I was left to my own devices
Many days fell away with nothing to show
And the walls kept tumbling down
In the city that we love
Great clouds roll over the hills
Bringing darkness from above

***

“It gets better every year, doesn’t it?” Oh Sehun swung his arm around his best friend’s shoulder. The two boys strolled down the hall like Kings in a palace and observed their new preys.

Jongin rolled his eyes, “They also get younger every year,” he said much to his friend’s dismay.

“Younger, and oh so desperate to prove something,” Sehun relished in all the attention he – they were receiving.

Jongin had known Sehun since elementary school. They didn’t make sense as friends to a lot of people. Jongin was the golden boy, a high achiever whilst Sehun smoked cigarettes, and skipped classes. Whilst Jongin loved ballet, Sehun persuaded him into picking up hip-hop. This was in fact why Jongin and Sehun worked so well. They were always so different that they never stepped on each other’s toes, in fact they stood on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Jongin loved things sweet, and Sehun loved things savoury. They always pulled on each other so that neither would end over the metaphorical cliff.

“My dad wants me to stop with the dance practices.”  

Sehun looked over in feigned shock, “He doesn’t think dance will go well on your resume?”

Jongin laughed, it was almost as much of a reflex, especially when Sehun spoke. He shook his head. “I know,” Jongin said, knowing full well what Sehun thinks of his father and his own. “He’s only looking out for my future.”

“You underestimate yourself, Jongin.” Sehun said sounding defeated, “You’re more than capable of making your own future, which is more than I can say for the entire population of this school.”

Jongin patted his friend on his back and thanked him for the vote of confidence.

“By the way, did you hear?” Sehun asked.

“Hear what?”

“Bae Suzy is back in town.” Sehun said as he leaned back against the brick wall, eyes still keenly locked on his prey.

“Suzy?” Jongin asked, her name sounded foreign coming from his lips.

***

Jongin rarely worried. He hadn’t had one since he was nine and accidentally broke his father’s vase only to have his father replace it with an even more expensive vase. Having lots of money meant that he was free to make whatever choices he wanted to. Of course they had to be approved by his parents, but Jongin rarely concerned himself with his future, especially when it felt so logical it made it harder to argue against it. Jongin had it perfect, he lived alone in a penthouse, had a mother who doted on him and a father who taught him how to hold his liquor and he had a girlfriend who loved him dearly.

Bae Suzy coming back was something that Jongin had waited for. Seated in the assembly hall, Jongin kept his eyes on the watch on his wrist as the minutes ticked away slowly. “What’s wrong?” Sehun whispered, “Soojung keeps looking over here, she looks worried, you wouldn’t want her to worry would you?”

Jongin glanced over at Soojung and flashed her a reassuring smile. The raven hair girl smiled back and turned herself around. Once Jongin was certain that Soojung wasn’t going to turn around again his expression darkened.

“What are you doing for your free later?” Sehun asked.

“I’m going to see Suzy.”

“What?”

“I’m going to see-”

“I heard what you said,” Sehun said and hissed in a low tone. “Why would you even go to look for her?”

“She’s a friend, Sehun.”

“Really? Because friends don’t leave for a year and not keep in contact.” Now Sehun wasn’t the golden boy, or the anti-hero with the golden heart. Soojung even calls him ‘scum of the earth’ ever so affectionately, but the difference between Oh Sehun and Bae Suzy was that friends came first. Sehun in fact had wished for Suzy’s demise every since he witnessed what her leaving did to their group. She tore them apart and threw them in for a spin when she left. They all grew distant, Jongin worked harder to distract himself, Soojung despite her cold exterior, cried and Sehun watched as the few people he trusted broke him. Just as Sehun was sure everything was back to normal and rather almost perfect, she’s back.

The bell rung in the hall and the principal dismissed the students. Soojung turned to look for her boyfriend and his friend when she noticed that he was already gone. “Where did he go?” Soojung asked as she trotted over towards Sehun.

Sehun froze, “He said something urgent came up, he’s got a free so he’ll be back later.”

Soojung frowned, disappointed that she had missed him.

***

Jongin pushed his way out of the assembly hall only to be greeted by a familiar face that stopped him dead in his tracks. “Suzy,” Jongin uttered but his voice was drowned out by the sounds of the other student’s chatter.

