Ally was still on her happiness high of her close contact with Changmin, so she didn’t exactly notice when they had begun arguing. It started with him nagging about the sand footprints she had left while walking to her room from the beach. She had insisted it was fine and she’d clean it up, but he didn’t listen and mumbled under his breath. When she went back to clean it up, it was gone. Next, she had been talking particularly loud to a few teammates, and she caught him giving her a dark look from across the room. When she asked why, he mumbled about her being loud and walked on the deck. When everyone was on the beach, Changmin asked Ally why she never came in the water. She told him she was afraid, and he pulled on her arm lightly to get her to come in with him. To this, Ally began yelling about how he wasn’t listening and that she wasn’t going in the water, leaving Changmin storming off like a child. At dinner, Ally didn’t eat the olives in her salad, and Changmin complained to her that she should eat them, and when she said she didn’t like olives, he called her picky, which started an argument on the importance of eating olives and what classifies someone as a picky eater.

            A whole day had passed before someone finally mentioned it to her.

            “You and Changmin argue all the time,” Ezabel said to Ally, to which Ally’s roommate nodded in agreement.

            “Not really,” Ally responded, “I haven’t noticed.”

            “You haven’t noticed?” her roommate said, open wide in shock. “I hear you every night talking in your sleep, yelling at Changmin for one reason or another or calling him names.” Ally blushed, shaking her head. “No, really, I swear!”

            “What does it matter?” Ally asked, pouting slightly, feeling as though she was getting judged.

            “It means you guys are friends now, right?” Cindy asked, popping out of no where and sitting next to the girls on the couch. Ally, once again, shook her head.

            “How does that mean we’re friends?”

            “He doesn’t do it to anyone else on the island.”

            The next few hours that day, Ally paid close attention to Changmin, watching to see how he treated the others on the island. Although he nagged them occasionally, too, (his inner mother was coming out) he never did it to the extent Ally was subject to. It seemed he was a lot more patient with the others, annoying Ally to no end when she thought about it.

            At dinner that night, Ally glared at Changmin while she chewed roughly on her food.

            “Stop chewing so loud. I can hear it from here,” Changmin, who was seated across from Ally, groaned, looking up to give her an annoyed look. Ally felt herself coming close to throwing a fit, and she purposely began chewing louder. “Also, stop watching me so much. I may be your favorite but it’s annoying.”

            “Jinwoon is my favorite.” Ally cut him off, whipping her head up and sending daggers with her eyes, to which Changmin couldn’t help but look surprised.

            “So why are you staring at me?”

            “You’re rude!” Ally exclaimed, her voice a lot louder than she had intended. The table went completely silent, and all eyes turned to Ally and Changmin, who didn’t seem to notice.

            “I’m rude? You’re the one staring.” Changmin retorted, raising his voice a bit, also.

            “Really? You just keep telling me what to do. How come you’re patient with everyone but me?” Ally hissed through clenched teeth, and Changmin rolled his eyes. He turned his head to see that everyone was staring at them. He particularly noted Jo Kwon’s intense, curious gaze, as if wondering to himself what Ally meant by the comment. He groaned, realizing Kwon was becoming suspicious and would probably call a group meeting to scold him later.

            “You’re being ridiculous,” Changmin spit out, standing up, carrying his plate with him. “And eat your olives.”

            Ally glared, picking one of her olives up and throwing it at him, happy to see it hit him right in the forehead. There was an awkward lull of silence momentarily, everyone waiting to see how Changmin would react as he shared an intense eye contact with Ally. But, as a surprise to everyone, he covered his mouth with his hand as he began to laugh. Shaking his head, he picked up the olive and went to the kitchen, throwing out the olive and cleaning his plate. Everyone turned to Ally, expecting to see her angry from him laughing off her attack, but to their shock, she was biting her lip to keep herself from laughing, too. The whole table became instantly confused, left to their own thoughts as Ally stood up, following Changmin into the kitchen with her plate in hand. She placed it down on the counter next to the sink, where Changmin was cleaning off his own plate.

