Ayo.

Enjoy.

October 7th, 2020

Seraphine and Akali stood at the shoulder of a highway that overlooked the surf. The rapper leaned against her bike, her arms crossed as she looked Sera over. "What happened?"

Sera flinched at the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

"I listened to the old stuff you released," Akali continued. "Your originals were amazing, and I'm really surprised that they didn't take off."

"It was all him."

Akali raised a brow. "Him?"

"Son Jaemin."

"Who?"

"Jae. He is— was," she quickly corrected. "My best friend."

Akali frowned slightly. "I'm still lost here."

"How do you not know him? How'd you even manage to find our originals?"

"I just searched up your name, and aside from your Instagram and Twitter, I also found your songs on Soundcloud."

"Then how do you not know Jae?"

Akali shrugged. "They were posted on a ghost account on Soundcloud," Akali explained. "And there were only songs marked with your name."

"With my… name…?" Seraphine's eyes slowly closed and she rubbed her forehead. "Of course he would do something like that. Of course he would go and delete only the songs that he sang on."

Akali put a hand on her shoulder to draw the singer back into the conversation. "Sera, what do you mean he was your best friend?"

"He..." Sera trailed off, looking entirely uncomfortable with the question.

"Did he hurt you?"

"NO!" Seraphine exclaimed. Her volume caused Akali to flinch and raise her hands up in defense. "He… He never hurt me." She pursed her lips before continuing, her voice barely audible above the water. "If anything, I hurt him."

"What do you mean you hurt him?"

At Seraphine's clear hesitance, Akali continued.

"You don't have to tell me." Akali glanced out at the sea. She rested her elbows on the seat of her bike. The waves crashed against the cliffs, sending echoing roars all around them. Her wild hair blew freely in the breeze, but as she looked down at her hands, she tightened them into fists. "But take it from me: holding this kind of stuff in is never healthy. It's better to get it off your chest as soon as possible. The longer you hold onto it, the more it hurts."

She shook her head. "If that's the case, then it's for the best that I hold it in."

At that, Akali raised a brow. "Why?"

Seraphine smiled. But it was a smile spoiled by sadness.

"Sera—"

"I appreciate the advice, Akali. But what I'm enduring, what I'm feeling right now, no matter how painful I think it is, how awful I perceive it to be… It's nothing compared to what he is going through." Her voice cracked. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I deserve this. I did this to him."

"What…"

Seraphine rubbed her eyes, using her sleeves to wipe away her tears. "It's nothing. I'm… I'll be okay. Eventually."

"Sera," Akali tried again.

The rising pop star shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Akali. It's something I need to sort out on my own."

Akali looked solemnly at Seraphine. "It's not something you have to do alone. I'm here to help. K/DA is here to help." She smiled slightly. "You're never alone, Sera."

"I know." Sera continued to wipe her eyes. "I know," she repeated.

She said more for herself than Akali.

And it didn't change the fact that she still believed she was alone.

[;]

October 9th, 2020

With K/DA, the weeks passed at a pace that Seraphine could hardly keep up with. She went from being a small indie singer with a decent following on social media to an overnight pop sensation who was busier than most people her age could imagine being. Every minute of every hour of every day was spent doing something, either for the label, ICONS, for her upcoming debut EP, for herself, for K/DA, or for the performance they were putting on in two weeks at Shanghai.

It was a whirlwind.

But lately, Seraphine had grown to love whirlwinds.

One could say that she chased after them.

"Sera," Ahri called from the living room as the pink-haired singer walked down from her bedroom. "You've got a recording session with Zedd and Akali in about half an hour."

"Mmhm!" Sera grinned, skipped over the kitchen, and popped a piece of bread into the toaster. While waiting for it to finish, she pulled out her phone and began to scroll through Twitter and Instagram. Her follower count on Instagram had grown from fifteen thousand in mid-June, to over two hundred thousand now. As much as she disliked it, she couldn't lie that she enjoyed seeing that number steadily rise.

