“What was that all about?” asked Yoochun as he watched Yunho walk out the back gate and completely ignore Jaejoong.

“I don’t know.” muttered Junsu “He’s still acting really strange.”

“It’s not like Yunho to just walk past Jae without a word.” sighed Yoochun “He should be spending as much time with Jae as he can before we head back tomorrow.”

“Did they have a fight?” mumbled Yoochun.

“Whatever’s bothering Yunnie, it seems to be getting worse.” sighed Junsu as he watched Jaejoong “He’s been like that for three days now.”

The last three days at the resort had been so peaceful.  Jaejoong had fully recovered from his accident in the pool and they all had spent the next few days truly enjoying their vacation. Yoochun spent most of his time fishing off the nearby pier, while Jaejoong and Junsu had taken up going for walks on the beach often; leaving a somewhat brooding Yunho to his own devices. After Jaejoong’s incident in the pool earlier that week, Yunho had been avoiding Jaejoong constantly. He hardly looked at Jaejoong directly, and had gone out of his way to not be alone with him or speak to him. Yunho had even gone to the extreme of sleeping on the couch, in the living room, and only gave the excuse of falling asleep while watching television as an explanation. The tension between Jaejoong and Yunho was so palpable, that both Junsu and Yoochun couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on.  

“We have to figure out what’s going between those two.” grumbled Yoochun “I really can’t take all this awkwardness between them much longer.”

“Did Jae say anything to you yet?” asked Yoochun.

“No.” answered Junsu as he continued to stare through the glass door at Jaejoong “Something tells me he won’t talk about it unless I ask him directly.”

“Besides, I really think this is something they need to work out on their own.” mumbled Junsu coyly.

“Wait! Are you seriously not going to meddle this time?” questioned Yoochun in shock “That’s not like you.”

“Our lives are going to turning into a waking nightmare as soon as we get back to Seoul.” growled Junsu sternly “Right now we have bigger issues to deal with other than fixing their silly misunderstanding.”

“You’re right.” admitted Yoochun as he shook his head “What did Yunnie decide? Was he ok with your idea?”

“Yeah.” answered Junsu “He said to do what I saw fit.”

“Does that mean…” questioned Yoochun

“Yeah.” nodded Junsu.

“This won’t go over well if Jae finds out.” advised Yoochun “He won’t be able to handle this and you know it!”

“I know but there’s nothing we can do about that right now. This is the only choice we have.” replied Junsu as reached for the door and opened it “We’ll have to deal with his feelings later.”

“Going somewhere?” questioned Yoochun mischievously.

“I have to tell him about New York and I want to talk to him about some things.” said Junsu coyly.

“And I thought you said you weren’t going to meddle.” chuckled Yoochun softly “Liar.”

Junsu turned and flashed a mischievous smile at Yoochun before he closed the glass door behind him and made his way across the patio. Jaejoong, dressed in a white shirt and white pants, was lying peacefully on a large deck chair in the corner and quietly reading. As Junsu’s shadow fell softly on the pages of the torn and tattered book in his hands, Jaejoong glanced up over the rim of his dark sunglasses and flashed a soft smile.

 “Hey you.” said Jaejoong softly.

“Hey.” answered Junsu “What are you reading?”

“Oh, just an old book I found on a shelf in the house.” replied Jaejoong as he sat up “What’s up?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” scoffed Junsu as he sat down on the empty deck chair beside Jaejoong.

“What do you mean?” asked Jaejoong as he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Yunnie,” started Junsu “what’s up with him?”

Jaejoong’s expression immediately changed from curiosity to dismay as Junsu uttered Yunho’s name.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” sighed Jaejoong in disappointment.

“He’s been avoiding me and has not talked to me in days.” grumbled Jaejoong.

In frustration over the whole situation, Jaejoong forcibly leaned back in his chair, looked up at the blue sky above him and sighed heavily.

“I really don’t know what’s going on.” said Jaejoong with a long drawn out sigh.

“Did you guys have a fight?” questioned Junsu softly.

“No.” replied Jaejoong sadly “That’s why I don’t get it.”

“I can tell he’s upset about something.” whined Jaejoong “But, for the life of me, I can’t figure out what.”

“I’ve thought about it and I don’t think I did anything that would make him upset.” pouted Jaejoong “So, I really don’t know what’s going on.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much Jae.” dismissed Junsu “You know he has a tendency to be a bit moody and sensitive sometimes.”

