happy?

Music, I guess. But lately….

My thoughts drifted to a short woman with long, pink hair.

I chuckled. Yeah. That sounds about right. But it wasn't just Seraphine that made me happy. Sure, she brightened my days, made me smile and laugh countless times, and was, for the most part, a literal angel. But if I really thought about it, the reason why she made me happy was very simple: she made me comfortable.

Even though she had overstepped my boundaries, delved too deeply into my life for my comfort, I understood why she did it. Like Eunkyung said, she had good intentions. And… and that was okay, right?

Nevertheless, I knew what I wanted.

I wanted comfort.

More than anything else.

[;]

October 30th, 2019

"Next is… REMINISCE, by Son Jaemin and Yeng Seraphine."

As our presentation appeared on the large screen, I breathed in deeply. I steeled myself, trying to quell just how quickly my heart was beating and the sheer nervousness that chilled every part of me.

Seraphine stood behind me. Her eyes were trained on the floor, and when she momentarily glanced up at me, she looked like she was trying to tell me something.

But I ignored it.

We had something more important to focus on.

And in my hastiness, on the final step up to the stage, I slipped.

I let out a yelp and quickly caught myself. The class chuckled. My cheeks burned. I coughed into my hand and conquered the final step and positioned myself on the far end of the screen.

Seraphine stood on the opposite side.

"He—hello," I began shakily. Great. "I'm Son Jaemin."

"I'm Yeng Seraphine."

"And our EP is titled REMINISCE."

The next slide appeared.

Seraphine spoke up. "The concept behind our EP was about looking at our past, our memories. Initially, we had a lot of ideas. Simple ones like love, death, and dreams. But we ultimately settled on reminiscing." She glanced at me.

"And…" I trailed off. My mind blanked. I glanced down at the note cards I had prepared, but I knew that my moment was slipping away. My hands began to shake, and as I was examining my cards, my fingers loosened around them. They dropped to the floor with a soft clatter. In a blurred panic, I bent down to pick them up.

"I'm sorry." Seraphine cleared her throat. "And from there, Jae and I began to work on the album." She looked at me— her gaze filled with worry. Then, she looked back to our audience.

The next slide clicked on.

"Even though we started with the concept, our methodology was still somewhat amateur." She nodded along to an imaginary rhythm that matched the flow of her words. "Instead of getting straight to work, we spent time getting to know each other, becoming familiar with what type of music we wanted to create." Seraphine glanced at the screen, and then waved a hand towards it. "This is the project file for one of our first 'jam' sessions, as we started to call it. If you'll click the play button, Professor…"

Professor Laurent did as Sera asked. And as the music from our cover of Señorita played, Sera took that moment to rush over to me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you good to keep going?"

"I don't exactly have a choice, Seraphine."

"You do."

I shook my head. "I don't." I stood up and sighed. "Let's not get into this now. We should focus on the presentation."

Sera huffed. "Right." And she walked back to her side as the song finished.

I breathed in deeply and opened my mouth to speak, but as I did so, my words caught in my throat. They sat there, trapped, encased in a verbal net. It was as though my voice had been stolen. I couldn't speak.

I glanced at Seraphine. I tried to convey as much of my panic, fear, and anxiety as I could into the glance. I can't. I can't do it.

She nodded once.

And like an angel, she saved the rest of the presentation. Seraphine spoke elegantly, calmly, and precisely. She smiled when she needed to, paused at the right moments, and bubbled with excitement whenever she willed it. By all means, it was a perfect presentation.

Had it been assigned alone.

The entire time Seraphine presented, Professor Laurent scrutinized me— she kept her gaze trained on me, unmoving, unwavering.

"I'm Yeng Seraphine," Sera trailed off, looking at me.

"I'm— I'm Son Jaemin."

"Please enjoy our EP: REMINISCE. Thank you for your time," Seraphine finished with a smile. She walked over to my side and gently guided me off the stage. The room brightened as Professor Laurent ordered the lights to be turned back on.

"Thank you for the presentation, Seraphine," Professor Laurent said pointedly. "As for the rest of the class, please pick one song from the EP to do an analysis on as we begin listening."

A few moments later, the first song on our EP began to play.

I walked up to Fiora. "Professor," I began shakily. "I would like to leave the room for a few moments."

