Jia was too excited for her audition tomorrow. She couldn’t rest or relax so instead she talked Heechul, Gain and Victoria into a spa night in the front room. If she could do something with her hands instead of sit around worrying, Jia knew she’d feel better.

They would have invited Leeteuk, but he was holed up in his room, composing again. Gain was lounging on the couch with her feet up, freshly painted toenails, drying. Victoria was applying a honey facial to Heechul’s face, the two of them sitting on the floor while Jia was busying herself painting Heechul’s fingernails. He was very patient when it came to the girls, or anyone really, doting on him.

The girls had all asked Heechul for details, after seeing Leeteuk come downstairs in the morning instead of out of his own room on the main floor. He wasn’t about to go talking though, providing nothing more than a few clipped words about keeping their noses in their own business.

Gain knew she’d eventually get the dirt out of Heechul, she just had to be patient enough for him to feel comfortable talking. Heechul was the type of person to savor things in his own way before talking with anyone about it. Gain was sure Heechul was pleased with whatever had happened, because he kept smiling to himself when he didn’t think anyone was watching.

While Heechul was waiting for the honey to set on his face, he moved to sit in his chair, motioning for Jia to come sit in front of him. She moved where he wanted her and sat with her back facing him. Heechul started giving her shoulders a rubdown, careful not to mess up his painted nails.

“Do you already have a piece planned for the audition?” Heechul asked her as he rubbed her muscles.

Jia nodded. “It-t’s a sh-short p-p-piece I cr-reated-d mys-self.”

Heechul grinned. “I’d ask you to show it to us, but it might be bad luck to rehearse it.”

Jia smiled and leaned forward as Heechul rubbed lower down her back. “I d-don’t want-t t-to wear mys-self out-t.”

“Right,” Heechul said with a smile. “You have to be well rested and ready for anything.”

Nodding, Jia smiled and thanked Heechul when he finished rubbing her. She moved out of the way for Victoria, who brought a warm and wet washcloth to wipe Heechul’s face clean of the honey. Gain waved Jia over and pulled her to sit close, cuddling her.

“You’re going to do so well,” Gain said. “You’ll get the job for sure. You’re a great dancer.”

Jia blushed and hugged Gain. There was so much she wished she could tell her friend, but her stutter got in the way and made her take too long. At least Gain was a cuddler, so Jia could share her happiness in less tiring ways.

Victoria was standing behind Heechul as he sat in his chair. She started giving him a face massage with a small amount of tea tree oil on her hands. Heechul closed his eyes and traced her arm idly, enjoying being pampered like the overgrown cat he was.

Even though Heechul was obviously dating Leeteuk now, Victoria couldn’t help being attracted to both of them. In the darker parts of her heart, Victoria wished that Heechul and Leeteuk were just in a rebound relationship. She hoped they’d fall apart soon and she could be the girlfriend of one or the other. But she also liked the excitement of seeing them together. Victoria had never seen two men be so affectionate to each other, it was kind of y. Finishing oiling Heechul’s face, Victoria leaned to kiss him between his brows.

Victoria smiled as she looked into Heechul’s dark brown eyes. His expression was shocked, but as far as she could tell, not displeased and a self-satisfied gloat added in to her smile.

A throat was cleared causing Victoria to jump and look over her shoulder. Leeteuk stood in the doorway to the front room, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Victoria. She waved to him and he gave her a patronizing smile as he let his arms down and walked closer to her.

“Can I have my boyfriend back now?” Leeteuk asked.

Heechul chuckled as he stood up. He wrapped his arm around Leeteuk’s waist and looked at Gain and Jia. “Thanks for inviting me to this. If I don’t see you before you run off to sleep, break a leg Jia. I know you’ll do well.”

Jia grinned and nodded, waving to him. “G-goodn-night-t oppa,” she said.

Turning his attention back to Leeteuk, Heechul realized the older man was still staring Victoria down. He smiled and pushed Leeteuk’s hips gently. “Walk with me?”

Leeteuk nodded, forgetting about Victoria at Heechul’s request. They left the house through the backdoor and kept walking out of the backyard down toward the beach. By the time the sand was melting beneath their bare-footed steps, they each had an arm around the other’s waist.

“How’s the music coming along?” Heechul asked.

