Never in a million years, would Ara had thought she’d end up on a car ride to the beach with Oh Sehun at 5:45 in the morning. Never in a million years would Sehun had thought he’d offer a car ride to the beach to Jung Ara at 5:45 in the morning either. The car ride was long and quiet, still slightly awkward but they’re not surprised to be honest. They could finally see the ocean in the distance. The sun hadn’t risen yet but she could see how calm the water was. 

Once parked, she unbuckled and felt something on her lap. She picked it up and noticed it was a jacket. Before she could say anything, Sehun was already out of the car and heading for the sand. She sighed and got out after putting the jacket on. She was definitely cold. So foolish of her to get out of the house without a jacket. 

*Sun’s about to rise.* She thought as she looked at the warm gradient sky, approaching where Sehun was sitting on the sand. For the next twenty minutes, the two just sat there, silent and embracing the relaxing ambience of the beach.

“So pretty.” She exclaimed cheerfully as she watched the sunrise.

Sehun turned to her, watching her hair flow in the wind. *Yeah..* He turned back to the sky and took in the moment.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” She turned to him with a smile. “Sort of needed this.”

He turned to her, “No one should be alone in a dark playground at dawn because they’re feeling bothered.” He noticed her fidget nervously before looking down.

“Was I that obvious?”

“A normal person would be sleeping at 5am.”

“You weren’t sleeping either,” They stared at each other with a knowing look, “is your mind full too?”

He shrugged and faced the ocean, “I’m troubled but my mind is not full, empty actually.”

Ara just nodded, turning her attention back at the ocean as well. 

*Well, not anymore.* Sehun was confused. He just confessed his feelings. He wasn’t the type to do that, not even with his group of friends. But something about her made him feel comfortable and reassured to talk. He shook his head and stood up, shaking off the sand on his pants and offered her his hand. “Let’s go get some breakfast.”

She smiled up at him and took his helping hand and got up, shaking off the sand as well. He didn’t want her to let go. Her hand was just so small and soft. 

“I feel like McDonald’s.” She skipped towards the car as Sehun raised an eyebrow at her. It was strange but they were starting to feel comfortable with each other. 

He was glad the car ride to the beach helped her someway since she was looking troubled recently. But he was frustrated that he was so attentive towards her when it was unlike him. 

Although Sehun was still not showing any facial expressions other than an eyebrow raise, but the fact that he was talking, made Ara feel like he was opening up. *I mean he brought me here so that says something.*

He nodded as they buckled up and drove off to the nearest chain.

“Hi, what can I get you?”

“Umm,” Sehun watched as Ara leaned on the bench, smiling up at the menu board, “Can I get a medium Big Mac meal without the middle bun and coke for the drink please?” He gave her a questioning look as she shrugged. “Too much bread.”

“Is that all?” She turned to Sehun.

“And a large Big Mac meal please, coke for the drink as well.” She was about to hand over her card but Sehun handed over his and walked off with the receipt to a table near the window. 

“Why did you pay for me?” She was annoyed and he could see it as she slumped in the seat in front of him. “You drove, I should’ve paid for the meal.”

He didn’t reply and just looked out the window.

“Number 35?” Sehun stood up and went to grab the tray. Ara gleefully grabbed her burger and took a sip of coke. 

“You know,” She started as they started eating, “since we’re already awake, let’s go have fun.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “How about bowling? I’m pretty good you know.”

Sehun was intrigued, no doubt. This girl wanted to go bowling  after eating a big mac at 7:30am. “Really?” He watched as she nodded with certainty. *Cute.* He thought but had to blink a couple times because that was out of nowhere, getting a questionable look from Ara.

*Get it together Sehun.*

 

---

 

“Strike!” 

Sehun watched as Ara bowled another strike, jumping in happiness. He was only 3 points behind but she wasn’t lying, she’s good. However, he wasn’t bad either and was also competitive. He grabbed a bowling ball as he waited for the pins to set up. *You can’t let her win Sehun.*

Ara watched as he put on a concentrated stance and bowled his turn. She groaned as he bowled a strike as well.

Sehun threw up his right fist before realising his actions and quickly putting his fist but Ara caught that.

“Don’t hide your excitement,” She smiled at him as she went to get a ball, “I know you’re having fun, admit it!” She laughed as he tried to stay calm. Workers were giving them weird looks because it was 9 in the morning, the place just opened and here they were bowling.

“No!” Ara stood, confused, as she just stared at the bowling ball that disappeared down, only hitting two pins.

Sehun laughed as he watched her sulk to get another ball. After the game, Sehun ended up winning by 9 points and Ara was not happy about it.

“It’s just a game Ara.” He chuckled as he watched her walk off silently after handing in her shoes. He sighed, but still smiling (unknowingly), and took her hand, dragging her to the arcade games located in the bowling alley. “Round two?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked and grabbed a game gun, “You’re on.”

After a couple games, solo and paired, Ara was feeling the fatigue now as she yawned. *Maybe we should head home.*

“Here.” She turned around and stared at the eevee plushie in Sehun’s hand.

He looked away as he scratched the back of his neck. “I think we should head back now.” Once she took the plushie, he headed for the exit.

She squished its cheeks and followed suit. *Cute.*

 

---

 

“Baby,” Ara felt someone shaking her, “wake up, geez it’s 2pm.”

“Ugh, no.” She twisted on her left side as Minhyun sat on the right side of her bed.

“We’ve been calling you the whole morning geez,” He snatched her blanket, causing shivers in her as her skin became exposed to the cold. Ara never liked wearing socks, nor long sleeve nor pants to bed; just a pair of pj shorts and oversized shirts. She found in the past that whenever she did, she would wake up with burning skin but cold hands and feets. It was strange and her mother thought so too, especially since the elder was the opposite; not understanding but thinking maybe it was a being young thing.