“Maybe he’s just stressed out about his schedule next week.” offered Junsu.

“I hope that’s all it is.” sighed Jaejoong before he quickly changed the subject.

“Speaking of next week, Yunho finally lifted his ban on cellphone and computers this morning, didn’t he?” questioned Jaejoong

“Yeah finally!” nodded Junsu.

“Did you call the office? How is everything? Any problems?” questioned Jaejoong quickly.

“Well, actually, there is a problem.” stated Junsu “That’s the other reason why I came out here to talk to you.”

“What is it this time?” sighed Jaejoong in disbelief.

“Why is it that nothing ever goes right? It’s always something.” grumbled Jaejoong under his breath “Tell me.”

“Unfortunately, the board decided to push up the shareholders meeting from next month to next week.” grumbled Junsu.

“What? Wait! Aren’t you supposed to be flying out to New York tomorrow night for like two weeks?” questioned Jaejoong surprised.

“Exactly.” said Junsu “Jae, I’m going to need you to take my place during the trip to the states.”

“If it was anything else, I would let you handle it here but the President of the company can’t miss a shareholder’s meeting.” added Junsu.

“Are you sure you want me to do it?” questioned Jaejoong “I mean…”

“You will do fine.” interjected Junsu “You know the proposals just as well as I do. Plus, you will get to see your sister while you’re there. You haven’t seen her in months.”

“That’s true.” nodded Jaejoong with a deep frown “But…”

“Look Jae, I know how excited you were to see Yunnie perform his first comeback show and I know what having to miss it means to you, but I really need your help here.” begged Junsu.

“Alright, if that’s what you want. I’ll go but you owe me one.” agreed Jaejoong with a sigh.

“I swear I will make it up to you.” declared Junsu.

“Ok.” sighed Jaejoong before he forced a quick smile at Junsu.

“Thanks! Go ahead and finish your book.” said Junsu as he stood up from the deck chair he was sitting on “I’m going to go look for Yunnie.”

“He’s sitting down by the water, as usual.” scoffed Jaejoong under his breath before he readjusted his sunglasses and turned his focus back to the pages before him.

Junsu chuckled softly at Jaejoong’s final remark and walked out the back gate. As his feet hit the warm and soft sand, he looked up and immediately spotted Yunho sitting near the water’s edge.

“He knows Yunnie so well.” chuckled Junsu with a smile.

Junsu made his way down the beach towards Yunho and as he came within a few feet of him, he stopped and just watched him in silence.

“This is the second time you’ve come here and interrupted my meditations today.” pouted Yunho “I hope you have better news this time.”

“What did Jae say?” asked Yunho nervously.

“He agreed. He will go to New York tomorrow in my stead.” informed Junsu.

“That’s a relief.” sighed Yunho as he reached up and rubbed his eyes gently “At least he will be as far away from all the chaos as possible.”

“Yunnie, why are you ignoring Jae?” asked Junsu bluntly “We go back to Seoul tomorrow and Jae has to leave for New York tomorrow night! How can you still ignore him?”

“It’s just…” sighed Yunho.

“Look, I know you’re upset about what’s going on back in the city, and you’re probably mad at Jae for something…” lectured Junsu “but you only have tonight left to spend with him. You need to let it all go for now and just spend some quality time with Jae. Let’s just have fun tonight and worry about the other stuff after we get back!”

“I’m trying.” sighed Yunho “It’s just…”

“It’s just nothing!” argued Junsu “Let it go!”

“You two can fix whatever’s wrong later.” advised Junsu “I don’t want to be the bad guy here, you know that, but I’ve about had my fill of this whole situation already and so has Yoochun.”

“I know!” fired back Yunho in pure frustration “I really don’t know what’s wrong with me. Stuff like this never bothered me before.”

“It’s a new thing for me.” added Yunho.

“I know, but you still just need to let it go for now. We have bigger issues to deal with than your emotional mess.” grumbled Junsu.

“I’ll do my best.” agreed Yunho.

“Good! By the way, Yoochun suggested that we have a cookout on the beach tonight to celebrate our last night here. There are supposed to be fireworks tonight too. What do you think?” said Junsu “Sounds like fun doesn’t it?”

“Im not really in the mood for a party right now.” muttered Yunho.

“Well you better get in the mood!” ordered Junsu sternly “I want Jae’s last night here to be memorable, so you better play along!”