Suzy had long hair now, long black hair that cascaded down her back. She looked slimmer, older and very much like her mother. Jongin couldn’t lie that when he saw Suzy in that moment, his heart skipped a beat. She was with the principal and dressed in the school’s uniform. She glanced in his direction but she mustn’t of have had seen him because she didn’t react when he stared her dead in the eyes. Jongin’s smile faded quickly as he chased after her fleeting footsteps. He knew the school like the back of his hand, but in the end he lost her. He figured that she’d pop up eventually he had to wait. After all, he had already spent a year waiting, what harm could a few more minutes do.

“Jongin!” Soojung shouted from across the yard. He turned around and watched as she skipped across the grass fields straight into his chest. He grunted upon collision as she knocked the wind out of his chest. “Sehun told me you left because of something urgent, that liar.” Soojung snarled as she turned around to find Sehun taking long strides towards them with his hand dug into his pockets and a smirk on the corner of his lips. “What did you want to do in your free today?” she asked.

“Jongin needs to study, his father isn’t happy with his grades.” Sehun butted into the conversation and split the two lovers apart. “Apparently A’s aren’t good anymore. He’s catching on…” Sehun whispered teasingly to Jongin. Soojung rolled her eyes and assumed a defensive stance. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as Sehun cupped Jongin’s shoulder reassuringly. “As for you, princess,” Sehun cocked his head towards Soojung, “You don’t have a free at the same time we do either, so why don’t you hurry up to class.” Sehun waved his hand in front of Soojung’s face, ushering for her to leave them alone.

Soojung sighed indignantly but didn’t argue further when Jongin encouraged her to head on first. He’d see her at lunch. Soojung pressed her lips against Jongin’s and kissed him passionately much to Sehun’s dismay. He only rolled his eyes. The public display of affection was clearly off putting especially when they were his best friends.

“Call me later,” Soojung said.

Jongin nodded and watched her walk out of earshot before he turned to Sehun and thanked him for saving his relationship. “I’m always here for friends.” Sehun patted Jongin on the back. “I’m heading to the studio now, I’ll see you second period,” he said as he walked away.

***

Suzy had made a handful of bad decisions in her entire lifetime. The first one was picking up her mother’s bottle of oxycodone and ingesting it into her system. The second one was not ingesting enough to kill her. The latest one had her enrolled into a high school where she was certain that everyone hated her. “Bae Suzy?” Suzy tilted her head upwards and was greeted by a mousy girl. “I’m Lee Hyeri, I was asked to show you around the school grounds.”

Suzy grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. She followed Hyeri down the giant hallways that echoed as her shoes clapped against the ground. She nodded slowly and continuously as Hyeri led her down the hallway, explaining to her the rich history that was built into these walls. Truth be told, her father, mother and grandfather graduated from the same place, so Suzy knew all there was to know about Redwood High. She tried her best not to yawn as Hyeri so enthralled by the opportunity to share her knowledge listed the alums. Amongst the list Suzy noticed her mother and father’s name. They were after all high school sweethearts and prom king and queen of their grade.

“You’re gorgeous by the way,” Hyeri said. Suzy snapped back to reality and found herself staring at a picture of her mother. “I mean -- of course you would be -- your father is so handsome, and your mother is a timeless beauty,” Hyeri stammered. “You look like them – I mean – you have your mother’s face, but your father’s eyes. Sorry, I’ve just heard so much about you, I’m quite a fan.”

Suzy tensed up.

“You’ve actually got gym class right now, but since the headmaster excused you being your first day, it wouldn’t hurt to introduce you to our teacher.”

“Our?”

“We’ve got the same timetable the headmaster figured you needed a friend.” Hyeri chirped.

Suzy hadn’t noticed that they were already standing on the sidelines of the gym hall watching the girls play volleyball. Once she did, she started to notice how people were looking in her direction. She had also noticed how Jung Soojung stared at her as if she intended to burn holes into her head with her gaze. A friend.

“Mr. Kim, this is Bae Suzy, she’ll be with us next class and from then on.”