“Ok ok I’m up!” She screamed but contrasted her declaration by snuggling up to her pillow further.

“Baby come on,” Too tired and lazy, she let him sit her up wither her arms aimlessly positioned like jello. “It’s such a nice day, let’s not waste.” 

She sniffed the air. *food.* Now tired and hungry, she got up and headed for the bathroom to freshen up. “For someone who couldn’t sleep at all last night, I slept like a baby at 10.” She mumbled, receiving a questioning look from Minhyun.

“By the way, your mum has another V.I.P. reservation tonight,” He exclaimed excitedly, skipping towards the kitchen. “SLEEPOVER AT JAEJOON’S!!!” 

Ara closed the bathroom door not before hearing the annoyed remarks Jaejoon responded back to the younger boy. Chuckling she hopped into the shower, her mind wandering off. The two boys were probably the only friends she had her whole life. Sure she’s friends with the other students at all the schools she’s been to but she has never hung out or talked to them outside of school. Ara was friendly, nice and always considerate but she was never the type to initiate an ongoing friendship. She was independent from the get go and always liked being alone. She never liked to bother others or make unnecessary conversations with others because she knew she would probably not keep the friendship going.

Ara met Minhyun first. It was when they were both around nine years old. He had just moved into the apartment across from theirs. His family was an ordinary family: he had an older sister about 10 years older than him who was getting ready to head off to college, and his working father and a housewife mother; a traditional family basically. Being the social butterfly, Minhyun had initiated a friendship, something her mother was always thankful for. She’d go to their apartment whenever her mother had to work late, getting picked up with Minhyun as they went to the same schools since then.

Jaejoon came in a year after when Ara’s mother invited Minhyun’s family to have dinner at the restaurant she worked at to thank them for looking after her daughter. Jaejoon’s family was also having dinner the same night. Minhyun immediately took a liking to Jaejoon when he spotted the older boy (just by a few months) with a massive looking ice cream sundae. As expected, the younger somehow befriended him, bringing Ara, and they shared the ice cream sundae together. This new friendship came as a 1+1 as their parents adored the scene before them, beginning another friendship that went against the status quo. Jaejoon’s family was on the wealthier side, father owning one of the biggest French cuisine companies in the world, the one Ara’s mother worked at. From then on, the rest became history.

Other students knew Ara was friendly and nice but also understood that she still sort of had a wall up in defence. They all had a sense of her not wanting to expand her friendship group but understood that was probably because she was always an independent person, keeping to herself.

But the two boys knew that wasn’t the case. Sure she was always this introvert, but as the older two who thought of Ara as their little sister there was something off about her the past two years. They could sense it, even if it was slight and could easily be brushed off by anyone else. She’d go off into her own world at times. She used to have a ton of nightmares, which resulted in frantic midnight phone calls, although reduced, still came and went. They could sense that she wanted to befriend others, especially girls. Whenever they’d go shop around, she’d glance enviously at the other groups of girls before, as if in lightning speed, divert elsewhere. But the boys always sensed it.

Whenever they’d confront her about opening up to others, she’d brush it aside and exclaim that they were all she needed. Besides, she had her mum and the female co-worker at the cafe. But they knew, being friends with you mother or a co-worker who you see only at work was different from being friends with girls your age.

But at the end of the day, Ara knew she was content with her life. It was peaceful and wholesome. Maybe she would open up in the future, but that can wait until the future became her present; when she was ready.

Finally finishing up, she sat with the other two as they watched her eat something Jaejoon had quickly cooked up. They both stared at her in confusion. Sure they didn’t get called in for work today but Ara was not the type to sleep in all the way until 2pm. 

Having enough of this confusion, Minhyun propped something on the table, “Ara, what’s this?”

They diverted their eyes from Minhyun to the plushie as she choked on her food, Jaejoon quickly handing her a cup of water. *Crap.* 

At this point, her mind was all over the place. They knew Ara was not the type to buy unnecessary things. Her room was simple and had everything she needed because she was always responsible with her money and never showed passionate desire for anything. Frankly, she just loved trying a variety of food, especially desserts, probably inheriting that from her mother. So this new eevee plushie which they had never seen was quite puzzling.

She stared at them back and forth. What was she supposed to say? Yeah, you see I went bowling with Oh Sehun and then he won me that plushie. Should she add that she couldn’t sleep the whole night so she went to the park and Oh Sehun found her so they went on a little one hour car ride to a beach at 6am? Ot that they also ate McDonald’s together? Basically declaring the reason that she slept in until 2pm today was because she was with the Oh Sehun.

“Umm,” She started getting back into her meal so as to not look suspicious as she lied, “I haven’t been sleeping well and I happened to see it as if the world was telling me to buy it so I could sleep better.” She said calmly whilst also shrugging.

“But we’ve been together this whole week? When did you buy this?” She was squirming nervously in her seat at this point.

“Maybe she got it online?”

“You know, it kinda looks like you with its big fluffy hair, big eyes, curved ends of its lips and all.” He punched its face as her eyes widened. *Hey!…*

“Anyways, such a nice day today,” Minhyun exclaimed throwing the plushie towards the sofa and Ara watched it fly in disbelief but catching herself from making her look suspicious. “How about we go out to Myeongdong today?”

“Ooh,” Ara jumped in her seat keen, “dessert!!!”

“Yes, yes!” Jaejoon watched as the younger two high-fived and smiled. “Sugar daddy Jaejoon’s shout!!”

“YAH!!”

 

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*written* 19.10.2019

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, uni things ~ a