Whirlwinds kept her busy. Being busy meant that she had no time to herself. And having no time to herself meant that she couldn't sit down and think. Because she was certain that if she started to think, it would only end in disaster.

The toaster dinged, and Seraphine grabbed her bread and began to spread butter on it as she made her way to the studio in the basement, a glass of water in hand.

She caught Evelynn making her way down the stairs towing a luggage bag behind her. "Oh, where are you going, Eve?"

"I've got to make a quick trip to Vegas," she said.

"But I thought you were coming with us to Shanghai…"

Evelynn grinned. "I am. I'll be there at the airport. Don't you worry, Sera."

Seraphine hummed, but then she simply nodded. Evelynn was a woman of her word. "Okay, see you there." She waved.

The diva walked past her and left out the front door, where a black car waited for her.

Seraphine knocked on the door to the studio. Akali opened it a moment later.

"Oh, you're up early," Akali commented.

"For once," Seraphine admitted shyly. The girls quickly found out that she was not a morning person. At all. But what could she say? After all, she loved her sleep. Seraphine set the bread down on a nearby table and began to munch on it.

"Zedd will call us in about thirty minutes from now. Do you want to warm up at all?"

"Yeah," Sera replied. "Just let me finish my breakfast." Sera quickly finished the rest of her bread and water, then she stood up and stretched. "Alright, I'll be in the live room."

"Everything is already hooked up. Feel free to warm up and I'll let you know once we start the session."

Sera nodded. She popped into the live room and took in a deep breath. Compared to her August self, Seraphine was on an entirely different level of singing. She was over her anxiety of singing in front of K/DA. Her technique had improved miles thanks to the efforts of Ahri and Evelynn. Every day that she spent learning how to sing properly at the K/DA house was like two weeks outside of it, learning on her own.

Seraphine slipped on her headphones and tested the microphone. Then, she began to warm up. From chromatic scales, to going from her chest voice to her head voice, and to singing out tongue-twisters to get her vowel pronunciation down, Seraphine spent the better part of twenty minutes preparing for the recording session.

"Sera," Akali's voice clicked over the loudspeakers. "Zedd is here."

"Alright. I'll be out in a sec." Seraphine removed her headphones, hanging them on the stand beside the microphone. She reached up and put her hair into a ponytail. Sera left the live room and stepped back into the control room.

Akali had put Zedd's camera on the TV screen, and motioned for Seraphine to sit beside her.

"Hey!" Zedd called. "It's nice to finally meet you, Seraphine."

"You as well." Seraphine bowed her head before realizing who she was talking to. Fighting a small blush, she grinned. "I've always loved your songs, so working on a project with you is a dream come true for me."

"Well, I'm excited to work with you as well." He smiled. Then, he turned his gaze to Akali. "Did you get the project files that I sent over last night, Akali?"

The rapper and producer nodded. "I did." She clicked her mouse a few times and opened the project, then began to share her screen with Zedd.

"Great. Let's get started!"

[;]

"It's funny how you miss me more than you could ever love me, How you couldn't give me everything and now you want it from me," Seraphine sang, her foot tapping along to the rhythm of the building drums. "Yeah, it's funny how it's different now that I got somebody. Yeah it's funny."

As the song dropped into the chorus, Seraphine nodded her head to the edited vocal chops, the bouncy drums, and the rhythmic synths. "Both my hands are on his body. Yeah it's funny how it's different now that I got somebody. Yeah it's funny."

The song transitioned back into the verse with a rising and falling white noise, and Seraphine began to sing once again. "Sending a message, through mutual friends. It's like I'm talking to you using them. You heard I was happy, and I heard you're not." She carried her voice upwards, forcing it to crack to highlight the emotion behind the line. "I guess freedom didn't free you like you thought."

After singing another pre-chorus, the hook returned with the same energy as the first, but as it ended, all of the percussion momentarily dropped out before coming back in time with heavily layered synths to build up into the final chorus.

"Who's laughing now? Who's laughing now? Oooh," Sera sang. "Who's laughing now? Who's laughing now… Oooh."