Mr. Kim was a stocky man whose sweatpants hugged his body tightly. He wasn’t trying to hide anything at all and Suzy could see every bulging vein and muscle on his body. She resisted shuddering in disgust. “Of course, your father and I, we go way back.” Suzy nodded, she didn’t care. “How are your parents?”

Absolutely pathetic, she wanted to say but settled for a simple “Good.”

Mr. Kim nodded, pleased by the answer and turned his attention back to the team. Suzy noticed that Soojung hadn’t moved from her position at all. Suzy tried a smile, but was only greeted with a cold reaction. She had expected that.

“Suzy’s back?”

“Yeah…” Soojung mumbled under her breath.

***

Suzy arrived in the dining hall just in time for lunch. She spotted Hyeri from across the room waving at her to come over. She does so gladly with her tray of food, but walks right past Jongin, Sehun and Soojung. “She comes back after a year and acts like we’re not friends anymore,” Soojung said, scoffed and then rolled her eyes.

“You still consider her a friend?” Sehun asked, sarcasm dripping from his lips.

Jongin remained silent, occasionally stealing glances whilst he stabbed at his sandwich with a fork.

“She’s in my classes, and she hasn’t said a word to me yet.” Soojung grumbled, jabbing at the fruit on her plate.

“Have you tried talking to her?” Jongin asked.

“She’s the one that left and came back, she should make the first move.”

Sehun chuckled at Soojung, “Typical,” he scoffed. He turned his head sideways and caught Suzy’s back view. Soojung kicked him and relished as he winced in pain.

***

“Jongin, Soojung and Sehun keep staring at you,” Hyeri leaned in and whispered.

She simply shrugged it off, “Just let them stare.”

“But they’re Redwood Royalty! Their parents are all on the board, and that’s not even their job. They donate so much to the school that they’ve become honorary members,” Hyeri whispered. "Maybe they'll want to recruit you into their group..."

“Tell me about it,” Suzy said, her sarcasm undetected by Hyeri who happily continued.

During the past year that Suzy had disappeared she had simply lost interest in all the politics around being royalty, or in a more literal term, rich. It didn’t matter if she was rich when it could do little to protect her. They were children living on their parents’ fortunes, whose parents were living on their parents’ fortune, that was all there was too it. They were rich, not kind-hearted, heroic or even deserving as Hyeri thinks.

“They’ve been best friends since elementary school -- basically inseparable. Sehun hosts the best parties, there’s always plenty of alcohol and food, and the parties tend to run late into the night. He’s sort of a charmer, resident Casanova--”

“—so a playboy?” Suzy asked in an attempt to be straightforward.

Hyeri chuckled nervously, she dare not say something bad about the popular kids.“Unlike Jongin. Jongin’s the school’s golden boy. He’s represented the school on the debate team, the swim team, the track and field team and the dance team. Jung Soojung, she’s the Queen B, the ‘it’ girl, everyone wants to be her friend. She’s captain of the female’s lacrosse team and she’s got an amazing wardrobe. I heard that she has a room dedicated to her clothes. She’s also dating Jongin, they’re perfect.”

The corner of Suzy’s lips lifted on one side, “Soojung and Jongin?” she asked, not sure if she had heard correctly.

Hyeri nodded, “Since the end of last year. It just sort of happened.”

Suzy reached for her bottle of water and took a swig. She noticed that Hyeri was about to say something else when her pitch and posture changed. “Soojung!” Hyeri chirped, stiffened her back and shuffled over for Sehun to sit beside her.

“Hi, Hyeri, how are you today?” Soojung greeted the other girl.

Suzy dug her nails into her thighs, her other hand wrapped around her drink bottle, the plastic crumbling in her grasp as she watched Hyeri’s cheeks become flushed. Sehun leaned closer towards her and smirked, Suzy rolled her eyes and Jongin pulled his friend away from his prey.

“I’m-goo-great!” Hyeri stuttered.

“Did you not see us before, Suzy?” Soojung cocked her head sideways, “We saved you a spot.”

Suzy had in fact seen all three of them congregated around the table with their entourage, but she would be lying to say that she was interested in joining them. They were friends, yes, were, “I’m sorry, I saw Hyeri alone over here and I thought I’d join her.”

Soojung smiled, “Hasn’t our Suzy always been so considerate of others?” she said.