            “You always complain how I do the dishes, so tonight you have the honor of cleaning my plate.” Ally jokingly curtseyed, and Changmin scrunched up his face in distaste. Ally laughed, lightly punching his arm. “Happy now?” With that, she walked down the hall and into her room, leaving Changmin in the kitchen, shaking his head with a smile pulling at his lips.

            Once all the dishes were done and everyone had forgotten Ally and Changmin’s little fiasco, it was decided another game would be played. It seemed the group was too competitive to quit until there was a winner. How that would be decided, no one knew! But for the sake of pure competition, no one seemed to care.

            “Did anyone see our episode on Infinity Girls a while ago?” Jo Kwon asked, once everyone was on the beach, and a chorus of “yes” followed. He grinned, proud. “Well, remember the game we played?” Immediately girls began squealing and the boys laughed awkwardly. “Where you had to hug the people to try to get the correct number in a group?” Again, the chorus of agreement continued and Kwon laughed.

            “I think they know how to play,” Seulong said to Jo Kwon quietly, “Let’s start. This is kind-of embarrassing, no?” Jo Kwon chuckled and shook his head.

            “It’s for the fans, right? Then nothing is embarrassing.” Spoken like a true leader.

            Once it was decided who would be calling out the numbers and who would be playing, the game started. It was obvious by the competitive glares being given that every team badly wanted to win, but it was also just as obvious that it was going to be hard to do with the amount of people playing. Yet no one seemed to care, as challenging words were already being exchanged.

            The moment before the first number was called, Ally picked her head up and looked around the crowd. Her eyes stopped at Changmin as their eyes met, and time seemed to slow down, maybe even stop. He motioned with his head over to the group calling the numbers and then waved her over with his hand, asking her to be in his little hug group. Ally raised an eyebrow in response and Changmin rolled his eyes at her, a smile on his face. He nodded her over with his head, and Ally began wondering if time was ever going to start again, or if it was just going to be them standing there forever, time stopped around them.

            Well, Ally’s cheesy little fantasy wasn’t going to happen as the first number was called out.

            “Seven!”

            Ally didn’t wait for the number to finish being called as she began running across the crowd at Changmin, weaving through people until she was close to him, then leaping into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her neck and her legs around his waist. He wasn’t expecting this much enthusiasm, and tumbled back, but kept a good hold on her as more people joined around them, and he let her down once the group had seven. Changmin looked over to Ally with a questioning, amused smile and she blushed slightly, shrugging.

            “I want to win. Don’t you?” she asked. And he did. So that was it.

            For the rest of the game, no matter what number was called, Ally hurled herself into Changmin’s arms. Everyone was surprised at how quickly they’d get together, jealous of their teamwork, and they’d attempt to reach Changmin before Ally. But no matter who tried and no matter how many times they attempted it, no one ever reached Changmin before her. She was always the first to launch into his arms and he would always be there to catch her with grace, letting her on the ground after their group was complete.

            The two made it to the final rounds like that, running and grabbing hold of each other like their lives depended on it. Ally found that the more times she was in Changmin’s grasp, the more she felt safe and like she belonged. Another corny thing, yes, she knew, but it was still a nice feeling to have someone need to, even though it was for a game. The sunset around them gave a nice atmosphere, making her giggle at times when she didn’t know why.

            From the looks of it, the two were going to win the game with their system they had going, but in the end it was their downfall. When the last few rounds were up, the number was three. There were five people. Ally grabbed a hold of Changmin, and the other three grabbed each other. They were out, but their whole team cheered anyway, excited that their team made it far enough.

            “The Changmin team just has a lot of chemistry,” Ally said, shrugging it off like it was nothing, “It’s not a big deal.” But she couldn’t help but smile as Changmin nudged her with his elbow. Maybe they were the ones with the good chemistry.

            “Ouch. That hurt,” she moaned, rubbing her arm as Changmin scoffed at her.

            “Hey, I barely touched you. Why don’t you watch where you put your arms next time?” He returned, muttering something under his breath.

            “I could say the same to you!”

            Or… maybe not.