[;]

"We stayed up all night. Talking to each other, whispers under covers. You told me your life, wasn't always easy, I said I know the feeling." Seraphine's voice threatened to break as she sang the lyrics. But she pressed on. Not right now. "I told you all about the scar on my shoulder. And you told me you're terrified of getting older. We stayed up all night, the first night of a million more 'cause…"

The drums cut out. And synthesized vocal harmonies entered. "I'm gonna love you, love you inside out. I'm gonna love you, love you inside out. Nothing you say is gonna scare me now. Still gonna love you, love you inside out."

And a moment later, the drums returned, more energetic than before as they steadily built up to the chorus. "I'm gonna love you, love you inside out. I'm gonna love you, love you inside out. Nothing you say is gonna scare me now. Still gonna love you, love you inside out," Sera finished.

The chorus dropped into a rhythmic, pocket-heavy, synth-filled chorus.

But to Seraphine, it… it sounded the exact same as the last song they'd just recorded.

It was missing something.

Something that Seraphine knew was present in her other songs.

Her old songs.

Her songs with him—

"That's all we need, Sera!" Akali called. "That was great! Awesome job."

"Okay!" Seraphine set her headphones back onto the stand and wandered back into the control room. Akali was finishing a conversation with Zedd when she entered.

"Can't believe that we only needed one take for both songs," Zedd said, clearly surprised. He saw Seraphine enter the frame and he grinned. "I guess you're as talented as ICONS made you out to be."

Seraphine rubbed the back of her neck. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. But… Thank you, it means a lot."

"If there's one piece of advice I can give you, Seraphine, it's to accept compliments as often as you can," Zedd said. "Once you become an artist, whether or not you're doing music, the expectations pile up. And there's one thing that separates artists from everyone else: their ability to overcome those expectations." He smiled slightly. "I don't give out compliments lightly. Akali knows. I mean it when I say that you're talented. I expect great things out of you, Seraphine."

Guess he really wasn't kidding about expectations. Seraphine cracked a smile. "Okay, okay. I get it. Thank you, Zedd. Genuinely, now."

"Good." He laughed. "I'll have these mixed and mastered within the hour, and then I'll send the files over to Akali for your debut EP. Have a good rest of your day, you two." Zedd waved at the camera.

"Bye!"

"Later, Zedd."

And the call ended.

Akali turned to face Sera. "Do you have anything else you want to record? We need three pre-release singles for your EP— and since you want to drop it at the beginning of February, we should probably start those now."

"I…" Seraphine trailed off. "I don't even have a clue of where to start."

"Well," Akali began slowly. "I always think it's best to start at a place that matters a lot to you. Whether its an actual location, an emotion, or a memory…"

"A memory, huh?" Seraphine repeated.

"Got an idea now?"

Sera, despite the unease that wormed its way into her heart, managed a smile. "Yeah. I think so."

[;]

October 30th, 2020

Between practices, rehearsals, training, and other schedules, Seraphine hardly had the time to write songs for her EP, even if she felt incredibly inspired to do so. And on the rare occasion that she did find time for it, she usually spent that time resting or bonding with K/DA.

Ever since they landed in Shanghai, they spent nearly every hour of the day together. Through practice, through rehearsal, through meals, and even at the hotel, Seraphine didn't leave K/DA's side. But, eventually, they were given a day off— a day to themselves. And Seraphine spent that day exploring Shanghai, eating delicious food, and taking pictures of the city (and the food).

The thought to write for her EP crossed her mind, but she figured that her time would be better spent relaxing and actually taking time to herself. However, even during her day-off, her mind was still plagued with the mounting pressure. They were going to perform soon. She was going to stand on the biggest stage she'd ever seen in her life.

Seraphine giggled as she remembered the conversation she had with her father before leaving for Shanghai.

"What do you mean you're going to Shanghai?" He asked.

"I'm singing there, Baba."

"With K/DA?"

She nodded. "Yes, with K/DA."