“Don’t you want Jae to look back on this week and smile?” asked Junsu coyly “Or, would you rather him simply remember that you were cold and distant to him?”

“Besides, the next few weeks are going to be hell for you, Yoochun, and me. Don’t you think we should have at least one more fun night before we have to deal with all that garbage waiting for us?”

“Right… you’re right.” admitted Yunho with a nod “Fine. Let’s do it. One last hoorah before we leave.”

“Great!” cheered Junsu “Yoochun should be back with all the snacks and stuff in a little bit. We can have the party as soon as the sun goes down.”

“Yah! How did you two know I would say yes?” laughed Yunho.

“Because it’s for Jae.” laughed Junsu mischievously before he stuck his tongue out at Yunho and winked playfully.

Yunho smirked at Junsu before he hopped up from the sand and immediately bolted after Junsu. Junsu, quick on his feet, took off running the second he saw Yunho move. As Yunho chased Junsu up and down the beachfront, Junsu taunted him playfully and relished in the fact that his mischievous comment was enough to bring out Yunho’s playful side. After a few minutes, Yunho finally caught up with Junsu and gently tackled him to the ground.

“Got ya!” laughed Yunho “I win!”

“I let you win.” retorted Junsu with a huff.

“Really?” laughed Yunho.

“Yeah.” admitted Junsu “So stop been grumpy ok? You’re much more fun when you’re happy.”

“Ok.” laughed Yunho.

“Let’s go back to the house.” said Junsu as he pulled away from Yunho’s grip and stood up.

 “And make sure to say something to Jae when we walk in ok?” added Junsu as he pointed at Yunho and waved his finger like an old grandmother scolding her grandchildren.

“I will.” agreed Yunho as he pulled himself up from the sand.

Yunho and Junsu made their way back to the house and as Junsu opened the back gate, he frowned slightly at the scene that appeared before him. Jaejoong, the only one of them that couldn’t swim, was sitting on the edge of the pool, with his pant legs rolled up to his knees and his feet dangling in the water. Jaejoong, seemingly lost in his own contemplations, stared deeply at the water and didn’t even respond to the sound of the back gate creaking open. “He shouldn’t be there by himself.” thought Junsu “It’s not safe.”

“He looks lonely.” whispered Junsu as he elbowed Yunho gently “Go talk to him.”

Junsu left Yunho’s side and quickly made his way into the house, leaving Yunho and Jaejoong alone in the back yard. Yunho hesitated for a moment before he slowly made his way towards Jaejoong. Stopping at Jaejoong’s side, he sighed softly before he kicked off his sandals, sat down, and dropped his feet into the water next to Jaejoong’s.

“I’m sorry.” whispered Yunho after a few moments of silence fell between them.

“For what?” whispered Jaejoong.

“I’ve not been very nice to you lately.” admitted Yunho.

“Yeah.” nodded Jaejoong as he continued to stare at the water beneath them.

“It’s not your fault, ok?” informed Yunho as he gently nudged Jaejoong with his shoulder “I’ve just got some things that are bothering me right now.”

“But, that’s what Im here for…” whimpered Jaejoong “You can talk to me about them. Isn’t that what a best friend is for?”

“Sometimes there are things that you can’t even tell your best friend.” sighed Yunho “You have to deal with it yourself. That’s what it means to be an adult.”

“So, just take it as I’m working on growing up a little more.” added Yunho “And don’t worry, ok?”

“But, if it’s something major, I don’t want you to keep it from me.” said Jaejoong as he finally looked up from the water and frowned at Yunho.

“You scare me when you act that way.” sniffled Jaejoong.

“I’m sorry.” apologized Yunho as he reached out and wrapped his arm around Jaejoong’s shoulders “I won’t do it again.”

“Good.” smiled Jaejoong brightly.

“Yunnie?” questioned Jaejoong softly “Do you want to go for a walk with me?”

“Sure.” agreed Yunho with a supportive and caring smile “Let’s go.”

Several hours later, and just after the sun had set, Yunho and Jaejoong returned to the beach house and found Junsu and Yoochun working frantically in the kitchen trying to get everything ready for tonight’s party. Wanting to put the party together all on their own, they had sent Mrs. Kim home early and by the looks of the state in which the kitchen was now in, Jaejoong and Yunho could tell that they were really regretting that decision. It was a complete and utter mess. There were fruit and vegetable peels all over the counter, a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, trash and wrappers all over the floor, and for some strange reason, the kitchen smelled like burnt peanut butter.