            After a moment, the game was finished. Jo Kwon’s team had won, their group had a huge celebration, and decided to plan a dance party in the living room in their honor, ordering Changmin’s team and Seulong’s team to clean up the room. Jinwoon’s team was asked to make the snacks, an easier job since they had yet to win anything. While complaining the whole time, the teams easily cleared the living room and served the snacks. Someone hooked up some strobe lights and black lights, and turned off the light. Once the stereo was turned up to the max with a playlist put together by Kwon’s team, the party was ready, and the set-up was completely worth it.

            The couches, tables, shelves, and other miscellaneous furniture that was once in the living room was moved out of the way, leaving a clear and empty dance floor on the shiny, light wooden floors. The lights were flashing already, almost in sync with the heavy beat coming out of the speakers. There was a request station attached to the iPod playing the music, where people from other teams had already gone to request some songs to play after Kwon’s playlist was done. The table in the kitchen right off the living room was full of different snacks and drinks, and a few girls were already grabbing stuff and offering it to their favorite members, who politely declined.

            It only took a few short minutes of awkwardness until people started dancing with one another out on the floor, Jo Kwon occasionally in the center with his kkab in full blast. Changmin jumped in next, Jinwoon following him. Seulong was the last member to dance, feeling extremely shy, but eventually joined in dancing with his fellow members.

            Ally was standing off to the side, doing her favorite thing, eating. She was drinking a soda and munching down on a chocolate chip cookie, watching the others dance with a huge smile on her face. Although she always loved dancing whenever she was doing it, it was hard to just jump in and dance for her, expecting some sort of teasing. Plus, she was never confident in her abilities and usually just goofed off. But it was hard to say no when Changmin strolled up to her, sweating slightly but a huge smile on his face. Ally laughed as he got himself a drink, and he raised an eyebrow at her before saying something to her, which she couldn’t hear over the noise.

            “You look like you’re having fun,” Ally said, although she knew Changmin couldn’t hear her. He gave her a quizzical expression in return, leading Ally to stick her tongue out at him. Changmin motioned at the dance floor with his head and raised an eyebrow at Ally, causing her to shake her head with a laugh. He sighed, grabbing her arm and pulling her out to the floor. Ally squirmed and glared and said nasty things to him, but Changmin either didn’t see or didn’t care, because within seconds they were in the middle of the floor and Changmin was dancing.

            It took everything in Ally’s power not to burst out laughing. Not at Changmin, per say, but more because he was trying to be y while Ally found it extremely adorable. Changmin frowned at her small smile and awkward stance. He reached over and grabbed Ally’s arms and moved them to the beat of the music, swaying his own hips in time with the rhythm. He bit his lower lip, smirking at Ally, though she was completely unfazed, still standing awkwardly and smiling at him. Changmin actually began to pout, leaving Ally laughing and covering . While she was distracted, Changmin looked down and smirked as an idea formed in his head. In one swift movement, he leaned over and grabbed Ally’s hips and began swaying them to the beat.

            Ally’s face flushed and she quickly tried to pull away, but Changmin didn’t budge. He kept swaying her hips and smirking at her. No matter how much she tried, Ally couldn’t escape from Changmin. So for the rest of the song, she stood as still as she could as Changmin moved her arms and hips to try to get her to dance. Changmin would occasionally lean slightly in and yell over the music to her, complaining about her lack of rhythm and dance ability. Ally groaned, wishing for some sort of distraction so she could escape. She couldn’t dance all on her own in front of Changmin. It would be horrifying if he saw her like that… right?

            Ally’s wish was granted as Jo Kwon appeared out of no where and elbowed Changmin roughly in the side, causing him to drop Ally from his grasp and start and complaining to his leader, who was shaking his head and walking away before Changmin had a chance to speak to him. Ally took this as her opportunity to leave Changmin, and her heel to walk away from him. As soon as she did so, the music changed and “Dr. Feel Good” by Rania came on, and people immediately began squealing and pulling their best “y” facial expressions. She paused for a moment before she felt Changmin’s hand on her wrist, pulling on her arm to turn Ally to face him. Changmin raised an eyebrow at her and Ally’s mind began racing, trying to think of another way to escape. That’s when she panicked, and did the one thing she was trying to avoid: dance.