Her father grinned and drew her into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, my little angel." He pulled away, a hand still on her shoulder. "I'll be supporting you from home! What time is the performance?"

"It's pretty late. It's supposed to start at around 2 A.M. for you."

"Then that's fine," he said. "I will be there!"

Seraphine's smile widened into a grin of epic proportions. Her heart threatened to break from her chest. "I'll send you all of the links and stuff!" She bubbled.

That moment was probably one of the greatest moments of her life. Her father wasn't an affectionate man, so that moment… It was one that Seraphine would treasure forever.

[;]

Every K/DA member shared one giant, five bedroom, hotel room during their stay in Shanghai. Akali and Kai'Sa lounged on the sofa, a large blanket covering both of their legs as they watched their show on the TV. Ahri had her back against the headboard while she rapidly texted someone. And Evelynn looked out the window of their room, her fingers on the glass, tracing the outlines of the Shanghai skyline.

Things were quiet, aside from Akali and Kai'Sa's show.

But there was pressure in the air that weighed down on the shoulders of everyone. Their show was tomorrow after all. They'd done all they could to prepare for it, countless hours of rehearsals, endless repeats of their songs, and enough dance practices to make everyone's headspin.

It was a waiting game now.

Seraphine stared at the black, lifeless screen of her phone. She had a million thoughts racing through her head. She was supposed to be asleep an hour ago, but that wasn't happening. Then, a thought crossed her mind.

What are the chances that Jae's gonna watch tomorrow?

She picked up her phone and swiped to Jae's phone number. Sera stared at that screen for some time, her thoughts meandering, debating whether or not she should text him links to their show.

It was a courteous gesture, even if she was sure that he hated her.

They were best friends at one point, even if Seraphine wronged him.

They had loved each other, even if it was too late to wonder about what they could have been.

She shut off her phone and dropped it onto the bed.

It wasn't like he ever replied to the text she'd sent months ago.

Tonight wasn't the night to dwell on past relationships, past opportunities. Past friendships.

Seraphine needed to be grateful for the chance she'd been given.

A one-in-a-million chance.

Meeting him… That was one-in-a-million too. She rolled her eyes at that thought. It was a little too romantic for her tastes. And it wasn't like Jae was a one-of-a-kind guy.

There were lots of other people who could play seven instruments at a professional level. There were lots of other people who were capable of singing so well that it sent chills down Seraphine's spine. There were lots of other people who made her laugh and smile as much as he did. There were lots of other people who understood her so deeply, so well, that they could tell whatever she was thinking or feeling.

There were lots of other people who made her as happy as he did.

It was her fault that they separated.

Her fault that they were not longer friends.

Her fault that Jae was alone.

Her fault that Jae hated her.

Seraphine's phone lit up as the clock passed midnight, and October 30th turned to October 31st.

Amelia Rose and Son Jungwon (Jae's Parents) - Death Anniversary.

Sera put a hand over her mouth to silence the cry that threatened to escape her lips.

She buried her head into her pillow. She grabbed both sides of it and pressed it harshly against her face.

Muffled sobs wracked her body, accompanied with deep exhales.

And a severe lack of inhales.

Every member of K/DA shared one glance, and then they sprang into action. Ahri and Evelynn grabbed both of Seraphine's arms, Kai'Sa trapped her legs, and Akali yanked the pillow out of Seraphine's grip, the soft cotton flopping against the far wall. Seraphine immediately reached for another pillow, but the other girls all kept her still.

"Let. Me. GO!" She screamed.

"You're only gonna hurt yourself, Sera!"

"I deserve it. It's my fault. I deserve it. I deserve—" Sera kept grasping for something to place over her face. Something to keep the air from entering her lungs. Something to suffocate—

Ahri touched the side of Seraphine's face. "Seraphine. Deep breaths. Focus on the sound of my voice. Focus on the sound of my voice. Match your breathing with mine." Ahri inhaled slowly, then exhaled.

Seraphine shut her eyes and did her best to follow Ahri's instructions. And soon enough, she found herself calming down.