She tilted her head. And then nodded. "Take ten minutes, Jaemin." She glanced at Sera who still stood behind me, her hands on my shoulders. "Are you going with him?"

Seraphine glanced worriedly at me. And my sister's words echoed in my head. It's your choice. You choose who you get to be friends with.

I nodded.

Sera smiled gratefully. "Mmhm."

"Take care you two."

We quickly left the lecture hall and exited into the hallway.

"Jae," Seraphine began as soon as we were in a somewhat secluded area. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm okay now." I plopped onto the floor, pulling my knees to my chest. "Like I said, I'm terrible at public speaking. I guess I just got really shaken up." I looked at Sera. "I really screwed our grade over, didn't I?"

"You…" Sera trailed off. She sighed. "Maybe. Most likely, actually."

"I'm sorry," I choked. I fucked it up. "I'm so sorry."

I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucked up.

"Jae—"

"I'm sorry, Sera."

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Jae. It's okay."

"But I—"

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm okay. I'm not mad at you."

"It's all my fault. If I had just prepared more. if I just got over this stupid fear of mine—"

"That's an unrealistic goal, Jae," Sera urged. "Getting over something like that takes time."

"It wouldn't have taken any time if I was just a stronger person."

Sera cupped my cheeks and forced my gaze to hers. "Jae. Stop." Behind her azure eyes burned a flame brighter than any that I'd ever seen. She held my gaze, her thumbs caressing my cheeks. "You are strong. You're the strongest person I know. You've been through so much, much more than anyone should at our age. You and your sister have had to be on your own for years, working too many jobs, going to school, struggling when you shouldn't have needed to."

"But I needed this, Sera," I protested between choked back sobs. "I needed this to work. Just so my sister and I could live comfortably." Almost unconsciously, I found myself leaning into her soft hands. I grounded myself in the steady rhythm of her fingers.

"And you'll have another shot," she whispered.

"That's not guaranteed."

"Neither was this."

"I had a better chance here than anywhere else."

"That's not true," Sera protested. She stared at me strongly. "You're talented, Jae. More talented than me, and everyone else in that classroom."

When I tried to speak up, she quickly placed a finger on my lips to silence me.

"Let me finish," she scolded before continuing. "This was just the first step. It's not the last EP you're going to make. And… and if we keep going, it definitely won't be the last EP we make together. Your journey hasn't ended, Jae." A small smile danced across Seraphine's lips. "It's just begun."

[;]

After that moment, Seraphine and I returned to the classroom. They already finished listening to our EP, and despite the poor presentation, the class received it rather well. They complimented the EP's production and singing quality, while also praising the songs we sang in our native language, which were both of my solo tracks and one of Seraphine's.

The only glaring critique was our decision to cover a song.

And it seemed that Professor Laurent wasn't too happy with that decision either.

When all of the presentations had finished, she began to meet with each pair and give them their grade. And when it came to us, Seraphine and I approached unsteadily.

"Your final grade for this project is a 75%," she said flatly.

Seraphine and I immediately began to protest.

"What—"

"That's unreasonable—"

Professor Laurent's ruler smacked the side of her lectern. "That's enough. This grade is final and non-negotiable." She looked between the two of us. "I expected more out of you two. Especially you, Jae. That presentation was miserable."

"I…" I trailed off. There were no excuses. I bowed my head in apology. "I'm sorry, Professor. I'll do better next time."

"Professor—" Seraphine tried. But before Professor Laurent could scold her, I stopped her myself.

"It's okay, Sera." I tried to give her my easiest smile. "It's not the last EP project for the semester. Right, Professor?"

She nodded. "Correct. But I will make an official announcement during our next lecture." Even though she had a harsh appearance and an even harsher demeanor, Professor Laurent was, at her core, a kind-hearted person. Sure, she pushed her students hard. But it was what the music industry would eventually expect out of us. And Professor Laurent's unwavering precision and judgement prepared us for that. At least, I hoped. "I will write a more detailed report for you, and all of the students, by tonight. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you've realized, your EP will not be released by UMG."

I knew that. I'd known it since the presentation crashed and burned. But hearing it… hearing it was different. It hurt to hear. Two and a half weeks of hard work just gone. Burned away like flash paper.

"But, I have hopes for you on the next project. I assume you two would like to remain partners?"

"We…" Seraphine glanced at me.

I nodded.

"We would, Professor. Thank you."

