It had been a long day of practicing, and Maria felt like she was at the breaking point. The whole debut thing was beginning to get to her. She was nervous, she was tired, and she felt worked to the core. Cora and MinHee had told her to take it easy, but Cora was pushing her, and MinHee wasn’t around to stop her. MinHee was always creating music while Cora demanded Maria practice with her, and they practiced hard.

Maria could feel bruises forming beneath her skin, and callouses forming on her heels and the soles of her feet. She’d retired to the bathroom, taking a long, hot bath, which she nearly fell asleep in, while Cora did what she usually did and talked loudly on the phone. After the third or fourth time of nearly falling asleep, Maria pulled herself out of the lukewarm water and wrapped a towel around herself.

When she pulled the door open, she was surprised to find Nick lounging on Cora’s bed. He was laughing, scrolling through his sister’s phone, when he noticed Maria in her towel. “Oh jesus,” He said, shooting off the bed. “I,uh-” He looked to Cora, who yawned and took her phone from where her brother had dropped it. “I think I’ll go wait in the living room.”

“Good idea.” Cora said, watching her brother retreat from the room.

Maria started across the room and to the closet, where she began searching for clothes. “I didn’t realize Nick was stopping by.”

“It was last minute. He called while you were in the bath.” Cora said, sitting up. “I figured he would be gone by the time you got out.”

Maria sighed, taking her pajamas and moving back to her bed, where she left her phone. “How long was I in there?”

“Three hours?”

“Are you kidding?” Maria gasped, and Cora shook her head. “Why didn’t you get me out?”

Cora shrugged. “Because I worked you really hard today, and I know you’re hurting. I think that you can use some down time. Besides, I think I’m going to be too busy to do our practice as hard as we have lately.” Thank god, Maria thought, unlocking her phone when she noticed she had a message. “Are you hungry?”

Meet me at the doors of your building at eleven. Bring a bathing suit. Maria smiled. “No, I think I’m alright,” She said, looking to the clock on her phone. It was already ten forty five. She ditched her pajamas and moved back to the closet, grabbing her purple bikini and a cover dress. “I’m heading out.”

“Seriously? At this hour? Maria, it’s really late.” She said, moving to put her feet on the floor. “You guys have rehearsals tomorrow.”

Maria raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t?”

“I’m helping with some of the international crap. I’m going to be a bit late, but I don’t matter, I made up the routines, you matter, you need to learn them.”

Maria sighed. “Look, I don’t know when I’ll get to see Youngjae again, so I’m going out.” She started back towards the bathroom. “Please tell MinHee, when you see her, that I’ll met her in the rehearsal room bright and early.”

Maria slunk past the sleeping guard at the front desk and towards the door, pushing out onto the street. The door closed quietly behind her and she looked around. “Youngjae?” She whispered.

“Over here!” He answered, waving his hand above his head. He had peeked out from around the corner of a building, holding a picnic basket in one hand and a bundle of towels and blankets in another. “Come on!” He called, and Maria padded across the street to his side.

He smiled towards her. “Why is your hair wet? We haven’t even made it to the beach.”

Maria reached up and touched her hair. She’d towel dried it as well as she could in the short period she was given to get ready, but it clearly wasn’t enough. “I just took a bath is all.”

“A bath?” She nodded. “Are you aching?” She shrugged and he hummed, continuing down the street and towards the bus stop. “Have you tried, I don’t know, not overworking yourself?”

Maria laughed. “Come on Youngjae, you know what it’s like. We’re about to debut. And it’s really stressing the rest of the girls out.”

“The rest? You aren’t stressed?”

“Not about the debut. I mean, it is what it is, and I’ve accepted that, it’s just all this pressure to make it better is really killing me. It isn’t stress, it’s pressure.”

Youngjae smiled. “Well, tonight just ignore it all, okay? For me?”

Maria laughed. “For you.”

“Good,” He said, directing her towards the taxi that was parked just beyond the bus stop. He held the door open for her, closing it behind her as she climbed in and walked around to his side. As he climbed in and buckled his seatbelt, he reached for her hand and gave the driver the directions.

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