"Better?" Ahri asked.

"Better," Sera confirmed.

Akali sat down beside Seraphine and rubbed her shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I…" Seraphine swallowed. "Today is the death anniversary of Jae's parents."

"Jae, he's your friend from school, right?" Kai'Sa asked.

"H— he was my friend." I'm fairly certain that he hates me now.

Evelynn raised a brow. "But it's not like you're able to visit them. Their places of rest are thousands of miles away from here."

"But I should be there." Seraphine scoffed. "He's probably crying himself to sleep in his two bedroom apartment. Meanwhile, I'm in a five-star hotel in Shanghai, dressed in designer pajamas, in a room with some of the most successful pop stars in the world, and I'm going to sing on the biggest stage in my life tomorrow ." Seraphine brought her knees to her chest, hugging them and resting her head atop her arms. "What a joke."

The K/DA members were utterly silent as Seraphine cried.

Even Evelynn had nothing to say. Her lips were pursed, her face and brows drawn into a frown as she turned to face away from Sera.

Ahri glared at Eve. "Apologize," she whisper-yelled.

"Sera, I'm sorry—"

"It's fine." Seraphine shrugged Ahri's hand from her shoulder. She stood up, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'll be in my room."

"Seraphine, I don't think that's the best idea…"

"I won't do anything rash," she replied. "Promise." The pink-haired woman smiled sadly. "After all, I've got my first live performance tomorrow."

[;]

November 1st, 2020

I sat with my hands drawn together, a blanket covering my lap, and my eyes focused on the TV screen. The Worlds 2020 Opening Ceremony was beginning.

Over the last week, I'd debated whether or not I would watch it. Ultimately, I decided to bite the bullet and watch the performance. Whether for my own curiosity, in support of an old friend, or to simply torture myself… I couldn't exactly tell.

As the show started, I took in a deep breath.

After a brief intro, a few stunning shots of Shanghai, and a snapshot of the Riot Games logo, the heavy bass and driving kick disappeared.

And Seraphine sat on a cyan stage, her legs crossed and her mic resting at her side.

Her azure eyes, even after not having seen them in months, were still as stunning as ever.

As she began to sing, I immediately knew that something was wrong.

Her voice had a weakness to it that wasn't there before. Like it was strained. Like it was being held back. Despite the performance using the same instrumental that I had produced, the same cover of K/DA's POP/STARS, it was nothing like the original. All of the emotion, all of the feeling, all of the strength behind Seraphine's voice was missing.

When her section was finished, she stood up and walked towards the camera.

And then, it was K/DA's song.

MORE was a good song. Catchy. Sonically interesting. But it didn't captivate me like I knew it captivated the rest of the audience.

But my mind still hung on Seraphine's performance.

I took out my phone and swiped over to my texts with Seraphine and began to type out advice to guide her singing.

Hey, make sure you rest up after your performance. Drinking that tea blend I showed you from before might do you some good too. If you need me to check on you, then just let me know—

I froze.

What on Earth are you doing?

I deleted the text and set down my phone.

I wasn't friends with her anymore.

I wasn't the right person to tell her things like that anymore.

I wasn't even in the same world as Seraphine.

A sigh escaped my lips.

[;]

November 15th, 2020

Eunkyung sat down at my desk. I laid on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"What did you want?"

"I saw Sera today. She stopped by the office and asked for me by name."

At the mention of Sera, I stiffened. "I see. What happened?"

"She and I just talked, played catch-up." Eunkyung chuckled. "She also mentioned something else."

"What else?"

"She misses you."

My breath caught in my throat. "Wh—what?"

Eunkyung moved closer, the chair rolling against the wooden floor. "Sera misses you," she repeated. "She said that you're her only real friend. And while she's ecstatic about working with K/DA, that she loves them all deeply, none of them could ever replace you."

"Well, clearly, they did."

Eunkyung rolled her eyes. "You miss her too."

"No, I don't."

"You still have that photo of you two at the beach as your home screen."

