My body feels sore from him.
I welcome it and finally pry myself away, then look over my shoulder. Huge mistake. He’s shirtless, basically naked, and all I see is smooth skin, a perfect body, and his ruffled hair.
“Not fair,” I grumble.
He leans up on his elbow. “What isn’t?”
“You looking like a prince, lying there all sprawled out like a sex god.”
“Sex god... Yeah, I like that way better than TD.”
I burst out laughing, despite how exhausted I am. “That may be a favorite moment in my life.”
He smiles. “Mine, too, but only because you stayed.”
I frown. “Where else would I have run off to?”
He grips my hand. “Will you do me a favor?”
His eyes won’t meet mine. Oh, shit, is it already going bad?
I nod. “Sure.”
“Please keep taking care of yourself. Keep eating. Even if that means the whole pizza, okay?” His eyes are so intense that I’m a bit freaked out. “No matter what, please take care of yourself. Eat. Rest when you need to, and don’t read the comments when we debut.”
“The comments?” I frown. “You mean online?”
“Don’t read them. At least not without me. All right?”
I’m a bit confused, though I know his sister died by suicide, so I nod my head and agree. “Never without you.”
“Good.” He falls back against the pillows. “Now leave before I try to kiss you again.”
“Okay, TD.” I laugh.
He throws a pillow at me. I barely dodge it and grab the rest of my clothes. By the time I leave his room, I’m exhausted and, of course, approached by Haneul, who has a cup of coffee ready in a to-go cup and everything.
His eyes appear concerned.
I take the coffee. “Am I going to get the speech now?”
“He’s still broken,” Haneul says. He’s wearing black sweats with a matching beanie. It looks like he’s been sweating, so he was clearly up running or working out. “But maybe you’ll be the one to find the pieces and put them back together.”
“He doesn’t need rescuing,” I say. “Or fixing. Sometimes, the reason we lose the pieces is because we have to build something new.”
Haneul stares me down and then shakes his head. “We should have been friends a long time ago if that’s the shit you can come up with at six in the morning.”
I laugh. “Yeah, well, you’ve always hated me.”
“No,” he says quickly. “I didn’t. Honestly, I liked teasing you because you were so damn cute when you got frustrated, so competitive. And you’re right, I’m a spoiled little shit so it entertained me, but I also, um…” He blushes. “May have had a slight crush on you. Don’t tell Ryan.”
“Say what?” I shriek.
He cups a hand over my mouth. “Don’t read into it. I’m over it. Honest. And no offense, but I think maybe your place is with the pieces you don’t see as broken but whole. Maybe that’s your role. And while you’re adorable, we’d probably kill each other.”
I laugh. “Probably.”
“Take care of him.”
“And the group.” I nod.
He curses. “Don’t even get me started on the group. We don’t have enough time, and we’re—”
“Going to be totally fine.” I put a hand on his. “Just trust your group. We’ll work our asses off. Promise.”
“I know.” He nods his head. “I know.”
“Stay safe.” I wink. “And, yay, see you in two hours.”
Haneul lifts his coffee cup. “I’ll bring more of this.”
“Ah, you’re my new favorite person.”
“Heard that.” Ryan stumbles out of his room.
Haneul looks around me at Ryan, then back at me. “Did a fight break out that I don’t know about?”
Huh? I look over my shoulder.
Fingernail marks score Ryan’s shoulders.
He looks down. “What?”
“Sorry,” I whisper, completely embarrassed.
Haneul snorts out a laugh. “Please. He’ll probably take a selfie just so he can stare at his sex wounds.”
I wince. “Let’s not call them that.”
“Nah.” Ryan shakes his head. “Let’s just never have any of these conversations again. I’m going to shower.”
“See ya, TD!” I call.
Haneul holds his hand up for a high-five.
I laugh. “Solidarity.”
“See? You’re perfect for him.” He winks. “Also, let’s kick ass.”
“Agreed.” I yawn again. “See ya soon.”
“Bye, Ah-Ri.”
I barely remember getting home. I’m so exhausted. But I take a quick power nap and think about the guy I’m dating, my new group, life, and wonder how it will all work out.
It has to, right?
It just has to.
Chapter Fifteen
Ryan
It feels like it’s been weeks since I had Ah-Ri in my arms, when really, it’s only been a handful of days.
Our Showcase was moved to a sooner date, which means that all we’re doing is rehearsing day and night.
I sneak in a kiss here and there, but both of us decide to put the group first, which is basically like daily torture when I’m dancing with her.
I groan when we practice one of our numbers again. I envision pulling her sweatshirt off her body and then realize that it was a really bad idea when I have to excuse myself for a break.