Seeing that her roommate is a no-show, Bambi decides to postpone the discussion of ogling at his little date with the butterfly goddess for later. Although she's 100% sure that Sehun spent the night at her's, a Monday is a Monday. She really can't afford to be late for work when she's well aware that Joanna will be crankier after the day of love. It's not that she's a grumpy, old spinster. It's just that she seems to have some kind of trauma with the holiday despite being 'happily' married. Even if the silly thoughts regarding her boss makes her chuckle for a moment, her mind couldn't help pestering her about Sehun and butterfly girl.

 

Of course, he slept over. She managed to snag Aaron almost every single night for three months, right?

 

And you? You got a kiss good night.

 

Oh, wow! So pure, our little Bambi! Keep up the good work for depriving yourself of a basic need.

 

Sehun has been parading his women for months now and what do you do? Yeah, you keep still even if your date is the essence hot in' shot.

 

That'll do you some good. Become a nun. It's a better option for you at this rate.

 

Sehun and butterfly goddess... tss.. they're a match made in heaven, aren't they?

 

Can you imagine what the is like? With the overflowing beauty and appeal?

 

Sehun probably made her scream all night just like every woman he's brought in the loft...

 

I'd be a good , right? He should make me scream...

 

What?

 

No.

 

I didn't.

 

That's not...

 

Flashes of ual images start to appear in her brain and she deliberately has to shake her head in order for them to stop.

 

“I must be insane,” She mutters to herself as she munches on her breakfast.

 

Jesus, you LITERALLY just finished showering. Why have these thoughts when you're eating?

 

I'd pay for someone to eat me out right now...

 

OH MY GOD, SHUT UP! STOP!

 

“You must've had a good time with lover boy, huh,” An all too familiar voice interrupts her thoughts and she immediately jumps at the sight in front of her.

 

How long has he been standing there?!?!?!?

 

Am I red? Oh my God, Bambi Villavieja, I swear to the heavens if you're red, I'm going to kill you myself.

 

Sehun tilts his head, confused by her silence. He then hands her the photo he found on their doorstep seconds ago.

 

She looks down at what he's giving her and almost immediately, a smile creeps up . She gets it with leisure and bites her lip at the memory of the exact moment the picture was taken. “I guess you can say that.”

 

“You know, if you're into the pretentious type,” He taunts with a forced smile.

 

Her jaw instantly drops as she lets out a gasp. “What?”

 

He casually shrugs and grabs a grape from her plate. “He seemed pretty pretentious to me.”

 

“You didn't even get to meet him,” She snaps, glaring at him.

 

“Yeah, but like leaving a photo of you on your doorstep? Couldn't he have just given it to you right after he kissed you good night?” He rolls his eyes and folds his arms across his chest.

 

“How'd you know he kissed me good night?” She questions with a raised eyebrow.

 

“I guessed,” He quickly retorts as he clears his throat nervously and avoids her eyes. “Isn't that standard first date etiquette?”

 

“OKAY. Whatever,” She replies annoyed despite not believing him. “What about you? Had a last minute date for Valentine's?”

 

“No.” He finally meets her eyes again and continues, “If you mean Jongdae, then yes.”

 

“Really? That's weird. I think I kind of saw you in a café?” She says as she heads over to the sink with her empty plate, trying to act as casual as possible.

 

“OH!” He suddenly remembers, “That wasn't a date. That was Nichole.”

 

She freezes in place. “Nichole? As in...?” No, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be.

 

“Yeah. Apparently, I still had some of my stuff at her place. So, she gave them back to me, had a quick talk, then left shortly after. Something about her date waiting somewhere thirty minutes away.”

 

“Oh.” She feels her heart beating faster as several thoughts flood in her mind.

 

“Why? Who'd you think it was?”

 

She slowly turns to him and asks in a somber tone, “Does um...does Nichole have a butterfly tattoo on her back?”

 

He furrows his eyebrows at her, because she didn't answer his question. “Yeah.”

 

“A blue and yellow one?”

 

He nods. “How'd you know?”

 

Her gaze finally falls to the ground as she stays silent.

 

What am I supposed to tell him?

 

Oh hey, your ex is my dead ex's ex-lover. What a small world, right? D'you think we should bump uglies too?

 

...

 

Did...he know who I already was...??

 

“She's the girl that Aaron slept with that night,” She reveals almost in a whisper.

 

“What?” He looks at her in disbelief, hearing every word she has just uttered.

 

She looks up at him with all the courage she has left. “I'd know her face anywhere. Her tattoo's ingrained in my mind.”

 

“Oh my God...”

 

“You...” She stares at him straight in the eyes. “...didn't already know who I was before you moved in, right?”

 

“No, of course not,” He replies in a gentle tone as he tries to near her.

 

“You didn't...purposely move in here, because you felt sorry for me?” She instantly backs away from him. “Or...or...to get back at her by living with me?”