“Whoa! What happened in here?” questioned Jaejoong in shock.

“What did you do?” asked Yunho as he reached up and held his nose.

“Well…” answered Junsu as he rubbed his neck in embarrassment “We kind of…”

“Oh, just go!” instantly ordered Jaejoong “I’ll do it.”

“But…” interjected Yoochun.

“Go and get everything set up on the beach.” ordered Jaejoong sternly “I’ll get everything ready.”

“But…” interjected Junsu.

“Go!” ordered Jaejoong again as he walked over to Yoochun and Junsu, put each of his hands on each of their backs, and started pushing them out of the room “Go, I said!”

“Ok! OK!” said Yoochun “We’re going.”

“Do you want my help?” asked Yunho playfully as Junsu and Yoochun left the room.

“I’ll handle the food.” said Jaejoong “But could you handle the mess the kids made?”

“This place is disgusting.” growled Jaejoong.

“Sure.” agreed Yunho.

“Thanks.” said Jaejoong as he tossed the pan of half burnt food into the sink “Gross.”

A mere thirty minutes later, Jaejoong and Yunho came walking out the back gate with trays and containers of everything they would need for the cook out. Junsu and Yoochun stood in awe as they began to lay out everything on the small table and the blanket they had set up earlier.

“Wow, you did all of this in thirty minutes?” questioned Yoochun in disbelief.

“Jae’s a great cook. Didn’t you know that?” laughed Yunho.

“There’s still a few more containers sitting on the counter.” stated Jaejoong as he motioned back towards the house.

“I’ll get them.” offered Yunho “You take a break.”

“Ok.” agreed Jaejoong before he looked up at Yoochun sternly “You’re handling the grill tonight, so don’t burn anything!  Su can help me set everything else up.”

“Ok.” nodded both Yoochun and Junsu.

By the time Yunho returned, Junsu and Jaejoong had managed to get everything set up and Yoochun had already started cooking the food on the grill. Jaejoong and Junsu, who were sitting on a nearby blanket, were laughing at Yoochun after having cracked a joke at his expense.

“Here’s the last of it.” said Yunho with an exhausted sigh.

“Oh what did you bring?” questioned Junsu as he quickly jumped up from his spot and rushed over to the table.

“Yes!" cheered Junsu "Watermelon!”

“Jae, can I have some now?” pouted Junsu playfully.

“Go ahead.” laughed Jaejoong as he watched Yunho walk over and sit down beside him on the blanket.

“I’m so beat.” sighed Yunho after a few moments “That kitchen was a disaster. They are never allowed in the kitchen ever again! Agreed?”

“Agreed!” chuckled Jaejoong as he handed Yunho a piece of apple from his small plate “You worked hard. Eat up and take a break. You’ve earned it.”

Jaejoong and Yunho sat quietly side by side and watched the waves crash beneath a clear and starry ocean sky. Without uttering a word, they sat and enjoyed the peacefulness of the evening and chuckled randomly at the silliness that ensued between Junsu and Yoochun as they argued off and on about how to cook on the grill properly. Yunho was completely content sitting on the beach beside Jaejoong but he could tell that Jaejoong’s mood was slowly starting to change as time went on.

“What’s wrong?” whispered Yunho as he leaned in close to Jaejoong’s ear.

“We have to go home tomorrow.” sighed Jaejoong sadly “I don’t want to go back.”

“I really don’t want to either.” admitted Yunho “I’d much rather live here with you guys forever.”

“Doesn’t that sound nice?” asked Yunho softly.

“It sounds perfect.” whispered Jaejoong.

Jaejoong suddenly jumped and immediately buried his face in Yunho’s shoulder as the sound of a huge explosion echoed across the beach. Shaking and clinging for dear life, Jaejoong closed his eyes and whimpered like a small child. As the explosions continued, Yunho scoffed gently at Jaejoong’s timid reaction, reached up, and rubbed him gently on the arm.

“There’s no need to be scared. You’re always be safe me Jae.” whispered Yunho “It’s just the fireworks.”

“See?” whispered Yunho softly as he gently tugged on Jaejoong’s arm “Look how pretty they are.”

As Jaejoong nervously lifted his face and opened his eyes to the sky, he reveled in the beauty that sprang out of the darkness before them. Laying his head gently on Yunho’s shoulder, Jaejoong smiled softly and quietly wished that the night would never end.

“Thank you for everything Yunnie.” whispered Jaejoong softly.