After that, Professor Laurent sent us off. As we packed our things, Seraphine and I were approached by a few other students in our class.

"Your guys' EP was great," said Violet, a girl with long, violet-dyed hair. From what I remember, she played the cello. "Is there any chance you can put it on a streaming platform?"

"Same here," commented Orion. He sang and played the guitar, I believe. "There were a few songs I was seriously in love with."

The other students all voiced their agreement. And Seraphine and I looked at each other awkwardly.

"I'm not sure about getting it onto Spotify," I began. "But I can put it on Soundcloud."

"That's fine too!" Violet exclaimed. "Thanks, you guys. I look forward to hearing it again." And as she twirled away, Orion and the other students followed her lead.

"That was… interesting," I tried.

Seraphine giggled. "I guess some people really enjoyed it."

"Yeah, I guess they did." I slid on my hoodie and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I walked with Seraphine to the exit of the lecture hall. "Do you have Music Theory today?"

She shook her head. "Krouse said that he had an emergency. No lecture, but we do have a replacement assignment." She tilted her head. "Do you have work?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna go in now."

"Do you…" Sera trailed off.

"I'm okay." I smiled. "Thanks for the offer."

I could tell from a glance that she wanted to press the offer. But when she simply nodded, I was immensely grateful. It was going to be a slow process. Learning where my boundaries were, I mean. But if Seraphine was willing to try, then I was more than accepting of it. After all, losing one of the few friends I've ever had in my life was the last thing I wanted.

Sera and I parted ways with a simple wave.

[;]

After not having worked there for nearly three weeks, falling back into the organized chaos that was The Grand Vastaya was more than just a little strange. Actually, it was really weird. I hadn't seen Jinx or Orianna since the day my break began, but Lux was my server two weeks ago. Still, after not seeing the girls as frequently as I had before was like whiplash to my somewhat stabilized schedule.

"It's good to see you again, Jae," Lux said as I walked into the break room.

"You too." I smiled. "How long have you been here?"

"Just got in. I told Rakan that one of my classes had a double lecture today."

"Heimer?"

"Heimer."

I chuckled, popping open my locker and stuffing my backpack into it. "You're the one who decided to double major in Mechanical Engineering and Physics."

She flushed, her head sinking a little. "It's fun. Just… a lot of reading and math."

"Which is exactly why I don't understand why it's fun," I replied. I raised my uniform. "Should I change first?"

Lux nodded. "If you don't mind." She turned around and pulled out her phone.

I quickly changed. After I was done, I let Lux know I was finished before leaving the break room.

"Thanks, Jae."

"No worries. See you in a bit."

The Grand Vastaya was packed nearly full, even on a Wednesday night. Jinx, Lux, and I ran laps around the main floor, taking orders, delivering orders, filing receipts, and returning cards or change while Orianna manned the entrance with a clockwork efficiency.

The hurricane that was The Grand Vastaya was tiring work, extremely tiring work actually, but it made the time pass by quickly. And before I knew it, we were closing.

Jinx after the last customer left, dropped herself into an open chair and let out a long, heavy groan. "That was the busiest day we've had."

"Wait. Really?" I asked, a hand resting at my hip.

Lux stepped up beside me. "Yeah. Most days have been somewhat slow, with the main floor only getting to about three-fourths full. But this is the first time we've been full and had a long line of customers."

"You are bad luck, Jaemin," Orianna voiced.

At that, Jinx and Lux giggled.

"Thanks, Ori," I muttered.

"You are welcome, Jaemin."

Jinx and Lux were laughing now.

I covered my face in embarrassment.

"Good to have you back, Jae," Xayah called as she came out of the kitchen. Kayn and Rakan followed behind her.

"Sorry I couldn't greet you before your shift," Rakan said. "We were really busy."

"No worries," I replied. "Have you guys thought about getting some extra help?"

Rakan and Xayah glanced at each other.

"Actually," Xayah began. "We've been thinking about making the place a little smaller."

"Wait, as in moving to a smaller building?"

They nodded.

"As nice as it is to have a space this big, we're not interested in hiring more workers," she said. "We like you guys, and we like the environment we have. So if this is too much to manage, we're more than happy to move to a smaller building."

"Are… are you sure?" Lux asked.

Rakan nodded. "We're sure. Like Xayah said, we really like this team."

"When are you planning on moving?"

"By the end of November."