 

“No. I promise you, Bambi. No.” His gaze doesn't falter as he takes a few steps closer to her. “I had no idea who you were before I moved in.”

 

Intense silence takes over as they continue to stare at each other.

 

Bambi, conflicted by so many thoughts, tries to read what's on in his mind. She trusts him, right? She's said it to herself the night before. No matter what happens, she's going to trust the Sehun she knows and not the people associated with him, past and what not. And he did say he didn't know her before all this. The Sehun she knows wouldn't lie. He wouldn't dare after the foundation they built for their friendship.

 

“Okay,” She whispers, exhaling out of relief. “I just needed to make sure.”

 

“Hey,” He gently says as he nears her and pokes her nose.

 

She looks up at him, trying to calm her nerves from before.

 

“I know it's ed up and crazy and everything. I would've done the same if I was in your place,” He acknowledges with a warm smile, “I'm glad you trust me.”

 

She returns a small smile and pokes his nose back, silently telling him to give her space.

 

He clears his throat and grants her wish. Wanting to make the mood a tad lighter, he asks, “Do you think it was just that one night or...?”

 

“I don't know for how long they've been sleeping together, but Aaron definitely started acting strange three months before the accident,” She recalls.

 

He sighs sharply at her answer. “She lied to me...”

 

“I'm sorry,” She says softly.

 

“You shouldn't be.” He shakes his head as he runs his hands through his hair frustratingly. “I can't believe this. How ing stupid I...”

 

“We both were,” She interjects and adds in a bitter tone, “What a world we live in, huh?”

 

He lets out a snort and scoffs, “'Indeed' doesn't even cut it.”

***

Although possibly one of the biggest revelation bombs has just exploded in both the loftmates' faces, they managed to go about their day without a hitch. Bambi, who was nearly late for work, endured Joanna's grumpiness like a pro.

 

When she got back to the apartment, some of her friends made themselves at home as usual. Sehun and Kyungsoo came in a little late, but as soon as everyone was settled down, she made it her duty to tell everyone the recent shocking revelation that's stumbled upon her and Sehun's lives. They'd already discussed earlier that they had to no matter what, because they didn't want to create any misunderstandings in the future.

 

“What?! That's insane!!” Amber exclaims perplexed.

 

“You're not joining forces to pull a prank on ALL of us, are you???” Sandara accuses with an incredulous look.

 

Both answer simultaneously with an unimpressed frown, “No.”

 

“What a year this is turning out to be,” Jongdae sighs in disbelief, staring into nothing.

 

They all keep quiet for a moment as they process what has just been revealed to them.

 

“Are you SURE that you didn't already know who Bambi was before moving in?” Kyungsoo suddenly questions in a cold manner.

 

“Yeah, I didn't,” Sehun replies in the same tone, both hurt and mad that he would think that way, “I'm not that much of an .”

 

“He's right. We've kind of discussed this already before telling you guys,” Bambi reassures.

 

Completely ignoring what his best friend has just said, he further counters at Sehun, “Then why were you so caring towards Bambi even if you've just known her for a short amount of time?”

 

“Because I saw how much she was hurting and I genuinely wanted to help her out. I still do,” He reasons, trying his best not to lose composure, “Bambi is different from all the girls I've met and trust me, I've met plenty. Nichole included.”

 

“Ouch,” Sandara remarks with a hurt expression.

 

“I'm actually a bit offended too...” Amber agrees in the lowest tone possible.

 

“You know what I mean,” Sehun utters with a somewhat tired frown.

 

“I honestly see no foul here, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae voices his take and points out, “You never doubted him before, why now?”

 

“Because there never seemed to be a motive,” He replies, standing his ground. “I'm just looking out for my best friend.”

 

Bambi then nears him and offers a soothing pat on the back. “It's okay, honey. I trust him.”

 

“Then what about Amber?” He demands.

 

“I'm gonna save us time by telling you right now that I didn't even know who I was pushing out of the way at the time. Her back was facing me, remember?” Sehun responds, his jaw clenching from anger.

 

Kyungsoo can only return an exasperated glower and sigh.

 

“What are they even talking about?” Bambi whispers.

 

“You know. That night Sehun saved Amber's life,” Sandara whispers back.

 

“I don't know this story.” Bambi frowns with furrowed eyebrows.

 

“Kyungsoo, what's going on? Are you sure you're alright?” Amber asks concerned as she studies his face carefully.

 

“I just find it hard to believe that someone who was capable of sticking around Nichole for that long was able to do all these 'heroic' deeds,” He answers, maintaining a stern tone.

 

“I wasn't being heroic. I was being human,” Sehun argues, “And just because I loved Nichole, doesn't automatically make me adapt her deceptive and manipulative ways.”

 

“He's right,” Bambi agrees immediately. “I mean, if it were the other way around, would you think the same of me? Aaron was somewhat similar to Nichole.”