How on Earth did— "I don't," I protested weakly.

"You totally do. I looked at your phone when you left it on the table earlier today." Eunkyung crossed her arms. "I'm shocked you still haven't changed your passcode."

"It's not like I have anything to hide from you…" I wanted to get back to talking about Sera. "So, what else did she say?"

"Interested, are you?"

"And if I am?" I challenged.

"I'm just teasing, Jae," Eunkyung reminded. Her eyes softened. "You really need to talk to her."

"It's not that easy."

"It's never easy," Eunkyung assured, her voice like a gentle caress. "If everything that mattered to us were easy, life wouldn't be the same."

My chest tightened. "What if I don't want to talk to her?" Even as the words left my lips, I knew they weren't true.

"Don't even start with that, Jae. I know you do." A smile danced across Eunkyung's lips. "When you mentioned Sera for the first time, do you know how I felt?"

I shrugged.

"I was happy. Genuinely happy." Eunkyung stood and moved to sit on my bed. She rested a hand on the top of my head and ran her fingers through my hair. "I was so happy that you finally managed to make a friend. After Mom and Dad died, I was worried that you would be too focused on school, work, and all of our responsibilities that you wouldn't have found time to enjoy yourself." Her hand stopped. "But after you started to talk to Sera, when you wouldn't stop talking about her, I realized that I didn't have to worry about that anymore."

I sat up, leaning my head against the headboard of my bed. "And now it's all gone."

Eunkyung's hand returned to the top of his head. She patted it. "It's not. You know that."

"It is gone."

"Jae, you shouldn't sound so certain when—"

"It is gone, Eunkyung." I glared at her. "It was gone the moment Seraphine chose success over our friendship."

Eunkyung clicked her tongue. "Like you wouldn't have done the same thing had it happened to you instead."

My heart shattered. It splintered, fragmented, and fractured into a thousand little pieces. Razor-sharp glass settled into my chest, cutting through every inch of my body.

My brain tried and failed to comprehend what had just happened. It was like Eunkyung had taken a knife and stabbed it straight through me. "You— I…"

The words died on my lips.

She shakily extended a hand towards me. "Jae. I… I didn't mean that—"

I shot to my feet.

"Jae..?"

I walked towards the door to my room. I clutched the door handle so tight that my knuckles grew white. I wrenched it open.

"Jae, where are you going?"

I ignored her. I had to ignore her. If… If my own sister— How could she say that? How could she say that? How could she say that? The words droned on and on in my head. What she told me. How she said it. It threw every inch, every cell of my being into a whirlwind of pure confusion.

"Jae!"

I slipped out of our apartment, my hands stuffed into my pockets, turning, twisting, and flipping my phone within it. When I made it out of the complex, the cool, ocean breeze pierced the thin layer of clothes I wore.

I need someone to call. Someone I can trust. Someone who won't… won't leave me. Someone who really will always stay by my side no matter what. I scrolled through my contacts, and passed by a name I hadn't heard read in a long time.

I called the number. A few seconds later, it picked up.

"He— hello?" I answered, pressing the phone to my ear.

[;]

A white-gold car rolled up to the curb of the lamp-lit sidewalk. The window rolled down. And for the first time in months, I met face-to-face with Luxanna Crownguard.

She looked as radiant as ever, and even just seeing her immediately lifted the weight from my shoulders. There was a small, nearly invisible smile on her face as she stared at me. Her braided blonde hair looked as smooth and silky as ever. The interior lights of her car illuminated her face in a way that emphasized the grace of her appearance.

Part of me wished that we were meeting under better circumstances.

"Lux…"

"Hello, Jae." She motioned to the seat beside her. "Hop in."

I climbed into the car and clipped on my seat belt.

"So," Lux began as the car accelerated forward. "Why the sudden phone call?"

I scratched at the side of my cheek and adjusted my surgical mask. "I needed someone who wouldn't abandon me."

"Abandon you?" She asked.

"My sister."

"Eunkyung? Abandon you?" Lux sounded like she could hardly believe it. "What did she do?"