November? I mentally repeated. That was far sooner than I was expecting. Maybe the end of the year, or the start of next year— but for them to already have a general time period set for the move meant that they had already finalized a lot of things.

That worried me.

Xayah caught the change in my expression. "Jae?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied. "It's just a little weird to think that you guys are downsizing instead of growing."

The pair shrugged.

"Well," Lux began, nudging me with her elbow. "I, for one, think it's sweet of you guys to like us so much."

"But what about when we all finish school?" I asked. "We're not going to be working here forever."

"Jae, that's—" Lux tried.

"It's unbelievable that you guys are even thinking about doing this," I pressed. "You're one of the most successful restaurants in L.A., and you want to move to a smaller location? Why? Why on Earth would you ever do that?"

"Because…" Rakan trailed off, looking to Xayah for an answer.

She didn't have one either.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Just… think about it a little harder, maybe. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I spun on my heel and headed for the break room.

It just didn't make any sense to me. I couldn't fathom it. They were choosing to take a hit to their profits just so they can keep their current team, even though we all knew these weren't permanent positions. Orianna, Lux, Jinx, and I all went to college. We all had more important things on our minds. We had our futures ahead of us.

Sure, I loved Xayah and Rakan. They treated me well. They were excellent bosses, and they were also my friends.

But at the end of the day, this was just a part-time job.

I finished changing out of my uniform as Lux entered the room. Her fingers interlocked and her hands rested before her as she looked warily at me.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine," I replied. I immediately regretted how poisonous my words sounded from Lux's visible flinch. I sat down on the break room couch, resting my elbows on my knees and drawing my hands together. "Sorry, Lux. I just… I'm really stressed out right now."

"You don't have to apologize," Lux said, taking a seat next to me, her posture utterly perfect. "Any reason you're so stressed out? More than normal, at least."

I chuckled at her lighthearted jab.

"I'm serious," Lux protested. "What's wrong?"

"I've got a lot going on, Lux," I replied. "It's… there's a lot on my plate."

She held my gaze for a time. And I was worried that she would attempt to pry. But to my surprise, she didn't.

"Okay. I won't ask," she replied. "But… I really don't like seeing you down." She stood up and beamed, her hands on her hips and her blue eyes sparkling like the sun on an ocean. "So, I'm going to cheer you up tomorrow!"

"Wait, Lux—"

"No waits! No buts!" She grinned. "We're gonna go to Disneyland!"

I rubbed the back of my head. "I… don't have the money, Lux."

"My aunt got me a pair of tickets and told me to take one of my friends. And…" Lux trailed off. Her eyes refused to meet mine. "You're a friend, Jae."

"Thanks."

"I mean, I've known you for like four years now, so it's only natural that I consider you my friend. I know that Disneyland is normally a place that couples go to and all, but I'm not insinuating that I want that sort of a relationship with you—"

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Lux," I interjected. "It's fine. We can go. It's been a long time since I last went to Disneyland anyways."

She let out an 'eep!' "Really?!"

"Yes, really."

"Okay, are you free tomorrow?"

"Even if I wasn't, would it matter?"

She shook her head. "I want to make sure you're really free, Jae. I don't want to take your time away from anything you need to do."

"I… I can check. I'll text you when I know."

Lux glanced sheepishly to the side. "I don't have your number."

"Oh. Wait. Really?"

She nodded, then scrunched her nose adorably. "Yeah. I can't believe it either."

"Give me your phone. I'll add my number to it."

Lux handed me her phone with her contacts already on the screen. I filled out my information and gave it back to her.

"Feel free to shoot me a text whenever. I'm always willing to talk to you," I said with a smile.

Lux, with pink coloring her cheeks, nodded excitedly. "I'll send you a text when I get home."

"Okay. That sounds good." I stood up and stretched. Grabbing my backpack from my locker, I gave Lux one last glance. She stared at her phone screen, a small, yet impossibly happy smile on her lips. "I'll see you soon, Lux."

Her brilliant blonde hair twirled as she looked over at me. She shot me a dazzling smile. "See you soon, Jae."

A/N: Uh… Should I change the relationship tag from OC/Seraphine to OC/Lux? I don't know. Let me know how you guys feel about this newly revealed relationship.

As always leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter, and feel free to join the Discord. The link is in the first chapter.

Love you.

Next Chapter: 11/20