 

Kyungsoo finally meets her eyes with a pained expression. “Bambs, of course not. I--”

 

“Then, please...trust him,” She urges softly and continues, “If this was months ago, right after he moved in, I would've said the opposite. But...” She looks at Sehun and then back at him. “You've known him longer, I know. But I can't see why you're doubting him so much right now.”

 

Kyungsoo only lets out a sharp sigh, slowly rethinking his harsh suspicions towards her roommate.

 

Seeing that he's evidently conflicted, Sehun decides to assure him in the most gentle voice he can muster, “I can't force you to get rid of your doubts, Kyungsoo. But I want you, I want every single person in this room to know that I would never ever do something like that. I would never deliberately hurt any of you, especially Bambi.”

 

Her eyes immediately flicker to him and she could feel her heart beating faster at his warm confession.

 

Kyungsoo finally looks at him and sighs, letting go of all his worries. “You're right. I'm sorry.”

 

“How well do you know this chick anyway?” Jongdae questions, making a face.

 

“Well enough to know that I don't want any of you near her,” Kyungsoo answers with a warning look.

 

“Whoa. Possessive boyfriend alert!” Sandara jokes, flailing her arms about.

 

He manages to crack a smile as the rest titter at her amusing comment. “I've witnessed way too many things she's done,” He clarifies as he glances at Sehun, “You know what I'm talking about, right?”

 

“Yeah.” The younger one nods, well aware of what Nichole is capable of.

 

“I wanna know one thing though,” Bambi chimes in, wanting to change the subject.

 

The rest turn to look at her questioningly.

 

“How exactly did Sehun save Amber's life?” She finally asks with a sheepish smile.

 

Sandara giggles and all of them send her a weird look. “What? For once, I'm not the last one to know.” She shrugs with a triumphant expression.

 

They shake their heads at her somewhat silly remark and tell Bambi the story. It was a day after Aaron's accident and everyone was on edge about whether he was going to make it or not. Naturally, the Liu family was the most worried, if not Amber alone. She spent most of the night wondering off through corridors and a lot of public areas in the hospital. She often visited the convenience store across the street, because all she could do was wait, eat, and walk. There wasn't much to it. And since there wasn't any work to keep her busy, she took comfort in what she could access.

 

When things were looking bleak with Aaron's condition, Amber went to the convenience store once more, walking like a lost zombie. Her behavior continued like so and during that late night escapade, she almost got hit by a truck had it not been for Sehun. He had been caught up in an ridiculously silly situation similar to when he gashed his arm because of a mailbox and ended up in the emergency room of the same hospital. When he spotted a person walking aimlessly into what was clearly a busy street even late at night, he had nothing else left to do but push her out of the way. Kyungsoo witnessed it and almost attempted to do the same, but Sehun beat him to it.

 

Though they had only known each other for a short while at the time, Sehun was surprised to see that it was Amber he saved. From then on, she knew what kind of a person he was and trusted him with her life. Kyungsoo was also grateful, but didn't divulge too much information as to why both of them were at the hospital. It seemed logical to be thankful, but not friendly about the situation.

 

By the end of the storytelling, Bambi couldn't believe that she was hearing all this from her best friends. The moment happened literally a few feet away from her and she was unaware. All she did was cry and sleep by Aaron's side like an idiot. How strange would it have been if it was her and not Amber? It would definitely be a better first meeting than the eye crud incident.

 

The night then continues as it usually does as they laugh and talk about other things. Even if the topic of the weird connection both Sehun and Bambi have comes up once in awhile, they do what they always do: make light of it and move on. From an objective point of view, it seems quite odd to do so, but what's in the past is in the past, isn't it? And if there's one thing to learn about life is that there's no use holding on to a certain period of time that is beyond your control.

 

When it's finally just the two roommates left and they're about to turn in, Sehun decides to tease Bambi. “Should we sleep together to get back at them?”

 

She laughs heartily at his question and answers with utmost honesty, “You know at one point today that slipped into my mind?”

 

His eyes suddenly light up in interest. “So, should we?”

 

“No!” She exclaims, shooting him an incredulous look as she continues in a serious tone, “Even if we do, it wouldn't be right. You know that.”

 

“Yeah,” He sighs, knowing that her statement's too true for words. He then playfully jokes, “And your eye crud would be an issue.”

 

She wrinkles her nose in annoyance and hits him as hard as she can. “And we've got that strictly platonic rule, may I remind you.”

 

“Surprised you didn't mention that first.” He smirks with absolute smugness as he tilts his head at her and wiggles his eyebrows. “You're a fascinating creature.”

 

“Shut up,” She snaps, well aware of what he's implying. Before he can do anything else to mock her, she stomps inside her room irritated. “Bye. I'm going to sleep.”

 

“Dream of me!” He teases in a singsong voice.

 

“KNOCK IT OFF!” She yells, banging her door shut as she feels her cheeks get hot.