            Ally plopped herself onto the ground and began the starting moves of “Dr. Feel Good”. During the time became popular, Ally learned the dance from watching performances. Although she didn’t nearly know every move of the choreographed dance, it was enough that she could fake whatever she didn’t know. Two girls joined her, and they continued to dance, Ally placed in the center. Although she tried to avoid Changmin throughout, Ally couldn’t help but meet eyes with him. His expression was hard to read, showing signs of confusion and surprise, but there was also a small smirk on his lips, making Ally nervous. She almost lost her balance on her last hip , but managed to stay calm and finish the dance without a horribly embarrassing mistake. Surprisingly, she could feel she wasn’t half bad, though she only knew half of the choreography. The two other girls were better, but Ally had the better outfit fit for the song. Her outfit wouldn’t be what she would ever consider y, but she was the only one wearing all black, and Ally couldn’t help but notice how it suited the song.

            Once their performance was over, the two girls next to her high-fived Ally, pulling her into their small dancing circle as a strong club remix came blasting through the speakers. The girls began dancing and Ally, at first, stood awkwardly just how she had with Changmin. But soon enough, she began moving her hips softly to the music. By the middle of the song, her shell had been broken and she was jumping up and down to the beat. Soon enough, Cindy and Ezabel found their way over to the group and all of the girls were jumping up and down, cracking up at the dance moves they were using.

            They stayed like that for a while, until a few songs later Ally felt a light punch on her shoulder. She glared, rubbing her arm and turning around and bumping right into Changmin’s chest. She would never admit it to his face, but that hurt more than him hitting her arm. She reminded herself how muscled he was, cleared awkwardly, and looked up into his eyes. He was looking at her as if annoyed.

            “Are you sure you like me?” Changmin yelled to her, leaning in with a glare. Ally laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

            “Yes,” she yelled back, cupping to make her voice louder over the music. Changmin continued to glare at her, and Ally began feeling uncomfortable, shifting her feet a bit as her awkward stance returned.

            “Why won’t you dance with me, then?” he replied, also cupping his mouth, as if mimicking her. Ally lightly pushed on his arm and turned back to her group, but Changmin was too quick. He grabbed her arm with one hand and her waist with the other, pulling Ally with him and began dancing with her. Ally shook her head, but Changmin’s glare was replaced with another pout. For the record, Ally found it hilarious, but it was also something that was hard for her to resist.

            So, Ally reluctantly began dancing, removing Changmin’s hands from her as she did so. He hesitated momentarily before realizing Ally wasn’t leaving, and released her and began dancing as well. Although the two were alright dancers when faced with choreography, when left to fend for themselves, it was a bit difference. Changmin was better than Ally, who was just an average dancer on her own. But neither of them paid much attention to this as for the rest of the night, they danced together.

            It was looking like the party would never end until Kwon arrived, pulling Changmin away from Ally and turning down the music.

            “I think it’s time for bed, you guys. It’s really late,” Jo Kwon called out, pointing to a clock. It was already almost the morning, and people reluctantly began filing out of the living room and into their respective bedrooms. Ally followed the crowd, sending the 2AM members a small wave and flashing a smile at Changmin before preparing for bed. It wasn’t long before she was snuggled in the blankets, thinking about her day with Changmin and the ups and downs they faced. He was an interesting character to her. She fell asleep with thoughts of Changmin in her head, hoping for sweet dreams to follow.

            By her gasp and tears not long later, Ally had not had a peaceful dream. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but knew very well of the horrible dream she just add. Wiping her tears, Ally looked around her dark room and shivered in fear. She almost went back to sleep, but it was then she heard rustling around in the living room. She froze, closing her eyes and listening. Who would still be up after everyone went to bed? Although she was terrified of the noise, she was also overcome with curiosity of what the noise was. Cautiously, Ally picked up her pillow and crept outside into the hallway. Tiptoeing, she was careful to be completely silent, avoiding waking anyone up or having the person hear her in the kitchen.