"Don't wanna talk about it right now," I murmured.

"Then we won't." She tapped her fingers on the wheel. "How have you been?"

"I've been better," I replied. "Life is… hard right now. To say the least."

"I figured. You called me, of all people."

"You were the only person I could trust."

"Not Seraphine?"

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "Not her."

She hummed. "So, you two did have a falling out." Lux glanced at me. "Do you want to talk about that?"

I shook my head again. "I want to talk about better things." I rested my hands on my lap and laced my fingers together. "What about you? How was Korea?"

"As nice as it could be while I was cooped up in my room because of COVID," she said bitterly. "I couldn't even be in the States for my graduation, and worse yet, it was a virtual one." Lux sighed. "But the country is beautiful, and I felt like I experienced so much because of how different it is culturally."

"How's your Korean?" I smirked.

Lux grinned. "Pretty good. I can probably hold a conversation with you now," she replied in absolutely flawless Korean. "How is it?"

"Perfect," I said, utterly shocked. She sounded just like a native. And, in many ways, she was probably more practiced than I was. "Wow, I'm impressed. Good job."

"Thanks." She winked. "Is it really that good? I learned a lot of it by myself."

"Yes, Lux. You sound completely natural," I stated.

"Good. That's good." She smiled slightly. "So… Should I take you to my house?"

"I…" I trailed off, feeling a little unsure of how her family would react to me suddenly appearing by Lux's side after all these months. "I wouldn't mind it, but if your parents—"

"My parents won't mind. And neither will Garen," she said, alleviating some of my stress. "Besides, it's the one place that I actually know of where I can keep an eye on you."

I chuckled at that. "I see. Well," I said, crossing my arms and leaning back in the chair. "Let's head to your house."

[;]

Despite not having seen or spoken to Lux in what was basically a year, the atmosphere that surrounded the two of us wasn't foreign or strange or awkward at all. It felt like no time had passed at all, like our relationship was no different from when Lux was last in the States.

Her car rolled into the large garage of the Crownguard mansion, and she pulled into a parking spot before shutting off the car.

"Thank you, Lux," I said, facing her. "Not sure if you've heard that from me yet."

"Anytime, Jae." She smiled. "Let's head inside."

I followed behind Lux as she guided me through the halls of her house. Thankfully, considering how late it was, her parents and brother were likely asleep. It was a small blessing that she and I wouldn't have to explain my predicament tonight.

We stopped at the door of one of the guest rooms.

"You can stay here in the meantime," Lux said, waving to the door. "There should be a change of clothes already inside."

"Thank you, Lux. Seriously. This means a lot to me."

"I know, I know…" She rubbed her forehead. "Look, Jae. It's late. Let's just head to bed, okay. We'll have all of tomorrow to catch up, right?"

Oh. "Right." I rubbed the back of my head. "G'night, Lux."

"Goodnight, Jae." Lux headed to her room, leaving me alone in the hallway.

I silently pushed open the door to my temporary room and flicked the light switch. I quickly washed my face and changed into the pajamas that Lux had prepared for me— it was a little surprising how well they fit. I laid on the bed that dominated the center of the guest room.

Despite everything that had happened today, despite what my sister told me, and despite the unpredictability that I knew tomorrow would bring, there wasn't a drop of unease that coiled within my chest.

In all honesty, it felt good.

For the first time in months, I was comfortable. I was at ease.

And it was all thanks to Lux.

The return of one Luxanna Crownguard after 32k words. And don't worry, she won't be leaving any time soon. Had to pump out this chapter to stick to my schedule that I'd written out back in December. Hopefully it was good!

And with this chapter, Rising Stars has officially surpassed 100k words! This is a huge achievement for me. Usually my works die at around 60k words (as seen with The Producer), but I seriously LOVE this story and its great to see that everyone else is loving it as much as I am.

Thank you all so much for supporting me this far, and please look forward to more and more chapters for Rising Stars. I WILL complete this story.

Next Chapter: 2/26/2021