“Really well. I’ve got a lot of inspiration lately. I’m trying for a couple of commercial jingles that have deadlines soon. It’s why I haven’t been that social lately.”

Heechul smiled. “I haven’t really noticed any difference in your social activities. You find time for me,” he pointed out.

“That’s because I like you,” Leeteuk said with a grin. “The others are okay, but they’re just a distraction from what I really want to be doing.”

“Which is?”

“Writing music and being with you,” Leeteuk said without hesitation.

Heechul chuckled. “You’re kind of adorable.” He ruffled Leeteuk’s hair and stopped walking to sit down, looking out over the moonlit water.

“So are you when you’re being pampered.” Leeteuk teased, fixing his hair as he sat next to Heechul. “Although I’m not sure what Victoria’s up to.”

“She’s harmless,” Heechul said and took Leeteuk’s hand, tracing his palm and fingers.

“She sure doesn’t feel harmless.”

Heechul chuckled. “Mostly harmless then?”

Leeteuk nodded, smiling. He leaned in to kiss Heechul’s cheek.

Smiling, Heechul looked at him for a moment before sighing happily. “Do you like night life, or morning life?” He asked, looking out over the water again.

“I like all life,” Leeteuk said.

“That’s a really cheap answer,” Heechul chided.

Leeteuk chuckled. “It’s true though. I like knowing all different kinds of life so I can add all the feelings into my music.”

Heechul smiled, trying to think of another question. Leeteuk beat him to it.

“What are your thoughts on telling someone you love them?” He asked Heechul.

Heechul shrugged. “If you really feel it, then you should. I know I like being reminded that I matter and am cared about. Gain and I tell each other we love one another, a lot. And you, I feel comfortable saying that I love you, because I care about your well being and I want you to know you’re cared for.”

Leeteuk smiled. “It’s different than romantic love though right?”

Heechul nodded. “For now, my love for you is like family. It’s deeper than the love I have for Jia and Victoria, but it’s not romantic yet. I want it to turn into romantic love, in its own time though.”

Leeteuk smiled to himself, looking at his hand.

“What about you?” Heechul asked.

“I think,” Leeteuk said, sighing softly as he tried to find words. He gave up and switched to Korean, finding it easier to say what he wanted. “I think love is said too much, too often. The real feeling behind the word has lost a lot of meaning, especially for romantic couples. Saying ‘I love you,’ doesn’t feel like enough anymore. Or at least it doesn’t feel like it means what it should, to me.”

Heechul smiled, continuing in Korean. “You mean how girls scream for their favorite groups, or tell every cute thing they love them just because they think it sounds cute?”

Leeteuk nodded. “Or saying you ‘love’ a product or a thing. It just makes love sound cheap. Then there are the girls and guys who say it just to get in bed. It makes me angry that they’d deface something as amazing as true love, with all the silly little ways to say it, or silly things to say you love.”

“You want to feel the intensity of words,” Heechul determined. “You want to feel their full meaning and sink into the feelings they bring up.”

Smiling, Leeteuk nodded. “I want to feel, fully.”

“I like it,” Heechul said. “I do that too, not so much with a flair for words as you have. I do it with moments. I try and remember everything that happens so I can sit and think about it later, feeling deeply.”

“Can you say you’re really ‘in the moment’ though, if you’re so busy trying to remember everything?” Leeteuk asked.

The question hit Heechul unexpectedly hard and he took a slow breath, looking away from Leeteuk to his toes in the sand. “I guess I got used to people leaving me, so I don’t really think about things in terms of ‘in the moment’ so much as ‘I wish this moment wouldn’t ever end.’”

Leeteuk could tell he’d struck a sensitive chord in Heechul and he wrapped his arm around his waist, hugging him. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, kissing his shoulder.

“You don’t have to be,” Heechul said. He nudged him a little with his shoulder and smiled as he looked to his eyes. “It’s why we talk right, to find out about each other? I guess I wasn’t really ready to tell you that much.” Heechul laughed, a hint of discomfort in his voice.

“Let’s talk about something else then.” Leeteuk offered. “If you could be a marine animal, what would you be?”

“Do hermit crabs count?” Heechul teased. “I’d probably be a dolphin. Because they have for fun.”

Leeteuk laughed and Heechul grinned at him, joining in.