Hyeri yelped when Sehun’s hand grazed her thigh, “O-our Suzy?” Hyeri slid across the bench slowly away from Sehun’s grip.

“Oh, Suzy was part of our clique for a long time,” Soojung said as she hooked her arm with Suzy’s and tugged the other girl closer. “We go way back, we’re like practically sisters. What did they call us? The fantastic four? The awesome foursome?” The way Soojung bragged about them was excessive. 

“No one ever called us that,” Sehun said.

“Shut up, Oh Sehun.” Soojung hissed. “So Sehun was having a party tonight, we were thinking you should come and we can all catch up.”

Suzy looked at the food on her plate and looked to her left and right. She was suddenly surrounded by a group of unfamiliar people all eagerly staring at her. No doubt they had followed Soojung when she moved. Suzy smiled, “I think I’m full,” she announced and picked up her tray, her food barely touched. Soojung grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her downwards.

“I insist you have lunch with us. You wouldn't want to offend the staff your first day here, would you?”

Suzy smirked, “It’s a nice offer, but I’m going to head off to the library now.”

Soojung twisted her wrist and tugged her down, causing Suzy’s grip on the tray to loosen and the food to splatter all over the table. Everyone gasped, and quickly reached for napkins to clean themselves up, however Soojung and Suzy remained at a stalemate, neither girl refusing to move.

Jongin rushed over and pulled them both apart, “What are you doing?” he grumbled and glared at Soojung, eyes demanding that she stop immediately.

Soojung paused, turned her head to Jongin and flung his arm away. “Times have changed, Suzy. People too,” Soojung said.

“You’re telling me?” Suzy said before she smiled courteously and walked away. This caused Soojung’s blood to boil.

***

Jongin sat in the library beside a stack of books. He stared at the pictures but the Peloponnesian war did little to distract him from the girl perched on the window seat – his favourite seat. He flipped through the book, and scanned his eyes quickly across the words. He was never really a reader. It was always her job – Suzy’s.

“Hi,” he whispered to her, finally mustering up the courage to talk since he noticed her five minutes ago. “Sorry about what happened before during lunch.”

“Why are you apologising? You didn’t do anything.” There was no emotion in Suzy’s voice, it sounded stiff and cold. She folded her book over her hand and glanced sideways, her black hair falling over her shoulder as streams of sunlight trickled through her hair. 

“You know Soojung didn’t mean it, you guys always fight and make up.”

Suzy glared at the cover of her book, refusing to look him in the eyes. “Not this time.” Suzy mumbled, opened her book again and continued reading. When she noticed that Jongin had yet to leave, she asked, “What do you want Jongin?”

“I’ve missed you.” Jongin lurched forward awkwardly after a while for an embrace where he enveloped her with his arms. Suzy did little to return the favour.

“Oh,” Suzy simply said.

“It's been so long, I can't believe you've been gone for a ye-" 

“I wanted to be closer to my parents,” Suzy lied and Jongin knew. It wasn’t a want so much as a need. They needed her. It was their attempt at trying to save their marriage that was already in shambles. However, Suzy saw no hope, rather, she saw this as her parents putting on a show for her to watch. Something she would rather not observe – like she wasn’t already messed up enough.

Jongin nodded understandingly. The air around them could be cut with a knife. “Suzy I--”

“If you don’t mind, I’d love to read my novel in peace,” Suzy said coldly as she cut him off. Better to cut him off now than for him to be hurt by something bigger.

Jongin raised a brow and ignored the emptiness in her voice as he plopped himself down beside her, “Remember when you used to read to me?” he asked, kicking his leg up on the couch and trying to find a resting spot on her lap. Suzy watched without the slightest inflection as he turned his head up to look at her. She had months to practice this, but the warmth of his touch was enough to send a quake through her body.

She shut her book, and placed it down stiffly before she climbed to her feet without the slightest care that he was leaning against her. Jongin fell onto the couch, “That was years ago, we’re not children anymore.” Suzy dusted off her pleated skirt, cinched it up on the sides and adjusted her vest and tie.

Jongin stared at her, she wasn’t the same girl that he had grown up with. "What happened? You've barely looked at me since I greeted you."

