I can’t believe I am back. It felt like I didn’t even leave. Everything’s still the same the way I left them. The sun, fake tans, and all that describes California.

 

Jiyong and I were now at LAX, getting our luggage from the conveyor belt.

 

It hadn’t been easy to say goodbye to all the people I’ve met in Korea. Well, especially to leave Chaerin and Dong-Wook, who promised to follow as soon as they can, behind. And it’s kind of weird going back to California without them but I knew I had to it up and wait till they came.

 

I also had a talk with Jong Hun. I apologized for not meeting him at the bookstore and not leaving a message about it. I explained my reason and he said it was fine and he understands.

 

He also explained the reason he wanted to meet and that was because the guys already knew him and I know each other and they destroyed his apartment trying to find some clues of where to find me. And he thinks they’re following him and he guesses that they somehow figured out that I am meeting him in that bookstore. Jong Hun apologized for it but it was uncalled for. It wasn’t his fault the guys were too desperate to get to me.

 

“So, where are we going first?” Jiyong asked, his hands carrying our luggage.

 

I went back to reality and faced him, getting my luggage from his grasp. “I’m meeting my nanny in a coffee shop in Rodeo Drive so let’s go there first.”

 

He nodded and we both got out of the airport and rode a cab to Rodeo Drive.

 

Home Sweet Home.

 

Yeah… right.

 

LA has always been my home but being back in the city made me feel I was in an unknown territory. It doesn’t feel like home anymore. It was kind of weird, I’ve lived my whole life in this city and now I’m feeling like it’s the other way around.

 

LA gave me a lot of memories that has been a big part of my life but most of them were really not in a good way so maybe that was why I don’t feel so welcome and comforting being back to where I was born in.

 

Korea felt more like my real home even though I’ve only stayed in there for months that I really didn’t notice that fly too fast for my knowledge.

 

Korea made me see things I’ve been so blind to witness when I was in California. Whether it was the true value of friendship, real sense of safety, and a lot more I couldn’t pin point, I’ve seen and felt it while I was in Korea.

 

And I promise to go back to that country that I now call home after all this chaos gets fixed. After all are put into the right places.

 

It may take a while, a long time, but I will keep my promise and go back.

 

The cab’s driver’s words that we’ve already arrived at the designated place caused me to go back to reality and relax.

 

Everything will be fine. I sure hope so.

 

When Jiyong and I first entered the coffee shop, I wandered my eyes, finding that familiar grey hair of my beloved nanny.

 

I saw it at a corner.

 

I grinned, I held Jiyong’s wrist and dragged him to where Mrs. Anderson is seated.

 

She may have felt my joyful gaze on her as she turned her head and suddenly, her blue eyes met my brown’s.

 

She froze for a moment before she smiles and stands up as we were now a few feet away.

 

“Ms. Park,” It was barely a whisper and the next thing I know I was wrapped around her arms. And I could feel something wet hits my shoulder.

 

I wrapped my arms around her and whisper, “Hey, I said no crying, remember?”

 

She sniffed, pulling away from me. “I apologize, my dear. I can’t help it.” She held both of my face in her palms. “It feels like we’ve been away for years. You looked different.”

 

I shrug, giving her a smug smile. “It must be the dyed hair. It’s pretty, right?”

 

She laughed. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice.” She suddenly frowns as she looks over my shoulder. “And who is this fine looking young man?”

 

“Oh, Mrs. Anderson this is Jiyong, a close friend that I’ve met in Korea. And Jiyong this is my beloved nanny that I’ve been talking about.”

 

Jiyong offers a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson. She’d told me a lot about you.”

 

My nanny, accepted the gesture to have a handshake. “Nice to meet you too, young man.” She turns her head to me, glaring I may say. “And she didn’t mention a thing about you.”

 

“Um, yeah, well, it never came to my mind when we were talking.” I embarrassingly look at Jiyong who looked really calm and collected. Guess he wasn’t offended, that’s such a relief. “Anyway! Let’s take a seat and talk about a different topic, shall we?” I gestured to the empty seats that my nanny saved for us.

 

 

 

“What? But I told you to reserve two presidential suites!” I exclaimed. The three of us, Mrs. Anderson, Jiyong and I were at the reception lobby. And the desk lady gives me one key for a presidential suite that is under Jiyong’s name. I can’t use mine since I was still hiding from everyone that knows me.

 

“I’m sorry, dear. I was too busy in the house and when I did that reservation, only  one presidential suite is available. You know Beverly Hilton’s can be really fully packed.” Mrs. Anderson reasoned.  “And besides, you both are grown up to be mature and stay in one room.”  She turned to the desk lady. “Can we have two queen-sized beds for the presidential suite?”

