"You're handsome!" 

"No, he's not. He's stupid. Stupid Snoopy." 

"You're cute!!"

Amber pretended to flip her non-existent hair. "I know."

Henry clasped a hand on her shoulder, laughing, then tugged her away from the fans. "Why do my fans like you when you're always so mean to me?" 

She chuckled, framing her face with her hands. "Cause I'm adorable. Duh." 

He shook her a bit. "Stitch," he said with a soft smile.

She grabbed his ear, tugging him into the queue for the stage. "Come on. It's almost our turn." 

"Ewic," Amber squealed in a baby voice, leaving Henry's side to wrap her arms around the neck of the other man, burying her face against his shoulder. 

The older man wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close, then released her with two soft pats to the back. "It's been a while. Is Henry being good?" 

"No," she pouted, then tossed herself at Kevin, slinging an arm around him. "Kevin!" 

Henry shook his head at himself for thinking any act toward him from Amber could mean she liked him in any way. She was so touchy and cute with everyone, how was anyone supposed to know when she was flirting with them specifically.

"What's that look for?" Eric asked, gripping his arm. "You look kinda constipated." 

"Shut up," Henry said, rolling his eyes. He headed to his kitchen, Eric following him. They were having a small get-together of friends and he'd planned to cook for them all. Amber had wanted rice cakes on the way back from their recording though so they were a bit late. 

"Nah, seriously. Tell me what's up." 

Henry considered it for a moment, then glanced over to where Kevin and Amber were squeezing each other's thighs. He couldn't help but be irritated. Didn't Amber know that she couldn't just go around doing things like that without giving someone the wrong idea? 

"Nothing."

"You've been glaring at the back of Amber's head since you two got here. Did she do something?" 

His eyes went to his large leather couch again where Kevin and Amber were now wrestling and laughing it up. He squeezed his eyes shut. 

"Do you think Amber is a flirt?" 

The most incredulous expression crossed Eric's face. "What?" He glanced over his shoulder where Amber had Kevin in a fierce headlock, cackling triumphantly. "Amber?!....a flirt?!"

He pointed at the couch. "That girl who's trying to spit on Kevin?...a flirt?" 

"You don't think she was flirting with you when she hugged you earlier? All that nuzzling and stuff?" 

"She's like a puppy...or a kitten...I can't really think of anything she does as flirting," Eric responded honestly. 

"Do you think Kevin feels the same way as you?" 

Eric shrugged. "Probably. He's seeing someone anyway, so I don't think he really thinks about Amber outside of being her friend." He scratched at his chin and studied his long-time friend. "Why?"

"We went to the gym a while back and she put on this...outfit...really tight, like practically painted on...and went up to this guy..."

Eric's eyes bulged out, feeling like he was being told a fairy tale or something. Amber! In tight clothes! Asking some guy out right in the middle of a gym for everyone to see!

"You sure you took the right person to the gym? Not some Amber look-alike?" 

Henry rolled his eyes. "I picked her up from her house and everything. It was definitely her. I also think she has something going on with Krystal..." he said a bit more softly. 

Eric rubbed at his ear, feeling like he wasn't hearing something right. Amber and Krystal?! "Wow, you must see a whole side of her the rest of us don't," he said in surprise. 

Henry pulled some sliced chicken from the fridge, seasoning it, then putting some oil into a pan to heat. "Do I?" He wondered out loud, glancing over to see Amber draping her long legs across Kevin's thighs so he could massage her feet. 

He shifted to the side when Eric stepped closer to him. "Dude..."

"What?" 

"You're into her?!" 

"No. What are you talking about?" 

"You're the one sitting here analyzing her clothes. Put the chicken in the oil before it burns. Now come on. You can tell me." 

"No..."

"Henry," Eric said sternly. 

"I've been having dreams about her," Henry admitted reluctantly. "And it's getting all wrapped up in my affection from her and turning into this weird...I don't know...attraction that I don't know what to do with. I don't want to ruin our friendship with these stupid feelings that came from nowhere and will probably go nowhere." 

Eric patted his back. "Ah. Hmm...well, maybe you should try spending a little time away from her to see if it changes." 

"But we've got my song promotions and..." 

"Just try it out. Anything goes wrong between you and Amber and it affects all of us," Eric said with a warning. "If I have to choose between you and Amber, I'm choosing Amber. She's way more fun than you are." 

"But she can't cook." 

"I make enough money to buy takeout," Eric said confidently. 

He couldn't help it. Telling himself not to think about something made him think about it even more. Staying away from Amber just made him realize how much he missed her when she wasn't by his side. 

He found himself calling her more frequently than ever, wanting to know what she was up to, even if it was just grabbing a snack from the convenience store. He was thankful 1,4,3 promotions were over because he didn't know how much longer he could deal with her busting into his dressing room or playing around with him before the stage. She was so fun and cute. 

He was scared that his new fixation on her was partially driven by him getting older and lonelier and not feeling particularly fulfilled in his career. He wanted to do music all the time. Different types. Surround himself with it. He wanted to meet his fans more often. It felt like everyone around him was living their dream or couldn't understand what he was going through. He'd come to Korea, learned the language, all in an effort to be part of a group he was barely a member of. He loved the guys, but this wasn't exactly how he'd thought things would be. His music was doing okay, not great, so he was worried if he'd get to put out another album. At least his popularity was growing slightly, so that was something. His variety career was taking off. He wished the same could be said for his music. 

Henry pulled out his phone, face-timing the girl who understood how it felt to be slightly displaced and slightly displeased with their positions here in a foreign country. 

"Hey," he said softly when she picked up. 

Amber was lying in bed, her face pressed against a pillow. *Hi."

"Are you excited about finally getting the green light for your song to be added to your group's next album?" 

She smiled, nodding. 

"You want to come over and celebrate?" 

*I'm comfortable here,* she responded. *And I thought you were avoiding me.*

His eyes widened. She'd noticed... "Umm..."

*Why? Did I do something?*

He shook his head. "No. It was all me. All me." He scrubbed a hand over his hair. "I was being stupid. I've missed you." 

*Ew,* she scrunched her nose. *Don't be cheesy.*

"I-" 

Another face appeared on the screen, pressing lips to Amber's ear and whispering something to her, making her laugh. 

Oh yeah, how did I forget about that? Henry wondered, watching Krystal snuggle against Amber's back. 

"I'll call you again later, okay?" 

Amber's brows scrunched with concern. *You sure? You look...I don't know...a little down.*

He shrugged. "Just hoping something changes next year," he said. "I don't know what, but something. I feel...I can't seem to feel relaxed. Like something's sitting on my chest and making it hard for me to breathe. I feel stuffy with everything I want to do and say, but can't." 

Amber nodded. *Come over. I don't feel like leaving my house.*

"But Krystal-"

*She's probably going to be asleep by the time you get here and we can talk in the living room.* She glanced down for a second, then back up, her long lashes unveiling her eyes made Henry's heart stutter. *I missed you too, Snoopy.* 

(Link)Amber's Newest Episode of What the Pineapple