“It’s a tough world out there, but how could Kim Jongin know that? You’re perfect, your life is perfect,” Suzy murmured whilst her eyes stayed fixated on the floor. She tried to make her exit before he could get another word in edgewise.

“What happened? You disappeared without so much as a message. I had to beg Eunsang to tell me. Sehun didn’t know, nor did Soojung. I came back and you left for another country. Did something happen in America?” Jongin asked.

“A lot happened well before America," she said finally, looking him square in the eyes.

***

The day was barely over when Suzy found herself on the phone with her mother. No questions were asked about her first day back or how her friends were – assuming she had friends. She was simply badgered by her mother to come home quickly. “Your father is coming home for dinner tonight.” She could hear the age stripped from her mother’s voice, she sounded girly and naïve and very different from her usual demeanour.

“Why?” Suzy snapped out of her reverie, the roses were looking exceptionally vibrant on the street she was walking along.

“I told him that you were home, he insisted,” she could hear her mother stammer. She figured that her mother was lying. Her mother had been turning into compulsive liar after all.

Suzy remembered when her mother came to visit one day in America. The woman had called her daughter over for tea and dinner but by the time that Suzy arrived all she found was bed sheets stained with blood and her mother drowning in them. She had cut thighs, and was bleeding heavily from the lower half of her body. She could never really get the image out of her head, of her mother’s pale body in her hands. Begging to die, begging to be released.

“You don’t want to die,” Suzy remembered telling her, the smell of copper and iron filling her nose.

Suzy’s mother was not a stupid woman, her father, Suzy’s grandfather, was a renowned surgeon. She knew that all she needed to do was to take a few pills that would send her to sleep. To cut her carotid artery and have her life end, in seconds. Her mother just wanted to bleed, she wanted to feel and she desired attention that her husband had deprived her of. This was where Suzy was different to her mother -- she didn’t want to feel anything. She’d rather not let them know that she was weak.

She arrived home to the smell of Eunsang’s cooking and was greeted by her mother. Jihyun had clearly dressed up and put on make up for her husband and she instructed Suzy to do the exact same. She dragged herself up the stairs and picked out a black dress that hugged her body tight, line her eyes with black kohl and shaded her lips a deep red.

Her father never knew about her mother’s incident in America. She just stayed there for a bit longer, ‘Hawaii was treating her well, she couldn’t leave,’ Suzy told her father on the phone. It was perhaps one of the first exchanges she’d had with her father in months at that point and she was lying to him, for her mother.

“How was your first day back at school, Suzy?” her father asked.

“Good,” she said, a one-worded reply was all she could manage.

“Are you adjusting ok back home? Are you still jet lagged?”

“Yes,” she said. She didn’t really want to be at dinner. He smelt so heavily of some cheap Marc Jacobs perfume. It should be noted that her mother only ever wore Guerlain.

“I really missed you,” her father said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you in America, I was busy with…”

“With your secretary?” Suzy snapped when the smell of Daisies got to her.

“Suzy!” her mother cried indignantly, “She doesn’t mean that, honey.”

Her father looked over at her and smiled, how she hated it that she looked like him, even if it was just her eyes. They say that your eyes are the windows to your soul. Suzy wished she hadn’t been able to see right through him. She wished that whatever hope her mother had in him, in their relationship and as a family wouldn’t be so fruitless. “I’m sure she did, honey.”

Suzy dug into her meal, taking big bites and gulps of soup to help her digest better. It would prove to work adversely as it churned her stomach slowly. Anything was better than sitting at this round table. There was nothing her for her, no reason for her to stay. She regretted even coming back home. Just as she was about to shovel another spoon down , her phone flashed and distracted her.

‘Oh Sehun’s Party has already started, new year, new faces and maybe some old,’ read the social bulletin. Suzy smirked, and wondered for a moment if that meant her. She glanced back over at her mother, who frowned at her. “No phones are the dinner table,” she mumbled.

Suzy smiled and closed her phone. She took another bite of her meal, and listened to her mother rant on about her day. Suzy had long learnt how to channel out her voice, and yet still manage to subconsciously reply so that it would seem she was paying attention. Just as she was about to continue she received another message on her phone that she promptly ignored.