            Arriving at the kitchen, Ally strained her ears to listen, trying to figure out who it was that she heard. But, the person (or thing) didn’t make a single sound. Although wanting to do nothing more than run back to her room and sleep, Ally knew she couldn’t unless she knew what the noise was. Slowly, making sure no one would see her, she turned her head around the wall and her breath caught in . Her heart began beating in her chest as she saw a dark figure creeping around. She hissed softly and retracted her head back from the corner, holding her pillow tight to her chest. Whatever it was heard her, and began walking towards where she was standing. She waited, figuring that she was about to die from some crazy man who lived on the tiny island. As soon as the figure turned the corner Ally was hiding behind, she whipped out her pillow and whacked the person as hard as she could in the face. She froze, waiting for them to attack her as she squeezed her eyes shut and began trembling.

            “Ally?” it asked, and she let out a breath Ally had no idea she was holding.

            “Changmin! What are you doing up still?” she groaned, opening her eyes and biting her lower lip with a sigh. Changmin raised an eyebrow.

            “I was cleaning. What, did you hear me and get scared?” he teased, smirking as he received another whack from Ally’s pillow.

            “Shut up. I had a nightmare and knew I couldn’t go back to sleep if there were unknown noises in the kitchen,” Ally mumbled, turning her head away as her cheeks blushed in embarrassment. Changmin shook his head.

            “Scared-y cat. Need me to hold your hand again?” Changmin retorted, and Ally whacked him yet again. Changmin smirked. “Calm down. Jo Kwon wanted to talk to me,” Changmin tensed up, an unreadable look flashing through his eyes, “and then I went to clean up all of the food we left out.” He motioned towards the kitchen. “I just finished.” He tilted his head at her. “What was your dream about?”

            Ally sighed, shivering at the thought. “I was alone in my room and there were monsters. I couldn’t see them, but I knew they were coming and that I couldn’t protect them while I was alone in bed. It was really scary, trust me.”

            “Want me to take you back?” Changmin asked, and Ally hesitated. Thinking about sleeping in her room was creeping her out more than the odd noises she thought she heard. Finally, she nodded. Changmin ruffled her hair, earning another whack of the pillow, before leading Ally down the hall. Though, when they got to where one would turn to reach Ally’s room,  Changmin turned the other way until they got to the end of the hall. He opened the door and led Ally inside. It was a room that looked much like the one she was in, but contained one double bed instead of two singles.

            “I thought you were taking me to my room?” Ally asked, looking at Changmin nervously. He smiled at her before sitting down on the bed.

            “I thought you were scared of your room?” Ally didn’t answer, and Changmin’s smile grew. “Exactly. So stay here tonight. At least until you feel safe. Then I’ll take you back.” Ally shook her head immediately, and Changmin sighed. “I’m not taking you back until you aren’t scared, so no arguing. Calm down. I’m not some weird ert or anything.” Ally burst out laughing, sitting down on the bed next to Changmin.

            “Hey, you’re the one that said it, not me.” Ally stuck her tongue out at Changmin, who glared back at her.

            “Hey. I’m trying to be nice,” Changmin retorted, looking slightly offended. This brought upon a fit of giggles over Ally as she came across a realization. Before she knew it, she was singing a few of Seulong’s lines from his duet with IU.

            “Nagging,” she said once finished. “The song is called nagging. That’s exactly what you’ve been doing to me recently.”

            “That’s a love song,” Changmin replied, a childish glare on his face, “So it doesn’t count.”

            “So what? You still nag!” Ally exclaimed in a hushed tone, poking Changmin’s shoulder roughly with her finger.

            “Aish, just be quiet and go to sleep. You’re so loud. It’s late. Seriously…” he complained, plopping down and turning his back to Ally. She waited for him to sit back up before she realized he was seriously going to sleep. Awkwardly sitting, Ally waited until she could hear Changmin’s even breathing to tell he was asleep. Only then did she sigh softly, reluctantly lying down as far away from Changmin as she could, cradle her pillow, and fall asleep.