 

“Of course, ma’am. You can wait at the coffee shop while the room’s being prepared.” The desk lady gives Jiyong a longer stare than what she did to me and Mrs. Anderson.

 

She’s totally checking him out. B*tch.

 

I cleared my throat loudly and glared at Ms. Flirtatious-Desk-Lady. She blinked and looked at me. “No, it’s alright. One bed’s good. Right, Ji?” I linked my arms on Jiyong’s and looked lovingly at him.

 

He frowned. “Yeah, sure?”

 

Ms. Desk--Lady’s jaw tensed slightly. “Uh, sure. You can go to your room then. Do you have anything more that you need?” She was asking Jiyong and I could tell that she’s not only asking for hotel services, more like her body services.

 

Ugh.

 

I tiptoed and kissed Jiyong’s cheek. And the guy froze slightly before turning his head to me. “Baby, let’s go to our room. You promised to give me my massage, remember? I badly need that.”  

 

He frowned more.

 

I s my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, my lips dangerously close to his. “Just play-along.” I whispered into Jiyong’s lips.

 

He s on arm on my waist and a hand to the side of my face, pulling me close.

 

“Of course, baby, I remember. I can’t wait to show you how talented my fingers can be.” His voice suddenly was husky and his eyes turned a shade darker. His lips barely brushing against mine.

 

Suddenly, I had the urge to kiss him.

 

And realizing that, I loosened my hold on his neck. I kissed his cheek one more time before I pulled myself away from him.

 

I turned to the confused nanny of mine. I smiled, and enveloped her in my arms. “Mrs. Anderson, we’ll be heading to our room now. Thank you for everything. I’ll call once I’m ready to face my family.” I leaned back to look at her face. She was nodding but there’s still some sadness I can detect from her eyes. “I’ll be alright, don’t worry.”  I kissed her cheek. “Keep an eye on my parents for me.”

 

We both pulled away from each other.

 

“I’ll get going then.” She caresses the side of my face. “Always be safe, my dear.”

 

I held the forming hot tears on my eyes, not wanting to make her worry for me more.

 

I watch as she her heels and walk out of the hotel.

 

“Let’s go?”

 

I looked at Jiyong and nodded. He placed a hand on the small of my back as we went to the elevator.

 

“Hey, what’s with the act a while ago?” Jiyong broke the silence first.

 

I shrug. “Oh, I thought I could help you to get rid of the desk lady.” And then I snapped, trying to vent out my irritation of that b*tch.  “She’s totally eye-f**king you, did you notice? F**king b*tch. I bet she slept with all the hot guys that checked in this hotel. .”

 

He gaped at me. “Woah, what’s with the curses?”

 

“I’m in America and I can curse all I want and you,” I pointed a finger at him. “…can’t stop me.”

 

I crossed my arms on my chest. God, I feel like I’m going to explode in anger.

 

“How can you tell she was eye-f**king me?” He suddenly asks.

 

“Didn’t you notice that she’s checking you out? And her eyes look like she’s dazed or something when she looks at you and then her words is full of innuendoes that she wants to get you .” I huffed. “How rude.”

 

Jiyong looked amused.

 

“What? Are you happy that b*tch wants to get you ?” Annoyed that I am, I kicked his leg.

 

“Ow!” He reaches out on his leg, jumping on his other leg. “I was just amused to see that you can get jealous too.”

 

I think I just dropped my jaw on the floor then. “What? Me? Jealous?” He nods. “Are you kidding me? I was just irritated on how unprofessional that girl can be. If I was the owner of this hotel, I’ll fire her immediately. How can someone hire someone like her?”

 

Jiyong cracked up, laughing so hard. “You…are…jealous.”

 

“I am not!” I stumped my foot childishly with a matching pout on my lips.

 

He stops laughing. “Yes you are.” He smugly grinned.

 

I scowled at him. “I. Am. Not. Jealous. Period.”

 

“Okay, if you say so.” He was still grinning. That stupid grin that I wanted to rip off.  “I’ll just go back to that girl and talk to her about how she wanted to get me .”

 

I widened my eyes in disbelief. “You jerk!” I kicked his other leg. He ‘owed’ again. “Are you stupid?! And what if some fans caught you talking to her? Or what if that girl posts in the internet how the famous BIGBANG leader and producer is interested in getting with her?!” I rolled my eyes. “God, you’re a pig.”

 

He started laughing again and he got the nerve to wrap his arm around my shoulder. I tried to get it off of me but he held tighter.

 

He pulls me into him. “You have no reason to get jealous, Dara. I don’t care about that girl behind the reception area. Right now, you’re all I care about.”