“Suzy bought you egg tarts, the ones that you love.” Jihyun lied in an attempt to salvage Suzy’s dutiful image. She ignored them until her father’s phone rang. He looked nervously around the table after he glanced at the phone. The name was one that was familiar too her, and the very same one that was plastered all over the magazines. ‘Bae Doojoon, Park Seyoung romantic getaway in the Hamptons.’

“Sorry, no phon--” Doojoon is about to apologise for the disturbance when Jihyun interrupted.

“No, it’s fine, it’s probably urgent.”

Suzy rolled her eyes and excused herself, her mother’s hypocrisy the last straw. Despite the protest Suzy was adamant on escaping from her father and mother. She reached for her coat by the door, and when questioned by her mother about where she was going, she simply replied with ‘out’. The lesser of two evils was being surrounded by a group of strangers who were spending their night drinking away. 

***

“Have you seen Jongin? He’s late.” Soojung tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

Sehun swirled the liquor in his glass and took slow sips whilst he observed everyone in the room from the view upstairs. He had his eyes fixed on a group of pretty girls who were moving on the dance floor. He chuckled to himself. “Juniors, every year they find a way in.”

Soojung turned her head and followed Sehun’s direction, she smirked, “Please, you do very little to stop it from happening.”

 “Well, what can I say, I’m quite notorious for throwing amazing parties, even Hugh Hefner is jealous,” Sehun downed the last drop of liquor and turned to Soojung wearing a devilish smirk.

"I'm proud of you, Sehun. You're the only person I know who's standards continue to drop."

“Jongin’s outside, he needed a smoke,” Sehun said with a wicked smile on his lips. His words intended to offend her.

“He’s smoking again?” Soojung shrieked, “Why are you telling me this now?” She slapped her hand against his chest angrily and stormed off, leaving Sehun to clutch tightly onto his heart.

“,” he smirked, and rubbed his chest till the stinging pain eased. She had quite a slap that one, “Another drink, Woobin!” Sehun shouted to the bartender.

***

Jongin watched the city from high above the ground. He could see from above the stream of guests still arriving to the party. He noticed Soojung scouring through the crowd for someone when his screen lit up with her name. “Hello,” he answered whilst he reached for a mint in his pocket.

“Where are you?” Soojung asked.

“I’m on the rooftop,” he said, leaned over and looked down at her with a wicked grin on his face. “Look up,” he said.

Soojung titled her head upwards and pouted, “What are you doing up there? Are you smoking? Sehun said you were smoking.”

“The views nice from here, and no I'm not smoking, Sehun's jus trying to wind you up,” he said, eyes still fixed on her.

Soojung smiled, “You’re embarassing,” she whispered into her phone, lowering her head so that no one would notice the pink that began to fill her face. “Come down with me, let’s dance.”

“Or you come up here, and we can dance,” he suggested.

“I’ll bring the champagne,” she quickly added before she hung up. Soojung quickly disappeared out of sight. Jongin crushed the cigarette beneath his feet and fished out a pack of gum from his pocket.

***

Suzy slipped into the club undetected by the paparazzi that stood outside. She scanned the crowd and saw Sehun tangled in a sea of lovely ladies with their hands and arms all over his chest as he smoked his cigar and down his whisky. She noticed Soojung at the bar, picking up two champagne flutes, and there was no sign of Jongin at all.

She felt like she could breathe easier. The Dion Lee dress that she wore suddenly felt a bit looser and she found it easier to breathe. She slipped down the stairs and made her way to the bar. “Martini, please,” she ordered.

Suzy cocked her head to the side to observe her surroundings. She found a pair of eyes already fixated on her. She had to admit that his face looked extremely familiar but the dim light of the club and the alcohol she consumed during her ride over was already settling in. “I like a woman who can drink a martini,” he said, and raised his glass to her.

“What else is there to drink?” she replied with a flirtatious lilt in her voice.

He laughed, “Next one’s on me, that is, if you can handle it.”

“I’m just getting started.” She took her martini in her hand, and gripped tight onto the glass, she titled her head backwards and downed the drink in one gulp. Her admirer looked on fondly, amazed by the sight he had observed. She had consumed her alcohol like water, and not many women would openly do that, let alone women of class and wealth.

