“I’LL GET IT!” yelled Baekhyun excitedly as he raced to the door.

“Not so fast,” growled Kyungsoo, as he stuck his foot out to trip the younger. The boy HAD disrupted his show and he would do anything to get back at him, to teach him a lesson.

“Damn you.” Baekhyun cussed under his breath, his eyes shooting daggers at Kyungsoo, who simply stuck his tongue out, eyes still glued on the screen.

The doorbell rang again, and this time, Luhan, who was closest to the door, leaned over the couch and grabbed the doorknob seconds before the younger had a chance to do so. Baekhyun had been behaving strangely, and this sudden surge of enthusiasm just proves that something was up. He looked around and saw 8 pairs of eyes  - Kyungsoo was still engrossed in Prince of Tennis - staring intently at Baekhyun and realised that he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Luhan got off the couch, shot Baekhyun a teasing smirk and turned the knob.

Only to reveal a boy. Or a girl. Luhan couldn’t tell.

“Uh, hi, is Baekhyun in?”

“Yeah, go away hyung! The lady’s asking for me!”

AH. A lady.

Wait a minute. A LADY?!  At that, everyone - even Kyungsoo - looked up, eyes turned towards the door. The house has always been a place for guys, the boys often had friends come over,  but what is a lady doing here? And, more importantly, why is she looking for Baekhyun?

Baekhyun scrambled up from his uncomfortable position on the floor, straightened out his clothes in the reflection of the windows and strode over to the door. “Hey, Amber.”

Amber? The boys now looked at one another, their eyes all reflecting the same questions. Is this the Amber that caused so much ruckus over the dinner table just a day ago? The one Baekhyun is so obviously interested in?

“OHEMGEE. Did he finally gather his balls to ask her for dinner?” Tao asked in a loud whisper.

“NO WAY!” Chanyeol gasped.

“Oh man, hyung should totally get some dating advice,” Sehun rolled his eyes. “One does not ask a girl to have dinner at their place on their first date!”

“Okay, okay this is serious business. She’s the first girl Baekkie has ever been interested in, so we have to help him!” commented Xiumin. He turned to Kris. “Should we all go out and let them have some alo- Kris? Kris? Are you listening to me?”

Kris did not respond (when does he ever?), but seemed deep in thought instead. I’m so glad you’re here, Ambie. Making friends, even going over to their houses, just like the old Amber I used to know. I hope you’re staying for real this time. Baekhyun genuinely likes you, please don’t break his heart.

Xiumin flung his arms into the air in exasperation (Why even bother talking to Kris?) and turned to Jongin, who shrugged and crept about, trying to get a good glimpse of the girl.

Meanwhile, Suho and Kyungsoo ran around the house, picking up all the dirty laundry and empty food wrappers from the ground, in an attempt to make the place seem more presentable. It was amazing how messy a group of 11 boys can be.

And Luhan, well, he just stood at the door, looking not-so-secretly at the duo, trying to find out more about this Amber person, who he just knew would be a big part of their lives at least in the near future.

*************************

“”So, Amber, why are you here?” asked Jongin.

“JONGIN, DON’T BE RUDE. Sorry, Amber, Jongin’s really bad with his words. What he means is, what brings you here?” Suho clarified quickly.

“Uh...” Amber started, unsure about how to reply. “”He’s my classmate.”

“Yeah, we figured. But you don’t go to every one of your classmates’ houses for dinner do you?” came Sehun’s snarky retort.

“Oh. Se. Hun. Mind your manners!” Suho chided. “Excuse him, he’s just really touchy.”

“It’s oka-”

“I AM NOT TOUCHY!”

“Yes you are! The very fact that you’re behaving this way shows shows it!” Chen joined into the conversation.

“SHUT. UP. ALL OF YOU.” Kris yelled. “Is this how you behave when there’s a guest around? Heck, is this how you behave, ever?”

The table fell silent at Kris’ sudden outburst. Sure, the boy has always been looked up to as a leader, and he does a good job, keeping everyone in check most of the time, but yelling in front of a guest? That’s not like him at all, no matter how angry he was. They had expected this eruption, but definitely not before the guest leaves.

“So. Uhm. Perhaps we could introduce ourselves one by one, just so Amber knows who we are?” Baekhyun tried to salvage the frayed situation. This was not going as he had planned at all. Why did his friends have to act like such immature idiots the one time he decides to bring someone home? “You can start, Yeollie.”

“Okay! Hi, I’m Chanyeol. I’m known as the Happy Virus around here. Since you’re in Baekkie’s class, I’m probably older than you are. What else is there about me… Oh, I’m one of the few amongst us who can drive! I fetch the younger boys to and from school most of the time, that’s my role in this place. A chauffeur. In fact, I’ve fetched Baekkie home on your first day of school, when this son of an ungentleman decided to leave you waiting at the school gates all by yourself.”

Amber stiffened at the mention of that day and stole a glance in Kris’ direction. The boy sat with his back straight, eyes fixated on his plate. His face was unreadable, as always, and as always, Amber resisted the urge to peel his face off to see what was really behind that emotionless facade. She hadn’t expected him to be here, and his attitude towards her right now was puzzling in itself. Was he trying to avoid her, pretend not to know her for some reason? Is she some kind of secret? Was he mad at her for waiting at the gates?

Baekhyun probably doesn’t know of her relationship with Kris. He probably doesn’t even know that they knew each other. Kris seems so quiet, even with this bunch, Amber was sure he’d never talk about her in front of them. But then again, if he was quiet only because he was pissed at her, he probably would have. And what does Baekhyun think about her then? If Baekhyun knows, why is he being so nice to her? Does he not think that she was fool, just like everyone in the world? This is way too complicated. All Amber wanted was a simple life, why are there so many things to consider?

Because your resolve is fading, sweetheart. Because you really care what these people think. These people are special, Amber. Maybe it’s time to start letting go of your past.

Author's Note: Hey darlings! Thanks for all the support and well-wishes! I'm doing much better now guess who can now stand without help! Okay, so it's only for really short periods of time, but still. AN IMPROVEMENT. I'm real grateful for all your prayers, I'm sure they'd worked(: Anyway, I hope you've liked this new chappie, do comment 'cause comments are super super appreciated! And remember, stay safe!