 

I ‘hmped’. Yeah, right.

 

He slightly pulls away so that he could look at me. “I swear, Dara. You’re the only girl I’ll lay my eyes on.”

 

I looked away, getting uncomfortable at how he looked at me and because of his choice of words.

 

Stop looking at me like that, Jiyong.

 

He places his two fingers on my chin, forcing me to look back at him. “Da-”

 

The elevator ‘dinged’ which made me jump slightly.

 

I uncomfortably shifted and mumbled, ‘Uh, let’s go’, before making a fast walk to our assigned hotel room. And just right about then, I regret saying it was okay to share one room.

 

God, why did I even say that? Why did I let that flirting with Jiyong take effect on me?

 

It’s not like I’m jealous or anything because I really am not. Why would I? Jiyong’s a friend.

 

A very, very, close and special friend. A little voice inside me said.

 

Shut up!

 

Now, I’m acting crazy talking to my inner voice.

 

I feel Jiyong’s presence beside me. “D-”

 

 “Uh, I’ll just use the bathroom!”  I cried and made a dash to the bathroom.

 

I the shower and slumped on the tiled floor.

 

Great. Just great. I can’t even talk normal around him now. It shouldn’t be like this.

 

Jiyong’s just a friend. A friend that was first the annoying celebrity who kept on irritating the hell out of me at the airport, then the guy who suggested to help me in my problems, who stayed by me through my worst days, and the guy who’s ready to risk his life for my own.

 

A friend that brings out the things I’ve kept to myself.

 

A friend that is special to me.

 

You’re falling in love, Dara.

 

Wha- I Am not! Me? Park Sandara falling in love with that annoying, child prodigy, good-looking…

 

Told you!

 

Pfft… Just because I’m praising him doesn’t mean I’m falling in love with that stuck-up idol. He’s annoying, over-protective, brags too much of himself, and has a temper.

 

How can I fall for that kind of guy?

 

If you say so, woman.

 

“Dara?” There’s a knock on the bathroom door.

 

“What?!” I ask a little bit loud and annoyed.

 

“I’m just checking if you’re alright in there. You’ve been there for an hour now.”

 

Has it been an hour already?

 

Yes, we’ve been arguing for an hour on why you’re falling in love with the child prodigy, good-looking, Kwon Jiyong.

 

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”  I screamed out loud. It was supposed to be just on my head but with how frustrated I am, I shouted it with my voice.

 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad... I’m just really worried. I’ll just be on my bed.”

 

Oh gosh.

 

“Wait, Jiyong!” I opened the bathroom door. He stopped in his mid-stride and looks at me. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t referring for you when I screamed shut up a lot of times.”

 

He frowns, looking at my appearance. “You weren’t taking a shower?”

 

Uh-oh.

 

“Well, I spaced out.” I shifted uncomfortably on my heels. “But I was about to.”

 

“You spaced out for an hour?”

 

Can’t he just drop the topic?

 

“Well, yeah. That’s the one thing you still haven’t known about me. Ha-ha.” I tried to smile but it came out as a grimace.

 

He walks in front of me. His eyes piercing right through mine.

 

Stop looking at me like that!

 

“Look. If this is about what we’ve talked about in the elevator, I’m telling the truth.” His eyes searching something from mine. “I… I like you.”

 

What?!!!!!

 

I think my eyes widened a lot more than my usual big eyes.

 

He smiles gently. “I like you. And maybe a lot more.” He brings  a hand at the back of his neck. He’s nervous. “You don’t have to say anything. I just feel like you needed to know how I feel.”

 

He just likes me so how can I fall for him if that was just the case.

 

Girl, he said maybe a lot more.

 

It could mean ‘maybe a lot more like a sister or a relative’.

 

You’re so dumb.

 

I scrunched my nose. Why can’t my inner voice just shut up?

 

Why can’t you just admit you’re falling for the guy?

                                                                                                                                               

How can I fall for -

 

Not this again.

 

I gaped. “Um….” Speak you idiot! “I don’t…” I don’t know what to say.

 

Jiyong sighs before giving me his re-assuring smile. “Let’s sleep. We need a proper rest.” He turns on his heels and went to the bedroom.

 

Great, you’ve made the guy think his feelings for you are just a one-sided thing.

 

What do you expect me to say?

 

You know what I’m expecting for you to say, my dear.

 

A/N: Confused Dara right here and poor Jiyong, feeling like he was rejected. Just give Dara some time and she’ll come out of her shell soon, Kwon Leadah.

 

Thanks for the comments and please be patient with me. 2 more chapters!