“What are you doing here tonight?”

“Celebrating,” she said sarcastically.

“What?”

“My life.”

“Here’s to you,” he raised his glass again.

“What about you?”

“Me? I don’t have much to celebrate,” he said modestly.

“Oh, there’s always a reason to celebrate, living here and making it out alive is a reason to celebrate.” Before she had realised, her admirer was standing beside her. She could feel her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, but she had to admit that he looked handsome when he smiled.

“So long as you keep talking, I’ll keep paying,” he teased.

“No, no, the last time I drank excessively something bad happened.”

“What?”

Suzy’s lips lifted at the corner, “My secrets are worth more than a couple of drinks.”

He nodded, accepting defeat. “Would you like a seat then?” he offered and pointed at one of the empty booths close to them. Suzy nodded, and stepped backwards, only to have glasses of champagne tipped down her back, the cool liquid seeping into her clothes and soaking her under garments. 

Suzy shrieked, and turned around to see who it was. A girl, some girl, that Suzy hadn't seen before trotted off with a victorious grin on her lips. The gentleman beside her helped her clean up, grabbing tissues and patting her down which caused Suzy to feel extremely uncomfortable. “It’s fine,” she stopped him, “I’ve got this. She wanted to head to the bathroom to clean herself up. When Sehun rudely intercepted her.

“Everywhere Suzy goes, drama follows. It’s like you’re a tornado tearing through the city and we’re left to clean up after you.”

“I get this feeling that it wasn’t a mere coincidence, especially if you’re around.” Suzy pulled at her soaked dressed and observed the damage. Sehun handed her a napkin that she snatched from his hand. She was prepared to storm off when Sehun pressed himself against her, stopping her from advancing past them. He smirked, raised his hand to graze her cheek and brushed aside a loose strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear “I’m going to find out what you did, and why you left, I’m going to show them what kind of a person you really are,” he said mercilessly.

“Hey,” the gentleman who had spent the last twenty minutes with Suzy stepped in between them and the smug look on Sehun’s face faded as soon as he noticed who it was. Regardless, Suzy pushed him aside gently it was war he was waging on her and she was a woman who could stand on her own two feet. Suzy returned the favour. She pressed her hands on his chest and dusted his shoulder. She grabbed his tie and adjusted it slowly. She parted her lips, “Do it,” she taunted with her deep gaze. “It’ll hurt you more than it hurt me.” She tightened his tie around his neck causing him to choke and gag.

Sehun glared at her in disbelief. He was more determined than ever.

***

“I’m sorry about that,” Suzy said. “He was right about one thing, wherever I go trouble follows.”

“I doubt that,” he comforted her, and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders when he realised that she was shivering from the chill. “We only ever talk about the bad things.” Suzy pulled his jacket closer to her body, she could smell the Calvin Klein he was wearing, it was her favourite. “Are you ok?” he asked, a look of worry was etched on his face.

“I’ll be fine, it’s just another day.”

“Well no one deserves that kind of behaviour,” he said. His eyes sparkled underneath the moonlight. Suzy had to admit that there was a sense of familiarity with him and why she felt so comfortable standing inches away from his body. Out of desperation, out of intoxication, Suzy pulled him in for a kiss. Her lips were pressed against his face, teeth grazing over lips as her saliva covered his lips. He stood there wide-eyed, as she ran her hand down his back. His hands wrapped around her shoulder and immediately Suzy stopped.

“Suzy…” he let her name slip from his lips.

“I’m so sorry,” she said breathlessly, pressing her hand to her lips as she staggered backwards. “I didn’t mean to – and you’re just…”

He flashed her a devilish grin, and wiped the corner of his lips. He nodded his head and dug his hand into his pocket. “You’ve gotten much better Suzy,” he said much to her surprise.

“What?” she asked incredulously.

“Surely enough I haven’t changed that much in a few years, I recognised you at least.”

Suzy squinted her eyes and trotted forward slowly, arms crossed. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue.

“Ah, yes, it’s all coming back to you isn’t it.”

Suzy stood up straight, cursed at herself silently and with a pinched smile she greeted the man who she had just kissed. “It’s been a while, oppa,” she said nervously.

Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed it please leave a comment.
xo